A Hodgepodge Within a Hodgepodge

So many things to get to today!  Where do I start?

How about with an update on the whole diet program?  Waste of time.  You get supplements, alright, three different kinds.  You get some kind of special aerated water, two gallons per week.  You get the good doctor's cell phone number so you can text him as much as you want.  You also get his email.  Then you get a recipe book of low calorie foods and a customized grocery list.....even though the ad said there was no "dieting."  I'm guessing they probably might want you to exercise, too.  Imagine that.

It sounds reasonable, right?  You're probably wondering why I'm not doing it.  Let me give you a reason.  Actually, let me give you 1700 reasons.  That is the cost ($1700) for 40 days.  There really isn't much if any cost to the diet stuff so you are basically paying the $1700 for the supplements and "counseling," which based on yesterday would be pretty weak.  There isn't a vitamin in the world worth $1700 unless it cures cancer or something.

I told Tim and he said we can check into joining a gym again.  That would be great, but only if he goes.  I get bored when I go alone.

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1. When were you last 'on a mountaintop'?  You may answer in the literal or figurative sense.~ Last on a mountain top......this area is mountainous so literally, I'm probably driving over one nearly every day.  Figuratively, the first lunch I had with my friend and bible teacher was one...so was front row at the Toby Keith concert...and the women's retreat last summer...and nearly every week at worship service.

2.  Do you establish and maintain a strict budget in your household?  What is one piece of financial advice you would offer someone just starting out on their own? 
~ Pfffffft....no budget here.  My advice to someone starting out....establish and maintain a budget.  If you don't know how...GET HELP.  It may not be fun, but one day when you're around 50 you'll be glad you did.  Trust me.

3.  Cherries-yay or nay?  Cherry pie, cherry cola, black forest cake, or a scoop ofBen and Jerry's Cherries Garcia...pick one. 
~ Yay!  I love to eat bing cherries and keep a bowl of them around when they are in season.  I don't like cherry pie or black forest cake all that much.  I do like vanilla ice cream with cherries in it, but I think I'd have to pick cherry cola as my favorite....that is real cherry cola made with cherry syrup at the soda fountain.  We can still get those at a couple of places around here.

4.  Should you ever discuss religion or politics with people you don't know? 
~ Probably not, but experience tells me....better with strangers than family and friends.  At least if you want to keep your family and friends.

5.  When you take a road trip do you prefer to be the driver or the passenger?  Where were you headed on your last road trip? 
~ Well, if I drive I won't fall asleep.  Riding in the car nearly always puts me to sleep at some point.  I'd rather be the passenger on a long trip, though.  You can't really look around as much when you're the driver.

6. If we peeked inside your closet, what color would we say is most prevalent?
~ Probably black, followed by red or orange and then blue.

7. Who's your favorite senior citizen and why are they special?
~ Betty White!  I don't always like how vulgar she is, but I sure admire her spunk and spirit.  I hope to be even half that spry when I'm 80, let alone 90!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

~ Having to go back to work in the bitter cold and snow after a 4-day weekend is just a cruel, cruel joke.

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And last but not least, I'm linking up with Dawn at Beneath the Surface today to kick off 7-week journey of discovery as we work our way through Rachel G. Hackenberg's devotional, Writing to God - 40 Days of Praying with My Pen.

Never heard of the book?  I hadn't either until this past weekend.  I hope Dawn and Rachel will forgive me as I borrow from Dawn's page, words from the publisher and a quote from Rachel.

About the Book From the Publishers Page: 

If you love to write, or if you need to spark your creativity, this book is for you.

Writing to God offers forty insightful days of prayer and personal reflection. With poems and thoughts to prompt your own prayers, Writing to God will inspire you when you feel dry, help you voice your deepest complaints and greatest joys, and surprise you with fresh perspectives on God. 

When verbal prayers feel stale, or you simply want to try something fresh, open this inviting guide and pray wherever the pen leads!

• Includes a special section of prayers and prompts for Holy Week and Easter.

• Includes some surprising prayers: Caffeine, A Lover's Psalm, Recycling: A Prayer for Salvation, Feeling a Prayer, Traveling, On "Good Friday" Kind of Days, and many more!

"Praying by writing takes a prayer out of my head and makes praying a whole-body exercise: my creativity is sparked, my spirit fully focused, my muscles employed, my sense of touch and awareness of breath heightened. I felt more connected to prayer than I had ever experienced before." –Rachel Hackenberg

I find Rachel's reflections inspiring, the scripture choices relevant, and the prompts a good focal point.  To share with you from Day 1: Caffeine here is the tail end of my prayer.

Breathe life, true, everlasting life into the farthest, deepest corners of my soul. 

Sweep through like the Spring winds, refreshing and clearing away dust, staleness, and darkness. 

Refresh my soul. Make me as excited as I once was. 

Create in me an endless hunger for you that I may FEAST on prayer and scripture. 

Fill my days and nights with the wonder of you, that you, 

my God in Heaven, would be all my soul requires to quicken and shout for joy!

I hope you will consider joining us.  How this little community we are creating over on Dawn's blog  is going to take shape is still somewhat up in the air.  It sounds like it will be a place for us all to share and encourage one another and be blessed by the things we are learning rather than a blog hop.  

Have a blessed day, my friends!

Three W's: Wind, Weight & Writing

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Woo-weee is it windy out there this morning!  I can hear my wind chime's constant clamor, but more impressively...I can hear my mom's monster chime (it has big heavy 4' - 6' long pipes) clanking away.

*I should, in all honesty, disclose here that it's the rare day that we don't have a least a nice breeze going.  Wind seems to (in my mind's eye) swirl around in the river basin the town sits in, then shoot up the hills until it reaches the plateau we live on, where it SWEEPS across and then blows on up over the top of the ridge.  I rarely pay attention to it unless it tops 50 mph.  

Other than a tornado that ripped through the neighborhood in 1976, the worst sustained winds we've seen were back on New Year's Eve 1998.  Those were clocked at 100 mph!!  Everyone I ever talked to reported being able to sit in their house and watch the walls sway.  Now THAT was impressive.  And pretty scary.

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I have an appointment this afternoon at 4:00 for an intitial consultation about the NutriMost weight loss program.  It sounds too good to be true, but there are a few things that are keeping me from running for the hills.

1. The doctor is a chiropractor, which would normally scare me away.  However, my mom hooked up with a chiropractic nutritionist 20 years ago.  He totally changed her diet and (without exercise) she went from a size 18 to a size 9 in a little more than 6 months.  And she's kept it off.  A lot of the things he said back then that made the rest of us think he was a kook are now accepted mainstream thinking.
2. While I know there is more cost for the supplements and whatnot required for the program, this initial consultation and evaluation is only $27.  I can afford that much to check it out.
3. There is a money-back guarantee if you don't lose at least 20 pounds in the 40-day program.
4. The doctor is a Christian.

Tim is also pretty curious about what I find out.  It's no secret that the man doesn't feel good most of the time.  I've always attributed it to bad genes, poor sleep habits, too much work, and a crappy diet.  You can't do much about the genes except work to offset them...something he doesn't do.  The rest, however, there is hope for and this doctor also says he can give better health through his methods and most of it comes about by taking herbal and homeopathic formulas to reset certain bodily processes.  "Magic" pills are exactly what Tim is hoping (and searching) for.

Praying there is something to this.

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Beginning tomorrow I am starting a 40-day journey.  Possibly 2 now that I am thinking about it...if the diet program is legit.  The journey I want to introduce you to now, though, is a spiritual one.  I am going to be joining up with Dawn at Beneath The Surface and anyone else who joins us to spend the next 40 days Writing to God.  It's an exercise in writing our prayers out on paper.  

The book, available from both Amazon and Barnes & Noble, is available in print edition and as an ebook for both Kindle and Nook.  Each day there is something to reflect on, scripture to read, and a writing prompt.

Now, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not going to put my written words to God up on the blog every day, but every Wednesday from tomorrow (Feb. 20) through Wednesday, March 3 I'll be meeting up with Dawn and the others on her blog to link up and share about what we are gaining from the process.

I hope you'll consider joining us.

Saturday Share - Link Love

Good morning, peeps!  Woke up to a couple of inches of new snow on the ground.  Uh....where's that Spring you promised, groundhog?  My sweet blog friend, Rochelle, of A Family of Looney's is rubbing it in over on Facebook that in Georgia the trees are beginning to bud out and the crocus and daffodils are blooming.  I'm jealous.

My Thirty-One party went off without a hitch last night.  My little living room was crammed with people and Thirty-One products.  My friends are too kind and ordered lots of goodies and I'm going to get a good bit of free and discounted stuff.  Yea!!

I'm on a bit of a self-imposed fast of all things internet related for the duration of lent.  I originally planned to only be online during the day between my bus runs, but it seems like nearly every day I need to contact someone about something and that's during the evenings...when most people come out to play.  I may have to switch it around.

Anyway, with spending less time online this week I didn't do nearly as much browsing around.  I do have some good links for you though.  Hope you enjoy them.

• I discovered Miss CB at the The Ramblings of Charlie Brown through the Wednesday Hodgepodge blog hop.  She's a smart cookie and pretty funny, too.  
• Teri is another new discovery for me.  You can find her at That Lady is Always Knitting.  She knits the most gorgeous, amazing stuff...especially to someone like me, who can't even pass remedial knitting.  Sigh.  A visit to Teri's blog is like sitting at the kitchen table with a friend.
• Rory's not a new discovery, but she's wicked funny and I think you'll like her blog.
• Jill is another funny lady met through blog hops.
• Could your budget use some help?  Do you even have a budget?  Maybe you could benefit from The Better Budgeting Class, and 5-week, online class that begins Aprill 22.

And the Pinterest pin of the week:

Yep, how true is that??
Link

Well, I am off to begin my four-day weekend (Presidents' Day and a day of parent/teacher conferences) beginning with a day of doing nothing much beyond chilling with the book I'm supposed to be reading this month for the reading group I'm in on Facebook.

Enjoy your Saturday!

Post Fourth

No Pondering with a Purpose this week.....leaves me at a bit of a loss for today.  Brenda is busy being a new grandma so we'll let it slide (wink, wink).  I just wish I knew what was going on with her blog.  The main page is still "dead" to me.  It loads and  I can see it, but none of the links work.  I can't even comment to tell her "congratulations."  So, Brenda, if you're reading this....CONGRATULATIONS!

Blogging woes aside, there's not much doing today.  It was a real scorcher yesterday for the Fourth of July so we opted not to go sit and watch the parade (our town's parade is about 2 hours long right during the peak sun and heat time of 10:30-12:30).  Tim cleaned out the fishpond and installed the new pump and filter with a UV light to control algea and a spotlight.  He also added the water feature I picked to better circulate the water in the upper pond.  While he was doing that, I took Megan to a job interview at the Ramada Inn...from what she told me it was a strange interview and she has no idea how it went.  She doesn't really think she wants to work for the man....and I am inclined to agree.  Since we were out we stopped at PetSmart and bought new fishies for the pond.  The other ones died when Tim added conditioner to the water (turns out he added waaaaay too much).

Full view of the pond area with Miss Daisy posing for you.  The last time I shared a picture the weeding hadn't been done and the mulch wasn't down.  My Scooby's buried under the big rock in the foreground.

A closer look at the pond.  You can see the new water feature near the top of the picture.  It seems to circulate the water into the upper pond better than the last set up we had so hopefully nasty water in it will be a thing of the past.

Miss Daisy getting a drink from the pond.  Doesn't she just look like a little black bear?

Looking down into the bigger pond.  You can't see any fish.  The new ones are a lot smaller than the ones that died and in this heat they are making good use of the shade areas we created with the rocks on the ledges.

We all went out for lunch.  None of the decent restaurants were open so we finally ended up at Taco Bell.  Oh well.  Rushed home after that to finish getting things cleaned up and set up for company.  My mom, her husband, our friends and their adult daughter, her two kids and a friend all came for a supper cookout.  I marinated flat iron steaks all day (they melted in your mouth) and boiled 3 lbs. of peel-and-eat shrimp.  We also had hamburgers and hotdogs, pasta salad, baked beans, chips and salsa, fresh blueberry cobbler, and I cooked corn on the cob in the oven....you totally have to try that.  It comes out so tender and juicy!  Just put it on the center oven rack at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Don't husk it or anything.  When it comes out cut the stalk end off and it peels very easy and the silk comes right off.  I left the husks on and put them in a big roasting pan with a lid....the ears stayed hot for a couple of hours.

The girls and kids got to swim before we ate, but we'd no sooner finished than a big storm rolled through.  We managed to get the food inside before the rain came so it was all good.  Some people sat inside and some of us sat out under the covered area and enjoyed the coolness.

Some of the company was still here at fireworks time so we didn't go down to watch them either.  We could see all the high ones from here, anyway.

Lots of leftovers so no cooking today and there are s'mores for dessert because the fire got rained out.

We're all just laying low and taking it easy today.  It's another miserably humid day with the heat index predicted to hit triple digits (actual temp around 90) so I predict an afternoon in the pool is ahead.

Enjoy some more pictures from the backyard....

Daisies

Lily by the fish pond

Hosta blossoms

Lily by the pool

Forget what it's called, but it thrives on neglect and comes back year after year and spreads fairly well.

The volunteer Catalpa (Toby) tree outside the backdoor.  Makes the deck nice and shady, but it's going to
have to come down one of these days.  It's too close to the house.  No, the while bunny isn't live.

My little "shadynook."  The last time I showed it we hadn't yet planted the hostas around it.
I love sitting out there on the swing by the fish pond in the evenings.

Okay, Mom....is HOT!!! We can pleeeeeassse go back in air conditioning now?

Saturday Share

It's like the whole world is paused, holding its collective breath, on this day before Easter.  This day when we wait to hear that the tomb is empty.  This day before we raise our voices, along with our soaring spirits, to announce,  HE IS RISEN!

Some things to look at while you wait:

Do you ever wonder if people know where you stand or if they wonder about you?  Angela at Free Spirit Haven has a wonderful post about this and her excellent Good Friday.

Hot, Holy and Humorous shares an awesome video called Dance Your Shoes Off.....a true celebration of what Easter means.

Heather shares about losing her daughter on the (in)courage website and the lesson she learned from her loss.

And today I share my favorite Easter hymn.  My favorite for the truth of it and also because I remember standing beside my dad at Sunrise Services, feeling the warmth of him (Dad was a big man), smelling his Old Spice aftershave, and listening to him booming out the words in his big, deep voice....and all was right in my world.

Saturday Share - March 31, 2012

Yikes!  We're at the end of another month, already.  Is it just me or does time actually seem to go much faster the older you get?  And the more you have to do?

Not much going on today.  Tim and his brother are working on the new wiring in the church building.  Once I'm done here I need to shower, get started on the laundry that's taking over my bedroom, and find something to make for the fellowship dinner at church.

Maybe it's a slow day for you, too, so here's some cool things seen around the internet this week....

How big are God's dreams for us?  Sarah Mae has some thoughts on this.

Do your thoughts and comments about divorce make it worse for those experiencing it?

Ellen shares how it feels from the other side.

Have you ever thought of scrapbooking your journey with God?  I admit I haven't,

but then I don't actually scrapbook anything so I'm probably not a good example.

Dawn shares an interview with Dawn Stegall of Faithfully Yours.

I am intrigued.

(And FYI, Dawn is going to begin featuring the testimonies of her readers

and guess who is up first?  Little old moi.  If I get my act together it should

be posted this week....probably on Monday.)

Ann Voskamp has a wonderful post on holding a Christian Passover Meal.

Complete with a free print out of menu, table settings, and seder.

The Unknown Mami explains how to use Windows Live Writer

to add a watermark to your photographs.

And this story from Ginger Lemon Girl....well, just have the tissues handy.

And the Pinterest pin of the week:

Love the visual representation.
(source)

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone...and let your hearts prepare for the celebration as we enter Easter week!

Why I'm a Dog Person

Please check out this beautiful post by my friend Dawn @ Beneath the Surface.  She is a wonderful writer and she dedicated this post to me...and made me cry, but it was a good cry.  She explains better than I ever could the God/dog connection and why I will always be a dog person.

Saturday Share - February 4, 2012

It's nice to share some linky love so, here for your weekend reading pleasure are some things I've seen this week I think you'll enjoy.

Dawn (a soul sister if ever there was one) from Beneath the Surface has a great post today about how her writing and ADHD have intertwined.  It's like she's in my head!  The Poet I Know Not

Ann Voskamp touched my heart again (but then, she always does) with her post, What Is the Best Gift to Give to a Man?

Recipes for your Super Bowl feast from Gooseberry Patch and their readers.

Gina of Keepin' It Real is having a Valentine's Day Giveaway.  Head on over to see how you can win a couple of great books and some Valentine's Day goodies.

{Dear Mr. Welch}: On Love Letters has me thinking.  The Mr. and I used to write letters and notes all the time.  When was the last time?  When did we stop?  We need to start again.

Tight budget?  Check out these frugal ways to celebrate Valentine's Day

I reconnected with an old classmate on Facebook.  He was an amazing musician when we were kids.  He still is.  Give him a listen.

Enjoy your weekend.  See you Monday!

Tag, I'm "It"!

Oh, boy....Dawn has tagged me in a post on her blog and I'm warning you now....it means I'm going to be tagging some of you.  So, here's how it works:

1. Post these rules.

2. You must post 11 random things yourself.

3. Answer the ques­tions the tag­ger set for you in their post.

4. Cre­ate 11 new ques­tions for the peo­ple you tag to answer.

5. Go to their blog and tell them that you've tagged them.

6. No stuff in the tag­ging sec­tion about ‘you are tagged if you are read­ing this.’ Blah blah blah, you legit­i­mately have to tag 11 peeps!

Now this is the hard part...11 random things about me.  Hmmm.

1. Right now I have three feathers glued into my hair.  One red one and two rainbow ones. My daughter talked me and her boyfriend's mother into going with her to get them.  Shh...I can't wait till they come out.
2. I don't wear any scents heavier than body sprays and those tend to be fruit scents.  Actual perfumes and floral scents kill my sinuses.
3. I rearrange the furniture every couple of weeks.
4. I loathe folding laundry.  It is often still in the dryer or basket days after it's washed and dried.
5. I'm the Imelda Marcos of purses.  I like shoes, but I LOVE purses.
6. I'd rather read than just about anything.
7. I secretly love my daughter's guinea pigs and having them cuddle up against my neck when I'm watching TV.
8. I think I'd like for my husband and I to have seperate beds.  I'd miss him, but I think we'd sleep better.  He has a lot of sleep issues and they disturb my sleep, too.  And he'd just do better without me and the poodle disturbing him.
9. I'd move to the beach in a heartbeat.  I hate snow and cold and where do I live...the mountains of Pennsylvania.  Blech!
10. I love to study the Bible, spirituality, church history, etc.
11. I tend to be a loner.  I want relationships and contact, but at the same time they seem to take more effort than I often want to make.  I think it must come partly from being an only child and partly from often living in areas where there weren't other kids (or neighbors for that matter).  I missed out on some social development.

The questions Dawn asked me:

1. The first three things you do in the morning (excluding bodily function activities)?

~ Let the dogs out, pour a glass of Coke (need the caffeine, hate coffee), and check the weather.

2. When was the last time you exercised and what did you do?

~ Well, this is embarrassing.  I was doing so well with Jake and the gym, but that program ended at the end of October and then I was busy with school and then it was the holidays....so the last time I really exercised was October and it was a full-blown strength training session.  Since then?  I've taken a walk or two.  I know, I know....it's on the resolution list.

3.  One thing you will do (or try) this year that you have never done before?

~ Crocheting.  I have failed miserably at knitting so I am determined to try it.  I have the hooks, how-to books, and yarn....just have to buckle down and get to it.

4. If money were no object what is the one thing you would buy for yourself?

~ No issue at all?  2013 Ford Mustang.  Grab-me-blue with black rally stripes.

5. If you could go anywhere in the world to explore and visit, where would it be?

~ If there was no danger of being blown up, shot or kidnapped I would totally tour the Middle East....Israel, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Turkey.

6. You can interview 3 people (they have to be living) - who are they?

~ Okay, Toby Keith just because he's Toby...and because he's done a lot of USO tours and stuff for the military that would be interesting to hear about.  George W. Bush because he was the president during the darkest hour of our generation....how could he not have a lot to say?  And Tim Tebow because he's captured the nation's attention with his faith.

7. Describe yourself in 7 words or less. 

~ Dreamer, believer, creative, funny, stubborn, introspective, student.

8. Favorite fruit?

~ Gala apples or blueberries.

9. One historical person you want to talk to who is not alive (Jesus is alive so don't even go there)?

~ Ha! Ha!  I was going to say Jesus on the interview question and use the bit about he is alive.  Anyway....I'd have to say John and Priscilla Alden (you know, from the Mayflower) because my family tree goes back to them.  If not them, then either Thomas Jefferson or Teddy Roosevelt.

10. Your favorite movie?

~ "Dirty Dancing" is my favorite guilty pleasure.  Love watching it on a rainy summer afternoon with a big bowl of popcorn.

11. What is the best book you would recommend for 2012?

~ Definitely Ann Voskamp's "One Thousand Gifts."

My Tag-ees:

Rhonda

Marti

Beth
Ellen
Rochelle
Debby
Wendy
Daenel
Chantelle
Kelly
Chocolate Covered Daydreams


And the questions for my 11 tag-ees:

1. If money and know-how aren't obstacles, what is your dream occupation?
2. Valentines' Day is the next "big" holiday.  Tell us about your best or worst or funniest Valentines' Day.
3. Do you have a mentor and if so, what have they mentored you in?
4. If you could be doing anything under the sun right now, what would you be doing?
5. Music can evoke powerful emotions and memories.  Is there a song that can instantly take you somewhere?
6. What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
7. Have you ever met anyone famous?  If you did, what was your impression?  Were they what you expected them to be? 
8. What one book (other than the Bible...'cause everyone's going to say that) do you think no one should go through life without reading?
9. What is the most unusual thing you've ever done?
10. Has your life turned out to be anything like what you'd imagined when you were growing up?
11. Have you set any goals or made resolutions for 2012?  Share one?

Okay, that's everything, I think.  I'm off to tag you on your blog!