St James Art Fair 2009....

This is one of those shots where you get the stranger to take it...

we thought she did a really good job!

Jack was already taking in the sights.

We had the best time this year with Rachel, Rich and Jack.

They made the St James Art Show 2009 extra special.

Oh the smells!

Glass Jewelry...she's from Signal Mountain, TN.

These guys had a sense of humor...they were selling foot long hot dogs..

Lunch...yum! A friend of a friends booth. The crab cakes were delish!

Jack is the best baby and hung out like a pro at the Art Fair.

He's 3 1/2 months and is the happiest little guy....

he's rolling over and cutting his first tooth already.

Pop and I had the best time this weekend with

Jack and his mommy and daddy.....

whom he absolutely adores.

He knows when his folks enter a room....radar!

Look at those sweet dimples in his little arms..love them!
I believe he has his mothers eyes...

but we believe this photo shows a similarity between Jack and Pop-Pop....;-)

We had the very best weekend

Spending time with our family is pure joy!

You guys are the best and we love you all so very much!

Thank You, Thank You for Your Prayers!

God is so very good! Kate came through her operation with flying colors! These are Sis's words on facebook tonight...

"Thank you all so much for the prayers and well wishes!! Kate's doing great and the Doctor said she will be even more amazing to watch in action. She's a wee bit loopy from the drugs, so that's provided some much needed comic relief."

This is their story to tell and I'm sure Sis will have an amazing blog post soon. I just wanted you all to know that God answers prayers. Thank you sweet friends for your support and prayers!

Lord You're Holy.....

Karen Wheaton




“Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts:

the whole earth is full of his glory.”

Isaiah 6:3

~~~~~~~~~~

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face;

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.

Prayers for Kate

My granddaughter Kate is going to have her first corrective surgery

this coming Tuesday morning.

We will all be glad when it's over, first we must go through it.

I've got to talk straight from a Gramma's heart.
I love this precious little girl.

I thank God that he chose my daughter to be her momma.

I believe Kate is perfect in every way....perfect.

"It's me again Lord, please hear my prayer for Kate.

Prepare the way...protect her, comfort her, heal her...

please Lord, comfort her.

Guide the surgeons hand and those that assist him.

Put your loving arms around Sis and Shawn and give them peace,

they love Kate so.

I know Lord you already know what we need,

so I'm putting my hope and trust in you to take care of Kate.
In Jesus name, Amen"

Note: Kate's operation will start at 9am, Tuesday Sept. 29

Drinking it in....

We decided to walk this morning even though we knew there was a huge chance we would get wet. Dick always says..."you can only get wet once". This was toward the end of our walk and even though there was a light rain falling, I had to stop and just take in the view of Baringer Hill. Before long the trees will be ablaze with falls majestic array of colors.....I don't want to miss a thing.
A place to sit and drink in the view..
Pavilion at Baringer Hill

As we walked away a women jogging toward us

said, "free facial!" with a grin, rain falling on her face.

That made me feel a little better about walking in the rain...

~~~~~~~~~

"For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing; and all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands. " Isaiah 55:12

Kathy Ireland....much more than model, designer, business women...oh yeah, dancer too....she's a Christian.

Tuesday nights are busy TV for us...must watch Dancing with the Stars and the Biggest Loser too! The girls last night dancing were wonderful, I loved it all! Kathy mentioned during an interview while she was waiting to be judged, that all things are possible with God. Hum....refreshing! I have lots of Kathy Ireland rugs around my house and lamps too....love her style and quality. Now I find out she is a sister in Christ too! Here's a portion of an interview she did with Christian Women Online.

I read that you became a Christian when you were eighteen, but remained a baby Christian for a long time. So many of us can relate to that, in fact it was only twelve years ago that I really started growing in my faith. Can you tell us a bit about your walk with the Lord?

"I was 18-years-old, modeling in Paris, which sounds a lot more glamorous than it really was. Out of jet lag, boredom and loneliness, I picked up a Bible out of my suitcase that my mom had packed. I happened to open to the Gospel of Mathew and my life was forever changed.

As a rebellious teenager who was questioning authority, I saw the truth right before my eyes. As a young woman, out in a world that felt dominated by men, I was so encouraged to learn how much Jesus loves and respects women. The first person who He shared that He was the Son of God with, was a woman. This woman was a Samaritan and was living what could be considered an immoral life. This was during a time when men did not communicate with women. Women were not even considered second-class citizens. This was during a time when Jews would go out of their way to avoid Samaritans.

Jesus rejected that discrimination. He showed this woman love, respect, and forgiveness. The first people Jesus appeared to after His resurrection were women, and God chose a woman to bring His Son into the world. I feel that with Jesus as my best friend it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks of me. That relationship gives me the confidence to not compromise my values. Due to my own disobedience, I remained a baby Christian for a very long time. As I would read through the Bible, I would embrace certain passages and disregard those verses that I was sure were a typo or certainly, they didn’t pertain to me. I was trying to mold God into what I wanted Him to be, rather then allowing Him to mold me into the person He created me to be.

Becoming a mom helped me to understand our Heavenly Father’s love for us. He sees the big picture while we see only a fraction. He tells us things not to keep us from pleasure, but to keep us from pain. I have made many, many mistakes in my life and I continue to mess up. My goal is that as I mature in my faith, that my actions would be more in line with His will for my life."

You can read the full interview with Kathy here from Christian Women Online.

Note: Biggest Loser rocked last night! What a great group! Abby made me so happy when she turned to the cameras and beamed, " It works! Counting calories, moving more, it really works! You betcha!

This is the rug I have in my living room and hallway...have the same pattern (Kathy Ireland Garden) in red too. Rugs Direct is a good place to buy Kathy's rugs.

First Day Of Fall....it's time for some Cincinnati Turkey Chili

It's that time of year again....soups, chili's, stews, yum! Around these parts we LOVE Cincinnati chili. In the past I have just added cinnamon, cloves and brown sugar to chili to give it that extra zing Cincinnati chili has. This recipe has a healthy spin and so tasty. Since starting on this journey of weight loss and health we have rediscovered the joy of cooking again. Here's a good article from livestrong.com "How to Eat Healthy at Home and Save Money."

Diffidently 5 stars!

Yield
4 servings

(serving size: about 1/2 cup spaghetti, 1 1/2 cups chili, 2 tablespoons onion, and 3 tablespoons cheese)

Ingredients
4 ounces uncooked spaghetti
Cooking spray
8 ounces lean ground turkey ( I used 1lb ground turkey)
1 1/2 cups prechopped onion, divided
1 cup chopped green bell pepper ( I used a red pepper)
1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic ( I used 3 garlic cloves minced)
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped semisweet chocolate
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; set aside.

2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add turkey; cook 3 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add 1 cup onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in chili powder and next 5 ingredients (through allspice); cook 1 minute. Add broth, beans, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate and salt. Serve chili over spaghetti; top with remaining 1/2 cup onion and cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories:408
Fat:13.8g (sat 6.6g,mono 4.3g,poly 1.7g)
Protein:24.5g
Carbohydrate:47.4g
Fiber:7.9g
Cholesterol:67mg
Iron:3.7mg
Sodium:765mg
Calcium:237mg

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2009

To print recipe

Cincinnati Turkey Chili

Dick and I will use this recipe time and again...perfect!

Happy Fall!!

Hungry?

Be inspired by Jennifer's story....

I found the first video at a sweet blog called Marsha's Musings that I found on the Internet Cafe Devotions. They have a list (at the top right) of their top 100 Christian bloggers...fun! I was inspired by sweet Jennifer Rothschild. Let's all take can't out of our vocabulary....We can!

“I have never believed that my limitations were in any sense punishments or accidents. If I had held such a view, I could never have expected the strength to overcome them.” ~ Helen Keller

How He loves us....

John 3:16

"For God so LOVED the world

that he gave his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in him

shall not perish

but have eternal life."

~~~~~~~~~

Romans 8:38-39

For I am convinced that

neither death nor life,

neither angels nor demons,

neither the present nor the future,

nor any powers,

neither height nor depth,

nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us

from the LOVE of God

that is in

Christ Jesus our Lord.


The story behind the song

written by John Mark McMillan

Jesus loves YOU...He really, really does......

10 Minute No Equipment Workout.

This 10 minute workout was in our newspaper this morning...I can do 10 minutes! Dick and I have been walking 4-8 miles a day but haven't been able to get started doing weights. These exercises are supposed to do the trick. I did my best to find visuals...they are hodgepodge, some wouldn't embed, so I have links so you can see how to do the exercise.
I think I can, I think I can...I know I can!

"Here's a 10-minute no-equipment program that works the entire body from Peter Park, fitness expert for www.livestrong.com and Lance Armstrong's strength and conditioning coach.
Park recommends doing the workout twice a day for better posture, a stronger core and a balanced body. "

The workout

Chair Pose (This works the lower back, hamstrings): Stand with your feet 6 inches apart. Bend your knees slightly and push your hips back. Lift your arms up above your head as high as possible while looking straight ahead. Keep your weight on your heels. Hold the pose for 30 seconds.

Yoga Basics: Chair Pose

Glute Bridge (For the glutes): Lie on your back with your arms at your side, palms down by your hips, knees bent at 90 degrees. Your feet should be 6 inches apart and flat on the floor. Push up through your heels to lift your hips as high as possible while squeezing the glute muscles. Hold for 15 seconds. Then lower. Repeat four times.

Weekend Warrior Workout: Glute Bridge

Plank (For your abs, core): Lie flat on your stomach with your toes touching the floor. Place your elbows directly under your shoulders with your forearms flat on the ground. Using your abs, lift your hips in the air until your body is parallel to the floor in a push-up position. Squeeze your glutes and brace your abdominals while holding a rigid plank position. Hold for 30 seconds. Then lower. Repeat.
How to Do the Plank Pose

Back Extension (For the lower back): Lie flat on your stomach, your arms at your sides, with your legs extended straight behind you, heels touching and toes on the floor. Squeeze legs together. Press your elbows into your ribcage. Lift your hands off the floor. Raise your chest into the air while keeping your feet on the ground. Then lower. Do two sets of 15 repetitions. On the last rep of each set, hold the highest position possible for an additional 15 seconds.

Back Extension - Katie Butlers Back to Basics Video - Watch the top videos of the week here

Hip Flexor Stretch (For the hip flexors, quads): Step into a long lunge. Lift arms straight above your head and extend them back slightly. Bend your torso back and away from the rear leg to stretch the side of the body. Hold for 30 seconds. Do the same on the other side.

Hip Flexors Stretch - The best video clips are right here

Wall Squat (Legs): Press your back flat against a wall, legs shoulder width apart. Slide down until knees are bent about 90 degrees. Keep your upper back against the wall and raise your arms completely above your head. Keep your head, back and arms firmly against the wall. Hold for 45 seconds.
How to Do Wall Sit Exercises

Negative Push-up (Arms): Move into the plank position, and slowly lower body evenly to the ground, holding strong through the core. The negative push-up should take 15 seconds from top to bottom, in a constant slow motion.

Full Body Workout: Negative Push Ups - Sorry this is the only example I could find...;-)