Praise Him In The Storm

Praise Him in the storm .


We all have heard that expression or even had people say it to us at one point or another . Years ago , that simple , yet true , line would irritate me beyond words . It was always spoken by someone who had a huge grin on their face and totally happy with their life .

There is nothing worse than seeing others enjoying life when yours is falling apart . When we are down , it's difficult to be happy for others . None of us want to admit that , but it's true .

As a Christian , my goal has always been of trusting God completely with my life . In my naivety , I've assumed that it could be achieved almost overnight . What I found is that it is a process that can take years to achieve . Saying it and doing it are two separate things .

We tend to praise God when things are going great . When things are smooth sailing , God is good all the time . One small mishap , we're still smiling , but perhaps not as brightly . As the week progresses , these mishaps start piling up into a mountain - size trial .

As our problems rise , our praise of God starts to waiver and we question Him " why , Lord , why " ? All our troubles seem so huge and overwhelming as if the end was here . Once the storm is over , they seem like nothing .

This is the stage I am at now . I begin strong and somewhere in the middle of it all , I start to feel sorry for myself and my situation . I stop the heavy praying , the praising , the begging and I sit quietly . . . exhausted , waiting for God .

Even though I have progressed some , I'm still disappointed in myself . I may sit quietly waiting upon the Lord , but I should continue praising Him while waiting . In this , I feel ashamed .

Just recently having come out of a storm , I feel the shame of over reacting in my disappointment , my begging , in fact , all of the above . I came through it , so why didn't I continually praise Him during this storm ? That is my shame .

I know our journey is a lifetime journey and we grow as we go , but I wish I would grow just a little faster . Have a Blessed day everyone .

I Hate Carpets

I hate carpets , especially the apartment style beige types that show every stain . Why do landlords choose this light color ? Why not something darker ? Doesn't that make more sense ?

I literally had to purchase a rug shampooer to maintain clean and fresh carpets . There are large area rugs throughout my apartment to prevent the dirt from settling in . 

Whenever I walk into a place where there are hardwood floors , I'm full of envy . All they have to do is sweep the floor . 

I think there is a tiny piece of  wanting to keep up with the Jones 's within all of us . It comes out occasionally to rear its ugly head . There are times I love my little apartment and times I'm plain frustrated with it . 

Today  has been the latter . Lord  knows that I have no time during the week , the time I do have should not be spent cleaning ! I am very fortunate to have a daughter who makes dinner , goes to the store and takes care of basic errands . 

Whenever I start grumbling about time or cleaning or dirt , she always makes the same remark :

We're living life , mom . We're going to make dirt . 

I hate when they grow up and start making more sense than us . Have a Blessed day everyone .

Simply A Meal Plan

So what does our meal plan for the week look like ? Well , that depends on the shopping expedition and the sale items featured . I don't go into a store with a list unless I am preparing a particular dish for an event . Otherwise , I buy what is on sale and plan my meals accordingly . 

A typical meal plan for the week looks something like this :

Sunday
Butternut squash casserole 
Cucumber , tomato , onion and broccoli salad with vinaigrette .
We love using raw veggies and we make our own dressing
 using    vinegar , lemon juice   with lots of seasonings .


Monday
Yellow wax bean and tomato wrap with a dollop of sour cream and grated cheddar cheese . 
Of course , we do not use oil or butter to saute the veggies , but coconut oil . 


Tuesday
Fruit salad with plain yogurt and whipped cream . 
This is one of our favorites , especially in the summer with all the different fruits available . Emily makes a great homemade whipped cream and we use the juice from the orange to coat the salad . 

Wednesday
Pasta shells stuffed with ricotta or farmers cheese in tomato sauce . Regular green salad on the side with vinaigrette . 
Pasta is one of our favorites and honestly , it's difficult to give it up .

Thursday
Boiled tropical yucca with grilled onions 
Tomato/onion salad in sour cream
I make the yucca the same way as a potato since they are similar 
in taste . Make sure you coat the salad completely in sour cream and refrigerate for a while before serving .The flavors have time to blend well .

Friday
Baked potato with dollop of sour cream
Sauteed  broccoli and green beans 
Whenever time is an issue , I make a baked potato and a side dish . Veggies only take a few minutes to saute . 

Saturday
Cooked white rice 
Broccoli, tomato , zucchini salad in vinaigrette
This combination tasted really good , but that could be since we haven't had rice for a while .

Sunday
Orzo with tomato , broccoli, green bean , corn  feta cheese in vinaigrette salad 
Emily made this dish and it was so delicious , one of my favorites for  . She sauteed the broccoli , corn and green beans and then diced them along with the other ingredients . A great dish to take to a potluck .

If anyone has any vegetarian or fruit dishes to share , please contact me at lottiekrol@yahoo.com .

Have a Blessed day everyone . 

Simply A Meal

What are you eating ? You eat the weirdest things .


I am famous at work for eating weird food , at least according to my co-workers . I don't consider myself a food gourmet or new age food 
anything , just a lover of fruits and vegetables . 

I have found that people really don't eat a lot of vegetables and a bare minimal of fruit . In fact , few people go beyond the usual supply of oranges , apples and bananas , trying out  star fruit or even dandelion leaves in their diet . 

Emily and I are these type of people , hence the apprehension of my co-workers . When we made the decision to eat healthy , we  quickly found out it can be a life of bland eating unless we venture out into other cultures and their food . 

We shop at a fruit/vegetable market where the selection is wide and varied . We also found that the appearance of a particular vegetable does not disclose their flavor . Something really unappealing as a tropical yucca can look disturbing , yet taste quite yummy . 

If you were to walk into our kitchen  and take a peek into our cabinets , you won't find items such as canned anything ( maybe beans ) in there or frozen stuff in the freezer . When I say we have made a change to live healthy , I mean we have made a change . 

I am very fortunate to have a daughter who can make anything as long as she has the bare essentials . There is always plenty of flour , baking powder , eggs , sugar , yeast and milk , to name a few , on hand . Emily has taken our style of living to another level where we make our own tomato sauce , pancakes , , crepes , etc. you name it . No longer do we even bother shopping in the aisles of boxed , frozen or canned goods . I have Emily , that's enough .

We eat together  one meal , the main meal , and fend for ourselves for the remainder . Breakfast for me usually includes oatmeal , or a poached egg on toast or plain yogurt with fruit . A large bowl of fruit sits on our kitchen table , which I love to snack on  . 

Emily has different tastes as far as snacks go . She indulges on kale and broccoli chips and popcorn . Yes , popcorn ! We have bought a popcorn maker that pops by electricity/hot air instead of using oil . While the popcorn pops , on top you can melt the amount of butter if you choose to use any . Emily makes her own seasonings to coat her popcorn and opts for no butter . 

Of course , we are no angels , we need some sugar , too . We do indulge with homemade brownies or puddings . We do not deny ourselves the simple pleasures of good eats . Remember , we are no longer dieting , just making healthier choices . Just this weekend , she made cinnamon biscuits and we certainly indulged !

Have a Blessed day everyone . 

I Remember . . .

It's funny how certain things come to mind at certain times . Today is the perfect example of that . I fell in love with poetry in High School and today  I  thought of this poem by Thomas Hood . 

 I remember

the house where I was born

the little window where the sun

came peeping in atmorn

he never came a wink too soon

nor brought too long a day

but now

I often wish the night

had borne my breath away

I remember

the roses

red and white

the violets and the lilycups

those flowers made of light

the lilacs where the robin built

and where my brother set

the laburnum on his birthday

the tree is living yet

I remember

where I was used to swing

and thought the air must rush as fresh

to swallows on the wing

my spirit flew in feathers then

that is so heavy now

the summer pools could hardly

cool the fever on my brow

I remember

the fir trees dark and high

I used to think their slendor tops

were close against the sky

it was a childish ignorance

but now tis little joy

to know I'm farther off from heaven

than when I was a boy

Have a Blessed day everyone .

The Weekend Ahead

Words are so very powerful . Words can change a person's outlook on their day in a heartbeat . One can start their day in a glorious mood and all they have to do is encounter a grumpy , hurting soul who says one word and the mood has been changed for the remainder of the day . 

Words can wound a person who may already be on the verge of despair . Words are very powerful  and we need to use them with care . 

Last night , I was that person who went around with a smile and all around me was the opposite . What kind of day do you think I ended up having ? 

The weekend is here , let's try our very best to make someone's day instead of ruining it . If you have been hurt and need healing this weekend , let me try to encourage you with these . 

1. Cry as loud and as often as you want , let it all out . 
2. Have some " me " time pampering yourself with a bubble bath or salon visit . 
3. Have a glass of wine , you'll definitely feel better . 
4. Visit your girlfriends . They'll take care of all of the above for you . 
5. Know that you are loved by a King Most High , Jesus Christ , and when He finds out , He'll sift them as wheat !

Have a Blessed day everyone . 

Throwback Thursday

Whenever we have questions regarding our family background , we look back to our ancestors  for the answers . Probably the only time we do so .

 We blame genetics for all the unpleasant stuff that we don't want to claim for our own  like alcoholism , gambling , cheating .

Since the story below , I have undergone genetics testing for my cancer and it does not run in my family . . . .  .so far . The entire process took a few meetings , but what an interesting experience . We may make many claims to things running in our genes , but proving it is a lot harder than we may think .

 All these characteristics in us we aren't very proud of  can't all be blamed on great-great- so and so . Let's own up to who we are and how we got there .

I , Genetics

  We can become quite "comfortable" with our family history. I know I have. Looking back ,it almost gave me a false sense of security knowing that the women in my family live well into their nineties. My grandma is 92 yrs. old and in better health than me. Of course, I believed I was in that elite group of women.
  In 2007 , I was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer. Thats a pretty bad cancer to have because it keeps coming back.Just keeps coming back.....like a dandelion that you pull out and it just grows back.Annoying ? You better believe it.
   When my healing began , that's when I hit the internet in search of other ovarian cancer survivors.It was so very important to  me than to find at least one woman who didn't have to keep going thru this over and over again.It was like a mission and a mission that proved almost impossible.
   I read bio after bio of women who were fighting this disease.I found one woman who has been a survivor for 12 yrs{at that time}but dealt with the cancer 4 times.It was so depressing but I could not walk away from that computer.With tears I searched site after site looking for some affirmation that I would live.I needed someone to tell me ", you will live".
  So here I am surrounded by women living to a very old age . How did I get so " lucky" and be the one in the family with this cancer? Apparently, my cancer could be genetic because of my age. At that time , I was 42 yrs.old . So who in  my family ? One little Aunt Emily {grandma's sister}that lived in France who died in her forties from a "women's cancer". Unbelievable. ........1 person..........how many generations ? Genetics , folks ,genetics.
  Will I live into my nineties? Probably not. Do I really want to live that long ? Probably not , not if this keeps coming back all the time.I do know ,  I don't want to die from cancer . I want to die in my sleep ....its less painful that way.

Have a Blessed day everyone .