More Summer Fun & More Zucchini

It seems like our Tuesdays are always consumed with doctor appointments.  What a fun (note the sarcasm!) way to spend our day off.  This last week was no exception although this time it wasn't for Andy, but for me.  My issue is that I have osteoporosis.  The doctor has had me on medication for 5 years or so to build up my bones.  Every 2 years I have a dexascan to measure my bone density.  This year's test was on Tuesday.  Fortunately, it is a simple, easy test and doesn't require a lot of time and energy, so we still had a good part of the day to plan something fun.

Andy was feeling up to it, so Dawn dropped Kira off and we spent several hours playing with her at our house and at the neighbors' trampoline with their 2 little girls.

Andy romped and played with the girls like he was 20 years younger!  But eventually, even the girls got tired, so Kira and I played inside while Andy rested.

killing dragons with our magic wands

When we took Kira home, Andy and she played for a while in their pool.  And again, Andy couldn't resist horsing around while I got to hold Kasey.

While our neighbors were on vacation, I asked Andy to check their garden to see if they had any zucchini coming ripe.  He brought back 3 of them.  The one was so huge.  I don't know if I've ever seen one so big.  It was 17 inches long and weighed 6 pounds (as big as a newborn baby).



I was able to get 2 meals out of it.  It was so big that I cut it in half and saved the one half to have a couple days later.  It was delicious both times.

It's really simple to make.  Just scoop out as much of the zucchini as you can and shred it.  Then mix that with an egg, Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.  Put that mixture in the zucchini boats, top with chopped Roma tomatoes, then add mozzarella cheese on top.  Bake for 40 minutes and enjoy!

The other evening when I went out to water our potted flowers, I looked up in the sky and saw this lovely scene.

The moon is inside the far left jet cloud, and doesn't that cloud formation near the bottom almost look like an angel?

Recently the Lord has been convicting me of how stressed I am.  Granted, there is a lot I'm dealing with but that is no excuse if I really believe in God and his sovereignty.  Psalm 131 spoke volumes to me as I read:  

"O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a child quieted at its mother's breast;
like a child that is quieted is my soul.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and for evermore."

I want that quiet spirit, resting and secure in my Father, just enjoying His presence with me.  The "stress" He is allowing in my life is for my growth and maturity.  Can I remember that?  No, I need constant reminding.  That's why saturating myself with God's Word is so vital.

Eugene Peterson comments on this psalm:  ..."Just as the child gradually breaks off the habit of regarding his mother only as a means of satisfying his own desires and learns to love her for her own sake, so the worshiper after a struggle has reached an attitude of mind in which he desires God for himself and not as a means of fulfillment of his own wishes.  His life's center of gravity has shifted.  He now rests no longer in himself but in God."

Is God enough?  Or am I only content and happy when things are going smoothly?  When I stop and consider, I have to note that God is especially near and dear to me when things are not going well.  Yes, he definitely is enough...he is more than enough.  He provides me with all I need for life and godliness (2 Peter1:3), and I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation (Philippians 4:12).   

I don't know that I'm really very good at being content in any and every situation.  It seems like I have a long way to go to be able to claim this for myself.  The kids had a song on one of their kids' cd's that said:  "He's still working on me...to make me what I ought to be."  Yup, that about sums it up.

Later in the week, I heard from the doctor who called with the results of my dexascan:  there is no further deterioration in my hip and spine so I can take a 2 year break from the medication!  Wa-hoo!