Monday, June 30, 2008

On the lowcarb front:
Here are my stats for this morning:
Did treadmill intervals with weights
Time: 37 minutes
Average heart rate: 113 (hmmmmm, that's not very impressive)
Maximum heat rate: 161
Calories burned: 226
I am down .4 pounds from last Monday

During the slower intervals on the treadmill, I read DANDR. In the exercise section, I found something very interesting. Under the benefits of exercise listing I found the usual good stuff. But there was one thing listed there that I had missed in earlier readings of the book. Exercise decreases the output of insulin. And what does insulin do? It helps the body to store fat; not something I want to encourage my body to do. I think I am going to make a big sign and put it on the wall behind my treadmill. Regular exercise decreases the output of insulin.

On the home front:
Today is Monday, so that means I make soap, do laundry, and pay bills. The Fly zone this week is the living room. I think I am going to tackle weeding out videos and cds that no longer make me smile.

The UPS man dropped off some new fragrance oils so tomorrow I will be making some Hot Apple Pie jar candles. I mixed up some with the fixitive for simmering potpourri. I've been testing the spiced orange clove mixture. Simmering potpourri is a much gentler scent than candles or tarts. There are some days I just don't want a heavy scent.

I need labels . . . . and Anna is gone for the week with her cousins who have a Christian drama ministry. They also have three little punkins so Aunt Anna is Nanny Annie this week. (Oooooh, I hope she doesn't read this. LOL!)

The new soap dishes came today, also. I am really excited about these. Wednesday is photo day for the website so I will be doing the photography then.

Word of the Day
Matthew 8:18-22
Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. A scribe then approached and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Another of his disciples said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Reflections from the cornfield:
It's easy to give lip service to following Jesus. Jesus doesn't let these two get away with it. He spells out exactly what is required to truly follow him.

This is from today's psalm: PS 50:16,17

“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”

Pretty apt, wouldn't you say?
You can't fool mother nature and you can't fool God . . . . . . but of the two, only God is merciful.


God bless the troops!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

On the lowcarb front
No workout today. I was angry and upset about something this morning - doesn't matter what and it isn't an excuse for skipping the workout, but there it is. I did not, however, let that run over and affect my menu for the day.

I am down 3.6 lbs. from last Thursday. I think I may be getting the hang of this lowcarb thing.

I had no internet this morning so I didn't get some of my work done, including my blog. That totally throws off my day. Ever read the book "Who Moved My Cheese?" I laughed when I first read it. Not anymore. I don't cotton well to having my cheese moved.

Word of the day:
Matthew 7:21-27
'Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord", will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?" Then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers."

'Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell-and great was its fall!'

Reflections from the cornfield:
"Talk is cheap." "Actions speak louder than words." Axioms become axioms because on some level there is a universal truth being spoken. We were not put on this earth to merely prophesy in Jesus' name. Jesus spelled out very clearly what our mission on earth is;

Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit those in prison
Bury the dead

All the words in the world will not accomplish these acts. It takes getting our hands dirty. Now I have heard some people (some people being preachers) say that taking care of our kids would fulfill the hungry, naked, homeless, and thirsty part. They were serious. I don't really think that's what Jesus meant. I think he meant for us to step out of our comfort zones and care for people who may make us cringe when we are around them, who aren't like us in any way except that they are fellow children of God.

And shouldn't it go beyond filling the need? In some cases compassion requires teaching others how to fill some of their own needs so that they in turn can teach someone else.
But what do I know?
I'm just minding my own business here in the cornfield. :)

God bless the troops!

Tues. June 24, 2008

On the lowcarb front:
I got on the treadmill at 10:15 this morning - much later than I like to get my workout in. I have a hard time going to bed at a decent hour because I tend to be a night person - that's when my energy kicks in. I just did cardio while watching Biggest Loser. This should have been an outdoor day, but I was running late and I don't like to get out there once the sun is high in the sky.

Here are my stats for this morning:
Time: 30 minutes
Average heart rate: 117
Maximum heat rate: 132
Calories burned: 201
I am down 1 pound from last Tuesday.


I have been indulging in too many frankenfoods. The sugar free ice cream has to go - at least for now.


On the Flylady front:
I am finalizing my morning and evening routines. This week's zone is the Master bedroom. That's a bit of a challenge because I share the room with DH who has different standards for what constitutes neat. For this week I am just going to concentrate on my stuff and try to ignore the other.


Word of the day:

Luke 1:57-66
Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, "No; he is to be called John." They said to her, "None of your relatives has this name." Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, "What then will this child become?" For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.

Reflections from the Cornfield:
And of course the child of this passage is none other than John the Baptist. Today we celebrate the feast day of his birth. It is sometimes hard for us to remember that our children, though we give birth to them and raise them, do not really belong to us. They are only on loan so to speak. I think this passage makes that point very strongly. John, though born to Zechariah and Elizabeth, was sent by God for a greater mission than to simply be a descendant of his ancestors or a vehicle for carrying on the name of his father. God claimed him, and named him before his birth. Zechariah, upon recognizing this, was given back his speech. Immediately he began praising God. So too should we - because, yes, our children are a gift from God, but the gift is in the sharing of their lives, not in the ownership of their souls. They belong, not to us, but to the same God who claims us as his own. "What then will this child become?" That is what we should ask ourselves of the children put into our care.





God bless the troops!

Sun June 22, 2008

On the lowcarb front:
I'm down 2.6 for the week. Made up the lost ground from last week. I'm headed out for a walk/run. Will update later.

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Just got back from my walk. Yes, it was a walk. I am so out of shape.
Got out on the road at 8:00 and walked for 30 minutes
Average heart rate: 123
Maximum heart rate: 132
Calories burned: 226

It was a beautiful walk. My route is on a country road and heads east to a deadend. I could see lots of deer tracks along the way. There is corn planted in those fields this year. Come fall, someone will be feasting on corn-fed venison. Every now and then I will meet a deer on the route. I could never imagine going back to city living. I have now lived more years in the country than I did in the city.

Went to an anniversary party yesterday. I missed dinner due to having to play for Mass at 4:30. Breathing a sigh of relief, I sat down, armed with my huge mug of diet A&W, to visit with relatives. There was a soft serve ice cream machine and a commercial popcorn popper. Dinner had been cleared away. Within a half an hour, the table was loaded down with desserts. I couldn't tell you what all was there because I put blinders on at that point.

Today we have the huge Moeggenborg/Moeggenberg reunion. All three of the main branches of the family will be there. I will again miss dinner due to Sunday Mass so I should be good to go for the day. I'll eat before I head out there and I shouldn't need to even go near the table.

Word of the day:

Matthew 10:26-33

Jesus said to the Twelve:“Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;r ather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

Reflections from the cornfield:

In the beginning,

the Word,

the world,

humanity

seeking to be God,

sin

God

becoming human,

Jesus,

descent into the . . .

ordinary,

ordinal,

numbered,

counted,

the sparrows,

the hairs on our heads,

the days of our lives.

(from The Tarantella Dancers - copyright 2000 - Mary A. Moeggenborg)

God bless the troops