Hello New Week

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all doing well. In my corner of the world, I've been enjoy all the lovely tree blossoms despite our erratic weather. We had one day, I believe it was last Friday, when I actually felt overly warm in my rain jacket. Many people were out in shorts, sandals and sleeveless shirts but I found the heat was only evident if you were in the direct sunlight. In the shade it was a bit chilly. 

Anyway, soon enough it will probably be too hot for me. The summer forecast is for heat, drought and  wildfire concerns.  I shouldn't get ahead of myself.  For now,  we are still in spring and waiting for the dog days of summer. 

Ducks at the park

Spring is a time for some heavy duty cleaning after winter. I was able to clean the oven and behind the stove. I'm so glad those jobs are done. I've also wanted a new toilet seat and cover in the main bathroom but had difficulty getting the old ones off. It seemed the nuts and bolts were very rusted and fused together. I finally asked dear hubby for help and he ended up cutting through everything and pulling it all out. Again, I'm so glad that job is done. It makes a huge difference to have a new cover on the bowl.   The main bathroom also got a thorough cleaning. I even got down on the floor and looked up to see where any dirt and dust bunnies were. I don't do that very often.

Spring is also my favourite season to get out for walks and enjoy all the beautiful tree blossoms and green returning to the city after the winter's gray skies.

This month did not disappoint.

We've had a lot of rain yet we still have drought like conditions due to the early snow melt on the mountains. We've had a few sunny days to offset the rainy ones. It's usually enough of a balance to keep me satisfied.

Walking to Beaver Lake

I haven't posted any food related photos for awhile. Here are some recent meals cooked at home or picked up at the restaurant. These were all delicious.

Cabbage Roll Soup

Mixed vegetable and chicken stir fry with chili oil

Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork and Spring Roll Bun

Chicken and grape salad

Pork chops with sautéed mushrooms and barley pilau

Classic pound cake

I hope all of you are enjoying your April. I have a lot more left to do before the month is over so I'll be keeping busy.

Thank you for stopping by!

A Busy Month Unfolding

The remarkable thing is, we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude 

we will embrace for that day.

Charles R. Swindoll

Hello everyone, I hope you've been having a good week so far. 

I've been busy with this and that.

 I have a friend who is applying to university in my city. The process is complicated, labourious and expensive.  I've been helping him get things sorted out. We are very close to the wire (upon the deadline). Please keep him in prayer.

I have another friend who has just moved to a new apartment and needs a few things. I've been checking out my cupboards and the thrift store for some unique items to donate to his kitchen and he has been taking things home little by little. I thank God that he has at last found a place of his own after living in several different unsuitable sharing situations.

Salad tongs from Africa for my friend's kitchen. They just need a bit of oil to" freshen" them up.

I have a mother in care who has multiple needs & every day brings news of something else.  Some needs relate to her care, some  relate to her material needs & some of them relate to the need for medical appointments. It keeps me busy. 

I thank God mom is still here and that small progress is made here and there though there are days I get very exhausted. Sometimes the progress is hard to see but I try to keep hope. 

We are also still waiting for a room at the new care facility. I hope it will be soon.

I met with my Tanzanian friend and a new Italian friend at the start to the weekend. I've spoken with the woman from Italy before but it was my first opportunity to meet her. She wanted to learn about my experiences in East Africa as she planned to travel there but was a little nervous.  Several weeks before meeting her I spoke with her by telephone.  Since then she has made arrangements to travel to both Kenya and Tanzania soon. How exciting for her. I wish I was going too!

I started going for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatments once again; primarily for the pain in my knees. The last time I tried TCM  was about 2 years ago. At that time I didn't experience a lot of relief.  But this time I am not only getting acupuncture but am also taking herbs. After about 5 weeks I am starting to feel relief though it will take months yet before real and lasting change might occur.

The last bit of Moroccan stew I've been enjoying.

 The TCM doctor suggested that I not eat rice, not even brown rice. I'm not sure I agree with that but it doesn't really matter because I eat very little rice of any kind since rice isn't my favourite. I prefer barley to rice. I also eat cous cous, bulgar and quinoa as well as a bit of pasta. 

 I also try to eat beans but now and then get out of the habit because I prefer to soak my own beans rather than buy them in a can. I started back to soaking beans this week and made some Moroccan stew with chick peas (yum!).

Tomorrow I hope to make some navy bean soup. These kind of soups and stews are perfect food for the cooler winter months.

Soaked and cooked beans ready for Navy Bean Soup.

Last but not least I am reading my Bible and some other works. I've just finished a book called "Minding Frankie" by one of my very favourite authors, the late Maeve Binchy.  The book is about Noel, a young alcoholic man who turns his life around to care for Frankie, a baby girl left to him by her deceased mom whom Noel dated briefly.  The book is really about a cast of characters in a small Irish town as most of Mrs. Binchy's books are.  But Noel and Frankie are the core characters around which the other character's lives are intertwined.

Reading Maeve Binchy's books are always like sitting down with a warm comfy blanket and cup of tea in front of a roaring fireplace. I've almost read every single one of her books.

I picked this book up at the thrift store.

Last Friday after meeting my friends, I made a stop at the local library where I checked out 4 books.  I also picked up a couple more books, some novels and one cookbook for experimenting in the kitchen at the thrift (2nd hand shop) store.

I'm afraid I haven't had the  space of mind to do any more crafting since before Christmas. That might happen in February.

With a new year comes new changes. I was saddened to learn that I will no longer be able to sponsor children in Zambia. For whatever reasons the school sponsorship and pen pal program have been stopped and the children are no longer available for sponsorship.  I will be updating the information on my blog page in due time. I still have to update the blog page to introduce my new correspondence child in Ethiopia.

Also, I wanted to mention that Elvis, the young Kenyan man who is doing a diploma in medicine and surgery is expected to graduate in about one year. I'm still trying to get some sponsorship help for him. What remains to be funded is one semester of tuition (close to $500 Canadian) and monthly living costs (room and board & pocket money) until August 2014 (about $100 Canadian), as well as books for a term (about $65 Canadian).
If you can help, please do contact me.

I've put a lot in this post as I'm not posting quite as frequently this month though I am still visiting blogs that I keep up with.  I hope you are all enjoying your New Year so far. 
Enjoy the rest of your week!

Linking up with Our World Tuesday this week.

A Lovely Day

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

 

 Joshua 1:9

I had a lovely day yesterday.  I haven't had a truly lovely day in a very long time. It isn't as if I haven't tried.   And it isn't as if things are terribly wrong in my life but I have had a tremendous amount of stress throughout the last many years. I deal with it rather well for the most part but from time to time, it does get to me.

Some of you know that I've been trying to look after myself better.  My efforts are showing small but positive improvements so I will keep doing what I'm doing.  I am also reading the Word more and making sure I spend time in prayer and praise; giving thanks for all that God does for me. In this regard , I really haven't changed my routine.  I've always done this but I have tried to slow down more and cut out some of the distractions. 

I know we aren't to dwell on our feelings and circumstances when things are not going our way.  That's where that saying comes from "Fake it, til you make it!".  But there are some times when we cannot even fake it and we give in to feeling our feelings.  While there are many who are afraid of doing this, some experts would argue that it is good for you to feel your feelings.  Even the Bible recognizes that people would do that  because in the seasons of life it isn't always rosy and sparkling.  That is what makes us human.

The writer of the Book of  Ecclesiastes in the Bible has this wisdom:

  When life is good, enjoy it.
    But when life is hard, remember:
God gives good times and hard times,
    and no one knows what tomorrow will bring.

 (Ecclesiastes 7:14)

It is through those times that those of us who are believers must continue to believe that better times are ahead and that God will look after us. That is different from believing that every day we will feel we have complete confidence because some days we absolutely do not feel that way at all.

We know we can have complete confidence when we fear the Lord and put our trust in Him. He gives us a place of refuge to which we can run in times of trouble. (Proverbs 14:26; Proverbs 18:10; 1 Peter 5:7).

Boat on the open waters of the north Atlantic Ocean

Cast your bread on the waters: for you shall find it after many days.

Ecclesiastes 11:1

I started off by saying that today was a lovely summer day and one I truly enjoyed.  I am grateful for such days. Today was  very warm but did not have the oppressive heat we've had for much of the summer.  We face the waning days of summer on this side of the world and it won't be long before the cool Fall season arrives.  Fall is one of my favourite seasons and I look forward to brisk walks in the crisp air.

Today though I enjoyed getting out in the warmth of the sun and enjoyed some of life's simple pleasures:  a chat with a neighbour, letters posted to my Zambian children, fresh flowers in vibrant colours, good books from the library, good coffee, and last, but not least, very good news that mom's (trial) wheelchair has arrived. It should be delivered to her in a day or two and she can't wait.  After they assess what might be needed to customize the wheelchair, the "real" one will be ordered. I hope both the trial model and the real one, help to alleviate her present discomfort. (For those who like to read my travel posts, I will resume posting images from La Belle Province and other places soon). 

My submission to Skywatch Friday.