Praise Him Today!!

Israel Houghton...Just Wanna Say.....


Isaiah 12: 2

"See, God has come to save me.

I will trust in him and

not be afraid.

The Lord God is my strength

and my song;

He has given me victory.”

Lyrics

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Expectation

Expectation
 Pronunciation [ek-spek-tey-shuhn]
–noun
1.
the act or the state of expecting: to wait in expectation.
2.
the act or state of looking forward or anticipating.
3.
an expectant mental attitude: a high pitch of expectation.
4.
something expected; a thing looked forward to.
5.
Often, expectations. a prospect of future good or profit: to have great expectations.
6.
the degree of probability that something will occur.

I'm gearing up to loose those last 10-15 pounds...I fully expect to do it.

I will do it!

I've come to the conclusion the reason we fail at diets is because we truly will ourselves not to succeed.

Too many times I went on diets I knew I couldn't keep up forever. For one reason or another they didn't make sense. Like the Adkins type...I lost the weight, but I really love all foods...I felt deprived so much that I knew I'd never keep it up....and I didn't... gained 30 of the 50 pounds I'd lost back....quickly.

I expected to loose weight this time. I could eat all foods ...anything...just in moderation. Plus, my daughter Melissa had been successful using http://www.thedailyplate.com/ . If she could do it....I could do it!

It came down to I expected to lose the weight and keep it off forever.

So if you have tried many diets and failed at all of them like me....there is hope!

Put on those fancy jogging shoes...

get out there....

buy those fresh vegetables, fruits....

walk, walk, walk every chance you get.

Expect to change your life and

you will!!!

Why Did God Create Grandmothers

My daughter Melissa and my daughter-in-law Rachel are "nesting".

Each busy making the house just right for their awaited babies...

One thing is for sure!

Both will have their children in their arms this summer!

Melissa is fearful they will be in China when Rachel gives birth....

Anticipation...

Whatever happens, it will be okay.

My favorite picture of Kate...

Mommy, Daddy and Sissy are coming sweety!!

Serving with respect...

I'm reading the book " How Starbucks Saved My Life" by Michael Gates Gill....he was a very rich guy that lost everything and found a lot. One of the things Mike gained working at Starbucks, was new found pleasure in serving.

I heard about this book while sitting in the car listening to a local radio show on WHAS. I was waiting for Dick while he was in the bank paying off his Expedition...getting our affairs in order. I was having a down day and switched on the radio to maybe find some happy music. Instead I heard this very kind man's voice saying...."Leap out in faith, move forward in faith, serve others, treat others with respect, put your hand in your heart". The nice guy with the soothing voice, went on to say, " Live in peace, the external things are not important, look inside your own heart and say thank you God for today".

Those words were just what the doctor ordered for me...I bought the book.

This is a picture of my Mother-in-law, Bea when she was in her eighties.

Bea was a golfer, artist, Women's Club devotee. The happiest I ever saw her was when she was serving for The Special Olympics....her eyes would shine so brightly and the sandwiches she made and served them were perfect.

I'm so glad I have this memory of her.

While reading the book, I also have been thinking a lot about respect. Mike found that Starbucks expects all employees (he calls them partners) treat each other and their clients with respect, always, no matter what or when. Respect helped Mike change his life. He was down and out, older, hard of hearing, new and out of place, but treated with respect. This made him in return treat others with respect...something he had not always done.

I'm really going to be working on myself to look for more ways to serve and to stop discounting people and work on the respect word. "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" I hope I can do that on my own and not have to get a job at Starbucks...."Double Tall No Whip Mocha"..." Grande Chocolate Chip Fappuccino ", "Venti Skinny Caramel Latte"....yikes!! You go Michael Gates Gill, you go!!

I am made new in Christ

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,

he is a new creation;

the old has gone,

the new has come!

Walking by faith

I sent this devotion from "Jesus Calling" to my daughter Melissa the other day .....it reminded me so much of them right now. They will be traveling to China soon to gather up and bring home their precious daughter Kate.

Little Kate will require them to step out of their comfort zones and begin a journey they have never been on before.

Melissa and Shawn are willing

and depending on God,

to be able.

I'm so very excited about seeing what God will do in their lives

They refuse to live too safely.

Inspiring!

Finally Home

Mercy Me

Every Season

Nichole Nordeman


Every evening sky, an invitation
To trace the patterned stars
And early in July, a celebration
For freedom that is ours
And I notice You
In children’s games
In those who watch them from the shade
Every drop of sun is full of fun and wonder
You are summer

And even when the trees have just surrendered
To the harvest time
Forfeiting their leaves in late September
And sending us inside
Still I notice You when change begins
And I am braced for colder winds
I will offer thanks for what has been and was to come
You are autumn

And everything in time and under heaven
Finally falls asleep
Wrapped in blankets white, all creation
Shivers underneath
And still I notice you
When branches crack
And in my breath on frosted glass
Even now in death, You open doors for life to enter
You are winter

And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced
Teaching us to breathe
What was frozen through is newly purposed
Turning all things green
So it is with You
And how You make me new
With every season’s change
And so it will be
As You are re-creating me
Summer, autumn, winter, spring

Happy News!!

Meet my sweet little granddaughter..Kate!

Kathryn Mei Lin (meaning: beautiful little gem)
Chinese name: Zhang Hui (meaning: bright, intelligent)

Kate is from the Henan province in a Half the Sky Foundation Xinyang orphanage.

Born October 6, 2007 (almost 17 months old)
Expected to travel to China in 3-4 months.

Sometimes you have the fortune in your life to meet people that

absolutely

make the world a better place.....

these two do.

I'm so very, very proud of you guys.

Without a doubt, you make this world better...

Love you with all my heart!

March is my one year anniversary month...

This picture is from a cruise we took in 2002, ....why did this picture not effect me like the other one did, the cruise we took in 2008... the picture of Dick and me that became my final straw?

I look stuffed....my hair was another story..out of control hairdresser! ;-)

Sunday mornings were the worst for me for some reason. I could never find anything to wear to church since my limit to buy was size 16...clearly I needed to go ahead and get those 18's. I'd think if I could just loose 10 pounds.....and would seriously try to cut back on Monday, but by Wednesday I'd be back at it....eating anything I wanted with no control...over and over and over.

Finally it's over, I'm a new person now! Since March 2008 I started a new life.

Sunday morning I got up and put on a pair of Melissa's cast off (but beautiful ) pair of size 10 slacks. They are comfortable!

I really believe the reason I was able to loose the weight

and ability to keep it off this time,

is the realization that this is for the rest of my life.

Moving more, eating less forever.

For some reason I just can't keep this for myself

I have to tell people about it!

Maybe today you are ready to get some control in your life...check out www.thedailyplate.com or www.sparkpeople.com. Free websites that can help you log in the food you eat and give you the support groups that you need to get the help you need. Walking is free. You don't have any out of pocket expenses. We actually have saved money by eating out less and cooking more at home thanks to www.myrecipes.com

Just take control...you can do it!!

Note: I hate pictures of myself still...but if they help you, it's worth it! This article at SparkPeople is great!

My brave little granddaughter....

Well she finally did it....got her ears pierced.

Melissa called me Saturday...

Handed the phone to Leah so she could tell me what she had done.

"I got my ears pierced!!"

Oh, Leah," I said, "Did it hurt?!"

"Just a wittle bit, but it's okay." My girl is growing up so quickly!!

Friday night Leah came over for a girls night with me...Pop was off on one of his skeet shoots...wild pucks and stuff.

I was ready for her, had some of her favorite foods, (cupcakes!) and had some "projects" planned...this girl LOVES projects.

Crayola Disney Color Surge, comes with 18 pages and 8 markers...fun stuff here, a little like Elvis prints but Leah said,..."Oh, daddy will like that!" I also had gotten some Disney Princess Lacing Cards to stitch....they are great because you can use them over and over.

Jo Ann Fabric has them for 25% off right now.

While we worked on her projects we talked and talked....the subject of fried fish sandwiches (which I LOVE) came up. "Eeeewwww no, I would NEVER want a fried fish sandwich Gramma Re!....but let's talk about seafood I DO like." she offered. Leah went on to talk about clams, shrimp and the like. I was talking to a THREE YEAR OLD....seafood she likes?

Leah looked over at the photographs on the table and glanced at the picture of Dick's mom when she was a little girl...whose that? "Oh...that's Pop Pop with a bow on his head." I teased her.

The kids have always teased Dick that this is really a picture of him....

Well, you be the judge

Here's a baby picture of Dick...

Add a bow...

Then she glanced over to a picture of Sis and Shawn

and said, "My momma is so pretty!" "Yes she is!" I agreed.
And my daddy's handsome, and I'm a princess!!"

Oh yes you are sweety!

You are our beautiful

Brave Princess

forever and ever!!

Love you, and can't wait

until our next

"Girls night out"!

I can't believe you got

your ears pierced!!

Here's a picture of us at our favorite pizza place "Bearno's" a couple of weeks ago.

I am second

Watched this in church today from the website I Am Second....meaning, Christ is first. Brian Welch who is the former lead guitarist for the the rock group Korn...takes my breath away a bit.