Monday, December 29, 2009 - Today I make soap!

Happy Birthday Clayton!! I chose the following picture because Clayton loves "creatures." He is 4 years old today, but he will tell you that his birthday was yesterday because that is when he had his cake. Oh, to be 4 years old and always right. LOL! (but his birthday is actually today.)



In our house - when the kids were growing up - we always celebrated Christmas until January 6th - The feast of the Epiphany - the day the Wisemen brought gifts to the baby Jesus. Our tree stayed up until then. The kids are grown and gone, but I still keep the tree up. This is when I write out my Christmas cards and family newsletter - when I have time to enjoy it instead of rushing to get it done.

It has always perplexed me that in the secular world, which begins Christmas the day after Halloween, Christmas stops cold on the day after. All of the Christmas stuff goes on sale. Yesterday, I stopped at Walmart and the Christmas goods have been picked clean and replaced by Valentine items. Even the Christian radio station stops playing Christmas music the day after Christmas.
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Today I get back on track with my daily updates on the fitness front. This is not a New Year's resolution so there is no excuse for me to put it off until then. My New Year's resolution is to finally declutter this house. Yesterday I had to go downstairs into my workroom and move everything off of the floor because water was coming in. I moved a lot of stuff that I am not using. That will be decluttered. Before Christmas I bought myself a gift from the Flylady shop.


These things are the coolest! They fold up into their own little pouch. These is even a video tutorial on the Flylady site. I have one problem though. I took the purple "give away" bag over to Clayton's party because his gifts were in it. It's still there. So today I will have to declutter without it.
I am off to do my Monday workout with is a strength training video.

Daily stats:
Type: Firm Video- Total Body Sculpt
Route: Living room
Time: 41
Average heart rate: 112
Max heart rate: 140
Down 2.2 from last Monday (whoo hoo!)

Wow, it's been a long long time. I had to modify like crazy. I didn't do some parts of the video, but as time goes on, I will get better. The stretching at the end felt great.

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Today I'm making soap. I haven't made soap in a long, long time - weeks. I have missed it so much. I am making my Lavender Meadows. It is a blend of lavender, sweet orange, and clary sage fragrance oils. My last bar went out the door a couple of months ago. I have the oils melted and the lye water mixed. I can't do anything else until the temps cool - usually about 2 hours from the time I melt the oils and mix the lye water. While I am waiting, I have spent some time decluttering the living room. Actually, I haven't really decluttered, I've just cleaned up the mess from our family Christmas on Christmas night.
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Here I am, in my hazmat gear getting ready to mix up the soap.



Here is the mixed soap poured into the mold and ready to transform itself. This will go into the oven for 2 hours. The swirl isn't quite as pronounced as I would like, but it smells wonderful!!!!




Below is a picture of the soap as it came out of the oven. It is in full gel stage. After it cools I will post of pic of how the look changes dramatically.


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Word of the Day:
The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas
Gospel
Lk 2:22-35

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

“Lord, now let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:
my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you prepared in the sight of every people,
a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
(and you yourself a sword will pierce)
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
The other day I was talking about how I wondered if my faith was strong enough to declare it in the face of having a gun pointed at one of my loved ones. Mary experienced this. Imagine raising a child and then having to go through what Mary did.


God bless our troops!

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Saturday, December 27, 2008 -

Now that things have more or less settled down, I am remembering some of the moments that stand out from this Christmas. On Christmas day, we begin our celebration at the home of my sister-in-law, Judy. In our family we have many December birthdays - including 2 on Christmas day. As we were singing Happy Birthday, our - soon to be four - grandson (who also has a December birthday) was frantically making the time out sign. When we finished, he shrieked at the top of his lungs -
"IT'S JESUS' BIRTHDAY!!!!" Ah yes, our own little John the Baptist.

Nina is hoping - yes, I can see you, Nina - that I will relate the Grinch episode. Perhaps tomorrow. LOL!
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Yesterday I started carb detox in preparation for "Goal Christmas 2009." Friday is normally a baseline day, but I did a carb down to get the ball rolling. Things are going well and I will give updates as they occur. Workouts begin again tomorrow - hopefully. My challenge for the day is a staff Christmas party tonight after mass. It's fairly informal so no one really watches what anyone else eats. Today is a carb down day so I am going to hang tough.
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Word of the day:
Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist
Gospel
Jn 20:1a and 2-8

On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we do not know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.

Thoughts from the cornfield:
Today we celebrate St. John - the beloved disciple of Jesus. When I first read today's Gospel, I was wondering about it's placement among all of the Christmas readings. Other than the obvious message, I ponder the irony of this reading - where Peter and John run to the tomb only to find it empty. I look at this Gospel in light of the past few weeks, where our view of Jesus may have been eclipsed by all of the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations. The disciples saw and believed in the midst of the burial wrappings. Let us see and believe as we take care of the paper and ribbon.


God bless our troops!

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Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Another snow day. This one was unexpected. Yesterday I had Clay and Claire over, but needed to get some things done so Clay stayed while Claire went home with Mommy. I promised her that she could come down some time without Clay. This morning she woke up and said to her mom, "me go Gramma's. No Clay." So my little Claire-Bear will be coming down later.

I got done what I needed to get done yesterday. It's a good thing too. Clay has been telling me that he wants a collection of Hippopottamuses (?) for Christmas. I have been buying them here and there and they are in various parts of the house. The daybed in the piano room is where everything gets dumped. Yesterday, Clay plopped himself down in the piano room and seemed to be daydreaming.

"What are you doing, Clay?"

"Oh, I'm just looking at the hippopotamus on the daybed. He's looking at me, too."

Oooooops, Grandma forgot to put that one in the closet.

A trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house is not complete without a session of jumping on the bed. They had run ahead of me and when I got there, Clay was jumping up and down with a video in his hand that we bought for Claire for Christmas. Ooooooops. After both of them went home I did a search for any stray presents. Clay and Claire are not the only ones who like to snoop.
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No formal workout today. I will try and do some weights later.
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Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent
Mt 11:28-30

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:

An aria from one of my all time favorite works:



It is amazing the ways in which God speaks to us.



God bless our troops!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Today is a snow day. I love winter. I love snow. The only thing I don't love is dangerous roads. I get a bonus day off from work - paid, no less - but there is a trade off. I feel anxious about everyone else who has to drive in this weather. Still, I'd rather do my praying here at home than at work. :) In a little while my two little buddies will be here. Can't think of a better way to spend some bonus time off.
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The scarecrow is finally down. The corn shock is on the ground waiting to be disposed of. Today I will get my little helpers to help me bring up the Christmas decorations.
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It's gotten so I hate to even turn the radio on lately. Nothing but dismal and depressing news. My friend Jennifer sent this to me a while ago. I'm posting it because you never can get enough Good News!



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Word of the day:
Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent
Gospel
Mt 18:12-14

Jesus said to his disciples:
“What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
Any shepherd will tell you that the average shepherd will not leave his flock to search out one. Aren't we blessed that Jesus is not the average shepherd?

God bless our troops!

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Sunday, December 7, 2008 - Pearl Harbor Day

Today marks the 67th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. When I was serving at St. Vincent de Paul parish in Shepherd, the deacon there, John Wilberding, always preached on the weekend closest to the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. He was stationed there in 1941. He lived to tell about it because he went to Mass that morning. When I planned the music for this weekend, Pearl Harbor never entered my mind. I am not at St. Vincent any more and so I didn't hear John preach about it. In fact, as an elderly deacon, John is not able to preach any more and so no one at St. Vincent heard him either. I find this sad because he still has much to tell us.

Last night at Mass, a friend of mine who served as a nurse in the Navy, asked if we were going to have a patriotic song. She remembered the date. She was alive when Pearl Harbor happened. I am bothered by the fact that it slipped my mind and somewhat ashamed. Those things that affect our lives tend to stay with us. I was not yet born when Pearl Harbor was attacked, but I can tell you exactly where I was when I found out my mother had died, or when John F. Kennedy was shot, or when my grandfather called to tell me my father had died, or when I heard about the World Trade Towers. Does my forgetting mean that I don't care? No, because I do care. It means that I am human. My memory isn't as sharp as it used to be, or is it that as we get older there is so much more to remember?

But we need to make an effort to remember. We need to pass these memories down to our children and grandchildren, lest they be lost.

In this second week of Advent, there just isn't any place in the liturgy to insert a patriotic song, but I can type up a petition for the prayers of the faithful for our men and women in service to their country and to all who died at Pearl Harbor. Remembering is the least we can do. Passing the memory on is the best we can do. Listen to the readings this weekend in light of the sacrifices that many have made for us - and then think of Jesus and the sacrifice he made for us. Think about what motivates this kind of sacrifice.

Word of the day:
Second Sunday of Advent
Reading 1
Is 40:1-5, 9-11

Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her service is at an end,
her guilt is expiated;
indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD
double for all her sins.

A voice cries out:
In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!
Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill shall be made low;
the rugged land shall be made a plain,
the rough country, a broad valley.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Go up on to a high mountain,
Zion, herald of glad tidings;
cry out at the top of your voice,
Jerusalem, herald of good news!
Fear not to cry out
and say to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God!
Here comes with power
the Lord GOD,
who rules by his strong arm;
here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care.

Gospel
Mk 1:1-8

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way.
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.”
John the Baptist appeared in the desert
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
People of the whole Judean countryside
and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem
were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River
as they acknowledged their sins.
John was clothed in camel’s hair,
with a leather belt around his waist.
He fed on locusts and wild honey.
And this is what he proclaimed:
“One mightier than I is coming after me.
I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
I included the first reading today because we hear it whenever we go to a Christmas performance of Messiah. I never hear these readings without hearing the music that Handel wrote. Amid all of the dark readings we have heard over the last few weeks, comes this shining jewel of hope and joy.

Today we begin the Gospel of Mark and hear about John the Baptist who foretells the coming of Christ. John the Baptist was an odd figure - not aesthetically pleasing to the eye and many mistook him for the Messiah. He got in people's faces, most notably Herod, and got himself killed. Though John is not a Hallmark figure, not a warm fuzzy character, he is an important voice as we prepare for Christmas, because what motivated John? What motivated any of the prophets, and martyrs? What motivated Jesus? Why did Jesus come to us. There is only one thing that motivates any of us to do anything and that is Love. But it is what we love that defines us as people and maps out our destiny.


God bless our troops, whose love for their country and its people should never be forgotten - ever.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Life changes:

As I was turning in my time sheet at the school yesterday, it occurred to me that the next time I make that walk, it will be my last as an employee of the school. As much as I am looking forward to retirement, there is still a pang at the thought of leaving. When I first started there, three of our children were still going to Shepherd schools. They were mortified at the thought of anyone knowing they had a mom - and worse - that she worked at the school in the library.

Melisa, as much as she protested my working at the school, managed to snag herself the position of library aide. I think she was setting herself up as "Mom monitor" to protect Nina and Sam. Every school day in the fall I would watch the runners after school and beam with pride as Melisa went by with her cross country team.

At 4th hour I would station myself at the library windows to see Sam heading from the shop building over to the main building with his group of friends.

At the beginning of 6th hour, I would watch for Nina's crowd. They all called me Mom. Nina never minded that I worked at the school, as long as I didn't do anything to embarrass her.

In late fall, Sam had wrestling practice and I often peeked in on that. In the spring was track, and after school I would watch for a glimpse of Melisa and Nina as they did their training runs.

Occasionally Anna would stop in to do some work or research for her college classes.

One by one, the younger three graduated and left. And I would feel a pang when I saw the cross-country girls, or the wrestling team, or the track team going to and from the buildings.

That's the feeling I had yesterday when I went to turn in my time sheet. As I walked down the hall past the familiar classrooms, past the students sitting on the floor outside their classrooms or milling in the commons, I realized that a big chunk of my life has been spent in that school.

Yesterday afternoon I took down the rest of the senior pictures that students have given me over the years. With dismay I realized that I couldn't remember some of their names. Their messages often said "I'll miss you, but I'll come back to visit." Some of them have, but most have not. The ones that come back seem oddly out of place and yet I have seen those same students in the halls for years. But once they graduate, something changes. To use a quilting term, they beome appliques - they are no longer woven into the pieced background of the quilt, they are a piece apart. In two weeks, I will no longer be part of the fabric of the life at Shepherd schools. When I come back, it will be as a visitor - an outsider. It will be evident that life in the school has continued without me. And as much as I am looking forward to my new life, I will - for a while - be in mourning for the old one. Isn't that always the way when we begin a new chapter?
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Today is my first non-committed Saturday in a long time. I am sitting here wondering what needs to be done first. I have made my list - I'm checkin' it twice. The first order of business is to get some cleaning done. It's much easier to think clearly when the house is somewhat in order - and at the moment it is not.
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My fitness goals have taken a back seat lately because so much has piled up here. I plan to start anew either tomorrow (probably not) or Monday.

Word of the day:
Saturday of the First Week of Advent
Gospel
Mt 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”

Then he summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
It occurs to me that if a person gives a gift and counts the cost, he is not really giving a gift - he is selling a product. Jesus' command to give without cost is actually a very freeing thing. Imagine the energy it takes to keep track of every single gift we have given and checking to see if we have received in kind. One can easily see why Jesus was angered when he entered the temple and found the money changers using his father's house as a marketplace. God doesn't measure his love doling out only what he receives in turn - and neither should we.


God bless our troops - who give freely without counting the cost. Thank you for your service!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

The Refrigerator

Once upon a time (on a Black Friday in 2008) a farmer and his wife rose before the sun and headed to Sears to purchase a refrigerator. Their old refrigerator had ceased to function and so it had to be replaced. As the couple headed toward Alma, the farmer dreamed of a lovely side-by-side model with a front door ice maker. The wife just wanted something in the same color that would fit in the refrigerator spot.

Before heading out, the farmer carefully measured the space.
"Remember this, 35 w x 70 h."
The farmer's daughter, being an intelligent young lady, said,
"Write it down."
The farmer's wife wrote it down. (and left it on the desk)

At Sears, the farmer found exactly what he wanted. A beautiful side by side in bisque. Perfect. Ummmmm, not so much. It measured 35 1/2 x 69. Undaunted, and sure he had accounted for the 1/2 inch, he snapped up the deal. It would be delivered the following Wednesday.

Upon reaching home, the farmer's wife reminded him that the new fridge was 1/2 inch wider than what the paper said. He measured the space. 35 inches. He had the wife measure the space. 35 inches. He had his intelligent and beautiful daughter measure the space. Still 35 inches. Hmmmmmm. That 1/2 inch DOES make a difference.

With a heavy heart the farmer headed back to Sears to cancel the deal on his dream refrigerator. The model he purchased (the one that would fit in the space) looked pretty much like the old fridge but was a 1/2 inch less wide. (It was also about $500 cheaper).

Fast forward to Wednesday. The farmer's wife moved all the clutter out of the front hall so that the refrigerator could be brought in through the front door. (That's a story for another day.) She emptied out the salvageable stuff from the freezer of the old fridge. She called the farmer to tell him that it would be his job to move the food from the bottom of the old fridge into the new fridge.

At 2:30 the wife's cell phone rings while she is at work.
"There's still food in this fridge," the farmer said in a puzzled voice.
"Right," said the wife.

Upon returning home from work, the wife noticed that the front door was open. (The new fridge must be here.) Sure enough, in the kitchen stood the new refrigerator in all its glory. The wife called the farmer to tell him how nice the new refrigerator looked. "It seems bigger," she said.
The farmer said, "It is. It's deeper. Be careful when you open the dishwasher. We forgot to measure the depth"




It's hard to see in the pic, but that is as far as the dishwasher will open without scratching the door of the refrigerator. But where there's a will, there's a way.



The good news is that the extra depth leaves more room for pictures and Clayton's art work.



Word of the day:
Gospel
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Mt 7:21, 24-27

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

“Everyone who listens to 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 buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”


Thoughts from the cornfield:
The easy way is not always the best way. It takes a lot more effort to build a house on rock, but when the winds blow, the reward is priceless.


God bless our troops!

We took the last stocking order from Ebay last night. This morning I found a query from someone who wanted stockings. If this order comes through, we will have made 144 stockings this season. That's over twice as many as last year. We have indeed been blessed. I want to get everything shipped by December 1.

I like to relax and enjoy the season in December, but there are still last minute business things to take care of; gift basket orders, website orders etc. In the first week of December I take stock of those things I need to do. What I will get the family, packaging up gift boxes for mailing, Christmas cards, not to mention all that is going on at church - children's choir, adult choir, additional Masses for Our Lady of Guadalupe, plus our advent reconcilliation services.

The snow covers the ground outside. It looks Christmasy. I have held off from playing any Christmas music yet, except for what is on this blog, but even that is not overtly Christmas. But on Friday, all the stops come out! Mannheim Steamroller will play from dawn to dusk. LOL!

Next week I need to get back on track with my workouts. When things get hectic, that is the only wiggle room I have time-wise, except for my blog time. I need that, though. I need to touch base with the word of the day in order to stay grounded.


Word of the day:
Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel
Lk 21:12-19

Jesus said to the crowd:
“They will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents,v brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
It's all about faith and trust. When fears set in we would do well to pray for an increase both.
Here is a little message about faith and trust, courtesy of 2 of our nieces (Laura and Kathlene) and their husbands (Ryan and Drew) who comprise the Christian drama group One Time Blind.








God bless our troops!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

I took orders for 5 more stockings. The Ebay listing ended yesterday and I think that will be it for this year. We did a pretty good job of estimating our needs for this year and we took orders for well over 100 stockings.

I poured Carrot Cake candles last night. Can't seem to keep those in stock. I had to order more container wax and that is always an iffy thing. The companies won't be responsible for consistent quality so I am afraid to order in large lots. I am very picky about candle quality.

I also packaged some simmer scents last night. I am taking Country Cinnamon Bun with me to work today. I love that scent.

Last night's workout was a short one in front of the TV, but I had to do it in order to keep up the consistency. Getting called in to work early at the last minute really throws off my day. I didn't get the laundry done. I did get some stockings packaged, though.

Tonight I give a talk on prayer and I can't find any of my paperwork from last year so I had to re-do it last night. It's actually better than what I had, but it took time so I didn't get much else accomplished.

There is snow on the ground this morning. I love winter except for the icy roads. I take it upon myself to worry everyone safely to work. Oooops, I mean I "pray" everyone safely to work. And then there are Harold and Justin who are on the road all day.

Today is day 2 of carb depletion and so far so good except that I forgot about the water requirement. Today I have my water all set to go.

Tonight is Biggest Loser. Gotta set my VCR because I'll be home after it comes on.


Word of the day:
Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel
Lk 19:1-10

At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus,
who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was;
but he could not see him because of the crowd,
for he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus,
who was about to pass that way.
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,
“Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house.”
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
“He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
“Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor,
and if I have extorted anything from anyone
I shall repay it four times over.”
And Jesus said to him,
“Today salvation has come to this house
because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save what was lost.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
I am a primitive crafter. Often when browsing the booths of others, I come across little sayings on weathered wood. "Simplify" is a popular one. Simplify - easier said than done - and it does take doing. So often our faith is passive in nature. We expect to sit back and God will seek us out. Actually, God will seek us out, but if we are not proactive in clearing out the clutter in our lives, we may miss seeing him. In today's reading, Zacchaeus takes proactive steps to clear his view so that he can see Jesus. He is rewarded far beyond just seeing him. Jesus goes home with him. As Advent approaches, we are reminded that we need to simplify. As the secular world prepares for Christmas (the commercial one, not the actual birth of Christ), the pace picks up. Our lives are jam packed with shopping, cooking, planning, wrapping etc. Advent gets lost in the confusion. But Advent is important. As my friend Flylady says we need to clear out and declutter so that we have room to receive the gifts that God has for us. This advent, we need to make sure that when Jesus comes to us, there is room in the inn - and in our hearts.


God bless the troops!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

I am so ridiculously behind, but in a way that's a good thing. The stocking orders are still rolling in so my evenings have been spent in my quilting room. We have a craft show on Saturday, so I have 3 batches of fudge and 2 batches of snack mix to make. I'm so glad we got a head start on our stockings this summer. I never did get the grungy candles made last night, but I will tonight. Laundry is behind because the dryer fixer guy is finding a motor for it. Soooooooo, I went down to Melisa's last night and used her dryer for an urgent white load. My little buddies, Clay and Claire were just finishing up their supper. Clay informed me that he eats everything his mom and dad give him to eat. (okay, even Grandma doesn't believe that one.)

Grandma: So you eat vegetables too?
Clay: I don't eat lots of vengables, but I eat my favorite vengable.

His favorite "vengable" . . . pickles

Clairy-bear, as she usually does, ran and got a book and dragged Grandma over to the rocker. Clay was close behind her with his book. When I read to the kids, Claire always puts her hand on my cheek. Clay informed me that no matter how big he gets, he will always be my grandson.

Today is a carb down day which means 1 starch before 3:00 pm

Daily stats:
Type: Walk/jog
Route: Deadend and back
Time: 26 min
Average heart rate: 121
Max heart rate: 137
Down 3.6 from last Tuesday (whoo hoo!)

(Marlene, if you're reading, I thought of you on the walk this morning. At one section of the patch I swear I could smell vanilla bean noel. LOL!)

Word of the Day:
Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel
Lk 12:35-38
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
In this passage, Jesus once again turns our preconceptions upside down. He compares us to servants who await their masters' return. And what would one expect to happen upon the return of the master? Would we ever expect him to tell us to have a seat and then proceed to wait on us? If Jesus can do this for us, why can't we do it for each other? But then, some do, don't they? God bless our troops!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - Week 2 day 2.

Today is a carb down day. That means I get one starch that must be eaten before 3 pm. This morning it will be oatmeal. Oatmeal with peanut butter is just the best. I should explain that I am re-doing week 2 because I messed it up last week. A beloved daughter of mine (hi Neen Bean) pointed out that I have a habit of starting things and then not following through. I did say at the beginning that I was going to give this 8 weeks. But in usual "me" fashion I started tweaking the plan in week 2. I've shifted days so that my carb up day is on Sunday.

Yesterday I forgot to take my weights out on the road with me so I didn't get the weight training in. But considering the mood I was in yesterday morning, I did well to even get the walk in. It is pouring outside so I will be using the treadmill this morning and watching last week's "Loser" which taped very poorly.

I made some peppermint candles last night. They smelled wonderful as I was pouring, but the tester that I burned was disappointing. I don't know if it's the wick, or that fact that I used part essential oil along with the fragrance oil. I have the tester on a candle warmer right now to see if it smells truer to the fragrance.

Daily stats:
Type:walk/jog (went outside after all - it quit raining)
Route: Deadend/back/east edge of the maple woods/back
Time: 30
Average heart rate: 120
Max heart rate: 138
Up 1.2 from last Tuesday

I saw a whitetail this morning. I love it when I see deer. He came out of the maple woods, headed across the road into the ditch, caught wind of me and bounded back across the road and into the woods.

When I got back I the tester candle on the warmer smelled nice and minty. I'm guessing it is the combination of the wick and flame that is altering the scent. I guess I'll have to try a batch with straight peppermint FO rather than using part EO.


Word of the Day:
Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Today the Church celebrates : St. Callistus I
Lk 11:37-41
After Jesus had spoken,
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
In order to live civilly, each culture has its own set of laws. Ideally, laws give us boundaries on our behavior so that we can live in peace with our neighbors. The Pharisees used Mosaic law to browbeat the poor. Yet, never did the Pharisees do anything practical to help them.

I find it interesting that this particular Pharisee invited Jesus to his home. One can only wonder what the motivation was. This is another instance in which Jesus points out hypocrisy. Here he doesn't bother with parables. He tells them outright what they are. And still they don't get it.



God bless the troops!

Friday, October 10, 2008

We are getting all kinds of traffic in response to our ad in Country Sampler, however most of it is bouncing - which means they land on our website and then leave. I'm not sure why this is happening. Our reason for placing the ad was to drive traffic to our site, so it is doing what it is supposed to do, but for some reason, people aren't staying. We are going to have to look at our home page and see what the problem could be.

I have Mass with the school kids this morning so no workout. I also don't have a statistical comparison to Friday of last week because my computer crash wiped out some of my data in my Diet Power program.

Word of the day:
Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Today the Church celebrates : St. Francis Borgia, St. Ghislain
Gospel
Lk 11:15-26
When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said:
“By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons.”
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone,
it roams through arid regions searching for rest
but, finding none, it says,
‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’
But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order.
Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits
more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there,
and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
A pastor friend of mine once told me that he didn't preach on evil because Satan is a foe defeated. That is true, however, that foe is not yet dead and he will take with him anyone he can. Baptism does indeed remit our sins, but we have a responsibility to stay aware of the fact that evil is still a force in our world. Baptism opens the door, but we still have a battle to fight.


God bless our troops!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Okay, here's a little update. I took my computer in yesterday to have Corey, our technology guru, look and see why I was having so many issues with my computer. Seems that I had multiple viruses on it. My antivirus software? Zone Alarm. Apparently it didn't do what I paid for it to do, and oh, they have a 30 day guarantee so no pro-rated refund for me. Nice. Corey installed a free antivirus program. I wish I had consulted him, or my daughter Anna, in the first place.

Daily stats:
Type: Walk/jog
Route: Deadend/back
Time: 25
Average heart rate: couldn't find my hrm
Maximum heart rate: couldn't find my hrm
Don't know where I am in regard to last Thursday (will update when I have my own computer back.)

It was a beautiful morning for a walk. My right knee was giving me some trouble - I think it's because I used the highest incline on the treadmill yesterday and then didn't stretch enough afterwards. The scale is moving downward but I am still creating the carb cycling baseline. I am in ketosis again, as of last night so that is a very good thing.

I have no meetings tonight - whoo hoo - so I am going to check inventory and make some jar candles. I need to buy at least 2 more carts and it totally ticks me off that the price has jumped from 15 dollars to 22. I also need to order more pillar wax, but I am going to wait until after the next craft show when there is more money available. I do, however, have lots of container wax so that is where I will concentrate my efforts for a while.

Word of the day:
Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel
Lk 11:5-13
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
God's doesn't always give us what we ask for, but he always gives us what we need.


God bless the troops!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

I am having computer issues. One of the advantages of working in the media center is access to tech people I can trust with my machine. It is now in the competent hands of Corey, the computer whiz.

Daily stats:
Type: Treadmill
Route: Workout room
Time: 25
Average heart rate: 111
Maximum heart rate: 129
Up 3 pounds from last Wednesday

I am not obsessing about the 3 pounds I'm up from last Wednesday. I am sticking to the plan and creating a baseline for next week. When carbs are reintroduced as they were on Monday, there is often a lag time. That is why Wendy talks about a 72/48 hour cycle. In coming weeks Wendy allows food passes. I am taking Wendy's info about how the body uses nutrition and other info about carb cycling and constructing my own plan. I don't have all of the details worked out yet, but I'm getting there. I am expecting the scale to be down tomorrow. Last week when the scale went up it was followed by a lot of "water dumping" and a woosh the next day. We will see.

Word of the day

Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary TimeGospel
Lk 11:1-4

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
Greeting:
Recalling:
Petition:
Reconcilliation:
Thanksgiving:
Going forth:

It's all there.


God bless our troops!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Since I had the small carb up on Sunday night I decided to take yesterday as my carb up day. I think my rotation is going to be like this.

Sunday - carb up
Monday - 20 grams
Tuesday - 20 grams
Wednesday -20 grams
Thursday - 30 or less carbs
Friday - 40 or less carbs
Saturday - 60 or less carbs

Since I had my carb up yesterday, I may do induction levels on Thursday this week also. As I figured, my weight was up on the scale this morning. Carbs hold water. Getting back to induction levels should cause me to dump the water I am holding this morning. This is not Wendy Chant's rotation, but I want to see how this works. On Sunday morning I will assess how it worked .
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A few weeks ago we heard a homily on confronting someone we think is in error. The three conditions were:
Is it true?
Is it necessary?
Is it done out of love?
I feel a need to confront someone and the first 2 conditions are met. It is the third that I am struggling with. I do not like this person. But you don't have to like someone to love him or her as a Christian. This person has the capacity to damage a lot of people. Confronting this person could severely impact many lives. I am not sure I have the ability to confront him or her out of love. I am angry and I am sad. I have a bit of a temper. I need to pray about this a lot more. I have to make sure that I am acting out of love and that I am not guilty of "rejoicing in someone's wrongdoing."
It will be what I think about on my walk this morning.
I will also be praying for Edna, Tori, Bob, Kristi, and many others who are dear to my heart.

Daily stats:
Type:Walk/jog
Route: Deadend/back
Time: 20
Average heart rate: battery dead on my hrm
Maximum heart rate: battery was dead on my hrm
Up .8 from last Tuesday



Word of the day
Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time
Today the Church celebrates : Our Lady of Rosary
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10,38-42.
As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary (who) sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."

Thoughts from the cornfield:
Many of us are prone to measure our lives by how much we get done in a day. Now being goal oriented is not - in and of itself - a bad thing. I, however, have a tendency to get so caught up in the goal that I forget to appreciate the journey. Jesus wasn't so much criticizing Martha as he was urging her to enjoy the journey. Both Mary and Martha were serving the Lord, but serving the Lord should not involve anxiety and worry. As humans it can be very easy to slip into being so focused on the act of serving that we forget the person who is supposed to be on the receiving end. "We do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." Martha was focused on feeding. Mary was focused on being fed.



God bless our troops!

Monday, October 6, 2008 - Week 2 - Day 5

I had a teeny carb up last night, but since today is a carb down day, I should be okay. I'm really not supposed to do that until after week 3, but it's good to know exactly what to do after those times. Having a plan in place forestalls the mindless bingeing that goes along with an all or nothing frame of mind. I had a pack of M&M peanuts (interesting, there were 2 packs there - wonder where the other one went.) Before I ate them I planned exactly what was going to happen. I often wonder if normal people have to have conversations with themselves about what they are going to eat and what is going to be the result afterwards. Compulsive overeaters are a different breed. Their thought processes are different. My husband has no clue as to why I do what I do regarding food, but put me in the middle of an OA meeting and every single person in the room will get it. My husband eats to live - nothing else makes sense to him. So when I look for support in this regard I do not go to Harold - God love him.
**********************************************************
Kristi called me yesterday about the possibility of working 1 or 2 days a week at the school after I retire. That had been the initial plan, but I didn't think it would be fair to whomever would be taking my position when I leave. However, Kristi is thinking that we would wait until the next school year to hire someone and I could split the position with another sub until the end of this school year. I was surprised to find myself excited about that. I have really been looking forward to retirement - but one or two days a week? That could be the best of both worlds. I do like my job, but I am finding that the new technology is moving faster than I am. But I can do the day-to-day stuff like processing books and running the rest of the media center. Yes, I think that would be great.

Daily stats:
Type:Walk/jog with weights
Route: Deadend/back (Harold said no one is hunting on the deadend)
Time: 30
Average heart rate:: 118
Maximum heart rate: 131
Down 5.2 from last Monday (whoo hoo!)


Word of the day:
Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel
Lk 10:25-37
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?
How do you read it?”
He said in reply,
“You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.”
He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live.”

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
“And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied,
“A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
‘Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.’
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
I often think of this passage when I worry about some of my favorite unbaptized people. These are people who behave as Christians, who treat other people well, who are better examples of Christian living than many Christians. I believe that these people are also claimed by Christ and he finds them and holds them in his care and uses them in this world to spread his message. If a Samaritan can be neighbor to a Jew, all things are possible with God.

God bless the troops!

Sunday, October 5, 2008 - Cycle 2 Day 4

I never had time to blog yesterday. I am going to need to add yesterday's Word of the Day because that one is non-negotiable. This plan seems to be a perfect fit for me. I am never hungry. I do have moments where Mary Ann comes in and tries to get me to waver, but the longer I stay on this, the easier it is to remember that I can eat anything I want - in its own time. Last night we went to a fish fry. I had fish. And some cheese. And 1 small bite of a broccoli casserole (not allowed in the evening on baseline days, but, oh well.) I spent the rest of the night visiting with great people, playing cards, and chasing Claire and Clay around the pole barn.

I noticed that Woman's World had Wendy Chant's plan in their mag this week. I hate to see Wendy's plan in the same rag that Kimkins was in. That magazine has no credibility with me - not that it ever really did. I'm just glad that I had the book already or I would have dismissed this as one more "Lose 50 pounds by tomorrow. Oh, and make this "to die for Chocolate cake" type selling agenda.
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Our craft show went very well, all things considered. We are not really a good fit for outdoor craft shows. We learned a lot about what happens when it frosts overnight and your tent drips from the inside onto labels that are printed on an ink jet. LOL! Our location wasn't the best as we were basically one of the last booths people got to so anyone selling anything like ours had first crack at the customers. But still, we did pretty well. People complimented us on our display and we had some fun - and we paid some bills. Not bad.

We have refined our storage to make breaking down much faster. Even though I wasn't there to help, the girls broke down everything, including tents and tables, brought it back here, and unloaded in 1 1/2 hours. But better yet, when I went downstairs to make up a basket out of our tithe, I was able to put it together in 5 minutes because everything was organized and I knew where to find it. Great!!! That means we were able to donate another basket to a fundraiser for one of our parishioners.

I am headed out for a short workout on this glorious morning. I need it.

Daily stats:
Type:Walk/jog
Route: Peak's/back/Brown's driveway/back
Time: 24
Average heart rate:: 121
Maximum heart rate: 140
Down 6.4 from last Sunday (whoo hoo!)

I forgot my protein shake this morning. It made a difference. I have to get used to drinking that before I go out. I am so accustomed to working out on an empty stomach. Old dog - new tricks. LOL!


Word of the day:
Gospel
Mt 21:33-43
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking,
'They will respect my son.'
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
They answered him,
"He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you,
the kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit."

Thoughts from the cornfield:
Vineyard=Kingdom of God
Landowner= God
Tenants= the chosen people (and, too often, us)
Servants= prophets (and maybe us)
Son=Jesus
Other tenants=Us through Jesus - Thanks be to God
Eternal life=priceless



God bless our troops!

Friday, October 3, 2008 - Cycle 2 - Day 1

So who watched the debate last night? I thought both candidates did a great job, although each seemed to slip into the media caricatures and both dodged some questions. With all the controversy over Gwen Eiffel as mediator, I thought she did very well. I was looking for the bias that is so blatant in the mainstream media, but I couldn't find any. I thought she was fair and balanced in her questioning. I found Joe Biden rather likeable - Jennifer Granholm did a good job coaching him. Sarah Palin, I thought, appeared much more knowledgeable than we have seen on news interviews. Both were articulate. I would call the debate a tie, but that's just my perspective.

Not much time this morning - will update later - probably much later.

Daily stats:
Type: scheduled rest day
Route: scheduled rest day
Time: scheduled rest day
Average heart rate:
Maximum heart rate;
Down 9.6 from last Friday (whoo hoo!)

Word of the day
Gospel
Lk 10:13-16
Jesus said to them,
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon
at the judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the netherworld.’
Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me.
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
I guess seeing isnt' always believing - at least in the case of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. But then do we always see? How many miracles take place daily in our lives? How many of these miracles do we just take for granted because they are "local?" The rising of the sun each morning, the changing of the seasons, the goodness of the people in our lives - for how much of it do we thank God? Appreciation of the many miracles in our lives - big and small - can truly be an experience of heaven on earth.



God bless the troops!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008 - Cycle 1 - day 7

Today is the last day of Cycle 1. It seems to be doing what it's supposed to do since I am down 8.2 pounds since I began cycle 1. I did some more reading in the book last night and apparently I have not been doing cycle one as Wendy wrote it. Farther on in the book I found the meal plans. It would have been nice if those pages had been up front where the plan was outlined. But I think that staying under 20 carbs was the most important factor in depleting glycogen and I did that so I am going to move on to cycle 2 tomorrow. It's a little more complicated so I am just going to take it one day at a time. I am finding myself having arguments with Mary Ann each evening. She shows up about 7 o'clock and starts her stuff. I have been hanging tough and each day when I see the scale drop - and more importantly, when I feel so great - it makes it easier to ignore her.
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(Kelli, I am going to talk about Biggest Loser so you may want to skip this part until you see the tape.)

So Jerry went home last night. I was amazed to find tears rolling down my cheeks as he and Coleen discussed which of them should leave. Each selflessly thought the other should stay. I was pulling for Coleen to stay because Jerry looked so sick that I didn't figure he would last more than another week anyway, plus his pulled hamstring would be an impediment. I figure that with Jerry gone, Coleen would dig in that much harder. It was wonderful to see him in the "see the contestants as they are today" segment. He looked so much healthier. I was really afraid that he was going to drop dead during the challenge. I'm not finding myself as excited about this season. I find myself missing Ali and Betty-sue, Jackie and Dan, and even Mark and Jay. That was such a charismatic grouping of contestants.
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Life is ramping up on me. I have a rehearsal tonight, a staff meeting tomorrow morning followed a funeral, work at school, a wake service tomorrow night - which means the girls are going to have to load up the craft show fixtures without me, then I have Mass on Friday morning followed by another funeral, work at school, and setup for the craft show Friday night. Saturday is the craft show which I will have to leave early to do a wedding followed by Mass. Then I get a break - hopefully.

Type: Treadmill and weights
Route: Exercise room
Time: 31 minutes
Average heart rate: 121
Maximum heart rate: 148
Down 7.2 from last Wednesday (whoo hoo!)

Word of the day:
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church
Gospel
Lk 9:57-62
As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
Talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words. Put your money where your mouth is.
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. It's all about priorities.

God bless our troops!

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - Week 1 - Day 6 and Kimkins Rant

I'd like to start this morning by commenting on the latest events in the Heidi Diaz - Kimkins debacle. I don't spend a lot of time on Kimkins here on the blog because so many other bloggers have put it so much more eloquently and thoroughly than I ever could. However, as a veteran of the Lowcarb Friends board, having been there when the Almighty Heidi was holding court and snarking at anyone who dared to disagree with her highness, I am amazed that anything she does can still surprise me. Here is a woman who lured thousands of people to her website with the hope that they, too, could achieve fantastic losses on her diet. (Which, by the way, was an anorexic bastardization of the work of 2 prominent lowcarb phyisicians - Dr. Atkins and Dr. Stillman. )

Kimkins was featured in June of 2007 in a national magazine - Woman's World, which apparently has no more scruples than Ms. Diaz - and which attracted people who were willing to fork over $70 to learn how to starve themselves into looking like the woman in the magazine. The problem was, the woman in the magazine was not Heidi Diaz. The picture was stolen from a Russian Bride site. The hilarious thing is that the Russian bride who appeared in Woman's World was a totally different Russian Bride than the one Heidi had posted on her site. Heidi never lost weight. Never. The huge loss that she said she maintained for over 5 years was a lie. That's the gist of the story.

For those of us who have followed this whole thing from years ago when Heidi was a presence on the Lowcarb Friends board, the entire story takes more twists and turns than any fiction writer could dream up. Heidi has been in litigation for the last year defending her anorexic plan. Now she is trying to turn the tables and sue the women who exposed her for what she was, and most of whom suffered serious consequences for their belief in this "lying liar who lies. " It would be laughable if it weren't so sad. She is also suing the Lowcarb Friends board - an entity which allowed her a forum on which to spout her garbage. One has to wonder about a lawyer who would take on a case such as this. Defense is one thing, but this counter-suit is nothing short of obscene.

Enough of that. What goes around comes around.

Check out some of the blogs I have listed over to the right hand side of this page or, if you have a few spare hours, you can read the entire saga here starting here: http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/kimkins/502606-
why-fascination-kimmer.html
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Oh wow! I woke up this morning to a huge whoosh on the scale. I should have seen it coming because I was dumping a lot of water yesterday. I feel really good. None of the sugar drop symptoms have appeared yet. Tomorrow is my last day on cycle 1. Wendy promises that once I get through this first week, the "diet" is over and a new lifestyle begins. I will be interested to see how the next seven weeks plays out. However, as I said at the beginning of this, my commitment if today and today only. Each day in its time.

My internet is running like a turtle today. I worked on some more stocking orders last night. I'm a little dismayed that we haven't had more traffic from Country Sampler. The hits we've had bounced right away. I saw the magazine in Walmart on Sunday, so it is out. I sure hope we at least recoup the cost of the ad. But it may be early yet. On the other hand, other traffic sources are doing well - especially Ebay. I've never had this many orders this early in the season before.

Type: Walk/jog
Route: Deadend and back
Time: 23 minutes
Average heart rate: 124
Maximum heart rate: 143
Down 4.8 from last Tuesday (whoo hoo!)

Great walk this morning! As I got to the corner I was greeted by shouts from my little cuties - the joys of living next door to your grandkids. Clay yelled out, "are you coming to visit us?" That was hard to pass up. Come retirement, I won't have to.

I think a pre-workout protein shake is going to be the norm from now on. I didn't really notice a difference yesterday, but yesterday was the first time I ever took weights on the road. But today? Wow! It made a huge difference as you can see from my stats.

I have to go in early to work today, but it's just an hour early.

Word of the day:
Memorial of Saint Jerome, priest and doctor of the Church
Gospel
Lk 9:51-56
When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?”
Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village.

Thoughts from the cornfield:
It was odd the Jesus and his disciples should be passing through Samaria on the way to the temple. This was a town that Jews avoided like the plague. There is an invitation occurring here. In entering the Samaritan village when all others would avoid it is an example of Jesus "reaching across the aisle" as it were. The disciples, who still haven't figured out the kind of Messiah with whom they were travelling, wanted to wreak destruction on these people. This is clearly above and beyond the "eye for an eye" teachings of the Scriptures at the time, because though the Samaritans did not welcome them, neither did they do them harm. No friendship was fostered in Samaria that day, but a seed may have been planted. We never know what kind of fruit our actions will bear, therefore it is good to think of this passage before acting. The world pays much more attention to what Christians do than to what Christians say. Jesus did much more than preach the Word - he was the Word.


God bless our troops!