Bailed

Thanks for the well wishes - my back is feeling a bit better today.

I had every intention of working on retreat stuff last night, but instead we faced the damage, and had our taxes done. So tonight, after PT practice, it's back at it! I guess my biggest problem is going to be condensing the book into a single class and a short blurb before small group/individual studies. There's A LOT in this book that I really am feeling led to cover, while at the same time, I'm going through the process for myself again. I still have time, but I'm fighting the imp named Overwhelmed and his companion Time Crunch.

I think a big part of my problem last night was wanting to work on the small group sheets before I was finished with the class - cart before horse time. Maybe that's why I was almost eager to get the taxes done! LOL!

I really appreciate all the encouragement I've received from sisters about doing this class, and the prayer covering, not to mention the practical support. Thanks, gals!

Monday, Monday

I took nearly the entire weekend off from crafting, from working on the class, from thinking! It was great! But it's Monday again, and I need to get started on everything again. Saturday, Allen worked, and DS1 was working hard painting in the youth room at church. DS2 and I just hung out. DS2 got free tickets to our local university's basketball game Saturday, so after we picked up DS1, we headed to the game. I am not proud to admit that although I have a degree from the school, I had never attended a basketball game. (Or knew all the words to the school song, but that's another story!) We had a good time, even though we were in the nosebleed section next to the opposing team's fans. (Encouraged the kiddos not to gripe because the tickets were free after all!) It rained all day Saturday, too, which was nice. Just kinda sprinkled off and on. Until the game was over. And we were parked a couple of blocks away. So, we just counted our blessings and had a good time walking to the car. Went home to showers and hot chocolate to warm up! Hopefully, we'll be able to go to another game and Allen will be able to attend with us!

Sunday was pretty uneventful. My back started hurting at church, so all I wanted to do was lay down with a heating pad! Allen had a bad headache, so it wasn't such a great afternoon. Can't win 'em all, huh?

Just be glad you're not THIS guy... (Thanks CNN & AP)

CAMBRIDGE, England (AP) -- A museum visitor shattered three Qing dynasty Chinese vases when he tripped on his shoelace, stumbled down a stairway and brought the vases crashing to the floor, officials said Monday.

The three vases, dating from the late 17th or early 18th century, had been donated to The Fitzwilliam Museum in the university city of Cambridge in 1948, and were among its best-known artifacts. They had been sitting proudly on the window sill beside the staircase for 40 years.

"It was a most unfortunate and regrettable accident, but we are glad that the visitor involved was able to leave the museum unharmed," said Duncan Robinson, the Fitzwilliam's director.
The museum declined to identify the man who had tripped on a loose shoelace Wednesday.
Asked about the porcelain vases, Margaret Greeves, the museum's assistant director, said: "They are in very, very small pieces, but we are determined to put them back together."

The museum declined to say what the vases were worth.

Shameless plagiarism - again

Okay - this could be fun! If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, even if we don't speak often (or ever, for that matter), please post a comment with a COMPLETELY MADE UP AND FICTIONAL MEMORY OF YOU AND ME. It can be anything you want--good or bad--BUT IT HAS TO BE FAKE.

Ahhh...Wednesday

Well, I've gotten the official okie-dokie from my aunt on the colors I chose for the pin guards, so I'm back to stitching. She and my grandfather came over last night for a quick visit.

I'm still plugging away at the women's retreat lesson. I haven't had as much time to work on it over the last couple of days, but I'm planning on working on it pretty hard the rest of this week. I'm really getting excited about it!

Busy at work, busy at home, nothing new or exciting, nothing deep and meaningful. (Oddly enought - happy that the things I dream at night WON'T come true - trust me!) Just, well, here, thank God.

Lord, please shine through me today.

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Okay - confession time - I'm NOT happy today; I'm NOT feeling well; I'm NOT sleeping well; I'm NOT in a good mood as much as I may try to play it off; I'm NOT wanting to be here - or anywhere for that matter. There. *sigh* Things are starting to weigh on me, and today is not a good coping day. Sorry. Hopefully, my funk will dissipate and I'll be better tomorrow...

Happy Monday

...in spite of the fact that researchers have determined that this is supposed to be one of the worst days for people...and how exactly would one go about coming to THAT conclusion?

My cold seems to be loosening it's infernal hold on me - hooray! Enough so that I was even able to sing with the PT yesterday. But, I have to admit, I went home after our women's ministry group meeting and put on my flannel jammies - I WAS DONE. Completely worn out. But I have had no pity-Coke today - only water, thankyouverymuch! Just working my widdle finger to da bone.

Our aforementioned meeting went well, I thought. We had lots of input and some really good ideas for the next couple of months, and beyond. We even started planning for the women's retreat in March. Hopefully, it will be good...

...put on a happy face...

Sorry I'm late posting today - I wasn't going to blog today at all - heavy medication and typing can be a bad combo, after all - but I had something really nice happen and wanted to share...

Allen just had roses delivered to me at work and they're GORGEOUS!!! Not sure what the occasion is, 'ceptin' that he loves me - what better reason?! Sure cheered me up!

Happy weekend!

Thursday

...more of the same...weather forecast - today in the 50's, tomorrow up to 4" of snow...still congested...still drugged, although more heavily today...more Coke this morning...blech

Blech

That pretty much sums up how I'm feeling today. Here's a rundown...just for fun! Head - congested and achy. Nose - alternately running or stuffed. Various muscles - sore. Brain - NOT working. Overall condition - blech. (See? It's unanimous!) This all hit me in the space of about fifteen minutes last night. I was sitting on the couch, beading the first pg and watching American Idol (heheh) when all of a sudden I felt like I could just curl up in a ball and sleep for a week. But life goes on, so...here I am at work...ever the martyr, right? LOL!

I've indulged in a guilty pleasure this morning because I don't feel great - Coke. Yes. In the morning. First thing. Nothing like it! People ask me why I drink soda instead of coffee, and my response is that I prefer my caffeine carbonated. I've done really well in weaning myself off of soda (especially caffeinated ones) for a long time now, but I just wanted one today, and I was too weak to say no to myself. (I think I need a nap already!)

Have a good day, Blogville!

Greatest Hits

Over the last couple of years, I have been collecting greatest hits and compilation CDs. You know, Greatest Hits of the '70s, 1 by the Beatles, etc. I was recently listening to my new U2 CD (1980-2000) and I started wondering what I was missing by only getting the "greatest hits." I mean, yeah, I'm hearing the big hits - the chart toppers, the ones everyone likes or liked - but what gems are hidden deep in the original projects? What 'B' sides am I missing that may eventually have become one of my all-time favorites? Am I cheating myself? Am I cheating the artist?

Then God used his divine 2x4: what are you missing about Me by only doing the popular things? Reading the verses everyone already knows - the ones everyone likes - the ones that are easy to 'get' or get hold of - the ones that bring that sense of nostalgia and charm because of their familiarity. What gems of truth am I missing in one of smaller or less 'popular' books or chapters? What would happen if I went against the stream and danced to a different tune than the popular ones that everyone is listening to?

Am I cheating myself? Am I cheating the Artist?

Excuse me - you're stepping on my toe...

An honest man was being tailgated by a stressed out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection. The tailgating woman hit the roof - and the horn - screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection. As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched,finger printed, photographed, and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects. He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind you rcar while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'Choose Life' licenseplate holder, the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Follow Me to Sunday-School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car."

(...shamlessly stolen - um - BORROWED from another blog...Happy Plagiarism for Fun & Profit Week!)

New friend

Meet Spike -->
(I didn't name him Wrigley 'cuz I couldn't do red and white spots!) Feel free to give him a treat - he LOVES them! Hold it over his head, and he'll jump for it.

Just want to be a full service blog and offer some entertainment for when y'all get tired of my whining, ranting, complaining, etc (or at least when I lapse into too many blogs about cross-stitch, Christmas or the kiddos...LOL!)

"Sisterchicks"

You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm32:7

I've recently enjoyed a couple of the Sisterchicks novels. (Great light reading - definitely recommend them!) The premise of the series is that different sets of friends go off on adventures together and deepen their friendship and have a blast! A sisterchick is "a friend who shared the deepest wonders of your heart, loves you like a sister, and provides a reality check when you're being a brat." My favorite so far is Sisterchicks Do the Hula in which two college friends reconnect after a number of years and go on that long-planned Hawai'ian vacation. The scripture quoted above is featured heavily in the book. However, Robin Jones Gunn, the author, uses Peterson's The Message as her source of scripture.

God's my island hideaway,
keeps danger far from the shore,
throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.

Psalm 32:7 The Message

This particular verse has really spoken to me since I started the book. I just love the imagery. To think of God as a hideaway is exciting to me. (Although I must admit that often I don't long to run away to God as much as I would to an actual island.) I especially love this part: "throws garlands of hosannas around my neck." He's greeting me, showering me with love, is excited to see me, to praise me, to enjoy me, to make how He feels about me obvious to everyone. Wow. Makes me wonder how often I want to do that for Him.

This made me giggle today

I saw this on another site and thought that it was just too funny not to share.....
Tell me why...
Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know that the batteries are getting
weak?
Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they know there is not enough?
Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars but check when you say the paint is wet?
Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?
Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?
Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest but duck when you throw a revolver at him?Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
Whose idea was it to put an 's' in the word 'lisp'?
If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?
Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use, the bubbles are always white?
Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?
Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?
Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum cleaner one more chance?
Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end you first try?
How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?
Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?
In winter, why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?
Why do you never hear father-in-law jokes?

Tell me this week will get better...

Nothing like waking five minutes before you're supposed to be at work, eh? Grrrr...

Friday evening we watched the penguins march. Meh. It was okay. I much prefer the Blue Planet series that came out a few years ago. They're reshowing it right now on the National Geographic channel, or something like that. The best part about it was sharing time with the fam.

So. This weekend was pretty good. Saturday, Allen worked, so I straightened up the house, did laundry, all the fun stuff, and then spent the rest of the time stitching PG#1. Went pretty well. But ask me again when I'm on PG #18...

The boys spent Saturday night at a friend's house, so it was just me in complete control of the remote...ahhhh...

Sunday we went to church, and then watched football. And evidently went to bed way too late (see the opening sentence.)

So...ever in a tearing hurry again - gotta get something done today at work...

My turn for a Grrrr

But first the good stuff...last night, Allen gave me a wonderful gift - a night off! I didn't have to cook (not that I usually do, but...), I didn't have to do laundry, I didn't have to do dishes - nothing! So relaxing...he's so good to me! I am blessed and thankful just 'cuz he's around! Thanks, babe!

We watched a couple of movies and I cross stitched. I finished the left wing, her collar, started her bodice and fleshed out the angel's face (over one - on 28 ct - ugh!) And I was doing so well - making progress on her gown - when I realized that I was using the wrong color - hence the grrrr. So I frogged. Alot. *sigh*

DH got called in for overtime today - short list, but it means a little extra on the next check and that he'll be home later - I like short list call-ins. Besides, we have a family date to watch March of the Penguins tonight.

I have a really bad case of Friday-itis today. I do not want to work. At. All. Just wanna sit and surf...however, the boss does not agree, so back to the grindstone...Have a great weekend everyone!

Thursday

Well, things are looking up, anyway. Rough couple of days, but thanks for the prayers...

Not a whole lot to say right now. I'm kinda zapped - worn out, you know? But I have to say that reading Allen's blog today did a lot toward lifting my spirit - thanks honey! And did everyone check out that new background pic on his blog? Woowee - I am one lucky woman!

Happy New? Year

So this is 2006, huh? Doesn't really look that different to me. Everyone is making lists (me included) of things they remember from 2005, things to change in 2006, etc. I keep hearing how January is like a fresh start - a new page - a clean slate. But this year, for some reason, I'm just not feeling it. It looks the same, it feels the same. And to be honest, so far I'm not impressed. I do have things I want to change in my life this year (I'll not call them "resolutions") but why does change only seem to happen in January? Why can't I change my behaviour or goals or whatever in June or September? Maybe I've caught Terri's funk...I'm pretty certain this headache is to blame for a lot of my current mood...

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In the spirit of not writing about Christmas, cross-stitch or the kiddos: Which is better - having always had 'something' (and you can fill in the blank) in your life or remembering when that 'something' happened or was added?