Pedaling Through the Hodgepodge

1. It's National Bike Week...do you own a bicycle? When did you last ride a bike? 
~ Not currently, unless you count the stationary bike.  I just saw a really cute one....basket on the front, big fenders....at Wal-mart that I really like, so maybe I'll have one soon.  The last bike I had was never quite right as far as the brakes went.  I gave it to a man who fixes bikes up and gives them to people who can't afford them.

2. What's something you learned in school that wasn't part of the curriculum?
~ I am sure I learned a LOT of things in school that weren't part of the curriculum...or very beneficial.  I guess you might call them painful lessons.

3. What's a food you've never tried, but want to try? What's a food you've tried and will never try again?
~ I really can't think of anything I haven't tried, but want to.  I'm fairly adventurous when it comes to food.  As for a food I have tried and will never try again....eggplant.  I have had it prepared in a variety of ways.  It is gross no matter what you do.

4. Have you been more demanding on yourself lately or less? Why? Do you think that's a good trend?
~ I've definitely been more demanding...part of my One Word campaign to be more "intentional" don't you know.  I think it's a good thing.  I'm trying to take control of my life.

5. Who is your favorite book, movie, or TV show villain? 
~ For years when I was growing up and a young adult it was Stefano on Days of Our Lives.  Jack Nicholson makes a good bad guy.  Other than that, I don't think I've ever had a favorite one.

6. How concerned are you about identity theft? 
~ Given the amount of stuff I do online...and the fact that I've had my bank card hacked....probably not enough.

7. I saw this last question on Dawn's blog a couple of week's ago and asked if I could share. Everybody hop over and say hi, but first answer this...would you rather have an ordinary home in an extraordinary place or an extraordinary home in an ordinary place? 
~ As far as the location goes, I think it would depend on where it is.  On top of the Tibetan Alps would be extraordinary, but I wouldn't want to live there no matter what kind of house I had.  On the whole, though, I think I'd like an ordinary home in a location of my choosing...which would be somewhere between the ordinaryness of here and the Tibetan Alps.  lol

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
~ A weather front is due to move through here later today.  I think it's the same front that moved through Oklahoma earlier this week.  Severe storms are predicted for late afternoon through the night.  Understandably, people are feeling nervous.  This part of Pennsylvania is no stranger to tornadoes and severe thunderstorms so we tend to perk up and pay attention.  It's only been two years since we were slammed by mega-hail.

Hey, It's Okay Tuesday ~ Tornado Edition

Good morning, all!  It's another beautiful, though (extremely) hot, day here. It's a good day to be alive and thank the Man upstairs for all my many, many blessings...and to lift up everyone affected by yesterday's monster tornado in Moore, OK.  My heart and prayers go out to everyone who lost someone, lost their home, was injured, or who is one of the many, many people helping with the search and rescue efforts and the weeks and months of clean up that will follow.  May God grant you his peace that surpasses understanding and the strength to cope.

If you would like to contribute to the relief efforts, contact the Red Cross.

Now on to Hey, It's Okay Tuesday, the fun little meme Amber (who lives in OK and is, thankfully, just fine) created after seeing a similar format in Glamour magazine.  The basic idea is just to let ourselves know that it's okay to have our little quirks or to not see the world like everyone else does.

Hey, it's okay.....

To wonder if it would be possible to round up all the people making rude comments about the situation in OK...about how they deserved it for building cheap homes or building in Tornado Alley or that it was the wrath of god on a bunch of crackers...and ship them all off to see the Wizard to get hearts and brains?  Then ship them to OK and make them work clean up duty until it's done.

To think it was pretty classy of CBS to pull the Mike & Molly season finale last night because it was about a tornado.

To know that you will go ape on anyone who tells you what happened in the Hawaii Five-O finale before you get to watch it.

To fantasize about calling in to work sick this afternoon....it's supposed to be 91 degrees, which translates to about 101 on the bus.

To wish your daughter spent as much time doing productive things as she does taking pictures of herself and posting them to Facebook.

To wish it was June 5 and school was done and summer vacation was beginning....even if it does mean the end of paychecks and start of unemployment checks (a little less than half the pay).

To hope we don't get the bad storms the nice weatherman says are possible this afternoon.  I've been through a couple of tornadoes...not on the scale of the one in Moore, but they were plenty big enough for me.

Okay, I'm off to do some house cleaning before it gets too hot.

Keeping the Focus by Counting

Is there something going on in the world of technology today that I don't know about?  Like a ginormous  solar flare or something?  Our cable, WiFi, and phone were all out this morning...I can't use my bank card or get money out of the ATM, even though the ATM shows I have money in there....and now that the WiFi is working I looked up my account online and all the deposits and transactions are posting but haven't been credited either way so something is goofy at the bank.

We had a good weekend.  Yesterday was the best.  Tim and I went out for breakfast then spent the day working in the yard and we went for ice cream in the evening...and even Megan went!

Now today it feels like I am being slammed from several directions and it would be easy to give in and get depressed, but I'm not going to let it happen.  I'm going to keep my focus where it should be...on God...and I'm going to pick up counting my blessings.

71.  A beautiful, sunny day. 
72.  Time spent with my daughter that DIDN'T include any aruments.
73.  Veggie soup for lunch.
74.  A much wanted book now in my hands to start reading.
75.  More energy than I've had in a long time.
76.  A hanging strawberry basket.
77.  Hair long enough to pin up.
78.  A God who knows my needs, my pains and my sufferings without me even asking.
79.  A God who wants me to ask.
80.  Peace in life's valleys.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

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FOR TODAY

Outside my window... It is one absolutely gorgeous day!  The hubby and I have been working out in the yard for the first time, getting some much needed cleaning up done and my swing came down!  Yea...I love swinging and watching the fishies in my pond.

I am thinking... that a trip to Dairy Queen is needed a little bit later.

I am thankful... that the water in my knee seems to have gone away again.

In the kitchen... our collection of vitamins, prescriptions, and over-the-counter meds seems to take up a bigger and bigger spot on the counter every week.

I am wearing... denim capris and a lime green t-shirt with tropical flowers on the front.

I am creating... a member directory for the church's Tuesday night Bible study.

I am going... to finish washing the pots and pans as soon as I finish this.

I am wondering...if I'll survive this week.  It's the last full week of school and the kids are getting crazier by the day.  It's also supposed to be in the 80s, which means 90s in the bus.  I will be feeling wilted and yucky at the end of the day.

I am reading... nothing but the Bible.  I sort of forgot how hectic it gets this time of year at work so reading is on hold.

I am hoping... my daughter finds something here that makes her not want to move to Alabama.

I am looking forward to... dinner out with friends this coming Friday evening and a gathering of the church leadership on Sunday.

I am learning... to rely on God in ALL things.

Around the house... we got all the dead stuff cut out of the rose bushes and trees, planted the beautiful yellow rose Meg gave me for Mother's Day, tied up the Clematis so it can't keep sneaking across the ground to wrap around the Hydrangea, and cleaned all the outside furniture.

I am pondering... the topic of my first sermon...thinking it will be given around the end of August/beginning of September.  So far it feels like God is leading me toward talking about "balance."  About how this Christian life is all about love, but where is the line when love turns into tolerance and acceptance of things clearly named as sin?  How do we navigate that line in the modern world?  Etc.  Tim thinks it sounds like a good topic.

A favorite quote for today... Better to be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.  ~ Possibly spoken by Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Socrates, or in Proverbs.

One of my favorite things... the first snow of winter.

A few plans for the rest of the week:  The last full week of work for the school year.  Bible study on Tuesday.  Going with a friend to an estate sale (or something similar) on Wednesday evening to look at old books and movies.  Stopping by a friend's garage sale on Thursday.  Dinner with friends on Friday evening.  Church on Saturday and the get together for church leadership on Sunday.

A peek into my day... We got up earlier than usual this morning and decided to go out for dinner.  We headed over to Ruthie's, an old time diner, that serves awesome homestyle food.  We watched a bit of TV when we got home because it was raining just a bit.  Since then we've been out in the yard.  In just a bit we're heading to Dairy Queen for a treat then it will be home to get showered and relax watching TV and reading the paper.