Thankful Thursday - 4/30/09

This is the time each week where I list five things for which I am thankful. Silly or serious, big or small, God honors them all. :)

1. I'm thankful for all the wonder recipes I've found on my blog peeps sites. I'm definitely a Foodnetwork junkie, but I love getting recipes that you've tried, tweaked, and share.

2. I'm thankful for my blog peeps who, through their own writings, have encouraged me to live my own legacy of comfort, peace, and love in my home no matter the circumstance. A special thanks to Robin for setting such a wonderful example for all of us.

3. I'm thankful for the beautiful weather and the thousands of people God brought to Blessing of the Bikes on Sunday.

4. The amazing power of God's grace. At Blessing of the Bikes, you see grown men, donned in leathers, tattoos, scruffy beards, and biker club colors with heads bowed holding hands in prayer.

5. I'm thankful for the end of another semester. Y-I-P-P-E-E-E-E!! I turned in my final project Tuesday. Now I have about 45 days before summer semester starts. What to do? What to do?

That's my list for the week. What are you thankful for today, This Day? Count your blessings, name them one by one.....see what God has done.

Peace and Joy
Susan

Job 19:25 (NIV) I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth.

Wordless Wednesday - Swine Flu

Psalm 41:3 (NIV) The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.

30 x 5 - 100 Finale, Project 365, Moving Update

First, let me just say..... THANK YOU, LINDA! for hosting the 30 x 5 - 100 challenge. It was more difficult to meet my own goals during Phase 2 but that's what happens when you set the bar too high. Because of my grueling schedule of finals, final projects, presentations, a conference in Chicago, and getting settled in a "new" house, I didn't meet w/my personal trainer regularly for my 30 minutes/day workout. I am not stressin over it. Most days I surpassed my goal of 7000 or more steps on my step counter. There were even several days that I logged over 12,000. Most days I made wiser food choices, well....except for the three days I was in Chicago..... I was in Chicago for cryin out loud! The food was fabulous!

The challenge has motivated me to keep moving. The other ladies, The Challengettes, who are doing this with me are inspiring. Yep, sign me up for Phase 3 (and I don't even know what it is yet). Maybe I should rethink this.....hahahaha.

I'm also participating in Project 365 hosted by Sara. Taking a picture a day is more difficult than you think. We have just completed week 17 in 2009 and my pictures are posted on my picture blog.....Shutter Clicks. You can link up here or on the icon located in the side bar.

Several of you have inquired about house hunting and how the move is going. The closing for the house we sold was on April 15, and we are completely moved in to a rental house. The rental house was not lived in for over a year (that's a story in itself) and there have been several problems arise as a result of this. Small electrical issues, phone problems, and plumbing catastrophes have plagued getting settled. Yet, my goal has been to make this house a place of comfort and a refuge from the outside world. A place that when you enter, you can feel the love and peace of God. Thank you Robin for your posts of Living a Legacy. You have encouraged and motivated me to do this in my own life. I applaud you.

We are actively looking for a house to purchase. I'm not stressin over not finding something either. God has a house for us and in His time, it will be revealed. It is difficult to not be anxious about it, but just as He brought a buyer for the house that sold.....He will provide a house for us to buy. Heartfelt thanks to each of you who are praying about this with us.

What do you stress over? Do you put energy into worrying about things which you have no control over? Give them over to the LORD today, This Day. He will turn your worries into triumphs.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

James 1:2-3 (NIV) ²Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Blessing of the Bikes - 4/26/09

Nearly 6,000 people, riding more than half as many motorcycles, journeyed to Bald Knob cross for the 17th annual Blessing of the Bikes, an event hosted through the Christian Motorcyclists Association.

Sponsored by The Lord's Paheece CMA chapter, the gathering is meant to encourage prayer and worship among riders. It is a magnificent event bringing bikers together regardless of their beliefs. There is a brotherhood and camaraderie that cannot be found anywhere else.

On This Day for many, it is the only church they will attend all year, the only the only time they will hear God's word. Seeds have been planted and we thank God for the harvest.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

Luke 19:10 (NIV) For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.

Thankful Thursday - 4/23/09

Welcome to Thankful Thursday where every week (God willing) I list five things for which I am thankful.

1. I'm thankful for today, This Day. Each day is a true blessings from God for a cancer survivor.

2. The sunrise. It was beautiful this morning.

3. My eyesight....actually, for all five of my senses. They are all working within their operating parameters. lol -- Also for spiritual eyesight.

4. My husband. Yep.....he makes the top five again. He's just about the sweetest guy ever. Besides that, he's handy. He has the ability to fix just about anything and in our current rental house, we are relying on his skills more and more every day.

5. Electronic media. I'm working on my final project and it would take me months to complete the training manual without computers, the internet, webcasts, etc.

What are you thankful for this week? Today? Link up with Truth 4 the Journey by clicking on the button at the top of this post or comment here. As always, thanks for stopping by to visit.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

Psalm 19:14 (NKJV) Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

Wordless Wednesday - Earth Day 4/22/09

Psalm 119:64 (NIV) The earth is filled with your love, O LORD; teach me your decrees.

Psalm 72:19 (NKJV) And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.

Special thanks to Rick at Organized Doodles for supplying today's artwork.

Project 365, Challenge 30 X 5 - 100

Greetings to everyone! Two weeks worth of pictures are posted on my photo blog, Shutter Clicks. Whenever you get the chance, hop on over and check them out. I'll be posting some other pictures from my Chicago trip as time permits. Thanks to Sara for hosting Project 365. Be sure to visit her blog and see other's photos too.

Linda @ 2nd Cup of Coffee is hosting "phase 2" of a challenge to get moving. The first two weeks were pretty easy for me. This first week of phase 2 started on 4/14 and I haven't been moving as much. I'm still wearing my step counter and logged over 9000 steps on the 14th, 15th, and 16th. On Friday the 17th, I logged over 17,000 steps. That was my shopping day in downtown Chicago. Yesterday I logged about 7800 steps even with the train ride. I did get to do more shopping before catching the train. The second part of this challenge is to knock out 100 calories each day. That hasn't been too easy with all the great food in Chicago. Let's just say.....this week I'll do better.

I'm off to get caught up on chores and homework. It's good to be home and I'm thankful for safe traveling. Most of all, I'm thankful for my wonderful husband. We celebrated our 6th anniversary today. We're thankful for every day God allows us to spend together. Be sure to tell your family how much they are loved today, This Day.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV) ²⁴ " ' "The LORD bless you and keep you;

²⁵ the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

²⁶ the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." '

Thankful Thursday - 4/16/09

I'm thankful for selling my house. Yes, even tho it is sad to leave it is exciting to see where God will lead us now. The closing on the house was yesterday.

The time my husband and I are apart......at our jobs. During a time when so many are out of work, I'm so thankful we have good jobs.

An expense paid trip to Chicago. It is work related, but I still get to go to the Windy City for three days. I'm sure to get some shopping time in.

I'm thankful changing seasons. Spring is such a beautiful time of year, but each season is a parallel to changes in our own lives and how God sustains us.

My blogging friends. Yep, I'm thankful for each one of you. You have touched my life in many ways, encouraging, challenging, teaching. You have reached out through cyberspace and shared yourself with me. Thank you!

That's my five for the week. What are you thankful for today, This Day? When you stop by, be sure to leave me a note and let me know how God has blessed you.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

Romans 13:8 (NIV) Love, for the Day is Near ⁸Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.

Wordless Wednesday

Romans 6:6 (NIV) For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—

Special thanks to my buddy, Rick, at Organized Doodles for this awesome artwork. If you're not familiar with his work, stop on over to his blog spot and check it out.

O the Sacrifice, O the Glory, O the Love

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NKJV) For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Romans 10:9 (NKJV) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Thankful Thursday and 30 x 5 Update

Welcome to another week of Thankful Thursday. This challenge is to list five (5) things you are thankful for. This is sponsored by Sonya at Truth 4 the Journey. Stop on over to her spot and read the other participant's thankfulness. I promise you will have plenty of food for thought and be richly blessed. I'm guessin that you will have an "ahha" moment and think....yep, I'm thankful for that too. So here's my five for the week:

Easter - The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus who loved you (and me) enough to suffer the cross and give us hope.

My husband - Yep, he's in my top five again this week. He has labored so very hard to get us moved and make sure everything is functioning at the rental.

My friend, Jess - For giving up her Saturday to help me pack.

Restaurants - Bear with me here..... My cookware and pantry items are still packed, so I haven't been cooking. We're eating out a lot.

My boss - He's given me so much flexibility in my work schedule to accommodate the move.

That's my five. If you're not familiar with why we celebrate Easter, please investigate it further. It's a tremendous testimony of love and hope. Find out today, This Day, how One man can change your future, your destiny.



30 x 5 for 2 weeks - There were days when I really didn't want to do my 30 minutes, but having about 60 other women as accountability partners gave me the incentive I needed. Thank you Linda @ 2nd Cup of Coffee for hosting this great challenge. Be sure to stop by and see how other "Challengettes" feel about their two weeks.

I last posted an update on my progress Friday night, April 3. Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday were challenges in themselves with moving from one house to another. Even tho I was not able to set aside 30 solid minutes, I averaged over 10K steps per day on my step counter. Plus all the bending, squatting, lifting, and stretching that is required when packing and moving.



I have appreciated both of these challenges: Thankful Thursday and 30 x 5. They provide motivation, personal growth, purpose, and camaraderie. Challenge yourself, you'll be thankful you did.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

Acts 4:10 (NIV) then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.

Wordless Wednesday - Holy Week

Romans 5:10 (NIV) For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

Our House

On April 19, we will celebrate six wonderful years of marriage. God has so richly blessed us, I can't even begin to describe it in words to you. My heart actually swells just thinking about it. This beautiful house is one of those blessings. We love our home, but as I stated in an earlier post, "Even though we just sold our house and are moving, wherever God takes us we will be at home because He will be with us."

The selling of our home started back in 2007 when we felt God was urging us to put our house on the market. At that time, the housing market was just getting ready to bust. Our beautiful home sat on the market for 15 months with not a single offer. Had we misunderstood? There were so many houses on the market those last nine months, it was definitely a buyer's market. Yet, people weren't buying. They were losing jobs and struggling to get out from under mortgages they could no longer afford. So, we took our house off the market at the end of October.

We continued to pray about selling and, again, felt we were being led to put our house on the market. So....on Monday, March 9, we signed a contract to sell our house. On Saturday, March 14 we had an offer. The next day we made a counter offer and on Monday, March 16 we signed an agreement to sell.

OH MY! Now we needed a place to go because we're closing on April 15! No worries. Since God brought us a buyer, He would also provide a place for us to go. Sure enough! We found a house to rent that met our needs with a landlord willing to rent it to us on a month-to-month basis while we search for a new home.

So, here's a slide show of the beautiful home we're leaving. Soon, we'll have a new home that will meet our needs. Please pray in agreement with us for that house. Enjoy the show.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

John 14:2 (NKJV) In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

30 x 5 - Week 2 Challengettes

You read that right....."Challengettes" how cute is that for a nickname? One of my fellow workout blogsters, Skoots1Mom @ My Hands...His Glory dubbed us that name. I love it. Stop on over to her spot and see how she's doing with the challenge. Her take on it is quite entertaining. I'm sure you'll be up-lifted. (pun intended) lol

I'm finishing up my second day of week two. I'm surprised my feet didn't boycott me yesterday with as many miles as I put on them. My step counter logged over 14,000 steps. Those steps included my 30 minute walk at noon, plus errands and grocery shopping after work. Of course, Miss Over Achiever still worked out with her personal trainer, Gilad. I'm so thankful for DVR which allows me to get that work out in on my schedule. Today, I took it a little easier. I didn't walk at noon and only logged 9372 at the time of this writing. I did work out with my personal trainer. Here he is:


Linda over at 2nd Cup of Coffee who is the host of this little challenge asked us to mention some of our snacks, so here's my daily snack. Almonds, walnuts, and oat cereal.


Lent has been a time of doing without and challenging myself to improve physically and be more knowledgeable about God. How He sees other people....and me. No meat Friday's are probably the most difficult for me during this Lenten season cause I like that meat protein. Seriously....who doesn't like a good steak? Sara over at GitzenGirl has a great story about no meat Fridays. It's a good read. Anyway, to help me through, I've concocted this wonderful no meat Mexican dish that tastes awesome and is very filling. I just sauteed some onion and grated carrots, added chunky salsa, black beans, cooked basmati rice, and corn. I keep my own blend of spice when I'm cooking Mexican of cumin, corriander, chili powder, white pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and ground ceyenne. It needed some liquid at different points during cooking and I just added some broth. Wrapped it up in a multi-grain tortilla topped with light sour cream, salsa, and cheese. A little bit of avocado and, can I just say, YUMMMMMM!



How are you doing with your challenge? Are you ready today, This Day, to make that commitment to get healthy? Don't wait until your health is in jeoprady. Take the challenge and get moving.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

Matthew 9:12 (NIV) On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

Thankful Thursday and 30 x 5 Update

It's time for Thankful Thursday! How sad it would be to not be able to come up with a short list of five things for which to be thankful. Here's my list for the week:

1. My dad! He has taught me so much and as we grow older, our friendship strengths.
   
2. Cell phones. I know....right? It used to be so expensive to stay in touch with family and friends long distance......cell phones have made it affordable.
3. Christian Radio. nuf said!
4. Distance Ministries. Charles Stanley, Beth Moore, David Jeremiah, etc., all have ministries where they reach across the miles into the homes and hearts of millions.
5. Cyber-friends. They challenge us, encourage us, teach us, pray for us, and love us. Bless each of you for your friendship.

That's my five today, This Day. What are you thankful for?

I was so busy yesterday that I didn't get a chance to update my 30 x 5 challenge from Linda @ 2nd cup of coffee. I'm definitely an over achiever but I was reading on another blog recently (when I locate it, I'll link up) that she's running three miles a day and that is only enough to maintain her present weight. Another challenge for me? Absolutely! So yesterday I did my 30 minute walk and worked out w/my personal trainer, Gilad. My step counter total by bedtime was over 13,000. You read that right! Remember, I'm moving around a lot in the evenings packing for the big move. Also, I don't wear my step counter during my evening workout. We're half-way done with the challenge. I'm lovin it.

Peace and Joy,
SusanD

1 John 4:11 (NIV) ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Wordless Wednesday - 4/1/09

Proverbs 14:7 (NIV) ⁷ Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips.