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.

Fry Baby

This is how I do the beach these days:

Let me explain. My mother is 1/8 Cherokee Indian. She, and two of my three sisters, can go to the beach for a week and come out looking like 7/8 Cherokee Indian. The other part of our ancestry is Scottish/Celtic. Guess who cashed in on that part when it comes to tanning ability? My sister says that I go to the beach and get "dark white." For years, I would go home from our annual vacation with a strange rash, mostly on my hands, but also on the tops of my feet and the tops of my arms near the elbow. Finally, a coworker took a look and said that she thought it was sun poisioning. A bit of Internet research brought me to the same conclusion. That, combined with the fact that I've had several pre-cancerous places removed from my face, convinced me to buy the beach canopy and stay under it as much as possible. I still enjoy the beach, in my own way.
We went shrimping and crabbing in the afternoon. Here's what my sister caught in her cast net -- a puffer fish. When we put him back in the water, he eventually deflated himself and swam along on his merry way.

Monsoon

Here's what it's been like for about the last 3-4 hours:


There was not originally a lake next door. It was the neighbor's front yard.

Monday at the Beach

Even if I'm still not feeling well, Monday at the beach still beats any Monday at work! Here's the view from the patio door in my bedroom.

James can go home happy. He caught several fish today (surf fishing) including these two-for-one.

Here are two nieces, my sister, and my nephew playing the Wii. I promise they were having fun, even though they look so serious!

We Made it to the Beach

We did make it to the beach yesterday (of course just about anyone who would read my blog knows this already), but I'm still sick and haven't left my room much. However, I was graciously assigned the bedroom that looks out over the pool and beyond to the ocean, so at least I can see where I am.

Beach Bound..... Maybe

We're supposed to leave in the morning for our annual trip to the beach near Charleston, S.C. The only problem is that I'm sick. I've had a little bit of a scratchy throat all week, and then last night I was really sick. I laid in the bathroom floor trying to decide if I was going to throw up, pass out, or both. (Sorry... just tellin' it like it happened.) I went to the doctor this morning and he thinks it may be viral, but he gave me an antibiotic anyway since I told him that I was leaving town. In between cat napping (with the cat) I did get some of the packing done, so here's hoping.

So Many Updates, So Little Time

1. Today at work, there was a surprise (to me) ice cream party to celebrate (commiserate?) my four-year anniversary at American Vision. Appropriately, I got a card that plays the Looney Tunes theme.
2. In our home mail today we received an envelope from Nashville Auto Diesel College. I thought it would be a bill, since it's about time for them to ask for more tuition money. I got a good laugh, though, when I opened it to find Phillip's Unofficial Grade Transcript -- a concise listing of the exact descriptions of the courses he's taken so far, and the grades he's made. Let's just say that it coincided somewhat with my recollection.
3. Liz was gracious enough to pick up my fired pottery piece, painted at Girls' Night, last week while I was in Orlando. It won't be donated to Man Night for target practice. I like the way it turned out, and I think it matches my bathroom quite well. (I was looking at a sample of my wallpaper border while I chose colors and painted.) It will hold cotton balls on the vanity.

Happy Anniversary to Me

Today is my four-year anniversary at work, where I am the Office Manager, Bookkeeper, Human Resources Director, and Chocolate Supplier. On July 23, 2004, American Vision had six employees, three full-time and three part-time. We occupied 4,000 square feet of office/warehouse space. Today, there are seventeen employees, twelve full-time and five part-time, plus two contract workers; and we have something in the neighborhood of 18,000 square feet of space.

Here's a small example of how far we've come: When I first started, I had a tiny office (maybe 10 x 11) and in addition to the computer on my desk (which was one with an old-fashioned L-shaped typewriter return), there was a typewriter. It took me about two days to get up the nerve to ask if there wasn't someplace else I could put the typewriter. The response was an incredulous, "But how will you do envelopes?", to which I replied, "In my printer." "And what about labels?" "In my printer." Within the next few weeks, I went around to everyone's desk and showed them how to print envelopes through their computers. You would have thought I'd invented it! Today, we have not only the requisite desktop computers, but several other high-tech pieces of equipment, along with complete audio-video recording and production studios. We still have the typewriter, but it's rarely used, and the employees under age 30 don't even know how to feed the paper in it!

Our active customer base has grown from about 5,500 to over 30,000, and we've gone from an annual revenue of $450,000 to over $2,000,000. God has been good to American Vision, especially in sending our Executive Vice President who came about six weeks after I did. I tell him that for six glorious weeks, I thought I could do my job. Now, I'd just like to catch my breath occasionally! He & I are a lot alike in that we both suffer from OCD --- we can't stand a crooked line or an uneven stack. However, his favorite business motto is, "Go big, or go home," and mine is, "Does the president know about this?" Our responsibilities and the working relationship we have is sometimes described this way: Brandon makes things happen, and Joan goes behind him and cleans it up. (Sometimes with a whisk broom, often with a front loader.)

A ho-hum staff meeting and lunch....

A Versatile and Proficient Student

Phillip called me this afternoon to tell me that he's made another A at school (Nashville Auto Diesel College). This time it was a 92 in heavy-duty drive trains. After nine months at school with all As and Bs, it's starting to run together a bit for me, but here are his grades and classes so far, to the best of my memory:

• Transmissions - 94
• Electrical - 98
• Air Conditioning - 87
• Tires - 90
• Rear View Mirrors - 91
• Windshield Wipers - 95
• Floor Mats - 99
• Blinkers - 85
• Fuzzy Dice - 100

I'm sure Phillip will let me know if I've missed any or if there are any that I didn't get quite right.

Random picture of pollen on my screened porch two springs ago.

WWJD?

I learned today that there's a new motto in the shipping department at work, and when he heard it, the president affirmed it: What would Joan do?

One Project Complete

A few weeks ago, I posted about three or four projects I have in the works. I had purchased several small pieces of fabric in bright, primary colors for a quilt. My idea was for my friend Angi's birthday, and she reads my blog, so I couldn't spill the beans until after her birthday (July 15). She has recently redecorated her TV room. The walls, flooring, and furniture upholstery are all neutral, and then she has framed and hung several racing posters.... the European kind, not the Nascar kind. (Think: Ferrari, not Ford.) The cars in the posters are all vivid colors, and the frames are black. I think the wall hanging I made in the Chinese Coins pattern will look great in her room.

Goodies -- Free Stuff

It took me just about all day to do the shopping, including trying to print coupons before I left, but it was a good day. I saved 31% at Kroger and 58% at Publix. Publix had Suave shampoo for $1, and I had several 50-cents-off coupons that they doubled, so I came home with nine free bottles of shampoo. They also had Bic mechanical pencils on sale, and I had coupons so that the two ten-packs that I "bought" were also free. I like free stuff!
At CVS, I spent $2.06 out-of-pocket. I started with $8 in Extra Bucks and ended with $10 in Extra Bucks, so basically, I spent six cents. I wanted to make a 6x8 photo book for $7.99 that gave $7.99 back in EB, but the first CVS I went to had one Kodak machine that would not read my flash drive. So the clerk gave me a rain check for a free book. The second CVS had three Kodak machines: one was in use, one didn't have the option for a 6x8 book, and the third wouldn't read my flash drive until the clerk came over and jiggled it. So I did get to make a book, and Emily had given me a $3 off coupon, so I made three bucks, plus I'll get to make another book later, even though today is the last day for the deal. Sweet.

Crocodile Gram-MEE