Ms. Perfection

Leila is hosting the online book study of "Behind Those Eyes" by Lisa Whittle that I am a part of.

Chapter 2 of Behind Those Eyes deals with Ms. Perfection. Oh, she is someone I have usually always felt so far removed from. That I never could measure up to her! Other women, yes, who were beautifully dressed and manicured and coiffed....who said just the right things at the right time, spoke kindly and thoughtfully to others, kept their homes spotlessly clean, etc...those women were perfect and in my view, there were a lot of them out there, but I wasn't one of them.

But I remember once a friend I admired at church who I thought was perfect (I had heard she mopped her kitchen floor and vaccumed her whole house every day while still holding down a full-time job outside the home, and that fact alone (the mopping/vaccuming) made me think she was perfect!) tell me that her husband told her that she was damaging her pre-teen children by yelling at them and expecting them to do all sorts of household chores exactly the way she wanted it done and that there was a lot of dissention in their home at that time....wow it really made me open my eyes to seeing that other women I had deemed 'perfect' really were not, even if I thought they looked like they were beautiful and said the right things and had it all together.

I liked in Chapter 2 what Tiffany said "Peace does not come from pleasing others, but from obeying God".

It is just too exhausting to try to be what you think is perfect. I prefer real, warts and all!

I was telling my husband about this online study this morning and about the chapter of Ms. Perfection. He said "Jesus said, my yoke is easy and my burden is light"...and that is truth. It struck me that Jesus isn't looking for perfection, He is looking for us to cast everything onto Him, casting all of our cares, and He doesn't make us jump through all the hoops just to be accepted by Him.

Gratitude Check List

Well, the end of this week finds us also at the end of week three of the strike and today Tim can pick up his $150 strike pay check! I am grateful for that. $150 a week can help buy groceries and dog food and gas.

Some things I am grateful for this week on my "I spy" blessings list!

1. The Garnier Fructis Style hairspray I have which was on fumes two weeks ago kept on spraying until yesterday! Every morning I was sure there was nothing left in the can, but every morning for the last two weeks I would shake it well, and spray and it would work. I was sure Monday it was over, but it lasted till yesterday!

2. My friend Tonya who lives in Missouri sent a lovely little care package which I received yesterday....full of dog toys and treats for Anna and Tank and some nice samples and cosmetic goodies for me. Tonya and I 'met' on Makeup Alley years ago, and we both have black labs and love bath goodies, make up, etc. She sent me some Origins Ginger scrub and roll perfume, some samples from Ahava of lotion and foot cream (I love the scent of Ahava lotion, but don't buy it often as it's pretty spendy). She also sent me two Bobbie Brown lip palettes...both have nice browns and beiges and autumn colors. Really a wonderful perk me up of goodies!

3. I got a card in the mail from Starbucks this week for a free oatmeal which they just started serving, so I got that yesterday before work with the dried fruit topping. It was very good. They also gave me a sample of their new signature hot chocolate coming out next week, and a sample of a pumpkin bar thing which was delicious! I still had a balance of $8 on my Starbucks coffee card, so I got a pumpkin latte too.

4. One of my bosses brought in some cute little jar candles he got at Michael's crafts. Most of us burn candles at work in our offices, even the bosses, and this particular boss is fussy about scents. He thought he would like the ones he brought in, but he didn't, so he gave me the pumpkin pie and the cinnamon rolls scented ones.

5. I got invited to a friend's house for lunch today, she just moved so I am going over to visit and see her new place. I am going to take her some of our tomatoes from the garden.

6. About the Early Girl tomatoes...we have a ton that are ripe and so good...but everyone Tim and I have talked to say their tomatoes just didn't get ripe or do well this year, ours are great though!

7. I got a $10 off coupon from Penneys. I found a light blue sweater there Wednesday that was marked down from $30 to $19 so I got it for $9. I had a light blue sweater similar I've worn forever and I finally gave it to Goodwill, so I'd been looking for a replacement and this was perfect and at a perfect cheap price too with the coupon!

8. A client brought me a big bottle of some kind of spray for dogs to help with itching....he and I talk about our dogs (he has German Shepherds) and he has been very kind and brought me different things for Anna and Tank.

There's more I am sure but this is what I can think of right at the moment! I am blessed for sure, and thank God for His blessings to me. It really is fun to just pay attention. I read something on my desk calendar at work this week about how one way we can become unthankful or blase about blessings is to regularly receive those blessings, and I think that is true. I know I don't tend to be thankful or grateful just for everyday things I am used to having on a regular basis, but when you think about not having those things then it does turn your heart to thankfulness when you have them.

More thoughts on Authenticity and other things

Thanks to everyone for your nice comments left yesterday. I hope I didn't come across as too much blaming other women for not being real. I can be just as 'unreal' as anyone else out there, although my heart longs to be authentic always. I am sure (no, wait, I know!) I have fallen into that trap myself and not been real with someone else who needed my 'realness' and authenticity. Maybe I 'bible-thumped' him or her. Maybe I said "well, if you just do this or that". But I didn't really listen and get real with that person on where they were at. Or gave them a place to feel safe. Of course there is a huge fear factor about being real. Let's take just one aspect of it. Your house. Now, if you are like me, you compare your old 1921 house which needs interior painting and repairs and updates and upgrades with a few of your women friends' homes which are modern and clean and uncluttered. You think to yourself, "I can never invite them to my house" after you've been to theirs, and you long to ask them "how do you keep everything so nice and clean even if you do have a dog?" or "how do not save stuff and keep things uncluttered?" (I am a sort of cluttery person, but as I get older I long for simplicity and streamlining things). In the past, before my living room needed serious painting, I used to like to have tea parties at my house or candle parties and the like. And I still would love to do that. But what holds me back (I say) is the painting that is needed. So why don't I do it? Why don't I just clean the walls and paint? (Or my husband says if I clean the walls then we can paint, meaning he will help me) Well, I don't know the answer. Maybe I am just too lazy about it. Maybe it's really not that important to paint so then I really will have to have people over like I say I do. Maybe it all boils down to I feel 'less than' about my house for other people to come over. And really, my house is not that bad, I think I just use it as an excuse to not want to 'do the work' it takes to have people over. And I think it may be because I don't want to be judged by other women for what I have or don't have. But why can't I just be real, with who I am, and what I have? Really, most women might just be happy to have an invitation over for lunch or a tea party or something, and could care less about my living room needing paint. There are some young single women at church in their late 20's who I really love and have done some college campus Bible studies with and I know they'd love to come over for a tea party. I need to just get the room painted (and since Tim is on strike, he does have some time if I just get the walls cleaned).

Anyway, it's early in the morning and I am probably just rambling here. My friend who left her husband five years ago and divorced him was in another relationship that was not healthy and she has just recently freed herself from that situation and moved to a rental house in town with her 20 year old daughter. She invited me over for lunch this Saturday, and I am really excited to see her, as we were best buddies for years, and then over the past few years she's been going through a lot of changes and kind of kept some of us old friends at arm's length. But now she is getting back to her old self on things and we had a good long talk this summer and broke through some barriers and got real and authentic with each other which was great.

Tim pulled double strike duty Monday night, meaning he drove the van for 8 hours taking people to the gates and back to the union hall, etc. It's been almost three weeks but still no talks. We are doing okay for now. I am planning to post tomorrow my blessings for the week like I did last week, that was fun to do and uplifting. The news on the financial stuff this week has been unbelievable, but I know God is the provider and no matter what, if we hang onto Him the best we can we will get through.

Don't you find that if someone shares a story about their weakness or failure or mistake or how they really feel it makes you breathe a sigh of relief, and you feel that you can share the same also?

Behind Those Eyes Chapter 1

I am doing Leila's study on "Behind Those Eyes", a book by Lisa Whittle, and today is our first day of the study, reading Chapter 1.

The book is about authenticity and being real with each other as to who we are as women. One portion of the chapter really stood out to me and I highlighted it. It says "We lack honesty and authenticity and our past experiences lead us to believe it is in our best interests to keep our true feelings hidden". How true is that? I can think of a number of times where in a gathering of women like at a church women's retreat or a group of women at lunch where I felt very lonely and almost invisible. And that I couldn't really share that with another woman, because everyone else looked like they were happy and laughing and friendly and that they had it all together. This doesn't always happen of course, that I felt isolated, but as I've gotten older I've thought that friendships for the most part seem to have gotten shallower and I think it's because everyone is so busy working and raising children and just trying to keep their heads above water that it's hard for women just to sit down and be real with each other as friends and not try to pretend like everything's fine. I have a good friend who I thought was one of my best friends for years and years, and then five years ago she left her husband and quit her job and sold her house and went through all kinds of changes and I had no idea that she was feeling unhappy or that any of this was going on in her life until the dam burst. I think in retrospect she was just trying to keep up the "everything's okay" charade.
I think most of us are afraid to get real and messy with each other for fear that other women will judge us and think that we are losers and we don't have our acts together. I think too that it's easy for women to judge each other and compare so we can get a sense of relief about ourselves (however false it is) of something to the effect of "well, at least I've never done that" or "I would never put up with that kind of treatment" or something where we think we know what we would do in someone else's shoes but we really don't.
I'm not for totally spilling my guts to every potential new woman friend who comes along, as I do believe there is balance. But being real is a huge draw to me (one reason I think I like Joyce Meyer a lot, as she just tells it like it is, and tells on herself). I have been around Christian women at church or other functions and while they may not mean to intimidate, they do, with maybe being righteous in their judgments or opinions on things and you just don't feel safe with them. Give me someone who can just be free and be real, and not have to pretend like it's all perfect. It's not, and no one is.
This is going to be a very thought-provoking study, and thank you to Leila for hosting it.
For more information go to Write From the Heart http://leliachealey.blogspot.com/

KOMO News - Video - Video - Hundreds turn out to help woman blinded, disabled in childbirth

KOMO News - Video - Video - Hundreds turn out to help woman blinded, disabled in childbirth

Scott & Carol Decker

Scott & Carol Decker

Scott & Carol Decker

I just found Scott and Carol's blog this morning and watched the KOMO news four story about Carol. She is a young mother who gave birth by C-section in June, but ended up having some severe complications and became blind, as well as losing her left arm and both legs. This couple lives in Enumclaw WA which is not far from me. There's a wonderful auction with many lovely items on the blog sidebar to help raise money for her medical expenses. I cannot imagine going through all she has had to go through the past several months. I am thinking about knitting a scarf or donating something for the auction to help.

Exercise so far today

I got to the Mall to walk at 8:06am and walked until 8:23 am, so that's 17 minutes so far today. I did not do an exercise tape before work however. I am going to try to get another 13 minutes in today of some kind of exercise. I may have to be more realistic and shoot for a half hour a day to start instead of an hour. But a half an hour consistently every day would be really good for me to do. Already, just from exercising yesterday and today, my leg joint feels better sitting at my desk and isn't so tight.

I was hoping to do the Monday Daybook but just haven't got there yet.

Sunday thoughts including exercise!

For some time now, my low back has been stiff and achey and my joints hurt. I get up in the morning and feel like an old old woman. And I'm sick of it. So this morning I got up at 6am and did a half an hour walk at home workout with Leslie Sansone. I have five of her walk at home videos I won on Ebay last year. There's a few 3 miles, a heart healthy walk, a fat-burning one, etc. I am just sick of the way I feel, and I know from past experience if I can get myself up and moving on a regular basis I feel a lot better. So I am going to be accountable on this blog about it. I am going to try to go for an hour a day of exercise, 6 days a weeks. That seems daunting, but if I get up and do a video or DVD (and I am sure I can get more to borrow from the library to add variety since I can't afford to buy any new ones even on Ebay right now!) I can do a half an hour in the morning before work (hey I am up every day at 5:30 am anyway!). Then I can get ready work earlier, and hit the mall around 7:45am to mall walk inside before work starts at 8:30am. The mall is just 1 minute from my office. My friend Becky at work walks every morning before work for a half an hour, so there's a walking partner. I can do it. I just have finally made up my mind. I have to move my body regularly. I feel so much better and sitting at a desk job all day takes its toll.

We went to Tim's parents yesterday in Pt Ludlow. His mom Esther turned 87 Friday. She had a heart attack this summer so it was good to see her, she is doing a lot better. I gave her the cream shawl I just finished so she can use it to wrap up in when she's reading or watching tv. I think she liked it, she isn't super emotional when you give her a gift, but she seemed to be pleased with it. She wrapped it around her and said "oh this is nice and warm!".The weather has turned here and it rained all day yesterday and has really cooled off.

Today is church, and a birthday party later in the day at some friends for their son who turns one years old! I found some cute pop up books at Borders on sale for him. A lot of people from church will be there, we have two services on Sundays, and we usually go to the 9am service, so we don't see the friends we know from the 11am very much. So it should be fun, except for the weather turning bad. I am sure they were hoping it would stay nice to keep the party outdoors especially with a lot of little kids.

I have been trying not to watch the news much this weekend. The financial stuff is just too gloomy.

Grateful for the little things

As the second week of the strike is wrapping up, I wanted to take note of some little things I am grateful for that happened this week.

l. We got a coupon in the mail for a Papa John's large pizza, any two toppings you want, for free. Mind you, we never get coupons for free pizzas in the mail. $2.00 off coupons, yes. But free, no. Of course we used it last night..Canadian bacon and pineapple, thank you.

2. I am grateful for a Cup of Noodles chicken I had stashed in my office at work because it and a banana was my lunch today. I never thought I'd be really grateful for a Cup of Noodles, but it tastes really good. I have of course stopped buying lunch out and have been brown-bagging it to work, which I normally do anyway, save for maybe one day a week at Arby's or the next door Thai place.

3. Payday was Tuesday at work, and after lunch that day a sweet co-worker left me a little gift basket on my desk from World Market....a little pack of Irish tea bags, two fancy chocolates, rose-scented bath fizzies and a little blue candle. And a nice card, saying she hoped I felt better (my back and joints have really been bothering me more this week).

4. I went to the pharmacy at lunch today to get my three regular prescriptions filled. If the strike isn't resolved by the end of the month, we don't have current health insurance through Boeing and they of course won't pay for prescriptions. One of mine wasn't due for renewal yet, but the lady at the pharmacy who knows Tim and me was kind enough to put it through early, so I have a 90 day supply, plus still more at home.

5. We have lots of good ripe Early Girl tomatoes Tim planted this year. Delicious! I took some into work to share.

6. We didn't go to the Western Washington fair this year, but my boss brought in scones from it (and scones are one of my favorite treats from the fair!)

7. My boss also just loaned me Season Four of the Office today, so I can catch up on that before the new season starts next Thursday.

8. Another co-worker brought me some sample eye drops from her eye exam visit this week. This is interesting, because although she knows I use eye drops a few times a day (I had lasik surgery eight years ago and since then my eyes are drier than they used to be) I hadn't mentioned needing drops or anything. She just saw the samples (Bausch & Lomb) and there was one that is brand-new so you can put a drop in each eye and it lasts for 8 hours...she thought that looked good so she asked for some for me!

9. We started up our Bible study at work again this past Thursday after having the summer off. There are four or five of us who meet Thursdays at lunch in our conference room at work (one is one of my bosses, and I am the group leader!) We've been doing this for about four or five years now, and study different topics. We are starting a Women of Faith Bible study on contentment this time around. I think it will be good, it's a subject I've always be drawn to.

I know there's more, but it's back to work for now.

Do you think I love my dogs?!

A new Tank picture!

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: James 5:1-6;

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: James 5:1-6;

Financial woes

My husband got up around 2:30 am since he is still going through the graveyard shift withdrawal from not having to go to work during his normal time. He fell asleep around 8pm and then of course was awake early. He was watching CNBC Squawkbox and when I got up at 5:30 this morning, he started telling me about Lehman Brothers filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Tim follows financial news more than I do, but this and the fact that Bank of America is buying Merrill Lynch is big news. I don't know what it all means in the long run to people like us, but it's scary stuff in the natural. I have thought for awhile that the whole economy is really just a house of cards anymore....since so many manufacturing jobs are gone due to outsourcing and we've become more of a service-oriented society (as well as consumption of goods) in the U.S. that eventually what has been propped up is going to have to come down (real estate market being a good example).
So this latest news this morning which is pretty big news and historic as I think Lehman Brothers has been around for 150 plus years made me think about a verse in the Bible, which I looked up after thinking about it. James 5:1 through 6 and I just googled it as I am not sure how to paste it into this post. I thought about all the people who are now losing their jobs through Leman Brothers filing bankruptcy and I thought about my husband being on strike with the machinists union at Boeing. News reports here talk about everyone digging in for a long strike. I thought about (and it's only 7am so I guess I have been doing a lot of thinking already today!) how fast things can change, just in a minute. What you count on for security in this life and this world can be blown away in a second. Like the verses in James talk about, the riches are rotted, the clothes have been eaten away by moths, the silver and gold is corroded. I thought about our 401-K plans and I thought about Enron and World Com and places like that where people lost everything, and I thought it today's uncertain climate who knows what can happen anymore. Which is why more and more I have been thinking about how much more important it is to lay up treasures in heaven, where moths and rust don't destroy and thieves don't break in and steal (Matthew 6:20). Interesting how the treasures here on the earth can be destroyed and the treasures in heaven are safe. Sometimes I haven't thought a lot about or cared to think about laying up treasures in heaven, it seemed more important to lay them up down on here on earth, or buy more new of something I want. And of course there is a balance. But today, just hearing this news, along with news of Ike and gas prices and strikes and financial uncertainity in everything, I am drawn more and more to the words and wisdom of the Bible and Jesus in how to live and handle material things here on this earth, and how to trust in God for my needs. I think I will have a good opportunity to really flesh this out in the upcoming days.

I also plan to do my Daybook for Monday later today!

What a fun and inspiring post to get ready for Autumn!

My friend at work Becky and I both have mothers who love to decorate their homes and have the knack for interior design, painting, knowing what looks good with what, etc. Becky and I have decided that we did not inherit this gene from our mothers, and most of the time, we don't mind that we don't really have much of a clue or interest about feathering our nests, but I came across this post today on this lovely blog (via Marybeth Whalen's blog, who posted about it) and it got me so inspired I actually dug out some "Autumn" decorations to put on a little curio cabinent I have. Nothing fancy, but it actually was kind of fun. I put two china tea cups and saucers that have sort of fall patterns, a brass angel, a little Yankee jar candle of Tea and Honey, a wine-colored small vase and a glass bell that has gold and brown flowers on it that used to be my grandma's. I put them on a little placemat of fall foliage material. Plus an ivory 'fake' heart candle Becky gave me last year for Christmas from either HSN or QVC, that is battery operated. Ruth Ann in her post on her blog has decorated beautifully and has lots of good advice. I was reading it this morning early, and decided to make my own little autumn decorating creation. I called my mother later and told her, she was very proud of me!

Warm Pie, Happy Home: An Autumn Housewarming.....

Warm Pie, Happy Home: An Autumn Housewarming.....

So glad it's Friday!

I am happy it's Friday. My husband comes home today from his hunting trip, he has been gone since last Saturday. It's been a quiet week with just me and the dogs, and I am glad he will be back today. The Boeing strike is still going on, and no idea when there could be a resolution. Tim's union has now been on the picket lines for a week. We did get a partial paycheck today from last time worked, but here on out, nothing unless the strike goes into 3 weeks, then it's $150 a week strike pay. Which can buy groceries and dog food! The strike issues aren't really about money or pay, it's more about job outsourcing and medical takeaway issues. I am praying for a swift resolution. We are in better shape than some of the younger families and I feel for them, if the husband or wife is the sole breadwinner and they are on the line. But I know God will see us through. I was thinking the other day this is the 3rd strike, but it's actually the 4th one I've experienced in 20 years of marriage. Anyway, one good thing, if Tim is off for a bit, there are some house projects (painting, building a table and benches for our kitchen nook that he's been wanting to do for awhile) that maybe can get done since he will have the time.

YouTube - Jay and The Americans - The Today Show

YouTube - Jay and The Americans - The Today Show

Jay and the Americans trivia

Last night I was looking at some old music videos on You Tube, like Shindig, and came across the two Jay and the American videos I put on the blog. I have always loved these two particular songs. In reading a little more about the group, I found out there were three "Jays" who were the lead singer for Jay and the Americans. The first Jay was really named Jay, and he left the group before they really got going, in the early 60's. Then they found David Blatt, who turned into "Jay" Black and he was the singer everyone remembers on the hits like "This Magic Moment" and "Walking in the Rain" and "Cara Mia". Awesome voice. Now the second "Jay", Jay Black, ran into some problems later in life with gambling debts and he had to sell the name of Jay and the Americans in his bankruptcy proceedings. So a former, original member named Sandy bought the name rights for $100,000 or so. And then he, with at least one other former member, found new Jay, who sounds remarkably like the second Jay. I'll post a Today video about that, it's a pretty cool story. And they are still performing, as Jay and the Americans. And Jay Black is still performing, under Jay Black. He will be 70 in November and has a show somewhere on the east coast that night.
A little bit of trivia.
I was a kid in the 60's, so I remember Jay and the Americans, and really loved their songs.

YouTube - Jay & The Americans - Walkin' In The Rain

YouTube - Jay & The Americans - Walkin' In The Rain

YouTube - THIS MAGIC MOMENT-JAY AND THE AMERICANS

YouTube - THIS MAGIC MOMENT-JAY AND THE AMERICANS

Random thoughts

I decided to take the afternoon off from work since the weather's been so nice all week. I had a free gift card from Macy's, one of those "it could be anything from $10 to $250" but mine turned out to be $10...which was fine. I got three pairs of cute socks from the mark down bin and still had $1.32 credit on my card, which is good through the 14th. I came home about 1pm, let the dogs out (since Tim is hunting this week I need to come home at lunch and let them out). I watched a new spinoff show about doctors on ABC that is a spinoff from Dr. Phil. It was something to do with a woman around my age who had a facial procedure that cost $5000. I can't remember the name of it. But it really got rid of her deep lines around her mouth and on her forehead. I went to the store and bought a few things after that, and to the library to drop off some books. It's still sunny and warm, amazing for here because usually when the Western Washington fair starts as it has this time of year, it's often rainy and cold. Tim managed to get a cell signal from where he is hunting and called me last night. He isn't sure when they will be back. They are archery hunting for elk. Since the machinists are on strike, he doesn't have to worry about taking vacation or coming back right away. So it's been a quiet week since he left Saturday with just me and dogs.

My right leg and low back have been bothering me a lot this week. It's right where your leg meets your pelvis. I am not sure if it's tendons, or muscles or what. But when I sit down at work at my desk, it gets tight and hurts and even gets kind of stuck. Where I can't get up right away. I feel a lot like the Tinman in the Wizard of Oz, like I need a can of oil to lubricate the places that feel tight and hurt. I have been trying to do some stretches, but it feels like there's some inflammation there. My low back usually is always stiff and sore most mornings, it feels better as I move around and the day goes on. But it's always there. I was really happy several months back as some folks at my church prayed for my back pain and it completely went away. For quite a while. But now it's back to a degree, pain-wise. The leg/pelvis thing bothers me more though. Some days I do feel like I am 80 instead of 50, just in my body. And that's not good.

DayBook September 8, 2008

For Today:

Outside my window: Sunshine, green grass.

I am thinking: That I love my dogs!

I am thankful for: A beautiful warm day.

From the kitchen: Thawing out frozen scallops for dinner.

I am wearing: My favorite comfortable lounging around the house pants (royal blue, kind of terry cloth type material, drawstring waist, comfy!) and an aqua tank top.

I am reading: The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets & Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover"

I am hoping: the Machinists strike with Boeing will end soon. News reports have it going as long at the end of the year! That would not be good!

I am creating: Still the same knitting projects.

I am hearing: Tank playing with a squeaky toy, Anna panting, down by my feet.

Around the house: Make dinner, pick up, do a load of laundry.

One of my favorite things: Oatmeal raisin walnut cookies I made yesterday.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Go to the post office tomorrow to pick up a package, breakfast Wednesday morning before work with other co-workers for a birthday.

Picture to share:

Parker's Posy Patch, Pt. Ludlow, WA (neighbors near my inlaws)

A new Anna and Tank pic

Tank is as big as Anna! He's in the front, with the tan/camo collar...Anna is munching on a chewy Tank's trying to get....

Boeing strike is on at 12:01 a.m. | KOMO News - Seattle, Washington | News

Boeing strike is on at 12:01 a.m. KOMO News - Seattle, Washington News
It's official now, my husband is on strike (and going hunting!)
This will be the 3rd strike I think since we've been married (20 years). The longest was in 1995, 69 days.
I am trying not to be too nervous about how long it's going to last. If it goes past three weeks, they get $150 a week strike pay.
A good time to really cut back on things. Although I didn't do perfectly on my 'no-buy' month last month..I am definitely ready for it now as far as no purchasing of non-essentials.

Daybook Sept 1, 2008

For Today:


Outside my window: Michael, Ian and Nick working on rebuilding the last part of the fence for our front yard.

I am thinking: I am going to get my tennis shoes on and walk six blocks down and back to the corner store and get some eggs so I can bake banana bread.

I am thankful for: I had some extra cash to give Michael (my stepson) to buy more wood for the fence today since Tim is out of town hunting with the dogs. I am thankful I had the cash and did not have to put it on the credit card.

From the kitchen: Coffee for now. Later banana bread.

I am wearing: Jeans and a light blue v-neck cotton sweater.

I am reading: Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey and the Upside Down Church by Greg Laurie.

I am hoping: That the union doesn't go on strike Wednesday when they vote but I am afraid it looks like that is what's going to happen.

I am creating: Still the baby blanket, but have switched back to the cream shawl and started a red scarf out of Homespun yarn.

I am hearing: Shovels and hammers.

Around the house: Outside is a mess with board pieces etc. Inside I am going to vaccum really good today taking advantage of the dogs being gone. I am going to also finish organizing and cleaning upstairs and wash the bathroom floor.

One of my favorite things: Hearing God speak to me personally, and one way He does it is by me hearing something and then hearing it or reading it or coming across the same subject that day or week...for example, this morning I watched Marilyn Hickey and she was teaching on the pure in heart...and then the devotional from Proverbs 31 email was on the same subject. So when that kind of thing happens I try to pay attention.....

A few plans for the rest of the week: Contact a friend about getting together for lunch, send out a few cards, keep on working on knitting projects.

Picture to share: A picture of my Grandma Phyllis....I am not sure how old she is in this picture, but I would guess mid-20's. She was my dad's mom, and I look a lot like her in face and body shape. She died when I was 2 years old, so I don't remember her. But she loved fashion, she was a beautician who also sold Merle Norman cosmetics, she loved to shop, she rode horses and was the first woman president of the Saddle Club in Cut Bank, MT, she liked to draw and paint too. She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in her 30's and died when she was 45 years old, so I have already outlived her by 5 years. I wish I would have known her.

To see more Daybook entries from other ladies, link back to http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com