Diary of a Woman Learning

I realized the other day that I had been way too busy to spend time with God...and I can assure you that my moods are showing proof of that sad fact. Life gets in the way sometimes, and I need to learn that even reading a single verse, meditating for a minute or two and then spending time in prayer is fine when I cannot spare the 30 minutes or so to finish Bible study work. A few minutes of quality time is far better than no time at all! Yet, despite that fact, had I worked ahead in my Bible study, I do not think that I would be getting the same realizations that I have just this morning. God's timing is perfect! Without going into much detail, I want to be transparent here: As I was growing up, my childhood was far from rosy. My parents argued much of the time and with my mom battling severe depression, frustrations were often taken out on us girls. My parents thought they were doing the right thing by staying together "for the kids" and had they sought out counseling ...

Simply wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from our home to yours...may you be blessed beyond all you can ask or imagine! (Ephesians 3:20)

Sunday was our choir Christmas program. It went really well and I think God used us to bless a lot of people that needed to hear what Christmas is truly about. I was anxious as I had a solo, but I had a great time in fellowship with other believers and worshipping God - Giver of the most perfect Gift! After church, we came home and ate leftovers... they were better the first time by the way . :) After lunch we ran a couple of errands and my MIL and I went to our First Place meeting...I was down another 0.9 pounds! Next week (according to my doc's scale) I should be below 300 pounds - and I am so excited! After FP4H we had dinner and then relaxed. It was really nice to just hang out for a bit. Monday we went and got Kiddo's shots and came home to do more school. (Most of you know that we start school on Monday at the doctor's office while we are waiting for Kiddo's reaction from the shots to be recorded. We have to wait 30 minutes after his shots and then we get the rea...

So my weekend was amazing. I went to Deeper Still: Kay Arthur, Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer all teaching in the same weekend. And Travis Cottrell and his team leading worship. I'm pretty sure that qualifies as heaven on earth. (And was also very exciting because the Christmas program that our choir is going to put on this Sunday was written by Travis Cottrell mostly - how wonderful to witness his gifts in person.) Not only did I have a great time with ladies from the church, not only did I get to hear some phenomenal teaching, not only did I get to enjoy some beautiful music by a very gifted group of musicians, but I also had the wonderful privilege of meeting two of my bloggies. Valerie and Yolanda are just as sweet and lovely in person as they are in blog-world and I am so blessed to have met them. They leave such encouraging and uplifting comments for me - they are like little treasures that I often get when I feel a little discouraged or overwhelmed. God knows timing ...

Well, it's been a hectic week, but we've completed school for the week - so what a huge blessing God has given me in that! One less thing to worry about...ahhh... Right now, as we speak, I have 22 pounds or so of chicken breasts cooking in my roaster to be turned into chicken salad tomorrow. I'll have about 5 or 6 pounds of grapes to cut in half and add to it as well as a few stalks of celery. God has provided, however! Not only do I have shifts set up for a few crews of wonderful helpers to come in and help mix everything together, but God even provided all of the produce (through a member of the church's family) to help us provide food at an amazing price! I worried about our budget (of $5/person total) for dinner on Friday and for breakfast on Saturday - well, we are certainly under budget! God is so good - all the time. Since I have crews, however, I have to learn to do something that I am not at all good at: delegating . I simply cannot focus my mind long enough to...

Today was my last restful day for a while...I can assure you that my lazy week this past week was much-needed and very much enjoyed! We didn't even have evening services at church and we voted last week to skip one week of First Place 4 Health...so my Sunday has been truly restful. Tomorrow I have to balance homeschooling, Kiddo's shots and preparations for our Women's Ministry Christmas event in which I coordinate and prepare food (with help) for 100 women. Since we are going as a rather large group to the Deeper Still event - SERIOUSLY! Kay Arthur, Priscilla Shirer and Beth Moore!!! Does it get any better? - we are chartering buses and providing dinner on Friday and breakfast on Saturday. Friday evening's menu: Chicken salad with grapes served with a croissant, pasta salad with veggies, and a Christmas cookie. We'll likely also add a few baby carrots and extra grapes to round out the meal...and I thought about putting a chocolate or two in there as well. (Can a wo...

Today I have a few moments to post before I need to bake my step-dad's birthday cake for his surprise party tomorrow. I wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to you all. I am so very thankful for my family and for you, my friends. God has surrounded me with more abundant blessings than I could ever even count...I am so very truly blessed! I hope and pray that you all have a wonderful week and that you, too, are surrounded by more blessings than you can count! With love and gratitude for your friendship, Misty

I have a few moments so I thought I would hop on here and tell some of my favorite friends "Hello!" How are you all this week? I am great! I am tired and don't have much energy, but my goodness God is teaching me! So let me tell you what I am learning... I have two Bible studies going on, one for our Tuesday Morning Bible Study and one for First Place 4 Health. It is amazing how well they work together - and they don't even use the same verses! Well, for my TMBS I was urged to look up Matthew 4:4 and here is an excerpt from the e-mail that I sent to my wonderful mother-in-law: Today in my “Fingerprints” study I came across Matthew 4:4 (NKJV) says: But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” OUCH! If I was as hungry for God’s Word as I usually am physical nourishment, would I have gotten up to 318.8 pounds? I think not! However, as I learn that He really does have intimate intere...

So I have had to come off of my appetite suppressant because it greatly increased my anxiety levels...and if you really know anything about me, you know that I don't need any help in that area. I feel much better (emotionally) since coming off, but I am anxious about my portions even more than before. I'm still trying to keep my portions in check, but I can see that they are getting bigger. This is going to be a big struggle, but with God I will get a handle on it. However, I do have great news: my doctor is thrilled with my weight loss. I have lost nearly 12 pounds since my first visit to her in September. This visit alone I was down over 7 1/2 pounds. She told me that I was an inspiration to her and that she didn't have to see me for another six months. She even figured and said that by them I could be down another 42 pounds! (On another note I told her that I need to get commission for referrals because my best friend and my mother-in-law both see her now! She laughed a...

I just wanted to check in for a minute and let you all know that things are okay here. I'm still working on my Bible studies (I am currently in two different studies! :) and I am still trying to watch my portion sizes and exercise. Today we got to break out our bicycles and ride with Kiddo for a little bit - and I think my in-laws are both going to get new bikes for Christmas...bikes like mine! :) They both love my bike - we bought a Raleigh 4.0 Passage cruiser bike a couple of years ago. The Raleighs they have now are very similar...but are slightly improved with new gear shifts. My bike rides like a dream! It is smooth and easy to pedal. And it's pretty, too. :) I've got to go for now, but I'll try to post next week! Be blessed!

Hi friends. Today I have been recuperating from one of the longest, most stressful weeks of my life. I cannot go into detail, but I have some friends dealing with an awful situation. My goal is to be salt and light to them until they can get past some of their anger, but they need a tremendous amount of prayer. Prayer that they can forgive, move on and run back to the arms of a loving God. Also prayer that this situation will be resolved this week. If it's not this week, it's not likely that it will be resolved for at least 6-12 months, and I can assure you that in these circumstances, that is simply not acceptable. They need God to work a miracle for them...and my prayer is that when He does, they realize His signature is all over it and run back to Him. Oh how He loves them! Moving on to something more positive ...Kiddo learned yesterday how to ride his bike! Several months ago, PaPa got an idea. Kiddo wouldn't trust anyone and so in order to teach him balance on his bic...

Friday night I was blessed to spend time with a lovely couple and their precious toddler boy. Hubby and I went to school with E back in the day. :) We weren't particularly close, but he was always a nice guy with a lot on his shoulders. He still is. His wife, H (common-law as they are not yet married) is beautiful...and just as sweet as she is pretty. She is a great stay-at-home mom to their active and oh-so-polite little guy...they both just adore him. I have to admit, a few weeks ago I was curious why they were not married, so I asked him...politely, of course. He said, "...besides it's just a piece of paper, right?" I didn't really know what to say then...but later I had the words that I wanted to share with him. Since I haven't yet felt led to share them with him (God will show me the right time) I would like to share them here. A marriage certificate is just a piece of paper. A marriage is so much more. When I agreed to marry my wonderful husband, I was t...

I haven't participated in Gratituesday in a long time, so here I am! I am sitting here at nearly 11:30 waiting for laundry to finish in the dryer so I have clothes to wear tomorrow and I am so thankful for these and so much more! My computer...I wile away the time on here, but I can research bras ;) and reconnect with long lost friends and even play games to turn my mind into mush when all else fails - or has been done! :) My family. They are my pride and my joy. I love teaching Kiddo and I love that Hubby is my hero when the electronics don't work. And when there are spiders. And other bugs. Yuck! He's my hero for other things, too, but I'll save some stuff for later! My home. I have a roof over my head, a (clean?) floor under my feet and a heater when it's cold or an air conditioner when it's hot. Ah...comfort My health. Our family struggles with allergies and asthma and I struggle with my weight, but all in all, we are so very healthy and I thank God for that...

I haven't updated in a while because it has been crazy...again? Still? I am not really sure if I have had the chance to breathe for a week or longer! We've had a great week or so since I posted filled with the usual homeschool/church/volunteering stuff. This week has been much the same - except since it is Fall Break here, I didn't have NOVO yesterday. It was a nice day off, filled with lunch with my Mother-in-Law at Moe's Southwest Grill (Yummy!) and then a couple of errands. The weather has been a bit gloomy here for the last several weeks, but I don't mind getting out in it - I LOVE the autumn weather! It gets a slight nip in the air and I'm ready for a light jacket, soups, stews, chili and HOT COCOA! I love the spring, too...you know, before it gets hot! :) Today Kiddo and I had a field trip out to TG Farms Pumpkin Patch and we had a great time. Several of the homeschoolers from out HOPE (Helping Other Parents Educate) group met up out there. I had a chance...

Well, I've been trying to be diligent. I've tried to work out more than my doctor requested. I've also been trying to curb how much I eat, since portion control is my biggest struggle. (I'll get there step by step by step.) My doctor entered the room very pleased with my results. In just under one month I have lost 3.8 pounds. It's a drop in the bucket compared to what I need to lose, but hey! we've all got to start somewhere, right? I am happy with what I have done in this last month and will continue to work toward my goal by the grace of God...and with the encouragement of my family and friends. And every kind word and smile is so appreciated! I want to share with you some things I have learned in the last month: When you think you will die - you won't ! It is amazing how many times I have surpassed what I thought I could do. Seriously . Me... on an exercise bike...for thirty minutes? Who'da thunk? :) Sweat is okay ! The more you sweat, the more...

It has been AGES since I last posted! Okay, okay - it's been a little over a week! Regardless, I've missed my bloggies . Hope you are all well and know that you certainly have not been forgotten. I'm just feeling a bit stretched as of late and unfortunately the first thing to go is my blogging. Church and choir are great. Allergy shots are going okay - missed this week due to an allergy attack; Kiddo's been coughing and sneezing so we tried taking a week off. We will not be missing this coming Monday. Tuesday Morning Bible Study - "Anointed, Transformed and Redeemed" - is amazing! We have a large group of ladies - bigger than usual...we have more than 20 and our group has actually gotten smaller with work schedules and new job opportunities coming up! We have both Baptist and non-denominational ladies in our group and I love when we can come together despite differences! What a great group of ladies! :) Kiddo is having a blast with his golf lessons and those w...

I requested prayer last week for my knees from you all and from my church choir family. Guess what?! Since Thursday I have had no more pain . I can run up stairs - I get winded still! :) - but without pain entirely! I can get up from a seated position with no pain. I can walk with no pain...ahhh! God is SO good! I praised Him before for granting me the strength to get through 30 minutes of exercise when it was a huge struggle - but we are together persisting and in the last week (with no changes to my diet except trying to be more aware of my portions) I am down ONE POUND ! Gotta love that exercise! :) Friends, I am so excited! These are some struggles I can not remember ever NOT having. And God is seeing me through them now. It often frustrates me that I was not told sooner, by a different doctor, about the severity of my condition. However, I am also reminded that God's timing is perfect and I was likely not ready to hear it...or not ready to do anything about it. He is surround...

Well, I have always had joint pain - especially in my knees - as far back as I can remember. However, I am not letting it get me down. Rather, I am not letting it stop me from exercising. And believe me, it downright hurts. Almost all the time - but especially sitting down and standing up. Oh, and walking...that really hurts, too. (On a serious note, I could really use some prayer that this knee pain will let up. Thank you so much prayer warriors!) Oddly enough, cycling on my recumbent actually does not hurt. How weird is that? ;o) I have exercised for 30 minutes every day but Sunday (Hubby made me take the day off so that my knee might recover, but alas it was not meant to be. :o) I range anywhere from 4.3 miles to 5.2 miles in that time and I love that exercise bike. The design of it keeps the tension out of my achy joints and lower back and allows me to build my stamina. And by listening to my fave radio station - K-Love (88.9 FM here) - I get encouraged while I worship. In fact, ye...

Here is the update. I won't go into much detail here, but I have had several concerning symptoms the last few months and recently an extreme lack of energy has been added to that. This is severe lethargy and like nothing I've ever dealt with before, so I thought it best to switch doctors. I have thoroughly enjoyed going to a D.O. that is now our Family Physician, so I thought I would try an Ob/Gyn that was also a D.O. And she is B-L-U-N-T... and I love her! :) When I went in today, I took my results from my latest rash of tests - the ones that I called my last doctor up in July for and told her to find out what in the world was going on. (I was tired of asking...) Guess what? They are all normal . There is nothing wrong with any of my levels - but my new doc did draw for a B-12 check just to be safe, so hopefully we'll hear back about that pretty soon. Anyway...you wanna hear why I'm tired and can't get pregnant? I'm fat. Yep. Not a newsflash or anything, but s...

I promise that I'm around and making it here! It's been pretty crazy what with starting school and becoming a leader in our homeschool support group. (In my defense, I didn't realize that was what I was doing. I thought I was going to coordinate the holiday parties...turns out when you only have one active officer, said officer reserves the right to make you a leader in that group. Hmm. The things you learn. :) School is going okay...or should I be more specific? Social studies, Language Arts and Science are going okay...mathematics? Not so great. We have determined that Hooked on Math is NOT a good match for my child. He gets SO frustrated he winds up in tears within seconds of the MENTION of "Hooked on Math". (While I must admit that a portion of this is due to his processing issues and I want him to learn to be more flexible, I NEVER want him to be THIS stressed out. Therefore we are searching for a new math program/curriculum. I am very interested in Math-U-Se...