Fantastic Weight Loss Site!

Hi everyone, I just wanted to jump in here and tell you all about a fantastic website I've just encountered: www.calorieking.com, or for us Aussies, www.calorieking.com.au! Not only do they have HEAPS of calorie values for foods we eat & buy every day, but they also have a recipe section with a clever twist- go to Recipes>> Advanced Search, you can specify the type of recipe you want including low fat, low sodium, and several more, as well as the type of meal or dish you are wanting to cook.
I wanted to bake something low in calories for Bible Study tomorrow night, I used this search, and came up with 10 recipes in the baking category which are under 100 calories per serve! And the US site has 20!! I thought that was great!!
So I think I'll be making the No-Fat Brownies tomorrow... I'll let you know how it goes! But if you've got some cooking to do, or even if you're planning to eat out soon, why not head over to the Calorie King site too, and see what you can find!!

Blessings,

The ultimate secret!

This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. - Mark 4:26-27

Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. - 2 John 1:8

This Monday, I went to the gym. That in itself is nothing truly exciting... I've been going an average of three times a week for several months now. But on this particular day, I began some new exercises which, throughout the days following, reminded me of the existence of some well insulated and long-forgotten muscles! Although the resulting twinges are unpleasant, they also produce a certain joy- reminding me that I do indeed have the necessary equipment I need to become lean and toned!

I've been thinking about the fact that beneath the unlikeable layers of- shall we say- adipose tissue, I have muscles which are secretly growing and becoming stronger and healthier! But as new fibres knit silently together in the unseen layers of my body, I must be careful that I do not counteract their progress by eating recklessly!

You see, there are two aspects to this 'secret' principle. The first is that when I exercise regularly, although I can't see it for some time, my muscles are growing, and my health is improving! But the second aspect, the flip side, is that all the secret snacks and indulgences I consume are undoing the good work I've achieved during my exercise time!

The first passage, Mark 4:26-27, mentions that man scatters his seed upon the ground, and then it inevitably grows a crop. What I want to know, and what I'm asking myself is... "What seed am I sowing?" If I sow chocolate bars, chips and double-sized meals, guess what I'll be reaping?- Double-sized me!!! But if I sow diligent exercise, with moderate food intake, I will reap the good health and pleasantly shaped body I desire to have!

But what about the predicament I'm in at the moment... I'm exercising virtuously, and my muscles are doing their secret growing thing. (good muscles!) But a war is being waged within me, as I continue to succumb to food temptation frequently; secretly undermining my own efforts! (Excuse me while I ramble off in a despondent Romans 7 tone... "Oh wretched man that I am; what I should do, I don't do; and what I don't wish to do, that I do...etc., etc.")

In Romans 7, Paul talks about the inward battle that he is experiencing as he tries to do what he know is right. Man, I know what he's on about!! But since he's been through the same struggle before me, and because the Bible is God's great instruction manual, I thought I'd go there to see what answers Paul found for his situation. Just after Paul's cries of despair, I found Romans 8:5-6:
'For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.'
Herein lies our ULTIMATE secret! I will continue to have these mental and emotional battles until the day I die, and NEVER see the good fruits of my hard work if I continue to listen to the mind of my flesh. This mind INSISTS and PERSISTS, saying "Go on, have one... you're not getting anywhere anyway... you won't succeed in reaching your weight loss goals!"
I have to choose to IGNORE that voice, that mind; and focus on the Spirit, God's gentle voice that whispers to me "Resist the temptation, Juliet... in due time you will reap a harvest if you don't give up!" Ladies, I know I'm not the only one out there who struggles with this issue! Let's press on together this week, listening to God's voice, and remind ourselves of the good results that are being produced secretly in our bodies as we continue to do what we know is right.

Blessings,

Blue skies and harlequin bugs...

Well folks, spring has come upon us down here in Melton, Australia, and boy, aren't we glad!
The sudden migration of creepy spiders and bugs indoors would be a source of great chagrin, but is tempered by our overwhelming relief at being able to shed a few layers, and sit at the computer without a blankie in the middle of the day!

The first few days of spring have brought with them some milder weather, some lovely blue skies, lots of greenery, and plenty of bugs. We've had three spiders in the past week. Two were dealt with by my awesome hubby before I had any knowledge of them, but one I had to squish with my own shoe... while I was wearing it!! I'm very brave.

Harlequin bugs, little skinny things, are enjoying finding a mate and 'hooking up' in strange places like shower cubicles or our bedroom cornices.
My husband and I joked that they were in the right place for it!! ;o)
However it's possible that, I, rather than spring, have stirred up the creatures. Last weekend I spent a vigorous 30 minutes pulling out rebel weeds near our bedroom french doors. I sweated and strained, and cleared a patch the size of two men's hankies. They were big weeds, people!

Still, I hold out hope. Despite lots of weightier priorities, I'm hoping that the whole family will chip in, and with lots of effort, we will resurrect our back yard. My lovely family-in-law are coming over for Boxing Day Dec 26th, and in true Aussie style, will want to hold their own cricket Test Match. The Boxing Day Test is a sporting institution here in Melbourne, and many a backyard cricket match is held on the same day! It's usually to compensate for all the turkey and Christmas pud that's been consumed.

Here are some BEFORE photos, so you can sympathise with me. Yes, we have a LONG way to go!

Wish me luck!

Blessings,

Not the same... again!!!

Yes, I know- I just changed my blog look a week or two ago, but I wasn't happy with the tan & black look which was a bit boring after the header had been scrolled away!
So now for something completely different. This time it's mostly my work- a lot of tinkering around with hex codes & html... aaargh! But still, I'm happy with the result... for now. :o)

But I have an announcement... for those of you who remember the course I was madly completing earlier this year. Today my certificate arrived in the post- I am now officially a Nurse Immuniser! It's a nice feeling to receive fruit from your labours!!
On the home front, it's a cold & rainy winter this year in Melbourne. We have had several downpours, and even hail twice, I think. Thankfully I was in my nice Corolla, and not pedalling to & from work with one of these contraptions!
Well, once again, I have spent so long tinkering with my blog look, that I've run out of time to produce anything of real substance! Even now, my husband is giving me 'the look'- My bad. We were going to watch a movie together tonight.
OK, I'm getting off now! I'll catch you again in a few days!

Blessings,

Going well...

Hello again Lovelies!
I just want to share a little something that's been helping me on my weight loss journey lately. A few weeks back, I was sick, under pressure at work, and generally eating just about whatever I liked! As a result, in the past month, I only lost 1kg, instead of the 2 or 3 that I had hoped for. I was fast slipping back into the scary eating patterns and resignation I had had before. But then something within me said NO. I don't want to undo all my hard work. I don't want to gain the weight I've lost. I believe God was causing some righteous indignation to bubble up in my spirit, and whispering to me "Don't give up... you CAN do it!"

So last Monday, after having bought takeaway TWICE during the day, I decided that I didn't want to continue this silliness any more! So I made a reward chart for good behaviour, just like I do for the girls and their chores. Every day, I reward myself $3 on the chart if I have not given in to temptation that day. When someone offers me something and I have a small serve, that's OK, I'm being polite and moderate at the same time. But if temptation is telling me to take a bigger slice, or another piece, that's when I have to decide what to do. My issue is not so much what I put into my mouth, but the amount of power I allow temptation/the flesh, to have in my life!
I also reward an additional $3 for exercise done with the proper amount of effort! Whenever I can, I will put away my weekly earnings to accrue for my new wardrobe that I will undoubtedly be needing in a few months!!! So last week, I earned a grand total of $24- enough for a cute new shirt perhaps! But not yet. So far, even though I'm just writing some money on a wall chart, I'm finding that I'm motivated to make sure I get to write up my $3 or $6 for the day! I am noticing some improvement in my body shape, and I don't want to lose it again. I might only have been losing a little bit at a time, but the fact is, I am losing it, so if I just continue in that, I will eventually reach my goal- if I don't give up!
Our Sunday message this week was about selecting scripture from the Bible to use as weapons when we feel the attack of the devil on our lives, just like David selected some stones to kill Goliath. Well, here's one of my weapons for this situation: Galatians 6:9- Let us not become weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up!
Have a great week, everybody, and don't give up!!!

Blessings,

Time for a change!

Hello Lovelies! As you can see, I've updated my tired old blog template. I don't yet possess the clever skills to properly create or re-create a new look, so I've found a lovely one from Candy's Templates.
Sorry all of my lovely favourite blog lists etc have disappeared with the reno. Promise I'll get them back up soon. It's late, but I just had to get a little post up after all my tinkering- if for no greater reason than to get rid of the bright green pic which was at the top of my previous post... can't have that- it doesn't match the new colour scheme!!
So here's a more appropriate match. As this post doesn't really have a theme today, I can really put any pic I like, can't I!OK, it's a car. What's a nice girl like me doing putting car pictures on her blog?? Hmm. Well it matches, and it's HOT too. And you can blame my darling hubby for the influence!!
So anyway, it's definitely time for a more serious post, so I'll be back tomorrow hopefully- If I get the house in order!!
Catch you soon!
Blessings,

Yaaaaaaayyyyyyy!!!

Yes, I'm finally through accreditation- we've come out the other end, and in general, the clinic has come out fairly well! There are some small changes we need to implement, but I'm a happy camper!!
The clinic accreditation visit was today. This was me, most nights last week and early this week. (except, a girl version, and my desk was covered, rather than stacked!!) I put in so many looooong days, working into the wee hours on things like computer security policies, new staff induction information, and triage guides for non-clinical staff. I'm glad it's over! There's still plenty more to develop, but I told my boss very nicely but clearly, that I won't be taking any more work home, at least not for another 3 years. But in reality, if we haven't got everything running smoothly by the next accreditation, I probably won't still be there- that would generate some serious deficit in my job satisfaction levels!!!

Anyway, what am I doing, still rambling on about work! Let's change the subject, shall we?
On the health front, I am much improved, thank-you! That cold lurked around for far too long... got into my chest, and I had to go on antibiotics even! Well, I'm still putting up with the remainders of it, but will be safely back at the gym in the next day or so... I had 1.5 weeks off- will I even be able to use my muscles again???

I have been so blessed with comments from lots of bloggy friends lately. Thanks everyone! It's late, and I've had enough of pulling late nights on the computer, so i'm gonna go. Promise I'll be back to talk about something more substantial soon. In the mean-time, Live Well everyone. And don't eat too many sugar-free sweets- I hear they produce certain unsavoury side effects!!!!?!

Blessings,

Coughing and sniffling!

Hi everyone, I've been gone for a while- sorry! A few of you have left comments to make sure I'm OK. Thanks, I appreciate your concern. Right now I have a cold, so I'm coughing and spluttering my way through the day- Lovely! Feeling a bit under the weather!
But generally, I have been good. Just life & work have been getting busier. Even today, my day off, will be mostly spent on work stuff, so please excuse the short post- I'm really just wanting to let everyone know I haven't dropped off the face of the earth!!!

But I do have to tell you all about the Making Marriage Better course I mentioned last time! We had our first night last Sunday, and it went really well! I am so excited and expectant of improvement and health for these marriages, and I'm also expecting we'll have some great growth in our own marriage as we lead the other couples through the course! In the course, we watch teaching videos covering one aspect of marriage (eg communication, family of origin, etc.) per week, and then follow with small group discussion looking at our own lives and learning how to apply skills and truths into our relationships on a daily basis. The teaching is really well communicated, and full of truths that will set people free! I'm excited!

Gotta go already- get back to working on my "work stuff". By this time next week, I should not be needing to bring any more work home. Phew! Catch you then!
Blessings,


P.S. Hopefully next week I will put up a cast of characters, so you can see who we all are! Stay tuned for that one!

New Insights!

Hiya, everyone!
It's pretty late tonight, but I just wanted to pop in and say hi to y'all.
Last week I really struggled with my thoughts, and was tempted to eat lots of naughty foods. I must admit, I gave in a couple of times, too. But I'm learning to encourage myself, and continue with the discipline of healthy eating. Where previously I would feel a strong sense of defeat, and be easily persuaded to give into temptations, now I find I can get back up, and keep on heading towards my goal- praise God!!!
Today at the gym I had my weigh and measure. It's been 2 months since I started there, and I've lost a total of 24.5cm (almost 10 inches!!) off various body parts, and about 3kg in weight! I'm so glad I haven't given up when I've struggled... I'm still on the road to victory!


My darling husband and I are about to start facilitating a fantastic marriage enrichment course called Making Marriage Better. (Click here to learn more about that!) We're really excited about it, and looking forward to ministering to many others through the course! But to facilitate (lead) the course, we first have to do the facilitator's course- naturally! My DH has already done it, and has been facilitating mens courses since last Feb., but I am in the midst of my training now.

The reason for all this chatter is to tell you about the wonderful insight I learned on Saturday, while watching the training videos. It was something I'd heard before, but on Saturday, the penny really dropped! I believe it's something that will really help me, and it may also be of help to you, so here goes...
The trainer, Helen Meyer, was discussing four areas of recovery: areas of a person's life which may need work in order for healing to take place. These areas are: spiritual area, cognitive area (thought life), behavioural area, and feelings or emotions.
Very often, pastors, counsellors, facilitators, etc. lean towards one particular area, and therefore they may try to help a person using only a narrow approach. (I hope you're following me!!) An example of this may be using cognitive techniques, but failing to address the spiritual roots of the issue, or conversely, using prayer and deliverance ministry, but not acknowledging the need to process emotions! "OK, OK," you say, "just get on with it and tell me the new insight you had!!"

Well, it was this: I realised that I too have a bent towards a particular area- namely the Behavioural one, and that my difficulties in conquering some of my lifelong issues (such as lateness and unhealthy living) may be due in part, to my lack of focus on the other areas of recovery! To explain what I mean a bit more, I'll detail what behavioural work consists of.

Behavioural work is:

• Taking responsibility for your behaviour
• Structuring your life for behavioural change
• Making it easy to do the right thing
• Making it hard to do the wrong thing!
• Putting off/putting on - taking action
• Support and accountability in a group or with a friend.

Wow, I hear bells ringing!! That is me to a T! Any of you who have been reading my blog for a while will agree, that's what I'm all about.. it's in just about every post I write! Sooooo, of course, the Holy Spirit was giving me a bit of a nudge, saying "What about the other 3 areas... perhaps it's time you looked at some of them a bit more seriously."

A challenge for all of us, perhaps, to move out of our comfort zone and explore a wholistic approach to our own change! How very strange for me, being confronted with this new truth! Even now, I'm trying to avoid a behavioural approach, such as putting in place a structure so I can address spiritual issues etc. Hee hee, isn't that funny!
So I will avoid it. I won't strategise, I'll just carry my course book around a bit, refer to it now and then, and wait for the Holy Spirit to speak some more. That was fairly loose, wasn't it??!?

I'm sure you want to know what the other three areas entail too. I've abridged them, because of course, they're under copywright, but at least you'll have the general idea!

Spiritual work includes:

• Conversion, Baptism in the Holy Spirit
• Forgiveness, Inner healing
• Deliverance, Spiritual warfare, and devotional life.

Cognitive work includes:

• Renewing the mind, Bible study and replacing negative self talk with Biblical truth
• Challenging faulty beliefs and lies
• Learning new truths about yourself (eg Who I am in Christ!)

Feelings work includes:

• Learning how to identify and express feelings
• Allowing yourself to experience feelings (eg suppressed feelings!)
• Expressing feelings responsibly

How do you work through things in your life? Do you focus on one of these areas in particular? I hope this new insight has been helpful for you! I'm off to bed now, but will continue to think and pray about these things in the days ahead. I'd love to hear your comments about this!

Have a great week everyone!



Christian Glitter by www.christianglitter.com

Lemons!

Just wanted to share the laugh with you...

Remember those alarm clocks I bought 2 posts back?
Well you guessed it- they were lemons!... Not one of them worked!!!!
Can you imagine my flabbergastered-ness (is there such a word??), when I got up at 6.30a.m. and investigated these silent creatures...
despite fiddling with the various settings, and trying again numerous times to get the alarms to activate, the biggest alarm evident was a small line on the digital display which flashed when the alarm time was reached. No loud siren, no flashing red lights, just a little flashing line next to the time display!
My response: "Well, that's really going to wake someone up, isn't it!!"

At least, by then I was well and truly awake, and we did of course get to school on time!!

Back again in a few days for our next installment of Give a Hoot!
Hope you can join me!!

Blessings,

Alphabet meme...

Hi to all... I'm not wanting to overshadow my earlier post (please read it- entitled "What?!? Late again?"), however, I've been wanting to do one of these memes for a while now, and there never seems to be the perfect time, as I'm always in the middle of a topic! So here goes, enjoy some light reading about moi!!

I got this from MamaBear at Bears In Exile (see my favourite blogs list on the right hand side), and I also spied it last week at Shortybear's Place!

A)Age-32
B)Burger of choice-Homemade- lean beef patty on soy & linseed roll, with baby spinach, fried onions, beetroot and mustard- yes, I really am living well!
C)What kind of car you drive-2005 Corolla Levin Wagon- sporty model in dark blue (with plenty of dust, as we live in a dusty town, and have become used to water restrictions!)
D)Dogs name-Do not have a dog. (Have a friendly cream coloured cat named Glory!)
E)Essential item you use everyday-Computer- that was predictable, wasn't it!
F)Favorite TV show- Dr Phil, previously loved Alias!
G)Favorite game to play- Word games... surprised??
H)Hometown-Melton, Vic, Australia
I)Instruments you play-None
J)Favorite Juice-Don't really have a favourite these days, but I used to love Apricot Nectar
K)Whose butt you would love to kick- Nope, no-one's coming to mind at the moment!
L)Last restaurant you ate at-Taj Agra- delicious Indian food in Ringwood, Vic.
M)Favorite Muppet-Does Ernie count??? - He's a lot like me!
N)Number of piercings-One in each ear.
O)Overnight hospital stays- 4- 3 were bouncing babes, and one was for a fractured radial head... (broken arm, in earth speak!)
P)People you were with today- My very good friend Camille, and my spunky famille.
Q)What you do in your quiet time-Snuggle up with a good book.
R)Biggest regret: Well, MamaBear said "Between me and God", and after pondering it a moment, I realised that my biggest regret is also staying between me & God- you guys all don't need to to know about that ole thing!
S)Status-Very happily married.
T)Time you woke up-6:30a.m.
U)What you consider unique-My Mad Menggie- second born daughter, with a way out personality! (And loving it!!) ------------->>>>>>>
V)Vegetables you love-Pumpkin!!! Mushrooms!! Eggplant... (don't tell Mum- I hated eggplant when I was a kid!)
W)Worst habit-being late for things.
X)X-rays you have had- Back ( long time ago), and elbow (when fractured, obviously.- 2001)
Y)Yummy food you ate today- I made a delicious vegetable & barley soup last night which I had for lunch, and then!!!! a delicious steak smoked on the barbie, courtesy of my highly skilled hubby! (for dinner!)
Z)Zodiac sign-Well, I don't like zodiac signs, never read them, but if you have to know, It's Aquarius.

Blessings,

What?!? Late again?

(Time to give a hoot about being on time!)

“I have noticed that the people who are late, are often
so much jollier than the people who have to wait for them.”
- E.V.Lucas (English Writer, 1868-1938)

Tee hee, is anyone else laughing?? I think there are a few more darlings like me out there- fun, likeable, but terribly undisciplined in some areas of their lives! It's true, I have struggled with lateness for years ('scuse the airing of dirty laundry!). But, where once it was just me running to the school office for a late pass, now I have three adorable offspring doing exactly the same!

"Oh," you say, "That's no laughing matter!" And you're right, but it's not an easy thing to change! Over the past few months alone, I've tried schedules, bribes, early morning TV to get them up, no TV, 'cause it's too much of a distraction, porridge, scrambled eggs, cups of tea, promises of McDonalds brekkies (naughty mum!), loud music, getting grumpy, early morning cuddles, and delivering stern lectures in the car on the way to school! All this, and we're still arriving late almost every day, getting detentions and notes home from school.

(Despite this horrific divulgement, please don't leave me and run off to another blog where the author has her life more under control! I'm gonna get better... promise!!)

Isn't it weird how we tend to blame ourselves for our dysfunction, but then not actively try to fix it! Having had the problem for so long, part of me recoils at the idea of trying to address the issue yet again. But that's not what this blog is about, and that's not what this year is about! I don't want to remain the same as I have always been! I don't want to be a victim to the bondages I've always had! So it's time to tackle the problem head on, to go out with all guns blazing, and all the rest of the colloquialisms we can think of! (except the one about sticking your head in the sand!!)

Step 1: Today after school (and 2 detention notes- head hangs in shame...), I went straight to The Reject Shop and bought 3 alarm clocks. They're not just any alarm clocks, either- they're siren clocks with a rotating light like the ones you find on a police car- sure to make the slumbering sweeties jump out of their skins!

Step 2: I set them all to go off at different intervals: firstborn's at 6.30 a.m., followed by 6.31 and 6.32 for second and third-born respectively. This way (hopefully...) subsequent alarms going off in other bedrooms will keep all in a state of semi-alertness!

Step 3: I've set my own alarm for 6.15, so I will be up and ready to take advantage of their semi-alert states.

Step 4: Needing a bit more fire-power, I turn to the Bible for something to help me. Ooh, just what I'm looking for:

"The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the
path of the upright is a highway." (Proverbs 15:19)

Wow, this really speaks to my issue, and yours too, if you struggle with a similar thing! It means that if I am lazy or have a resigned attitude about my problem, then all I will encounter will be obstacles and troubles. Indeed, if I look with that mindset, I may not really try to walk the path at all! But if I have a right mindset, and diligently work to be on time all the time, then it will become an easier road to travel!

Rightie-o, then (...you British chaps, how exactly do you spell that word??), it's time I started putting all this into practice.

Lord, you know how much I struggle with this lateness issue! Please help me to be diligent to get up when I need to, and be there to help my girls get organised. Help me to remember to turn to You when I'm struggling to do the right thing! Amen.

Lovelies, I'll be sure to report back to you, so stay tuned for further installments of Give a Hoot! If you feel you also need to address some of the poor habits in your own life, and would like to follow along with this theme, you can find the original explanatory post here, along with a button link to declare that you, too, are giving a hoot about the things in your too hard basket!
Until next time, lovelies, have a great week!
Blessings,

Time to kick some ______ !

“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've brought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!” -Dr Seuss.

Hi everyone! In my last post I decided it was time to start giving a hoot about all the things I'd been ignoring in life-problems that are too big, issues that need addressing, and good intentions that need to be planned on purpose in order to be achieved! I'm sure you all know what I mean! But before focusing on individual things, I thought a list might be in order... does anyone else out there love lists too? I know I do!! If you are doing this with me, it's time to do an inventory too. What things do you want to see change in? What things do you want to achieve for your own personal growth or health, or to enrich the lives of those around you?

Proverbs 20:5 says "The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out."

We can have so many desires and intentions for good milling around inside our heads and hearts, but oftentimes we find we are not very focused, and as a result, we accomplish little. I believe that as we begin to draw out our intentions, plan how to achieve them, and act on them, we will begin to see new fruit- growth, change and maturity in these areas of our lives!

So here goes... These are some of the things I have been feeling convicted about:

• My own health- adopting a permanent healthy way of eating and using food, and a permanently more active lifestyle!
• My family's health- doing what I can do to help them with health challenges, and be an example for them/encourage them in the adoption of a healthy lifestyle too!
• My relationship with my husband- there are many things I know he would love me to do, perhaps I could do more to bring a sense of wellbeing and togetherness in our marriage!
• Being on time- making whatever changes I need to make to help me and my children be consistently early or on time to things! No more lateness!
• Caring more for my appearance- No. I'm not talking about expensive beauty treatments every week, or designer label jeans (although praise God if you have these!), I'm simply being convicted about taking more care over what I have- caring for my skin, for instance! I feel it's time I stopped taking what I have for granted, and started purposefully caring for what I have. It makes me feel happier and more lovely, sets a good example for my girls to follow, and makes my husband feel more positive too! (But more about that in another post!)
• Being a better steward of my finances!

Over the coming weeks, I will look at these one by one, and no doubt, add more along the way! I hope you'll enjoy the journey with me! Sadly, I have to make a dash now- it's time to go to Bible Study! Have a great week, and I'll see you again soon!

Blessings,

Give a hoot!

Loose living... it's a phrase I've always associated with bawdy saloon wenches, or numerous other seedy and salacious characters! But lately, God has been opening my eyes to the fact that we can all be guilty of living loosely.
For many years, I've eaten whatever I wanted, ignoring the fact that some of my food choices are negatively impacting my health. Plenty of times, I've made split-second financial decisions without care for the consequences. And in most things, I've adopted the ostrich strategy- stick the head in the sand, and pretend the problem doesn't exist. These are all examples of how we can live loosely in our personal lives. The results of this kind of living are unfruitfulness, decay, lost opportunities, pain and regret. In extreme (although not rare!) circumstances, neglect can even result in bankruptcy, disease and death.

Well, it seems God has taken my desire to be "Not the Same in 2008" very seriously, and has jumped on board with me to help me change inwardly, to begin to 'give a hoot' about the things God has given me. Each day, I'm thinking about things which I need to give a hoot about; things which I've previously relegated to my two hefty baskets. (One basket is labelled 'To Do... One day!' The other is called 'Too Hard!') God is challenging me that it's time for me to take action, and to begin to care about the things that are in the 'too hard basket'.

The book of Proverbs is a good reminder of the values of diligence, prudence, self-control that God wants to grow in our lives. Over the coming weeks, I will look in detail at some of the things I am being challenged to care more about. If you, like me, struggle in this area of your life, I challenge to come with me on this journey. Let's delve into the scriptures, and our daily life challenges, and begin to really care for what God has placed into our hands.

After much fiddling, I've come up with a little button for our blogs. Now let's see if I'm clever enough to give you the right code to not only paste the button on your blogs, but to link it back to my own!! Here we go...





Link to Give a Hoot!

<a href="http://notthesamein2008.blogspot.com"><center><img src="http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm312/julietfiel/hoot.jpg" /><a href="http://notthesamein2008.blogspot.com"><br/><br/></a></center><br/><br/> <br/><br/></a> <br/><br/>

I will be posting again soon on my first topic... we'll see what comes up first!
Until next time, think about the many things God has given you, and how He wants you to care for them!
Blessings,

Staying on track, in a yummy way!

Hi everyone, just a quick post today, to let you all know I'm doing well with my new diet and exercise changes! I wasn't keen on having salad "again!" for lunch today, but I'm glad now, as it was delicious, and I've stayed on track with my eating because I chose to just do it anyway! Also, for Bible Study tonight, I felt like being Suzie Homemaker, and actually baking something for a change, so I Googled 'healthy recipes', and found a nice sounding easy recipe for honey biscuits that sound healthy and delicious! If they prove to be a winner, I'll post the recipe here for you all. No doubt I'll modify it a bit, being one of those cooks who likes to splash in all sorts of interesting ingredients, but the original can be found at Spark Recipes: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/home.asp?gclid=CPTws6aBgpMCFQWiggodDkqLGA
Happy cooking, and have a great week!

Don't go it alone!

The shocking truth...

OK everyone, in the interests of being open and accountable, I am just coming straight out with it...
Today I had to re-set my weight loss ticker- the little measuring stick at the bottom of my blog that tells how much weight I've lost, and my progress towards my goal weight. The truth is, between November and February, I thought I'd lost about 4kg, but it turns out it had been only temporarily mislaid. It is now back with me, filling my jeans in all the wrong places.

What can I say, after all my valiant words, my poignant posts! I, like so many others, have stayed on the rollercoaster of my feelings during this period... "I can do this, I am fearfully and wonderfully made" with carrot sticks one minute, then "I'll never be able to get the victory" with icecream and chocolates, the next.

I feel like a bit of a goose right now, but I'm going to say it anyway... this time I really do believe I am going to have the victory- over my weight, my health, and the wrong thoughts and mindsets that have sabotaged all my previous good work!

It's been said before, that the definition of insanity is to be doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result. Previously I have fought the weight and health battle on only one (or 1.5) fronts at a time- sometimes I've focussed on my eating in Weight Watchers, but let myself down in the exercise department. Other times, I've worked out regularly at a gym, and then eaten whatever I wanted. Needless to say, the little results I did have were quickly swept away in the tide of unhealthy habits!

So this time, I'm doing things differently.
Last week, my darling hubby and I got together and decided that it's time to get radical, to win this war! So this time, I'm going out on all fronts: I've joined the local Contours gym, where I'll be doing energetic workouts three times a week, and I've committed to 5 visits over the next 6 months with a dietitian, to help me get my eating under control. In addition, I'm spending time with loving friends, and working on my thoughts and beliefs through books, programs, blogs, and the Word!

Initially, I wondered whether going to a dietitian would be helpful, thinking "Ï know what I should be eating, and I've just gotta get my thoughts under control with God's help!" But today I went for my 1st visit, and I am so glad I made that move! Do you know, even as a nurse, I had made several regular food choices that I thought were good for me, but actually weren't! I now feel like I will win over this problem- that I'm not in it on my own, but that I have supports and structures that will help me get there.

Friends, I've described my struggle in ugly detail for two reasons: Firstly, I really want to make a fresh start, as I feel I've been given one, and I want you all to know that it's fresh and new.
Secondly, if you are where I've been for the past months, I encourage you to come out on all fronts too. If you try to lop off one of your legs, something you've been relying on for many years, you won't only need a crutch, you'll need physio, dressings, adaptations to your home, etc. You'll need supports in place to help you with the transition. So try to leave every base covered- get some help with your eating, help with your fitness, find some friends who support you in your battle. I'm doing it, and I think I'll be overjoyed at the result!
I'm looking forward to being free! See you at the top of the mountain.
Lots of love,

Quit giving up!

Hi everyone, I know.. it's Thursday, not Wednesday, but I was so encouraged by Darlene's story on Live Well this week, that I just had to add the gorgeous pear logo... (is that pear getting slimmer, by the way??)
Darlene was telling the story of a couple who planted daffodils, just a few at a time, over many years, until eventually they had a vast hillside garden- one of the largest and most breathtaking daffodil gardens in the world.- It's amazing what can be achieved with consistent effort!
We were talking about this a bit at our home Bible study last night. It seems so many of us have become used to getting things NOW- not having to work and wait, and work and wait some more, until eventually we see the fruit of our efforts. Perhaps we blame society, the 'instant' generation, or whatever, but when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, all we can do is stop making excuses, and start changing ourselves.
It's time to accept that improving our health, our bodies, our mindsets is going to take WORK and PATIENCE, and a whole lot of it, too! We've all heard the cliche before- "It won't happen overnight, but it will happen!" Yeah... thanks. Well I've found that it hasn't happened. Why? The only reason that holds any water is: Because I keep giving up too early! Well it's time to get my fingernails dirty, to get a sore, bent ole back from planting so many dang flowers! Who knows, maybe if that little couple had given up every time they felt a twinge in their backs, they wouldn't even have filled a garden the size of a sandpit!

You know, sometimes I feel like just a bag of hot air (albeit an entertaining one!!), because I make all these commitments to myself, pontificate on what I should and shouldn't do, and I sound so convincing, too. But then in not more than 48 hours, I am at the bottom end of the see-saw, thinking "I can't do this", or "Who am I kidding- I'm never going to win over this thing!"

But my ever-wise and altogether gorgeous hubby reminds me that it's at these times that the Nike principle applies... don't get bogged down in your feelings and self-doubts.... Just Do It! Just put those runners on and get some exercise; just make the right food choice... again.

Don't give up. Haven't you spent too long already on the endless hamster wheel of trying and failing- I know I have.
So don't try anymore- Just do!

Don't give up, my friends. It may take a while, but in time you will reap a great reward. Remember this promise from God's word- "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. A man reaps what he sows.... Therefore let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up!
- Gal. 6:7 & 9.
God bless, everyone, and keep moving forward!


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