As many of you know, I am a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants person. So, while I do generally try to do a menu plan .. if something comes up, I just let it go.   I mean, seriously if a friend wants to do dinner, who am I to say, oh no, i must eat my chili tonight! Or if my schedule gets whacked out and I’m not able to fix something ..I’m not going to beat myself up.  But, this is to help me with grocery shopping & with varying my diet somewhat (I try to differ on what meats I eat so I’m not eating the same meat all the time…and also watch out with my other foods because I don’t want to develop another allergy!)  and also show you that I can in fact, eat quite well and yummily.

Monday

Breakfast – nothing

Lunch – out to eat (if you must know, Hardee’s low carb hamburger )

Dinner -- Tilapia with coconut oil & lemon pepper seasoning, potato wedges & peas

Tuesday:

Breakfast – coconut flour muffins http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/coconut-flour-banana-muffins

Lunch –  lunch with friend                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Dinner –  Turkey quinoa meatloaf  (w/o onions)  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/turkey-and-quinoa-meatloaf/detail.aspx

Wednesday:

Breakfast: Eggs & Canadian bacon http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-eggs-in-canadian-bacon-cups.

Lunch:  tuna melt (tuna salad made with canola oil mayonnaise) and gluten free bread made from scratch (http://www.food.com/recipe/3-variations-of-a-gluten-free-bread-recipe-bread-machine-308592)       SO thankful for the bread machine that I got from a friend!

Dinner:  Vegetarian chili (w/o onions and w/o black bean soup), and served with gluten free bread.  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grandmas-slow-cooker-vegetarian-chili/detail.aspx

Thursday:

Breakfast: Eggs & Canadian bacon http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-eggs-in-canadian-bacon-cups

Lunch:  leftover meatloaf

Dinner:   Chicken pot pie (trying out a gluten free pie mix that I’ve had for awhile) http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-pot-pie-ix/detail.aspx     This also is using my own chicken broth and gluten free flour.  Soo….a little more effort on this one to make it me friendly.

Friday:

Breakfast : Coconut flour muffins

Lunch:  Leftovers

Dinner:  Dinner with friends

Saturday: 

Leftover day!  Yay!!

 

SNACKS:    Rice cakes with laughing cow cheese.   Cheese slices with deli meat.   Cinnamon Chex cereal.

It’s hard to believe that it’s February, and actually, almost the end of February already.  Is that even possible?   This year has flown by SO fast. It’s kind of insane and just a good reminder to once again, slow down and be purposeful in every moment.  It seems that the past month I have been going at breakneck speed and I look up and all of a sudden, a month has gone by.  

There is a post going around on pinterest that I would do well to remember, “Once she stopped rushing through life, she was amazed how much more life she had time for.”  

Sometimes it’s hard when circumstances come up that are mostly beyond your control (which is what had happened for about two weeks of this month.)  But it also was a good reminder to me because due to some poor choices that I made regarding my time in previous weeks, it made it more difficult for me.  So always be ready.  Always make the right choices.  Like, right now.  I shall get off the computer and actually go get ready for work. 

I haven’t forgotten my menu planning thing, btw.  Lord willing, I will sit down later on today and figure out what my menu and post it on here … and then (earth shattering here) actually GO grocery shopping. Will wonders never cease?  ;)  

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ”  Phillipians 4:8-9

Just a reminder to me to not FOCUS on the bad things.  This is not saying that bad things don’t exist.  They do.   This is not choosing to ignore them.   Sometimes we can’t.   But this is a reminder that we don’t have to think & dwell  on these things.  I know this verse can be taken in lots of different ways.  But it hit me this week that this is also so very true when it comes to negativity.  Ever noticed how when you are negative how down you get, how irritable you are, how you then begin to just be depressed?  Somebody mentioned in Bible Study how sin starts with ungratefulness … and that is SO true.  

What in my situation is good?  Not the bad things, but the GOOD things (again, not saying that there aren’t bad things).  It is not just being optimistic.  But it is CHOOSING to think on the good things, on the pure things, on the lovely things, on the excellence things.  Look for the things worthy of praise and think on these things.   

This is a huge reminder to me.  God isn’t praised in our negativity.  We are constantly complaining about our circumstances, when we are constantly complaining about others, when we are just constantly complaining — how is He getting the glory?  When we complain, do we draw others to Him in that? When we are looking at others and seeing the bad in them and focusing on their faults, is that causing us to love them more  – or less?   

 

It is an absolutely beautiful day in January.  The sun is shining.  It is neither too hot nor too cold. I am at friend’s house,helping her out for a bit and the prospect of a nice White Chocolate Mocha awaits me in the near future. 

I love January.  I love the new beginnings. I love the “freshness” of it.  A chance to start over again, to recommit yourself to whatever, to reevaluate.  I just love it.

I love where I am right now in my life, on all levels.   Sure there are niggling “worries”, but the future looks very bright.  God is good ALL the time.   Iam thankful for the hard times.  I am thankful for the good times. I am thankful right now that I am in one of those good times, though I know it won’t always be like this. 

I have learned in whatever state I am in, therewith to be content.     I am enjoying this state right now very much. I don’t want to rush it.  I don’t want to be looking at the past. I don’t want to worry about the future.

I just want to be content.  

It has been so long since I’ve posted that I had to try three different times to enter my password!  hah!

Life is good.  Life is crazy.  :)  I should maybe do a life update soon.   I am doing well on my “diet” of sorts.   I have decided that having food allergies is a lot like living in the Garden of Eden.  I should not focus on what I can’t have.   I should focus on what I can have.    Because really, there is a lot that I can have!  The world isn’t quite my oyster, but it’s at least my clam!  or…something! haha!    and it really helps my attitude when I approach it THAT way.

I’ve been thinking about posting a weekly menu just so people can see what I do eat .. because a lot of people just don’t even know what to feed me (or people like me  )  And really …..I eat pretty inexpensively.  :)  So keep your eyes posted for my boring food updates!  (doesn’t that just thrill you to your TOES???)

And with that, I need to bring this to a close and finish up on housework in preparations for guests!  :)

In case you hadn’t heard, it is HOT in Indiana.  how hot say you?  Well it’s 9:00 at night, and it’s 95 degrees outside, heat index of 103.  9 pm, people….9 pm.    In Oregon, right now it’s 68. That sounds a lot nicer. 

Let’s see … the past month, what have I done?  I have housesat in four different houses.  I have joined pinterest and google plus. I have taken depositions. I have jumped a car. I have done a lot of laundry.  I have cleaned a lot.  I have ordered & received a bridesmaid dress. I have made a lot of coffee. I have drunk a lot of coffee.  I have rejoiced over the pregnancy of a friend.  I have babysat.  I have met friends from out of state.  I have gone a picnic.  I have gone to a fancy schmancy dinner (though no race drivers were seen) I have been to a German place that I had never been to before.  I have mourned over the death of a friend.  I have discovered new bands and new music.  (needtobreathe & kip moore — christian and country) I have NOT gone to a Josh Groban concert.   I have thrown a surprise birthday party for my dad’s 75th birthday.  I have attempted and pretty much failed at starting a garden (see the above housesitting at four different houses.)  I have gotten my hair cut.   I have read .. and not read books.  

And that is life.  It is amazing how quickly time passes. 

As a side note, I am seriously thinking of making a decree that nobody else is allowed to leave Indiana.  So far my friends have refused to listen to my pleas, so maybe a decree will do it. 

 

Sometimes being an adult is just tiring by golly.  So many responsibilities.  So many things to fall behind on.  It’s kind of ridiculous really.

In other news, I cut my hair today.  It is SHORT. Well, I mean, not like crew cut short, but it is short. I can still flip it though.  You gotta have hair that you can flip. I’m told that’s the key to a lot of things, the flipping of the hair. (HAH)

My car is almost all the way fixed, bless it’s little heart.   It still needs an oil change and an alignment and then it will be as good as new!  Well, as new as a car with 210,000 miles on it can be.

Kitties are SO MUCH FUN to play with.   They might call it annoying them, but I call it playing with them.  Tomato, Tomahto.  Lasers and cats=hours of fun for everyone. 

This makes me want to dance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWYZ3Zy1Ri8

(I really enjoy Peter Furler.   It is rocky though…so if you don’t prefer that type of music….DON”T CLICK ON IT)  I heard him on K Love this radio. I just REALLY appreciate him.  He was talking about how you don’t rely on emotions and how you FEEL.  You rely on the word of God.   If I lived my life by my emotions, oh good grief I would be a wreck.   But you live your life by the one thing that NEVER changes, the Word of God.  The living and breathing Word of God that speaks into all of our situations.  The challenge is DOING that….knowing it, but then the challenge is taking up the word of God and studying it daily. You get the quality time in the quantity time.   (the last part was me..Not Peter Furler.  But since he is so kewl I am sure that he would agree with it.  Plus,  y’all…he has an Australian accent!)

Now excuse me…I’m going to go get my exercise by dancing this out! =D

Did you know that God made a covenant with the animals?

All these years I thought I knew sooo much about the covenants,  being around all these covenanting people.  Never knew that.  Yup.   Look at the covenant He made with Noah, and find out for yourself.   (Read Genesis 9)

In other news, I am becoming a gardener.  I have this fear, though, that I have pulled up all the right plants and I am merely loving and caring for weeds.  I thought I had it all figured out and now I am not so sure. I also have to garden “my” way.  Meaning, little by little.  15 minutes a day.  So my garden is not pretty and pretty much looks uninhabited by humans. BUT I LOVE IT so DO NOT MOCK IT!

I planted a lot of zuchinni plants.  <3 <3 I do so love zucchini.   I found even MORE great zuchinni recipes that I cannot wait to try.

I finally am able to sit down again.  I did an exercise DVD on Thursday (I have big plans for this summer, I tell you, BIG plans).  The DVD involved a lot of squats.   If you want to know the definition of pain …. do a bunch of squats, when you haven’t done any exercise in a while, then wake up the next morning and go to sit on the toilet.   It’s a special kind of pain.   Also, try dropping something like pills that scatter, and get down to get them….and then not be able to move…as in get back up or move to get the other pills.  I had to get Karsten to get the rest.  He’s such a good big brother.  Even though he might have mocked me….really, who could blame him?

I am very happy to report that Puddleglum, my fish, is still alive. He hasn’t been eating the past two days.  So today I sat down and I talked with him and spent time with the little fellow.  And he ate!    So if you ever wonder, FISH HAVE FEELINGS TOO!

I am very seriously considering auditioning for a Shakespeare play.   Mostly not because I think I would get a part (because I don’t think I would…it’s a large audition) but I want to have the auditioning experience.  Why?  Well, why NOT, I ask you, why NOT?

Please be praying for Aimee still.   She has entered the hospice program.   She has been on my mind a lot recently, and I know that her family would covet your prayers.    <3 <3 <3

I hate cancer.   I really really really do.   It is a result of the fall, causing sickness and death.  I know cancer is not outside the bounds of God, though.  

I am asking praying for a childhood friend of mine, Aimee.   She is married and the mother of a five year old boy.  She has been battling cancer for at least two years now.  It just keeps coming back…..She just got the news that she might only have weeks to live, at the most.  I’m tearing up just writing this.

Please please please pray.  She has four tumors right now, and surgery and radiation are not an option.  That leaves our mighty God.   He is capable and able, I believe that with my whole heart.