Non Scale Victory

Sometimes when people are trying to lose weight, it helps to measure weight loss by things other than the scales or tape measure. The scales can become a real source of torment and obsession when you're trying so hard to lose weight. So, I was encouraged this week in my weight loss journey when I discovered I had won a non scale victory.

To explain:
About a month ago, Scott and I bought a WiiFit. I've managed to do workouts roughly twice a week, if not more. A busy week or two has meant that I haven't had a chance to workout for eight days. I knew I had put on a bit of weight. I was stressed, busy and comfort eating. Motivation to work out was hard to find. [sigh]

On Monday, though, I pulled a toy hula hoop from the cupboard at Grace's playgroup. Grace and I had a little hula-hula and I surprised myself. I was able to hula properly for a good six or seven spins. It doesn't sound like a whole lot, but it's something I have never been able to do. Not even when I was a kid.

I realised, after several repeat performances on the hula hoop, that my stomach muscles are getting stronger now. This is a skill I have learned through all my virtual hula hooping on the Wii balance board. This is one of the first good things I have done for my body in years. This is something I can be proud of, a real achievement based on my workouts.

I feel motivated to keep trying. I even walked past a piece of cheesecake without eating it today. This is a real non-scale victory.

Cafepress Update (Including sympathy poem)

I recently created an online store using Cafepress. It's called "AnnaHarris.com Online Store". At the moment it only contains a couple of designs. They will be added as I get the opportunity. I only have one design per product item. If you like a design (eg. on a greeting card) but want to buy it on a different item (eg. mini poster or framed print) then feel free to drop me a line: anna at annaharris dot com and I'll do my darnedest to make it happen for you.

Designs currently on the site are:

A Birthday Card 10 pack of "Happy Hip Hop Birthday" cards. This is a pretty funky graffiti-style design. The inside says "It's your day. Bust a move."

There's a cute little teddy bear wearing a t-shirt with another one of my poems on it. The poem is called "God is like a teddy bear". It's been valuable in helping people understand something about who God is and how he loves. Perhaps you might like to share a bear with a friend and help them find out about God's love.

"God is like a teddy bear with a conscience
He listens to everything you say
He tells you the right thing to do
And still loves you after you do the opposite."


And finally (for now) there is a very powerful sympathy card, complete with a lovely image of a white hydrangea. I adore that image. I adore the poem. It's about losing your one true love and dealing with laying them to rest. Here is the poem:

The grass is yet to grow back
in the place where they buried you.
There is only dirt
and wilted flowers.
The remnants of my last visit.

I don't wan't grass anyway.
That would be a lie,
As if everything was normal.
As if you were laid to rest.
As if you and I were at peace.

They buried my heart with you,
My Darling, My love.
They left pieces exposed
like rocks in the dirt.

No grass can grow there,
Until leaves fall
and tears fall,
to nourish the earth.

Tears.
Tears. Tears.
I have been hurt.
The realisation that I will never
hold you,
never touch you,
never hear you laugh.
How can I ever let go?
Tears rain down now,
upon your grave.
Preparing the soil for my new life,
without you.

The grass must grow back again.
The sun must shine again.
Rest in Glory.
Rest in Peace.
Rest in Love.


I have great plans for this CafePress store. I have so many ideas for greeting cards, posters, gifts and t-shirts. In fact, I have so many ideas that it makes my head ache. I'm stressed about my somewhat limited artistic skills. I'm a writer, not a fighter. Oh, I mean an artist.

Over time I'll be building up my collection of available designs. My goal is to upgrade to a Premium store and make this little baby into an earner! Stay tuned for more updates.

[sigh] Wish me well, folks. And go there and buy my stuff. Please.

Ultra Simple and cute ballet tutu pattern

I stumbled across this cute little number. I must make one for Grace some time soon. She loves to pretend she's a ballerina. She asks me for ballet slippers every chance she gets. This ballet tutu might distract her attention until I can find a pair of Jiffies in her size. It's such a simple concept. I thought I might make Barbie one too.

Cool.

And so here it was, it was the day that Jesus rose from the dead,...

Scripture this passage relates to: Luke 24 : 13 - 33 The Road to Emmaus

"And so here it was, it was the day that Jesus rose from the dead and they had given up. They were on their way home. They were shattered beyond description. I mean, what would you do if you had put all of your hopes in this one man? He was the anointed of God. He was going to redeem Israel. He was going to take back the land for the people and so on, and they killed Him. They killed Him. So they just gave up. It was a washout. It was through. They were going home.

"And yet who should they meet on the road but Jesus Himself? And it says that they didn’t recognise Him and we seem to attribute it that God didn’t allow them to recognize Him. But I don’t buy that one bit, because the original text doesn’t say that. It just says that they didn’t recognize Him. Do you know why they didn’t recognize Him? Because He was the last man they expected to see on that road. Granted, I don’t think He looked the same. But they never expected to meet Jesus. It was their own lack of faith that blinded them from seeing Him.
"So Jesus comes up to them and “What’s happenin’ fellas? What are you talkin’ about?” and he [Cleopas] says “Are you the only one that doesn’t know about these things?”
Jesus says “What? What are you talking about?”
“Jesus, the Nazarene, mighty prophet, mighty man of God in word and deed. In fact, we all thought he was the Messiah and they killed him. And that was three days ago. His body is gone. We found His body is gone but they haven’t found Him.[Cleopas said]” And the Bible says that they stood there looking sad.

"Now,...that’s a lot like us, people. You see, [for] those guys, this should have been the greatest day in their lives. The Messiah had just risen. He had come to do THIS! Heaven had just opened. It was the beginning of the Kingdom of God that would be displayed through men, not just Jesus. And their work was today really beginning and they thought it was over. They were going this way and Jesus said “Why aren’t you going that way? You ought to be going IN to Jerusalem!” They didn’t get it. And so they rebuked God. “Don’t you know Jesus died?” They rebuked God. But He was patient. He didn’t smite them with fire. He was gentle with them. And He said “Oh foolish men, slow to hear all the prophets had said. Didn’t you know these things were going to happen? Weren’t you told so many times?” Yeah, they were.

"But see, those two guys are like us. As you sit here tonight many of you have trouble. You’ve got problems. You brought them in this room with you tonight. And sometimes we would think if only, only Jesus would come to my house. If once I could sit down and counsel with Jesus. If I could just see Him once. If I could just hear His voice once, I’d be transformed. No you wouldn’t. You’d be just like these two men on the road to Emmaus. You wouldn’t get it. The presence of Jesus would not change your life.

"Believe me? It’s true.

"You see, because Jesus, His presence, is here right now. His presence is inside your bodies right now. It hasn’t changed you. Oh, you’re going to Heaven, but it hasn’t changed you. We came into this room tonight with problems. Jesus is right here. Jesus might have said to you tonight “How’re you doing?” “Are you the only one in Adelaide who doesn’t know the trouble I’ve got? I haven’t paid all my bills! The kids are sick! My husband’s been angry with me for the last two weeks! Don’t you know!?! I’m upset! And He says Oh foolish foolish people. Didn’t you know this stuff was going to happen? Didn’t I tell you? Jesus Christ is right here next to you tonight. He’s right here with you. The King of the Universe and He knows you by name. He knows everything about you. He has rescued you. He has written your name in His book. He is counting the days until He gets to take you home face to face. He loves you so much. Do you realise how precious you are to Him? You don’t realise that or you wouldn’t be so upset about the problems in your life.

"You don’t know what a glory you are to Him. You might think “Well, I don’t do anything. I’m not very useful to the Lord. I’m not very powerful. I’m not, you know, a real disciple.” Do you know how much He loves you? You see, what you were created for has already happened. It’s already done. You see, when you became a Christian you fulfilled the Lord’s will for your life. He didn’t die so that you might be discipled. He died so that you might go to heaven. Right? He opened the way for Heaven. When you said Jesus come into your life, that day, whenever it was, IT WAS FINISHED. And the only reason you’re here now isn’t to grow closer to the Lord, or to be more obedient to the Lord, or to become more of a disciple. No! The reason you’re here right now, today, is that the joy and the love and the fullness of God would spill out of you and flow all over others, because you are now the Jesuses in this world. You have the good news of God beating in your breast. He just wants to show you off!

"You’re not supposed to work your way. It’s already done. You’re going to heaven. You don’t see it like all of creation sees it. That shekinah glory of God that blinded Paul on the Damascus road and knocked him flat on his back, knocked Daniel down a couple of times and Ezekiel and John and so on. That same shekinah glory of God dwells in your breast. And every spiritual being throughout eternity can see it. All of the host of Heaven, the saints and the angels, and all of the demonic realm, even Satan himself, they all can see that and it scares the demons no end. They know you from a non-Christian. You blind them with the glory of God. It’s not just a little angel that hangs around you to try to protect you. It’s the spirit of the living God who makes your body His home. Every time your heart beats you’re giving glory to God, you know why? Because God’s saying “That one is mine”. Every time you hear that heart beat “That one is mine. They have said ‘yes’ to me. They’re going to be in Heaven with me”. "

Quoted Section from message by Pastor Brent Rue titled "Letting God Love You", preached somewhere in Adelaide in the mid/late 90's???? Write me a comment if you would like to read the entire sermon and I'll e-mail you the 16 page Word document. An mp3 version of a similar message is available from www.brentrue.com, but appears to be preached several years later than my transcript (so it has a slightly different perspective).

Pastor Rue shares a life-changing concept that God used with me,... but it's 12:45am here so I won't elaborate. I just really felt that God wanted me to post something of this, the "most important teaching" Ps Rue's ever done, here, on Resurrection Sunday.

Good Friday Seedlings

Easter is not about eggs, or bunnies or chocolate. It is about seeds.

As Jesus agonised at the thought of his impending death, He said "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." (John 12:24).

When Jesus died on the cross He fell to the ground and was buried in the pits of hell. But in His death came the new life that only God can breathe upon us.

On the third day He rose, like a seed sprouting, and came to life once more. This time like a plant spreading its seeds around the earth.

Easter is all about seeds and the new life we are given when we take the seed of God's love and plant it firmly in our heart.


When you consider what Jesus did for you on the first Good Friday, let His overwhelming love be the first thing to pierce your heart. Pray this prayer below if you want to accept the blessings of the cross and embrace Jesus as friend and saviour.

A prayer for new life:

Father God,
I realise I am a sinner. I have sinned and deserve my consequences. But I have learned that in you there is forgiveness, unconditional love and a new life breathed into my soul. Please come into my life and my heart so I can be born again in Christ Jesus?
Amen.

Have a very good friday.

A little trifle,...

Trifle is this strange bitsa-style dessert that creates something far more than the sum of its parts. On their own custard, jelly, tinned fruit and old sponge cake are uninspiring,... but when you put them all together with a splash of plonk something magical happens. TRIFLE.

With that, and a half demolished trifle in my fridge in mind, I decided to have a little google for trifle recipes. One nice thing you can do with trifle is choose a theme and go with it eg. an Australia Day trifle made with lamingtons. My favourites in a preliminary web browse are the Port Wine Trifle and the Banana Caramel Trifle. I have to qualify this last link by saying that I really do NOT like trifles with Madiera cake or jam sponges or jam rolls. Any jam added to a trifle just makes it sickly sweet, whether it's spread over the cake or bought like that. Urk. Totally unnecessary. The only jam exception I will make is that some people microwave a few teaspoons of jam to stir in with their plonk if it's not a very sweet one.

There are plenty of recipes for Black Forest Trifles and chocolate trifles too. Personally, I've done a chocolate one using chocolate mousse instead of jelly, but having watched Maggie Beer do a lovely espresso jelly recently has caused me to rethink the chocolate trifle idea. I'd like to see a rich grown-up chocolate trifle with a hint of mocha ie. coffee jelly and possibly kahlua on chocolate sponge.

Now it's time to introduce you to my classic trifle method (as opposed to recipe):

1. 1 or 2 unfilled sponge cakes from the supermarket OR a packet of Savoiardi (sponge finger) biscuits - no jam rolls or Madeira for reasons already discussed.


2. 1/2 - 1 cup of plonk (suggested choices include marsala, sherry, dessert wines, chocolate liqueur, kirsch, Bailey's Irish Cream, Grand Marnier etc). For non-alcoholic versions the choices are just as endless - the liquid drained from your tinned fruit, chocolate/strawberry/banana flavoured milk, ice-cream toppings, cold coffee [nice mixed with marsala for a tiramisu flavoured trifle], well pureed fruit or fruit coulis, some brave folks even use fruit juice but I'd be wary of curdling the dairy products in the trifle.


3. Break sponge into pieces, place in a large casserole dish with a lid and drizzle with plonk. Cover cake and leave in fridge overnight.


4. Make one or two jellies in separate containers according to packet directions. Add fresh / tinned fruit or frozen berries to the jelly if desired. [Helps conceal the fruit from fussy toddlers.] Allow to set in fridge over night.


5. Make a nice thick batch of custard according to packet directions, or be lazy and buy a carton or two at the supermarket. You can buy the thick stuff, but it's a matter of personal preference how you like your custard in your trifle. Personally, if I'm using really runny custard, I'd be inclined to go easy on the plonk. If you made the custard yourself, cover the top of it with a sheet of glad wrap and put it in the fridge overnight to cool.


6. In the morning/afternoon/whenever you get around to it: compile all the goodness together in several casserole dishes or sexy glass bowls, parfait glasses or whatever is your desired serving dish. You may need to make more than you think you'll need because this trifle is damn tempting just sitting there in your fridge.


7. Once you have fairly evenly compiled the sponge, custard, jelly and fruit, you are ready to top it all with a generous layer of (barely sweetened, vanilla added) whipped cream. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT skimp on this step. This is the contrast in flavour and texture that makes it all something magical. It also hides the chaos beneath. The top can be sprinkled with something nice eg. chocolate sprinkles, coconut, nuts, cinnamon,.... try and go with the theme of your trifle.
   

[sigh] As Dora's Backpack says "Delicioso".

This is a dessert classic and even the single bloke with limited culinary skills could probably knock up a nice one to impress the ladies.

Trifle,... make one today.

Dearest Christian,...

Take your eyes off the
things of this world.

Forget their fame and fashion
and their meat pots and onions.

Jesus lives in the land
of promised milk and honey.

Jesus lives in the land
of resurrected dreams.

Jesus lives in your heart,
His truth is on your tongue.
His word is in your heart.
His Spirit broods above you
and within.

Jesus lights upon you
shining like the first rays of the day,
burning like the midday sun,
reigning like pink scars on the twilight sky.
Follow Him.