Life's Challenges

Building character.  How does that happen?  How long does it take?  What is the process one must go through?  I really don't have the answers, but by the time you reach your mid 50's, I guess you have developed character whether it is a good character or bad.  The past month, I had an opportunity to reflect on the type of character I have built.

I am not exactly the best at getting my mammograms done in a timely fashion.  One year suddenly is two or three and then I decide I must go.  This time and the last time also, I got called back in for a second look.  This time, it was inconclusive after 7 films and an ultrasound, so I was on my way to UAMS in Little Rock to try and get a conclusion with a MRI.  Now that was an experience! But that isn't my story.  My story is about all the days between all the procedures.

From the first mammogram to the second one was a wait of over two weeks.  During this time, I got aggravated having to wait so long and decided I was going to tell the radiologist about it.  (He is a friend.)  That is a long time for someone not to know if they are sick or not.  However, as I was sitting in the waiting room waiting on the second one, I realized if they did it all in one day, you wouldn't have time to reflect and see your real character.

I am not one to really worry.  I truly believe the Lord is in control and He will see me through wherever my journey in life takes me.  (Now if it is my child, I might not be as strong, but with me, I am pretty good at handling things.)  While waiting on the second mammogram and ultrasound, I sensed that I would need the next step, but I know from countless other women, that this does not mean there is a real problem.  Sure enough, the doctor came in and told me quite honestly, that he could not make a call whether what he was seeing was anything or just a false something and that he would like for me to have an MRI.  I am a logical person, asked where I go for that and he gave me a list of options and said it would be best if my OB/GYN made the appointment for me.  This had been going on for 17 days, so I drove straight to the gynecologist office (another friend of ours) and got the appointment made for 2 days later in Little Rock.  (If I went to Little Rock, I could take a bumper my husband needed to have chromed and see my daughter too!  So that was a logical place to go for a logical thinking person. ha)

Went on a Friday for the MRI expecting the results the next week but it actually took 15 days.  (No one told me to take the films with me so they had to be mailed.  If this ever happens to you, TAKE THE FILMS.)  This is when I had time to reflect.  What if the worst case scenerio happened and I had cancer.  I truly didn't believe that would happen, but you have to prepare.  The worst ending (in the world's eyes) would be death.  Was I ready for that?  Without any hesitation, I said yes.  I know where I am going when I die, and I know who will be waiting for me when I get there.  For a Christian, it is the ultimate reward and healing and I truly believe for a Christian, death is not a bad thing when you face it.  In my heart, I knew that would not be bad at all, EXCEPT for the husband, the daughter and my 83 year old mother that I would be leaving behind.  These three people depend on me for lots of things (at least I tell myself that.)  That would be the hardest part because I would feel I was letting them down and not carrying my load til the end of time which should be many years from now.  But I know, people die all the time and the ones left behind learn to deal with it, each in their own way.  By day 13 of waiting for the MRI results, I knew deep in my heart all was clear.  I had a real peace that only comes from the Lord.

The biggest blessing from this whole event, was not finding out that everything was ok and I did not have cancer.  The biggest blessing was seeing that I am truly not a real worrier even in the midst of a situation like this and seeing the true peace one can have during such a time.  It is a peace that only comes from truly knowing the Lord as your personal Saviour. 

A quote that came across facebook today:

"Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are." - Bernice Reagon

 

Have a Blessed Day!

Learning from Trees

 Jeremiah 17: 7 -8
"Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him.  They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."  

This is one of my favorite scriptures and so applicable today with the drought going on in Texas, but even if there were no drought, it still speaks to our hearts.  We all have times of drought in our lives.  Our nation is facing the largest debt crisis in it's history.  Some have lost their jobs, their homes, their businesses and maybe even their retirement due to this economy.  Some face medical issues where God is the only answer.  Where is your confidence placed?  Do you feel it is up to you to solve the problems you face today?  Or, is your confidence in the Lord?

Matthew 6:27-29 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are

Matthew 6:30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

If you are a person of great Faith, share it with others who may not be so Blessed.  God is good ALL the time.

Have a Blessed day!

Salty Lessons

Everything is better with salt and sea salt is even better for you, but that is not what this blog is about.  A little salt makes most things taste better, but too much salt can ruin the best dish.  Ask my son-in-law.  The first meal my daughter ever cooked for him included my mother's peach cobbler recipe.  I suggested she double the recipe so they would have plenty.

PEACH COBBLER

Cream together:

1/4 cup margarine

1/2 cup sugar

Sift together:

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir in:

1/2 cup milk

and margarine mixture until smooth

Pour into greased baking dish.  Drain juice from 1 large can of peaches; reserving the juice.  Place peaches on the batter.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar and pour juice over sugar.  Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Easy enough!  Double the recipe for a 9x13 dish. 

Not easy when you have never cooked a dish, practically, and you are cooking for someone that could possibly turn out to be your future husband, and you are doubling the recipe.  What if you double the salt and read the measurement as cups rather than teaspoons!  I won't repeat what the son-in-law said, but he had to spit the dessert out of his mouth. 

Fast forward to this past month - about 4 years later to this picture:

That is the same daughter TEACHING a group of my friends how to cook some new dishes!  She is a Pampered Chef hostess now in her spare time.  Who would have ever thought that she would have come so far in 4 years.  The fact that she moved to a small town with 1 1/2 restaurants (one is only open for breakfast and lunch), a pizza place, Sonic and now a Subway has contributed to the need to learn how to cook, as well as being married to a hard working farmer who works long hours in this awful heat and needs a substantial and good meal at the end of the day.  She can make the most awesome dishes now and even has learned to bake home made bread!  Move over Pioneer Woman!  Look closely at that first picture.  She is even making that food look pretty!

Moral of the story:  Read the recipe carefully.  Cups mean cups and teaspoons mean teaspoons.  A little salt does wonders in life.  Too much can ruin a good thing.  Nothing is life is hopeless if you set your mind to do it.  You too can become a good .................. whatever it takes to fill in that blank, if you try.  And, it doesn't hurt to make mistakes if you learn from them.  God is a forgiving God and you too should forgive yourself and move on and accomplish your goals.  And, last but not least, I am one proud mother! 

Have a Blessed day!

Parents

Something to ponder.  For those of you with young children, you cannot fathom the amount of love that you have for your child or children.  No one can explain it to you before you give birth to your own children, but it is truly amazing love.  No words can describe the depth of  love you have for them.  Am I right?

So think on this, that same love you have for your child, your parents have for YOU.  Yes, maybe you don't see that love or feel that love coming from your parents, but it is there.  As a parent, you don't lose that love for your children, ever.  Your parents would die for you just as you would die for your children.  Please don't forget that.  Maybe they have not always been there for you.  Maybe they haven't always exhibited their love for you in a way that you could see it, but it is there.  Maybe (surely) they have made mistakes, but these mistakes were not intentional.  Being a parent is always a learning process, even when your children have children.  But they love you still.

Include them in your lives.  Forgive them when they do not do or act exactly the way you think they should.  Forgive them for not loving you they way you think you ought to be loved.  Treat them the way you would want your children to treat you one day when the roles are reversed.   Don't put higher standards on them than you would want your children to put on you one day. 

Pray for them. 

They are your parents.

Have a Blessed day.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

For those of you who live in Texarkana, have you been to the Mixing Bowl?  It is one of my favorite stores - one of those stores where you can find any kitchen gadget and I love kitchen gadgets. One thing I bought my dear 83 year old mother was something that looked like a plastic tomato.  It is made to store left over tomato.  Since my mother lives alone and eats salad almost daily, I thought she would love that.  She told me today she was storing 1/2 of her apple in it as well as tomatoes.  (not at the same time...ha)

My latest find was the small bundt pans.

One recipe makes two cakes.

Those are on small plates so don't be deceived.  I used my mother's recipe for Cream Cheese Pound Cake and made two.  One we had for Mother's Day with strawberries and fresh whipped cream and one got frozen for a weekend of camping.  It is a simple recipe and doesn't take pounds of butter like most pound cake recipes.  I thought you might enjoy having the recipe.  Yes, you definitely can make one large cake, but the two small ones were fun!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

1 yellow butter cake mix
1 - 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
Vanilla

Cream together cream cheese, butter and water.  Beat until smooth.  Add cake mix.  Blend.  Add oil and sugar.  Blend.  Add eggs one at a time mixing in between each one.  Add vanilla.  Pour into greased and floured bundt pan and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.

I also used a sugar free cake mix and substituted Splenda for the sugar with this same recipe and it turned out just as good.  That works great for anyone who may need to watch their sugar intake. 

A good way to spruce up a cake mix and an easy recipe for those of you who are not used to baking.  Enjoy!

Have a Blessed Day!

Birthdays

This week I celebrated a birthday. When you are young, that is a very special day in your life - one where you expect the whole world to take note. There has to be a party, gifts, friends, cake, etc. Then you become a parent and the world doesn't stop for your birthdays in quite the same fashion as when you were the child. But, you are newly wedded and hopefully someone will remind your hubby to do something for you! Fast forward 30 years into marriage. These are pictures from my birthday.










Do I fly radio control airplanes? NO. Does my husband fly radio control airplanes? A big YES! This is the weekend for his club's Big Bird Event. People started coming in on Wednesday for this weekend event. Since Gary is president of the club, he was out there waiting on them. He even took our camper out so he could stay with them.

Since my birthday interfered with this event, I went by Ironwood Grill - got HIM a rib eye and me their wonderful quesadillas and we ate at the flying field for my birthday. When I was 25, I might have been upset about this lack of attention, but at 57, it was actually very relaxing. I had a very busy week designing houses and since I work from my home, it was a nice break to get out of the house.

The lesson from life this week......don't sweat the details. Don't think the world has to center around you. It is such a Blessing when things like this do NOT bother you anymore. You learn to just go with the flow. Take what life hands you and have fun with it. Setting expectations may lead to disappointments. It is more Blessed to
give than to receive. Living life with that attitude is a sign of maturity.

Have a Blessed day!

Do You Need a Boost?

Do you have trouble getting good cell phone service in your home?  Do you have AT&T cell service?  Well we sure have that problem!  When we built out home, we used foil backed decking on the roof and the walls.  The utility bills are great, but the cell service was terrible.  If you called us on our cell phones, we either had to go outside or ask that you call us back on our home phones.  Sometimes I had to resend text messages up to 10 times to get them to work and the phone had to be in certain areas of the house.  Sooooo annoying!

Yesterday we got a letter in the mail from AT&T offering us a free product to correct this problem.  Free?  Made me skeptical so I went on a hunt to see what the catch was.  Turns out, there was NO catch.  It really was free and there was no monthly charge for it.  All I had to do was take the letter into my AT&T store and they would give me this product.  I don't know why or how we were chosen to get this product for free, but I am certainly glad we were!  It is call the  3G Microcell.

It hooks into you wi-fi or internet service.  You have to be on high speed internet.  I opened that letter about 3:45 yesterday afternoon and by the time night fall came, Gary had it installed in our home.  Simple installation.  Just a couple of cords to plug in.  It is amazing.  We are like normal people now.  We can sit on the couch and talk on our cell phones!  The only negative that I can see is that if YOU come to my house and want to use YOUR cell phone, it still will not work well.  It will only work for up to 10 REGISTERED phones.  You go online and register the numbers you want and those phones will have the boosted service.  But hey, how many times are you at my home wanting to use your cell phone?  If you come to see me more often, I will add you to my list of registered phones.  :)

Hope this helps someone out there with the same problem that we had. 

Have a Blessed day!