grandchildren day...

Today will be a busy one. No sitting around relaxing for me! Today, some grandchildren are coming over!

Margaret works from home, so I thought to invite her to work from here, and I can keep Wulf busy...well, he keeps his own self busy, I'll try to keep him safe. Ashley is coming over with little Elise, as Anya is in first grade. Mali might come over with Lydia and little baby Ophelia.

Miss Charlotte Claire did not want to go to school today. I told her she can't stay home "just because". This is hard for me, because I want her to stay home! After homeschooling those two youngest for five years, it's so hard not to send them on that bus! So I offered them this: I'll pick you up at noon. Their tests and important classes are done by then.

This afternoon, I'm heading off to my weekend away with a few of my friends, and three of my daughters. You know you are a very lucky/blessed woman when your grown daughters are also your friends. We will do some relaxing, the camp/house/cabin has a little fireplace, and it's right on the water! We will make a gourmet brekky, go do a little bit of wine tasting, then make some good food for dinner.

Life is passing by, days ticking away. I do what I can to be healthy, I take my magnesium (you also should take it! Studies have shown that taking extra calcium doesn't help, but magnesium helps the bones, and many other things too! Our soil is almost depleted of it, so no matter if you're vegetarian or a carnivore, you need to take magnesium! It is very hard to overdose it, too!). I take fish oil (omega-3), turmeric with ginger, vitamin D, potassium, and berberine. I eat either one or two meals a day, usually one, but when I have two, the second meal (usually eaten first though, at around two in the afternoon) is eggs. No toast. I do eat some carbs, tortilla chips with taco salad, especially the lime ones! Or corn tortillas browned in the skillet with olive oil and a splash of lime juice, oh yummers! But mostly just meat and veggies, but I do put cream in my coffee.

But life is short, as we get older we realize that all the nice houses in the world, all the trips, all the new cars, cannot fill that void that God has put in our heart, that longing for eternity. We each must stand before Him one day, and give account. It shouldn't be a scary thought! Every day, my prayer is that I can hear what He is speaking to me, and be obedient! As my mama used to say, "You can't take it with you!" In the end, the only think that will matter is how much oil we have in our lamps. If we just burn before people, we'll be very sorry.

So I am thankful for today. I am thankful for my house, and for my friends and family, and I'm thankful that I live in a time when we can connect with each other via internet. It CAN be used for good.

There is still that thought in my head that if I really had one of those huge spotless gorgeous houses with the giant farmhouse kitchen, with a garage and entryway, and and and...that I'd be totally happy. I know this is NOT true. More and more, I see that these things don't really interest me. It'd be nice, but it's not my goal in life.

Paul is ice fishing with Jonathan and Adrian today, I hope they have tons of fun and catch lots of fish. Paul and I went ice fishing a few times long ago, before we were married. He has always liked to do the outdoor things, hunting and fishing. He gave all of it up while we were raising the kids, it was so busy. He picked it back up a few years ago, and I totally encourage it. It makes me happy to see him do what makes him happy, and especially if he can spend time with Jon, sometimes Ben, or the boys from church, Jon's friends. (I hope I don't get him fired, ha, if this is a "sick day"). He works so hard. He travels a lot for work, and his last trip, he got home on a Saturday morning, had traveled during the night, plus he worked the whole weekend he was gone. He doesn't get overtime pay, either. He works really hard, because he is a faithful, reliable, honest man.

Anyway, time to tidy up a bit. I washed last night's dinner dishes already. We had chili, with hot sausage in it, whoa, I only had a tiny bit because it doesn't agree with me, being so spicy. I had eggs and bacon earlier, so I wasn't so hungry. The less you eat, the less hungry you are, but I am sort of broken. I try to mix it up so my body is not in a routine, my metabolism is slow enough. I've lost 30 pounds in six months, and in the last three, hardly any. It's not that I don't have enough fat on me to fuel me, either! The trick is finding what works, finding what you're happy with, what makes you feel good. I personally feel good when I don't eat sugar. But then if I DO eat pie, for example...homemade apple, flaky buttery crust, homemade pumpkin, I get the biggest sugar rush, and honestly, it feels fantastic! But the inflammation and the highs and lows during the day, the shakiness, I do not miss those. Since I'm fat adapted, I no longer get shaky, and that alone is worth passing on the Oreos.

Off I go...