What's Missing?

Old

New

Look closely ...

What's missing?

I guess there are a couple of things missing.

The bright pillows will be back soon.

The bed skirt can come back soon.

But the headboard is gone.

We decided that rather than battle the bed bugs that had found shelter 

in all of the cracks of the headboard,

we would dispose of the headboard.

So far 5 nights without bites ...

Anybody Else Like Sleep?

Today, I am thankful for a new sleep aid.

For a while now, I have known that I have mild sleep apnea.

It is nonexistent if I sleep on my side,

so I have tried to stay on my side during the night.

Easier said than done.

I tried to put things along my back that would jar me awake if I were to roll onto my back.

The methods worked slightly, but my sleep was still poor.

My default was to sleep on my back.

We debated sleep studies that would probably lead to CPAP.

Oh, I did not want a CPAP machine!

So I searched and found that for some people with slight apneas,

mandibular adjustment can work.

Basically, that treatment involves pulling the lower jaw in front of the upper jaw.

It seemed far better than the alternative,

so I ordered a device.

Meet the Z Quiet.

WOW!

The first couple of nights were hard - 

slight pain in teeth

and adjustment learning how to swallow with the device in ...

but the results were phenomenal.

Less waking during the night.

No apneas with hubby having to push me back over to my side.

Mornings where I can hop out of bed with hubby.

Energy.  Real energy.

So excited.

Hubby is excited too - 

no more listening to me choking myself 😀

For William

While back in NY in June,

we were able to see all of my family.

One nephew reminded me that I do not look like my blog picture.

I am still working on getting an updated one with hubby for our blog profile.

But until then ...

William,

Here is a picture of your aunt ...

I need to stand up straighter ...

but that is the 2018 version of me 😉

Every Blessing

The song of this week is the hymn "Come Thou Fount."

Hubby and I hope to sing a duet of this old hymn on Sunday.

We are so undeserving of God's blessings and grace ...

but He just gives and gives.

Have you counted your blessings today?

Have you told God how much you appreciate 

all that He has done for you?

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace

Streams of mercy, never ceasing

Call for songs of loudest praise

Teach me some melodious sonnet

Sung by flaming tongues above

Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it

Mount of Thy redeeming love

Here I raise my Ebenezer

Here there by Thy great help I've come

And I hope, by Thy good pleasure

Safely to arrive at home

Jesus sought me when a stranger

Wandering from the fold of God

He, to rescue me from danger

Interposed His precious blood

Oh, to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be

Let that goodness like a fetter

Bind my wandering heart to Thee

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it

Prone to leave the God I love

Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it

Seal it for Thy courts above

A Cooler Meal

What a wonderful Lord's Day we had yesterday ...

food for the soul, encouragement from the saints ...

just an encouraging day.

We have also come off a beautiful 4 days with cooler temps.

I even had the windows open all day one of the days.

We are back to hot temps and my menu plan went out the window.

All we crave is fruit, cold things ...

Well, we need the veggies too,

and the protein.

How about a simple twist on a Potato Salad.

Perfect with a grilled chicken breast, smoked sausage, ...

Creamy Dill Potato and Pea Salad

1 1/2 lbs potatoes

12 oz peas

1/3 c plain greek yogurt

1/4 c mayo

2 tsp dried dill (or 2 TBSP fresh)

1 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Cook cubed potatoes 10-15 minutes.

Add peas last 3 minutes.

Drain.

Mix in remaining items.

Chill.

Friday Forum: Care Packages

Yesterday, I mentioned college care packages.

I have plenty of friends/family in or shortly out of college,

plenty of family looking forward to college,

and many readers who have "been there, done that."

What would you love to see in a care package?

Thrifty ideas?

Theme boxes?

All ideas accepted.

Without a Name

At the beginning of the year,

I mentioned a goal of finding new ministries.

The struggle has been that we wanted to presume on our ministry.

I went to school to be a teacher.

Shouldn't my ministry involve teaching?

Hubby went to school to be a pastor.

Shouldn't his ministry be teaching or preaching?

With a prayer to find our place,

God has continued to show us ministry after ministry.

Sometimes ministry doesn't have a name.

Ministry can be faithfulness in the every day.

Ministry can be a smile.

Ministry can be a note.

Ministry can be just doing what you do.

This week,

I was asked to spearhead the college care packages.

Ministry.

Ministry that I already do.

But I can encourage others while doing it.

Hubby has helped with machine repair.

Hubby has texted Bible verses.

And he has ministered to others.

I write this to encourage you.

Ministry does not always have a name ...

it is not always "pastor," or "teacher," or "deacon,"

or "pianist," or ...

I may still struggle from time to time - 

but I am thankful for the peace and direction right now.

Good Night ... Sleep Tight ...

Can you finish the childhood line of poetry?

Unfortunately, I can ...

"...Don't let the bed bugs bite."

This week, my woman's work has been consumed with chasing and trying to eradicate bed bugs.

While this post comes with a bit of shame or embarrassment 

(though bed bugs are not a sign of uncleanliness),

I write it in case you ever discover yourself in the situation.

I don't know where we picked up the first "hitchhiker" - 

maybe from our travels in June,

maybe from a dinner guest,

maybe from a tractor,

maybe from a waiting room chair.

For the past 2 weeks,

we have found little spots of blood on the bed sheets.

With a mechanic, there is often a scab or scratch bleeding,

so we thought little of it ...

but they were becoming more and more frequent and we couldn't find the offending spot.

So I "googled" mysterious spots on bed sheets.

AAAHH!  Bed bugs.

We found them.

Fortunately, we do not react to the bites,

but I have the creepy crawlies just writing about it.

So we have sprayed,

we have spread diatomaceous earth,

we have wrapped the mattress and box spring,

and I have done LOADS of hot water wash!

And I am sure we will be on guard for months!

Day By Day

This week, 

the song rolling around in my mind is 

"Day by Day."

I will be playing it as an offertory tomorrow.

It helps my nerves when I focus on the words

and this song has always meant a lot to me.

Day by day, and with each passing moment,

Strength I find to meet my trials here;

Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,

I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.

He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,

Gives unto each day what He deems best,

Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,

Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day the Lord Himself is near me,

With a special mercy for each hour;

All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,

He whose name is Counsellor and Pow’r.

The protection of His child and treasure

Is a charge that on Himself He laid;

“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”

This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then, in every tribulation,

So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,

That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation,

Offered me within Thy holy Word.

Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,

E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,

One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,

Till with Christ the Lord I stand.

This week, the Lord has shown us His strength.

Last week, I mentioned a big decision.

The situation came up suddenly and seemed overwhelming.

By Sunday afternoon,

God had given us the answer

and His peace.

Not only did He give direction but He gave an understanding about other parts of our life.

"Casting all your cares upon Him ..."

For those of you who grabbed the non-specific prayer request last week ...

Thank you for praying ...

God heard and answered.

Keep trusting ... Day By Day

Simple Hack

We are blessed to receive free homemade soap,

I love the scents ... I love the natural product ...

but I don't like slime in the soap dish ...

It is not a problem anymore!

All it took was two large rubber bands (probably from some broccoli).

Just wrapped the rubber bands around the dish,

and set the soap on top.

Always have a dry soap bar!

16 on the 17th

Today we celebrate 16 years!

It seems like just yesteraday,

and yet so much has happened in between.

And we look forward to many more adventures ahead.

We tried to celebrate last Friday,

but I was just drained from the week.

We won't really celebrate today,

because we get to help with a teen get-together tonight.

But next Friday night,

maybe a quiet evening at home.

Just a simple supper ...

we are thinking mushroom soup and garlic toast.

And for the celebratory dessert ...

lemon-lavender cupcakes!

We have heard about this flavor culinary delights for so long,

it is time to give it a try ...

just hoping that they don't turn out tasting like SOAP!

Oh the Green

On this Thankful Thursday,

I am thankful for a Spring-like August.

It is as green as spring here in NC.

I have had to raise the mower,

and am mowing every 5 days!

I love mowing,

so this is a great treat

and the greenery all around is so much prettier than the typical August surroundings.

I am also thankful,

because the college students are coming back this weekend

and early next week.

It is fun to have their excitement back around us.

In Front of the Mirror

In the year of refocus,

I am spending time trying to put myself in others' situations.

I am trying to work more on grace and gracious living.

I am trying to give room for my own growth and for the growth of others.

I desire grace and forgiveness and want to give that to others as well.
Verses in the Bible on longsuffering jump off the page
and supplemental reading on acts of grace and open door living continue to drive home the point.

God continues to put reflections of myself before me in the form of others.
God is showing me that 

broken people hurt others.

I have hurt others in my own pain;

and I have been hurt by others 

and now see that much of it was because they were broken.
Grace demands the second chance.

Sometimes people can be helped,

sometimes they can't.

I have abandoned many relationships prematurely.

I was tired.

It was work.
The hurt caused seemed too great.

I didn't want to acknowledge any fault on my part.

It is humbling to admit brokenness and weakness.

Only in humility can broken people be helped.

God has also shown me that not every relationship can be saved.
There is a time to distance one's self.

If there is always an excuse,

if the fault is always in someone else,

the cycle of pain and brokenness will continue.
There are people who use for self-gain
and then cut off when crossed or when there is nothing more to gain.

There will not be healing until there is an acknowledgment of a need for change.

It is hard to know when.

Remember yesterday's post?

I need Thee every hour.

I need His help in my life ...

concerning my actions and responses

and concerning my relationships.

Every Hour

I have been enjoying singing at church.

For many years, that has not really been an option because I was behind the piano

Last week, hubby and I sang a duet.

It was mostly the familiar words of "Trust and Obey"

but with a different tune.

This week, my mind is enjoying the focus on "I Need Thee Every Hour."

A ladies group will be singing it in a couple weeks.

The words have been a blessing.

I need Thee every hour,

Most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine

Can peace afford.

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;

Every hour I need Thee;

Oh, bless me now, my Savior!

I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour,

Stay Thou near by;

Temptations lose their power

When Thou art nigh.

I need Thee every hour,

In joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide,

Or life is vain.

I need Thee every hour,

Teach me Thy will;

And Thy rich promises

In me fulfill.

 I need Thee every hour,

Most Holy One;

Oh, make me Thine indeed,

Thou blessed Son.

Perhaps the song has meant so much,

because we potentially face some big decisions.

Possibly in the short-term weeks ahead,

but definitely in the final months of the year.

Without God, we dare not make a decision.

Simple Chicken Burritos

Last week, I set aside the traditional recipes

and went in search of some new favorites.

I was feeling like I was in a great rut and needed to change things up.

So every day, we tried something new.

One of the favorites was a burrito recipe.

I cooked up one pound of chicken in the toaster oven.

I threw the cooked chicken in the kitchen-aid mixer to shred it.

Then I added one finely diced avocado and a cup of shredded cheese.

TADA!  Burrito filling.

I wrapped with an Aldi gluten free sandwich wrap

and browned in a greased skillet.

Simple and good.

But it did lack a little something.

I am going to try again on Wednesday and add a packet of taco seasoning to the inside mix because it was a little bland.

Did you wonder about the cheese?

Last I mentioned that we had totally given it up.

Upon further diagnosis of the situation

it was determined that hubby's daily "otter pops"

were not agreeing with him.

Crazy huh?

Update 8/30
We are thinking that it is the dyes in the popsicles that is the problem.
He had the same problems with Gatorade.