Random Musings

While researching Bible verses on friendship tonight (and if you ever need to find a passage of Scripture based on a phrase or word and your Bible concordance doesn't have it, I strongly recommend www.biblegateway.com ), I found this really cool verse: He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It will be counted a curse to him . ~ Proverbs 27:14 Now I have to admit, I do find it funny when Bobby sings to my nieces or the Belarussian kids to get them up in the morning. And I don't mind when he sings to get me up in the morning, but I don't like the "exhortations." And to find that there's a Proverb about that is even funnier!

It's now official...both of our TVs are plugged into their soon to be required digital converter boxes. We did the tiny tv in our bedroom a long time ago. We suddenly had double the stations, but the reception was delayed about 2-3 seconds. We discovered that when Bobby would have the tv on in the living room, then would move to the bedroom to start getting things ready for the next day. Being the sweet man that he is, he'd leave the tv on for me while I finished up in the living room or kitchen. If I'd go to the laundry room, I could hear both tvs at the same time, and they were NOT in sync. I like having more stations to choose from, though we're puzzled how to figure out what comes on when. I also like the increased clarity that usually comes with the picture. What I don't like about the boxes is that it's not uncommon for the signal to come in distorted and we get pixel boxes instead of a picture. Another disappointment is the volume. It's not...

The first time I ever received a summons for jury duty was while I was overseas in China. The request came the day before I left, and I had to leave a message on someone's answering machine that I would not be able to show up. The crazy thing was that I didn't consider SC my home, but had changed my address there because that's where my parents were at the time. The second time was a few years ago here in NC. I was so excited! I had always thought it would be cool to be on a jury. We sat and waited for 3 and a half hours for the interview process to start, only to be told thank you, go home, the case has been settled out of court. I was not happy with the waste of my time and was also disappointed. My boss got called in Monday, and we all expected her back Tues, or at least the end of the week if she was selected. Before she left the courthouse Monday they were "bonded" for two weeks. She's on a "wrongful death lawsuit" and the slowness and inefficie...

Today is my protest blog. Protest #1: This day has flown by, and I fear it's going to end before my to do list does. Sigh. I don't like how time seems to speed up faster and faster each year. Where did 2008 go? And yet I want this week to hurry up and end because that means payday! Whohoo ! Protest #2: Kay Hagan voted for the tax evader as head of the Treasury Department! AAAUUUGGHHHHH !!!!!!! At least if she keeps making such stupid mistakes it'll be easy to replace her in 6 years! Protest #3: Exercise. I hate it. I don't care what people say; it does NOT make me feel better; it does NOT give me energy; and it does absolutely NOTHING for my mental well-being. And yes I will grudingly , unwillfully admit it does help you lose weight....in the smallest nanograms possible. Protest #4: Target, even though they advertised it in Sunday's paper, did NOT have the Fireproof dvd today, and I used my 10% off coupon today. GRRRR !!!! big whoop! Protest #5: A...

There's some odours that just seem to permeate everything...cooked cabbage, fresh cut flowers, smoke, fish oil, dirty diaper pails, and cleaning supplies. There's probably more to that list, but those are just the first few that came to mind. Then there's the smells that I absolutely love: fresh bread, just baked chocolate chip cookies, vanilla scented candles. And then that line gets drawn. You know, you're burning a candle to kill the sneezy smell of Mop-N- Glo or clorox , rejoicing that not only is the floor clean but your house is actually starting to smell good, too, when someone comes in and says, "You know that candle is stinking up the house." or something to that affect. Come to find out, when Bobby was growing up, many of the field hands who worked with them in tobacco didn't bathe (and many of them didn't wear deodorant , either). They would use vanilla flavoring as a deodorant or perfume to mask their body odours. Now, I love the smell ...

Yes, I'm aware that I've already posted a blog today, but it's my blog so I can post as many times as I want! hehehe The bad thing about cleaning up is that you find things. Sometimes that's good. I actually found money in TWO different coats/jackets when it snowed. I layered up, and voila ! (I think the English translation of that is "There it is!" But I also found a newspaper clipping from last July for a website I've been meaning to look up. www.adultfitnesstest.org It's the website that details how to measure your physical fitness, as well as you BMI (body mass index). According to this site, I shouldn't try the first part of the test because I am woefully inactive, but I'm thinking I might try it. I mean, hey, I'm not one to push myself too hard when it comes to exercise. I know the results will be bad on every test they show, but I am thinking about doing the 1 mile walk and the sit-ups test. Then I'll test myself again in...

After the booing of former President Bush during the recent inauguration, I found President Obama's thank you to Bush a nice and civil comment. And while he mentioned no policy by name or anyone in the Bush administration by name, Obama then proceeded to bash Bush in a very civil tone. I'm still not totally sure how I feel about that. I know the two blatantly disagreed with each other, but was the speech a backhanded slap at the outgoing administration, or simply an announcement of what's too come? It reminded me of stories from 200 years ago. The Union Army occupied Baton Rouge and other parts of Louisiana, and the women of the city were most unhappy with the situation. They would hold their noses every time a Union soldier walked by, or make snide remarks. Fed up, the officer in charge decreed that any woman showing disrespect toward a soldier would be treated as a prostitute. After a number of upperclass women were arrested and thrown in jail with a group of prost...

I have a gracious employer (Mid-Way Baptist Church in Raleigh). When Bobby was sick this past April, they allowed me to work from home, or simply ignored unworked hours, and various people assisted in covering jobs for me while I was out. I would come in, expecting to complete projects, and find them already done! (Thank you again, Wendy, Linda, and Amanda!) Then when the Belarusian kids returned, they allowed me yet again to shift and consolidate hours for six weeks, even though it was often an inconvenience. Today, the office opened at 9:30am due to snow and ice on the roads, but no one said a word about me arriving at 10:30am (though someone did see me slide through the parking lot and slip and fall coming in!) but simply checked to see if I was okay. And when our HR person called last night to tell me the office would be open today, but late, her last words were "Stay safe." And they sent us home at 3:30pm today. In addition, on my way to work I saw one van in a dit...

Thank God for snow!!! It snowed so much last night and this morning the office was closed today! Whoohooo! So even though I was not going in anyway due to inclement weather, now it's not counted against my vacation days (I still have two left!!!) So I had time to fix sausage balls for breakfast, got to watch the historical inauguration, iron clothes, AND complete one of my January projects! I didn't think about taking a before picture, but Mrs. Bryan's planter was last painted several years ago and was done the same color as the porch floor - grey. My brother-in-law did an excellent job of painting it then, but as anything exposed to the elements and leaking potted plants, it needed a new job. At Christmas (yeah, hard to believe it was so warm at Christmas we sat outside on the porch while the youngest Bryan grandkids rode bikes), I noticed for the first time all the intricate details. As many times as I have watered the plants on this thing, I had never noticed the grape ...

In today's News & Observer, one of the articles highlighting art (anti-Bush art, to be specific) also commented that there are numerous "End of Era" parties going on today. That part doesn't bother me too much. But the next comment did. There are also "Shoe-Outs" taking place today, where groups of people plan to throw their worn-out shoes at one of the White House gates. I think everyone who is so willing to desecrate a public icon with such extreme disrespect needs to first be fined for littering, then have their citizenship revoked on the grounds of treason, and then deported to a country of their choice. (And yes, I feel the same way about the NC State students who wanted Obama dead after the election). I recognize that people who are non-believers (non-Christians, that is) do not adhere to the Biblical principles of "obeying and praying for those placed in authority over you." And that's their choice. But when someone is blatantl...

A recession is when your neighbor loses his job; a depression is when you lose yours. We hear it on the news, but it seems this past week it keeps coming closer and closer to home. As of today, I have three friends out of work, and 8 friends who have had their hours either cut or made almost non- existent . It really makes me re-evaluate the difference between a need and a want. My mother used to remind me growing up that God promised to provide for our NEEDS, not our wants. I never liked it when she quoted that Bible verse. But I can say that God ALWAYS provided. I didn't have name brand clothes growing up, and more often than not most everything I owned was a hand-me-down. We ate out maybe once a year, and food was almost always given from a church member's garden or a generic brand, but I never went hungry. Not ever. I remember the late '80s when the coal mines shut down in Walker County. We had three men in our church who lost their jobs. One of the families c...

Gone are onesies , wet wipes, rash, We're adding pull-ups to that stash Or so we hope. In comes big boy underpants, frilly panties or dinosaurs that dance, We dream of progress. Methods come, endless advice; Our children have their own device. Training's not their choice. Some kids go upon command, others require a more firm hand. Or just won't go. Targets for the boys to hit; Girls who scream and throw a fit; Or sit terrified. It seems they'll poop in every place Except the spot reserved with space. And then go hide. Every country, every tongue Has a way it must be done. To train a child to properly Do what does come naturally. I've been thinking about you and praying for all of you these last few weeks!

When I got home today, I checked the mail as I usually do. And lo and behold, if the Keepsake Quilting catalogue wasn't there! Forget e-mail, forget mopping floors, and laundry...what? Oh, those piles of material...yes, I'm looking at material! I'm not even going to count how many pages I've turned down, but let's just say this one has more than most. And for those of you starting to get concerned, I'm not ordering anything. But I did have this thought: If I ordered all the stuff for one quilt every time the catalogue came (which is 4x a year), then when I retire I won't have to worry about whether or not I could afford to buy the material and supplies!!! yeah, I know, provided the moths hadn't eaten it all by then. Some days I think I should just quit my job and work on projects. The idea takes on a glistening glow, and then Bobby comes home and says, "Not that I'm trying to give you more work to do, but...." and I realize if I ha...

Are you tired of chasing pretty rainbows? Are you tired of spinning 'round and 'round? Wrap up all the shattered dreams of your life, And at the feet of Jesus lay them down. Give them all. Give them all. Give them all to Jesus. Shattered dreams, wounded hearts, and broken toys. Give them all. Give them all. Give them all to Jesus. And he will turn your sorrows into joys. I will serve thee because I love thee. You have given life to me. I was nothing before you found me. You have given life to me. Heartache, broken pieces, ruined lives are why you died on Calvary. Your touch, was what I longed for. You have given life to me. Some days I feel like a worthy vessel. Other days I'm just a lump of clay. But either way I'm in the Potter's hands, and that's pretty cool.

We had to replenish the brain of our computer last December. It was not a fun time, as we all too quickly realized that our new "brain" did not like our printer, scanner, or my work software. The first two after numerous attempts and countless hours, I was finally successful in downloading and installing driver updates to make the things work. Half of my software for work would install correctly, and the other half not only refused to install correctly; it also refused to UNINSTALL ! After much frustration and grinding of teeth, I called tech support only to discover they no longer offer help on CS2, as CS3 & CS4 has now come out. The nice guy did give me a link to a website that told me how to manually uninstall the crazy software, but after talking to someone at church (thanks for not charging me, Jack!), I felt comfortable in my decision that following its advice and DELETING part of my new hard drive's files was NOT the practical thing to do. So I followed...

We once had a tree with a V. Now it's a mess. And it split the dog's fence line. But on a different note: farm-raised rabbits cooked in a crock-pot with french onion soup smells like a roast cooking, but had the texture of very dried chicken. The taste wasn't bad, but I liked the leftovers better. It was chopped up and heated in BBQ sauce (the Kraft kind that's tomato based, not the vinegar NC stuff) and it not only added moisture to it, but it tasted great! I bet if I brought some over to your house, you'd never know it was rabbit!

One of Bobby's sisters brought him three freshly frozen rabbits for Christmas. So we're branching out into new territory tonight and trying one. He's in the crockpot now. Just in case I don't like the way he's cooked, I've spent the last few minutes on-line researching rabbit recipes. He smells okay, but I'm just not sure how I feel about eating a distant relative of Thumper .

Some resolutions are, well, resolute . I'm cooking, doing an okay job at keeping up with household chores, and am well into one of the projects for the month. Other resolutions are, well, dissolving. Lose 4 pounds? Hmmm . I've thought about exercising the last five days, but as of yet it that item hasn't made it past the laundry basket, the Christmas decorations, the painting, etc. My devotions are not devoted. I've kept up to date ( WHOO HOO !) with the church's in-depth 3 year Bible reading program so far, and am keeping up with the teens' memory verses, but haven't kept my dare to my siblings or Mom for the LoveDare devotional (you can find them at Sam's Club for $9 fellow Fireproof fans!), and I fear my cynical demon has roared his head yet again. I don't mean to be sacrilegious , but obviously the Bible was not written by a woman. I mean, come on...did anyone even suggest pulling Zacharias out of the temple by that rope the priests h...

What is it about dogs & breakfast time? Daisy & Abner (our first dogs) brought about Flopsy & Mopsy's (our rabbits) heart attacks during breakfast. Oreo (a former cat) would always leave half of her breakfast (squirrels, moles, and mice) on the doorstep for Bobby to see before breakfast. And now.... the mole game with Lucy & Linus...right outside the kitchen window...you guessed it....during breakfast. I've yet to venture outside and see whether the birds in the yard succeeded in distracting the dogs away before the mole's death, or if they pestered him to death. Maybe Bobby will give me a report after his afternoon excursion. That's not something I care to see if I don't have to.

You know how your adrenaline rushes right before a deadline and the work load and time factor don't seem to be matching up? Bobby calls this stress and I consider it motivation. Well, for some reason it struck today. I feel like I need to tackle all my January projects immediately and furiously, as if the month is almost over. And technically, there's only 29 days left, so I do need to be busy. Yet the thought struck me as I was driving home, Don't you know it's only Jan 2! HELLOOOOO! Maybe I just need a Dr. Pepper and a chocolate chip cookie. Hey, that's only about 400 calories, right? Wouldn't it be cool if I finished January and actually had half of February's projects done as well? Yeah, I know....keep dreaming. If that happened, I think the world might actually stop spinning, and we certainly don't want that to happen! And speaking of our spinning earth, what did you think about them delaying the clock and fireworks of 2009 by one seco...