Mold me each day, Lord, into what You would have me to be.

Mold me each day, Lord, into what You would have me to be.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Is anyone working this window?!?!?!?!

Hello all! I would like to interrupt our regularly scheduled programming of ummm........... NOTHING!!!!!!

I just wanted to say that I am in the process of harassing Aprille to make sure that she posts a new blog soon. I apologize for any delay and any boredom that she may have caused you! I am sure that her intent isn't to bore us or leave us hanging.



YOOHOO Aprille!!!!!!! Where is the blog that you promised earlier today?!?!?!?!?!
We need some insight and wisdom from you!!!!!!!! LOL

Love ya!
Michelle

Monday, April 14, 2008

Unfortunately...

I am 33 years old today. I am actually older than Michelle and she is just trying to make me feel better! No, seriously I don't feel bad about being 33. I know that is not truly old, except to children, adolescents, and college kids! A friend and I were talking the other day about how when we were young and we would think about 30 somethings, we would feel like that was so OLD! Ah, we were so naive! I am proud to be 33 today. Thank you, Michelle, for the birthday greetings! Michelle is making me lunch today for my birthday, so that will be a really fun treat! Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me..... :0)

Sunday, April 13, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY APRILLE!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey everyone! This is Michelle once again. It has been a while since Aprille has posted. I am beginning to wonder if she ever will again!?!?!?!?!

Well, now to my real reason for hijacking her blog again. Monday April 14th is Aprille's birthday and I wanted to wish her a very happy 25th birthday! You are turning 25 right Aprille?!?!? LOL

So just in case you all didn't know I wanted to tell you about her birthday. Make sure you all leave her a comment and wish her a Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY APRILLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love ya!

Michelle

Friday, April 4, 2008

The New Tracker...

Wow! I am loving the new weight loss tracker! I did really well on everything except for my sodium intake!!! Nearly twice as high as it should be. So obviously I have quite a ways to go on cutting back on the sodium! It's not salting my food, I didn't put any seasoning on a single thing today, but the spaghetti sauce and lunch meat, things like that are so, so high in sodium. HMMMM. Any ideas anyone? Guess I need to go with fresh meat and make my own sauce from scratch, HA! LOL! Fresh meat is really an option, but I will have to search out some low sodium spaghetti sauce. I am really, really spoiled to a certain kind, Prego, and I would hate to have to switch. Anyway, I feel really good about today! YAY! This is so helpful. I hope that you will all try it! Have a great weekend!

Day 1 of a Very Precise Weight Loss Journal...






















Free Calorie Calculator

my-calorie-counter.com

CalFatSatChlSodCrbFibSugPro
Breakfast
0.5pita, large (6-1/2" dia)Bread, pita, whole-wheat8510017018203
1largeEgg, whole, cooked, scrambled102722151711017
1fl ozCoffee, instant, regular, prepared with water100010000
21 tbls(15 ml)Nestle Coffee Mate French Vanilla Sugar Free Creamer30200100000
1tbspSalad dressing, KRAFT MIRACLE WHIP LIGHT Dressing373041312020
255132219483212310
Lunch
1cupSpaghetti, whole-wheat, cooked174100437617
1Serving - 85 GLOUIS KEMP SEAFOOD CO. - LOBSTER DELIGHTS - CHUNK STYLE 8 OZ TRAY7000540011157
3tbspSauce, PREGO 100% Natural Spaghetti Sauce, Traditional, jar205820839316163
449925124379132217
Dinner
2sliceEntrees, pizza with pepperoni36214428534400020
0.5Serving - 33 GORVILLE REDENBACHER'S - MICROWAVE POPCORN - ULTIMATE BUTTER 3.5 OZ 3 PK BOX806102208201
1servingLOUIS RICH, Turkey Breast (Smoked, Carving Board)4200195401009
484205471294492030
Snack
21 tbls(15 ml)Nestle Coffee Mate French Vanilla Sugar Free Creamer30200100000
1fl ozCoffee, instant, regular, prepared with water100010000
1Serving - 32 GJIF - PEANUT BUTTER - CREAMY 28 OZ PLASTIC JAR19016301507238
1cup, quartered or choppedApples, raw, with skin650001173130
11 cup 8 fl oz 240 mL Einstein Bros Bagels® - Hot Tea, Peppermint000000000
2861830162245168
Water Tracker
Totals
Target
Balance
1474
2000
526
60
65
5
12
20
8
271
300
29
3182
2400
782
173
300
127
22
25
3
41
50
9
65
50
15
CalFatSatChlSodCrbFibSugPro
Activity
0.5hour(s)walking - walking, 5.0 mph-369
Totals-369        

A New Tool For Weight Loss...

I googled "calorie counter" today on the web and got quite a few things to choose from, and I'm sharing this link with you to a site I am really crazy about...

http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/calorie_counter.asp

This is a free journal site, where you can put in exactly what you eat and they calculate the calories, sodium, etc., water intake, your weight, height, activity each day (even down to housework!) It is really cool! Each day I will be trying to post my journal on my blog to show you exactly what my intake is and how my progress is going. I have put my food journal on here in the past, but this is very precise and gives me a better handle on exactly how much I have taken in. I will be posting it at the end of the day after my calculation is complete, and you can see what is working for me and what is not. BUT, I hope that you all will try this site out, I think it is going to be very beneficial!

Happy tracking everyone...

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

The Fruit On My Tree...


This past weekend I went to a women's conference in Memphis with our pastor's wife, Misty, and Michelle. We went to hear Joyce Meyer for the second time in six months. It was so awesome to hear her speak to us as if she knew exactly what we were going through and dealing with. And you know what? She didn't know. God did. God used her, his open and willing vessel, to speak truth to our hearts that would transform us, that would keep us from leaving there the same people that arrived there.

She talked a lot about the fruit we produce, and how we as Christians are really "branches" hanging on the "vine" (Jesus). She made such a simple, yet profound point, that really struck home with me - the branch on the tree does not have to try to produce fruit. When it is rooted in the tree, the branch receives everything it needs from the tree and just naturally produces the right "fruit" without any effort. If I am a branch on an orange tree, I will receive all that I need from the tree, all of my life comes from the tree, and in the right season I will automatically produce my fruit, oranges, without any effort because I am rooted in and receiving from the tree.

So, what are our "fruits" to be as Christians? In Galatians 5:22 God says that the fruits of His Spirit are Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, AND (last, but not least) Self-Control. It would be easy to stop at this point and say, well, I need to pray and seek God more so that I will produce these things. But, we can't stop reading at that verse. If you read down a little further into verse 24 it says "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking, and envying each other."

OOOOOO, that is good stuff. So, if we (the branches) hang on the tree we should automatically produce the right fruit, right? But, we cannot, as the branches of this tree, still try to live separate from the tree. We have to daily crucify our flesh, our sinful nature, our passions and desires, and get in step with His Spirit. If we are a branch on the tree and long to be separate from the tree and do what WE want to do in the flesh, what will happen? We will die spiritually. Our life comes from the tree, and if we are not rooted and grounded completely and totally in the tree, we will fall away like an old twig on the ground, which is dead and snaps right in two. A live branch on a tree is hard to break because it is flexible, it bends when the wind blows, but doesn't break under pressure. When the storms of life come if we are rooted and grounded, and strongly attached to the tree, we may bend and be tossed about, but we will not break because our life comes from the tree.

As I had my devotion time this morning, I was reading 1 Thessalonians 4 and just kept on going into chapter 5 and as I read down into vs. 5 and going all the way into verse 8 it was talking about being sons of light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or darkness. Verse 6 says "So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet."

Do you see a recurring theme here? I was not searching this out, God is leading me to it. He taught me (and a few thousand others...) about the fruit we bear this weekend, and then Sunday our pastor (not having been at the conference) talked about our life coming from us being rooted and grounded in Jesus, and when we are not deeply rooted in Him we will wilt and die, and then this morning I read this in 1 Thessalonians about self-control, and the devotion/study page in my bible was titled "Fruity Folks" with the scripture reference being Galatians 5:22 and talking all about the fruit we bear! I do believe God is trying to teach me something here!!!

So, I have asked myself, and would challenge you today to ask yourself, what kind of fruit am I bearing? Am I trying to bear the right fruit, but trying to do it on my own without truly being rooted in God, or am I actually bearing the right fruit just by hanging on the tree and receiving my life from Him to where I cannot help but produce the right fruit?