Christmas Love Quotes

I found some great Christmas quotes I thought I would share. I wanted to feel a bit more Christmasy and found them touching. I hope they do the same for you. The photo to the left is of my little Christmas tree.

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.-- Hamilton Wright Mabi

Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first. The birth of the baby Jesus stands as the most significant event in all history, because it has meant the pouring into a sick world of the healing medicine of love which has transformed all manner of hearts for almost two thousand years... Underneath all the bulging bundles is this beating Christmas heart.-- George Mathhew Adams

From Home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other. -- Emily Matthews

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air." -- W. T. Ellis

"What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace." -- Agnes M. Pharo

A Christmas candle is a lovely thing; It makes no noise at all, But softly gives itself away; While quite unselfish, it grows small. -- Eva K. Logue

"Love came down at Christmas; Love all lovely, love divine; Love was born at Christmas, Stars and angels gave the sign." -- Christina Rossetti

Fruit: Joy

Song in my head: Oh holy night

Verse: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.. Phil 4:13

Things to be Thankful for

1. Raindrops on Roses... whiskers on kittens
2. Beautiful Blue Sunshine days
3. The love of friends and family
4. Bear hugs where they don't let go right away
5. A warm cup of peppermint tea with a candle burning
6. Christmas songs sung by a real fire
7. The beautiful colors of every season on earth
8. Ten tiny wiggly toes of a newborn baby
9. Peace in the midst of a storm
10. Knowing there is a God who loves you just as you are

Fruit: Peace
Song in my head: Chestnuts roasting by an open fire..
Verse: Philip 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me..

Wanna be a Pumpkin?

What do we do with pumpkins? We cut open a hole in them and take all the gutz and gooey stuff out. We remove those seeds and then we carve a face on it and put a light inside. I was listening to the radio station K-love yesteday and they suggesed thats what Jesus does for us.

He opens us up and takes out all those seeds of sin and yuckie stuff inside cleaning us out. Then He carves us a new face and puts His holy spirit light inside so we can shine bright. I like pumpkins and I wanna be one now! :)

Fruit: JOY

Song in my head: Dance to the freedom we know song.. (name?)

Verse: 2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Working it out!

Dressed in my humble old T-shirt and loose hem shorts only fit for working out in I walked into the into the ritzy gym where most people wear those "work out" outfits.

I came by my newly upgraded membership through a 10 dollar upgrade special that makes my total gym cost 13.95 per month. I have been a member since 1990 of the third lowest price locations so that is why my upgrade cost was so little.

I upgraded because this location of the chain of my gyms is located near my new job. Walking into this place today I kinda felt like a poor gal in a rich persons gym. I looked around and then a bit at my shoes. I decided to brave it up and walked up to my favorite torture device machine and smiled and thought "but, hey we are all just people."

I got on and someone dressed to kill jumped on next to me. I smiled and said "hello" wondering if she would talk to me. I found out that I can work out next to that CEO gal I met and actually have a great conversation.

Partly I can smile, nod my head and pretend I understand what the state of the business climate is like in the current economic state. I can let her vent and then talk about what I really know. I know people. Down at the heart we are all the same. We need a savior. Some people just go to the gym looking for it.

On a rainy day your subject to going to the gym unless you brave the drops. I am becoming such a Californian afraid of a few sprinkles. Working out can feels so good after a day at work sitting. It's a way to get out that stress and work it out physically.

Yet... There is nothing, absolutely nothing that beats the sweet love of a Savior.
His grace covers us. His eyes watch over us. He loves us even if we skip the gym.

Hearing about the stress of a life without Jesus today I felt so blessed that I have more than a temporary fix of the gym to work it out. I have a forever Jesus who just loves us. He loves us.. oh how He loves us. It's good to go to the gym but there is nothing like a God who can work all things out.



Fruit: Joy
Song in my head: All I Need -Bethany Dillon
Verse: Isaiah 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Odd combinations that make great healthy snacks

I as so excited today when I found yet another new odd combination that makes a great healthy snack. I am always looking for a great snack for my diet that's low on the calorie side and high in the healthyness side.

It's very simple but quite yummie. You have to try it before you can say you think it's nuts or think you know what it will taste like.

What I did was in my morning rush I put some Baby Carrots in the same baggie as a handful of raisins. I found out when I ate them together it made an great combination.

The raisins made the Baby carrots taste sweeter and fresher while the carrots evened out the overwhelming sweetness taste of the raisins. I also tend to love the crunchy verses soft texture together aswell. It's a bit odd but quite wonderful if you try it.

Some other combinations I have discovered along my weight loss journey in the past two years have been quite by accident but yummie (in my opinion) aswell.

Here are my top seven... 1. Carrots and Raisins together 2. Cooked carrots and warm Ketchup 3. Sugar-free Jelly bellys and Almonds 4. Green Beans and warm Ketchup 5. Frozen Blueberries, Low/nonfat vanilla soy milk with spenda 6. Sunflower seeds and cottage cheese 7. Onion cream cheese and basil salad or sandwhich

Sometimes great things come from odd combinations. It just goes to show you can never really know you will like something different or that you consider odd unless you try it. I tend to need some variety in eating right at times or I just get bored. Spice it up with some cinnamon or give it a untraditional condiment.

Fruit: Joy
Song in my head: This is the day
Verse: “Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.”- Isaiah 26:4

A Masterpiece

Eye of a Hurricane

Definition: A zone of weak winds exists in the center of the swirling vortex of a hurricane or typhoon known as the eye.

Imagine everything around you is out of focus as a great wind takes control making it so stormy and cold and you can't see your hand in front of your face. The swirling vortex is all you can see and there is no peace. That is when suddenly you see a bit of calm come and suddenly you can see a bit further and a bit more. The wind is still blowing but it's not as hard or as faat and you can catch your breath and breathe again. Your in the eye of a hurricane.

It could happen in the space of a moment. A job could be lost, a love one could die, a marriage falls apart, or you make a mistake that costs you more than you can pay.

There seems to always be something on the herizon of our lives that could happen. When it happens the thing you have to do is to find the eye. The eye is that place where you can find a little peace amidst the storm. It's a place where Jesus is that gives you a gentle rest in the middle of the night when you can't sleep.

Looking out for my eye right now I found a piece of my peace through a book I recently read about giving everyday a chance by Max Lucado. Even those days when the hurricane floods I found it is still the day the Lord has made and I can find a way to rejoice in it.

Sometimes it's harder to find the peace when your world is so windy that your not seeing a way for peace. It's when you stop looking around and start looking up that you can see there is a hope. There is a gentle reminder that in those birds singing outside my window waking me up a little to early still get fed each day. God feeds those birds and takes care of them. So much is true that He will take care of you too.

I think it comes down to a literal choice we have to make each day to rejoice and be glad in it. If the rain falls it's there for a reason. Make a mud puddle and splash around in it. It's like that old saying "If life gives you lemons, Make Lemonade!".

I want to encourage you to find your eye in the middle of your hurricane the next time one comes blowing your way. Find the shelter and reach for the peace that only a loving God can give. It's there while looking up you can finally see some sun in between those clouds.

Fruit: Joy
Song in my head: Let us rejoice
Psalm 118:24 “This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Is God a Red Balloon?

5 Minute Sermon.. Anyone anyone?

I smiled as I looked into the eyes of this sweet little gentleman. I used the thongs to scoop some salad onto his plate and he said "thank you". He looked at me like he had some hope in those eyes behind the clothes he wore. He smelled like he had a shower recently unlike several of the others I served in the line.

The line was long and the people seemed to come endlessly. They must have some source to hear about these meals served on Saturdays. I wondered how they knew where to go. Then I realized that word of mouth about a free meal must travel quick among the homeless community.

When I volunteered to serve the homeless Ministry I didn't know I was in for a lesson. I had served soup kitchens before and in a homeless shelter before but no one had ever asked "Will someone give a testimony?".

I was standing in the line up with my thongs in hand ready to serve that salad with gusto when she asked the question "will someone come up and share a bit?". I stood there looking at my salad feeling my heart beat a little faster. I knew I needed to just go for it but

I stumbled looking at the faces of my friends who were doing the same thing I was.

I decided to go for it so I said "I will". With no preparation and just a knowledge that I wanted to encourage these people I walked towards the woman who lead this little ministry. By this time there were about 100 or so homeless people gathered around these tables that have seen better days.

She said hello and introduced me and handed me the microphone. I have no idea where it came from.. but it must have been from some deep place inside that only Jesus can touch.

It's there that I felt the confidence to smile and share a little encouragement. Granted it was a simple one cluttered with micophone screeches here and there but it was good. It was simply my story that they were loved by God and had a hope in Him.

Looking into the eyes of these people as I served them I had to try to see them how God sees them. They were not just homeless people but real people whose live with their story untold.

He can see each heart broken, each dream failed, and He knows each story of how they got to be in this place on this day praying there would be enough of a meal to go around for them. Somehow there was enough food and everyone ate and we had some leftover to donate to the Salvation Army. God always seems to provide.

It felt like the very small gift I could give of serving was not enough as I drove away in my air conditioned little car. It gave me a little perspective to see that it could be worse. It seems like everytime I am about ready to complain to God about what I don't have He opens my eyes to see how very much He has given to me.

Fruit:Peace

Song in my head: No other name

Verse: Romans 8:38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Tips for Losing weight on a dime

I always used to think it costs too much money to lose weight. I thought of all the programs like Weight watchers, Jenny Craig and Nutri System and found they just didn't fit into my budget. Expensive personal trainers with gym memberships just seemed impossible to afford.

How could I afford to eat healthy and exercise without those programs and a personal trainer or gym membership? I decided that not trying to be more healthy was not an option so I had to figure out creative ways to be healthy on a very limited budget.

I decided to start to work with what I had going for me. I started by looking at all my activities I did during a normal day to see where I could find that exercise I needed to be healthy and lose weight without spending money.

I found that my job five days a week of 7 and half hours of sitting at a desk, talking on the phone, using the computer didn’t burn a whole lot of calories. So I thought it through and thought what if I stand while working? I found that I could burn 300 more calories for my weight by doing my same job standing for 6 of those working hours.

For my job it was an easy transition to start standing and so I did and found I was more alert and actually doing my job better. That started me thinking of how else I could burn more calories during my work day.

I had two 15 minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch to consider. So I decided to start taking a walk on my breaks and I kept an eye open for other opportunity for exercise during the work day. This was when I discovered there was parking garage right next to my building I could burn some serious calories on.

There are six stories of ramps going up that make a great low impact powerful power walk up. I found that I could do it once on my 15 minute breaks and twice on my lunch half hour and still have 5 minutes or so to use restroom, eat and such.

My secret has been to stay to the right while walking in the parking garage to keep safe because people tend to drive slower on the way up than the way down. It has been a sacrifice give up that time on breaks to exercising but I have found that I feel so much better that it makes it worth it by losing weight.

I found having this exercise plan also benefits me costing less by taking my lunch to work and has me thinking ahead about how many calories I am eating.

Since I love to multitask I also found that I could also make call backs on my cell phone, check quick emails, and pray all while taking my hike up the parking garage. It's amazing what you can do if your determined.

Next I looked at my time outside of work and got online. I looked for opportunity to get exercise in fun ways. There are so many things to do if you just consider your area and look online.

I found Churches with Volleyball, Tennis, Softball and hiking opportunity that could be great place not only to exercise but meet some great new friends. I decided to try my hand out at Tennis and some Hiking to start and its been great.

Another place I found to get some exercise was to walk to the supermarket about a mile from my house instead of driving. Another plus to this is that you really get to see the area you live in differently on foot than driving. It's like seeing your world from another perspective. You might even find a hidden treasure of a little park nearby.

It's all about thinking about little ways to add some exercise in like when parking at a mall or supermarket far away under a shady tree instead of circling the parking lot for that spot up close.

Having found these free opportunies for exercise I looked to my food. I decided to start counting some calories more and really looking at the menu when I have to eat out. I had to have some sweet things to fulfill me but needed it to be with less calories.

I started looking for alternatives to help with cost and calories for my favorite foods. I found that I could find some serious deals for food if I looked at the ads and also at the dollar store.

The dollar store has these wonderful Lemon and Cherry flavored Italian Ice's that are only 80 calories each and you get 4 for just a dollar. I also found some great deals from supermarket ads. I found some plums for about 25 cents each on sale. I also found some great coupons online and on supermarket shelves. I got soymilk for 1.25 with coupon.

There are lots of creative ways you can look at food but it is all about being reasonable and knowing your calorie intake verses what your burning in calories. I found a great website that really helps with those calcuations. http://www.caloriesperhour.com/

My only advice with this website is to not click on the links to the right on this website because they are all ads. Try to stick to the tabs at the top of the web pages and you will figure it out. It takes a bit of time to figure out how to use the site but once you figure it out you have a goldmine of info for losing weight.

I just started this free diet and health plan two weeks ago and have already lost 7 pounds. It really seems to be working so far. I will let you know how it goes from here but it literally is costing me less to live and giving me a healthy lifestyle.

Part of this has been about having a positive attitute and a change in your mind and heart about how you think about exercise and food. I know it is tough to be disciplined but it seems that finding healthy habits are forming.

It feels good to do the right thing. Even if you fail from time to time. You just have to get back up on your feet again. I am hoping by sharing this that you could find some tips from what I have learned to hopefully help you find hope in your health journey aswell. If you have any other ideas please share them with me.

Fruit: JOY

Song in my head: Peace like a river
Verse: Isaiah 54: 2 "Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. 4 "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth 10 Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you.17 no weapon forged against you will prevail,