Lessons in Forgiveness

  My mind has been all over the place the past 3 days, as so many have.  It's hard to concentrate when the TV news, the tweets, the facebook posts and the papers are laden with the stories from the tragedy in Newtown, CT.  The tears keep falling as we grieve for those families.
  For me a prevailing theme has carried through in this tragedy and also in another recent tragedy here in Iowa.  FORGIVENESS.   Three times in just two weeks I hear parents and a sibling of those who have lost loved ones implore us to forgive. 
  A grieving mom, Heather Collins, says "we forgive whoever did this but they still have to meet justice."  Sweet Emily Parker died in Newton and her dad Robbie Parker  says to pray for the family of the young man who killed all these children and teachers--he portrays forgiveness.   And in an interview on Fox News, Craig Scott, the brother of Jessica Scott who was murdered in the Columbine tragedy shares how the only way he and his family were able to move on was through forgiving.   He shared how he lived with depression and a great deal of anger and finally realized that he had to forgive.  To forgive as Christ forgave. 
  I remember reading a book called "The Shack" several years ago.  If you haven't read it you should--I remember giving it to several people who were struggling with bitterness and anger from past wounds.    The prevailing message in this book was also about forgiveness.  I remember a statement that said "forgiveness is letting go of the other person's throat" and "forgiveness is more about what it will do for you, not the other person."    I wonder if I have always forgiven as easily as what these people have?  I wonder if there are still grudges and feelings of unforgiveness that lurk within me? Am I harboring anything towards anyone?  It certainly is a question I am asking again in the midst of watching people like Heather & Drew Collins, Robbie Parker, and Craig Scott who have lost loved ones in such horrific tragedies.  The grudges and things I might be harboring are so very minor, and yet I know how grudges and unforgiveness can control me; and I see it destroy so many people.  Two friends very close to me chose to forgive.  Kevin Jansma forgave the man who killed his young wife when he was driving drunk.  Janelle Allen forgave the man who was driving drunk and killed her mom and sister.  Some of her siblings still live with anger from not forgiving; she lives in freedom; so does KJ.
   MATTHEW 6:12 "Forgive our sins as we have forgiven those who sin against us."
   MARK 11:25 "When you are praying first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins too."  God's word meant to guide us and give us freedom. 

  "Father God, I have not always been quick to forgive but when I have I experience freedom and peace.  How I pray that we, your children, will be the ultimate example of forgiveness instead of bitterness and anger.  Use me, use us to show YOU to this broken, angry world."   AMEN

Choose Joy


  What a month!  It's been a month filled with lots of ups and downs, all starting with a beautiful advent event at St. Marks Lutheran Church in West Des Moines.   What an amazing night with beautifully decorated tables.  The evening was a challenge for me to get through as we had just learned that my father-in-law had passed away that day after a two year battle with cancer but what struck me as I was preparing final thoughts on my talk was that even in the midst of the unknown Mary and Elizabeth CHOSE JOY; and I could do the same.  
   A week later I shared my heart at Hope West Des Moines' Womens Christmas Brunch.  Another gorgeous event with decorations and food that were outstanding, not to mention beautiful worship by "The Girl Band".   What fun to sit by a new friend, Mary Stier, who is the Director of Womens Ministry.  Mary has a heart as big as Texas as some say; and it shone through in this event.   How I thank her for letting me be a part of their special celebration. 

PRC Wrapping Project

  Last week it was sharing at our Prairie Ridge "Life Together" monthly womens gathering where afterwards all the women wrapped gifts together for a service project to help our Creative Arts Director, Derek Pine.  What fun to watch women join together to serve--laughter, tears, pouring out their hearts--talking about "choosing joy" in the midst of the Christmas season.

  One of the prevailing points I was trying to make is that JOY IS A CHOICE and that too often we let the circumstances of life steal or joy and we live joyless rather than joyful.   I was heading into Walgreens just a few days ago to pick up a prescription - feeling absolutely rotten, yet reflecting on the very words I had been encouraging women with for 3 weeks.  JOY - JOY - JOY.....not the same as happiness, because I was not at all happy that I'd been feeling so crummy for the major part of a month.  I also was wearing somewhat of a heavy heart over the loss of my husband's dad, two friends who had just lost their dads, the recent news of two little girls whose bodies had been found after disappearing 6 months ago.   But I also had a peace and contentment that only comes from the joy of the Lord.  Psalm 43:4 says "there I will go to the altar of God, to God--the source of all my joy."   As I was wrapped in my own thoughts a young woman at the photo counter stopped me and grabbed my hand.  "You spoke at my church last week, and I just want you to know how much that blessed me and how badly I needed to hear what you had to say."   A big smile came across her face, and mine as well.  "Thank you I replied.:  So many of you have said that same thing--"I needed to hear that."  That's my constant prayer--that God will use what's on my heart to bless someone else's heart.

    I walked away praising God, knowing that truly HIS JOY this Christmas season is MY JOY.  And today I'm singing that - how can you not smile when you sing this song!   Sing it with joy. 

Devotion TO rather than Service FOR Him

  I woke up this morning and as usual ventured to the kitchen to heat up my neck wrap (thank you BeautiControl for this wonderful gel wrap that warms me up every morning) and decided to check my email.   I've been doing that more regularly than usual as my father-in-law is under Hospice care and my mother-in-law has been communicating updates to us in that manner.   Anyway, my inbox was laden with Cyber Monday emails.  EVERYONE, I mean EVERYONE is having a sale today.   And of course, this means if you have any money left after spending it at all the Black Friday sales!  Obviously these sales also benefit me.  As a small business owner and a consultant with BeautiControl for over 22 years I sent out my email to clients as well encouraging them to shop.  And sometimes I feel badly sending them the email.  "Spend some more money!!  Shop with me!"......   www.beautipage.com/beautifulskinandspas
   I enjoy this time of year--I really do.  And the past several years I didn't even look at the ads.  But this year I found myself getting caught up in all the ads, wondering about all the pleasures I've missed out on by not having certain items.   "What if" I had a donut maker?  Wouldn't it be fun to not have to roll and cut the dough and then deep fat fry them? Would my waist appreciate baked donuts rather than fried ones?  And what about that awesome deal on the Kitchen Aid unit? How in the world can I have survived for 35 years of marriage without one?  Now they are such a great deal!!  Not to mention all the tremendous clothing sales and opportunities to shop on-line today.  How can I resist?
  One awesome offer is calling my name.  It's the beckoning of God's Spirit offer to just sit and spend a little extra time with my Father this morning.  As a musician and speaker December is full so the early morning "coffee or tea" appointments with God become even more important.  I spent a lot of years of my life running at break neck speed decorating, shopping, planning and being involved in worship services, and helping everyone who was in need.  And those are all good things.   Oswald Chambers says it well.  "Our greatest competitor of devotion to Jesus is service for Him."  
  How thankful I am for my early morning dates with God.   After you're finished on the computer today sit down with a cup of your favorite warm drink and "drink in" God's Word.  Then for a fun, meaningful family project for advent take scriptures from the Bible and put them on a piece of paper and then chain together and hang on your tree.  For some ideas on scriptures you can use link to this site:   http://fmcusa.org/prayer/advent-chain/

  Check out my latest speaking appointments on my website: www.juliewiemann.com

Time for Soup

  Love this time of year!   Okay, I confess the warm weather here in Iowa this fall has been spectacular but I am ready for cooler weather because along with cooler weather comes CROCKPOTS.   Love crockpots because you get to mix a hodge podge of ingredients early in the morning and let the awesome smells and flavors simmer all day long.   One of my favorite recipes is this one for white chicken chili.  Okay, it may not be the most healthy but you can substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream and use carrots instead of the corn!  I'm all about substitutes.

http://eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com/2009/08/04/bowl-o-white/
   And speaking of simmering.....I was told along time ago that our relationship with God was sort of like a crockpot.   You can try microwaving your relationship and your time with God but it's nothing like what happens when you put something in a crockpot and slowcook it.   I gave my life to Christ when I was 19 years old and it's been a long, beautiful journey.  I've been simmering for a long time--and God willing, have lots of years left to "stew".   God's not done with me yet!   Need to run - time with God started at 5 a.m. this morning and now my crockpot is calling me to make soup for this cold rainy Iowa day.   Maybe I'll try this recipe today.    Looks yummy!  http://www.laaloosh.com/2009/02/18/weight-watchers-bacon-and-potato-chowder-crock-pot-recipe/

THE FLEETING DAYS OF FALL

  Do you ever get totally lost in something?  You know, there is something that so captures your heart or your attention that you get totally lost in it?   That's kind of how I feel about fall in Iowa.  I get SO LOST in the beauty of fall weather and in the thought that in just a few short weeks all the leaves are going to be gone and they'll be replaced by snow that I have a tendency to sometimes be unproductive.   I want to be outdoors relishing in those last warm days.   I want to be out just sitting in my back yard.  The hard part is that I am self-employed, and I need to work for a living and I can't spend every daylight hour outdoors. 

FALL TREES NEAR MY HOME 

  Today I set about getting my "to do" list done and if I get it done then I can head outdoors for just a bit.   I'm going to take some more pictures of trees like these. 

PUMPKIN MUFFINS

Then I'm going to reward myself for finishing my list by making a batch of my favorite fall muffins--the recipe for this fabulous Pumpkin Muffins is http://blog.entertainingbythebay.com/2011/10/27/halloween-treats---baking-with-candy.aspx  I made them for a retreat this past weekend and everyone was asking for the recipe. 

   After all this I'm going to spend some time writing on my deck because I need a little creative outlet this afternoon, and these fall afternoons beckon me to sit on my deck and enjoy my backyard just a bit. 
  It's amazing how much we can procrastinate on our list.  A friend this weekend told me she sometimes gets so paralyzed with all the things she needs to do that she doesn't even begin.  I find that with a lot of women.  Pretty soon they're spending all their time on Facebook, in chat rooms, reading blogs, and poking around in Pinterest that an entire day is gone before they ever really were productive.   So this is how I reward myself.  Tackle the "to do" list and then reward myself with the other things I "want" to do.  You might try it.  Get your list done today and then go out and enjoy this gorgeous day; or bake a batch of this yummy muffins and treat your family tonight!

Celebrating mom/grandma

  Behind every great woman is a wonderful mom.......at least that's what I think.  How I respect my mom.  She taught me lots of things in life--how to cook, how to sew (not always very patiently!!), how to flower garden, how to be kind and respectful to people, how to serve others.  And as we all know sometimes it takes a lot of years before we truly appreciate all they did and continue to do for us.
   We got to celebrate my mom's 75th birthday this past weekend.  We laughed as families do when you start reminiscing, and we enjoyed time together that is much too rare given we don't live in the same town.   My sister-in-law Karla suggested we start doing "Christmas in September" so that we can have a good crew here and not stress everyone out so much in December.  We're all pretty excited about it, and it just took one brave soul to suggest it.  
  So very blessed to have a wonderful family.  I'm looking forward to lots more "Christmases in September" - besides, after you eat all day long you can go take a very long walk in September. That doesn't work so well in December in Iowa!

GIVE IT AWAY

GIVING AWAY LOVE
  I'm heading to northern Iowa today to talk to a womens group.  Several churches coming together to share together, and I get to speak and share a little worship.
  When I was trying to figure out what to share to this group of primarily "older" women what God's Spirit whispered to me was that I needed to teach about how we make a difference--young & old alike.   The cool thing is that I got to see that first hand last weekend when we celebrated the birthday of my dear friend and a neighbor we lived next door to for 17 years.  Marcie was an amazing neighbor and still is.  Every year she plants this unbelievable garden.   Now mind you, she lives by herself; she is 80 years old (although she doesn't like you to know that); and she's been planting a garden for years.   Oh and yes, I forgot to mention that she just quit working as a full-time legal secretary after 50 years!   The garden planting happened even while she was working full-time. 
   All of us who lived near to her reaped the harvest of her beautiful produce by receiving jars of canned goods: beets, beans, tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, pickles and more.   She gave it away - she always had an abundance and always shared it so willingly with all of us as well as other friends and family.  She gave away her love by sharing her garden produce with us.  She made a difference in my life and in the life of our family all those years we lived by her.  She was more than a neighbor!
  So as I was finalizing my talk I thought "you know, why is it that people want to make a difference?  What is it that gives Christ followers that desire?" And I came to the conclusion that it's what Marcie does.  She gives away LOVE through her garden produce. 
  And isn't that what Christ did for us?   He gave away his love to us!  I love that.   John 15:13 says "greater love hath no man than he who would lay down his life for his friends."  Giving it away.
  I want to be like Marcie.  Unfortunately, I am not a huge gardener so I'll never be able to give away the kind of produce that she does.  But I can give away love - and I can give it away freely out of gratefulness for what Christ did for me.   I pray I can give away my love today by sharing with these ladies. 

All the Broken People

So many broken, hurting people.  That's not a revelation.  My heart hurt this weekend hearing of lost lives in tornadoes around the Midwest.  My heart hurt as I prayed with many, many women at a retreat I spoke at.  Heavy hearts.  Wounded hearts.  Women living with so much pain.  Sometimes I feel so helpless wondering what in the world I can do.  But I remember God is Able and to cast my cares to Him because He loves them much more than I ever can.   So I pray, and I pray, and I pray.   ROMANS 8:26 says "we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words."  That's how I'm praying today.

How do my Wildflowers Grow

  When you have a beautiful garden it's hard to stay indoors.  You want to spend most of your time in the garden because things change from morning to night.   This time of year the strawberries ripen hours after you've just picked.  Of course, if you're like my 3 year-old grandson he eats them like candy as fast as I can pick them.  They are SO yummy. I absolutely love spending time out there.  Flower gardening yes - vegetable gardening not so much. 





An unknown wildflower



  The emerging wildflowers are so much fun.    I'm hoping I'll get to know all their names; that will take some work no doubt.   I love walking among the flowers seeing what's bloomed since my last stroll.  Yesterday the goldfinch, red-winged blackbirds and even a couple of ducks were enjoying the garden as much as I was.

   Two new pieces of "yardwork" done by Wiemann Remodeling.  One is a bridge that is allowing us to get across our small creek to our makeshift firepit.   Anyone who has a large backyard knows that you have to take things in stages.   This year's larger investment was steps from the deck to the backyard and a small bridge.  Having steps sure has made composting much easier since I can go down right from the kitchen; and the small bridge wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be at under $300.  Of course, I don't have to pay for labor which helps!!

The red yarrow is in full bloom, as is the moonbeam coreopsis.  The fish in the pond are growing which of course is SO exciting because this is the first year for them. Now I know why my grandmother spent so much time in the garden. I call it "gardening with God". Every time I'm in my garden I experience God through His beautiful creation. What a gift to be able to say with a grateful heart "thank you God."

My evolving backyard oasis



The wildflower garden emerging



   In the spring I have a REALLY hard time focusing on work.   The beautiful thing is that my office overlooks our backyard and so until about 3 pm when the sun gets too hot in the western sky that I have to pull my blinds, I can revel in the backyard that is continuing to evolve over the past three years.  



Our pond



   Every morning after heading to the gym I put on my sunscreen  (still in love with my Beauticontrol Cell Block C AM sun protection because I absolutely hate wrinkles and skin cancer). www.beautipage.com/beautifulskinandspas.  Then I head out to the garden for a couple of hours, waiting to see if anything looks different from the day before.  This is the first year of our wildflower garden.  I spread some seeds last fall; and then more seeds the first week of May.   We'll see how it progresses.  The creekbed is nearly finished.  We still need a couple more loads of larger rocks to finish the waterfall and for the pond basin.  It's been a hard project with lots of heavy labor because we've done all the work ourselves, but so rewarding!!!  

   Our goal is to have perennials but also part of this backyard be native wildflowers and grasses so that we don't have to spend a ton of time with mowing and upkeep.  We want it to attract birds and were SO excited to see our first goldfinch this morning--3 of them sitting on the feeder eating.  What fun! 

   This weekend is Memorial Day; I'm sure I'll we'll be exhausted but it's a good exhaustion.  I can't wait to see what new things have budded if it ever stops raining!

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The power of journaling

  The new year always brings me to a place of evaluating.  I spend the first week of the year reading through my journal to see if there is any common thread of things God's been saying to me so that I can address it.  This year was no different than others in the past.  I read through 2010 journal entries, looked at my goals and mission statement and made new goals that would align with where my life presently is.   Then I re-write my funeral plans.  My close friends and family know that I do this.   It may seem morbid but the older I get the more I realize this is not morbid but instead very wise.  My sister-in-law of 50 died of cancer Jan. 12, 2010; three other friends in their early 50s also died of cancer last year; and the older I get the more I realize that life truly is fleeting; and there is nothing that says this won't be the year that I leave this earthly body to reside eternally with my precious Savior.  And I don't want my family to have to plan my funeral celebration.
  I actually got the idea from my friend Connie who's been doing this for years.  I love it.  I pick my favorite song which does change year to year.  I write a letter to my kids and my husband; I put it inside my bible and there you have it.  

GIRLFRIENDS

  I'm very intentional about this each and every January.  I'm also very intentional about looking at what God's been doing in my life and making adjustments to be disciplined and intentional about how I live.  About where I serve and my job and my relationships.  The older I get, the more intentional I become. I've been studying through Luke for the past month and was reminded today that Jesus challenged his disciples, thus challenging us to "put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me."  I love and I detest this challenge.  But two years ago this was the verse that turned my business around for me. I realized that even after 18 years of being in sales and building a clientele and a sales team I often had my own motives in mind.  When I turned them to having a heart of serving everything changed.  Being in a business like I am with BeautiControl I am constantly working with women. Yes I'm trying to sell, but it's mostly about the relationships and I need to shoulder my cross daily and not make this about me.  Trying to impart that to my team is a discipling and mentoring thing. Sometimes I weary of it; but mostly I love it and know God has called me into this.
  That's the power of journaling. That's the power of evaluating and being intentional and seeing if I'm living out what God's called me into.  I do not want to leave this earth with lots of regrets, but rather with lots of satisfaction knowing that I lived well, served well, planned well so that my God would say "well done, good and faithful servant".

You Never Stop Missing Your Kids

Cousins at the Rose Cottage

 You never stop missing your kids do you?  My daughter came home for 3 1/2 days last week - first time in 5 years that she's been here around the holidays and it was way too short!   I think a mom never stops wanting to have her children around at Christmas, at least I don't.  All the wonderful memories of years past; celebrating this special season together - it never stops.  And of course as the parent you have your own ideas of what you should do and who they should see and of course they have their idea.  And then comes getting married, having to share with others, blended families....and learning to just be quiet which I'm not always very good about.



Amanda, future daughter-in-law?

   This time was so sweet. We spent a few hours at a cute tearoom visiting family; then a short shopping trip to the mall and the infamous Trader Joes that finally opened in Des Moines, then the winter farmers market where homemade food beckoned at every corner; two family Christmases and a birthday celebration. It was fun to watch Nicole with her nephew Dawson.  Only the second time she's seen him.   I remember how special my times were with my aunts and uncles. I still swear that I remember one visit in particular with my Uncle Russell and his wife when I spent several days there on the farm.  My mother says it's not possible to remember something that happened when I was two but I am positive I remember it. In fact, I can still picture the stairway and the bedroom I slept in.  I desire that for my grandson - that he would know his aunt because those relationships are invaluable.  And visits to aunts and uncles when mom and dad aren't around are way too much fun! I still have a special relationship with a couple of my nieces in particular, and I love having them near.  I'm also blessed to have, I think, a future daughter-in-law nearby who I'm loving getting to know more.   They all help me when I wish my daughter was closer to go on a shopping trip with or go to a movie with.  God's gracious to give them to me, and what a beautiful gift to be able to spend those three short, but wonderful days with my daughter.   

A Nagging Wife

  As so often God does, he awakened me this morning with the words "a nagging wife is like a dripping faucet."  POW - not words you enjoy hearing but when the Holy Spirit whispers to me it's like the old EF Hutton commercial "when EF Hutton speaks, people listen".  
  The deal is, these whisperings didn't take me by surprise.   I've found myself nit-picking at my husband a lot lately.  I condemn the things he puts in his mouth, I prod and push him to start exercising, I grumble at his sitting around watching TV doing endless Sodoku puzzles.  Pick, pick, pick and before you know it I feel lousy about myself and he's frustrated and tuned out to anything I say.   I've told myself hundreds of times not to become one of those old nagging wives and yet I do it anyway.   He's an awesome husband, a great dad and a wonderful grandpa.   Does the dishes every night; loves God; leads by example - so why do I pick on the negative things he does or doesn't do rather than build up the wonderful man he is?  
  Proverbs 21:19 says "better to live in a desert than with a crabby, complaining wife."  And Ephesians 4:29 says "do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up according to their needs."  So the question is WILL I LISTEN TO THE HOLY SPIRIT and WILL I LISTEN TO GOD'S WORD.  My choice; I certainly know that.  I can't change my husband and his health choices no more than I can change inevitable snow that has arrived in Iowa.   I need a tongue grabber so that every time I start nagging my tongue gets yanked.  How I pray for my nagging tongue to only be edifying to him today. 

  For the past 9 months I have been dealing with chronic bilateral lateral epicondylitis.   To put that in laymann's terms it means I have tennis elbow.  Named because so many tennis players deal with this condition from the repetitive motion of swinging a tennis racket.  Now mind you, I hadn't played tennis in years. We're not even sure why I started experiencing it in my right elbow.  Could be from the kickboxing I was doing, maybe from the weight training...who knows.  I got irritated with it this summer because it wasn't going away so I did decide to get out the tennis racket and my husband and I had fun every Sunday evening for about 6 six weeks and yup, you guessed it. Now my left elbow has it too - so it really is tennis elbow.
  To be honest, it's been really annoying.  It's kept me up at night; I have a hard time holding the blow dryer;  my yoga practice and any weight training has been affected; I get burning in my arms after I play the piano or even dust the furniture or vacuum.  Yup, it pretty much stinks.  And I've tried all kinds of modalities like physical therapy, no upper body activity, acupuncture, chiropractor and as of this writing I've just ordered myself a couple of magnetic elbow braces.   We'll see.
  As I'm doing my bible study this past week I realized what a whiner I am.  Trust me, I've whined a lot about this.  The Holy Spirit has led me to study through Luke for the next month or so and I was reflecting on Mary and her response to God when she learns she is pregnant.  The Bible doesn't tell us a lot about her reaction.  It does say in Luke 1:29 "Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be."   We get a sense of her acceptance in verse 38 when she says "I am the Lord's servant...may it be to me as you have said."   Then she leaves and goes to see her cousin Elizabeth and I can't help but think that the two of them (she spent about three months there) had their fair share of  whining together.  Did she share her fears, her anxiety, her confusion about all that was happening? Did she say "God, why me?"  If she did we don't know.  What we do know is that she responded by PRAISING GOD.  I love this!  We read her praises in verse 46-55.  "My soul glorifies the Lord."  "my spirit rejoices in God my Savior" "He has performed mighty deeds with his arm"
   Read it for yourself.  God quieted my grumbling spirit for a bit and His Word has really challenged me to praise myself out of this.  I may have to deal with this awhile longer. I don't know.  However, I do know that I can change my attitude and praise my faithful God who is wanting to grow me in the midst of this irritating condition. 
  What are you grumbling about today?   What's caused you fear?  What's made you annoyed and irritated? Maybe you, too, need to spend a little time praising God instead.  Be like Mary. Be like David. It'll do your heart good.  It did me.

Carbs or no Carbs

  Seriously, read the magazines and you will be so confused on whether you should be eating high protein, no protein, vegan, vegetarian, complex carbs - what in the world.   And as this body gets older the plain and simple truth is I just can't tolerate some of the things I used to. 
  Recently I've been having acupuncture on a severe bout of  bilateral lateral epicondylitis - best known as tennis elbow.   This has been ongoing since about March when my desire to "be in" with the city's trend of kickboxing got the best of me.   Punching bags to relieve my frustration felt good internally but externally it wreaked havoc with my knees and elbows.  I gave up that; gave up heavy weights, got mad because it wasn't making any difference so started playing tennis this summer and of course it got worse. I've I've tried multiple modalities hoping acupuncture will work.
  At any rate, the acupuncturist gave me some very interesting nutritional information.  Nutrition is vital and acupuncture will be more effective if the body is detoxing as well.  And reading how the Chinese people eat, so much of it makes sense.  Now I've been incorporating much more tea into my daily routine.  I never have been a huge coffee drinker but was told that even drinking water never truly hydrates you and gives you the nutrients you need through fluids.  The Chinese also believe that your food should be warm - that it's easier on your spleen to have your food be warm so the spleen doesn't have to work so hard.  So rather than eating cold vegetables and juicing it's better to steam them (not in a microwave because microwaves irradiate all the nutrients).   I steamed broccoli, carrots and cauliflower yesterday, added some spinach and diced chicken and a little peanut sauce.   Drank my mangosteen team and I have to say - it was pretty tasty.  
  I've been drinking tea now for nearly a week; but this weekend Starbucks' creme brulee lattes come out and how in the world can I resist one of these when the wind is howling and the cold is beckoning me to something more tasty?  More tasty and laden with sugar and stuff that's not good for you?  Ugh.......
  Oh - want to read more?  Here's an interesting link: http://www.mindbodyherbs.com/uploads/The_Power_of_Food_basics.pdf

The Quest for Healthy Eating

  The older I get the more I realize that I can't eat like I used to.   Now, as a whole, I'm pretty slim.  I try to work out 4-5 times a week, and I try to change up my routine so I don't bored.  I have a tendency to get tired of the same old same old.  In fact, this summer my husband and I decided to take up tennis again after about 15 years of not playing.   I have felt like a little kid again.  We're not that great (although we like to think we are), but more fun than that is the laughter and enjoyment of doing something together that's not work.  Of course, the laughter raises when I get in a great shot that he can't return or when I beat him--love that!
  Anyway, I'm a product of a farm girl which meant we had sweets around all the time so that we could feed the helpers who came in the summer to bale hay and walk beans.  We never had a meal without dessert, and to this day I love it.  But darn, I can't eat as much as I used to and neither can my husband.  So I'm always looking for ways to eat sweets without adding all the sugar.  A few years ago a friend introduced me to agave nectar, a natural sweetener derived from the root of the agave plant.   There are some misconceptions that it is no different from high fructose corn syrup. You can read all about it, specifically this brand of agave on this website: http://www.xgave.com/  I love it and use it to sweeten my oatmeal, steel cut oats, plain yogurt, smoothies and recently started branching out into using it for desserts so that yes, I can still have my sweets without all the calories and pointless calories found in refined sugar.   Even some great recipes on this site.
  Okay, off to make dinner.  Tonight whole grain pasta with sundried tomato pesto purchased from the Gateway Market in Des Moines.  For dessert, peaches with agave.  Maybe just a dab of whip cream.  Love it!!

My "FREE" weekend

  So when it's unbearable outside, and the mosquitos chew you up at 9:00 in the morning and you happen to find yourself with a totally free weekend what do YOU do?  Sadly, (or maybe not sadly because I love my job), I almost always end up in my office.  But I have been vowing to find myself things to do that take me away from the office and the computer that use my creativity.
  So this weekend I browsed around the farmers market, had coffee with a friend, then headed to the fabric store to buy some material and pulled out the wonderful sewing machine I bought 3 years ago; used, and then tucked away in a closet.  The result was a fun afternoon making myself an apron.  Nothing earth shattering - and it's not a fancy one but it was fun.  Now I'm thinking of making some fabric wall art.  Why don't we all take time for our hobbies; and why do I feel guilty for having a weekend when I really don't have something specific I need to be doing?  Shouldn't we revel in that moment scarce as they are?  Shouldn't I just say "this is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it?" 
  I am grateful for the weekend.  Truth of the matter is, I had a long "honey do list" for my husband.  A list of things to do outdoors but it was too hot, he hurt his back and I couldn't do the list by myself.  So I guess God treated me to a  relaxing weekend for a reason.  What a joy!

Being a grandma

  How in the world does anyone put into words the joy of being a grandma?  I remember  a few years ago when we learned we were going to be grandparents I was anything but excited.   First of all, I felt we were too young.  As if there is some magic number when one feels like they are "ready" or "entitled" to be a grandparent.   I always thought of my grandparents as being old.  They were always wrinkled, always hunched over, always LOOKED like grandparents.  And that never changed.  So to think that I was going to be a grandma at the age of 50??  Well, that just didn't seem like it should be so.

  And of course, as ANY grandparent will tell you, once they BECOME a grandparent, there is nothing better.  Truly.  A friend of mine a couple of years ago talked about making time for grandparenting.  That in this busy culture when people work much beyond regular retirement ages that often we don't allow ourselves the time to be a grandparent.   And that when we finally do have time for them, they don't have time for us.  So as long as I'm blessed to have a job that allows me flexibility (thank you BeautiControl direct sales opportunity for 20+ years), then I am going to make time in my schedule to truly enjoy being a grandma.  The once a week time I get to have a grandma day is a highlight for sure.
  Last week's fun included swimming lessons.  I had this idea that I'd sit by the pool watching Dawson paddle away, but no, I had to get down in the pool with him with his every other word being "I wanna go see my grandma".   And pretty soon I'm paddling away and blowing bubble myself.  Oh, being a kid again.  Guess grandparenting does that to you. 

Another sleepless night

  Not sure if it's a full moon or not.  A friend told me a few years ago to pay attention to that because that's normally when she can't sleep.  I don't know if that's true or not....I always attribute it to hormones.  
  I had to laugh at a friend who told me often when she wakes up she goes into her closet to read.  I've never tried that - I usually grab my pillow and head to the couch.  And it's hard to concentrate at 3 am so I usually grab my computer. Thank goodness for laptops.
  Thank goodness too for eye pads.  BeautiControl has saved my life more than once when I have a sleepless night and wake up with bags under my eyes.  I know I'm definitely going to need them in a few short hours.