I discovered this accidentally, but I’m SO glad it works! Check out the full story here on how I got tea stains out of the basket of my iced tea maker basket without serious scrubbing: Tea Stains Begone!
No, this isn’t a rant about 6+ legged critters. It’s about the GERMS that permeate the air as people lock themselves indoors as a shield from the elements.
I caught a cold just in time for Thanksgiving. My taste buds were NOT happy!
We had gone to Tennessee to visit family the weekend prior, and one of the grandbabies had a case of the sniffles. With their allergies, I thought nothing of it – until I started sneezed a few times Wedsnesday night. By Thursday evening, I felt horrible, and started my usual cold routine of Puffs Plus (I know, not an environmentally friendly choice) and saline rinse, with a dose of NyQuil-D to help me sleep.
It wouldn’t have been so bad except my darling husband was in the mood to shop and I didn’t much feel like it. Nor could we spend time together as we had planned, since we had the house to ourselves.
I really don’t like being sick, and it’s not like I can call in, stay home, & rest. I work from home, and I could find no excuse to stay away from the computer all day. And in competition with the computer calling my name, laundry, dishes, and numerous other chores chimed in as well, though I did a good job of tuning them out. I felt terrible (and contagious) enough to stay home from church & my beloved choir, and missed seeing a friend who is going away for several weeks (BOO-HOO!)
It is now Monday, and I feel almost human, except for the slight pressure in my sinuses, which my glasses (SO necessary!) must rest upon. I am THANKFUL, however, that my immune system is working properly, and that I no longer pollute my lungs with the hideous chemicals in tobacco that at one time had me sick several times a year instead of once or twice.
Now the rest of the household is starting to sniffle. I got well just in time, huh?
This is what unconditional love looks like:
This is gonna be a long one. We’re going through a little something in the family (AC & I are FINE). I spent quite a bit of time reading today. Much more than I usually do. I’m looking for answers. I’m finding advice, but I know it won’t be received in the way I intend. So This is kindof a vent of sorts, but not really. Does that make any sense?
Proverbs 16:2-3 All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the LORD weighs the motives. 3Commit your works to the LORD, And your plans will be established (NASB)
We make our plans according to our emotions and desires and we justify them, thus fooling ourselves if only for a little while. but in the end, we WILL answer to God for those choices.
Proverbs 16:6 Unfailing love and faithfulness cover sin; Evil is avoided by fear of the LORD (NLT)
It is God’s unfailing love and faithfulness that covers our sin. Left to our own devices, we are powerless to change. Quite often, the key is in wanting to change. By having “fear of the LORD”, a reverence and awe of Him who made us & gave us all we have, we will want to change. Without being in His will, however, the choice is much more difficult.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help.
“But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” How hard this struck me today regarding a family member! She is isolating herself, separating from the ones who love her most, who speak truth to her. Without that protection, accountability and loving guidance, she is almost certain to fall. The enemy has an open door to her mind and her heart, and he’s telling her lies. But how do you make her see that you are there to help (based on God’s Word), and not to judge?
Ecclesiastes 7:8 Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.
In today’s society, it is all to easy to walk away. From anything. People just up & leave when the going gets rough. They abandon families, homes, bills, jobs, friendships, all because they “just can’t take it any more.” Life is hard! But it builds good character, if given a chance. Running from problematic situations only hides them for a short while. When they reappear, they are uglier & nastier than when they were left behind. I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE! Anyone can start a job, a project, a marriage, a family. The task is sometimes too much for one person, which is when you ASK FOR HELP. Put aside your pride & selfishness and ask someone to help you finish! THAT is where you will find true satisfaction.
Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. 10 So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless.
Just because it’s what you want to do doesn’t mean you should. Consequences often don’t rear up until you think you’ve put it all behind you. Keeping in mind what God would have you do will keep you from pursuing vain and selfish things.
Ecclesiastes 12:1 Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”
All the “fun” you think you’re having fades with time. All the things you use/do to fill the emptiness leave you feeling even more empty in the end. You find that the way you THINK things will be do NOT live up to your expectations. Disappointment follows. Fill your life with good & honorable choices, and you will not be disappointed! Enjoyment comes from contentment, which in turn comes from a close walk with God.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.
When you make your choices, remember that God knows the real reason WHY you made them. All your justification goes out the window when you’re standing before Him. Keep Him in mind as you make your choices, and you have nothing to worry about.
When all else fails, pray. It’s all in God’s hands anyway.
Yes, this was actually dinner tonight – for everyone. [Fresh spinach, turkey salad, organic tomatoes, cottage cheese & carrots.]
The fellas didn’t mind, though I’m sure when they came to the table the only thing they were 
thinking was, “She has GOT to be kidding!” Truth be told, they were full by the time they finished, with just enough room for a little Strawberry Dump Cake & a scoop of Vanilla Bean ice cream.
Hey, I had to make up for it somehow!
As a child, my favorite breakfast was “dippy eggs”, otherwise known as over easy+. The whites were cooked through, and the yolk was warm & liquid.
I would take a slice of tender-crisp bacon and gently break the yolk, scooping up the golden goodness and slurping it as I bit into the bacon. Once my scooper was gone, I’d carefully eat the rest of the egg, making sure to get just enough white (my least favorite part) with yolk. This was accompanied by bites from the edges of my toast. For the grand finale, I would take the buttery, soft insides of my toast triangles and sop up the remainder, relishing every bite.
Making dippy eggs is an art, especially without a non-stick pan. As I learn more about the conveniences of modern living, I have come to realize that I must relinquish all non-stick cookware. (Read about the DANGERS of Non-Stick Cookware HERE) Therefore, I am no longer show cooking for breakfast, as I have not yet found the right combination of grease, heat & time for flipping eggs without a spatula.
Here’s where the soft-boiled eggs come in. My Nanny Brown couldn’t eat fried foods, so she would eat soft-boiled eggs. The egg, shell & all, would be placed in an egg cup. She would crack the shell, remove the top, and spoon out the egg from the shell in the cup. I never mastered the art of eating eggs from an egg cup; I always had bits of shell grinding in my teeth!
I have found that I can soft boil eggs and get pretty much the same result. The timing, however, leaves much to be desired. Too little time and you have a nic, liquid center but a slightly runnny white (EWW!). Too much and the yolk is almost cooked solid. I am experimenting daily with different cookware – glass and stainless – with and without lids, and keeping close watch on the kitchen timer. I will have to write down the exact process with each experiment, which is tedious, but the end result will be perfectly soft boiled eggs!
At least on MY stove!
There are days when I feel I am prancing about in filthy rags. I don’t start my day out that way, and it’s not that I feel my clothes are shabby, but rather that I am pretending everything is hunky-dory, when in fact, I’m battling with issues of my flesh.
I, like most humans, tend to let my “flesh” take over, whether it’s going off my healthy eating routine, or piddling around online instead of working, or nursing a grudge against someone who may not even know I’m upset. I know better, and yet choose to do it anyway. Of course, since I do know better, it’s not as much “fun” as I think it should be (Thanks a LOT, Holy Spirit!!) Then comes the repentant spirit. I have to stop, break down & confess, apologize, and get myself clean again so I can enjoy LIFE.
I was reminded of all this as I read this blog post from finally unfettered about an unfortunate accident involving his daughter and their dog. For most of us, the sin in our lives isn’t visible to the rest of the world. Maybe those closest to us know something’s wrong, but unless it’s someone who gets pregnant out of wedlock or is arrested for drugs or drunk driving, most of us have no idea what a person struggles with.
Accountability is something that is talked about, but seldom acted upon. I don’t want others to have a poor opinion of me, but if I don’t share my struggles – my humanity – those things may just take control, and I’ll find myself in a place I never thought I’d be (or be again). I’m thankful to have people in my life that I can turn to, people whom I can ask to pray for me and with me, people who will check back with me to see how I am doing.
My friend Jiggy, known to school friends as Jenn, has been battling a host of health issues over the past two years. We have banded together with countless others in praying for this dear lady. Those prayers are now being answered!
Bernadette & the Queen of Pinkness, Jiggy!
I won’t go into all the details, as she has her own blog & explains it quite nicely herself. It is enough to say that mouontains are being moved in a miraculous way to help her get well!
I ask that you visit her new blog, read her story, and subscribe to her posts. The journey she has been on is nothing compared to the one she is preparing to embark on in a few short weeks. She will be leaving her home, family & job, thanks to the kindness of an old friend, who only wants to help. They make Lifetime movies about this sort of thing! At the very least, you will be entertained and perhaps inspired or motivated.
