Taking a Breath

I realize that I haven't blogged for over a month. Thanksgiving is over, decorating is finished, baking is FINALLY done, my concerts are finished, shopping is ALMOST completed (finishing up tomorrow with my friend, Juel). I don't think I've taken a breath since the Wednesday before Thanksgiving!!

I'm taking that breath now...

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with family and friends... always remembering why we celebrate.

"But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.'" Luke 1:30-32

I write this recognizing one thing...

I have SO MUCH TO LEARN!! Nothing is more humbling than your absolute weaknesses being pointed out. Today was one of those days at work when I was hit face to face with the reality that the "professional business world" is not easy. I do not understand it and I do not necessarily feel equipped to be there. Yet this is where God has called me to... this office, this job. My boss is amazing and has no problem approaching me with issues that need to be addressed. I am grateful to her and to the Lord for not allowing me to be comfortable...

please pray that I learn how to keep all my business relationships, business. This is the area I need to grow the most. I do not know how to be completely professional with people; I am used to building relationships with everyone.... this is very new.

I am Content

I realized this morning that I hadn't blogged for more than a week. I'm living my very ordinary life right now and nothing exciting is happening. That is the way I like life. I realize as I get older, that I don't like the highs and lows as much as I used to -- of course, I LOVED the highs and HATED the lows. Success in my personal life is, well, steady as she goes. I am content.

I also realized this morning that Thanksgiving is a week earlier than I thought it was -- Less than two weeks away!! I've got to get my meal plan together for that -- My mom and dad and kids and hubby -- no real pressure, but I will work out my menu today.

I'm a painting fool -- have I mentioned that I LOVE to paint?? :-) I wasn't going to make any gifts for Christmas, because I didn't think I'd progressed enough to actually give something to someone they would like -- not that fake, "Oh, wow, that's nice," reaction. My teacher encouraged me to make a few things. I'm designing and painting a decorative plate for my Mom -- she'll like anything I give her, and I'm making some ornaments to give as small gifts.

I'm off from work today, I've gotten an hour of painting under my belt, a load of laundry almost finished, my kitchen cleaned up, my car to the garage to check leaky antifreeze, supper planned (ordering pizza), so I'm going to finish this blog, order up a tall glass of water, and do a bit of Bible reading. I could live happily as a hermit -- for a short time. The trick and quite frankly, the thing I find most difficult to do, is to be happy and content no matter the circumstances. Oh well... today I don't have to work at being content.

The sun is shining (through my tableclothes-turned drapes :-), my house is relatively clean, I'm alone and puttering... LIFE IS GOOD!!

...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation... I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11b,12a,13

Blessings, Melodye

Personal Retreat

I am looking to go on a short personal retreat this weekend but will be honest and say I am nervous. Focusing my attention, especially when taking a SLOW BREAK, is very, very difficult. I do not desire to waste the time.

Have you ever taken a retreat? What have you done? What have you read? Do you have any suggestions for me?

Tableclothes into Drapes?? Brilliant!!

I spent the day sewing, not painting. Have I mentioned that I LOVE my painting class?? :-)

We have 20 windows in our living room -- 10 on the second story and 10 on the main floor. When we built the house, we didn't consider things like, oh, cleaning the windows 20 feet up, keeping the sun out of all 20 windows, the fact the windows lose their R-factor as they age (the windows are 22 years old).

I have dark leather "man" furniture in the room (my darling hubby's choice), oak floors and window trim -- dark, dark, dark. I have a rug I bought at an auction -- primary colors are ocean blue, teal blue, terra cotta and black. About 4 years ago, I made drapes for the 10 main floor windows. I don't know what I was thinking, but I picked a dark print. I believe I spent about $300.00 on the fabric and about 2 weeks cutting and sewing them together. I didn't like them the moment I put them up.

Fast forward to the present day... I've been looking for ocean blue silk dupioni drapes -- 50"x95". They are very hard to find and very expensive when you do find them. I found some from Pottery Barn on Ebay that started at $80.00 a pair (I need 2 1/2 pairs) and they were only 40 inches wide.

I also have been praying for contentment. Every time I looked at those drapes, I hated them!! I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to look at them for quite a bit more time... college tuition and the like... :-) My contentment prayer bordered on desperation.

God is a wonderful, caring, loving God and he heard my cry... I'm overwhelmed as I write this that He could and would care about something so trivial as drapes. Thank you Lord, for your love for me.

I was picking up a few things at Walmart today and walked through the clearance aisle. I spotted the ocean blue color first. I was disappointed to learn that oblong tableclothes, in ocean blue, were on sale for $10.00. The fabric had the nubbiness of silk dupioni. I had a moment of perfect clarity... check the size -- 60"x102". Okay, see how many are on the rack -- about 12.

I picked up 5 oblong tableclothes and I'm sitting at my computer, 7 hours later, looking out into my living room at my five fabulous curtains!!! I put a 2-inch double hem on each side, a 2-inch single hem on the top (they are attached by clips) and a 5-inch hem on the bottom. Everyone knows that a large hem at the bottom of a drape makes it look richer. I will probably need to line them this winter -- my plan is to get some flannel flat sheets in an ivory and attach them temporarily.

Will they last 25 years? No. If an interior decorator came into my home, would he/she recognize that my drapes were not REAL silk dupioni? Probably. However, to my eye, they give my living room the tall light columns of color it has needed for -- well, forever. When I walk into the room, I smile.

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Blessings, Melodye

Baked Potato Soup

I discovered this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine back in the spring. It is delicious and a great cold weather meal!!! My darling husband and son make yummy noises the whole time they eat this. It is also pretty to serve for company!! Put in a soup tureen, sprinkle the cheese and bacon on the top. Add a salad and some hot rolls, a dessert, and voila!! A great meal!

BAKED POTATO SOUP

4 large baking potatoes (about 2 3/4 pounds)
2/3 cup butter or margarine (real butter has the best taste)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt (I use 1 1/4 tsp)
1/4 tsp white pepper (or black :-)
6 cups milk (I use skim milk)
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream (I use low-fat)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake potatoes at 350 for 65-75 minutes or until tender; cool completely. Peel and cube potatoes.
In a large, heavy saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Remove from the heat; whisk in sour cream. Add potatoes and green onions. Garnish with bacon and cheese. Yield: 10 servings
*Note* The potatoes can be baked another day and stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. Potatoes baked in the oven, not the microwave, provide the best flavor. I sometimes add about 1 cup of those ham cubes you find in the store. If adding the ham, you don't need the bacon. I also found that you have to put the soup back on the heat after adding the green onions and potatoes to heat through. If you would rather have the onions cooked, add them with the butter and let them cook as the butter melts. Otherwise, the onions are crunchy (that's the way we like them!)

Blessings, Melodye

Making Fitness a Part of My Life

Sometimes you take a gift for granted, rely on it and then it is gone. Take exercise, for example, I have been exercising at a particular gym for two years. I go at least three times a week. I also take yoga once a week--at a different gym. When you are 47, body parts go south unless you work at pointing them in the right direction (that would be a northward direction :-) Lifting is important as a counteractive measure against osteoporosis. Because I have osteoarthritis and the beginnings of fibromyalgia one could say that lifting weights is essential to my wellbeing.

Anyway, my gym membership was a gift from a very generous person -- greatly appreciated by me!! This gift will not be given again so I have to figure out a way to keep lifting weights. I've already figured out that I won't be able to pay for it -- with MS, my yoga class is more important. Yoga keeps me off of spasticity drugs. My darling husband goes to the gym also and he absolutely needs that "testosterone fest" that occurs when 4 or more men get together to lift weights!!! He has offered to give up his membership so I can go -- I absolutely LOVE him for his offer, but he needs to lift at the gym with the other men.

The wheels began turning two days ago... Voila!! Eureka!! I have all the necessary equipment in my home. Granted, they are scattered hither and yon, but the pieces are there. Fortunately, during my Flylady decluttering days, I didn't "bless" someone else with my equipment.

I found my 15, 10, 8, and 5 pound dumbells. I found my Weidner barbell (covered in dust and cobwebs), 4 - 10 pound plates, 4-5 pound plates and 2-3 pound plates. I also remembered that I had bought one of those resistance bands and after looking for 1/2 a day (I can get obsessive about this stuff), I found it!! I have a fitness ball for core work. I talked to a great friend today and mentioned that all I needed was a "stepper" so that I had something to do chest presses on. Steppers are also good for lunge-type exercises (for those glutes and quads!!). I am now the proud owner of one very dusty stepper. It was under their sofa, collecting dust.

Now I need a plan... Amanda, I'm going to probably store the equipment in a box under your bed... hope you don't mind!!! I plan to do upper body 2x a week and lower body 2x a week. I will also incorporate core exercises, ab work and some yoga -- probably a total of 40 minutes a day. I will continue my yoga class one time a week.

I've been lifting on an off for about 12 years -- sometimes at the gym and sometimes at home. I feel better when I lift weights! I look better when I lift weights! I'm happier when I lift weights!

All of this to say, I am going to embrace the notion of lifting at home. Thank you, Lord, for reminding me of the equipment taking up space in my home. You do indeed provide if we ask.

I would encourage any of you who don't do anything of a physical nature, to try something, even a small thing. Walking, biking, lifting, yoga are all great endorphin releasers and you just feel good doing it!!

I just started a bible study on Ecclesiastes and I'm looking at focusing on the eternal rather than the temporal. I also realize that I need to be wise as I take care of the body God gave me. For this season in my life, I will take care of ME at home instead of in the gym!!

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

Blessings, Melodye