I am subscribed to the True Woman ‘08 blog. If you’ve never visited, I encourage you to do so. It is dedicated to educating women about their proper, Biblical roles as wives, mothers, and daughters of the King.
Today’s post really hit home with me. If you’re into fiber arts, you’ll especially appreciate it. Even if you’re not, please go read it. You won’t be disappointed.
Posted in Christian | Tagged Christianity, Knitting, True Woman 08, yarn | 1 Comment »
My closet-cleaning chore led to an unexpected trip down memory lane when I discovered a VHS tape in one of the boxes.
At first, I gave it a cursory glance and started to close up the box. However, I decided to take a closer look and discovered writing on the sleeve…”Graduation.”
Ok. Think now.
VHS tape.
Graduation.
Could we be talking my graduation? Especially when I was looking at the spines of my high school yearbooks, which were packed in the same box.
I almost ran to the living room, where our VCR is located.
I called the kids in and told them that I thought we were in for a treat.
We were.
It WAS the video from my high school graduation!
Folks…you don’t know how big this was.
You see, just last week, my sister had pulled out a video from when our children were toddlers. She called me, and we laughed as she told me how twangy her voice was.
We grew up in the Heart of Dixie…LA. No, not Los Angeles but Lower Alabama where twangy is the only speak you speak, so to speak.
What strange timing that I would find this video shortly after her own last week.
The kids knew that I was Salutatorian of my class…hence Your’s Truly had given a speech.
We sat in anticipation.
The first chuckle came when the kids saw me begin the short walk to the football field. My hair was almost the same as it is now…a lot blonder (naturally) but just as curly and long.
I watched the camera pan out to my classmates.
Oh gosh…I got a little emotional here.
Chicky commented that it was weird to see me at that age. I reminded her that I was only six months older, on that tape, than she is now.
Weird.
We skipped to my speech, and that is where the fun began.
Folks, the sound of my voice came as a shock.
Oh sure, nobody likes to hear themselves talk, but this was something else altogether.
My voice sounded like a cross between Scarlett O’Hara and Melanie Wilkes (from the movie Gone With the Wind, if you’re not familiar with these names). It was higher pitched and syrupy. My words flowed in the gentle southern drawl that melts like butter.
The kids and I spent a few minutes laughing hysterically. I actually had to pause the tape. When I started it again, I sat, mesmerized, by…well…me! Although I remember giving that speech, it just didn’t seem like me.
The speech seemed to go on forever. Bet you’re not surprised about that. Go ahead and laugh. I know you want to.
Some things never change.
I watched the rest of the graduation. It didn’t take long because there were only 18 of us. Eleven of my classmates went to school together from first through twelfth grade. Small schools=small classes. It’s hard to believe that graduation was the last night we were all together.
We were a close bunch that laughed together and fought together. We cried together when one of our own shot herself (we like to believe it was an accident) when we were in the eighth grade. She lived across the street from the school, and we heard the gunshot. It was a sad memory that was recalled when, during the graduation ceremony, we paid tribute to her. We were blessed to have her parents attend that night. Seeing their faces as they accepted a plaque from us really touched my heart today. I still visit her grave when I’m in town.
As the tape ended, I felt a sense of melancholy. I wasn’t ready for the reminiscing to end just quite yet.
I began to thumb through the yearbook from my senior year. I recalled the heartbreak and joy that were a part of that year.
It was the year I grew in confidence. I played an active role in many clubs…editor of the yearbook, president of the Pep Club, and Vice President of the Beta Club. I saw the picture of the girls basketball team. I was a member of the team benchwarmer.
The Senior Who’s Who was fun…I got Most Studious (no surprise) and Most School Spirit. I was pleasantly surprised to see myself holding the first place trophy I won during the State Typing Division 2 Tournament. I won it typing on a dinosaur…an old manual typewriter! My right arm was strong with the hours I spent throwing that carriage return.
My trip down Memory Lane was wonderful…especially since nobody in my class arranged a 20-year reunion. It gave me time to reflect on my classmates and the affect they had on my life. I fought with some, “liked” others (wink), and confided in a few.
These were long-ago memories brought out from the closet of my mind. It was a welcome respite from my day of work.
Posted in This-n-That | Tagged graduation, high school, memories | Leave a Comment »
Spring cleaning came late to the AuburnChick house. With the new method of shopping comes an interesting dilemma…where to put everything!
As you know…tasks like this inevitably grow in complexity. Read on.
My pantry was sorely in need of an overhaul…
It may not look too bad from the picture but trust me – it was.
I’ve discovered that the kids are like cows…constantly grazing. If they see something, they’ll eat it.
So, not only did I need to reorganize my foodstuff, but I also needed to get the extra stuff out of sight. And I had just the place.
My laundry room.
It’s right across from the kitchen, so it will be convenient to have extra food items stored there.
Those are the shelves in one half of the room. There are two shelves above the washer and dryer just across from these. As you can see, although things are somewhat organized, they still needed a new home.
Where to relocate this stuff? I had the perfect place…
The hall closet.
The empty shelf had been full of books. I moved them before remembering to take a picture.
Personally, I think that a pantry should be fully cleaned out every six months or so. We had half-eaten boxes of cereal, three boxes of pizza sauce with one packet left in each (I condensed these to one box), and a host of other things that needed to be thrown away.
Something else I never do is wash the square of flooring in the pantry…a minor task that got taken care of.
Now, organizing is something I actually kind-of enjoy. It’s like putting a puzzle together. I have this strange ability to see where things fit best before actually moving things. This might be a result of the practice I’ve gotten while traveling to tournaments.
The task was made easier because I didn’t have any distractions. Chicky was babysitting, and Rooster was doing a service project with the youth group.
The results…
First of all, the hall closet, which now houses office-supply stuff (folders, paper, crayons, etc.).
Notice the package of toilet paper? That’s for the kids since this closet is located beside their bathroom and between their bedrooms.
With the above items relocated, I had space in my laundry room for the overflow from the pantry…
Notice how I left room for more goodies?! I expect bountiful shopping trips in the future.
And now, the pantry!
I kept out a max of two items and put all of the extras in the newly-cleaned-off laundry room shelves…
Hopefully we’ll be able to make more efficient use of this space now, and we won’t let items go to waste.
With this big chore out of the way, I decided to reorganize the closet in the master bedroom. No small task, I assure you, so I saved the job for today.
This was the view (pre-cleaning) as you approach the closet…
This is the Mr.’s side…
And this is mine…
Oh yeah…it’s pretty bad, eh?
This was challenging and overwhelming as I pulled out one item after another and set everything on the bed.
It didn’t take me long to realize the the main contributor of the mess was the Mr.
His hanging clothes hid a myriad of black holes. Every time I stuck my hand in one, it emerged with some random item…a bag of unopened Matchbox cars…a stack of baseball cards…a knife (sheathed, of course)…and decks of cards. These are all items he collects. I wish he’d get in the habit of collecting them into neatly packed boxes!!
I couldn’t help but wonder what this man been doing while my attention was focused elsewhere? Apparently he’d been shopping.
I condensed many items and threw away a lot of random. I am not a pack rat, so getting rid of things does not bother me.
My overall goal was to get as much stuff off the floor as possible. Why spend all of that money on shelving if you’re not going to use it?
The result after all of my hard work?
The Mr.’s side…
And my side…
What a busy couple of days!
Posted in This-n-That | Tagged housework, organization | 1 Comment »
Ir’s 6am, and I’m wondering why in the world I’m awake.
This new schedule I have of staying up late and sleeping in is fantastic. Except for the days when you’ve got parenting things to take care of.
Just as I was getting ready to head to bed last night, I received an email from my cell phone company. It was a notice of the bill that will be due in a couple of weeks.
I scanned it, thinking it wasn’t a big deal…just the usual…until I got to the bottom line.
Folks, my bill totaled over $400!!!
This was way over what we usually pay.
I thought that maybe the company had not received my last payment, so I fired up the laptop, which was already grumbling after the long day I’d put it through, and went online to check things out.
Lo and behold, the company did receive my last payment. We had simply gone over our plan’s minute allotment.
I have the all-inclusive plan…1,500 minutes and unlimited data. It’s definitely a luxury, but it’s been very convenient and fine up to this point.
Trying to be a good mom, I allotted the kids 100 minutes each, per month, of the regular daily minutes. It doesn’t sound like much, but they have unlimited texting and can browse the internet without extra charges. Plus, their nights start at 7pm. Between texts, landlines, and the ability to email from their phones, you’d think they’d stay within their budgets.
Think again.
I used to monitor the bill very closely; however, lately I’ve gotten slack. I figured if we didn’t go over, it wasn’t a big deal. However, in doing so, Chicky has also gotten lax. She’s taken advantage of my being distracted and talked her little heart out.
Way back when the kids got their cell phones, they were given a stern warning that if they went over their allotted amounts, I would charge them what my cell phone company charges me…$.40/minute. Chicky has argued about this, claiming it’s not fair because if the household doesn’t go over the total amount of minutes in the plan, why should she bother paying.
She’s missing the point, as a lot of kids do. Kids tend to think in the moment. Wise parents plan for the future.
If she doesn’t learn to stay within a budget now, when will she ever learn? This is the time for training…for developing good habits. Learning to manage money is probably one of the most important skills we must teach our children, before they head out the door for good.
Because I haven’t been checking the bill lately, I suspect that Chicky’s “allotment” has grown.
This month it affects the household. With me out of work and money being scarce, it’s like a slap in the face. Chicky has been working, though. Lucky for her and us.
So, Chicky had to pay the piper.
Do you know how much her extra 466 minutes cost her? If you do the math (I used a calculator), it comes out to $186.40.
No small change.
Did I actually make her pay it, you might ask?
You betcha!
Chicky is 17 years old and thinks she’s ready to tackle the world.
She’s almost there…but not quite.
Posted in children | Tagged cell phones, children, money management, teenagers | 3 Comments »
I walked into the living room a moment ago and saw Pele, lounging on the couch…
I inched closer. The look on his face is priceless…
Ten minutes later, and he had flipped on his back…
Immediately, the phrase “Dog Days of Summer” entered my mind.
On a whim, I googled it. Although I’ve heard this term often, I never really understood what it means.
I found the following explanation on this site…an interesting read, that’s for sure (although I can’t vouch for its accuracy).
The Dog Days of Summer
Everyone knows that the “dog days of summer” occur during the hottest and muggiest part of the season. Webster defines “dog days” as… 1 : the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere
2 : a period of stagnation or inactivityBut where does the term come from? Why do we call the hot, sultry days of summer “dog days?”
In ancient times, when the night sky was unobscured by artificial lights and smog, different groups of peoples in different parts of the world drew images in the sky by “connecting the dots” of stars. The images drawn were dependent upon the culture: The Chinese saw different images than the Native Americans, who saw different pictures than the Europeans. These star pictures are now called constellations, and the constellations that are now mapped out in the sky come from our European ancestors.
They saw images of bears, (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor), twins, (Gemini), a bull, (Taurus), and others, including dogs, (Canis Major and Canis Minor).
The brightest of the stars in Canis Major (the big dog) is Sirius, which also happens to be the brightest star in the night sky. In fact, it is so bright that the ancient Romans thought that the earth received heat from it. Look for it in the southern sky (viewed from northern latitudes) during January.
In the summer, however, Sirius, the “dog star,” rises and sets with the sun. During late July Sirius is in conjunction with the sun, and the ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, “dog days” after the dog star.
The conjunction of Sirius with the sun varies somewhat with latitude. And the “precession of the equinoxes” (a gradual drifting of the constellations over time) means that the constellations today are not in exactly the same place in the sky as they were in ancient Rome. Today, dog days occur during the period between July 3 and August 11. Although it is certainly the warmest period of the summer, the heat is not due to the added radiation from a far-away star, regardless of its brightness. No, the heat of summer is a direct result of the earth’s tilt.
Copyright © 1999, 2000 by Jerry Wilson
Posted in Pets | Tagged dog days of summer | 2 Comments »
Folks, this is really starting to feel like a game now.
This morning, I sat at the kitchen table, my CVS list in hand. This would be the first time trying out this store’s list, and I was eager to see if it lived up to the great things I had heard about it. Participants on the Grocery Game forum rave about the wonderful deals you can find there.
Quite honestly, I’m more of a Walgreens type of girl. I don’t know why, but ever since Eckerd Drugs changed to CVS, things just haven’t been the same for me. Perhaps I was holding on to the good ole days…the days when I was a full-time, stay-at-home mom. I shopped regularly at Eckerds, always finding deals that kept most of my money in my pocket.
But, as I am learning, saving money means being willing to be flexible.
The Mr. bought my paper for me after church (Walmart sells them for $.99 as opposed to the $1.50 in the dispensers at the gas station). Although SmartSource and Red Plum didn’t put out coupons because of the holiday weekend, Proctor & Gamble sure did, and boy oh boy…what treasures were to be had.
There are a TON of great sales going on this week at CVS. However, to take full advantage of them, you need to know a little something about Extra Care Bucks (ECB).
Have you ever bought an item or two at CVS and had an ECB print out at the bottom of your receipt? I have, and I’ve always thrown them away, not really grasping their worth.
I did a little research yesterday, asked a few questions on the GG forum, and started slapping myself for all of those times I’ve trashed those precious pieces of paper! I also found this site, that had a lot of information about how to use ECBs and other various bits of information about Walgreen’s policies.
I learned that by paying attention to the store ad (the GG list also details this information for you), you can split the items you want to purchase into different transactions and then use the ECBs that print out on the receipts on following transactions. They’re just like cash!!!
Yes, I know this requires planning…and thinking…and more planning. My head hurt from all of the thinking and…gulp…MATH involved!
One of the deals this week says that if you buy three specific Febreze items and spend $10, you get a $5 ECB. The trick here is using coupons on top of this deal to make your out-of-pocket expenses as low as possible. This week’s P&G supplement had coupons for the Febreze items. One was even free if you purchased two other specific items! After doing all of that, you would have a $5 coupon (ECB) to spend on your next transaction!
There were several deals that ran along similar lines, so I spent a lot of time studying my list.
Sound confusing?
It was. A little.
But I persevered and made detailed lists of the items that would be included in each transaction. I wanted to maximize the potential savings. I separated my coupons and clipped them together.
I was ready to roll.
Oh, before I forget, I wanted to make mention of one thing I did this morning. Rooster had a youth group thing, so on the way home from the church, I stopped by a gas station. I wanted to see if I could score another coupon section.
I asked the gentleman on duty what the store does with the Sunday papers that do not sell. He said that the vendor picks them up and gives the store credit for the papers it didn’t sell. I explained that I wanted the coupons from it, and he offered to sell it to me for $1.
Time to play hardball.
I told him that I could buy the paper at Walmart for that price. He told me to go ahead and grab the coupons I wanted and leave the rest of the paper.
Score!
There was only one paper, but I was happy.
So, when I went to CVS, I had two coupons for several items I wanted.
Ok…back to the regular part of my story which is getting long…as usual.
Just like last week’s trip to Publix, I spent quite a bit of time shopping. I hunted for shampoo, taking my time to get the right “flavor” so to speak. Why buy volumizing when that’s certainly not needed in this family of thick-haired (notice I didn’t say thick-headed) people. I went for the curl and frizz control products. I had a coupon that would make one styling product free if I purchased shampoo and conditioner at the same time. Of course I had coupons on both of those items too, bringing my total for six bottles (I had two of each coupon) to under $6. Most of us spend that amount on one bottle alone!
One deal that was oh so sweet was the Dawn dishwashing liquid. It was on sale for 2/$2. After two $.25 coupons and the $1 ECB, my total came out to $.25 per bottle…a savings of 86%!
On and on I went…things progressing smoothly…until I hit the Febreze aisle. It was at this point that I encountered a road block…a sold-out item. This item was THE key to my whole day of savings. I had to buy this item to get the $5 ECB.
I went so far as to ask an employee to call another CVS store and check if it had this item in stock. It didn’t, of course.
I had to regroup.
I’m telling you…this was a BIG thing for me. Everything started with this purchase, which would then lead to savings to buy more of the Febreze, which would then lead to savings for two other transactions.
It was like my legs had been cut out from under me…before I could even start the race!
I calmed myself down and began to think.
I re-did some math on the fly…and no, lightening did not strike at that moment.
I re-stacked the items in my buggy with a new plan in mind and headed to the cash register.
My first item was a Venus Razor, which was already on sale for $3 cheaper than the regular price. I had a $2 coupon, and when my transaction was complete, I received a $3 ECB. I set aside the ECB to use later. I then purchased the Dawn stacking the $1 ECB that printed out with the $3 ECB just earned from the purchase of the razor.
So, now I had $4 in ECB and more coupons in hand for my final transaction.
CVS has a deal this week where you get a free pack of batteries if you spend $25 on certain items. Because of the way I’d had to rearrange my items, I was able to take advantage of this deal even after using the ECBs I’d just acquired.
**Note: When a deal like this says $25, that’s before any coupons you use, not after.**
As the clerk began scanning my coupons into the register, I watched my total go down…and down…and down. I saved a little over $45 on this transaction alone.
Here’s how my total for the day breaks down.
Without the sales, coupons, and ECBs, I would have spent $77.85.
After all of my savings, I spent $25.10.
This was a savings of 68%!
Can you believe it!!!! I am thrilled beyond belief. And the wonderful thing is that I will use every product I bought. The Febreze is really not something I use or need, so it worked out that I didn’t buy it. Why waste money just for the sake of saving it?
When I got home, I took a look at the stuff I had purchased…
It doesn’t look like much, but if you consider what these items originally cost, you understand just how great of a savings day it was. I used to regularly spend $100 at Walmart for such items. Those days are gone, baby…gone I say.
Tomorrow I head to Publix and Winn Dixie armed with another batch of coupons. This truly is beginning to feel like a game. I am giddy with excitement!
Posted in This-n-That | Tagged coupons, cvs, ecbs, extra care bucks, shopping | Leave a Comment »
This morning, I watched the men’s Wimbledon finals. Did you happen to catch it? If not, you missed one of the most amazing finals match ever!
Roger Federer and Andy Roddick went at it for over four hours! Back and forth they went. I’ll admit that I was surprised that Roddick played so well, forcing the match into a fifth set. The rules state that there is no tie breaker in the fifth set, so the duo played…and played…and played. The fifth set lasted longer than the women’s final match!
In the end, Federer won, putting a 16-14 end to the final set.
My heart broke as the camera zoomed in on Roddick’s face during the trophy ceremony. His eyes were bloodshot…tears already spilled and more to come. Disappointment was etched on his young face.
My heart hurt for him.
If you’ve never watched one of these finals, you should know that each player is interviewed on the court during the awards presentation. Roddick spoke first…commenting on how much he wants his name on the wall (referring to a wall that is home to all of the names of Wimbledon champions). You could see that this is one of his greatest desires.
In his moment of loss, he seemed to have forgotten how far he had already traveled.
I’ve thought about those sad eyes throughout the afternoon, and I can’t help but wonder why so many people measure their worth by the world’s standards.
So many seek after THE trophy…THE championship…THE perfect GPA…THE prestigious job title.
Why do we hinge our worth on the attainment of temporary things?
Sure, I know…it can feel like validation for a job well done. As the mom of a competitive soccer player, I am fully aware of the time and sacrifice an athlete puts into the game.
But what happens when you don’t reach your goal? Does that mean that you didn’t try your hardest? Does it mean you’re a failure or that you’re worth less than the ones who got what they wanted?
I wish I could tell Andy Roddick that he is a child of God, created in His image. He doesn’t need his name etched on a wall to be considered a champion. He used his talent to the best of his ability and, in doing so, brought glory to God.
Most of us will never be famous, rich, or “in charge.” However, if we have repented of our sins, acknowledged Christ’s redemptive work on the cross, and walked with the Lord, in the end we will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
I don’t know about you, but this is how I measure my worth.
Posted in Christian | Tagged Andy Roddick, Christianity, Roger Federer, self-esteem, wimbledon | Leave a Comment »
Happy 4th everyone! As a naturalized citizen, Independence Day is very special to me. To be adopted by a country that continues to send its citizens into battle to safeguard our freedom…well, it’s truly a blessing.
We sang this song last Sunday at church, and if you follow the words closely, you’re reminded that God’s hand surely guided our forefathers, as He guides us now.
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Julia Ward Howe – 1862
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.
I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:
His day is marching on.
I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
“As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,
Since God is marching on.”
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me:
As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.
Posted in This-n-That | Tagged 4th of July, Battle Hymn of the Republic, Independence Day | 2 Comments »
You might remember that a couple of months ago, a friend at church gave me this pile of yarn…with the Mexican Rainbow Shawl from the Prayer Shawl Companion book in mind. We’re both making shawls for our church ministry and had fallen in love with this pattern. She surprised me by buying the yarn for it!
Alas, try as I might, I couldn’t make the yarn work with the pattern! The pattern is written for DK weight, and the Vanna’s Choice just did not want to play nice!
So, I frogged what I had done (the center section and two of the orange sides) and went back to the drawing board…finally deciding on La La’s Simple Shawl, which is a free download on Ravelry.
This pattern allowed me to incorporate each colored yarn and, IMHO, gives it a “South of the Border” feel.
The pattern did not specify a bind-off, so I used EZ’s Sewn Cast Off. I like this bind off because it’s stretchy and invisible. And it’s easy (although tedious when you have 265 stitches!!).
Forgive the state of my hair. I woke up this morning and rushed to dress so I could get Chicky to take pictures before she heads to the beach for the day…hence no shower and no tamed hair (not that this is possible with living in Florida and having naturally-curly hair)…
Posted in Knitting | Tagged Knitting, prayer shawl, ravelry, vanna's choice | 2 Comments »
I finished my section of the Oddball Orphan Blanket today!
I used Vanna’s Choice – Colonial Blue and knit the Broken Diagonal Check pattern from the book knit & purl…
Chicky and Guy Friend held it up for me today, being careful not to stretch out the top section and thus keep all of the stitches on the needles.
Here’s a close-up of the pattern…
I wove in all of the ends from previous knitters and will be ready to mail it as soon as I get the green-light from the project organizer.
Now I’m inspired to finish my latest prayer shawl! I have 16 rows left!
Posted in Knitting | Tagged blanket, Charity, Knitting, orphanage | 2 Comments »
