Why is a Ninja Turtle in the Mick’s up?

I know two little girls, who rescued a little Red Eared Slider, and took care of it like a pet. They researched online how to give “Freddie” the best chance at survival.

These little girls nurtured the turtle, by providing shelter, food, water… you know, the necessities… plus what his little heart might desire, like walks, swim time and lots of love and attention.

Even with all this care, the turtle was still skeptical, non-trusting, even scared.

In a way, that sounds like us.

God is a loving Father, and He adores us.

He blesses us with all our necessities, plus the desires of our hearts.

Even with all this care, we are still skeptical, non-trusting, even scared.

We try to do things on our own, trusting in our own abilities, instead of trusting the One who knows what we truly need for ultimate survival.

Is that where you are today?

Are you terrified, confused, trying to make sense of it all?

Stop.

There is a Rescuer.  
("Like a hero in a dream, Christ came, and He rescued me." from "Tell the World" by Lecrae)

There is a Comforter.

Look for His hand.  In it, you'll find peace, blessings, guidance.

Trust Him.  He knows what you need.

Tell Him you will trust Him.  Tell Him you will let Him take care of you.

Once you do, you can rest.  You can enjoy being His child.

"Shout for joy, you heavens;
    rejoice, you earth;
    burst into song, you mountains!
For the Lord comforts his people
    and will have compassion on his afflicted ones."

Isaiah 49:13 (NIV) 

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Mick’s in Some Valentines

What did you end up doing on Valentine’s Day?  Go to my Facebook page to tell me about it.

I got a call from a very tall, dark, and handsome guy, asking me to go on a date!  We enjoyed a splurge dinner out.  It was such a great surprise to run into friends at the restaurant!  The best part, though, was some time alone with my honey.

What did we do during the other hours of that day?  I woke up early to make Grain-free Cinnamon Rolls, Fluffy Gluten-free Pancakes, and Strawberry Sauce.  I wrapped up pictures of my hubby and me, for him to take to his new office, and I presented the kidderz with gifts from their grandparents.  (The grandparents are awesome!  They know we are keeping sugar away from our house, so they made sure not to get sweets for gifts.  Instead, they bought little strawberry planting kits for the kidderz.  How cute!)  Also, I did actually make the Chicken Salad with Cranberries for everyone’s lunches, as well as the Strawberry Cheesecake Bites for the evening’s dessert.  Yummy!

My daughter had fun giving away all our xylitol candies with Valentines for her classmates, but when we ran out, she was creative in her choice of Valentines for our neighbor boys.  She made paper airplanes out of Valentine paper, and wrote their names on them.  The boys seemed to love them!

Oh!  I forgot to mention: My Valentine gave me 2 potted miniature rose plants.  They are beautiful!  Not only that, but we also watched a movie at home:  Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility
adapted for the 1995 film.  I love it, every time I watch it!  Even though it was a very mild night outside, we had a fire in the fireplace to enjoy while we snuggled up for the movie.

So, I write this only to encourage you in knowing there are alternatives.  You don’t have to celebrate Valentine’s Day (or any special day) the same old way.  Make life interesting.  Mix it up!  Better yet, Mick’s up Life, and be inspired into wellness!

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children

and walk in the way of love,

just as Christ loved us

and gave himself up for us

as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2

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Mick’s in Love

I love my sweetheart!  I really do have the best guy in the world as my husband… MY VERY OWN HUSBAND!  Since our dating days, I have referred to him as my Knight in Shining Armor.  God knows, better than I, what I need… and I am THANKFUL!  It makes Valentine’s Day a necessary celebration.

I dedicate this post to my Valentine… Jay.       

So, with Valentine’s Day less than a week away, it’s time to plan ahead for special treats to share with your Valentine.  If we don’t plan ahead, do you know what happens?  We end up buying that $14.99 heart-shaped box of chocolates or that $65 bouquet of long-stemmed red roses.  Those are wonderful splurges, but if your sinuses and wallet are anything like mine, you prefer to have an alternative choice or two that are healthier and cheaper.

What are some of the fun things you plan to do for your Valentine on Tuesday?

I’m thinking our house might be filled with a breakfast menu of Strawberry Smoothies and/or Strawberry Sauce on Fluffy Pancakes (depending on how much time I have in my Tuesday morning schedule)… a lunch menu of Chicken Salad with cranberries mixed in (see below) and Almond Power Bars (for the chocolate)… a dinner out for a splurge with my sweetheart, or a menu something like Chicken Cacciatorre and peas (family’s favorite veggie)… and finish it off with a dessert, such as Strawberry Cheesecake Bites and Chocolate Chip Cookies or Coconut Macaroons or Strawberry Gelato… and heart-shaped Almond Bark (not the peppermint version like this link is for).  (Do you see my pattern of hints of pink and red and chocolate?)  We’ll see how well I actually do with that!

Even with all the fun festivities, especially if you have young children still doing the school party thing (or teenagers newly discovering puppy love), let us not forget the truest, purest, biggest Valentine gift ever:  Christ laid down His life for YOU!  Here is a great song about that very thing.  Enjoy!

Someone Worth Dying For

by

MIKESCHAIR

You might be the wife waiting up at night.
You might be the man struggling to provide,
feeling like it's hopeless.
Maybe you're the son who chose a broken road.
Maybe you're the girl thinking you'll end up alone,
praying, “God, can you hear me?
Oh, God, are you listening?”

“Am I more than flesh and bone?
Am I really something beautiful?
Yeah, I wanna believe.  I wanna believe that
I'm not just some wandering soul
that you don't see and you don't know.
Yeah, I wanna believe.  Jesus, help me believe that I
am someone worth dying for.

I know you've heard the truth that God has set you free,
but you think you're the one that grace could never reach.
So you just keep asking what everybody's asking,

“Am I more than flesh and bone?
Am I really something beautiful?
Yeah, I wanna believe.  I wanna believe that
I'm not just some wandering soul
that you don't see and you don't know
Yeah, I wanna believe.  Jesus, help me believe that I
am someone worth dying for.

You're worth it!  You can't earn it.
Yeah, the Cross has proven  that you're sacred and blameless.
Your life has purpose.

You are more than flesh and bone.
Can't you see you're something beautiful?
Yeah, you gotta believe.  You gotta believe.
He wants you to see.  He wants you to see
that you're not just some wandering soul
that can't be seen and can't be known.
Yeah, you gotta believe.  You gotta believe that you are someone worth dying for.
You're someone worth dying for!
You're someone worth dying for!

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

 

 ~

Chicken Salad

Mix desired amount of shredded or cubed cooked chicken with desired amount of cottage cheese.  Add extras, such as salt and pepper, sliced almonds, raisins, or dried cranberries (if the ingredients say they are sweetened with apple sauce, that's best, rather than the cranberries dried with sugar) and/or diced cucumbers, etc.

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Mick’s in the Sweets

2007: Before a Healthy Lifestyle

What kind of a romantic am I, forgetting Sweetest Day on the 15th?  I even bought a nice card for my hubby early… but did I remember to give it to him?  Nope!  I guess that clarifies that I am not much of a romantic.  It only makes sense, since Jay is the true all-out romantic of the two of us.  Sorry, Hon.  I will be giving you the card now!  Sweetest Day was a little delayed this year.

It is said, Sweetest Day was organized by candy manufacturers to promote the health benefits of eating candy and chocolate every day.  Ummmm…. Well….  Let’s see what we can find, but I’m a bit skeptical, since they include sugar, and I’ve already covered some of the reasons sugar is not a good thing.

I found some great information quickly at “What You Can Do With Nutrition To Prevent Breast Cancer” in which Kimberly Roberto states:  Cacao is a “raw form of chocolate… rich in Flavanols (powerful antioxidants) which are highly absorbable by the body.  Cacao has a phenomenal ORAC score of over 433,000.  CAUTION: Don’t get too excited and load up on chocolate bars.  This is not a free pass at the dessert counter either.  Most chocolate is loaded with other additions like milk products and sugar.  Stick with raw cacao powder – add it to smoothies, yogurt, or mix with avocado and stevia for a mousse-like dessert.”

You can learn about some “healthy” chocolate and then order it through Beyond Organic.

Here might be a good spot to quote a great doctor I know, “The overall quality of your health is determined by the quality of your habits.”

Tell me something.  What can you do to maximize your nutrition this week?  Do you have some bad habits to break, or maybe some good habits to start?  Give it some thought, and then have fun improving!

“You've captured my heart, dear friend.
You looked at me, and I fell in love.
One look my way and I was hopelessly in love!”

Song of Solomon 4:8 (The Message)

 

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