oh yeah, Friday!!!!

Friday pie day. I have things to do this morning, and one of them is getting supplies to make 23 pies with the youth girls, for Thanksgiving.

Sometimes I hide things so well, I cannot find them myself. I bought three bags of Starbucks coffee last week. Two of the medium roast, and one bag of vanilla. I was thinking Christmas gifts, but this fine morning, Paul is working from home, and he wants "real" coffee. We only have pumpkin spice, maple, and then espresso beans (Jonathan!). It's not a huge deal to grind the beans, it's what he'll have to do, but...I looked EVERYWHERE for that Starbucks coffee, thought I'd just crack open a bag, but I put it away so well, I can't find it. dang.

Weight loss: it's slooooow going, but it IS going! I lose on the average of a pound a week. So seriously, 8 pounds in the last two months, but since July 1st, 27 pounds. I am not positive of the starting weight, I just know it was creeping upwards, and I was getting worried I would regain ALL of that 70 pounds I lost like 7 or 8 years ago. I am now only 2 pounds away from the lowest I got in that 70 pound loss. I still have 40 to 50 pounds to lose to get to a healthy weight, and this lifestyle seems to be working for me so far, so hopefully, it'll work. I know I sound like a broken record, all these years on this blog, denying myself this and that, and always still fat. But, I have mostly given up sugar. I eat a spoonful of crunchy peanut butter after dinner some nights, and that does have sugar in it, but it's SO good, and it satisfies me. Last night, I had one and a half burgers,(they were BIG burgers, real beef, no fake meat here!) no bun, with some tomato and pickles. Some celery, and a heaping spoon of peanut butter. That's all I had for the day. Sometimes I have more for dinner, sometimes I have two meals, one being eggs, because they're so healthy. But no brekky, no snacks, and mostly, no sugar. I just don't eat the cookies or the candy. I just don't. "Just a little" doesn't work for me.

It's dark and rainy and windy today, so cozy, my favorite kind of day, except of course the blazingly sunny summer days, but that's a whole different story. I'm just glad it's rain and not snow. Snow is lovely, but I hate driving in it.

My van is back from the shop, $450 later, and there is a leak in the transmission line now, it'll be $210 to fix that. This van is a 2008. It's a nice model, leather seats and power doors, but oh dear, it's been pricey to maintain. Every time we sink more money into her, I think we need to drive her longer to get our money's worth. But one of these days, ugh, we need a new one! Our second minivan is sitting in the driveway, same year, needs too much work. Money doesn't grow on trees, does it? Paul's truck is still doing all right, it has 4 wheel drive, too. I would LOVE an all wheel drive or 4 wheel drive vehicle for driving in the snow. A minivan...ugh.

Anyway. All the things we want and need, but in the end, the only thing that matters is how faithful we've been in all those little trials in our days. The oil in our lamps will be of value. Not how thin we got, or how nice our house was, or if we found perfect Christmas gifts, or if we successfully hid our gray hair. No one lives forever, and we all must stand before God someday, whether we want to think about that or not. I often picture myself there, and it shouldn't make me tremble. If I seek and choose to please Him, in every thought and action, in all my days, praying for wisdom and guidance, then I will have nothing to be ashamed of. When you think of this, it's rather easy to let grudges go, and be kind instead. I am very very thankful that God has blessed me so much! There is nothing of more value, than to be faithful in your days.

That's all the preaching I'm going to do today, ha. But honestly, when you count your blessings, when you're truly thankful for what God sends your way, life becomes rich and good.