Things are even worse!

After posting all the problems with purchasing food, I heard on the news a new discovery! The wooden and plastic pallets used for shipping food also contain DANGEROUS stuff. Maybe I should just go on a forever fast!

Grocery shopping list.....

The end of the month is here.....and my cupboards and refrigerator are getting empty. It must be time to make a grocery list. I really would like to eat healthy so...

• meat is out because of the hormones used to raise it and the cholesteral
• canned goods can have contaminents due to the tin cans and preservatives
• processed foods have too much salt, sugar, and preservatives
• drinks have caffiene and even sugar substitutes are bad for me
• organic and natural may not really mean they are THAT organic and THAT natural
• fresh vegetables and fruits may have pesticides
• there are recalls on food with e-coli and other horrible stuff
• and what are those ingredients that have very long, unpronounceable names?...must be bad
• everything else has too many calories

Well, I guess I don't need any groceries after all.........

Tribute to Carolino

Remembering Carolino, Opie's Dad

Today, Opie and I are remembering his Dad, Carolino. Carolino was about 10 years old and he passed away last Saturday, May 15, 2010. Maxie, his wife and Opie's Mom, died in September of 2008. They had a real wedding with a wedding gown and tuxedo and a delicious wedding cake. For poodles, it was instant love. They really liked being together whenever I would bring Maxie over to visit Carolino. He was a loving father and Opie has many of his traits. Just like his Dad, Opie likes to lean his nose on most anything as in the first picture. He was a faithful pet for Rossy and Domi and a wonderful father to Carola, Opie's sister who lives with them. It is sad to think of not having Carolino around any more......we do get a little comfort thinking he is with Maxie (and Chula, Blackie, Lobo, and a few more of his friends) in the special pet cemetery behind the church in Reynosa. So today, we pay tribute to Carolino, Opie's Dad and my "son in law."

Chaser

Well, Opie had quite a day. In fact, we changed his name to CHASER. He started this morning by chasing the neighbors' cat, Jo-Jo, out of our yard and over the fence. Then, he went after two stray dogs.....Opie on our side of the fence and the dogs on the other side. He was BIG STUFF and they totally ignored him. Then, he tried to catch some big blackbirds. He charged across the porch and came to a screeching hault at the very edge. The birds had already flown away. But the best was kept for last. He spent the evening chasing lizards. There were several on our sidewalk and driveway. He would run really fast....and then look bewildered as he couldn't find lizards anywhere. So, now I have a black poodle named CHASER instead of Opie......or maybe he should be SNOOZER since he is now sound asleep. I guess he did too much chasing!!!

"Always Write Your Plans in Pencil"

I was so blessed and challenged by this devotional that I have included a few excerpts. It is written by Len Allen, an author, and I found it in Crosswalk Daily Updates.

" As we walk through our lives we should definitely make our plans, make our lists, but we should write those plans in pencil--so that as God leads us through the daily details and reveals His desires, we can easily make adjustments. Just erase that next item and pencil in a new plan based upon how the Lord is leading."

"Changing the plans of life when written in pencil is much less stressful than when we cling to our list of goals as if they were written in permanent marker."

Mothers´ Day, 2010

This morning, we celebrated Mothers' Day with a special service. After our praise and worship time, the musicians played and sang the traditional serenade, "Las Mañanitas". Then after a little message on Titus 2:3, 4, and 5, our children did a little skit showing the many roles a mother has to play. The kids were so cute. The last child represented mothers as prayer warriors and we presented the mothers with CDs with scriptures recorded on them. We prayed for our mothers.....and of course, had some special prizes to give them.

A special part of our service was having Bro. Alberto able to attend the service! Please continue to pray for him and for his family that their faith may remain strong as he battles cancer.

And during the past week, we have been in construction.....again.....! This time we are adding a porch for our fire exit, railings on two other porches and a closet off of my office. We are praying for angels to surround our church building and for God to protect it!