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Hard to believe, but...........

I actually had a less than crazy shift today. Of course, I don't know what might have hit my partner after I left, but it wasn't too bad for the time I was there. We did have one big rush, but other than that it was doable by normal human beings not in overdrive mode. 

If you remember, I actually prayed for a lighter day. Thursday was such a booger. I just did not want to go through that again so soon! So, I guess my prayers were answered. Between us we actually managed to make coffee every 2 hours, wash the glass front doors, wash the floor, keep the mess on the coffee service area cleaned up, wipe up the counter area around the soda area multiple times, empty all the trash cans, stock the cooler and more. It was kind of the job the way I'd like to do it every night.

For the last day or so, I've had Saving Private Ryan playing in the background. Of course, I flip over and watch a little every now and then, but mostly, I listen. I have been thinking about the scene near the end of the movie. Capt. John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) is dying. Of his team of 7 men, only two are left alive. But, Private Ryan (Matt Damon) has been "saved". They set out to find him in the grand mess of that period right after D Day. Once they found him and got him back safely to their HQ, Private Ryan would be going home. He had 3 brothers and all had been killed in combat; it was ordered that Private Ryan would go home so that one of the children in the family would survive. As Captain Miller is dying, he manages to tell Private Ryan to "earn this". It was as though it was up to Ryan to live in such a way to make up for the men who gave their lives to save him............ 

I got to thinking of a similar sacrifice someone made for me. His name was Jesus and He died to save me. The difference is that He doesn't hold me responsible to "earn this". His death was His gift to me and many others, but it was a gift, freely given. It is not up to me to "earn" it. It's there for the taking.

Yet, I am so grateful I truly want to "earn" it. I can't ever "earn" it, any more than Private Ryan could live a good enough life to make up for the deaths of all the others. But, knowing the cost of this gift, I want to try to be worthy of it. Not that I ever will be; I am human and I frequently screw up. My mama didn't give birth to no perfect children! 

Tonight my usual partner was in a different mood. His estranged wife pulled a really BAD trick which is threatening his entire family, mother, father, sister, brother-in-law, as well as threatening him. And instead of severe depression, I saw flashes of anger. That's a good thing. It means, whether he knows it or not, he is slowly, faulteringly, working his way through the stages of grief. But, even under the anger, the depression lurks.

I was outside, sitting in my van for a few minutes. I was singing songs to Jesus. (Very softly, of course. I didn't want to gross out customers with my singing voice.) I could not help but think how blessed I am that I am a child of the King. I was cushioned as I worked my way through the worst of the grief over the death of my husband. I am saddened at the way my life is right now; it is not how I expected to spend my "golden" years. But I'm not angry. And the sadness does not overwhelm me. Beyond that, I have every expectation that my life is going to get better and better over whatever "long haul" remains. While the young man who has a whole lifetime ahead of him can't see over his shoetops and he blames God for everything bad that has happened in his life, I am sitting in the parking lot singing songs of praise. I may be old enough to be his mother and I have no idea, specifically, what I have to look forward to, but I think I've got the better deal going! The more I learn, the more I know that what's ahead is GOOD! To me, God is everything good I've ever needed; to him, God is out to wreck his life. My God gives me hope; his God beats up on him for no reason. Yup, I think I've got it right! It's a grand way to live life!

So, even though I know I have no requirement to "earn" it, I think I just make a sign with those words on it and hang it over my desk. I could use it as a reminder that I want to make each day count for Him. I want to do my best every day........... It is an expression of gratitude on my part, not a requirement on His..........

So, tomorrow is accounting day. I had planned to go to Costco tomorrow, but I've now decided to try to put that off til next Friday. I just got a mailer advertising some great deals on products I use, including dog food with a 3 # bonus in each bag and a discount of $4.50 per bag. The special prices don't apply til 9/4/14. That's worth waiting for, particularly since I never buy less than 2 bags! 

Butt update: I know by now you think I must spend a lot of time in front of a mirror eyeballing my rear end. No, really I don't. It is more that I am amazed at the changes I see there, whenever I happen to look, LOL. It never would have occurred to me that adding hours of just standing to my routine would reshape a butt. I would have thought miles and miles on the treadmill would be required. So, every time I happen to look, I am just a little shocked. Yes, it's better today than it was the last time I looked, whenever that was. I don't know what to make of it, LOL. Anyway, I had to tell someone and you drew the short straw. Hey, just be happy for me, okay?

It's getting late. Time for me to begin the process of getting ready for bed. I'm tired and I worked hard to get tired! Now, sleep and restoration is in order. See ya on the flip side..........

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Earn This

Saving Private Ryan

Can you say BIG?

Today is upload day. I started uploading this kit and the separates at 9:15 this morning. Two hours later, the only thing uploaded was the entire kit. I still had to go back and upload the separate files again. I have finally gotten the element pack uploaded and the computer is churning away on the paper pack now. The alpha file is HUGE and I'm beginning to wonder whether it will finish uploading before I have to run out the door two hours from now. 

Truly the alpha files for this kit are HUGE. Just under 200 Megs. I should have done something different, but........... I didn't. I love the texture on this batch of alphas and I wasn't willing to change it. I just thought it was perfect for this kit. I guess I could have done away with one or two of the alphas--there are 5. But I wanted my customers to be able to choose an alpha that coordinated with the main colors of the kit without limitations. So, it's huge. I am working on being proud of that instead of feeling bad about it.......

Not much is going to get done around here today. I work a 5 hour shift from 3 til 8. Maybe I'll have enough oomph to do something when I get home, but by the time I get ready to leave, I don't think I'll have much time to do anything before I go. 

I've done some work on the new ice cream kit this morning, but mostly that has consisted of making sure I got everything saved that I have previously designed. I did create one new paper. But, it's not finished--I'm waiting for input from my Creative Team ladies before it can be finished.

Well, it's an hour later and, finally, the kit is completely uploaded, including all the alpha files. Four hours and 9 minutes from start to finish! You customers are so lucky because the downloads are SO much faster than uploads--like at the speed of light vs. at the speed of a horse and buggy. I wish I understood why that is. But if I could upload as fast as you can download, I'd have accomplished a lot around here this morning!

I am going to go away now. I have on work clothes and the right shoes and my hair is pulled back in the mandatory ponytail. However, no makeup. I don't want to scare the store's customers. I am certainly glad the Lord is blessing the store with lots of customers. I might be tempted, though, to pray some of them come in on someone else's shift. I do NOT want to live through another crazy shift like the one we had on Thursday! I want time to be able to breathe normally, LOL. YOU be BLESSED today!

I'll bet you guessed already.........

The trip to Costco did not happen. I had a crazy night with a big time nightmare. I woke up at 4AM and could not get back to sleep. Finally around 6 I trooped back down the hall and got a bit more sleep. And, when I got up it was time to do my weekly CT update. When your thought pattern wanders off in all sorts of different directions almost simultaneously, you do strange things. I have several kits in the works at the moment. The good part of that is that they are all moving along. The bad part is that I need to wrestle at least one of them to completion. BUT, when you are writing to your team and trying to update them on what's in the works, it takes a WHOLE LOT longer when you're working on a bunch of different things all at once. It was hours later before I finished that update!

By that time, I was inspired. As I add photos to that e-mail, I generally summarize what remains to be done. And I really felt it would be a good idea to push ahead. I had conjured up a few ideas for neato elements that I wanted to work on before I lost my inspiration. And, since I summarize what needs done, it is something of a roadmap as to how I should proceed. It eliminates some confused thinking on my part as well as some wasted time trying to figure out what comes next. 

Anyway, at least one of the kits is sitting at about 80 MB or elements. It's time to make sure I have all the bases covered and wind that thing down. It's amazing how fast you can use up 20 megs and 100 MB is my limit on elements. So, one kit will be finished soon. 

I purchased some cute graphics for a kit last week and I couldn't wait to get started on it. I came up with a color palette and jumped in. Wow! I do not do muted colors. I like bright saturated colors. But, this color scheme with which I was working was so intense it scared even me. So, today, I adopted a new color scheme and re-did the few papers I'd made previously. And, now the kit has 10 papers and 1 element, LOL. 

In the meantime, I decided that before I head to Costco, I should clean out the fridge. So, I've been working on that when I've taken a break from design. 

I've had two dreams in the last 24 hours that are dogging me. It is rare that I remember a dream. But these two dreams won't go away. The first was last night's nightmare. Several days ago I saw a warning with regard to 9/11, terrorism, and "my little town". In last night's dream, I was standing in some sort of high-rise building. There were huge gaping holes blown in the side of the building. And I was in there, trying to get my family to safety. Now, maybe that dream had its origins in that single news report. I went back and searched for it later, and it was gone, as though some governmental agency had quashed it. I don't know............. Today, mid-afternoon, I laid down for a short nap. I was still somewhat short of sleep from last night. I had a very emotional dream. I was highly emotional IN the dream and emotional when I woke up. You see, there is a broken relationship in my life that haunts me. I have spent countless hours praying over that relationship. I know the person involved well enough to realize that anything I might say to try to "fix" the situation will only increase resistance to a "fix". So, I have vowed to stay out of it and leave the fixing to God. I'm sure He'll do a better job of it anyway. But, like most humans, I chafe at His timing sometimes. I want it NOW! I'm sure you know what that's like! This dream was the "process" of an encounter between myself and the other person and "the fix". So, while it was very emotional, it ended on a very positive note.

Anyway, both of these dreams were so clear and have hung on in my conscious mind so strongly that I can't help but wonder where they came from. Weird? Maybe. But, you know, God's been known to "talk" to people through dreams. John the Beloved is maybe the best example with The Revelation. But, there are numerous others found in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Joseph had a dream that foretold the future. I have decided to proceed this way: I have been praying over this city since several days before I read that news article about a potential terrorist attack here on 9/11/14. I am going to treat the nightmare as merely a confirmation that the prayers need to continue. Praying over this city was not something I was doing until recently, but I felt I needed to do it. It sure isn't going to hurt anything to continue praying about it; in fact, no matter what, maybe we should all be praying over our cities. Wherever you live, there is almost certainly crime of some sort, some crazy teacher getting a kid expelled from school for saying "Bless You" when a classmate sneezes, homeless folks who need prayer, folks with health problems all over your town/city, and so on. So, I'll be praying over my city and you pray over yours.

I believe that God does NOT want broken relationships. He wants broken relationships healed. If you need a reference for that, read the story of the prodigal son. Of course, there are layers and layers of meaning in that story, but the surface story is the restoration of the broken relationship between a father and son. So, since I know it is God's will that broken relationships be restored, I know how to pray with confidence. I have every reason to believe this relationship will be healed. So, I am going to treat that dream as though it is confirmation that that process is ongoing on God's calendar. Hey, I believed that before the dream, so why change now? And there is the possibility that the dream was to reassure me that He is at work.

Well, it's later than I thought. If I'm to be functional tomorrow, I need to go to bed. I work a 5 hour shift in the afternoon and evening and have to get a kit uploaded in the morning. I NEED to be functional. So, I'm heading down the hall and I'll be here tomorrow to brighten your day or whatever, LOL........

Of Faith, Fear, Worry and Love..........

This has been stirring in me for a while now......... Duck, here it comes.

First, let's kinda define our terms. These are not dictionary definitions. They're my paraphrases.

1) Faith--Believing it even when you can't see it. Believing God can/will do what He says He will do.

2) Fear--Faith in the worst outcome. Believing God will not/cannot perform.

3) Worry--Wasted emotional, mental, and physical energy contemplating something feared that may never happen

4) Love--See I Corinthians 13: 4-8

As Christians, we are told it is impossible to please God without faith. In other words, we cannot please God unless we can take Him at His word and believe His promises even though we see no evidence of them coming to pass in our lives. Even though it seems impossible for them to come to pass. We know that "nothing is impossible with God". 

We can spend a lot of time analyzing His promises. We may think to ourselves, "yes, well, of course He promised that to David, but I'm no David. I'm just me." Some folks have gone so far as to decide that certain promises in the Bible are only for certain people. Where they run into problems with that point of view, in my opinion, is when we take into consideration that God "is no respecter of persons". In other words, what He does for one person, ANY one person, He is willing to do for me, for you, for the homeless man sleeping in the park, for whomever. In the book of Judges, we read the story of Samson. God empowered Samson to kill 1000 Philistines with the jawbone of an ass. If God is not willing to perform like that for me today, why is that story in my Bible? Is it there just for entertainment value? Is it there just so I can envy Samson because God gave him power like that? I'm sorry. Neither of those explanations works with my understanding of the character of God........... 

Other folks have decided that certain things are not "for our time". Again I have Biblical problems with this viewpoint because the Bible says God "changes not". He is "the same yesterday, today, and forever". If He was "the God that heals you" in David's time and if He does not change, then He is still the God that heals! 

You can find promises from God for pretty much all of life's situations. If you're short on money, the Bible says "My God shall supply all your needs according to the riches in glory in Christ Jesus". If I am to have faith in what I cannot see, then it doesn't matter that a given bill is due in two days and there is no money in my account. HE has promised to supply all my needs. Somehow, someway, (most likely in some weird, totally unexpected way), no matter what my bank balance is, He will find a way to take care of my needs. The big thing here is that in order to please Him, I have to believe that bill is paid though I can't see any evidence of that or any way it could even be possible. Once I set my heart in belief on that promise, the ball is in His court, so to speak. He must either perform His word or be called a liar. And God can't lie. 

You can also find verses in the Bible on healing. One of the most well known is found in I Peter 2:24 where it says "by His stripes you were healed". "Were" is past tense--that means it has already happened. The stripes Christ bore at His death have already bought the healing you need. You were healed and it doesn't matter what your symptoms are, what the doctor says, or what your friends and family say in sympathy. In faith, you WERE healed. It also doesn't matter what your name is, what country you live in, what color your eyes are, or that you were born 20 centuries later! The inspired Word of God gives us NO exceptions to that statement.

Faith is believing that God's promises are true, without fail. Fear is believing God's promises are NOT true. It is the exact inverse of Faith. We are told that "that which is not faith is sin". (Romans 14:23) So, fear is sin......... We are also told that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind". (2 Timothy 1:7). If that spirit of fear did not come from God, then we can assume it came from the other guy. And the Holy Spirit is not going to hang around and do the work of God while we are communing with and being ruled by a spirit of fear from Satan. The only time Christ did not heal sick people was on a visit to Nazareth, because they had no faith. They didn't believe He could do it; after all, wasn't He just the carpenter's kid who they'd watch grow up?

Worry is a derivative of fear. It is meditating on our fears. However, as Christians, we're supposed to meditate on God's word, not on our fears! 

At one point my mother and I had an argument over "worry". I do not remember the circumstance, but whatever it was she was unreasonably worried about me. In my mind, she has made a practice of being unreasonably worried about me for a lifetime--my lifetime! She began to tell me how worried she was.... I finally asked her if she had prayed for me with regard to this particular circumstance. She said she had. I suggested to her then that she had no faith that God would answer her prayers or she would not worry. I even went so far as to ask her why she wasted her breath in prayer if she wasn't prepared to believe her prayers would be answered. And then I quoted "that which is not faith is sin". Oh, my goodness did that raise a reaction! My mother has been a Christian, a church goer, a minister's wife, yadada yadada, for 50+ years. And I, the kid whose diapers she changed, had the audacity to tell her that worrying about me was sin! It did NOT sit well. 

Not long after, I happened to be able to visit with her (she lives on the other side of the country). She kept me up all night, chewing on me that her worrying about me is her way of loving me. For her, love includes worry. She was, when I was a kid, the most overprotective mother I've ever encountered or heard about.......... Once again I had the audacity to challenge her Christian walk. I asked her to show me in 1 Corinthians 13 where love included worry. Well, now, you KNOW IT ISN'T THERE! And that just made her all the madder! She just couldn't get God to agree with her no matter how she read that chapter! But hours and hours later she doggedly clung to her definition of love--that you don't love someone if you don't worry about them. Thankfully, when dawn rolled around, it was time for me to get ready to leave for the airport. But the question was left unresolved. In her mind, I was rejecting her "love" because I told her it was wrong for her to worry about me! 

It has been more than 4 years since that night. I have NOT broached that conversation again and I don't intend to. But, in my mind, being a Christian entails us humans being changed, growing, into the image of Christ. And, I do not think Christ worried. I'm pretty sure, when He blessed the loaves and fishes, He didn't worry about whether God would REALLY turn that little bit of food into enough to feed a multitude! He'd prayed over that bit of food and He KNEW God would handle the situation. So, just like Christ, when we know what God intends, once we pray, we should not be worrying, wondering, meditating on what might happen if He doesn't do what we ask...........

And how do we know what God intends? We read the Book. He wrote it all down for us. You can find multiple passages in the New Testament that end with "and He healed them all", referring to Christ during His time on earth. If He was able to heal "them all" then, He is able to heal them all now. After all, God doesn't change. If He was willing to heal "them all", then, because He does not do for some and refuse to do for others, He is willing to heal them all now.

So, if you're a worrier, repent! Get REAL familiar with the Word of God. Find a verse or ten that deal with the situation about which you are worrying or fearful and see how God handled the "problem". If He has to give you an endless supply of oil to sell to bail your finances out, He will, just like He did for the widow in Elijah's time. He is always faithful to His Word! 

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About this blog............

There is a question I've been wrestling with............

Expectations...........

Phew! Glad that's over!

I am home. And I am sore. But that 5 hour shift is over. I am telling you, it seemed as though someone called for a flash mob to show up from all over Vegas right there in our store. 

I, as usual, was on the register. It was SO darned busy. For example, at one point I set out to try to empty the trash cans. There are 10 in the store. I got one emptied, did not get a fresh bag put into it, and got slammed with customers. I did not get even one more bag changed out. 

I've been through some busy nights, but I honestly think tonight was the busiest ever. Numerous times I had to just stop for a minute and force myself to take a deep breath. I couldn't have been revved any higher. At one point, I was so stressed I just stood there for a few seconds trying to make my brain work so I could continue on.

Accident Lady even had to spend a lot of time on the register. Usually, if one of us is anchored to the register, the other can do some of the other stuff we are required to do. Well, let me tell you, there was a LOT we just couldn't get to. I couldn't begin to tell you how much hot food I personally sold tonight. And every time someone wants a hot dog, you have to wash your hands with soap for 15 seconds and then put on plastic gloves. Then you still have to fish the hot food off the grill and put it together for the customer. I HATE this. I really do. It takes SO much extra time. I could take care of 3-5 customers in the time it takes to wash up, glove up, and fix whatever someone has ordered. And if I'm at the register alone, once I am finished, I am 3-5 customers behind every time. 

Last night when I left, she "jokingly" told me I could stay til 11. Well, I'd already worked 7 hours and I was tired. When I got home I felt bad. I honestly think maybe she would have welcomed some extra help. She, too, was tired and I think she was hurting. So, tonight I stayed. I hung around an extra half hour--well, 35 minutes, actually. I don't really know how to flip a coin and catch it, so I jiggled a quarter around between my two hands and then demanded she pick heads or tails. If she got it right, she would stay with the register and I would mop the floor (it was AWFUL and REALLY needed to be done). If she got it wrong, I'd stay with the register and she would mop. Well, I ended up mopping the floor and that was just fine with me. 

I went to give the counters and such a final wipe down before I left and happened to open the microwave door. Now, most of what we sell is prepackaged and meant to microwave IN the wrapper. I'll be darned if someone didn't microwave a slice or two of pizza in there and there was baked on, melted on, burnt on cheese. I don't even think it was pizza from our store! Hey, we just don't have good tools for cleaning that kind of mess. I did manage to get about 98% of it clean, scraping it with the serrated edge of a plastic knife. I know who did this and I will have a word or two with them (nicely) about what they did........ 

There was one catastrophe tonight. The store gives a discount on "refills" of soda and such. And folks come dragging in there with containers of every possible type and size. Cups from other stores, check. Huge thermal containers, check. You get the idea. So, one of our "regulars" came in to refill his GIANT cup. I am guessing, but I am getting pretty good at this. I think that cup probably holds about 48 ounces of whatever. Well, tonight it was soda. And he went to pick it up, it slipped out of his hands, and 48 ounces of soda went all over the counter, all over the floor behind the counter and all over me. If I believed in baptism by sprinkling, I'd figure I'd had another baptism. He let out a "Oh, F***", went and refilled the container and left the store. No I'm sorry. No offer to help clean up the mess. Nothing about my clothes potentially being ruined. Just "Oh, F***". So there I was with soda all over my shirt and soda all over my pants, on my hands and knees trying to pick up all the ice cubes so no one would fall and trying to soak up all the soda. I just hope I can get all the "spots" (more like blobs) of soda out of my clothes. I have extra tee shirts so they're not a problem, but I only have 4 pairs of pants. And wouldn't you know, the ones I had on tonight were light in color. Now they look more like desert camouflage.....

So that was my big day at work. Here at home I worked on design. I am playing with a couple of kits simultaneously (I'm SO ADD these days!). I did manage to advance each of them a bit closer to completion so I was reasonably pleased with what I got done.

I haven't decided about tomorrow. I really SHOULD work on this accounting stuff til I get it done. However, I need to go to Costco. I don't want to go to Costco on Saturday because I work from 3-8 on Saturday and have to upload a new kit to the store at A Cherry on Top in the morning. I would be concerned that I could not get the shopping done and the stuff unloaded in the short block of time between uploading and needing to be at work. I was thinking Sunday was the first. You just do NOT want to go to Costco on the first in my part of Vegas. All the retirees have money in the form of Social Security checks to play with and go to Costco en mass. I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me they run tour buses from Sun City Summerlin right to the front door of "my" Costco. They probably don't but you'd think so from the looks of the store. But, Sunday is the 31st. That helps some, BUT it's a holiday weekend. I think I might be between a rock and a hard place here, LOL.

Anyway, I'm signing off for now. I'm gonna get out of these clothes and try to get them soaking in some cold water just to see if I can get rid of the "camo" effect........... See ya on the flip side.

The day is done..........

Well, I made it through the 7 hours at work today with no pain meds. I didn't feel truly wonderful when I left, but this is still a victory. Now, tomorrow, only 5 hours.

I worked tonight with Accident Lady which I always enjoy. She said something tonight that really uplifted me. I have not been working all the way up to 11 for a while now. I'm second banana for a shorter time. That's fine with me because it means I am not responsible for the whole shift change thing. 

When I was doing the shift change thing, I found it completely and totally frustrating. And, I kinda whined about it. Tonight Accident Lady told me she just thought I was carrying on about nuthin'. After all, she'd worked that shift regularly before her accident and really didn't have much of a problem. Now, however, business has increased to the point that she, with all her years of experience, is having trouble with it. And she is going around mumbling under her breath (much like I wanted to) that no one should be there til 11 alone.

Truly, you just cannot get it all done. I left there most nights, feeling like a failure. I didn't get fresh coffee made. I didn't get temperature readings taken some nights. One night I had a spilled icee drink that I just could not get to to clean up. Most of the nights, no matter when I started, I couldn't get through the whole count-all-the-cigarettes-and-count-all-the-money-and-print-all-the-reports before the next shift came in. I worked my tush off, just trying to make sure all the customers got out the door in a timely manner. It was SO frustrating because it didn't matter how hard I tried. It seemed I got out of there late every stinkin' time and the incoming shift had to help me get it done. And, it wasn't the getting out of there late that frustrated me; it was that I couldn't seem to get it "right".

To think that someone with much more experience is facing the same problem--well, it makes me feel better. I kinda have to giggle, just a little bit. See, God promises to bless those who bless me. So, I've been blessed with the job, and, according to Accident Lady, business is vastly better than it was 5 months ago. Now, how 'bout them apples! 

I am scheduled for 17 hours next week, same as this week and even the same days/hours. That's good, a vast improvement over just a few weeks ago when I only got 9 hours for the week. 

I got to work two hours with Mr. Nice Guy. I rarely get to work with him. I like him a lot and he always treats me with respect. He is, in fact, something of a "champion" for me. Love that! Poor guy. He was in a lot of pain today with an abcessed tooth. He was headed to the ER immediately when he left. He has some sort of insurance coverage out of CA. Whatever it is, it pays only at a certain group of Quick Care facilities and the ER. And, if he goes to the ER, his insurance pays for his meds too. I hope he got some decent pain meds. You could tell he wasn't feeling well, and you could even see the swelling on his face. I felt bad for him. I covered the register while he did the closing. That is usually the way it works, but, today, I felt as though that was a bit of a favor to him. I'm sure he didn't feel much like talking to customers and giving them a big smile.........

I got to thinking about how good Mr. Nice Guy has been to me. I think I got a little insight. He lost his mother as a young boy of 7. And, guess who is old enough to be his mother???? Yeah. I remember him going after Mr. KIA over some of his behavior towards me and telling Mr. KIA something on the order of "that lady is old enough to be your mother and you need to treat her with respect".......... So, maybe I'm Mr. Nice Guy's new mom? That would be okay with me. I don't mind a bit.

Accident Lady, too, was in a bad way today. In general, the woman will not quit. No matter what. But, she was hurting when she came in today and hurting in a big way by the time it was quittin' time for me.

I could tell, she really kinda wished I'd stick around. But, though I might have been the healthiest one there today, I was tired and headed home anyway. Maybe tomorrow, when my start time is later, if she needs help, I will stick around later, just to help out. I won't get paid for it, but that's not the point.

Well, I'm headed to bed. I've had enough for today, I think. See ya on the flip side.

New Stuffs, Week of 8/23/2014

Hey, folks! There's a real cute kit, new in the shop at Digiscrap Boutique this week. It's kind of a "summer's last hurrah" kit with great bright summery colors, kraft texture, and fun water-based elements. It's a fabulous kit with which to scrap your outdoorsy or swimming summer photos. Come on now, admit it, I know you're not all caught up with those, LOL.

You can buy just the elements, just the papers, or just the alphas if that suits you better:

Of course, everything is on introductory special at 30% off. And we have some great add-ons to this pack:

Clusters:

Stacked Papers:

Templates:

Whether you buy the templates, the clusters, or the stacked papers, you will find they inspire you and make the design of your page go like lightening! Helps with that backlog, dontcha know!

Allergy Season.........

has hit with a vengeance, not that I ever saw a lot of relief, even on the hottest days. Today, I'm sitting here at my desk and the tears are running, not because I'm sad but because of whatever is in the air. This is not a lot of fun but things could be worse, LOL.

I work a 7-hour shift today. And today I get to see if I won the lottery on hours for the coming week. I've decided if the hours don't improve (this week's total hours are reasonable--they just have to stay that way!), I'm going to be putting in applications at various businesses here in the 'hood. Earning under $100 a week is not going to help me achieve my financial goals anytime soon. So, in under 2 hours, I'm out the door and off to spend time with my friends. I will work 2 hours with Mrs. Been There Forever. I think the next 5 hours are with Accident Lady. Accident Lady is always happy to see me because I am a welcome relief to working with Mr. KIA with whom she is frequently paired. That's not sayin' much for me, but it's somethin'. I am pretty much happy to work with either of these two powerhouse ladies. I can learn a lot from them.........

I have sent multiple prayers heavenward for the Lord to help me love Mr. KIA. I think I am at least developing some compassion for him. It hit me the other day--this job is probably the most important thing in his life. I thought about that. Here I am in my "golden years", and this little job is just fine for me and meets my needs. I've had the big time jobs, the big titles, the briefcase full of work lugged home after long and stressful hours at the office, the huge load of responsibility, etc. I've done all the "climbing" I'm gonna do, as far as I know. But Mr. KIA is a guy in his early 30's. And, perhaps, this is all he has to look forward to. And I actually felt sorry for him. Of course, he has since encountered me and been his usual obnoxious self, but I did actually feel sorry for him. I don't think he intends to be obnoxious. I'm pretty sure he can't help it. 

One of the things he does (there are many!) that annoys people is his constant jabbering. It really is tough to take. Half the time it just seems inane and extraneous. The rest of the time it seems incredibly condescending. I learned recently that at least one black person took his behavior as discriminatory........not good. I think the jabbering is his way of trying to relate to the people around him. Unfortunately, it is more likely to make people angry or lead them to tearing their hair out by the roots. But, he can't seem to see that. In any case, I am developing some empathy for him with regard to this. I am so grateful that, on this level, I have the ability to relate well to people. The Lord is at work. No, I don't "love" him yet, but what's on the inside of me is improving a little.

Today we affirm the healing of my feet. The big question: can I walk out of that place after 7 hours on my feet feeling only as tired as any other person would? Can I walk out of there with the ability to walk back in to retrieve something I've forgotten without extreme pain? Can I walk out of there in gratitude and victory and faith? Yes, I can. I'm believing for it. I'm counting on it. Someone seemed to think Saturday's victory had something to do with the new shoes I purchased a couple of months ago. No, not really. Saturday, for example, I never put them on. And when I have put them on, I take them back off within an hour or two. I don't think it had anything to do with shoes; I think it was totally a God thing.

Well, time for me to go get all spiffed up for work. And, perhaps I can get something done around here to improve this place before I rip out the door. YOU be BLESSED today. May you walk in the favor of God--Psalm 5:12.

Killing time...........

I generally think that killing time is not a good thing. Time is really a valuable commodity since each of us has only so much time to enjoy in life. However, at the moment, I have a headache. I am waiting for the ibuprofen to kick in.......... Really don't want to move too much til then.

I hit the wall around 3:30. Just could no longer focus. So, I laid down and tried to sleep. Of course, I was barked awake by the pups. I have no idea what had them upset....... Nothing going on that I could find when I pulled my shorts back on and looked outside.

I have gotten some of the accounting work done, but there's more to be done. I guess the floggings will continue til morale improves, LOL. I can probably get some more done tonight after the headache fades.

I honestly haven't gotten too much done around here yet, but I'll be up for 3 or 4 more hours unless my lack of sleep from last night gets to me. I have managed to unload and reload the dishwasher. And I spent more time cleaning the interior of the van. I have lots more time to put in out there til I have it in passable condition, including scrubbing down/washing more floor mats and cleaning the exposed carpet as well as vacuuming out lots of crumbs. But, in at least 2/3 of it, I have managed to find most of the floor. I also got the back door on the drivers side interior scrubbed down as well as the vinyl back of the driver's captain chair and the window. 

I am not quite sure how I am going to go about, logistically, attacking the other side of the center area. On the driver's side, one seat has been removed. So I just climbed in and sat tailor-style and scrubbed away. But, on the other side, the seat is still in place and is encumbered with a kiddie car seat. Believe me, there's not much room to climb in and not much elbow room either. I don't want to take the kiddie car seat out because I'm not at all sure how to get the darned thing back in! I'll have to see what I can work out...........

There is a beautiful sunset tonight. To me, most days, sunsets in Nevada are not too impressive. I think it's because we rarely see clouds. There were just a few sketchy clouds to the west tonight. The setting sun, shining through them, turned them the prettiest shades of pink, peach, purple...... Loved that. Reminded me of Florida sunsets, though certainly not as grand..........

I discovered something today that is either moderately dangerous or a cure for something more dangerous or both. Did you know you can BAKE donuts????? Well, I'm probably way behind the times, but I just discovered it. It requires a special pan or a small appliance, but what a great idea. Sure beats donuts fried in hydrogenated fats when it comes to the arteries. Now, when it comes to the hips, well, that's almost certainly a different story...........

Well, the ibuprofen has not kicked in yet, but I think I can manage to load the washer with some cleaning rags and get it going. That shouldn't be a big deal, right. I'll save emptying the clothes hamper (bending required) for a little later. I suppose I could content myself with paying some bills while I'm playing lady-in-waiting.........

 

Is there anything more frustrating..........

than going to bed at a decent hour and not being able to sleep? Probably, but right now I can't think what it might be. I turned in a little after 1AM. At 3:08AM, I got back up. I'd prayed the world around, including praying for sleep. However, no, I did not get to sleep. This is in addition to a similar experience when I laid down to try to catch a nap this afternoon. No sleep then either. I certainly hope I am not worthless tomorrow (today?).

I have had a refreshed revelation: Housework is endless. Lately I've been finding all sorts of new and different things to clean. This is good. I really would like all the nooks and crannies of this house to be clean. However, I am finding that as I spend time cleaning the nooks and crannies, the things I've been cleaning need to be cleaned again and I have no time for that. Somewhere in here, there has to be some sort of balance but I can't seem to find it. Yes, this, too, is frustrating. 

For example, today I spent 10 minutes really scrubbing at my Kitchenaid mixer. It's not that it didn't need it. It did. Of course, I've wiped it down from time to time, particularly when I'm aware I've spilled something on it, but I mean tonight it looks almost as good as it did when it was new 20+ years ago. I'm glad it's clean and shiny. But, I could have spent that time mopping the floor which also needs done. 

I also decided today was a good day to clean the lightbulbs in the hall bath. That bathroom is rarely used. But now it has really clean lightbulbs. Wow! I should probably have vacuumed the carpet instead, dontcha think?

Well, it's about 6 or 7 hours later. I went back to bed right around 6AM and slept--kind of. At 7:30ish the yard guys showed up. And, of course, the dogs ran in and out barking their fool heads off. Geez, this happens every other week guys........Get used to it! Then around 10, my cell phone rang. I have no idea who called. Of course, I could not get to the phone fast enough in my sleepy/sleep deprived state. Not a phone number I recognize so I'm not going to worry. So, all in all, I've had somewhere around 4 hours of sleep--kind of.

At the moment, my plan is to keep at it. I have no doubt that a good case of the exhausteds will hit at some point during the day and I'll end up back in bed. But, in the meantime, I'm going to pretend I've had a full night's sleep and am ready to rip through the day. At least that sounds good, right?

I have an accounting project that will be the focus of the day. I'd love NOT to have to do it, but it's got to be done, and, as with most accounting projects, there's a deadline. So, today's the day. Actually, yesterday was the day, but I couldn't mobilize. So, today, while we're pretending all is well, we're going to tackle this thing. In reality, thinking about it is probably worse than just doing it. So, I will be grateful not to have to think about it any more.

I must do some laundry today. That is a given. I'd also like to spend some time on straightening the desk. And dusting it. What else will get done in this house is a mystery to me. I guess it will happen when it happens. Today seems like a good day for my "running to do list" idea. When I see something that needs done, add it to the list and as I manage to steal a few minutes from the computer work, try to lop some things off the list. 

I am expecting a delivery today and I'm excited about it. I didn't mention it here, but I ordered a new wire wisk for my Kitchenaid mixer. I have no clue what really damaged mine, but it has been horribly bent out of shape for a while now. It really makes mixing things a bit iffy. On the last batch of biscotti, I kind of made up my mind I could not take the stress any more. It was making some rather nasty sounds.......... Made me flinch everytime I heard that. Hey, a Kitchenaid is a thing of beauty, in my opinion. There's no excuse for having the world's finest mixer with a screwed up wire wisk. So, today, a new one arrives. Many of the kitchen aid accessories are pretty pricey, but thankfully I was able to find a wire wisk for a reasonable price. I'm stoked............ But, I still have plenty of biscotti and no excuse for baking anything else for a while so I won't get to use it for a while. 

Alrighty. I really haven't been awake for long, but the clock says my day should be moving along. I'm going to get to it. YOU be BLESSED today!

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