Hard times in the Woods

It's now February 3rd and I am staying strong as far as no sodas or Sonic. Now I will have to say I have cooked speghetti (which was AMAZING when you are as hungry as I was!!) and had store bought/cooked pizza - Ahhh heaven in a bite!! - but other than that, I'm staying on a clear path to better health and I'm o.k.

Next week, I will celebrate 45 years on this Earth and let me tell ya, when I think back about what all I have put in my mouth and whether or not it was actually "good" for me - I'm amazed that I've gone this long without major health problems. God is good - that's all I have to say about that. I have seen fit to claim God' mercy for my health - something that my Seester Ick can't say fully... or my Sister JoDee. I'm the baby (of 3 girls) and the biggest of them all! Ick has had diabetes since she was 17, she has Crohns Disease and a few other issues like allergies, but honestly - she is such a strong person; I have ALWAYS said God knew which one of us to give the health issues to, because up until this point in my life - I don't know that I could have put up with all she has had to and change my eating habits. I was willing to. JoDee, the eldest of us all, has been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and although it has gotten her down at times, she is determined to not let it rule her life and I applaud her for that. She is an active woman - a real life Chef (WOO HOO!!!) and tries to stay within her limitations of stress & overexertion.

Growing up with a diabetic in the family was a little tough, but nothing like I'm sure it was for Ick. My Hubby was declared a Type 1 diabetic 2 years ago, but has managed to not have to have meds because he was so focused on his weight loss and the diet plan the Dietician gave him (he lost over 60 lbs!!!) He has let just a few grains of sugar pass his lips in those 2 years and watched his carb intake well. I pray he can continue this journey and continue to enjoy the health he now has.

Many others are with me in my adventure to be healthier and to be wiser about what we put in our bodies. It's hard and a constant struggle for some - but with a group of people with the same common goal in mind, it sure is easier. I still am not able to exercise like I'd like to, but I'm doing what I can and hopefully it will contribute to the well being and overall weigh loss for me. I may not win any "Biggest Loser" competitions, but I will be one of the biggest winners by losing weight, being more healthy and ultimately - learning how to replace my desires with spiritual things such as prayer, Bible study and just more time with my Heavenly Father - who created us all!

If you're struggling with diet - may I suggest PINTREST! It's been a wonderful thing for me and a wonderful resource for new recipes. If you're not on Pintrest - request an invite, but beware!! It is TOTALLY ADDICTING!!! May God bless us all and may God shine his favor down in my neck of the woods!

Changing the Scenery of My Woods!

Well, it's been 24 days since I have graced the drive thru of my favorite fast food place, Sonic and let me tell ya, although at times - I could taste the juicy goodness of my mayo slathered cheeseburger - I have PREVAILED and not stepped even as much as a little toe in that lot! My car is even doing very well not wanting to turn left into that driveway!

24 days, also of NO SODAS! There have been 2 definite times that I could have slapped someone silly for a sip of a good, cold Dr. Pepper - but I have overcome those cravings. Me and my bottle of water (flavorings added at times) are doing quite well these days, I must say.

WHY, you ask, do without sodas and Sonic? Did they do something to harm me? My first thought is "no" BUT YES THEY DID! They have contributed to my rather soft middle of a muffin top, my way too 'fluffy' appearance. What did I replace the craving with - PRAYER! Plain and simple!

Prayer is the answer that EVERYONE is needing. From the simple things of life, to the big global problems our world seems ever increasingly facing! Got a "giant" in your way - face it with PRAYER!

...oh and all this has allowed me to drop about 7 lbs so far. Not a whopping amount, but ya gotta start somewhere! :)

New Year - New Thoughts

Happy 2012 Everyone! Being inspired by the desire to be a little smaller come June (my son's wedding) and the hope of being a better me, I have started my own 40 days of Purpose. As of January 1st, I have stopped consuming all sodas and stopped going to my FAVORITE drive-in, Sonic. :(
You may ask why...and why call it my 40 days of purpose and I'll be more than happy to share parts of it with you on this blog for the next few months. Remember, my blog is therapeutic to me at times and hopefully entertaining to the masses! LOL!!!

My 40 days that began Jan. 1, will subsequently end on February 9, the day BEFORE my birthday...so that's reason #1. It's a "do-able" time frame, AND (most importantly) it's a time for me to replace those things with prayer. Prayer for my son and his future, for his job search...for his marriage. Prayer for my younger son, for protection and guidance. Prayer for myself, to be closer to God & to always seeks God's will in my life. What BETTER thing to do than to replace sustenance that I can live without with a spiritual thing I can't - prayer!!

What would you purpose in your heart to give up so that God could fill you with something you need??? Are you willing to take a 40 day challenge?? No time like the present to start!

It's beginning to look at lot like Christmas!

So this year in my woods - the tree is very BLINGY and it spins! :) Hudman just had to have the tree spinner this year after salivating over them for a few years. With his own $$ - Mom finally said "Why not?!" He's such a talented young man besides his singing voice that must have come directly from ANGELS! :) He's got a florist's touch as well!!

Shortly after changing out the bedding and making it quite festive, Kitty decided that she LOVES Christmas too, but in a Kitty kind of way! :) Napping is her favorite! Thanks to my beautiful Momma Rosie for the hand tied poinsettia blanket & to my wonderful MIL for the Christmas bedspread!

So have you seen the glittery electric candles?? OH MY - I would have a collection of them if they weren't a little out of my meager budget for the season. Moms usually come last as far as purchasing things for our selves, don't we? Think Santa would understand??


As you decorate in your cabin this year for Christmas, please don't forget the real reason we celebrate. It's CHRIST.... and all He did & is doing for us that makes this time of year so special! The celebration of his birth so many years ago and remembering what a gift from God he is to the world is definitely worth celebrating! We decorate cakes, put out some table top decor for our own birthdays, perhaps - but for HIS birthday - I go all out!! :) We remember the humble beginnings that He had, but what a glorious celebration we'll have one day when He returns to gather those who have trusted in Him!

ONE of my favorite Christmas songs has to be Mark Lowry's "Mary, Did you Know?" If you get a whole 3 or 4 minutes sometime in the next few weeks - listen to the words. Do you think she fully understood the baby she was carrying was the Messiah? I don't think so, but she had FAITH that God, no matter what, would see her through the task at hand.

May God RICHLY bless your Christmas Season and may you and yours remember the reason for the season is Jesus!
From my woods - to yours ~
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Deer Season in my Woods

Opening day of Deer Season in Arkansas is almost a holy day. It's the day when all the redneck, gun tote'en, camo loving cells in my body come together ~ it's a day of oneness with the land that I love, the time of sitting in utmost AWE of the land that GOD created.

For a while, probably my first 15 years of marriage or so, Deer Season Opening Weekend was a time to spend with the other ladies in my family. Sometimes, when we could, we'd take the drive up to Branson, MO and do our pre-Christmas celebrating & shopping. Then...something happened. I think it must have been around 2001... I decided that if I wanted to see Hubby anytime at all in the following months (usually Oct. - Feb.), maybe it was time to look deep inside this transplanted Southern body and see if anything resembled a woman that could hunt and well...guess what? She was THERE! It also was around that time that deer hunting changed, probably not for the better, in our area. The local tree/land company Weyerhauser started LEASING their property, making it a crime to hunt it unless you had the "rights" to hunt it. And so it began - the family got together, pooled their money into the PKL, Inc. Lease and started hunting not 3 miles from our home in the woods.

I began hunting and ENJOYING it around that time and haven't missed an opening day since then. I am not "die hard" vs. other ladies in our area, but I can hold my own. I am comfortable using a fire arm and have harvested (the P.C. term for hunting and killing an animal) 2 deer. My first deer I got was within 30 minutes of stepping into the deer stand. Got me an 8 point!!! :)
From that point on, I knew I could do it.

Now mind you, for those who are compassionate towards animals ( and I am....) I have to stop and give a disclaimer here. In our area, if we didn't have a controlled deer hunt, the population would overtake us, spread all kinds of nasty deer viruses and cause way more automobile accidents! I am a firm believer that taking and using these deer, not wasting them, is a good thing. I do not advocate taking deer illegally or poaching deer when a season is not open. I do not advocate taking deer that are too young or under the size restriction. I do not always agree with the rules and regulations set forth by our game & fish commission, but it IS the law and I am bound to said laws.

Now, with that out of the way - let's go to this past opening day. It was a cool day, a little windy, and cloudy, but on to the stand I went. . . and what a stand it was!!! Similar in size and shape to the outhouses of olden days, I took my place in the dark, situated myself - my magazines (to pass the time) & my gear and settled in my little house. I always enjoy looking around at the natural beauty that surrounds our lease and I certainly wasn't disappointed this year!

As the sun began to rise over the horizon, through the clouds was the most amazing sunrise I've witnessed in a LONG time! It started out with billowing clouds, making their way from the horizon toward the west in long streaks. When the sun started peaking out, it made the most beautiful array of colors.... started out with greys and blues, went into reds and oranges and then it was like the sky was on fire!

As it would be, I didn't harvest a deer on this day, but I will forever - as long as the Creator will allow - remember this beautiful beginning to the opening day of 2011 Deer Season. I did witness 2 incredible and very cute "Bambi" deer who almost wanted to share my outhouse stand and another very tiny buck, but as I said - I pride myself as an ethical hunter and let them all live to see another day themselves. I may not have gotten anything to brag about but the pictures I have are all the trophy I need!!!

A Fresh Coat of Paint...

It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint will do for a room!! I've seen it a gazillion times on t.v. - on the room makeover shows - and now.... I've experienced it for myself. I said it was like a facelift, but my son DT said, "No Mom, it's just makeup!"
It was very therapeutic for me to paint, much cheaper than a therapist I'm sure! Time by myself, just me and a paint brush and a wall that wasn't going anywhere - a rather captive audience!
So here's before...











And since we know the Hubby was away, I could play and leave things as messy as I wanted to and take my time...which I did. Thanks to my sweet and very understanding boys Hudman & DT for letting Mom work out her frustrations and just paint.

I chose a "natural" color - Pine Needle. It was an Eddie Bauer color at Lowe's and I had them put it in an Olympic paint rather than what it called for simply because it was less expensive.
I have searched and searched for a whopping 3 years for the "just right" color and found it in this exquisite shade of green. Just went perfectly in my humble home - with all it's cabin type, antique & hunter provided decor. (What's my style?? Oh no hesitation - EARLY CONFUSION!)

So armed with just a paint roller and accessories that I thought I needed- off I went!
After 3 short sessions, I had a nearly new kitchen! It may not have all new appliances in the latest styles and new granite counter tops, but it is just wonderful what a fresh coat of paint will do...and how it makes me feel and that's all that matters.
So Mrs. Happy Homemaker or just person wishing for a change... pick out the color that best suits your tastes, splurge a little - buy the supplies and take a few hours and change YOUR WORLD!~ Who knows - it may just give you the "face lift" you've been needing; a SMILE!

...interruped marriage...

If you look closely, you can see the little darling deer who has been hanging out in my woods lately. Although I fear his mother met her fate on this highway, he seemed to be making alright.

It's this time of year that we tend to see so many deer in our neck of the woods and sometimes, it's a welcome sight - but most of the time it's a STOMP ON THE BREAKS kinda meeting!

The official kick off of hunting season, deer hunting, began October 1st with the opening of archery. Modern gun season doesn't begin until November - that's the time I get involved.

Hubby, the great white hunter that he is, begins in September with the opening of Black Bear season...not my favorite adventure of his - but thankfully God has kept him safe now for the years that he has been sharing the woods with the bear of our great state. It's really amazing how much wildlife we really have. Growing up not to far from where I make my home now, I really don't remember seeing that many deer and certainly do not recall seeing bear!!

From my home, the Fall colors are just beautiful!!

Just let the SUN SHINE IN!!!

Fall is one of my FAVORITE times of year. It's the promise that summer's heat is nearing an end, the hope of greatly needed rainfall and the refreshing breezes brought by oncoming northerly lows. It's kind of sad, though, when I just soak in so much of the beauty of nature, only to be heartbroken when the winds take the colorful leaves from the trees and deposit them on floor of the woods. I want to scoop up those beautiful reds, oranges and golds and hold onto them for just a while longer...

As it would fall, this year is the year of the Hubby's GREAT HUNTING ADVENTURE! He and a crew of manly men left out for their westward trek in search of bigger trophies than Arkansas can provide... well at least different trophies. Elk meat is the most sought after trophy in my mind, although in Hubby's, it's the majestic trophy of the horns that appeal to him. The cool, crisp mornings that he'll be hearing the piercing bugle of the elk - I almost envy, but then knowing just how COLD that will be makes me shiver back to reality and know that HOME is the best place for this Hunter's Wife to be!!! YOU GO, HUBBY - YOU GO!

I have several projects in the back of my mind, a few of which actually have come to the forefront and have had a few motions made toward actually STARTING them! For one, my kitchen needs painting - well not NEEDS it, but I NEED to paint it! I've had the same boring eggshell color on the walls for 25 years. YES, I said 25 years!! Now, with the aid of my new found passion for COLOR - it's going to be a wonderful shade of sage green. Pine Needle to be exact - most fitting for my woods, don't you think?! It's an Eddie Bauer color (Thank you Lowe's!) and I found it after nearly 3 years of searching for the JUST RIGHT COLOR! Yup, 3 years Ladies & Gents.... It has to "speak" to me, before I'll buy it! A special "Thank You" goes to one of my church Sisters for sharing her living room color with me... it was THE ONE!

So now the paint and accessories have been purchased and now...all I need is time. I'll be posting pictures SOON... before the project starts.

As I sign off for the day - I'm reminded that all good things come to those who wait. With that thought and a prayer on my heart for Hubby & company - I hope their hunting trip is very successful, full of memories and safe and I hope my own adventure is all of those things as well.

HAPPY HUNTING Y'ALL!! and may your time in the woods be blessed!