Four Down, One to Go

If you know Craig Morgan's music at all, you'll know why these two machines are not John Deere Green. Last night we attended the fourth of five concerts in the Country Nights series at the Mable House Amphitheater. We've seen the Oak Ridge Boys, Randy Travis, Blake Shelton, and last night, Craig Morgan. James and I agreed that last night's was the best.

The Unthinkable Happened

James has never had any desire to go on a cruise. I think it has something to do with the one deep-sea fishing trip he went on when he was tossing his cookies over the railing the entire time. Anyway, he called me one day and said, "Find us a cruise." My first thought was, "Who are you and what have you done with my husband?" But I asked, "How come?" James replied, "I want to go somewhere where my cell phone won't work." (Apparently a bad day at the office.) It took me about a nano-second to start finding us a cruise and no more than a couple of days to have one confirmed. We'll be setting sail in October from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas on Holland America Cruise Lines. Since I figured this was a one-time shot, I wanted to do it right. Here's the criteria I used:
* 3-4 nights
* Not a 20-something party ship
* Not going to Mexico
* Departure port as close to Georgia as possible
The ship we'll be on is called the Eurodam, and its maiden voyage was in July of this year. I like the fact that it's new... less time for any nasty viruses to be incubating. Airfare was really cheap, so we're flying to and from Fort Lauderdale. Now if October would just hurry up and get here!

Fun and Full Friday

Today I:

• Worked remotely for about an hour
• Went to the grocery store
• Fielded three or four phone calls from work
• Went to Emily's house to assemble several chicken meals for the freezer
• Cleaned house (sort of)
• Ordered Chinese food for supper and enjoyed it with Dave, Emily, Caleb, and Alexa
• Played Wii with Emily and Dave (Caleb had aWii-mote with no batteries, but he thought he was playing, too)
• Played more Wii tennis with James after kids left
• Uninstalled a bunch of stuff off my computer to see if I can get it working better
• Listened to the Braves lose in Washington
• Blogged
• Crashed

... til tomorrow

Thoughtful Thursday

A Marriage Moment for Wives

A friend of mine told this true story several years ago, and it actually happened many, many years before that, but the wisdom lives on. For ease in telling the story, I'll call the couple Mike and Mary. At the time of this incident, they were both Christians, though not mature nor deeply committed like they are now.

Mary had a friend when they were both teenagers, and Mary's friend's mother is named Sue. As a young wife and mother, Mary would often call Sue for advice on numerous topics. Sue modeled the Titus 2 pattern of older women teaching younger women and she taught Mary much about household management, but also about being a woman after God's own heart.

One night, Mike behaved badly. He didn't come home after work, but spent the night out drinking and partying with friends while Mary was at home with their young children. She didn't even know where he was. Early the next morning, a hungover but contrite Mike called Mary from the house where he'd been partying. Reacting as anyone in her shoes might, Mary let him have it with both barrels. She ranted and raved on and on, venting her anger against him. Finally, she slammed the phone down.

Her anger not fully spent, Mary called Sue to whine about what Mike had done. Sue listened to Mary's recital of Mike's sins, and then inquired as to what Mary's response had been. After Mary told her, Sue's response was, "You call him back right now and apologize for your words and your behavior." Mary was stunned. Didn't Sue understand that it was Mike who was wrong? She tried to protest, but Sue would not let Mary focus on Mike's behavior, but forced her to examine her own. She told Mary, "Your reaction was sinful. You did not show respect to your husband. You need to call him right now and apologize." Mary whined some more that her marriage to Mike was not making her happy. Sue's response is the punch line: "The purpose of your marriage is not to make you happy; it's to make you holy."

Mary hung up, and after a short time, did exactly what Sue suggested -- she called Mike, apologized for the way she'd acted and the things she'd said, and asked him to forgive her.

My friend, Mary, told me that this one act of repentant humility on her part was the turning point in their marriage and in their walk of faith. Mike was so convicted by what Mary did, that he became a new man. He never went partying or got drunk again. Instead, he invested himself in Mary and in their family -- in being the husband, father, and indeed the man that God wanted him to be. Happiness has followed holiness.*

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:25-27

* Footnote: Mary also told me that Mike has given her permission to share their story. Though not proud of his past, he realizes that wisdom is meant to be shared, and that Mary is well on her way to being a Titus 2 woman herself.

Terrible Tuesday on Wednesday

Invoking my previously proclaimed privilege, I had my Terrible Tuesday today. I won't even begin to go into all the reasons why it was not a good day at work. At one point, I needed to chill, so I got some chocolate, went into my boss's office, and watched cartoons with his small son. My boss knew some of the issues involved, and knew I was about to have a melt-down, so he wisely didn't say a word while I watched Sylvester in his futile attempts to catch and consume Tweetie. Cartoon Therapy. You should try it sometime.

The Terrible Tuesday That Wasn't

Today has been a good day; therefore, I reserve the right to resurrect Terrible Tuesday on another weekday of my choosing.

The first half-hour or so of work was spent hunkering down with several other staff members in an interior room of our building. Shortly after 8 a.m., the weather siren started wailing. When I checked the weather online, the first thing I saw was, Tornado Warning in Powder Springs. It calmed down after a short time so we dispersed. I didn't hear of any damage in the area.

Since it was pouring rain when I went to work, I saved my second CVS run of the week for my return trip. I got five items and made $2.10. I wouldn't have come out ahead except for Angi's coupons. Remind me that I owe you $2.10, Angi.

Maniac Monday

Last week, I wrote a paragraph about some language usage that drives me crazy. Today, the theme is similar, but it particularly applies to the spoken language.

1. "Thank you." "No problem." In case you are under thirty (forty?) and unsure, the appropriate response to "Thank you" is "You're welcome." If you are a native Jamaican or you are actually in Jamaica when you are thanked, then "No problem, mon" would be acceptable.
2. "Let me ax you a question." If I placed my question on a chopping block, then you could certainly ax it if you chose. Since I can't recall ever spitting a question onto a chopping block, I would prefer that you ask me a question.
3. "Where is the book at?" Superfluous, superfluous. "Where is the book?" is the correct question. When I was growing up, if my mother heard this question, her response was always, "Between the A and the T." I throw in that historical tidbit so that you'll know that some of my idiosyncrasies can't be helped; they're genetic.
4. "I wish I would of thought of that." Would HAVE. Don't make me send you to my daughter for remedial grammar lessons. (Refer back to # 3 for genetics warning.)
   
5. "Do you want some chocolate?" Some questions just don't even need to be axed.

Fun Times at CVS (for the sensitive viewer)

I got everything "pictured" here, and CVS paid me $2.70 to take it all home. So nice of them. I might try it again tomorrow, since ever-generous Angi gave me the coupons from her mailbox.

Ready for CVS

I think I mentioned the new CVS that's on my way to work. Several coupons that are good only at that location arrived in Saturday's mail. I'm all set to shop at CVS early in the morning. If all goes according to plan, I will come home with eleven items, for which CVS will pay me $1.13. Stay tuned.

Saturday Stuff

I love blogging. It provides an opportunity to look afresh at the most mundane events of life and wonder, Can blogging material be found here? Over the last couple of Saturdays, I've bought some containers and have tried to bring some order to the chaos created when it becomes necessary to "buy" nine bottles of shampoo because, with sales and coupons, they're free. Or when some unnamed Queen of Couponing gives me three bottles of laundry stain remover, two bottles of pizazz cleaner with bleach, and sixteen cans of aerosol air freshener (or so it seems). Here's what my basement and laundry room supplies look like now.
Well, she may be the Queen of Couponing, but I am the Queen of Clearance Racks. At Marshall's this week, I got Alexa this cute sundress for next summer for only $2.

And the kicker? It even has a matching dolly dress.

Forgetful Friday (on Saturday)

The Falcons game last night was fun. They won. I was mad at myself when I realized that I'd forgotten my camera, so I couldn't make any pictures to post. I had my cell phone, but it is only a phone. It doesn't make pictures, play games, send text, surf the net, make coffee, nor give me a pedicure. Angi has a picture phone, but she accidentally left it at her office. Pretty soon, we're going to have to pin our names and addresses to our shirts before we go on outings.

Footnote: Be forewarned. We were accustomed to the Turner Field practice of visually inspecting the contents of purses, coolers, etc. At the Georgia Dome, they did that, and they will confiscate any and all prescription and non-prescription drugs. Angi intended to take some ibuprofen once we got inside and she could get a drink. She had to beg them not to take it, and they had to call a supervisor who let it go. They didn't see that I had both ibuprofen and acetaminophen together in an unmarked bottle in the deep, dark depths of my purse. Nor did they see that she had two bottles of prescription medication buried even deeper in her purse. After than fun experience, we learned that they pat you down before you can go in! At least they had a girls line and a boys line.

Thoughtful Thursday

All things are subject to interpretation; whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth. --Friedrich Nietzsche
I did not know who Friedrich Nietzsche is/was, so I determined to find out before I posted this quote. Even a superficial look at today's culture should convince you of the truth of his statement. For example:

Truth: Thou shalt not kill.
Lie: The powerful (courts) who define truth in this country have ruled that abortion is a right.

Truth: Thou shalt not steal. If anyone will not work, neither will he eat. II Thess. 3:10
Lie: Powerful legislatures have legalized stealing from productive citizens in order to fund welfare programs for those who will not work.

Truth: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Gen. 1:1
Lie: Public school systems, vested by governments with monopolistic power compounded by compulsory attendance, by-and-large teach evolution as fact and cannot so much as mention creationism.*

I could go on, but you get the picture. Herr Nietzsche, a 19th century German philosopher was right on the money concerning today's relativistic American culture. Remarkably, he repudiated Christianity. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteous, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.... Professing to be wise, they became fools..." Rom. 1:18:22

*Footnote: Some atheist/agnostic scientists have admitted that they know evolution is impossible, but they choose to believe it anyway, rather than believe in "a higher power." More on this topic later. If you want a layman's explanation of the impossibility of evolution, I recommend the book, Darwin's Black Box - The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution by Michael J. Behe. Don't let the subtitle of the book trip you up; it really is understandable by a non-scientist.

Wonderful Wednesday

It wasn't. But I left work a little early and went bargain shopping on my way home. That part was pretty wonderful.

Phillip called yesterday to say that he'd made an A in Heavy Duty Steering and Suspension. It was barely an A. Not like the 100 he earned in Fuzzy Dice.

Terrible Tuesday

The most terrible thing I can think of that happened today is that I forgot to bring home the work I was going to do tonight. On the terribleness scale, that rates somewhere between split ends and a run in my hose.

GRIPE: I missed out on the CVS chocolate deal last week. By the time I went shopping on Saturday, the two stores I went to didn't have any Dove chocolate left. Not having chocolate is a major terribleness, up there with earthquakes and floods.

GOODY: A new CVS store with a 24-hour pharmacy opened on Sunday. I've already switched one of my prescriptions there because it's on my way to work. It's nice to pick up a prescription on my schedule and without deviating from my regular flight path.

GRIPE: The new CVS store is about midway between Emily and me. I'll have to get there ahead of her or there still won't be any chocolate to be found.

GOODY: She is my offspring after all.

Maniac Monday

Instead of listing things that drive me crazy, I wrote a paragraph instead. Think of it as the body of a friendly letter… the kind that you had to write for practice when you were in school.

The family is doing like, really fine. I was like, really happy, to get your last letter. The letter was like fine, but it’s envelope was torn. I hope you’ll be like, really happy to get my letter to. Your not going to believe what happened in school. The teacher had like the boy’s and girl’s in seperate line's. I had ran to get in line, but I like tripped because all the boy’s had there feet in the aisle!!!!! I hope the boy’s will watch out next time their so careless but I am allright. I didn’t even loose my temper. Just between you and I, boy’s definately shouldn’t join are club. Goodby for now.

More Free Tickets

We went to the Braves game last night. I enjoy going anyway, but this was especially fun because the Braves won (11-5) and because we had better seats than I've ever had before. I thought I had already told this story to my faithful blog readers (both of you) but apparently not. I'll try to make a long story (almost four months) short. (That's hard for me; I'm good at making a long story longer.) In late April, in my capacity as Office Manager at American Vision, I signed a contract for a new shipping system. The salesman thought that it would be installed in 2-3 weeks. It wasn't. After going back and forth for several weeks, I finally called the president of the shipping company. A part of his apology was four Braves tickets. They said Row 7, but this is actually the second row behind, and about halfway along, the Visitors' dugout. Sweet. We had to really pay attention, knowing that balls (or bats!) could come flying our direction. There were a number of pop-up foul balls around us, but one particularly vicious line drive hit a lady about six rows behind us. I wore my glove, but I doubt that I could have thrown it up in front of my face in time. Here are some pictures from the game.GRIPE: Oh no! Where did it go?
Yesterday I went out to get the mail. As I was coming in the front door, so did a little lizard. Now I don't really mind lizards. Outside. Where they belong. But I don't want them in my house. I immediately started yelling for James and Blinky. I figured which ever one got there first would take care of it. Blinky might have. James didn't. It had run behind the open door, and when we closed the door part way, it disappeared into a tiny crack between the hardwood floor and the weather stripping of the threshold. James went to get tools so he could remove the threshold and I stayed with my eyes glued to the spot. If there was a lizard loose in my house, I wanted to know it! Blinky, who did finally show up but never saw the critter, couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about so she left. James took the threshold off, but no lizard. We don't know where that crack in the floor leads. Could be the basement. Could be empty space under the front porch. Could be a little pocket of black nowhere. The best James could do was to stuff a rag into the crack. I sure hope my living room doesn't smell like dead lizard in a few weeks.

Shopped, Spent, SAVED!

Here's what I got... And here's who cared...

Easy Come, Hopefully Easy Go

A week ago, at the bottom of the post, I mentioned in a Goody comment that I had won a pretty significant prize by calling a radio station at the right time with a right answer to their question. I think $1,300 is pretty significant... not in cash, but in two 2008 Atlanta Falcons season tickets. Today I went to the radio station to claim the tickets. (And sign the tax documents.) I thought the tickets might be way up in the nosebleed section with a total value of $500, but these are in the second level. A surprise bonus was two tickets for each of the final two pre-season games. I gave the ones for tomorrow night's game away because we already had tickets to the Braves game! Since I've never been to a professional football game (even pre-season), I hope to be able to go to the final pre-season game next Friday night. The seats are Section 206, Row 7, seats 7 and 8. We don't want to go to sporting events on Sunday, and since all the games are on Sundays, my next goal in life is to sell the tickets in one lump, as quickly as possible. I'll need the cash to pay Uncle Sam his share.

Where to Start

American Vision's website is rich in content, featuring archives of both articles and downloadable audio files of various speakers, interviews, and previous radio shows that our president has hosted. (For a while he had a daily radio show; now it's weekly. It can be heard on some 300 stations across the U.S.) From time-to-time folks across the globe find the website. I'm not exactly sure how they find it nor why folks in Singapore care about the vision that a small, non-profit ministry has for this country. Anyway, they find it and sometimes they contact us via email. All the general-type emails are delivered to my in box. A couple of days ago, I got one that read something like this: I live in Germany and I am interested in some of the things you teach. How can I listen to your mp3 player if I am in Germany? I didn't even know how to begin to answer someone so technologically challenged. My first thought was, Go find a teenager....

Thoughtful Thursday

Wouldn't life be better if they made the glue on envelope flaps taste like chocolate?

Wonderful Wednesday

I didn't have to cook because Emily fed us dinner in exchange for a repair job, and I got to play with the grandbabies. Enough Said.

Terrible Tuesday

Don't worry... I don't plan on having a Terrible Tuesday every week! But after 3+ weeks of sinus drainage and accompanying sore throat, and feeling really bad for the last several days, I finally went to my ENT doctor today for yet another round of antibiotics and steroids. He prescribed an experimental treatment available through the Mayo Clinic, but whether or not I take it depends on if it is covered by insurance, and if not, what it costs. Film at 11.

I got a new catalog in the mail today from Keepsake Quilting. I love their stuff. It made me start thinking of the local quilt show that I've attended in September for some time now. Alas, it is only every other year, on the odd years. So, I pulled up a picture of a "horse blanket" that I saw there three years ago.

Maniac Monday

People who are long-term, regular bloggers always seem to have particular days, usually with some catchy heading, when they post on recurring themes. For example, there's Menu Plan Monday and Works for Me Wednesday out there. Since my menu planning consists of arriving home between 5:45 - 6:00 p.m. and then scrounging around in the freezer for some heat and serve meal that I've bought, that wouldn't make for much of a post. Works for Me Wednesday seems to be all about household management and child-rearing tips, and I am so over that. What works for me on any and all household tasks is what takes the least amount of time and effort. I'll even pay more to achieve those effects.

So, I've decided I'll try out Maniac Monday. It will be about things that absolutely drive me crazy. Maybe I'll aim for 10 each Monday. I'll probably run out of material by the time I'm 107.

1. Kids running wild in stores with Mama right there ignoring instead of correcting them.
2. Mamas "correcting" their children in stores by demeaning them.
3. Customer Service Reps, in person or on the phone, who are chewing gum and not making at least some small effort to conceal it.
4. Children ages four - seventeen who "have to go" in the middle of a worship service.
5. Parents over the age of fourteen who permit the children who "have to go" to go.
6. Having to vacuum the ceilings at my house because of the stippling that collects dust bunnies.
7. Automated answering options that require callers to make more than two or three selections before connecting to a live person, especially if that caller is me, and double especially if pressing "0" doesn't get me out of the endless loop.
8. Women's clothing, unlike men's, that cannot be purchased by sleeve length or inseam. (In my lifetime, I've worn plenty of flood pants and 3/4 sleeve shirts that weren't supposed to be.)
9. Little, yappy dogs who yap continually at nothing, especially if they reside next door to me.
   
10. Little, yappy dogs who learn to avoid the range of a super soaker.

It's Lovely! I'll Take It!

I'm not sure how I found this blog: It's Lovely! I'll Take It! but it's a hoot. The blogger is looking for a house, and has been amazed and astounded (sometimes grossed out) by actual houses she's seen or pictures of listings. The link I've included goes to June, which has some of the best, but I've read the whole thing, laughing along the way. Her commentary on the pics, well.. check it out for yourself. And if you're in the housing market out west, here are some you'll want to avoid, for sure.

Major Macho Man Overkill

Need to clean any grill racks?

CVS Deals of the Day

I spent $6.25 out of pocket, but I saved 70% on these items, some of which came out of the clearance bin. I would say that we have the freshest breath and underarms in the county but I know that the Queen-of-All-Deal-Getters far out surpasses my pitiful efforts.

Since You Must Know

Desk Duty

I forget whether a cluttered desk is supposed to be a sign of genius or of insanity. I know that I qualify for one, perhaps both. Your choice. At any rate, it's not all my fault. I spent most of the day cleaning house, but I didn't get to my desk. So just about the time I sit down to start dealing with the clutter, James flips to the History Channel which is airing a show about chocolate. Now I have to go get a bowl of ice cream to add to the jumble. The other disclaimer is that it's not all my own junk, though I do claim the glass of iced tea and the smiling stuffed kitty. I've got most or all of my in-laws' paperwork, too. My mother-in-law gave me another stuffed-full 10 x 12 envelope of papers this week. At least some of this is headed for the trash. Look closely, and you'll see why.

GOODY: I won a pretty significant prize by calling in at the right time with the right answer to a local radio station today. I'll give all the details after I pick up the prize next Friday.

Flashback to Cool

To say that it's been hot here this week would be a gross understatement. Mid- to upper 90s is too hot for man and beast (or woman and cat), and having grown up in this climate does not mean that I'm acclimated. After all, I go from my air-conditioned house to my air-conditioned car, to my air-conditioned office, to my air-conditioned car, lather, rinse, repeat. So, I thought I'd find a cool picture to post. I made the picture above from my hotel window in Toronto when I was there on business in January for a conference similar to the one I attended last month in Orlando. Why they don't do the July one in Toronto and the January one in Orlando is beyond me.

Here's another picture of some unidentifiable thing that we kept seeing on the side of the street in Toronto. Care to guess what it is? (No fair enlarging the picture to read what's on it, and no guessing if you've ever been within 200 miles of Toronto. You know who.) I'll wait a day or two before I post the follow-up picture that clearly shows that this thing has a purpose.

Two More Quilts

Thanks to Emily for posting for me tonight. She has pictures of the quilts I made for Caleb and Alexa. I began Caleb's before I knew his gender, so it's generic baby colors. Alexa's pattern and fabrics were chosen to be feminine. It's done in reproduction 1930s fabrics which I love and hope to use for something of my very own down the road.

Sew-Sew

I like to make quilts -- wall-hanging sized ones, that is. To be more specific I like to plan them (I've never done a pattern or kit "as is"), choose the fabrics, piece the blocks, combine all the blocks together, and then quilt it all. Or some of it. Or at least get started. I don't like trying to get the three layers (top, batting, backing) all stretched and even and basting them together. And I usually get tired of the actual hand quilting before it's done. Here are pictures of the "fabric art" that I have in my home along with a bit of commentary on each.

This is one of my earliest creations. The pattern is called Dresden Plate.
My house has probably the ugliest fireplace mantle in the history of the world. Here's my mantle scarf solution.Log Cabin is my favorite pattern of all. I like scrappy quilts vs. the kind with just a few colors and coordinating fabrics and I like the fact that Log Cabin blocks can be set together in a variety of ways to create different effects. This one is a traditional setting.
This pillow cover that I made for our bedroom is also comprised of Log Cabin blocks, but the fabrics chosen and the way that the blocks are joined create a totally different look. This is absolutely my all-time favorite of everything I've done. (I didn't make the quilt on the bed; J.C. Penney did.)
My original intent was to make a quilt for James for our 25th wedding anniversary. The plan was to have 25 blocks, 5 x 5. It didn't get done in 2000. When I did finally get all 25 blocks attached to one another, I didn't like the square look, and since we were a couple of years past our 25th anniversary, I decided to add a 6th row of 5 blocks. So it became a 30th anniversary present! This is the largest quilt I've ever made, and I didn't think I'd ever finish it. It's what I call "nap-sized". It's about the size of the top of a queen bed. The pattern is called Rolling Rag Ball.Here's a quilted jacket I made starting from a sweatshirt. I made one of these for my Mom and one for Angi before I made this one for myself.
You've seen this one before. It was recently created for Angi's birthday.

I've made a few more that I've given away, including one for each of my grandchildren. Maybe Emily will post pictures of those for me since I didn't have any.

Socked

Phillip was home this weekend to be in a wedding, but we didn't get home from the beach in time to attend. Phillip has been friends with the groom since they were both five years old. Although we couldn't be there, thankfully the groom's mother made sure that Phillip was pressed and spit-shined. Except for one thing. She failed to check his socks. Phillip assured me that they didn't show, however.

8/2/75 - 8/2/08 - 33 Years

Beach Stuff

We head home from the beach tomorrow. We got in some more fishing today, but I can't say that it was profitable. I caught the ugly looking thing that I've heard called a dog fish, a monk fish, or an oyster fish. James caught the eel. Yuck. I don't do snakes, land or water. I'm not sure if you can see it in the picture, but this eel was actually hooked on the back end!

It's raining again this evening, but at least it waited until after 5 p.m. to start. Here's what the "little girls" did last night when it was raining.