Remembrance Day

I meant to post this yesterday or Tuesday evening but I just didn't know what to say.

As I have gotten older, I have become much more aware of the meaning of Remembrance Day and how much it impacted my future. Yesterday, as I watched the national coverage of the service in Ottawa, I cried.
I cried, in appreciation for what these men and women have sacrificed for me and my family.
I cried, thinking about the families who have sacrificed their loved ones for our country's freedom.
I cried, for the innocent lives lost in the countries that our country's men and women have worked so hard to protect.

As the generation that is going forward, we need to educate ourselves, our children, and so on, to ensure that we never forget the sacrifices that were made many generations before us.

A little something I thought valuable . . .

If your like me, you would like to know of alternative information for the H1N1 other then a vaccination. Yours truly has not had good experience with vaccines, plus with the minimum reserch into this vaccine, I thought I would look for something else. I'm a big believer (as I've mentioned before) in alternative medicine, plus I found a GP that believes the same as I do (SCORE!!). So, here's my two bits, take what you will.

1. Take Vitamin D which improves immunity to H1N1 flu by increasing production of antimicrobial agents in the body. These antimicrobials can fight swine flu and other types of influenza. It’s no coincidence that flu season coincides with the lowest annual levels of Vitamin D. To ramp up your immune system, take 2000-5000 mg a day of Vitamin D. The best form of Vitamin D to use is D3.

2. Take Vitamin C as it not only boosts levels of infection fighting white blood cells, but it also increases the number of interferon antibodies which work to keep the swine flu from even entering cells. Aim for 200 mg ingested over the course of day either in food or supplements.

3. Take Vitamin E which fosters production of natural killer cells that seek out and destroy swine flu germs. It’s hard to eat enough food to reach therapeutic levels of Vitamin E, so consider a supplemental dose between 100-400 mg.

4. Eat foods rich in Vitamin A to boost immune response, however, because high levels can be toxic, avoid supplements and eat your carrots. Be especially careful of Vitamin A intake if you are pregnant as high levels can hurt a fetus.

5. Eat foods rich in bioflavonoids. Bioflavonoids fill up cell receptor sites so H1N1 flu germs can’t get into your cells and cause infection. Bioflavonoids are found in white and green teas, wine, dark chocolate, peppers, garlic, blueberries, and citrus fruits. For best results, combine with foods rich in vitamin C and calcium.

6. Take a zinc supplement. Zinc doesn’t just increase immune response, it makes it fight the swine flu more aggressively. Supplement with 15 to 25 mg a day and don’t go over 75 mg as that can actually weaken your immune system.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4947989_avoid-swine-flu-vitamins-supplements.html

Hope this helps in some form or another.

Too much birthday partying!

This is how Winston passed out last night (yes, his eyes are open, he heard us taking his picture)! Sorry for the tummy exposure. Our little guy got so tired from all his partying with his new toys (which have since been destroyed), the little bit of dancing that he did with his parents (ok, maybe it was just mommy and daddy dancing but he was there), and the little treat of some yummy chicken (his version of a birthday cake).

Happy Birthday Winston!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR WINSTON MAXWELL BITTERMAN

This was the first day we got him, March 7th 2009.

Loves his toys!

He was so little!

Always curious!! Loves the camera! HA!

Sitting in the back of the truck while Mom takes pics of a fire.

Loves to look out the windows
Hair was getting a little long. Daddy was playing with the style
A cute little sweater from our AB family.
Such a joy to our lives. He is part of our little family and we are very blessed to have him.

Everyday when we get home, he does this happy dance that just melts our hearts. We just love him so much!

Luke 12:48

Lately, I've been struggling with feeling like I'm not valued in my job. I have felt there are times when I should just walk out the door, but I won't because this has been a growing experience for me. So, even though it hurts some days, growing is a great thing. Not to mention that I'm getting some education out of my job, which is never a bad thing.

This morning, God has brought me to this verse (well, actually the internet has brought this to me via my google reader and the "Daily Bible Verse" blog).

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48

This has made me think. I've been given an opportunity and I need to run with it. I need to put my everything in and see what happens. So, here's me going to work with God's words claiming my day.

Happy Friday!

A little fluff to my blog

So, on Thanksgiving weekend (that's Canadian Thanksgiving), I rekindled a romance that I had started a few years ago. This romance is not deep or emotional or even really worthy of the title "Romance"; however, it is a love non-the-less. What has caught my attention with such interest? Wait for it . . . Forever 21. Sad, I know. It's really, really sad that I enjoy this store to this level but I cannot deny my feelings anymore.

I HEART FOREVER 21

Last night, I had the pleasure of visiting this lovely store. My girlfriend and I were having so much fun and wanted to buy so much more but now that it's here we don't HAVE to buy everything we see. I'm sure that this will become a regular place to visit, until the time comes that my body changes {having a baby, but that's not happening yet}. They have wonderful prices {ladies, they are priced the same as the US!!!! Can I tell you how exciting this is?!?!}, lots of fun pieces that will be great with many, many looks. Anyways, I'm sure you can sense my passion for this place - (which I should really be putting into something else like let's say, hmm, my course?! Oh yea, I'm taking another payroll course, fun times.) - but how can a girl not be happy about this.

If you live in BC, you should definately plan a trip to Metrotown - it's worth it. I hear that Edmonton already has this store so I'm sure my friends in AB have already experienced the lovelyness.

Have a lovely day! The rain is falling but it's better then the snow that's falling in other parts right now.

Question

Ok, I have this lovely little tool on my side bar, have you noticed it? It's the feedjit tool. It tells me who's been visiting and where they are from. Here's the deal, I don't know who some of you are. Especially those ones I see from outside of Canada, don't know many people in other countries.

So, if I have said something that interests you or has made you think, please leave a comment. I know my blog isn't all about sunshine and roses, but I also don't want my blog to be that way. I want this blog to make you think, challange you, challange myself, but most of all, to bless you! If you don't want to leave a comment on here, send me an email bittermanduet.blog.com. I would love to hear from you!

Have a fabulous day!

I see a trend developing, or should I say, God is shouting and it's time to start listening

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending a women's event with my SIL and a couple of her hometown girlfriends. Life has been busy this past week and I wasn't really "feelin it". But, the moment I walked in the door, I felt that I was meant to be there, do you ever have those moments? Well, anyways, it was loud (which is totally normal for a bunch of ladies talking all at once) so I was feeling a little overwhelmed {not so wonderful for my introvert side} but all was good. Here's the funny part, I didn't know any of the details of this event - silly girl! So I had no idea what to expect but God sure had my number. Ok, so now laying the foundation for this great day, here's how God had Miss Nadine's number.

Let me ask you, friends, have you ever told someone something that you didn't have permission to speak to that "someone" about? Have you ever said to a girlfriend, please don't tell but this is what's happening in so-and-so's life? Have you ever been the victom of this happening to you? This is a new "cloak", have you ever been told, I'm sharing this for prayer for this person? I think every woman has encountered this life changing, heart hardening, mind bogglying, hurtful, disgraceful thing that seems to consume us ladies. Any guesses?

GOSSIP - is anything harmful to the reputation of another person. It is anything private, personnal, or sensitive that another person has NOT GIVEN PERMISSION to share!!

What the dictionary says:
- noun
1.idle talk or rumor, esp. about the personal or private affairs of others: the endless gossip about Hollywood stars.
2. light, familiar talk or writing.
3. Also, gos⋅sip⋅er, gos⋅sip⋅per. a person given to tattling or idle talk.
4.Archaic. a friend, esp. a woman.

–verb (used without object)
6. to talk idly, esp. about the affairs of others; go about tattling.

Ever checked out the Bible to see what God says about gossip? Here's a couple examples:

12 Thus they bring judgement on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. 13 Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying thing they ought not to. 14 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander.
1 Timothy 5:12 - 14

A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.
Proverbs 11:13

27 A scoundrel plots evil,
and his speech is like a scorching fire.
28 A perverse man stirs up dissension,
and a gossip separates close friends.
29 A violent man entices his neighbor
and leads him down a path that is not good.
30 He who winks with his eye is plotting perversity;
he who purses his lips is bent on evil.
Proverbs 16:27-30

18 Like a madman shooting
firebrands or deadly arrows
19 is a man who deceives his neighbor
and says, "I was only joking!"
20 Without wood a fire goes out;
without gossip a quarrel dies down.
21 As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire,
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
22 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to a man's inmost parts.
Proverbs 26:18-22

This has always been a challange for me. A lot of times, I don't even know what I'm doing before it happens and then the conviction comes and it's too late to take it back. There have been people in my life who are most important to me that I have hurt because of the words I have spoken to others, that were not mine to share. As I sat there taking all of this in, God was convicting me of all the people that I have spoke about without permission to other's and how this came back to me at a later time. I can remember as far back as the age of 9, when I was playing a game of "Telephone" - loath that game, I will NEVER encourage any child to play it, it just encourages gossip, I had no idea that the words I said were not mine to share, but I didn't understand the rules of the game and I hurt my 'best friend' with what I had said. It's tough to be convicted of that game, even to this day. We all sin and since Eve ate the apple in the garden, that sin starts even at a young age.

"Gossip is all about power. Gossip has the power to destroy lives. There is no such thing as harmless gossip".

Another mask that gossip wears, "I just need to vent". BOY, I am, no was, the queen of that one. Do you feel better when you "vent" about another person? Does it make your friendship stronger with the person that hurt you or did something that bugged you? Should you go to another person with a problem that wasn't their's to start with? Can you guess the answer??!? Absolutely, 100%, NO!!!!! If you have an issue with someone, shouldn't you go straight to them? Or if it's not a situation that can be immediately addressed, should you go to God or a girlfriend? Say nothing to ANYONE but GOD!
Like I mentioned, this was one that I used more often then not. Something resently happened in my life, where I used this particular mask of gossip, and I sit here today thinking, WHY? What was the point in that? Here's the thing, we learn this from such a young age that it becomes something we are comfortable with, we - in most times - would rather vent to another person then go directly to the person that has hurt us. A lot of times, we would rather hurt the person who has hurt us then work through it. We would rather go to someone else for a quick fix to listen to us, then to go to God and ask Him what to do. Humility confronts, pride gossips.

Here's my challange to you and myself; read the scriptures on gossip, go to the Father and ask Him to reveal to you the people you have hurt or spoke about, start mending that brokenness in your own heart and then start asking God to give you the ability to walk on a path of being sensitive - ok, hyper sensitive - to gossip. Ask God to give you discernment as to when something is gossip and when it is not. Ask God to walk with you everyday and help you to walk away from gossip. Challange yourself (and this applies to me also) when you speak, is it truth? Are you going to betray someone's trust by speaking the words?

Do you want to be known as a godly woman of integrity? I sure do!

Someone has a birthday coming up!!!

Saying goodbye to an era . . .

This week has been super exciting with a bit more change in our life. We have been making steps towards getting the list that we had done, I love lists but rarely ever finish all of them - I know, bad Nadine! Anyways, we had a couple things on our list buy house - check, figure out solution to our leased vehicle, the sexy truck - as hubby and I called it. We decided rather then buying the truck out from the lease, we would take the money we spent on the one truck and try to find two vehicles, one for him and one for me. We wanted to find something good on gas and all wheel drive or 4 x 4 for both of us. See, having my folks in the Okanagan, the roads can get kinda tricky when the weather changes. Anyways, we have made our purchases and are absolutely thrilled. His car is better on gas then the truck, which we needed for the commuting part of our life. My new vehicle - SUV or as others have mentioned MUV (Mommy Utility Vehicle) is an automatic, and I don't know if you remember the stories of me and commuting with my little car, and it's lovely manual transmission but my left leg thanks me daily for the change we've made.

Now, said little car, Zippy, is going to live with my dad this weekend - he likes to have a project and this little car has been in our family happliy for 8 years so he wanted first dibs on it when it came time to sell. Zippy has been with me through many interesting times and lots of firsts. She has been good to me - even with the three trips across the country to Toronto - she was good to me. We had good times and bad. We've been good friends over the years and even though she's going, she'll always have a little place in my heart. So silly, it's a car, but we go through some big life changes with vehicles so to me it's not silly.

Goodbye little Zip, to the memories!!

Thought for the day

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

~ James 4:1-3 ~

God is calling . . . are you listening?

Well, friends there seems to be more and more of us that are hearing God's voice and wanting to act on it. Some of us don't pray enough (in our minds) and others are just having a difficult time finding the time - not a good excuse but one that some of us are feeling. Like a woman I heard the other day, God doesn't care where you are, you can talk to Him anytime. If you haven't seen this video yet, you have to check it out! She is such a lovely woman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj3imy-FCPI

Anyways, back to the task at hand. Susan (new bloggy friend) has put out this invite to join together. Crystal (SIL) has put out this call to prayer. Christy (lovely gal with an amazing heart for God, met thru bloggy land) has this amazing testimony and call to prayer.

I don't think this is a "trend" or a "fad" or a "go with the flow act", this is God putting all this on our hearts. So, let's join together!! We're all feeling this, lets make it a priority, a stand of unity between sisters in the Lord.

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

~ 1 John 4:11-16 NIV ~

"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

~ Matthew 18:20 NIV ~

~~ Thanksgiving ~~

Well, this post was meant to be posted the day after Thanksgiving . . . . not sure where the time went but I'm finishing it now.

This past weekend, my hubby, SIL, BIL, Baby C, and myself packed ourselves up and headed down to the US of A for some long overdue shopping, food, zoo, and exploring. We had a lovely time with weather that was special delivery from above. It was different to spend our Thanksgiving just the five of us but it was so much fun and so action packed that we really didn't have a chance to think about the fact that we didn't eat turkey dinner - we made up for it with cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory! With all of this, there wasn't a moment that I didn't think about all the things that I'm thankful for in my life. This year has been so full of many wonderful things and many changes.



I was thinking about how I would like to mention all the things I'm thankful for. I don't want to have an itemized list but I want to narrow down the people or things that I'm most thankful for.



1. The highest on the list, of course, is my relationship with Jesus. This is something that I become more and more thankful for each day.



2. My husband is a very close second. He blesses my life everyday and we continue to grow together with a love and understanding for each other that I believe is tough to achieve in marriage but totally worth the growth.

3. Our pup, Winston, he is such a joy in our home and we can't imagine life without him.

4. My family. I can't believe what a wonderful family that God has placed me into not only do I have the best parents (with their flaws but still the best to me), a brother that has always been my best bud and we talk about anything even when he didn't want to hear - he still listened, maybe only with half an ear but still made an effort, not to mention my super fun Gram, but God has brought me a fabulous set of in-laws, it helps that they have known me for a long time!

Those are the top of my list. There are, of course, friends that are like family who I am thankful to have in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Colossians 3:15
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.