Mountain Moods

  
An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.

 

Martin Luther King, Jr.

(In honour of Martin Luther King day)

 ~~~~~

I captured the mood of the mountains at several stages this past  weekend. It always fascinates me how quickly the weather conditions can change.

We were expecting a big snow storm on Saturday but it didn't amount to much; at least not where I live.  We did get a mild sprinkling of snow on the mountains and in the city which you can see in the photos below.

The storm did arrive overnight on Sunday. This morning's news said that some schools were closed up the valley, about an hour or so away from me.  Big snowflakes were falling here outside my window a few moments ago and fog shrouded the mountains.
Right now though, the sky has cleared a bit and the snow has stopped.

I am not sure what the next few days has in store.  So far it is not too bad where I am but I intend to stay cosy indoors.  This is a good time for me to "catch up" on housework.

Click on the badge to join in with others from around the world!

Low-Fat Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

NOTE:  I've just been advised by a reader that she cannot leave a comment. I apologize to all bloggers who experience the same issue. I've recently set blogger settings to allow "embedded" comments. I know that this used to cause commenting problems for some people. Blogger's new comment feature requires "embedded" comments.  Hopefully blogger will soon resolve any issues associated with this change.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour (white or whole wheat)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup packed brown sugar (I used about 3/4 cups)

• 1/4 cup fat-free vanilla or plain yogurt

• 2 tablespoons canola or corn oil

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 1/3 cups uncooked old fashioned or quick-cooking rolled oats

• 1 cup dried cranberries (original recipe calls for raisins)

Directions:

HEAT oven to 350°F. Cover 2 cookie sheets with
parchment paper or use non stick teflon cookie sheets.
COMBINE flour, baking powder, cinnamon,
baking soda and salt together in small bowl.
COMBINE brown sugar, yogurt, oil, egg and
vanilla in large bowl. Add flour mixture to make
a blended dough.
STIR in oats and raisins.
DROP mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches
apart on prepared cookie sheets.
BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes until very lightly
browned. Do not overbake.

I made about 33 cookies with this recipe though it says you can make 40. I had to watch how much I put in each spoon. Surprisingly the batter spread well.

I slightly adapted this recipe from a Sun Ripe Raisin recipe book.  These cookies are low sodium, low fat and low cholesterol.

 My taste test reveals a crunchy cookie, not too sweet, quite airy and delicious.

 NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Daily Values:
Dietary Fiber 4%
Nutrients per serving (1 cookie): Calories 63, Protein 1.1g,
Fat 1.1g (Sat. Fat 0.1g), Carbohydrates 12.7g, Dietary Fiber 1g,
Cholesterol 5mg, Sodium 63mg.
Note: Since I've added 1/4 cup less sugar, each cookie should be a few calories less than stated but that is only if you make 40 as per the recipe suggestion. If there are fewer cookies, the calorie count per cookie will be higher but still very reasonable.

To All the Somebodies

SOMEBODY is thankful for the support you have provided. 

-somebody wants to hold your hand.
-somebody hopes everything turns out all right.
-somebody wants you to be happy.
-somebody wants you to find him/her.
-somebody is celebrating your successes.
-somebody wants to give you a gift.
-somebody thinks that you ARE a gift.
-somebody hopes you're not too cold, or too hot.
-somebody wants to hug you.
-somebody loves you.
-somebody admires your strength.
-somebody is thinking of you and smiling.
-somebody wants to be your shoulder to cry on.
-somebody wants to go out with you and have a lot of fun.
-somebody thinks the world of you.
-somebody wants to protect you.
-somebody would do anything for you.
-somebody wants to be forgiven.
-somebody is grateful for your forgiveness.
-somebody wants to laugh with you.
-somebody remembers you and wishes that you were there.
-somebody is praising God for you.
-somebody needs to know that your love is unconditional.
-somebody values your advice.
-somebody wants to tell you how much they care.
-somebody wants to share their dreams with you.
-somebody wants to hold you in their arms.
-somebody wants YOU to hold them in your arms.
-somebody treasures your spirit.
-somebody wishes they could STOP time because of you.
-somebody praises God for your friendship and love.
-somebody can't wait to see you.
-somebody loves you for who you are.
-somebody loves the way you make them feel.
-somebody wants to be with you.
-somebody wants you to know they are there for you.
-somebody is glad that you're his/her friend.
-somebody wants to be your friend.
-somebody stayed up all night thinking about you.
-somebody is alive because of you.
-somebody is wishing that you noticed him/her.
-somebody wants to get to know you better.
-somebody wants to be near you.
-somebody misses your advice/guidance.
-somebody has faith in you.
-somebody trusts you.
-somebody needs you to send them this letter.
-somebody needs your support.
-somebody needs you to have faith in them.
-somebody will cry when they read this.
-somebody needs you to let them be your friend.
-somebody hears a song that reminds them of you.

Wise Words

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight.  Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward.  Your life will never be the same again.  

~ Og Mandino

The best practical advice I can give to the present generation is to practice the virtue which the Christians call love. 

~ Bertrand Russell

The first and highest law must be the love of man to man.  Homo homini Deus est - this is the supreme practical maxim, this is the turning point of the world's History.  

~ Ludwig Feuerbach, The Essence of Christianity

I expect to pass through life but once.  If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.  

~William Penn

A prayer

Father, I pray for your people. I pray that your kindness will be their kindness, that

your love will  be their love, that your mercy will be their mercy.

I pray for your people to receive your grace, your power, your abundance;  for you have come that we might have life and have it more abundantly.

In Jesus' name, I pray and give you all thanks, honour and glory.

Amen

 

Someone Needs You

Hello friends,

I'm still on my blogging break but I wanted to thank you all for your kind comments on my last post. I have been enjoying some restful days while I also plan a bit of my schedule but I did say to a friend that I would be back on the blog if I have something to report concerning the Missions of Hope.

I do want to mention that my friend, Jonah has returned to what what I think is his last semester in his Master's Degree Program on International Development. He has been in an accelerated program to try and save money on his studies. Please pray for him to have excellent study skills and good memory and research and writing skills as he completes his thesis and prepares for exams.







The other student, Kipngeno, I've written about before. I ask you to continue praying for him as he is now at a critical juncture in the finances needed to complete his first year of medical studies at the Kisii University.

Here we have given him a small amount of money to get him started. It is only about 10% of what he needs to complete the year.  This amounts to about $88. Canadian dollars. I will round that up to $90.

This boy, Kipngeno, is a promising medical student and needs your help to continue his studies.

I know that perhaps the full amount required is too much for one person to take on but you can help to the amount of $90, $180, $270 and so on.

If you can help, please click the Missions of Hope logo below now.  You will be taken to the donate page. 

If you cannot help, please at least spread the awareness of the need an/or pray for this young man. Thank you so much and may God bless you.

Time has a Way of Moving On

Dear reader,

Where does the time go? It seems that the older one gets the quicker time passes and the Christmas season we just had is no exception.

This past Christmas was the first time I was at my own home for Christmas.  There was only one other time I was far from home and family at Christmas.  I didn't remain at my home though because I had been invited to a friend's for the holiday. I wanted to stay home but she insisted that no one should be alone at Christmas so I accepted her hospitality.  This year, I had a number of plans but everything was in limbo until the last moments before Christmas.  In the end I was at home and it was okay. I was looking forward to it and I thought I might actually have a nice rest from all the busyness of constant appointments concerning my leg, and all kinds of errands to run, before Christmas. Not!

It was quiet but it wasn't restful because I was very busy. Besides the rush of buying and getting Christmas gifts in the post (yes, this year I did buy gifts!), decorating my home and my tree, planning and buying food for Christmas dinner and generally getting things tidied up, I had a number of other unexpected projects.

A blogging friend of mine, Caroline, has been wanting to change up her blog for a very long time. I offered to try and help her though I am not a blog designer as such. Caroline had her own ideas about what she wanted and I learned that my skill set wasn't advanced enough to complete some of the specific work.  Not to fear though as I was able to give Caroline what she wanted through the assistance of my brother.  In the end, Caroline was happy with the overall result and I was happy to have helped her achieve her goal.

I had another unexpected project to help my nephew with his budgeting.  I didn't know that he had been struggling and was seriously considering dropping out of university.  Though he doesn't live with me and has an  "affordable" rental that he shares with others, we live in one of the most expensive cities in Canada,  perhaps even in all of North America (exception New York City), and the burden of the finances were proving to be too  much for him. 

I offered to take a look at his budget and see what the shortfall is and whether we could save his year. It took awhile to get all of his financials and to create a budget and a cash flow to the end of the school  year.  It was also a bit challenging figuring out what his real costs are in a few areas because of the holiday.  At this moment, he is also trying to renegotiate some of those costs.  We've established a food budget and come up with nutritious and affordable menu ideas and places to shop. They are menu ideas as opposed to recipes but I've kept them simple and easy. It will require that he shops the sales and cooks more.  He did say that he has been cooking more since he moved here so those skills will help him.  We have chatted about living within the budget categories, the difference between "needs vs. wants" and how to use a credit card. Shortfalls in the budget and ideas about how to meet them while trying to successfully manage a course load, were also important aspects of the budget "summit".

As an auntie and surrogate parent,  I feel it is my duty to demonstrate some "tough love". It is the first time that my advice and suggestions appear to be listened to and accepted. That means, this can be a very good learning experience for which life long skills can be learned and applied though I know it will be very challenging for him.  I will also be saving funds monthly for when he finishes his term as he will have no money left over to cover bills until the first pay cheque.  He hopes to sublet his bedroom which will help him a lot.  But he needs a back up plan if that doesn't work out and he still needs money until first pay cheque even if that does work out. I have a few stipulations for giving my help:  no credit card usage and renegotiating credit card interest rate, getting on equal payments for electricity costs, no gym membership, taking thermos (flask) coffee to university, no entertainment unless it comes out of the food budget. The budget is very strict. There is no fat. He will need to bite the bullet and commit to the plan or the year will have been a lost one in the sense that he will have incurred significant debt from student loans.  At least the debt will have been for a useful purpose, if he is able to finish the year and complete his courses with good grades.  Though the budget is very tight, I do feel it can be met with some hard effort and discipline.

I have tough conditions because I want him to learn financial discipline and responsibility for his own actions. If I was overly strict, I would simply say "get yourself out of it" and "you made your bed", but I think people need second chances. Sometimes you get a second chance and sometimes you don't.  In this case, he has a chance to set things right and it is now or never to learn some good financial management skills.  I've seen him struggle with some of the same financial issues now for several years though in different circumstances and he needs help but he can only benefit if he is willing. Right now to make some effort to change because he doesn't want to lose out on his entire academic year. Sadly, the issues he faces are not uncommon.  There are many people who fritter away hard earned money on "nothings", racking up debt, and wondering where the money goes.

To his credit, he does know that there are certain things that are costing him too much (like debit card bank fees) but he doesn't know how to fix the problems. He tries but then it seems to lead to other issues and then he gets into a cycle of issues.  I'm sure many of you reading this can relate and have had to deal with these kinds of issues yourself, or seen loved ones with similar issues, but different circumstances. I too, can relate, because I always had to learn things the hard way with  no one to teach me or guide me about financial matters. Thankfully I was able to begin to learn and get some measure of control over the myriad financial issues that we all have to deal with every day.

My medical issues and associated costs are another thing I was dealing with over Christmas.  As part of better financial management,  I wanted to get all the benefits from my extended health coverage for the year 2011 as I could. I'm still experiencing a sore knee and so I went to as many physiotherapy and registered massage therapy sessions as I am allowed under my health plan.  I also filled my eye prescription and my pharmacy prescriptions for the next several months.  Once 2012 rolls around, I have to pay a deductible before I get any prescriptions filled. I like to prolong that payment.  As a result of all this activity over the holiday, I now have my receipts ready for submission to the insurance plan.  I won't have the problem I often have of losing track of my receipts since I can submit them all at once.

Finally, I managed to take stock of my goals in 2011 and set new ones for 2012. I've got a busy year ahead and I am hoping that soon I can enjoy myself without the level of knee and leg pain present I had this past year.  I still have pain but hopefully things are improving. I do notice my right leg muscles and knee cap are not stiff like they have been for at least half a year.  Hopefully the stretching and exercises will really help.

Things have been much busier than I could have anticipated over the holiday but I feel like I am ahead of the ball for 2012 and ready to make the best of things.

A photo of a gate I took in Chinatown.

The truth is that right now I am a little tired so I probably won't be blogging that much for a few weeks. I want to enjoy the next few weeks and take things slowly as I begin to implement my plan for 2012. I hope you will come back from time to time and see me once I am back.

Taking Stock of 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Photo information:  Photo from internet. Not sure the name of the photographer.

At the close of the year,  many of us look back and review how the year went.  Some of us,  make resolutions.  Others of us, set goals.  I've never been one to make resolutions but I usually do set some broad goals for myself.  Mostly these have been unwritten goals in 2-3 key areas.  For the first time last year,  I sat down and wrote out my goals in several major areas of my life.  Last year was also the first time I posted my goals on my blog.  Within each broad goal I identified, there are a number of smaller ones.  I didn't write these down, but kept them in mind as I moved through the year.

I wanted to see if writing and posting my goals would help keep me achieve some things that I "always want to do" but which just never seem to get done due to lack of time.  Does that sound familiar to you?  I've heard it said that if you want to make sure you do something, you need to make an appointment to do it.  Setting broad goals can help in setting those important appointments with yourself throughout the year, and keep you focused on what is important.  It can even help you decide where you will spend your money in a given year and help you be realistic about what you can and cannot achieve. 

Some of my regular readers know that I had major mobility issues this past year.  The lack of mobility and the constant pain impacted negatively on my ability to achieve a number of health goals, despite my best efforts. Nonetheless, I kept trying and I'm still trying.  Eventually I'll get there.  Having a very sick parent that was in and out of hospital and needed to move, also took up a lot of energy and resources.

While I did think about different ways to undertake some minor renovations in the kitchen, in the end I didn't make much progress on my "Home" goals.  I decided not spend anything in this area and I won't spend anything in this area unless I have saved it first.  Debt repayment and living within my means, or living under my means, is one of my key goals for the foreseeable future.  I've been making steady progress in this area over the past several years.  I've managed to make progress by organizing my finances to make things flow better (cutting interest rates and number of bills paid), implementing a lot of cost saving measures in running the household (food, electricity, buying medical prescriptions 3 months at a time instead of monthly, only shopping the sales flyers),  cutting costs on hobbies (buying books and yarn at thrift stores, buying exercise equipment rather than spending on gym members, buying used rather than second hand where cost effective, shopping the sales when buying new) and cutting out expenses that were no longer necessary or changing services to get better value for money (cable television, mobile internet, cell phone, pharmacist).

My debts do not prevent me from giving to charitable causes, like the Missions of Hope , my sponsored children or a variety of other needs.  I am a tither so giving ten percent or more of gross income is something that I do despite my other financial obligations.  Having said that, giving would be easier when debts are cleared.  No more debt would also give me more freedom to do what I'd like as well as prepare me better for whatever comes.

Of course, debt management is only one part of financial planning. One must also think about savings/investments for retirement, insurance needs, and paying off the mortgage while you still have the finances to do it.  If you are still working on all these steps don't forget to have a lawyer make up your Last Will & Testament.  Give some thought to your beneficiaries as well as your last wishes concerning "going home" arrangements.  It really isn't that expensive to have a lawyer draft your will so don't try to cut corners by going to a notary public.  It is better to see a lawyer who specializes in Wills & Estates matters.  So many people don't like to talk about these things but it is all a part of the life cycle and we must be grown up and practical about such things.  Otherwise you make it harder for those left behind to cope when they are grieving and having to sort through your personal and financial business.

While you're at it, you might also give some thought to having a lawyer draft up a legal document as to what you would like to have happen if you find yourself requiring life support.  Hospitals need to know whether their patients want to be resuscitated.  They get these wishes from the patient.  However, if the patient is too sick and weak to properly represent himself/herself, it really isn't a good idea to leave this decision until a critical time. It is important to know ahead of time and to give your loved ones your wishes in a legal document so that they can advocate for your wishes at the hospital.  More and more hospitals simply want to "pull the plug" before the family is fully ready. Don't be caught unaware on this one.  In Canada, this kind of legal agreement costs about twice as much (about $550.00) as I paid for my will (about $275.00) though the price may have gone up since I hired a lawyer.

Writing my goals down really helped to keep me on track and start doing the things I've been wanting to do,  like reading more and getting on with my swimming lessons.  While the achievement of my goals has been mixed, I am still happy with what I was able to achieve given my limitations and the always unexpected things that "pop up" to distract you.

I put a little √ mark beside those goals I was able to achieve, and an X beside those that I did not meet. If I was not able to action any goal, consistently throughout the year, I put an X beside it.

In 2012, I will undertake the same process of setting my goals in writing and posting them since I found it to be a helpful process.

SPIRITUAL
* Make more time for prayer and study √
* Research and obtain some good study materials √
* Support one person in reaching their dreams/goals √
* Make one loan to a female entrepreneur in a Kenyan village√
* Cultivate and nurture my Christian friendships and broaden my base of friendships√
* Write to my new sponsored children in Kenya, send them photos and family/birthday gifts √

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE
* Learn more about healthy diet for diabetics and incorporate pulses, grains, dark green veggies into cooking. √
* Be more active & do more stretching X
* Ride my stationary bike for 30 minutes 3x per week, increasing to every day X √
* Resume weight training X
* Continue with my swimming lessons √
* Take a water aerobics class X
* Eat more vegan or vegetarian dishes. Limit protein eaten at any one meal. X
* Learn how to make make bar soap X
* Get more Omega 3 EFA, vitamins & fibre √
* Daydream more X
* Laugh more X
* Watch more videos and invite friends for movie and popcorn X
* Use computer time more efficiently √

FAMILY
* Continue to visit mom √
* Learn about mom's special clothes needs √
* Find new home for niece/mom √

FINANCIAL
* Pay down debt X
* Learn tools to pay debt √
* Live below income √
* Save more X
* Continue saving in the snowflake jar fund for miscellaneous projects √
* Think two or three times before impulse spending √
* Implement strategic charitable giving (where my dollars will have the most impact to address grassroots needs) √

HOBBIES
* Read at least two books per month √
* Learn more about creating an edible garden X
* Embroider 1 medium-large piece X
* Crochet several doilies √
* Knit slippers√ , learn to knit sweaters X
*Take a quilting course X

HOME
* Redecorate master bathroom X
* Continue major decluttering project and give to the goodwill √
* Consider and save for minor kitchen upgrades X

How about you dear reader? 

Did you set goals last year and did you reach them?

Do You Use Wikipedia?

Dear friends,

Do you use Wikipedia?  I know I use it a lot and find it very helpful for the most part.  If you use it too, please consider making a small donation to keep it going. I made my small donation of $5. last year and again this year. If we all do our part, we can continue to have this service benefit us when we need it.

Here is an excerpt from the personal appeal from the founder of Wikipedia.
With just a few days to go in our 2011 fundraiser, we're so close to reaching our annual budget. Then we’ll have everything we need to keep Wikipedia going in 2012.

Only about 1 of 500 Wikipedia users donates each year. But that’s enough to keep us free for the whole world to use, without ads, and without restriction.

When we raise our budget, we stop fundraising. Please help us end this year’s fundraiser today with a donation of $5, $20, $50 or whatever you can.

Thanks and Happy New Year,

Jimmy Wales

An Update on Mama Linet

My friend visited Mama Linet on December 12, 2011 to take her some support I sent to try and help her get on her feet.  Some of you remember me writing about Mama Linet before. She is the young mother with the little girl named Linet who has a cleft palate.

I came to know of Mama Linet through my friend Jonah.  He found this little family while on a medical mission.  On that mission he learned about the little girl Linet who was rapidly losing weight and could not eat.  He felt led to help her get some medical attention and the right food to help her get stronger.  He was so gratified and excited when the little girl stopped losing weight and started to get healthier. Now the little girl is thriving, running around, playing and drawing.  She still needs cleft palate surgery and hopefully she will be able to get it some day.

In the meantime, we also wanted to help this mother try to provide for her family since times are very hard in Kenya with runaway inflation and poor maize prices.  Initially, the young mom thought she would like to try and start a beauty salon.  After she thought about it some more, she decided to start a  charcoal business instead.  I do hope and pray that she will make a success of it for the future of herself and her children.

(Click photos to enlarge)

Here is Mama Linet with her children and the charcoal she is now selling.

My friend also visited some Internally Displaced People (IDP) in early December.  He returned to see them on December 24, 2011, to take food.  I wrote about this in my last two posts in case you are interested in reading more about this. It will bless you so much to see that someone's Christmas was brightened.

Jonah has visited the IDP Camp whenever he can to try to encourage the people and bring them hope. He tries to take blankets and mosquito nets whenever he can purchase them.  These IDPs are Kenyans and they were displaced about 4 years ago from their homes.  They lost everything and escaped with their lives after the ugly violence that erupted soon after the last national election in Kenya.

Here is Jonah distributing candy and medicine to the children as well as mosquito nets to some of the elderly.

These are the living conditions at the IDP camp.

We know that most people will never get a chance to go and visit these places.
We want to show you the conditions the people live in so you can determine whether you can share whatever you have to help these people.

Even a little goes a long way but we don't want anyone to give what they cannot afford. We only want you to give if you have enough food and if you are thankful for what you have.
We want you to give if you feel blessed enough to help someone else and have faith that your future needs will be met.

If you can help, you can do so here.

God bless.

Photo credits:  Jonah, Missions of Hope

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, 

The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 

~ Isaiah 9:6

God is love. ~ 1 John 4:8

 

Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself ~ Matthew 19:19

Christmas for the IDPs

On Christmas Eve day,  my Kenyan friend Jonah went shopping for food at the local Gilani's Supermarket in Nakuru town. He hired a truck and got together some volunteers. (Click all collages for a large view).

Their mission was to visit and encourage some people living in a camp for Internally Displaced Persons outside of Nakuru.  These people live in deep poverty.  That means they do  not have proper housing, jobs or food or clothes.  They live in ragged tents and ramshackle buildings constructed with scraps they have been able to find. They live without water, electricity or basic toilets. It is a miserable and hard life.

Now and then if they are lucky they might get a glimmer of hope through the gifts of strangers like Jonah and those that help him in the missions.

Here are a few photos of the children and the people of the camp.

Children love to be remembered. These small gifts of snacks made them happy at this time of year.

The grownups also love to be encouraged and remembered.  Many of the people in IDP camps once had land, homes, jobs. Now they live like beggars not knowing what will happen to them tomorrow. They are trying very hard to get some kind of compensation and a new start from the governing powers.

They were very happy to receive the gifts.

This is what the spirit of the Christmas season is about.
Bringing joy to others.

Blessings of the season to you.