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November 29th:  Galatians 3:19-4:20; Lamentations 1-2; Psalm 145

"A great marriage is not when the 'perfect couple' comes together.  It is when the imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences."

-Dave Meurer

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November 28th:  Galatians 3:1-18; Jeremiah 51-52; Psalm 144

"Buying something on sale is a very special feeling.  In fact, the less I pay for something, the more it is worth to me."

-Rita Rudner

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November 27th:  Galatians 2; Jeremiah 49-50; Psalm 143

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

-Galatians 2:20

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

for I have put my trust in you.

Show m the way I should go,

for to you I lift up my soul.

-Psalm 143:8

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November 26th:  Galatians 1; Jeremiah 47-48; Psalm 142

"Thanksgiving is America's national chow-down feast, the one occasion each year when gluttony becomes a patriotic duty."

-Michael Dresser

This Ain't My First Rodeo

I'm determined to make it through this holiday season with little to no weight gain. So I'm going into it with a plan. Starting today, the kick off to the glutton fest. I'm writing it down to be held accountable, therefore, you get to know what it is.

Don't you feel privy and special?

1. Drink LOTS of water. And I mean lots! (in between the glasses of red wine...)
2. Wear tight pants. That's right, no elastic, no expanding, no sweatpants. I'll know when I'm done when my waistband cuts off circulation to my lower half.
3. Fill half my plate with veggies. So what if my sweet potatoes and green beans are swimming in butter.
4. Go on a walk pre and post meal. Ok, fine, so the post meal walk is really to make room for dessert.
5. Dessert. Oh dear. Stick to desserts that contain fruit. Pumpkin pie, berry pie, apple pie. Pecans are a protein nut, so I'll allow pecan pie too. Oh, and 1/2 fat, slow churned ice creams are clear too.

- Posted from my iPhone

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Everyday we have much to be thankful for, but do you give thanks everyday?   In the craziness of the holiday season, and the slowness of the rest of the year, don't forget to turn to the one who gives you such things to be thankful for.

God,
We thank you for all the abundant blessings and gifts You have given us.  Please let the Light of Your love continue to burn bright in us today, as we thank You and celebrate You.  Keep showing us Your will and giving us the resources and strength to do what You want us to do.

Let us find the way to love one another by seeing You, God, in our family and neighbors.  As we go forward again this day, in this life, let us always remember You and Love You.
Amen.

I would so love to hear what your prayer, blessings, or grace is at your Thanksgiving table.  Feel free to comment below.

A Prayer of Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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November 25th:  2 Peter 3; Jeremiah 45-46; Psalm 141

"The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes."

-Frank Lloyd Wright

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November 24th:  2 Peter 2; Jeremiah 43-44; Psalm 140

"I really don't think I need buns of steel.  I'd be happy with buns of cinnamon."

-Ellen DeGeneres 

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November 23rd:  2 Peter 1; Jeremiah 41-42; Psalm 139

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand.

When I awake,

I am still with you.

-Psalm 139:17-18

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

-Psalm 139:23

5 Ways Women Sabotage Their Relationships

Am I a saboteur?   I know I'm constantly trying not to sabotage my weight loss journey.  And sometimes I feel like I sabotage friendships.  Or maybe I manipulate...?  Either way, not good.  So, do I sabotage relationships too?  Well, let's see what eharmony has to say about how women sabotage their relationships...

1. You’ve refused to go out with a guy because he didn’t fit your perfect picture of Mr. Right.
   Is the guy you’re hoping to meet more myth than actual flesh and blood? If he is, then it’s time to think about the real guys you meet and how they might make you happy ever after without the fairy tale ending.  Ok, I'd like the opportunity to refuse to go out with a guy.  Seriously!  Sure, I know what I want in a guy, but in order to know if someone does or doesn't fit into what I'm looking for I first need to find someone to go on a date with and get to know.
   
2. You’ve judged a guy based solely on looks, and ignored the fact that he had a great personality.
   Great looks don’t last, but a caring man, who puts you first, might truly go the distance. A kind man who will be a faithful partner is the kind of happiness you can take to the bank. I'm not that shallow, but there needs to be some sort of instant attraction.  Right?
   
3. You have a pattern of getting into arguments with your significant other -- for no real reason.
   More often than not, the woman doing this habitually is experiencing a form of transference, in which you relive the wounds of past relationships. Remember this one simple rule, good endings help create good beginnings. If you take the time to heal those past relationship disappointments, there’s a good chance you’ll leave a lot of those needless arguments behind you. Um, guilty.  Doh!  How do I fix it and make it better?
   
4. You make fun of him or tease him about his passion for you.
   Most men are not Brad Pitt; that doesn’t mean they like to be reminded of their shortcomings in the area of romance. Bottom line: Never tell a man; instead, show him. Most men are rather inept in the art of intimacy and in truth are hoping to be taught. Think and show - not tell.  No comment.  Can't say I've had a problem with PDA before.
   
5.  You’ve left a relationship because it was easier than telling him how you really felt.
   Sure, it’s tempting at times to end rather than mend a relationship, but ask yourself this: Was that really the outcome you wanted? Relationships that go the distance ultimately rise and fall on trust. You can be loving and positive and still be honest. Sure it can be difficult to put your feelings out there; but if he indeed is Mr. Right, he’ll want to know, and most importantly, he’ll want you both to move forward as a couple. I'm the dumpee, never the dumper.  But I do know that I have trust issues, not just in dating relationships but also in friendship relationships.  I've been burned in the past and I'm afraid of getting burned again, so I error on the side of caution.
   

 There you have it, 5 ways women sabotage their relationships.  Sometimes it's good to hear the stuff that we don't want to hear.  Sometimes we do things without realizing, or we do realize but don't the the reasoning.  Reflect back on past relationship and try to figure out what happened, what went wrong, who was wrong.  (Ok, don't reflect back on that one, 'cause the other person is 99.9% of the time the wrong one, right?)

eharmony.com

If you're wondering why I keep posting all these eharmony articles, it's because for that fraction of a second that I had a paid membership I got put on their email list.  And apparently they still know that 1) I haven't found my soul mate, and 2) I need help!

Motivation Monday - Insanity

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November 22nd: 1 Peter 5; Jeremiah 39-40; Psalm 138

"Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can:  all of them make me laugh."

-W.H. Auden

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November 21st:  1 Peter 4; Jeremiah 37-38; Psalm 137

"Children laugh an average of three hundred or more times a day; adults laugh an average of 5 times a day.  We have a lot of catching up to do."

-Heather King

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November 20th:  1 Peter 3; Jeremiah 35-36; Psalm 136

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

-1 Peter 3:3-4

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November 19th:  1 Peter 2; Jeremiah 33-34; Psalm 135

"What I expect from my male friends is that they are polite and clean.  What I expect from my female friends is unconditional love, the ability to finish my sentences for me when I am sobbing, a complete and total willingness to pour their hearts out to me, and the ability to tell me why the meat thermometer isn't supposed to touch the bone."

-Anna Quindlen

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November 18th:  1 Peter 1; Jeremiah 31-32; Psalm 134

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

-1 Peter 1:13

Forgive me for a minute...

I wanna win something! And in order for me to get an extra entry in the drawing I need to post with a link.

So you see,

(Have you noticed I start sentences with 'so' a lot? Yea, I noticed.)

So, you see, I'm a big fan of a Texas photographer. I came across her some time ago and was in awe. Awe inspired, I wanna be as talented as she is, oh! and look she loves Jesus too!

You see, Kayla Barker of Spink Studio is doing a giveaway.  And I thoroughly enjoy entering giveaways, even though I normally have a snow's chance in hell of actually winning.  And to date, I haven't won anything from anywhere.  But still, I try.  So I'm trying again.

Kayla Barker is giving away her time and talents by giving away 50 FREE custom designed Christmas cards. 


We already discussed my affection of receiving Christmas cards, but did I tell you I love sending them too?  Well, I do.  And I really like having a unique card.  A one of a kind.  Something that had effort and thought and creativity put into it. 


(Although, that was not the case last year for me.)


So here I am.  Try to win 50 custom designed Christmas cards.


Did I mention how talented Kayla is?  I dare you to go to her site and check out her ability; not only with photography, but also with photoshop.

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November 17th: James 5; Jeremiah 29-30; Psalm 133

"...For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart..."

-Jeremiah 29:11-13

Let's Play a Game!

It's getting to be about that time of the year.  You know, the time of the year when your mailbox starts to overflow with holiday cards and well-wishes.  Honestly, getting Christmas cards is maybe one of my favorite parts of the holiday season.  Getting to see those that I'm not in frequent contact with and how much everyone has grown (or in my case gotten older). 

So here's a fun little game that I found in the December 2008 edition of Real Simple.  Play along with me.  Then at the end of the card receiving season we'll compare scores.  Come on!  It'll be fun!

Holiday-Card Score Sheet

When the season's greetings start rolling in, tally up the points for each card you receive and check your holiday luck.

Gain points when you receive cards from:

• Dentist, insurance agent, hairdresser, dry cleaner, mailman +0.5 each
• Your own mother +0.5
• Another relative +1
• Friend via e-mail +0.5
• Your boss +1
• Friend you see at least once a week +1
• Above, with reference to an inside joke +3
• Long-distance friend, devoid of any personal message +2
• Above, with personal message of at least three lines +5
• Anyone who includes a handwritten personal note of more than five sentences +5
• Long-lost friend who hasn't been heard from in 20 years +10

Lose points when:

• Card and envelope are same piece of paper -1
• Signature is imprinted rather than handwritten inside card -2
• Photo is of a helpless pet in a holiday costume -3
• Your name is spelled incorrectly -4
• Highly religious card celebrates faith other than your own -5
• Card is the same one you received last year -6
• Return-address label was provided by charity to which sender may not have actually contributed -7
• Family newsletter contains words such as gallbladder, spleen, and gout -8
• Family newsletter is from ex who is (not so) subtly gloading over his/her recent wedding and cushy new job -10
• Long-lost friend who hasn't been heard from in 20 years asks for money of a place to live -20

Bonus points:

• Gilded envelope +0.5
• Handwritten return address +1
• Card in which all family members appear to have signed their own names +2
• Newsletter or family photo in card +2
• Card with moving parts +3
• Extremely clever handmade card +4
• Oversized card requiring extra postage +5
• Card sent from foreign country +6
• Newsletter with humor at progeny's expense +8
• Card with check, cash, or gift certificate +20

I'll check in every now and then with my to date results.  This could be fun!  Join me!

Picture of the Day 320

November 16th: James 4; Jeremiah 27-28; Psalm 132

"God opposes the proud

but gives grace to the humble."

-James 4:6