Summer is Here!!

It has been several weeks since I have blogged with you. The end of school is always so busy for me. I know it is coming but I never seem to have everything done by the last day of school. Now that I am officially on summer break, I am spending hours and I mean hours in our yard. I love all my flowers, but they sure require some 'babying' to look good. That's alright, I prefer yard work to housework!! There are weeds that need pulling or flowers that need dead-heading everyday. I always seem to get more exercise in the summer and I know it is the gardening that does it.

One of the most "special" things that has happened since my last post is the baptism of four of our grandchildren. C1, C2, M1, and M2 were al baptized on the last Sunday in May. They each wrote their testimony to be read when they were baptized. Praise the Lord for children that love their God. I know God loves the little children, but when you see 10 children baptized in a small rural spirit-filled church, it is the most special occasion you can imagine. You pray for things in life for your kids and your grandkids, but knowing they are saved and have a relationship with their God has to be one of the best "blessings" in life. Thank you Father God!!

I have also decided I need to be more disciplined in taking care of myself. I have tried to eat better since Da-Da's heart problems several years ago. I take my vitamins and drink my water, but exercise has always been another question. I am forcing myself to walk every morning--well I have for 4 out of the last 5 mornings. I must admit that I do have more energy when I walk and seem to rest better at night. I have tried many different things to get rid of the "muffin top" and I have put off exercise until now. So, I will have to challenge myself every morning for the rest of the summer. I know I can do it. Thanks for Beth Moore on my iPod as I walk!!!

I also called last week and signed up for 3 golf lessons. My two daughters and their husbands and my son all play.....but not DaDa and I. I guess I will see next week if golf is for me!!

I have also realized I need to clean out some closets and drawers. I seem to hold on to things! I might need them! This morning I was looking for something and found several magazines from 2004. Now if I haven't read them or used their information by now, I NEED TO THROW THEM OUT!!! I think this may be harder than making myself exercise! The older I get the less important items become. I am tired of dusting and moving things around. We have lived in this house for only 3 years and I have accumulated too much stuff!! It is time to down-size some of that stuff!! As you can tell, this summer needs to be a time for change for me. Please pray for me!!

I am looking forward to the fresh summer fruits and vegetables. If you have any great recipes, send me a link and I will do the same. Have a peaceful week and may you be blest beyond your expectations!!!

New Business!

I just signed up for a new business. I'm not retiring from the school, but this is a little extra something. Even if it does not grow, I am benefiting from the product.

It is called DuVita and was started this past January. DuVita sells two products: Balance+ and Appetite+. Balance + is a combination of Chinese medicines designed to help boost your mood and keep your body in balance. Appetite+ increases the body's ability to burn fat quicker and more efficiently without jittery side effects. Both are made from natural ingredients.

I have had trouble lately with going home from work and crashing on the couch and then stuffing myself at supper. Yesterday I took Balance+ and Appetite+ about mid-morning. When I got home yesterday I had energy to clean out a flower bed and mow the grass. But, the best part was when I ate supper, I didn't clean my plate. I felt full and stopped eating. That in itself is a big step for me. I've never had a weight problem until menopause. Boy oh Boy has that changed things. I think it even helped me sleep better last night. Only time will tell, but right now I am very happy with the two products. I started Da-Da on the Balance+ this morning because he is working such long hours. There just has to be more to the late 50's than exhaustion and being fluffy!!!!

Check out my site at: www.duvita.net/kabryant

If any of you have other suggestions for adapting to menopausal problems, let me know. I am game for anything that will get me back into life again.

Rain is predicted for today and Saturday. Praise the Lord, we are dry. School is on the down-home stretch and summer is coming!!! Have a great week-end and may you all be blessed abundantly!!!

Day after Mother's Day!

I was thinking about yesterday, Mother's Day. I was with my two daughters, my mom, my mother-in-law, my aunt, my daughter's mother-in-law, her sister-in-law, and her cousin-in-law. It was a wonderful family day. Four of the five granddaughters dressed up and sang us a song - Amazing Grace. All of these girls and women are so precious. It was just a blessing to share the day with those I love so much. The men helped cook and clean up the kitchen. Thank you Lord for the blessings of families!

This morning I saw this on Julie's blog "circlecliffviews.blogspot.com". I thought about the females in my family and can see or imagine each one of them in this lifeline.

" A Woman's Lifeline"

Age 3: She looks at herself and sees a queen

Age 8: She looks at herself and sees Cinderella

Age 15: She looks at herself and sees an ugly duckling
(Mom, I can't go to school looking like this!)

Age 20: She looks at herself and sees.."too fat/too thin, too short/too tall,
too straight/too curly" but she decides she's going out anyway!

Age 30: She looks at herself and sees.."too fat/too thin, too short/too tall,
too straight/too curly" but decides she doesn't have time to fix it so she's
going out anyway.

Age 40: She looks at herself and sees.."too fat/too thin, too short/too tall
too straight/too curly: but says, "At least I am clean," and goes out anyway.

Age 50: She looks at herself and says, "I am what I am," and goes wherever she wants to go.

Age 60: She looks at herself and reminds herself of all the people who can't even see themselves in the mirror anymore. She goes out and conquers the world!

Age 70: She looks at herself and sees wisdom, laughter, and ability and goes out and enjoys life.

Age 80: Doesn't bother to look. Just puts on a purple hat and goes out to have fun with the world.

The moral is....maybe we should all grab that purple hat a little earlier!

I also think we worry way to much about what others think about us. I know I feel frumpy and out of sorts at times and just know I look a mess. But why should I worry? God made me in his image and he is perfection. He doesn't see the muffin top, the bad hair day, and the wrinkles. Why do I dwell on them? I need to look on others with more love and hope they do the same. Life is too short to be constantly concerned about the what ifs and why nots.

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day and may you be blessed beyond measure this week!

MS Walk

I have a special, young friend that has recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Kassie is one of my past students and is such a neat girl. She is in the green shirt.

We have had this walk planned for months. So come Saturday morning it is windy, rainy, and soooo cold. But we walked! This is my daughter Ansley and then my son's girl friend, Kari.



The news said there were over 700 people signed up to walk, but only about 250 or so showed up. We were not the biggest team or the smallest team, but we were the "orangest"team. The circumstance may have been miserable, but the cause is a great one. Blessings to Kassie and her family. God is an awesome God and he is our healer. Always expect a miracle.

After the MS walk, I had to get back home to help my other daughter. She is the Jr. class sponsor and Saturday night was "Prom" night. I went out to help behind the scenes. It was beautiful and the girls looked amazing. The guys cleaned up well also!!

After the prom, I went by Amy's and picked up the 3 C's to spend the night while their mom and dad finished with the prom. Dada had been keeping the 3 M's for Anz. So all 6 grand-kids spent the night and had breakfast with us on Sunday morning. Needless to say, we missed church. My timing was a little off trying to get everyone around, fix breakfast, and dressed. Maybe God knew I could only handle 3 children and get to where we needed to be! The week-end was fast and furious, but with many blessings. Life is a joy ride, so get on and live each day to the fullest!

Blessings to you all!

It's April

I can't believe I have gone so long with out posting. I have been in a slump. The weather flip-flops from warm to cold, it is very windy, and I don't have a clue. Every time I sit down to write, I draw a blank. Is it menopausal brain death? Lack of a fast-paced life? Stuck in a rut? There could be so many causes. I feel silly posting day-to-day occurrences like went to the city to pick up DaDa's prescriptions, bought groceries, had my toenails painted so cute. I don't want you to think I don't have a life!

But truly, I have spent time with my grandchildren lately and have really enjoyed them. I helped hide eggs for the community Easter Egg hunt on Saturday and nearly blew away, however the kids didn't mind the wind. I check the flower beds every day or two to make sure spring is really coming. We had a great Easter Sunday. My son-in-law was baptized and we had a family dinner. As usual, I ate way to much but enjoyed every bite. I love Easter. The church services the past few weeks and on Easter were so inspiring. Thank you God for the sacrifice of your son for me. It just amazes me that he loves us so much. I hope your Easter week-end was a blessing.

I bought a new camera, well new to me, on eBay. It has so many buttons and dials. I was tired of my point-and-shoot, but I think I may have lost my mind for real. This camera is so technical. Why don't my pictures look better? I was sure it was the old camera and not me. Spring has to hurry because I am tired of taking pictures of brown leaves and dead grass. I have discovered my house does not provide enough natural lighting and I thought I designed it so well. The grandkids run and hide when I get out the camera--"Oh No, not again!!". Poor babies. I also bought Photoshop Elements thinking I could do this. Hello, where are the step-by-step instructions??? I am not giving up, I can do this, please Lord help me get a clue. I just love all the great pictures on other blogs. I can do this, I can do this. It just may be more of a senior moment instead of a menopausal moment. I have the time, I hope.

Blessings to you and may you enjoy each and every moment God blesses you with.