Keep on Keepin' on Girls!

Welcome back, ladies!  I hope you all had a great day last Tuesday, no matter what you were doing.  Our group was making "tie" blankets for children who are going through scary medical procedures.  It was great fun and  I'm so glad that I finally learned how to make them!   I know all of you have been doing wonderful things as well.  It's nice to remember that we can't do it all....but what we do, we do with much heart!  And as always, we are grateful to have the means and time to do for others.  Thank you, Lord, for our myriad blessings!

      
Girls, do you ever feel like this?

Or this?

OK Ladies, let's talk stress.  Some days we women rush around trying to do everything for everyone else, and in the process, forget about ourselves.  Just so you don't end up like those cartoon cats this Holiday season, let's start early with stress-relief techniques to help you be the best you can be!    Here are a few ideas for you, and as your semi-professional encourager, I encourage you to partake....because there is nothing worse than a burned out, stressed out lady who doesn't take time to rejuvenate herself!

Go here - even if only in your imagination!

Get a Massage:  If you can.  This splurge will do a body good!  And for the times when you can't get a massage, try a self-massage with a tennis ball.  People think I'm weird, but I keep a tennis ball in my car and lean into it as I drive.  It hits those pressure points even as I'm running around.

Have a quiet day:  This means no phones or TV or radio.  Stay In your jammies all day.   You know you want to.  And, as I have experience with this because I've done it before....I highly recommend it for Lady Refreshment purposes.  Trust me, you get replenished by a day in jammies.

Laugh Girlie!  Laughing is good for heart and soul.  And it actually does have significant stress management and even health benefits.  Read a funny book, watch a funny movie, play a fun game.  It’s worth it to work this great stress reliever into your day. 

Have a spa day (or hour) at home.  Taking time to pamper yourself is an important but often-forgotten stress reliever.  Go get you some deliciously smelly girly stuff from Bath and Body Works, and relax in the tub.  Don’t forget a facial mask!  They feel so luxurious and are not that expensive.

Go on a News fast:  We all know News is important.  But, sometimes viewing the news can be stressful.  Consider taking one day a week to not read or watch any news.  Turn on a comedy instead (I love reruns of I Love Lucy and the Andy Griffith Show), or play Pictionary with friends or family!

Exercise:  You know this is good for you.  If all you have time for is a half hour walk, then do it.  Our bodies aren't going to last forever, but we do want them to be healthy while we have them, and it's also a great stress buster!

Goof off a little:  Yes, completely waste a day…or half a day….or even two hours.  You will be surprised how good that feels if you don’t get to do it that often.  If you put your feet up and watch Dr. Phil or read Ladies Home Journal, that time to yourself to just goof off can really benefit you.

Daydream:  That’s right.  Give your mind a break and let it wander for a while….on purpose!  Imagine yourself swimming in a pool of chocolate, floating on a cloud, landing in Hawaii, or skipping through Disneyworld with Mini-mouse.  You’ll feel less stressed in just a few minutes.

Read Kim's Blog!  haha....just thought I'd sneak that one in there to see if you would notice.  :)

Don't forget your vitamins!  Yes...it would not hurt you to remember your vitamins and build up your immune system - start getting ready for the sometimes-very-stressful-even-though-they-are-fun holidays.

The point, ladies….be good to yourselves so you can be good to others.  Jesus loves you, too. And too much stress with no relief is not good for your health. 



No matter what you choose, taking care of yourself is always a good idea.  It's not selfish....it's necessary for your peace of mind, body, and soul.  And just remember THIS little morsel:






This Month in History - November

This list was much longer.....but I limited it to ten.  Interesting stuff! 

1 The Bra was patented (1914)
2 Peter the Great becomes Emperor of Russia (1721)
3 First Opium War between China and Britain begins. (1839)
3 Clarence Birdseye marketed frozen peas (1952)
4. Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd (1842)
6 Abraham Lincoln elected President of the United States (1860)
7 Cartoonist Thomas Nast depicts Republican party as an elephant in a cartoon in Harper's Weekly. (1874)
8 Montana became the 41st State (1889)
8 President Franklin D. Roosevelt forms the Civil Works Administration to help create jobs for millions of workers unemployed during the Great Depression. (1933)
9 Giant Pandas are discovered in China (1927)
10 The United States Marine Corps was created. (1775)

Blogview - Phyllis Alderdice

What a pleasure it was for me to sit down with Phyllis this past week.  She is such a sweetheart, and let me tell you, this lady does NOT let any grass grow under her feet.  She is one busy lady!  Grab a cup of tea and let's get to know Phyllis better.

Phyllis was married for  51 years to Glen, and has been a widow for 3 years….Glen was a civil engineer so they moved frequently.  Both graduated from UK and they have lived in Indiana, Illinois, W. Virginia, back to Indiana, and then back to Kentucky.  Phyllis is a teacher but she stayed home for 14 years to raise her children.  Phyllis and Glen had three children.  Sadly, one daughter passed away in an accident when she was 23 when her car slipped on black ice.   Regarding her other two children, her Son and his wife have two daughters who are 11 and 14, and they have been homeschooled from the beginning.  Phyllis was a little apprehensive about homeschooling at first, since she is a teacher, but now that she sees how it works, she loves homeschooling.  Her daughter and her husband have a son and a daughter who are 9 and 11.  Her daughter just started homeschooling this year and resigned from fulltime employment so she could homeschool. 

Kim:  Do you have pets? 

Phyllis:  Not now.

Kim:  How long have you been going to SE Christian Church? 

Since 1986.

Kim:  Are you from Louisville? 

Phyllis:  From Northern KY (60 mi. S. of Cincinnati) and Glen was from Western KY, and we met in college.

Kim:  Tell me a bit about your childhood.  How many siblings, did you grow up in a Christian home?  

Phyllis:  Grew up in a Christian home, one sister who is older who attended Cincy Bible Seminary, an Uncle went to Johnson Bible College.   Both parents were Christians with a very strong work ethic and value system.

Kim:  Do you have a favorite bible verse? 

Phyllis:  There are so many bible verses that have helped me thru so many different chapters of my life….I don’t know that I can pull one out and say it’s my favorite as of this time.  If one thing sort of guided me it is Proverbs 31, talking about a virtuous woman.  To just go back and read that whole chapter. 

Kim:  What made you decide to be a Discussion Leader?   

Phyllis:  I do have a background in facilitating....so I prayed about it and asked for guidance. 

Kim:  How long have you been a DL? 

Phyllis:  This is my second time– did a home study group this summer.

Kim:  How’s it going with your ladies?  Describe your group to me.

Phyllis:  It’s a very mixed group, there are a couple from the previous group, there are some that were in other groups whose discussion leader decided not to continue.  I have one who was coming at night who is now coming in the day, and then I have some that bible study here at SE is brand new.  So it’s very diversified.  Age wise, we are probably more mature individuals.  And I think that basically there are a lot of mature Christians in there. (sounds like an awesome group of ladies!)

Kim:  What are your favorite things about Autumn? 

Phyllis:  The beauty and nature….God painted the trees so pretty.  This morning the sun was just up to where it was touching the tops of the trees and where it was darker down below and it was so pretty, and somewhere I went by a church steeple that was up by the beautifully painted trees….just the beauty, I don’t see how anyone could think that all this was a big bang.  (I don’t either, Phyllis….you’re so descriptive!)

Kim:  Do you have a Thanksgiving tradition that you’d like to share with us? 

Phyllis:  There is nothing in particular as far as "things" go that is a tradition within my family.  The big thing is that’s the one time of the year that my family (sister and children) all get together, and it goes from Wednesday through Sunday.  We don’t do as many family get togethers at Christmas time as Thanksgiving time.  I personally feel that the Christmas season is more for the nuclear family….so I’ve always encouraged my children to build their own traditions with their children.

Kim:  Do you have any  hobbies? 

Phyllis:  Reading is the hobby that has stayed with me all my lifetime. 

Kim:  Where do you work? 

Phyllis:  I'm a teacher, business administration at Jefferson Community and Technical College. 

Kim:  Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?  

Phyllis:  No.  We don’t do gift giving as such, we do stockings and put just novelty type things in stockings that we share within the family.  After the grandchildren older, we started doing that, and everyone enjoys the stockings so much that we quit doing presents.

Kim:  What is your favorite Christmas carole? 

Phyllis:  I think my favorite one is O Holy Night.  

Kim:  What is your service project? 

Phyllis:  We went to Hosea’s House, which is a shelter house for women and children, and we took lunch and visited and toured the house, and now we are going to do food baskets for Thanksgiving.   (I so love hearing about all these projects)

Kim:  I found out through talking to Phyllis that she participates in many different service projects such as hospital visiting, and Blessing Bags to children in orphanages through the Hopeful Hearts foundation.  She even does missionary work in the Ukraine.  What an energetic lady!

Kim:  What good things are you getting from the study of Acts?

Phyllis:  From having grown up in the Christian Church, that was more legalistic…..the indepth study of Acts has helped me to look at legalism from the eyes of the first century Christians and to make the transition that the apostles attempted to instill as the foundation of the Church.

Kim:  What is your favorite tv show? 

Phyllis:  I like crime dramas and mysteries, because I like to try to solve them.

Kim:  What kinds of reading do you most enjoy? 

Phyllis:  I enjoy a diverse group….but I’m involved in so many studies right now I don’t have much time to read anything else.  J

Kim:  What kinds of things do you do for fun? 

Phyllis:  My children have always been high priority for me, and I was a stay at home mom for 14 years.  And the thing that I really like to do now is spend time with my adult children, and that includes daughter and son in law because they are just as much mine as my biological children, along with my grandchildren.

Kim:  Which biblical woman do you most identify with, and why? 

Phyllis:  The virtuous woman is my role model, but I think I’d more identify with Timothy's mother  and grandmother, both of whom are mentioned in 2 Timothy 1:5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 

Kim:  If you could sit with Jesus and ask him just one thing, what would that be? 

Phyllis:  If I could sit with Jesus and ask him one thing.... there was a time in my life where I would just make the remark, “this or that was on the list of questions I was going to ask when I got to heaven”….but then I was enlightened to the point that I realized those questions would not matter….I don’t know if there is anything specifically I would ask at this point in my life…..because the answers will all be there when I get there.  (Amen, Phyllis)

Here's the game.  Guess which one thing below is true about Phyllis:  

1.       I always wanted to go white water rafting.

2.       I once weighed 200 lbs.

3.       I love water sports.

And here is the answer from last week regarding Beth:  The answer is #2 - she has been on a float during a parade!

Autumn Harvest Stew

Makes: 4 servings

Prep: 25 minutesCook: 7 to 8 hours

Ingredients

• 1  pound  boneless pork shoulder
• 2  cups  cubed, peeled sweet potatoes
• 2  medium  parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 3/4 cups)
• 2  small  cooking apples, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices (1 3/4 cups)
• 1  medium  onion, chopped
• 3/4  teaspoon  dried thyme, crushed
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  pepper
• 2  cups  apple cider or apple juice

Directions

Trim fat from meat. Cut pork into 1-inch cubes.
In a 31/2- or 4-quart crockery cooker layer potatoes, parsnip, apples, and onion. Sprinkle with thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Add meat. Pour apple cider or juice over all.
Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 31/2 to 4 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Ladle into bowls. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts

1. Servings Per Recipe 4 servings
2. Calories365,
3. Total Fat (g)8,
4. Saturated Fat (g)3,
5. Monounsaturated Fat (g)4,
6. Polyunsaturated Fat (g)1,
7. Cholesterol (mg)76,

                        
 

Coffee with Jesus.....Here's an insightful video clip I ran into this week.  It entertained me....but at the same time also made me think.....and thank the Lord for His great patience with me!

The greatest part of our happiness depends on our dispositions, not our circumstances.
-- Martha Washington

The best portion of a good man's life is the little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.
-- William Wordsworth

It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.
-- Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House in the Ozarks

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Ephesians 4:2