Another Great Blonde Joke!

I used to be blonde when I was really little!! Glad I grew out of it!!

A blonde calls her boyfriend and says, "Please come over here and help me. I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can't figure how to get it started." Her boyfriend asks, "What is it supposed to be when it's fininshed? The blonde says, According to the picture on the box, it's a tiger." Her boyfriend decides to go over and help her with the puzzle. She lets him in and shows him where she has the puzzle spread all over the table. He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, turns to her and says, "First of all, no matter what we do, we're not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a tiger." Then he takes her hand and says, "Second, I want you to relax. Let's have a nice cup of tea, and then..." He sighed........."Let's put all the Frosted Flakes back into the box."

Good One!!!

Food

Here's what I am thinking about food and eating less -

1). Once you start to cut back, you are immediately HUNGRY.
2). I must have been eating way over 2500 calories a day before I got started cutting back this week!!
3). I don't like diet foods. What works for me is to eat what I like, but in smaller portions!
4). I just think when people have these great recipes that have all low fat or no fat, I would rather not have it. I am just not interested! Then I think it must not be me, their taste buds are just crazy!!
5). I guess what probably got me into this shape to begin with (besides my German heritage) is my love for sodas! I read a report today that liquid calories are not handled the same as hard calories. So you eat a burger that has 400 calories and drink a big soda with 400 calories. Your brain will tell you when you have had enough of the burger but you don't get the signal for those liquid calories! Grrrrrrr!!
6). I love fried foods - I didn't know I was eating so much fat although I don't have a problem with my cholesterol! That is part of my German heritage! I heard a joke once that said that there is only one page in a German cookbook and it says FRY EVERYTHING!! I love everything fried...except maybe twinkies! Fried is what I grew up with!
7). I have always admired people like weight lifters and body builders thinking (and I am wrong) that they could eat anything they want. Look at them closely and I think we would find that they eat healthy and like lots of supplements. So...I do need more exercise so possibly I could boost those food cravings with food! Good food!
8). Am I going to have to be this vigilent for the rest of the "lifestyle change" to get where I want? Yes
9). Am I going to have to be this vigilent once I reach a goal weight? Yes...for the rest of my life!
10). I suppose there will be days that I don't want to work the new lifestyle, like today when I feel like I am starving, but I will have to GUT IT OUT so I can stay on track!!

Food - I hope to put it somewhere in the background within the next few days so there won't be such a loud clamor going on all the time!

See ya!! Pray for me!! I covet your prayers!!

Rowdy!!

Losing Weight

I need to lose weight!

I casually mentioned yesterday at Scrapfreak that I was going to look at WW for online weight loss and Julie (thank you so much) directed me to http://www.sparkpeople.com/ I checked it out yesterday...well practically all day yesterday and I joined up.

By this morning, I had added 4 girls from Scrapfreak to my friends page!! How nice is that to have friends who are trying to lose weight at the same time? Well, 2 out of 4 of them are preggers so they aren't trying right at the moment but I bet they will be back in no time!

What's nice about Spark is that when I entered my weight and height, it gave me my estimated BMI and then told me I was obese! What a thing to say to someone that you have just met! Really!! lol

Anyhoo, I needed the kick in the bo bo because I am just getting fatter and fatter so yesterday I decided to do something about it!

So, when I eat something, I enter it into my nutrition page and it plots the calories for me! According to what I weigh now, Spark decided what I needed to eat to lose weight and how many calories a day I should have. The first 2 weeks are the break in period. What's even nicer is you can search foods and find what you should eat depending on how many calories you have left. Almost like the first time I did WW but FREE!! FREE is better!!

So, off I go!! I want to lose my spare tire and my 3 tiered chin!! Wish me luck!!

Rowdy

Another Blog Challenge from Scrapfreak

This looks like fun!!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: Tiny Avalanche
2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: Moolenium Crunch Oatmeal Raisin
3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: JMAR
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: Red Leopard
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: Corbin Munich
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: Marjo
7. SUPERHERO NAME: The Purple Mountain Dew
8. NASCAR NAME: William Joseph
9. STRIPPER NAME: Happy to be Baby Ruth
10. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: Red Amalie

Oh my goodness!! How fun is that?

Rowdy

Day 7 of Fasting!

I had no accidental chocolate and I stayed off of Scrapfreak!!!

Wooo Hooo!!

I am so glad I got the news from the church about the fasting. I think fasting just changes you for the better. I may have actually got a bigger blessing out of fasting than Margaret did.

Of course I was supposed to do it in secret but I told everybody for a reason! I wanted people everywhere to pray for Margaret and lots of people told me that they would! I hope to talk to her soon and to get to see her by the end of this month!!

What a great week!! Keep looking up - that's where your deliverance comes from!!

Jo Anne

Day 6 of Fasting!!

Lots of prayer yesterday and no Scrapfreak or accidental chocolate yesterday!!!

I did instant message Monica and Amy today and Shannon emailed me so I was a little less cut off today!! Although, those M&M's in the kitchen called to me all day! I finally put them into the pantry this morning!

So, I get to get back on Scrapfreak tomorrow and get to eat some chocolate Friday. Since I accidentally ate chocolate two different days, I decided to extend the chocolate fast to Friday! It's just the right thing to do!!

I was just thinking the other day that I really don't hear too much outside of the Pentecostal and spirit filled non denominational churches, about fasting. The Bible really has lots of references to fasting that are exceptional! My favorite example is when some of the disciples try to heal a boy with epilepsy and Jesus heals him and then tells the disciples privately that this healing could only occur with prayer and fasting!

So, if we gorge ourselves with food, TV, the internet, games and other things and are called suddenly into a prayer session, how much power is lost if we are not ready? That is something to think about! Jesus apparently was fasting and the disciples were not at the time the healing should have occured. They weren't ready - how many times will we miss opportunities because we aren't ready? It's something to think about!

Have a blessed day.

Jo Anne

Days 3, 4 and 5 of fasting!!

Well, the Scrapfreak addicition is still here and the chocolate addiction was accidentally fed again this weekend at a scrapbooking retreat!! I had poured out some semi sweet chocolate chips for someone and just happened to put a few of them in my mouth on the way to her table!

So, I have been thinking that I am getting some real blessings from the fasting although the whole thing is SUPPOSED to be about Margaret!! I was driving through Sanger to get to my retreat and there was a sign across the road advertising "Sanger Celebration" and I read "Savior Celebration". How funny!! Just small things like the girl helping me pack all the cold stuff for my retreat in the cold bags I was purchasing at the time instead of me having to do it in 80 something weather in the parking lot! Or my truck being packed up before I even realized I was done! I just feel blessed and I pray that Margaret is feeling healed!

See ya!

Rowdy

Day 2 of Prayer and Fasting!!

It's day two of prayer and fasting and I have been praying for Margaret like the crazy Pentecostal woman I am. I bet I woke up at least 10 times last night with prayer on my lips for Margaret!!

I had no accidental chocolate today and haven't been on Scrapfreak! I really hit the jackpot with fasting these two items. I knew I was addicted to Scrapfreak - that's a given but who knew that I thought about chocolate every 10 seconds??? (inside joke for some of my scrappin girls). Fasting could only have been worse if I had given up real food and soda! I had a friend once who fasted over three weeks (I am not sure of when it ended) with no food. She drank milk and juices only!! Ginger was just awesome in her commitment to fasting and she fasted frequently.

I already believe that Margaret was healed the first time I asked for her to be healed. My prayers are just thanks to the Great God that we serve for the grace and mercy that we SWIM in everyday!! Thanks be to God that our words can call forth healing and blessings! Thanks be to God that Jesus left the authority behind with each one of us to lay hands on each other for healing. Thanks be to God that our hands don't have to touch someone physically and they can still recieve their healing if we only believe when we pray!

Thanks be to God that fasting really allows you to bring your body under authority!

Thanks be to God!

Rowdy

Snow in the Mountains!!

I love looking at the Webcam in my Aunt Ella's hometown. Looks like today it snowed in the higher elevations. I so want to go when it looks like this!! I think the temp was in the low 50's!!

Enjoy!!

Rowdy

Day 1 of Prayer and Fasting

My former Pastor's wife Margaret is battling multiple myeloma and the church has called for prayer and fasting so here I am. I decided to give up Scrapfreak and chocolate for a week. When I told my DD what I was giving up, she understood how hard it would be for me! She decided that she would fast on the chocolate too but changed her mind to ice cream today!!

So, while I am sitting here typing this, my youngest DD hands me a cookie right out of the oven and I just ate it...it had chocolate in it!! Grrrr!!! How does that happen?

So, before I had the outlaw chocolate cookie, the need for Scrapfreak was way ahead of the chocolate. It still is. It's nice to go online and chat with friends and look at cards or layouts and just have a good time. But Margaret is so worth every second for a week of not getting online or eating chocolate.

I checked on Margaret through my former church's secretary and she said that despite some horrible things going wrong during a gel infusion on her spine, she is doing well. In fact, Margaret's daughter Tammy had surgery yesterday and today Margaret is at the hospital with her. My former Pastor Weldon, hurt himself by stepping in the elevator the wrong way at the hospital (he uses a cane after a bad ankle break years ago) and has had to start rehab again!

I would say the whole family needs prayer and fasting. On top of the obvious, the insurance doesn't pay for everything because Margaret had not had her insurance long enough! The church is planning some fundraising which I hope to be part of since that is something I do well!!

Here is my confession and I am sticking with it - the devil won't win this one.

Rowdy