Silly Moments (Disney)

Let's take a moment and pause for the appreciation of Disney. I am a Disney fanatic! There's just something about curling up and watching a good ol' Disney movie when life starts to get a little stressful. So, for today, I'll share with you some fun memories of great Disney movies. Enjoy! :)

"If it's not Boroque. don't fix it!"

"The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest
and most beautiful of all."

"In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun!"

"Think of all the joy you'll find
when you leave the world behind and bid your cares goodbye."

."Like so many things, it is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts."

"Ladies do not start fights, but they can finish them!"

"I am on my way. I can go the distance.
I'll be there someday, if I can be strong.
I know every mile will be worth my while.
I will go most anywhere to find where I belong."

Changing Times

School started again about two weeks ago and I knew it was going to offer some changes regarding my diabetic health. As I have mentioned before, I got diagnosed with diabetes on the last day of school this last year. So I haven't had the opportunity to observe how the "school year schedule" affects my body until now. And, to be honest, these last two weeks have been a little difficult.

I am a very active person. Since being diagnosed with diabetes, I have grown to love moving my body and stay busy with active projects. However, being forced to sit for seven hours every day, five days a week, has definitely altered my blood glucose numbers. I am usually normal at breakfast, a little high at lunch, and in the two-hundreds at suppertime. Even with the insulin increases that I have done, it stills seems to be consistently high later in the day. 

This can create some frustration when, after treating myself with the correct amount of insulin for my numbers shown, I get lows before bedtime. It will sometimes jump from mid two-hundreds to below seventy within a few hours. I almost feel like my blood sugar is playing a ping-pong match in my body. It can be hard for me not to feel upset, disappointed, or even guilty for my numbers to not be where I want them. I have had to remind myself often that this is simply an adjustment time. I'm sure every diabetic could have a story or situation where he or she could not control their body the way they would like because of their circumstances.

I think that's the key word: circumstance. But the thing that I keep telling myself for encouragement is that it's not what my circumstances are, but how I choose to react to them. I am learning to take it day by day, or sometimes simply moment by moment. I do what needs to be done; I correct or adjust the insulin dosage according to what my record book says I have to. I don't try to tackle this whole situation to fix it because I just can't. 

Over the last four months, I have really come to love this disease that I have. But there are good days, and there are difficult days. Sometimes, it just takes some time to learn how to deal with the hard ones. By the support of family and friends, by the determination in each of us, and by the grace of God, we have the hope that we can and will keep going.

Extending Our Arms

As promised, I am sharing with you some ways to help those who are suffering throughout the world today. This is something that I am very passionate about (as you can probably tell). I believe that God places the responsibility of caring for others upon us and there are two reasons for this. One: These are God's children that He loves deeply. Two: It will teach us to be appreciative and content with what we have, knowing that others are forced to endure much more.

One way that I love to help others is through child sponsorship. There are many different organizations that work with families across the globe, offering support in a variety of ways. I have chosen to go through World Vision. I pay thirty-five dollars a month to provide clean water, nutritious food, health care, education, spiritual nurture, and the building of communities. It seems unbelievable that this amount of money could supply all of these things. However, there are a few sponsors per child, so together a bigger difference is made. This is why it is so important that more people take prayerful consideration of supporting a child.

My sponsor child is a nine-year-old girl who lives in Malawi. We have sent each other letters and she is such a delightful, spirited young lady. She has a father and mother, two sisters, and a brother. She tells me about her school and about her faith. It feels so good to receive letters so that I know that she and her family are well. Simply from the letters I have gotten, I can tell that she is so unique and loves life! It's such a blessing  to offer such a small gift to do so much for someone else.

"Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:17 

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18 

"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." Proverbs 22:9 

"Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:9 

"He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." Deuteronomy 10:18 

Again, I hope that you will consider through thought and prayer how God intends for you to help others. If child sponsorship interests you, here is a link to World Vision:  

http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/xxwv2DoChildSearch_B.jsp? 

With Even These Things

Starvation, disease, conflict, pain, sorrow. The list goes on an on. Around the world, millions of people are faced with problems so severe that there appears to be no hope of a better tomorrow. I won't list the countless statistics to show my point; we've already heard them. We know that there are people homeless, children hungry, and families torn apart by cruel conflicts. But what are we going to do about it? The staggering numbers of the amount of people going through these trials scare us. It paralyzes us and gives us a sense that there is no hope.

But, as always, God takes the moments that seem pure chaos, confusion and destruction and turns it into something with beauty, hope, and wonder! Allow me to share a story with you that I love and that encourages me.


     "Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

 
     Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother,spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

     Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks,and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

     When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten." ~John 6: 1-13


I think so many of us are like Philip. We come at an issue that appears to be horrendous with a negative outlook on it because we face it only with what we can comprehend in our minds. Certainly Philip did not imagine how Jesus would change this situation - he underestimated the power of his Teacher.

This boy (we don't even know his name) plays such an important role in this story. His contribution to the endeavor of feeding five thousand people didn't seem like much at all. Five loaves. Two fish. It would have been so easy for the boy to look at the situation and say, "You guys are crazy. You'll never get enough food to feed this many people!" and walk home with his dinner. But his willingness is what inspires me. He was willing to give what he had to help others, and consequently, give honor to God. 

So what's our excuse? Not enough money. Not enough time. It won't make a difference anyway. Life is too busy. 

The answer is: We have no excuse! Even if we have nothing, we have our faith in God. And with this, we can fight the problems people are facing with prayer. Don't underestimate that power! Even with these things, we can make a difference. 

But if you want to help in more ways than prayer, there are countless things to do. I will talk more about those in the future. :) 

Memorizing Mozart

As I've mentioned before, I have been playing violin since I was six years old - going on eleven years of taking lessons. Playing my violin is one of my favorite things to do. Granted, some days I don't want to pick it up and practice my scales and techniques. However, I absolutely love classical music and I love the emotion involved in playing this instrument.


Last year, among other repertoire, I memorized the first and second movements of Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major. Now I'm working on memorizing the third movement before school starts in the beginning of September. The third movement is my favorite of all three! It is so invigorating! :)


I found a youtube recording that has all three movements. If you are working on a project or something at home and you enjoy listening to classical violin music, I encourage you to listen to this concerto.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4BH3G_R9wY



( If you ever want to look on youtube for some other violin music, here are some of my favorite performers to listen to:

- Itzhak Perlman

- Joshua Bell 

- Hilary Hahn 

- Lindsey Stirling

Black Forest Cheesecake Delight

This is a recipe that my sister found in the Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cookbook. But she tweaked it a little bit so that it would be more "diabetic approved."






Ingredients:

Crust:
- 1 cup sugar free chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
- 2 tbsp butter (melted)

Cheesecake Part:
- 2 8oz packages cream cheese (1  1/3 less fat, 1 fat free)
- 2/3 cup Stevia (or another sugar substitute)
- 2/3 cup egg whites
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (melted)
- 1/4 tsp almond extract

Topping:
- Sugar free Cherry Pie Filling
- Sugar free Whipped Topping

Directions:

Combine sugar free chocolate wafer cookie crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom of a 9 inch spring-form pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Combine cream cheese and Stevia on medium speed until well blended. Add egg whites and mix well. Blend in semi-sweet chocolate chips and almond extract. Pour over crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Loosen from pan, cool before removing. Chill. Top with sugar free cherry pie filling and sugar free whipped topping.

Nutrition Information: (Serves 12)
 Serving is 1 slice:
- Fat: 13 grams
- Carbs: 25.5 grams

Silly Moments (Olympics)

Keeping a positive attitude is key when going through hard times. But sometimes, it isn't easy. It doesn't matter if it's diabetes, another disease, or if you're just having a rough day, being optimistic and positive can be very difficult. These are times when I take a "Silly Moment" - some time to watch a funny video clip, read an entertaining article, or look at some interesting pictures. 

I have been very into the Olympics recently, so my "Silly Moment" today was looking at some goofy pictures that were taken at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. I hope you enjoy as I share some of my favorites with you. :)

(I am so impressed with the dedication and determination that these athletes bring to the Games. These pictures are meant to show the enjoyment aspect of the Olympics - not to make fun of any of the athletes.)

I love this guy! I'll bet he could eat five hot dogs in one bite!