Apparently Damson Dene Hotel in the U.K. has taken the Gideon's Bibles out of the rooms and replaced it with "Shades of Grey," a book described as "mommy porn."  I hope they don't have young children there.  That's not a book you want your 8-year-old to pick up.

Soon I'm going to increase my stepping.  Since it's been so hot in the Chihuahuan desert I haven't wanted to do the treadmill or walk outside.  Today I got 10,000 steps just at work.  Awesome sauce.  And on Fitbit I have four guys friending me: Slash, Jeffrey, Sam, and Dan.  I'm going to friend them back, not.  But I initially stopped my stepping also because of a spiritual crisis in early May which has now passed.  It has not resolved itself but I cannot take on other people's sin.  I don't know how counselors and pastors can bear it.

I've been studying about the woman with the issue of blood for two weeks.  Tomorrow I will compose my notes all in one place.  I've been collecting information on the scriptures about her from Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  Tonight I downloaded a character study about her and I am going to bed now to listen to it.  

Two weeks from now I've volunteered to be in the Baptist Church's pregnancy crisis booth at a community event.  Hope I may do some good there. 

Who can guess where I found this? Hint: It's the introduction from which Bible?

The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.  Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword and the Christian’s charter. Here too, Heaven is opened and the gates of Hell disclosed.

Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully.  It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure.  It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.

Today at dinner our son announced he's never having any children.  I so wish I could record that for future reference.  And he said if he was his own kid he would have shot him.  Oh my.  We told him how much we loved him.  Bless his little pinhead.

The conversation came about because I told them I'll be volunteering at the Baptist pregnancy crisis booth on Saturday.  I told them I was going to tell anyone who comes over that any idiot can get pregnant, but what takes brains is not getting pregnant.  That's when he said he's not having any kids.  Our sons are polar opposites.  The eldest never liked being an only child and he planned to have a huge family.  He's got two sweet, wonderful children, but his wife said no mas after two!  I miss them a lot.

I decided on which two Zumba routines I'll learn next.  I have one nearly memorized.  It's to the song "Turbo Style" by Beckah Shae.  It's a fun Christian song.  I decided to put off learning an old school '80s hip hop routine because I want two new fresh ones for October that aren't too saucy.  We're doing Zumba for the Catholic Fiesta.  Last year it was a lot of fun and the spectators were really enthusiastic.  Lots of good food there too.

Work tomorrow.  Boo.  But then it's payday and a three day holiday.  Yay!

Head Covering

I've checked blogs so little that I didn't even realize Katherine and Shelby recently added glorious updates complete with photos.

A couple months ago I found a site called Wrapunzel.  It's a site about head covering and was created by a girl named Andrea.  She has a friend named Rivka.  What a pretty name, eh.  They are each delightful, lovely, smart, thoughtful, and godly.  What drew me to Andrea's site is that she has a passion, an absolute passion, for scarves and headcovering.  She loves them.  She is good with color.  She is creative.  She demonstrates in her videos and explains in detail how to create the head covering designs that she wears.  If you think about it, how many ways are there to put a scarf on yer head?  A couple ways, a few ways, maybe ten ways if you really wrack your brain.  But no!  It all has to do the color, scarf length, fabric, adding pins or necklaces (yes, necklaces on your headcovering); how you tie it such as knotting, braiding or wrapping; using multiple scarves; and then throw into the whole deal all the different COLOR combinations possible.  Well now, put that together and there may be a million ways to wears scarves on your noggin.

She covers for religious reasons.  She's an Orthodox Jew.  She's Canadian, living in the U.S, and she visits Israel.  I like one of her interviewees who said it felt like God was hugging her head when she wore her headcovering.  It gives you a certain awareness, I must say.

A few years ago I was considering covering my hair.  My friends and I on The LongHairLoom discussed it at length.  I decided that since I pray throughout the day, little short prayers, it wasn't practical for me to cover whenever I pray.  We have freedom in Christ.  But for Jewish married women it's part of the many laws they follow while they await the return of the Messiah.

She has a personal site also called Harmony and Synergy that I want to check out.

Which all brings me to my main point.  I took a few pictures today to show a dear friend how headcoverings can be so pretty!  I've been wearing scarves on my hair to church and to yoga and I get so many compliments.  The first time I was scared because I'm used to feeling like I need my hair to be attractive.  Well, to be semi-attractive.  Because my hair is long I get comments on its length and being a human being, we are all quite wrapped up with how our hair looks.  I don't leave any wisps out and I don't wear my bangs out.  In my mind I get to see what it must feel like to be a nun because all people can see is my face - just my plain face and no hair.  I think, if you're walking in the light, having your hair covered intensifies your walk.  Gives you a different awareness.  Makes you think.  It takes a big lot of courage I'll tell ya!  But I've had such positive comments that now I feel wonderful when I put on my headcovering.  I feel a little special.  A little regal.  A little strong.  A little different.  Set apart.  My headcovering reminds me that I'm the daughter of a king.  I'm a daughter of God.

I bought a rather expensive scarf about six years ago.  I had it in my head I wanted to wear one so I bought it and tried these directions --> Tzinius.   However, my experimentation was a complete, utter, failure.  It was such a waste of money and I was fully disappointed.  The scarf would not stay on my head!  It slid off, it slid off, it slid off, no matter which tie method I tried.  It's really stupid trying to be pretty with fabric on your head that's slipping off every five minutes, every time you turn your head.

So I have a couple photos of two styles that I now successfully wear.  And I never, repeat, never, have had it fall off my head.  I even do yoga in a headscarf with no problem and it's completely comfortable.  This first one is gray and pink.

Here is a top view.  This is a knotted style.

I have two scarves on.  I am wearing bigger bolder earrings when I wear my scarves.  

Or, sometimes no earrings at all.

This is my new Maybelline eye makeup that I like a lot.

Have a little class and take off your store tags.  I had no idea that was there till I looked at the photo.  Duh.  Also, you can add a headband.  See the gold headband?

 Here's the overall effect.

And another style with a shimmery red scarf over a black cotton scarf.  My husband said he likes me in the red.  I've been taking my cue from Andrea.  She says she gets her inspiration for colors from nature.  Isn't that a cool attitude?  So I've been going out on a limb trying new colors that before now I'd have never worn.  Red.  A new color for me.

This shows a side view.  See the shape in the back.  Well, you don't need hair to get that shape.  This photo is just my hair underneath, held by a Ficcare, but a shaper is used by most Jewish women.  I will show you my shaper in next post.  As Andrea says, there's a lot going on underneath a head scarf!

I really want to show how sparkly this scarf is.  Maybe the pic is too small.  See the mountain peak in the background?  My husband and I and some friends climbed to the top of it last March.

There is a secret to how you keep the scarf held in place.  And I will tell you all about it next time I post.

I missed two opportunities to say something.  Sometimes if you don't speak up right away the opportunity is lost.  I wanted to say something at the memorial for Janet.  They invited people to come up and say something and I hesitated, I stood there and waited for someone to go first and no one did.  So disappointed in myself.  Janet was two years younger than I.  Her dad died a month ago.  She died a week ago.  Got sick and died.  Got lung cancer.  She smoked till the end.  Maybe she just decided the cancer was so far along she'd just continue doing what she was doing.  She got pneumonia.  I saw both her ankles were swollen.  I believe she expected to come back to work. 

I've been telling my friends I love them.  Sarah Lee told me she loved me the last time I saw here and she died only a week after.  She was a godly woman.  She told everyone she loved them and she meant it.

There's been a murder in our community of 4,000.  A man killed another man.  There are a lot of people hurting now.  Why do people have to kill?  Cain committed the first murder.  Tomorrow a lot of newspapers will be sold as people read up to see what the story is.

Had nine in Zumba today.  It was hot.  So, so hot.  The a/c can't keep it very cool inside because it's over 100 outside and 69 degrees at night.  I have a shy bunch for class.  I cannot get them to come to the front with me so when I'm on stage and they're in the back it leaves a ginormous spaced of nothingness between us.  Eats up energy.  I got a great idea today.  I went to them!  Haha!  I went to the back of the room with them.  There were plenty of smiles so I know I made the right move. 

Church was oh so good this morning.  I went to the Spanish/English one.  It's a tiny church but it was packed this morning.  We got the last seats.  Kathy made us late.  Full of young people too.  My home church is full of very elderly people.  I love my home church but they desperately need a shot of young people.  The seniors are very accepting of individuals, which is good, but why are there so many seniors?  It might be the music, it's all hymns, but I'm not sure.  The preaching is excellent.  I don't know what causes an old church to be old with no influx of youth.

I've been hung up on this girl on the Wrapunzel site.  Two girls actually.  Andrea Grinberg and Rivka Malka.  They are so pretty and seem so sweet.  Isn't Rivka the most unusual name?  I love the two women who make the videos there and I love looking at and buying their scarves.  In the morning or at night when I can't sleep I think about my scarves, and make a dream out of their beautiful colors and then I drop off to sleep.

Today to church I wore three scarves: olive green, aqua blue, and purple.  Got compliments.  Felt wonderful.  Felt pretty.  I made the double braided scarf.  Was in a big rush to get ready.  Why do I not allot more time to getting ready?  Wore a floor length tie-dye wrap skirt and royal blue tank top with a black lace cardigan as a cover up.  I need a new pair of summer wedge sandals though.

Wrapunzel.com sells scarves that I can afford.  I've purchased twice from them and plan to purchase again soon.  I have a scarf problem probably, but life is short.  Collect scarves if they make you happy.  I also bought one for one dollar at the thrift store last week-end.  Man, the thrift store was depressing to walk through.  Made me feel sad except for the pretty little scarf I selected.

Went to yoga class yesterday morning.  Been going every Saturday morning.  Am preparing to set into motion my dream of becoming a Holy Yoga instructor by first taking yoga for one year.  My husband, I love him so much, drives me there.  It's 70 miles to the class one way.  I could, yes, could, take yoga here but if I do teach here I want to have completely my own style and not copy anyone who's already in town.  At first I thought, why even try Holy Yoga.  This town is saturated with yoga already.  But then I said to myself, but there is no Holy yoga here.

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

I would spend $2800 on the Holy Yoga training and teach yoga once a week for the rest of my life.

I've been wearing headscarves on the week-end as I practice tying and putting colors together and I look forward to experimenting with them.  My interest in yoga and my new found joy of headcovering, have been serendipidous.  They go together well.  Yesterday we were at IHOP and as we sat down I noticed the waitress looking at me.  I thought maybe I had spinach in my front teeth.  But she said, "You have calmness around you."  My goodness, I think I turned red and didn't know what to say.  But she made me feel happy.  Like my outside is matching my inside.  Then my husband spoke up and told her I had just come from yoga class.

Each yoga class is better than the last and yesterday was the best so far.  I've been going for a month and a half.

Because I'm preparing for Holy Yoga (I'm reading Brooke Boone's book), instead of emptying my mind as my yoga instructors say to do, I fill it with Scripture.  When they say clear all thoughts away, instead, I invite Jesus into my heart.  I'm so encouraged by what the waitress said to me.  I think it's a sign that I am on the right path.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen.

Work is excellent.  Looking forward to a three day week-end in a couple weeks - 4th of July.  Son just turned 17 last month and took it upon himself to open his own checking account.  We're so proud of him.  He did it all on his own.  He's working a lot this summer and is hardly ever home.  He helped Barry with putting in our new deck out front and Barry paid his $100 for a day's work.  I think that's very generous of Barry.  The deck is coming along beautifully.

Kathy is doing well.  Mayela is working so hard at her job.  They give her a little too much work there.  It's too much in the summer for one person.  She says next summer she may not do it.  She got real sick a week ago and isn't quite 100% yet.  She was quiet-ish today.  I don't know why.

 To tell her today.

"When the storms of life come our way we can choose to let it blow us out to sea or closer in the arms of Jesus."

I got a nice compliment from my husband.  He was clicking through a million billion movies on Amazon looking for a movie for us to watch last night.  As he went by one called "Benjamin Button" I told him to go back and see how many stars it had.  It had four.  So I suggested we watch it.

It was good.  It has one f-word at the end unfortunately, but otherwise I like how they made the movie.  Brad Pitt is gorgeous and so talented.  My husband is a major romantic so he cried at all the sad and happy parts and being a guy he laughed heartily every time they showed a snippet of the guy getting hit by lightning.

And he asked me how I knew about the movie, because I rarely know diddly squat about any movies, and I said in my best droll voice, "Hello.  Like, I read."  And then he corrected me and told me I don't read!  Do so, I said.  And he said, "No, all you ever read is the Bible."

Heh.  And I felt pretty good.  I told him I gotta have a witness at Pearly Gates for that one!

Why do I have to sign in to Google to make a blog entry?  I don't like that.

Greg got the job last week!  He's my new manager now.  I'm very happy working for him.  He puts on no airs.  He shares what he knows and is training me to learn his job.  When he thinks out loud it helps me a lot to see what he's thinking while he's working.  He talks easily and is not extremely quiet like our previous manager.  After the manager's meeting he sat and shared with me what was said.  I like that because I am interested in what goes on in the meetings.  I overhear other people discussing what transpired, but I had no inkling of what was going on because no one shared that information with me. 

I just got a dialog box that asks me if I want to share my location with Blogger.com.  Do I want to share my location?  Coconut no, I don't want to share my location.  Who needs my location. What's the point. Why are they asking me for personal data.  That is real annoying.

So on Friday, Human Resources posted the job announcement for Greg's old job and I applied for it.  It's required to be posted for three days before they can do anything else.  I wonder if anyone else will apply.  I'm so pleased God has give me this opportunity for advancement.  I hope they just call me in and say "sign here" like they did when Greg advanced to Manager.  I'm excited to get my new job.  I will be a Purchasing Technician.  After they move me up to Greg's job then we can advertise for someone to fill my old position as Inventory Clerk.  I will have more time free for training for my new job and!  And I won't have to be on my feet quite as much.  Of course, we can't count our chickens before they're hatched, but I do expect a great and wonderful hatching.  God has good plans for us.  Actually, when He said that he was referring to Israel but I think He will not mind us applying it to our daily lives.

When I was going to work I got in a car accident on the 23rd.  A lady, a lady who attends my previous church, ran a stop sign and hit my driver side rear quarter panel.  That means she hit the back side/corner of my little Ford Focus.  It crunched most of the back end, spun me around, scrambled my brain, and made me hit a second SUV that was sitting at the stop sign.  I left a big piece of my bumper on the road, and my side airbag deployed.  That airbag saved me for sure from injury.  I went and got x-rayed because my shoulders and upper back hurt and the x-rays showed no damage.  I was relieved to know I was okay, but I was sore that day.  Still went to work because I can work and be sore just as well as I can lay around and be sore.  Everyone, the doctor included, said I'd be more sore the second day but I was less sore!  I attribute that to Zumba and the goodness of God.  Not necessarily in that order either.

She said, "The sun was in my eyes and I didn't see the stop sign."  At the time I wondered, why is she saying that?  It's 8am and we all witness the sun is up in the sky and to the right; me, the lady in the second SUV who stopped and helped me, the paramedics, and the police.

Now I wait for an insurance adjuster to tell us what the damage amounts to.  Our car is only two years old.  We still owe thousands on it.  It is not drivable so I have to drive my husband's big truck while my poor little car sits at the collision place for now.  I loved that little car.  Bought it with money I inherited from Uncle Jim.  Will they call it repairable or totaled?  How is this going to work out for us?  Badly?  I was anxious from thinking on it, but decided the anxiety serves no purpose.  Be anxious for nothing, God reminds us.  I have to let it go and pray God gives us wisdom to handle properly whatever comes our way.

Everything we have comes from God.  We owned the car.  The car does not own us.

But I feel really sad about my car.

I missed work on Tuesday two weeks ago.  Got a stupid virus.  Wanted to stay home a second day but couldn't bear to leave Greg at work alone.  Now I have a big, scabby, swollen cold sore on my upper lip.  If I'm not lucky I feel another one in my nose and another one on the corner of my mouth thinking about breaking out.  If I get three at once that will truly be a record for me.  I am a little tired from work, and Zumba, a car accident and a virus.  I have a bit of a ticklish cough.

Zumba is going exceedingly well though.  Thanks be to God.

A young woman stopped and helped me when I had the accident.  She was extremely compassionate.  Her first name was Maya or Mara and last name started with a G. She made sure I stayed seated till the paramedics came.  I was shaking.  I pray God will bless her for being so helpful to me.  I just couldn't think at first.  Took me five minutes, it seemed, to fumble about trying to get my driver's license out of my wallet.  I saw my sunglasses on the floor in the back.  Picked them up to put them back on but both the lenses were gone.  Popped out of the frame from the force of the hit I suppose.  The speed limit is 25 mph.  I don't think this much damage would have happened if she was going 25 mph.  She didn't brake at all before she hit me.

The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike.  The sun rises on the evil and the good.

My step-mom has been diagnosed with cancer in her breast.  They said it was precancerous but seems that was not so.  She anticipates she will have to have a mastectomy.  That's what the doctor told her.  But the good news is it hasn't spread from the breast.  That's very good news.  I called her right away.  Tried not to cry.  I prayed for her over the phone and we talked a long time.  She tends to be quite stoic and true to form, she is matter-of-fact about this and makes it clear has all her faith in God.  So we will navigate this road with God before us, beside us and behind us.  He is the God of angel armies.  Always by our side.  She said He is fighting her battles for her and she already knows who wins.

Our God is a good God.

Tomorrow I get baptized.

They haven't advertised the Manager job in the newspaper, but they got two or three apps besides Greg's.  I still believe Greg is the most qualified candidate.  We'll see what goes next week.  I bet they interview next week.  They know we need a third person soon.

I cooked up a smoothie.  Unsweetened coconut milk, wheat germ, ice, blueberries, 1 tbsp. honey, 1/2 cup orange juice, one banana, one scoop protein powder, one scoop vanilla ice cream.  I'm going to put it a bit less of ice cream each time I make it, but for now I want to be sure to make one that my husband will like.

I work in the Materials Management department as an inventory clerk and our manager walked out last Wednesday!  He quit. They increased my hours from 20 a week to 38 (which I agreed to) and every day so far has been a blur.  I've been so busy!  I never worked anywhere where a  boss just walked out like that.

My new hours are 8-4:30pm, MWF, and 8-3pm, T/TH.  With these hours I can come home and rest a bit before Zumba.  I was so tired tonight before Zumba but it's amazing...I do Zumba and always feel better afterward.  Tonight I had 19 students.  It was so very much fun.  When we were ready to do the last song, a stretch routine, one of the women said, "Is it over already?"  Haha!  Yeah, I had 59 minutes of dance-fitness in the playlist.  The music makes the hour go by so quickly.

Today I learned the first half of creating a purchase order.  I learned how to replenish the Med-Dispense drawers in the Emergency Department.  I like working with Greg.  He is never mean or rude.  He's real easy to work with.  And he's training me to do his job.  He's trained me since I first hired on so it feels natural and I'm comfortable working with him.  He applied for the manager job and I feel confident that he'll get it.  He knows the computer system well and he knows the inventory extremely well, and he provides good customer service.  He's a shoo-in in my opinion.  The Human Resources lady is gone till Thursday so we're waiting to see if they advertise the position or just interview him.  Whatever they do they better do it fast because it's a lot of work for two people and there's no part of it we can just ignore until we do get a manager.  We have to deliver supplies.  We have to receive shipments.  We have to order the supplies.  There's nothing we can put off or take a short-cut on.

My step-mom is having a lumpectomy.  I hope it's a small lump and we're so happy she needs no further treatment.  We're all so glad. We've been concerned for three weeks.

No Revelation Wellness scholarship for me.  Meh.  Too bad, so sad.  I do wish Lisa would have emailed me and confirmed as soon as she knew that I didn't get anything.  She could have spared me a long week of anticipation and hope and wondering.

So where does this leave me.  Surely I don't need this one single certification.  I won't deny, it woulda been nice!  But it was a "wanna have" not a "hafta have."  Right?  (I try to convince myself.)

I sure wish I had listened to my dance teachers all those years when they explained what the muscles were that caused each movement.  I thought it dull and tuned it out. I just wanted to move.  Psoas?  Pish posh, who cares where it is and what it does?  Well, 25 years later, I do.  Should have applied myself more.  "Shoulda, woulda, coulda" as my husband says.

What do I want.  I'm most interested in developing flexibility and strength.  Now Yoga seems like the perfect thing but I'm not into the eastern aspect of yoga and this town is already saturated with yoga and masseuses anyway.  One of my favorite college classes was called "Stretch and Flex."  My dance instructor taught it.  That's the kind of class I would like to lead here.  It would complement Zumba.  And stretching, flexibility, strength and balance are so important to everyday living.

One thing she said that has always stuck with me was "How do you define physically fit?"  How?  She said, "If you can do everything you want to do, then that is physically fit."  So if you wanna climb cliffs or be an extreme skateboarder you gotta have a certain level of fitness to do that.  If you wanna be able to vacuum and do the marketing, you have to have a certain level of fitness for that.  She absolutely loved dance, but had a back injury.  It was sad, but she still taught.  She said she wanted to set an example and she did.  She wasn't the best dancer but she loved dance with a passion.

Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

What a glorious day.  I got up kind of early, I forgot what time, but it was earlyish.  Got on my computer.  Took a shower.  Washed my hair.  Went on the "Walk Across the Dam" at noon and it was a beautiful walk.  This is a pic of some of my Zumba crew.  The end of the dam had a fence so I said we have to all touch the fence to make our walk complete before we go back.

On your left is Mayela, my closest friend.  She's Costa Rican.  Next, with the cap is Jeanie from New York.  She was married 30 years and her husband passed on only a few months ago.  She is grieving, and misses him so much, but she smiles often in spite of her pain.  Me in the middle.  Then Kathy with the gray scarf.  She is the one who goes hard for Jesus.  She is the servant leader to goes to Juarez with Bibles, food, clothing, and the Good News.  She talks a lot and if I'm on my deathbed it's she that I would call for to talk to me about the Lord when I'm on my way out of the world.  Then the blond is Susan and she's my new prayer partner from my new Baptist church.  

I cooked last night.  Beef teriyaki with broccoli.  Or rather, beef teriyaki with broccoli mush.  I microwaved the broccoli, then put it in the pan to saute it with the onion and it was immediately apparent that that's too much cooking for the poor little broccolies.  I was still exceedingly pleased with myself because all the chopping and preparing was effort, and I gave myself credit for that.  The people eating it, otherwise called "my family" were down in the mouth because the specter of my main dish was, admittedly, visually disgusting.  Yet I am discouraged not!  This cooking thing is a process.  I will make it a second time and I just know it'll be better.  I made a salad for my husband tonight and we've eaten greens like three times last week.  I was practicing for the rollout of 2014!

"Holy motion."  I read about it on The Christian Post.  I like that term.  I found it in "However, the idea that holy motion toward the things of God indicates saving faith is not works salvation at all. Rather it highlights an important distinction: there is a difference in the efficient cause of salvation and the evidences of that salvation."

Tomorrow it's back to work and back to Zumba.  We had no Zumba Tuesday and I sure missed it.  We all did.  I hope for big classes this month!

Our God is great and greatly to be praised.  I'm still asking God to let me get that scholarship for Revelation Wellness.  I will find out by Friday.  They wrote me and said "depending on circumstances" I may still get a scholarship.  I've no idea what those circumstances can be, but  I want it so badly.  Now I'm waiting on the Lord.  I've done my part.  He knows already how it will turn out and he knows my heart - for better or for worse.  In the meantime, I am exercising my faith muscles as I await an answer from the Rev Well peeps.

Sometimes I think I'd be really good at it and sometimes I worry and think I have no right to be even thinking I can do it.

2006 Repost

Today is the last Sunday of the year!  I'm off to church in about 25 minutes.

I happened across a post from 2006 that still cracks me up in 2013.  It's from a woman who clearly has some issues.

http://alittlegrace.blogspot.com/2006/12/new-years-post-from-person-with-issues.html

I'm on a reading binge.  I'm reading "Pilgrim's Progress" and it's very good.  A friend of mine said she didn't care for it at all but I definitely like it.  It's a Christian classic.  My pastor mentioned it and so I decided to check it out. The Slough of Despond!  Look for the steps!  They're there but while were in the slough we fail to see them.

And "The Daniel Diet" which I'm 1/3 way through.  [Oops, I meant "The Daniel Plan."]  I like it too although I'm no fan of Rick Warren.  I want to buy a vegetarian cookbook now, but went to Amazon.com and was overwhelmed with choices.  So I still haven't picked one.

"Addiction & Grace" by Gerald G. May, M.D. - Only on page 22 and about 75% reads like pablum to me with a few grains of absolute truth.  For example, because of our addictions we simply cannot, on our own, keep the great commandments.  We try.  We want to keep them.  It's our deepest desire.  But we fail.  Has about 100 reviews on Amazon.

"Forgotten God" - Haven't started it yet but it has 485 reviews.  The title alone appeals to me more than "Addiction & Grace."

And I found a fabulous set of sermons on the Book of Nehemiah.  They're downloadable at Nehemiah: Rebuilding the Walls.  I've listened to two others by Ray C. Stedman, but this Nehemiah one is the best.  Such a nice sense of humor he has.  "Now let's turn to the Book of Nehemiah.  I'll give you about five minutes to get there."  Haha!

Couple hair pics from today before churchity-church.  I got new boots.

Well, my husband had a little heart attack in October.  He's doing really well now and hates all the pills he has to take now.  I was super scared for a couple days.  I became a Southern Baptist and am gonna get baptized soon.  Zumba is going really well.  Best winter ever.  I've had 10 to 20 students lately.  Last year at this time I had four to eight.  It's such a blessing.  Let's see there was one other thing...forgot it now I guess.

Blogging.  Well, I don't enjoy as much.  I loved when blogging first began and everything was so anonymous.  Nothing is really anonymous anymore.  Easy to get IP addresses and physical locations now.  The newspapers can cherry pick your statements and print anything out of context they want and make you sound like a horrid, horrid creature.  Kind of takes the wildness and the joy out of it.

I miss the old days.

But I love music and dancing and God and my husband.  I love studying the Bible and talking about it with people.  Who could ever take a crucifixion and turn it into something good?  Who?  God.  God could do that and He did.  He took a crucifixion and turned it into resurrection.  I love those mountains in front of us every morning.  I love our son but it doesn't feel like he loves me.  I love our other son.  Glad he's 35 and not 16.  Haha!

How beautiful are the feet that carry the Gospel.  My friends went to Juarez today and I'm so proud of them.  They took food and Christmas presents, Bibles and Good News.  I can't wait to see the pictures.  I sent a winter jacket for my girl; an 11-year-old named Anjelica.

Just give Blogger.com my mobile number and they'll make sure to call me if there's any unusual activity on my blog account.  Yeah right.  That's a real worry.  Not.  And I don't have a mobile phone either.

Zumba is going so well.  The chickadees from another class have stopped coming for now and I do hope they return.  I really enjoyed having them.  Class is going well is spite of their absence and for that I'm grateful.  I bought two cute Zumba light-up LED decals from the shop; one that I'll keep for my own car and one to raffle.  I hope whoever wins it will like it!

We've had blessed rain for two days.  It's been a magnificent monsoon season.  I've enjoyed it so much.  I was thinking I ought to find one single spot and take a photo from the same vantage point and see how the light and clouds and sky changes.

Today I gave eight hours of my paid time off to an employee at work.  Her dad had a stroke and she's taken time off work to care for him and is all out of vacation and personal time.  She's such a good daughter.  She's a super nice woman too.  I like her very much. 

My boss didn't get selected for a promotion.  They didn't even call him for an interview.  They interviewed one person to my knowledge and hired him.  Politics.  My boss would have been very good in that position.  Very good.  So, I shall continue as a part-timer which I'm content with.  Perhaps I'll start a Wednesday eve Zumba class.

We had a lovely rainbow out front yesterday.

I have Monday off!  Here comes a three day holiday w/e!

Tomorrow I will do some more housework.  Yay!

Might go to the chile festival this week-end.  Hatch, New Mexico, is the chile capital of the world.  For reals.

I have the sweetest kitty cat in the world resting in my lap.  I have to reach over her to type.  She doesn't mind.

It's possible that my manager may be invited for an interview for assistant controller where I work.  If he does, and if he was to get the job then I'd have an opportunity to go full time.  I really like part time.  But, I suppose if the opportunity presented itself then I would take it.  It might be hard to do my Zumba and work full time though.  Could I do it?  Even four hours a days wears me out sometimes!  I will put it in God's hands.

We want to put a 20' x 30' cement pad in the back.  I wanted cement as it would be nice to park on and wash the vehicles, but I didn't expect he'd want such a big one.  It will sure be nice though.  We'll be able to park the car and truck side by side.  We need a cover too, for shade.

We put our name on the mailbox yesterday.  Quite exciting to be sure!  My husband scraped the letters off and I stuck on the new ones.  The previous owner had only the husband's name on the mailbox.  I thought it odd to put only the man's name.  We put "The so-and-so's."  Well, not actually "so-and-so" but our last name as a family.  I think it's much warmer.  And I placed it diagonally on the box.  No one else has theirs diagonal!

Soon I must take a photo of my Madora comb for the hair board.  Five teeth have fallen off of it now and here I thought it was a quality comb when I bought it.  It's not quality at all.  The last tooth fell off right on my counter.  I didn't drop it or anything.  I picked up my comb and simply saw that yet another tooth fell off.  And I had hoped to save this comb for posterity.  Sheesh.  I have to find a new good comb now.  I use it every day.

I'm doing a new routine for Zumba tomorrow.  I really need to practice before I go to bed.  Last night I had 15 in class.  That's a cool $75 bucks.  It makes me so happy to have such a full class.  I take time to talk with them after class and it's such a blessing.  Last night one student gave me a handmade macrame rosary that she made and another gave me some crushed seashells to use in my organizer in my bathroom.  She loves to organize and she gave me the idea to set my mascara and small items in the seashell filler.  Similar to putting hairsticks in a bowl of rice to hold them in place.

My husband is working all week-end for the holiday.  No time off till next week.  I wonder if I get Monday off for Labor Day?  No one has said anything.

Wrrd is, they're talkin' about me at church cause I've missed three weeks in a row.  No wonder my ears were burning.  No one has chastised me though.  Heck, I'd be chastising all over the place if my friends missed three weeks.

Boss asked me today about what church I go to and about rumors he'd heard.  I told him they're not rumors.  He listened intently.  He seemed, hmmm, sympathetic, I think.

My very good friend walked through the sanctuary Monday and saw left over juice and wafers from communion just laying on the floor.  She was very upset.  I know it's symbolic but it's wrong to leave it out like that.  What's worse than that?  Leaving people's prayer requests spread out.  She said the new pastor and the youth pastor saw them and did nothing.  Tuesday, the leftover communion cups and wafers had been picked up... but the prayer requests were still there.  That's sacrilegious.  Just thinking of it makes me want to cry.  What's wrong with people?  As long as they are there and the same board remains at that church, I will not go there.  It's not right.

My current favorite song, "If We Are The Body" by Casting Crowns.
  

I saw an article tonight that began "Marriage is a lot of work."

Maybe we're well matched or maybe I'm just very lucky.  Work is work.  Housecleaning is work.  Raising children is work.  My marriage makes everything easier. I love him so much.  I can't think of anything 'work' about it.  Not in all these almost 30 years has it ever been work.  He's made me mad a couple times, but that's not work.  I've made him mad much worse.  I love him so much. 

Did a bunch of housework yesterday.  Got a sore back because of it but I just couldn't stop.  The fixtures in the kitchen are so shiny.  My husband replaced them for me.  Everything I do, I see some other little thing I need to do.  Dirt in the narrow runner of the window.  Stains in the carpet that I didn't notice at first.  Dried glue on the edge of the counter that I thought was egg yolk but turns out it was a sloppy repair job.  Well, it's not like buying a brand new house.  When we bought a brand new house it cost like $150 just to buy light bulbs for all the sockets.  Here, there are light bulbs and toilet paper already.  I like brand new, but I like this too.

I want to take out all the screens in the windows so we can see out better. 

A guy at church gave me his phone number on a piece of gum and asked me to call him.  He's kind of handsome and married and drives a Harley.  I nodded and smiled but I haven't gone to church for three weeks.  I wish my husband came sometimes.  I must go next week.  My friend texted me this morn and said, "God is looking for you."  Haha!  I shoulda told her he found me at Lowe's.  Well, I gotta go to church next week no matter what.

This evening when I sat outside for a bit I heard an owl hoot nearby.

I wake up every morning happy to open my eyes.  And I go to sleep every night thankful to have our very own place.  There's so much sky.  I can see the clouds forever.  We love it here.

Yesterday I ordered some Lush products.  A woman in my class gave me the littlest bar of Lush soap as a gift.  It made my skin so soft that I decided to go to the website and order some.  I got carried away and spent $70.00.  Lush is located in Vancouver, Canada.  The products are handmade and biodegradable.  Everything in the ingredients I am able to pronounce.

King of Skin $13.95 Body Butter (Cocoa butter)
Smooth onto wet skin just out of the shower, towel off – and you’re left with royally soft skin.  Good for after you shave your legs.

It sounds nice and easy and faster than applying lotion all over.

Sultana of Soap $6.40 Reviews say it smells nice, lathers well and moisturizes.  I dunno.  We'll see.

Ro's Argan Body Conditioner $32.95  Scoops of cocoa butter, cupuacu butter, almond oil and Argan oils, and the fragrant scent of fresh rose petals, this is the most luxurious body softener that ever was (if we don't say so ourselves!). After washing up, slather yourself all over with this new invention. Rinse, pat dry and revel in supremely soft, rose-scented skin.

Reviews indicate a lot of people use it as a lotion because they want to use every bit and not see any go down the drain.  Supposed to be super moisturizing.

 Ultrabland (that's not a typo) $16.95 Non-irritating beeswax cleanser.

A hugely popular cult product, Ultrabland is a thick, rich emulsion of essential oils, honey and beeswax to take off any make up or residue that has built up on your face throughout the day. Unlike most make up removers, Ultrabland leaves your skin feeling soft and nourished, thanks to soothing rosewater and iris flower extract. Suitable for all skin types.

The "suitable for all skin types" is key.  I will try each thing one at a time to make sure I'm not allergic.  I told the lady who gave me the soap in my class that I'll give her a little bit of these products to try, since she turned me on to Lush products.  I hope they work well for me.

My Zumba class is going well and so I have extra funds for these things which I do not need.  I've been making $70 a night.  Apparently something terrible is going on with one of the other instructors in town.  I feel very badly for her and her family.  I haven't seen her but I hear she's put on weight and is using drugs and alcohol, and I know she's been kicked out of her church.  She is in terrible distress.  I don't know what's going on, but God does, and so  I pray for her when I drive by her house to work in the mornings.  In the meantime, the hardcore Zumba devotees from her class have been coming to mine.  They are a real sweet group of girls.  It really makes the class fun when there are so many people.

Tomorrow is Saturday.  My husband has to work noon to 9pm which I don't like.  I will do housework.  I'm...looking forward to it.  I am!