Time to Gather 'Round the Trough :)

Well...it's been almost a full month since the last time that I posted. Sorry about that. You would think that I would have posted more without having a job, but things happen. I was going to post yesterday...but came down with that awful flu bug that's going around. Still a little under the weather, but feeling much better than yesterday. I can actually sit up today. I had no strength yesterday to do anything. I slept all day and still was able to sleep completely through the night. I know that some of you are wondering...yes...we are still having a meeting this Sunday night, the 15th. I never did get a sign-up sheet on the table, so if you would like to bring something please either email me at jocelyn_weidel@sbcglobal.net or just leave a comment on here with your name and what you want to bring for the meeting. I hope that this update finds each of you well. I don't know if you guys even look at this site anymore because I haven't kept it up very well. But we'll see I guess :) I've been needing some encouragement myself here the last few weeks. I have fallen, and stayed down, but after my illness yesterday, I've decided to get up and start all over again. It's amazing what not eating for 1 day will do for you. I got on the scale this morning (and I've started weighing myself everyday because it works for me...others can't and that's fine. Do what is best for you). Anyways, I got on the scale this morning and according to it, I've lost 10.2 pounds since the last time I weighed (which was Tuesday). I really doubt that...I'm sure there's some other type of explanation for that, but I'm not complaining either way. I'm just going back on my diet.

To the meat of this blog. I realize that not everyone is doing weight watchers in our little "dieter's group". I would like to open up our meetings on Sunday nights. If you would like the opportunity to tell everyone what it is that you are doing or if you would just like the opportunity to encourage everyone at one of our meetings, I would be more than happy to oblige. I have always said that I didn't want this to be a weight watchers deal...I just want to be able to help others on their adventure of remodeling God's temple. If this is something that you would be interested in doing, please let me know...either by emailing me or leaving a comment, or you can tell me at church when you see me. Well, the only other thing I have to say is we've been trying to keep our meetings short (for those of you who have jobs and/or need to get home fairly quickly after church), so please come join us at our next meeting, immediately following the evening service on Sunday night, October 15. We'd love to see you there. Until Next Time...Keep Looking UP for your inspiration and God Bless!

When Life Gives you Lemons

Well, in case you haven't heard yet, I lost my job last week. I've been kinda bummed and I've been kinda bummin'. but I'm ready to get up and start again. I haven't been cheating on my diet, which is a good thing, but I've neglected some things. One of those things I neglected is posting on the blog. I was privileged to go to the Women's Prayer Circle yesterday and enjoyed getting to fellowship with some of the ladies that I don't get to fellowship with often. I also had the privilege of bringing to the devotion to the ladies at the meeting. I spoke on the price of a woman. We are all rubies in our households and you have to choice of what kind of ruby you will be. Are you going to be a dim and dull ruby or are you going to sparkle and shine? It doesn't matter what we look like on the outside, those that love us, love us unconditionally. What matters is what our heart looks like. I did an acrostic with the word PRICE. We first learned about the PRICE of being Precious. We are precious in God's sight and worth precious things to those around us. Then we learned about the PRICE of a Ruby. Proverbs 31:10 states that a virtuous woman's price is far above rubies. We can't even be compared to a ruby (and I don't know about you, but I think rubies are gorgeous), but we are worth more than rubies to God. Next was the PRICE of inner character. That's what I was talking about in the very beginning of this blog. It doesn't matter what you look like on the outside, it's your heart attitude and your inner character that people see the most. Next to last was the PRICE of being costly. Just like Mary broker her bottle of costly ointment and washed the feet of Jesus with it, we need to share our costly ointments with those around us. Our children are costly ointments and we need to make sure that we fill their bottles with our own costly ointments as well. The main thing I talked about yesterday was the PRICE of Enjoyment. I talked about enjoying our children while we still have them. If you didn't enjoy your own children, enjoy your grandchildren or someone else's children (with their permission of course). We need to enjoy our children on a daily basis and let them know that you are enjoying them. We need to enjoy the memories of what it was like to be a child by reliving some childhood things (going to the park and feeding the ducks or playing in the bathtub again). More than anything, however, we need to Enjoy LIFE because if you're not enjoying your own life...how can you possibly enjoys someone else's. If you are depressed all the time because your diet won't work, or you don't like the way you look...you need a pick me up. Go do something nice for yourself. Spend some time with a friend or with the ladies from the church. It's a great time of fellowship and encouragement...and you get to encourage others as well. I hope that this helped some of you who might be in a rut.

Please don't forget that our next meeting will be September 24th. I will have a sign up sheet in the foyer of the church for you guys to bring something to the meeting. (I promise I'll have it there...I don't have a job, so I have nothing else to do :) Anyways, please sign up and I hope to see everyone there. Until Next Time...Keep Looking UP for your inspiration and God Bless!!!

Taking a Giant Leap!

I was told to do something for myself this week…I took it the wrong way. As I sit here with my pint of Blue Bell Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream J (not diet), I realize that I have not only fallen off the wagon…I rolled to the cliff and jumped off the edge. I am revolting. I JUST DON’T WANT TO DIET ANYMORE…ONE MORE DAY OF DIETING AND I THINK I’LL EXPLODE!!! Then I realize that my attitude, once again, is wrong. Once again, I have decided to take my life (and weight) into my own hands and I ripped that position right out of God’s hands. I quit doing the things that I should do (like asking God for the strength to put down the ice cream) and I’m doing everything that I shouldn’t. Have you ever felt like this??? They say you seldom succeed if you don’t want it bad enough. I’ll tell you…I want it bad enough, but unfortunately…I want it NOW!!! I don’t want to have to wait for it. I’m impatient, but I’m working on that. Like we’ve said a million times before…you didn’t gain in a week, you’re not going to lose it in a week either. It took you years to get where you are and it might just take that long to get rid of it as well (I sure hope not…but it might). At this point, I almost think my goal is to put on what I’ve already lost as quickly as possible and then some. I don’t want to, but it’s just so much easier to put the weight on than it is to take it off. I wish I was one of those girls that couldn’t eat when she was stressed, but that’s not me. I eat…eat…and then eat again. J Have you ever felt like the lady in this next story? Another diet. Carla had tried so many times, and she had never come close to succeeding. She wasn't even sure why she was trying again. She knew it would be good for her to lose weight, but she felt beaten before she even began. What would make this time any different from the rest? I know that this is exactly how I feel right now. The diet I’m on it a great diet…that’s the only difference that I think there is between me and this story. I can still have whatever I want…in moderation. I just need to get back on and stick to it. My biggest thing is I set goals and then when I don’t reach them, I get discouraged, when I should be looking up and saying, “Alright God…what’s next?” Well, I’m going to quit babbling for now, but I’m hoping that there will be less of me by the end of this year…how about you?

By the way...we tried a new recipe on Sunday night at the meeting. It's a milk shake. Take about 5 or 6 ice cubes, 1 cup of Fat Free milk, 2 TBSP of whatever kind of sugar free fat free jello pudding mix that you like, a couple drops of vanilla, and about a TBSP of whipped topping. Blend it all together until it's smooth and you've got a milk shake that it wonderful. Our next meeting is going to be September 24. It's the last Sunday of the month. I'll let you know if this changes. Until Next Time…Keep Looking UP for your inspiration and God Bless!!!

Hope for the Weary!

Good morning. Once again I am reminded of the struggles and hardships of life. I have to apologize, yet again, for the lapse in time of doing this blog. I know that personally, I struggle when I don’t do it. When I’m on top of things and I’m doing this on a regular basis, I feel guilty for cheating or whatever else I might do. When I am doing this blog, it holds me accountable for my actions. I don’t want to be a hypocrite saying things to encourage you guys, and yet not take the encouragement to heart. So, I’ve not been a very good girl lately, which is why it’s been such a long time since I last wrote you. I am back, though, I can’t promise that I will encourage everyday (because sometimes I just don’t get up early enough to do it and I can’t do it at work, and by the time I get home most of you are done eating so where’s the encouragement in that, right? J ). Anyways, enough of my excuses, I am back on my diet. I need the accountability as much as I hope you need the encouragement. I can’t be made to feel guilty when doing this blog if I’m practicing what I preach. Which leads me into our scripture for today. John 3:17 – for God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world THROUGH HIM, might be saved. As I have already said, so many times I feel guilty when I don’t do this blog, or when I do it and don’t practice what I preach. I know that you guys wouldn’t condemn me (or at least I hope you wouldn’t), but I still feel guilty. So many times, people get discouraged on diets because they fail. And every time they fail, they have people “condemning” them for failing. I don’t ever want this to happen with our ladies. I want us all to be an encouragement to each other. Just remember that if someone is doing this, Christ will never condemn. He will always love and support you no matter what happens. As Mrs. Holmes said last night (for those of you who were there), We Are Fearfully and WONDERFULLY made. Praise God for that. Until next time, Keep Looking UP for your inspiration and God Bless!!!

I will Comfort you

Hello all, I hope that this finds you well today. Once again, I would like to apologize for the lapse in time as far as updating this page. Hopefully things will be updated a little better and little more frequently in the weeks and months to come. John 14:18 says that “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” I’m so glad that God will not leave us comfortless. There have been many times in my life that I needed the comfort of the Lord and only His comfort could console me. I am hoping that we can be Jesus to each other in our dieting struggles. I know that I have not been too encouraging these last few weeks, but I’m also praying that this is the end all to that. I would like to start over again. Let’s encourage each other and pick up where we left off.

Just a side note…I think we will have our next meeting on August 27 unless anyone has objections to that. Until Next Time…Keep Looking UP for your inspiration and God Bless!

Lost in the Confusion

Hello All…Long time no updates. I just wanted to let you all know that I’m still alive. It’s been a crazy month, hopefully August will bring better things. We will hopefully have a meeting this month unlike July, but I will discuss with others and see what they think. I hope none of you have fallen off the wagon and gotten run over like I did, but hopefully, we’re back on track and taken control again. I did something this weekend that I’ve been wanting to do for a while, but didn’t have time to do. I actually made a list of things…meals for the week. Then, I went to the store and bought everything, and then went home and divided everything into baggies and containers and such. Now when I go to make my lunch in the morning before work, all I have to do is grab what’s on my list for lunch and snacks for the day, throw them in the cooler and go. This is the first week, so we’ll see how it goes. It didn’t take me, but maybe 45 minutes to get everything together and I did it on Saturday night while watching a movie. So, I would recommend this for anyone who is busy and on the go like me. I don’t have anything spiritual for today, but tomorrow is looking hopeful. Here’s hoping you all are doing well. Be sure to comment and let me know you got this new update. Until next time…Keep Looking UP for your inspiration and God Bless!!!

Are you Out there?

I just wanted to let you all know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I have been short on time. There for a while, I was able to update while at work (very carefully), but I've been put in charge of training everyone on our new system and have not had a few moments alone to think. I am going to try something new, not guaranteeing it will work, but I will try. I really don't want to have another lapse like this one. It's been over 2 weeks since I last updated this page and I don't want that to happen. It seems that we can get so caught up in our own lives and in what's happening, that we forget to stop and breathe. I've been asked by several people when our next meeting is going to be. To be honest with you, I'm not really sure when it will be. We've got so many things going on at the church right now, that I just don't know when there will be time for a meeting. If it is alright with all of you, I think we won't have a meeting for July and then we'll have our next meeting in August. I just don't see us trying to cram in a meeting before VBS, because that would be this Sunday, and I'm not sure that that's enough time for anybody to prepare for it. This is just an informative blog letting everyone know that I'm still alive. Hopefully, I will be able to post some encouragement tomorrow. Thank you for your patience with me. Until Next time, Keep Looking UP for your inspiration and God Bless.