My Simple Woman's Daybook ~ January 19, 2010

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...I see a cloudy sky though the sun was just out for a few hours this morning.  I was glad for the sun as I walked home from my diabetes support group.

I am thinking...how warm it has been this week. A few weeks ago it was so cold! Last night on the news they showed video of early blossoms. We often get early blossoms in early February.

I am thankful for ...my quarterly diabetes group meeting. Today we received a nice surprise of a an exercise DVD for daily exercise routines. This is just what I need at this time as I am often out of town and I can take it with me to continue my exercise.

From the kitchen..there is nothing cooking. I just had some milk and a cheese sandwich on a nice baguette.

I am wearing... my workout clothes. I had a meeting at the medical clinic this morning and we even did a few exercises.

I am creating...nothing at this time. I've been too busy! There is lots in my "to do" basket(s).

I am going...to the city to pick up a smallish table and 4 chairs to replace my largish antique table and 6 chairs.  My friends are helping me and there is a possibility this won't be done today at all but tomorrow instead. Am waiting for their call.

I am reading...a novel by Vikram Seth entitled A Suitable Boy.  I re-started it last week but only made real progress on it two days ago and then last night. I am not sure why but it doesn't seem to grab me as much as it did in my first attempt. Perhaps that will change as I get further along.   I did my devotional reading this morning. I am participating in my church's initiative called "Practising the Presence" in which we commit to reading our bibles for at least 15 minutes a day on 4 days a week.  I have switched my bible reading to first thing in the day rather than try to fit it in during the day.  That way the distractions of the day do not interfere with devotional and study time.

I am hoping...that my mom doesn't have to go through surgery. I just learned she has diverticulitis (amongst a plethora of other serious health concerns) and she is still quite weak though responding slowly, very slowly to antibiotics.  As soon as I get my table and chairs delivered I will try to go and spend some time with her.

I am hearing...the fan circulating across from where I am sitting at my desk. I have found with the warmer temperatures I like to feel a breeze.

Around the house...I see my Bible, my study aids and mail spread out on the table and my timer close by. My cleansing supplements and medication are at my desk. Everything is at the ready.

One of my favorite things...looking at things of beauty. Today I saw some beautiful things on line from some of the many talented bloggers who know how to create scenes of beauty and rest.

A few plans for the rest of the week...I am not fully sure though I will continue with my exercise regime and my devotional studies.  The rest of the week is a bit up in the air as to when I will travel.

You can follow others on this meme at this place here.

Thank you for dropping by. I hope to see you again soon!

Whole Body Cleanse

New Year- New Body!

Well that is the hope * wink.

As some of you know I battle with some health challenges though I don't often discuss them and don't plan to get into any detail here. But I do want to say that in an effort to increase energy and generally feel better, I have decided to do a whole body cleanse this month. In fact I've already started it and I am now into my third day of a 14 day cleanse.

It has been many years since I did a cleansing.  Last time I did it I wasn't a happy camper. That one involved using psyillium husk and some kind of clay and I don't wish to repeat it. This one comes in an easy to use kit which includes
- fibre
- laxative and
- liver support in the form of Milk Thistle

These three formulas are supposed to help my body cleanse, detoxify and rejuvenate without the use of hard laxatives. So far, so good though I'm not noticing a whole lot of anything. Perhaps it is too early yet to notice any difference. I will hold off on any major observations until the end of the 14 days.

In addition to the cleanse, it is recommended to do some walking, gentle stretching or yoga and avoid certain food products and beverages ~ the usual suspects like:  foods with nitrates, alcoholic beverages, coffee, dairy products, soy products, and too much meat protein.  I've gone for a short walk or two and am hopping on the stationary bike almost every day.  I haven't yet got around to the recommended stretching I know I should do except for some stretches I do at my desk.  I will add overall body stretches when I feel more up to it.  I am hoping that this regime once completed will help me feel cleaner and rejuvenated and have the effect of "jump starting" my health improvement efforts.

Overall this month has been very busy as I try to get into a regular fitness regime, ensure adequate sleep, be more regular in my devotional time and church related activities and make progress on my household projects. So far am off to a good start. Since none of my activities are "New Year's Resolutions", I am hopeful of keeping them going throughout the year.

I've also been reading a lot in the blogosphere about people identifying a word or theme to guide them over this new year. I don't usually identify a word or theme by which to guide my life but perhaps this year is different as I find a word keeps coming to me.  That word is "Trust".

It's a beautiful word and scary at the same time. I think it means I haven't been trusting God enough for the challenges I've been facing in many areas of my life. I need to work on that and learn to let go and let God, giving Him more control over my daily life, my thought life and my future.  I will try and I need His grace in doing so. I know His Word says that He has plans to give me a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). How much better could it be? I pray you also find the trust you need as you deal with any challenges you may face.

Compassion's Children

There are so many ways to help children in Africa and so many non-profit agencies both at home and abroad who provide opportunities to each of us to help these children.  

I choose to help orphans mainly through the Missions of Hope  whenever I can. But recently I also took on sponsorship of several boys through Compassion International's Canadian office. My sponsorship involvement is very new so I haven't received a letter from one of my boys yet. 

 

First I sponsored little Peter. 

Peter is 6 years old and lives near Nakuru, Kenya.  I didn't get a chance to visit Peter when I travelled to Kenya.  My sponsorship was too new for the organization to prepare everything in time for my visit. I am hopeful that I can visit Peter some day.

 
Two weeks after I sponsored little Peter, I felt led to sponsor John.

Doesn't John's smile just grab you? I really felt a connection with him and especially upon learning he lives in the slums near Nairobi. I also hope to visit little John in future.

 

During the process of learning more about Compassion and its sponsors, I learned that there are also many children who have sponsors but these sponsors do not write to them for whatever reason.  For example, a company might sponsor a child or several children but not assign anyone to write to these children.

I found out that volunteers are needed to correspond with these kinds of children who don't have anyone to write to them.  Through letters a child is shown love and care and can receive the encouragement to overcome the challenges they face.   The benefit to you and me is that we can take on child sponsorship in a budget friendly manner.

After only a month or so of waiting, I received an information package in the mail.  The package sent along a photo of the little 10 year old boy I will correspond with in Ethiopia. His name is Haile.

I am only permitted to send letters, cards and flat paper items to sponsored children in the mail.

I've already sent Peter a card for Christmas and a photo and information about me and will need to send similar information to John and Haile (minus the Christmas cards). I also plan to send all three boys  a postcard "fun" map of Canada and some "Canadian stickers".

I am very excited to embark on this new addition to my support of children in Africa. I look forward to a long association with these young boys and hope to be a positive influence on them.

In closing, I want to encourage any of my readers to please check out children on the Compassion International website for your country and consider sponsoring a child.  There are so many who need sponsorship. If you really do not have the funds to sponsor a child would you please consider taking on a correspondence child? You simply write to the Compassion office in your country and let them know of your interest in writing to a "correspondent child".  Can you imagine the excitement a small child has when they get a letter from a stranger across the world? A stranger who takes an active interest in who they are and encourages them throughout their childhood years. It is a simple joy we can have in life to bring joy to others and to receive joy in their joy.

The Wonders of Yeast Dough

Hi friends,

I'm feeling very stressed at the moment with mom in hospital.  I've talked to her a few times and she insists that I visit her despite the fact my brother and nephew are there with her to take care of her needs. I'm torn because I usually am there for her but I am exhausted and for a variety of reasons including a flu bug, I cannot visit her.

All this has me thinking of days when I was a little girl and mom was there making me feel secure. She used to make yeast bread and when I would come home from school on a snowy, wintery day, my mouth would water to smell the yeast bread wafting through the house.  She would also use part of her yeast dough to make cinnamon buns.    It is funny how we associate scents and aromas with feelings but did you know that cinnamon has a multitude of benefits? Read more about that here.

I don't have the recipe mom used to use when I was a child but I found a good one on line. I doubled this recipe to have enough dough for cinnamon buns and two small loaves of bread.

So the wonder of the yeast bread for me is not just the wonderful taste but the memories and the feelings of home, comfort, security and love. Blessings to you all this weekend.

Yeast Bread Recipe

• 4 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons dry yeast
• 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
• 3 tablespoons honey or 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

1. Dissolve yeast in water, add honey and let stand until it bubbles, approx 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Add salt and oil to yeast mixture, then add flour a little at time until you have a stiff dough.
3.Turn dough out on a floured surface and mold into a ball shape. Place in pan and cover; let rise for about an hour.
4. Punch down the ball of dough and mold it into a loaf shape to fit you bread pan. Cover with a towel and let raise again until it doubled in size.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 45 minutes. Bread is done when it is golden brown and sounds hollow when thumped.

This recipe is from http://www.food.com

Two loaves of yeast bread, and....a pan of........

Cinnamon buns with raisins and walnuts fresh out of the oven. They aren't as brown as I would like but the syrup was running over and I didn't want to start a fire.

Cinnamon buns with glaze on them.

The Last Major Hurdles

I do realize that the kind of blog post you are about to read may not be too exciting or thrilling to a lot of people.  But writing about it helps me to stay on track and accountable for the big decluttering project I am working on.  It is a tedious job with few immediate rewards so I need all the help I can get. Thanks for reading and giving me a platform to share my goals, challenges, successes....all of which are leading me to a simpler life and more time and resources for the Missions of Hope.
 
I have had a busy start to the New Year in an effort to get started on the right foot.  This past week I decided to take a little break from the decluttering project and have been busy doing other things like: catching up with friends, going to the movie, exercising, going to Sunday services and making notes of all the upcoming activities there that I would like to participate in during January/February, listening to past sermons on line, reading, organizing my medical appointments and paperwork, scheduling my upcoming commitments (including those that help me reach my goals in 2011) and following up on a number of things I've promised to do.

Then also this past week my mom had a major fall which you can read about here.  Last night she was admitted to hospital due to cellulitis infection.  Cellulitis is the bane of many senior citizens, especially those that are less mobile. She was heavily sedated all day due to pain but her nurse says she is doing much better now. We are not yet sure how long she will be in hospital but my brother and nephew will be attending to visit her and help her with her various needs while I attend to my own medical needs.

Now I'm back to the next big step in the decluttering process, the subject of this blog post which I've called,  "The Last Major Hurdles".  The hurdles are the table top, the dresser top in the bedroom and the big boxes in the bedroom, some of which are pictured below. Once I clean these surfaces and fully unpack the boxes I will have the hardest parts of my decluttering project behind me. I still will have a lot to do but the worst of it will have been done. Yippee!!!

The dining room table in the photo below is covered with clutter and tablecloths so you can't see but it is an antique table from Spain. I love it and it is special because my mom gave me the money to buy it as a birthday present many years ago.  Though my mother paid for it she never liked my choice of table and I am now going to get rid of it.  When I told her that some months ago, she said "Oh good!"  I would probably keep it were it not for the fact that the chairs need reinforcing every year due to their age and often they are not reinforced so they pose a possible danger to someone.  Otherwise, I love the table. Partly because of it's heavy and ornately carved legs.  I also love it because the table top has leaves inserted under it and you can pull them out when you have a sewing project or you have a dinner party.  This adds about 5 more surface feet which really helps when you want to cut fabrics or set out food and dinnerware which I do for buffet style dinners when entertaining.

Clutter on the tabletop. empty coin wrappers in the bag and important papers in a  wooden box on the floor. The table area is nice and clean from time to time but I'm afraid it acts as an expensive catch all most of the time.  Once I clean the the table I will find a new home for it. In fact, I've already ordered a new, small round table for the dining table.  I think it will work much better in this space.

Don't you agree that these are beautiful and solid looking table legs?

Two big unpacked boxes remain from the move in we did just over a year ago post-fire. I've had a quick peek inside and put a lot of the items to sort on the top of the dresser which is adjacent to the boxes. Things look rather messy in the master bedroom at the moment but it is surface mess until everything is dealt with.

Update:  I stayed up late and cleared the table.  A small bag of garbage was thrown out and bills and paperwork added to other like documents which are to be sorted and dealt with later. First pass through the paper is getting rid of anything no longer needed.  It feels good to see the table again.  Next it will need to be polished before I see who might want to give it a good home.

Clutter free once again!