Natty Nappies*

A day or two ago, Coupon Queen wrote about the cloth diapers that she uses. I also used cloth diapers 98% of the time. They came in several colors: white, offwhite, nearly white, almost white, and dingy. Diaper pins came in pink, blue, yellow, or white. (Velcro had not yet been invented, or if it had, it was still in limited use in the aerospace industry.) The diapers were one-size-fits-all, and could be folded to provide geographically-appropriate absorbancy for boys or girls. Here's what the diapers looked like:
In all honesty the diapers were a bit whiter and more intact a quarter of a century ago, and my babies did not bear any resemblance to my nappy model.

*The British term for diaper is nappy.

I'm So Disappointed and Somewhat Relieved

I'm disappointed that there's not a single comment on last night's clever post title that was clearly of near-genius inspiration. Sorry, folks. That's the best I can do.

After another lengthy conversation between my personal tech support and Dell tech support this evening, Dell is shipping me a whole new computer. When it arrives, we'll ship back the malfunctioning one... after I remove the white-out from the on button and the CD drive eject button. Everything on the case is black, and I couldn't find the buttons without the white-out!

Dell and Hamnation

A couple of days ago, I rejoiced in the acquisition of a new computer. Hold that thought. Said computer is malfunctioning. On Saturday, on two or three different occasions, the whole system locked up when I was trying to install via the CD drive. Earlier this evening, my personal tech support put in a call to Dell, and since then, a diagnostics function has been running. It coughed up an error message, at which time I nabbed this borrowed laptop, and hightailed it out of Dodge. My personal tech support does this kind of stuff all day long at work, so it's not really what he wants to do when he gets home. Love buys me what I'm sure money couldn't. Stay tuned to learn if Dell repents and recovers from the errors of its ways.

Pinched

I probably will not get in a lot of blogging over the next couple of weeks. I'm just now wrapping up my "homework," trying to get everything as caught up and in order as possible at work before hanging up my many hats. And sleeping is much more important (to me) than blogging.

Not a Great Gadsby

I've posted a couple of hymns included in a volume called Gadsby's Hymns. This time, I'm posting one of my own hymns.

Abba, Father!

Meter: 6.6.6.6.8.8.
Tune: Darwall (Rejoice, the Lord is King)

Along life’s pilgrim way,
Adversity in view,
The Lord will guide my steps,
His Word, my compass true.
To Thee I fly.
Thou wilt draw nigh and hear me,
“Abba, Father!” cry.

When loneliness surrounds,
No friend stands by my side,
My God will not forsake;
He constantly abides.
To Thee I fly.
Thou wilt draw nigh and hear me,
“Abba, Father!” cry.

The enemy prowls ‘round,
My life he would devour.
But my Defense is sure,
My Shield, my Refuge, Tow’r.
To Thee I fly.
Thou wilt draw nigh and hear me,
“Abba, Father!” cry.

When darkness shrouds my soul,
And grief my heart impales,
My Comforter speaks, “Peace.”
His balm has never failed.
To Thee I fly.
Thou wilt draw nigh and hear me,
“Abba, Father!” cry.

When life and breath shall cease,
The last of tears are shed,
I’ll triumph in the Lord;
For this, my Savior bled.
To Thee I fly,
Forever with the saints will
“Abba, Father!” cry!

Joan Jordan
© 2006

Woo Hoo!

Three cheers for the new Dell computer residing at my desk! I was hoping to sell my free Atlanta Falcons tickets for enough to buy a new computer, but my wonderful husband went ahead and ordered one for me. It has two quad processors, 250 GB hard drive, and 4 GB of memory. That should keep me blogging at warp speed for some time to come. He set up the computer for me, and I've spent most of the evening installing software and moving stuff over. Our whole house is networked, so it wasn't too difficult to save my files elsewhere and then go back and find them. In case you were wondering, I did clean the dust off of my ceiling fan -- and elsewhere -- before playing with my new computer.

Blinky has had fun today with the large bird feather I gave her. One of my favorite color combinations is aqua and coral (think tropical). I won't mention where I got the feather, because I probably illegally imported an animal product from a foreign country, a possibility that didn't occur to me until after the fact.

It Brings Me No Satisfaction

But I was right about my ceiling fan.

Wearables

There seems to be a trend tonight to post a picture of what the blogger is wearing. Here it is.

I Like Clean, But Not Cleaning

After traveling the last two weekends and a busy schedule otherwise, I'll admit it. My house is gross. In the bathroom floor, there's nearly enough hair to make a wig. Remnants of travel accoutrement litter virtually every horizontal surface. The mini-blinds are fuzzy. The ceiling fan blades probably are, too, but I'm not stopping the fans to find out, forty-degree weather notwithstanding. In the family room, the tan rug is dotted with black Blinky fur. Sooner or later, all will be cleaned. (Probably later, if I had to venture a guess.) Vacuum cleaners and dishwashers are great, but don't you wish there were machines that cleaned everything? I need a machine to:

• Dust mini-blinds
• Dust everything, come to think of it
• Clean bathtubs and toilets
• Hang up/fold clothes from the dryer
• Mop floors
• Change bedsheets

If you or someone you know is an inventor, please take note of my list. And while you're at it, an automatic device to floss my teeth would be appreciated as well.

Cruise - Part II

Friday brought us to the private island of Half Moon Cay, another word for Key, and pronounced Key by those who know such things. Those who know such things told us that there are over 700 cays in The Bahamas. Most of them are uninhabited. You'll have to ask those who know such things if any are for sale.

Half Moon Cay boasts all the important amenities.

We enjoyed time on the beach and a glass-bottomed boat tour over a couple of coral reefs. Here's what our ship looked like from the glass-bottomed boat.

Here are a couple of pictures of the theater. We saw a musical show one night and a juggler-comedian one night.

Barstools near the pool.

We arrived back in Ft. Lauderdale at sunrise on Saturday.

Maniac Monday

It was actually a pretty good day at work. I've had far worse Mondays after vacation!

My day began around 7 a.m. at CVS for the weekly deals. Their deals begin on Sunday, and it's really annoying to go on Monday and have them already be out of stuff. I did OK though. They haven't had the pain patches (monthly deal) all month, so I went to a different CVS this evening, and although they didn't have them either, the manager gave me five for free. It would have been a money-maker because I had $1 coupons, but I didn't complain about getting them for free!

I got a haircut after work (way overdue -- there was supposed to be a picture here, but I couldn't make it work right), and then went to Publix where I saved 56%. I was happy with that, considering I bought a few things that weren't on sale. Do bananas ever go on sale?

More cruise pictures coming soon.

First Day of the Cruise

On Wednesday, we flew to Fort Lauderdale and then took the shuttle bus from the airport to the seaport. Here are the first views of the ship through the bus window and some views of the building where we were checked in and had our paperwork checked out. Until we actually set sail, I had this irrational fear of having forgotten some critical detail (such as a passport) that would prevent us from making the trip.
Getting off the bus and getting in line.
Here are some pictures of the Eurodam and our cabin. If you've never been on a cruise ship, it's difficult to comprehend how huge the ships are, and for me of limited 3D perception, it's still incomprehensible. To the best of our calculations, the Eurodam is more than two football fields long.

James with the remote control. We didn't watch TV per se, but they had cameras mounted on both ends of the ship so you could see where you're going and where you've been. Also, there was an information channel that was helpful.

There were all sorts of little, semi-private nooks like this one. I didn't look to see if the curtains could be pulled all the way closed, and I'm not sure what you'd do in there in that instance anyway.
This was a really pretty door, but it was locked when we tried it, so I don't know where it goes.

There's a retractable roof over this pool and it closed every evening.

The main staircase.

My favorite chair on the ship.

Home from Cruising

We had fun, but we're tired. I'll tell all our adventures in the next few days, but for now, here is something we saw that we really liked.

Great Gadsby

I love hymns. I know all the words to all the verses of perhaps 50-60 hymns and I know one or two verses to perhaps another 200. By hymns, I mean God-centered spiritual songs, rich in theological content, (usually the older, the better), intended to be sung by a congregation in worship. This morning, we sang five, and I knew all the words to all the verses of all five: All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name, O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing, O Worship the King, Fairest Lord Jesus, and Amazing Grace. In addition to singing them, I also love to read and write hymns. I highly recommend a volume called Gadsby's Hymns. It's a collection of lyrics of his hymns and others, first published in the 1800s, and makes for wonderful devotional reading. If you read only one a day, it would take over three years to read through the 1,156 selections included. One of my favorites, called Hiding Place, was first published in 1776 by Jehoida Brewer (1752-1817).

Hail, sovereign love, that first began
The scheme to rescue fallen man!
Hail, matchless, free, eternal grace,
That gave my soul a hiding-place!

Against the God who rules the sky
I fought with hand uplifted high
Despised the mention of his grace,
Too proud to seek a hiding-place.

But thus the eternal counsel ran:
"Almighty love, arrest that man!"
I felt the arrows of distress,
And found I had no hiding-place.

Indignant Justice stood in view;
To Sinai's fiery mount I flew;
But Justice cried, with frowning face,
"This mountain is no hiding-place!"

Ere long a heavenly voice I heard,
And Mercy's angel-form appeared;
She led me on, with placid pace,
To Jesus as my Hiding-place.

Should storms of seven-fold thunder roll,
And shake the globe from pole to pole,
No flaming bolt could daunt my face,
For Jesus is my Hiding-place.

On him almighty vengeance fell,
That must have sunk a world to hell;
He bore it for a chosen race,
And thus became their Hiding-place.

A few more rolling suns, at most,
Will land me on fair Canaan's coast,
Where I shall sing the song of grace,
And see my glorious Hiding-place.

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.

What Happens When You Grow Up

I recently had a birthday, so I was thinking about how childhood is different from adulthood. Here are some realities about being an adult:

• An adult often has to work on her birthday and lots of other days when she'd rather not.
• Chocolate ice cream is less enjoyable when the number of calories and fat grams are known.
• Birthdays generally do not involve clowns or goofy hats.
• Summer vacation doesn't last for three months.
• Household bills are real; Tinkerbell is not.
• Bubble gum left on a bedpost overnight and then reused is bound to dislodge fillings.
• Running through a lawn sprinkler in a swimsuit is no longer an appealing summer pastime.
• A nap IS an appealing summer (or any season) pastime.
• A loose tooth brings anticipation of a visit to the dentist instead of a visit from the tooth fairy.
• Being married is sweeter, raising children is more joyful, and welcoming grandchilden is more precious than a child can imagine.

The Alarm Goes Off in Three Hours

I wish I could sleep! I have a headache and a jillion things racing double-time through my brain as we prepare to leave in the morning (this morning!) for our cruise.

I don't plan to pay whatever exorbitant prices for Internet access over the next few days, so I'm recycling some former posts. Recycling is good!

Note to Self (Today at Work)

Do not put a long, skinny lipstick on the desk next to a green highlighter.

Nashville Finale

Friday: Here's Phillip actually walking across the stage at his graduation.



Saturday: Alexa enjoyed the pool BEFORE she slipped and went all the way under. Grammy was right there and rescued her immediately but she (Alexa) was not a happy camper.
Packing up the car and the kiddos.

Nashville Fun

Congratulations, Phillip!

Caleb liked the funny hat.

We ate dinner at a seafood restaurant called The Aquarium. It has a giant, circular, salt-water aquarium in the center of the seating area. Alexa seemed to enjoy the evening despite not having had a nap all day (short of 7.5 minutes in the car).

We walked through the Opry Mills Mall on our way back out to the car, and took notice of these directions on the back of the rentable strollers.

Tomorrow morning we'll go to the zoo and then after lunch, those who don't need naps will go to the car museum. I'm not sure which group will require my presence tomorrow afternoon.

Got No Time

There's an oldies song by that title, but I have no clue who sang it.
No time to blog ... Packing for Nashville. I traded in the Saturday jeans in favor of capris when I went to weather.com and discovered that the high in Nashville on Saturday will be 85 degrees. That's about seven degrees warmer than here in the Atlanta area. Music City, here we come!

Tasked

Just before quitting time today, my boss gave me an assignment: Write a job description for myself so that he can post the job opening. I could say, "Office Manger - Bookkeeper." The End. But here are some other things that I do on a regular basis.

• Make sure the community plastic ice cream pail is stocked with an assortment of Dove chocolates.
• Run the carpet sweeper in my office and my boss's office, especially after his children have been in the office.
• Keep endless supply of paper towels handy for when boss slops his coffee everywhere.
• Fix, or at least attempt to fix, anything and everything including toilets, printers, postage machines, computers, and telephones.
• Sanitize the water cooler.
• Provide feedback for online store issues, new cover designs, marketing materials, proposed book titles, and fundraising letters.

And last, but not least, strive to demonstrate Christlikeness and a calm spirit for those times (often) when the customer service waters are turbulent. On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand.

The News is Out

A week or two ago I made a list of things I would do if I no longer worked full time. I had been thinking along these lines for six months or so, and thinking seriously for about the last six weeks. There never seemed to be enough time for me to do all the things I wanted or needed to do, and when there was time available, I was too tired. After a final agonizing week of gnawing the issue down to the bone, I decided to give it up. Working full time, that is. (For the record, James would have been happy if I had reached this decision a long time ago.) I went into work on Monday morning with my resignation letter in hand. Even though my boss keeps hoping it's just a bad dream, he made the announcement to the full staff this morning at our regular staff meeting. Although there were some feeble (and one vehement -- thanks, Liz) protests that American Vision couldn't function without me, the truth of the matter is that they did quite well for 25 years before I ever came on the scene, and I have great confidence that those in my wake will continue do well. And I'll be watching.
Footnote: My employment officially comes to an end on November 15th, although the 13th or 14th will be my last day in the office.

Merriment Monday

A few days ago we got Phillip's Grade Transcript in the mail. In eleven units taken, he has eight As and three Bs with a grade point average of 3.72. Also commendable is the fact that he has missed only 6.5 hours of class time, and six of those were on a Friday a couple of months ago when he traveled back here to be in his best childhood friend's wedding.

Phillip's program of Automotive with Diesel Technology will be complete in about six weeks. New students start each month, so it follows that there are students who complete the program each month. Rather than have twelve commencements (or just one) Nashville Auto Diesel College has four per year, and students participate in whichever one falls closest to their completion date. This Friday is Phillip's commencement, and we'll be travelling to Nashville to attend. Today he called with the news that not only is he graduating, he's graduating with honors! Join with us in praising God that He has led Phillip to this field of study where he has done so well, and where he has become equipped to earn a living while serving Him in the mission field of life.

When Bondage Equals Freedom

For a Christian woman, being in bondage to a Heavenly Father's love and to a husband's love is true freedom indeed.

What to Blog About

What do you say when you have nothing to say? Since I have nothing of interest to blog about, I decided I'd learn five new words that start with B (and use each one in a sentence).

• BONTON n A fashionable manner or style. A bonton is not a Burmese wonton.
• BIVOUAC n Temporary encampment under little or no shelter. You will never find me in a bivouac.
• BARBET n Any of a family of tropical birds with a stout bill bearing bristles. Wilma Flintstone probably used a barbet for a bottle brush.
• BLESBOK n An African antelope having a large white patch down the center of the face. The Bible is a blessed book but not a blesbok.
• BREGMA n The front part of the head; the point of junction of the coronal and sagittal sutures of the skull. Maybe if someone bonked me in the bregma I could come up with better blog topics.

P.S. Blogger's spell-checker didn't know any of these words except bivouac.

Original Thought for Thursday

Maturing is a wonderful thing.
Aging is for the birds.

Gas Gouging

I don't know what gasoline prices are like outside the southeast, but in addition to my home stomping ground, I have information from Nashville, TN and from Columbia, SC. Like here, gasoline is in short supply, lines are long, and prices keep going up. I haven't had too much trouble finding gas under $4 as I head west toward work. James heads east, and he's noticed that three out of four stations do not have gas and the ones that do are charging twenty to sixty cents more per gallon than stations out my way.

At least we didn't have to pay these prices.

If you happen to notice, the price shown is per liter. I made this picture when we were in Jamaica three years ago. If you convert the Jamaican dollar into US dollars and the liters into gallons, the price is about $3.50 per gallon. Although that seemed awfully high in 2005, I'd happily pay that in 2008!