Get Fit Friday - Second round of injections

Not much to say this week.

Most of, if not all of my energy has been spent recovering from surgery. Not a major surgery of course. Only knocked me down for 3 days.

I had a second round of injections into my "bad" vocal cord on Monday.

There's really not much to say about all that. My throat and neck hurt, but I do have a (very soft) voice and I can eat (very soft foods). I hope that this round of injections will work so that I don't have to do this a third time two months from now.

Funny thing... I tried so hard to stay awake this time. I didn't even realize I was doing it, but I remember thinking that I had to keep my eyes open and that my eyes were rolling around in my head. I remember the blue oxygen mask. I think I asked a lot of questions about the medicines they were giving me. I remember thinking that it was very hard to keep my eyes open. Then I was in recovery. LOL

Lately, the worst part of surgery has been the anesthesia. It leaves me with a monster of a headache that lasts several days.

That's all I have for today. Surgery on Monday makes for a pretty uneventful week.

Hugs!
K

Thursday Thoughts on...the bigger picture

A while back, I started a list of questions that I'm trying to answer.  As I've wrestled with these subjects, I've made peace with myself. I'm learning to embrace who God created me to be... and have been pleasantly surprised to find that woman to be quite different from who I've been trying to be.

I'm left with three questions to answer:

What determines my worth?
What do I LIKE about me?

What is holding me back?

I kept putting these 3 questions off because I didn't think I knew the answer to them. The more I wrestle with them, the more I realize that I do indeed know the answers and they are quite simple really. More than that, the answers to these last questions speak to my very soul.

I am nothing much to look at. On the surface, I am a plain, overweight 45 year old woman. I will tell you that I over think situations and stress over every decision to be made during the course of any given day and i often try to quiet my fears and frustrations with chips and dip. I'm a moody introvert who is most comfortable hiding behind a keyboard. If you look over my past, you will easily find a multitude of bad choices, broken promises, random health scares and damaged relationships. All in all I'm not much more than a big mess.

On my own I have no worth. On my own, I am a wretched beast. Left to my own devices, I will choose poorly when given the opportunity to choose. Knowing all this makes what I am about to tell you even more unbelievable...

I am more valuable than all the riches on earth. My worth is not determined by anything I have done or anything I will ever do. Before I was born, before I had opportunity to take a breath, the Creator of the Universe called me His. Scripture says that He knew me in my mother's womb. Scripture says that while I was His enemy, He laid down His life for me. My worth is determined not by anything I have done or ever will do. My worth is determined by who I belong to. I belong to Christ. He gave His life for me. Without Him, I am a wretched beast, but with Him, I am a Child of God.

My relationship to Christ determines my value.

I don't like much about me. I can give you a lengthy list of my faults and failures. All that is good in me is from Christ. I say that with complete sincerity. Apart from Christ, I am a wretched beast and until recently, THAT is what I have claimed as my identity...but IN CHRIST, I have Joy, Peace, Love, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control. Christ in me loves people. Christ in me sees the best in others. Christ in me is kind to strangers. Christ in me is faithful. Christ in me is good. Christ in me is self controlled. Christ in me is patient and gentle. Christ in me is filled with peace and joy. Apart from Christ I am nothing... but with Him, I am filled to overflowing with all kinds of wonderful.

I forgot that.

I just forgot.

And THAT's what's been holding me back...

I FORGOT whose I am. I forgot who I belong to. I forgot where my strength comes from. I forgot who lives thru me. I forgot WHO claimed me before I took a breath. I forgot that the best thing I can do is just get out of the way and watch God work in and thru me.

I truly believe that this has been the problem all this time...and I know I've said it before. I knew it...and I forgot it again...and again.  Satan is a slippery sucker and he weasels in where ever he can. All he needs is a tiny crack to slip in and start wreaking havoc. I've let him do just that. He has stolen my joy, robbed me of my peace, and tried to ruin my testimony.

Poor Satan. He will never win. He's already been defeated for all eternity. His fate is sealed.

Little did he know that in trying to destroy me, he would add to my testimony. Little did he know that he would add a chapter to my story of grace, deliverance, and restoration.

My fate is sealed as well. I am the Lord's. Nothing can pluck me from His hand.

Just my thoughts,

K

I'm curious...on what do you base your worth?

Wednesday's Weekly Recipe: Shrimp Dip

Another favorite from New Orleans

Ingredients

1 tbsp. butter

1/4 Onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 lb. shrimp, chopped into 1/2" pieces

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. Cajun seasoning

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 c. sour cream

3/4 c. shredded mozzarella, divided

1/4 c. freshly shredded Parmesan

1/4 c. sliced scallions, plus more for garnish

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Push onions and peppers to the side and add your shrimp and garlic cloves and cook until shrimp is pink and garlic is fragrant. Stir all ingredients together in the pan and add cajun seasoning, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer.
3. Remove pan from heat and stir in cream cheese, sour cream, ½ cup mozzarella, Parmesan, and scallions. Stir until all cheese is melted and all ingredients are evenly distributed. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and place in the oven to bake, 15 to 20 minutes, until dip is bubbly and slightly golden. If you’d like the dip to develop a more golden top, broil on high for 2 minutes.
4. Garnish with scallions and serve.

Tips and Tricks...for the working mom...Week 5

This list seems to go on FOREVER! Still, I have found worthy information in each section... so I am sharing away. I would love to know if you've tried any of these tips and how well they work for you. Also, please feel free to add any of your own in the comments.

This week:

Workday Strategies

There may not feel like there's enough time in the day, but you can maximize your work time if you work smarter, not harder. Check out these 10 blogs for tips on increasing productivity during the workday.

• Only check your e-mail twice a day so that you can focus on your work without constantly being distracted. For this tip and five other time savers check out Shine.
• Categorize your e-mails so that you know what needs to be done with them, as recommended by Articulate.
• Determine when you are at your best during the day and plan to do your hardest tasks during that time says Fresh-Insights.
• Ignore distractions at work that aren't helping you get your job done, like social media and coffee chat, say the writers at People HR.
• Don't forget to use your voicemail and your 'out of office' reply to let you get your work done instead of answering a ton of calls suggests Kingsbridge Professional Solutions.
• Look at what you've accomplished during the week and see what's left on your To Do list on Friday to stay on top of things, suggests Biz Best.
• If you own a small business, make sure that you use a smart phone to your advantage so that you can be working on the go. This can save you up to six hours a week, says Small Business Trends.
• Save travel time by video conferencing instead of meeting in person, as suggested on the info graphic shown on Visual.ly.

Monday Motivation

Do you ever lose hope?
When things aren't going the way I thought they would, I tend to lose hope. Hopelessness is a terrible feeling.

I am thankful that God is faithful to redirect my thoughts to HIS plans for me.

On a side note, I am having a minor surgery on my vocal cords this morning. I appreciate your prayers.

Have a great week!
K