Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Work I Go...

But...I'm off to work in a brand new, beautiful office/shop. Here's a picture of the building. The front part is offices, and the back of the building is a HUGE shop:

Here's some pictures of me and my work area:

Whenever we go out into the Shop area, we MUST wear safety glasses! :0( They are SOOOO ugly (but necessary):

I'm done with the shredding now, but I have a new job. I'm cleaning the office on Saturday mornings. Lots of hard work but worth the extra $$ on my paycheck! :0)

Lots of Good Conversation

I recently read this in an article, “Women have a need to talk about their joys, frustrations, and disappointments on a regular basis. They are wired with a great desire to communicate with others. The interesting thing about a woman's conversation with another woman is that it is rarely competitive. Of course there are always exceptions, but typically, women try to relate in a relational manner that is warm and welcoming. Often, this includes conversation that is emotional or highly charged. Husbands don't typically communicate in the same manner because their brains are wired with the goal to fix problems. They tend to react rather than relate. Women need valuable communication that they can usually only get on a regular basis from other females.”

Well, I got that valuable communication with these two friends this week when Donna (on the left) invited Becky and I over to her new home for coffee, yummy blueberry muffins, and LOTS AND LOTS of conversation:

We were just visiting and visiting (or as those southern gals would say, “We were fellowshipping.”), when my stomach growled really loud. That’s when we looked at the clock and discovered it was 2:00 p.m. We had been talking since 8:00 a.m.!! Since we still had more to say, we went to Good Times Pizza and had a quick lunch before picking our kids up at 3:00!

I SO enjoyed “hanging out” with these two women!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of you!! Hope you had a great day!! Every year, I fix corn beef and cabbage (cooked in beer in the crock pot). We enjoyed a delicious dinner and fun fellowship around the table tonight:

We had corn beef, cabbage, spinach salad, fruit, green mashed potatoes,

And even green milk:

How Could I Be Lonely?

My life has really changed in the last couple of years. Since I am such a people person, sometimes I feel lonely. So, I'm thankful for this guy who hangs out with me and keeps me company during the day:

He follows me all around the house and even "helps" me make the bed sometimes:

Sometimes we play hide and seek together. Note: If he can't see you, then he thinks he is hidden. :0)

If I need to use the bathroom, he waits patiently, while hanging out in the sink, for me to finish:

Once in awhile, we take a nap together in the afternoon:

Yes, I DO talk to my cat during the day. Weird, I know. But, my cat listens to everything I say, never interrupts, never lets one of my secrets slip, and always has time for me.

YIKES!!

I've been having a "bad hair day"

for two months!!

I'm NOT kidding!!

God Is Good ALL The Time!

A couple of weeks ago, a dear friend of mine (pictured above with her husband) was hanging on to life by a thread. Many, many prayers from people all around the world were said on her behalf, and God answered so many of those prayers in a miraculous way. We prayed for her to survive, not one, but two brain surgeries to remove a tumor the doctors originally said was cancer. God answered those prayers! We prayed for her to “wake up” from her coma, and she did! We prayed that she would have “her wits about her” when she did wake up, and God answered that prayer! We prayed for it not to be cancer, and it wasn’t!!! I prayed for money to come in for a collection I was heading up for one of her family members, and God laid it on people’s hearts in a BIG way! I had never experienced so many answers to prayer in such a short time; prayers answered in just the way I wanted them to be answered. My response, many times throughout those weeks, was, “God is sooo good!”

And then I got to thinking (and, of course, Satan “helped” me by planting negative thoughts in my mind – all of which I listened to) about something I had been praying about off and on for over a year. Despite many prayers, the outcome wasn’t what I expected. Sometimes I would get discouraged, give up, and stop praying. My frustration comes because I think I know better than God. I decide how my prayer should be answered, and I am not pleased when the Lord’s answer may differ from mine. While Jesus does promise that we will receive an answer when we ask (Matthew 7:8), He doesn’t promise that we will get what we ask for. Instead, He promises that we will get what we need. I have no idea why God answers different prayers in different ways except that He, being all-wise and all-knowing, is aware of what is the best for us - sometimes that is to answer a prayer in the negative. Unfortunately, many times throughout this past year, my response has NOT been, “God is sooo good!”

It’s easy to believe God is good when your life is free from trials and your prayers are getting answered like you want. But do we believe God is good when our life is in turmoil, and we are not receiving the answer we want from God? As the Gaither Vocal Band sings, “God is good, yes He is. He’s good all the time….He’s not good just now and then, He’s good all the time!” Let’s not just say the words, let’s really believe them!!

These Shoes Were Made For Walkin'

Enrollment Fee: $0

Monthly Dues: $0

Enjoyment and Pleasure: Priceless

Years ago, when Lyle went to first grade and was in school all day, I started walking three days a week at the Mall. If I would have been faithful all these years with my walking, I probably would have been a swimsuit model in New York by now (and all of you would have been jealous and hated me, right?). Recently, I decided (with some encouragement from my friend Carmen)to start walking at the Mall once again.

I know most of you love to walk outdoors or work out at a Gym, but I LOVE the Mall!! It's nice and cool when it's hot outside and nice and warm when it's cold outside. And...the people are soooooo wonderful!! Many of the people remembered me from before and welcomed me back. Boy, did that make me feel good!

It gives me such pleasure to see this one couple walk with their arms around each other. Yes, they could walk faster and better without their arms around each other, but it is such a great sight to see. Then there's another elderly couple that makes me smile. She must have had a stroke or something, and he holds her arm and hand and helps her walk. Then there's a girl and an older man who have lost soooo much weight, and they are such an inspiration to me! On Tuesday, I asked one man how he was doing. His response was great: "I was able to get out of bed this morning, and I'm walking and breathing. So, I'm wonderful!" Everyone smiles at each other, waves, or calls out, "Good morning!"

And, the extra blessing is that three days a week my friend Carmen and I get to chat and catch up on what's happening in each other's lives.