I must have snored deep last night....

 I woke up this morning with a raspy (feeling) throat and it is a bit sore.  Or I just slept with my mouth open.  Either way, I'm not perfect.  I know, that's a shock, isn't it!  

Yesterday was a rare quiet day at work.  My favorite boss and I exchanged an email or two, but heard nothing from the male boss. He's busy this week - he goes on vacation all next week so he has a lot to get done this week.  And no, I didn't take advantage of the time and get the minutes done.  Actually forgot about them, so have it on my calendar to do today so that I don't forget again.  Will see if that helps. 

Hubby did a couple things that puzzled me last night.  First of all, he forgot I was going to workout.  Oddly, he had asked if I would go with him to the rec center to work out over lunch and I just said ok. But he never brought it up again.  No biggie.  But when I signed off the work computer and went into the other room, he told me to sit down and relax before fixing dinner.  Puzzled, I looked at him and said I needed to get ready to go for my training with Morgan.  He asked the time and I told him 4:15PM.  We sat there and chatted a few more minutes, and it's 4:20PM.  He tells me he isn't going to go with me.  That's fine, he doesn't always go.  But then at 4:25PM he decided he would go, but he wasn't going to change from his good shorts and shirt, but he would go with me.  That's fine.  So off we went to the gym.

On the way to the gym he asked me if I brought my sweater.  Puzzled (again), I asked him why.  I always have a sweater in the car for when I go to restaurants and they are so cold. It generally stays in the car.  On the compartment between us.  I told him, "I do not need the sweater for the gym; I'm going there to work out."  His comment back?  "Well, when you come out all sweaty, this cold air from the air conditioner will make you cold."  Say what?  First of all, I don't sweat.  I 'glisten'.  It was just an odd conversation.  Am I over-reaching for an explanation?

The youngest text'd me this morning that the hotel they stayed at last night has a hot breakfast - bacon, eggs, pancakes, etc.  He doesn't eat breakfast so much, but I'm sure the others appreciated a hot breakfast.  Interesting, this is the second hotel (I think) that did not have a microwave in the room - and this one was a Hilton!  I asked him what he needed the microwave for anyway - I guess leftovers from the night before and popcorn.  I'm not sure where he is headed today - he hasn't let me know, but I think it is on up to his in-laws in North (or is it South) Carolina.  Or he may be starting back and heading to New Mexico. I don't  remember his scheduling, but he will let me know soon.  Glad he has been keeping me updated on their trip. 

Psalm 100:3 (NKJV):  Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

As I was praying this morning for different ones in my family, my mind drifted to a grandson and his friend who are having a baby any time now.  He, once born, will be our 13th great-grandchild.  God has truly blessed us and given us a large family.  I had to stop and count again.  I kept coming up with 12, but remembered the one who was born, but never lived.  Yeah, I still count him.  My granddaughter never gave him a name, but I did.  His name is Matthew. Why, I don't know.  It's just the name that came to me when I found out she didn't have a name for him.  I don't know why things happen like they do, but sometimes they are a God-send, right?

We may pro-create, but it is God who does the designing and creating the baby.  And God never makes mistakes.  People sometimes think that a baby born with Down Syndrome is a 'mistake', but they aren't.  They are a special gift from God to love and to be loved by.  God has created each of us in His image.  If only we all followed Him and recognized that only He deserves our worship - not food, drugs, possessions, or people.  We have made idols instead of worshipping Him alone.  Isn't it time we all came back to Him?

"I have only one thing to do today.  Follow Him."

Blessings!

Saturday - for me, a day of rest....and busyness

 It felt good that I knew I could sleep in this morning, and it was after 5AM before I awoke and got up.  Hubby had gotten up a little bit before.  I could have stayed in bed and sleep more, but even getting up early and giving up additional sleep is a gift to God.  I still haven't caught up on my Bible reading of the New Testament to get back on schedule - and I may need to just keep plugging away and read several chapters a day.  But I will get caught up.  It's just a challenge, anyway, not a requirement. Not going to beat myself up about it.   I did sleep well last night, after a night of restless sleep.  

I told hubby last night I may go ahead and change my fasting from just vegetables and fruits to my BBCD.  It's still hard to do - no beef, no bread, no chocolate and no desserts.  But, I feel I need to eat more protein (rather than just drink my protein shakes).  With my work, I need to stay alert and attentive to things (found out yesterday I have forgotten to schedule a meeting before the board meetings so need to work on it first thing Monday) and lately I haven't given it all my undivided attention. May start that today - which means I am sure, hubby will want me to cook breakfast, and although I may fix sausage patties for him, I won't have any. Maybe I'll fry potatoes and onions and then pour eggs over it with jalapenos like I have done in the past.  So good. Eggs have protein.

I tried to get a case of green beans yesterday and am grateful they were out.  I didn't think about how much 30 pounds of green beans would be.  In my combo box of food I did receive 5 pound of fresh green beans and lots of other fruits and veggies - and took the green beans and a few other things up to my DIL.  At least I know my son likes the green beans.  I love sharing my boxes with different ones.  Especially since there are some that I don't like all that is in them - like the eggplant.  I did keep one this time and I will try to figure out how to fix it (for hubby) and may even try taking a bite to see if I can handle it.  Rotten mashed potatoes is how it tastes to me - and it's a real turn-off.

This may make you shake your head.... I had my meeting with Virta yesterday.  I did get online and canceled the one appointment.  Hubby was busy doing something, so I shut my door so that I could talk privately. I didn't know what they would be asking.  And it was a Zoom call on my personal computer.  So I shut the door quietly. I take my ten minute call.  As I turned off my computer to get back on the work computer, hubby opens my door.  He asks, "Are you in a private meeting or did you just shut your door?" I responded, "I was in a private meeting, but am off now."  He goes "Ok, I saw the door was shut and didn't know why you had shut it so wondered if you meant to."  Hello?  Does it matter?  I also have meetings for work of which I need to shut my door so that I can focus.  Sometimes, even when I'm on camera, he will have to come in and talk to me or kiss me goodbye if he is going someplace.  I think I have him 'trained' now to just wave to me from the door so that everyone does see him on camera.  

Reminds me of one friend who said she was on camera for a meeting and their printer was in the office at home.  She heard her husband come in and get something off the printer but didn't turn around nor pay any attention to him - until someone commented.... he had come in the room in his very skimpy swimming trunks!!  That resulted in a talk with him to NOT come in unless he was completely dressed! LOL  At last I don't have to worry about that - we have our own printers, only because my daughter had given me one after we had bought one - so I keep it in here. My company won't let me print from my work computer here, so I email to my personal email then print.  Not much work stuff to print anyway; it's usually stuff I want to keep.

It's January and tax time will be here before we know it.  I've already started sorting through some receipts that I have here on the desk.  I imagine if I moved all the receipts to the bed to sort through that my desk would be cleaned off.  Novel thought.  

I bought 16 boxes of girl scout cookies from a great granddaughter and they arrived yesterday. I didn't expect them for a few weeks.  Shipping just about killed me - nearly $28 to ship!  My sister bought 4 boxes and it was $12 for shipping! That is ridiculous.  Because of the fast, I put all but 4 of the boxes into the freezer.  I put 4 boxes in the pantry 'just because'.  Not any of my favorite (trefoils), but in case we have company, and I need a dessert to put out.  I don't even remember which ones I put in there.  Oh - when hubby saw me open the box and exclaim "Oh, my girl scout cookies!" he comes over to see what I bought.  "How many did you buy?"  "16", I respond.  He started to ask "why" - then he saw the two boxes of mint - and commented - "Oh, those are my favorite!"  Haha.  I bought four boxes of Trefoils cause they are MY favorite!  I thought it was funny.  Just a way this man's mind thinks.  If I decide to order more, I may ask my granddaughter to put in freezer until we do a trip down there in maybe late February or March.  We will have a new great-granddaughter by then and I want to hold her!

Today should be kind of quiet except I need to work on the message for next Sunday.  I need to have title and scripture by tomorrow as the RV church will be calling me to get that information for their bulletins. Yes, they still do bulletins.  Helps me stay on track too.  I'll work on it a few hours this afternoon and then revise it during the week and make my changes.  Only have 3 or 4 left this 'season'. 

Psalm 118:5-6 (NIV):  When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.  What can mere mortals do to me?

When you feel you are in a 'hard place' in life, do you reach out and cry out to God to help you?  I sure do!  And what I find is that He is willing to give me the peace (spacious place?) that I am seeking; the strength to endure whatever I need to get through (in my case, currently, thinking about working out and the weight is so heavy and I'm struggling to get through it - I frequently cry out "Lord, HELP!").  But seriously, there are other times I cry out to the Lord.  I cry out to Him for my children, my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren, and even future generations.  I cry out to Him for hubby, to help him think clearly and to give him the strength he needs.  I pray for friends who are struggling or ill.  I pray for myself as well.  Sometimes we are in that 'hard place' and we don't always realize it until we feel there is no place to turn.  I have found that when I first start feeling overwhelmed by what is around me (and anymore, that is getting more and more frequent) and I can cry out to the Lord to just PLEASE HELP ME to get through this.  And He always does.

Why does God help us?  Because He loves us so much and He wants nothing more than for us to worship Him and honor Him and give Him the glory in all things.  When we seek Him, we are acknowledging He is above all things and can do all things.  Don't let the devil tell you otherwise.  The devil is one who uses us and causes us such discomfort. But Jesus is our Peace, and He always will be.  Go to Him. Call out to Him. Wait on Him. Be still, and listen.  You just may hear His voice.

Blessings!