Roll Tide!: The Simple Woman's Daybook for Saturday, November 30, 2013

If you would like to join in and post your own Daybook, please head on over to visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window …  Cool and clear with those cobalt blue skies (as James Spann would say).

 

I am thinking...  about how I'm going to celebrate the Christmas season. My Thanksgiving celebration was great.

I am thankful... Today?  For thrift stores.

In the kitchen...  keeping it light since I'm going to be snacking during the Alabama/Auburn game today.

I am wearing... sweatsuit.

I am creating... Finished a crochet quilt this week.  Now, on to Christmas projects

I am going... To a friend's house to watch the Iron Bowl.  (Roll Tide!)

I am wondering... what in the world I would have done without the internet.

 

I am reading... Nothing today. 

I am hoping... that I can find some creative ways to celebrate the holidays.  I'm also hoping to find a good job before the new year.

I am looking forward to... A great week, the beginning of the Christmas season, more fun and more laughter.

I am learning… that there is strength in numbers and weakness in solitude.

Around the house... piddling.

I am pondering...   on how to see my dreams come to fruition.  I heard John Maxwell say that dreams were free but the fulfillment of those dreams is costly, but worth it.  I understand that wish bone won't get me anywhere.  I'm just not sure what step one is on some of the things I want to accomplish. 

A favorite quote for today... In honor of today's Iron Bowl:  ROLL TIDE!!

 

One of my favorite things... University of Alabama Football.  (Roll Tide!)

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Watching the Iron Bowl today (Roll Tide!).  Church tomorrow.  Playing with the Community Band at the Lighting on the Square Monday night.  Sav-A-Life's Christmas Party Tuesday, and getting ready for the church Christmas concert, plus job hunting and working on Christmas projects.

A peek into my day...  here’s a picture of the crochet quilt I finished this week..

 

 

 

Thank You For Sharing: The Weekly Hodgepodge

Shout out to From This Side of the Pond for the Hodgepodge questions.

Are you settling for something?

I think there are areas of my life where I am still settling for mediocrity and mere survival.  I've still got many fears that are ruling what I do or don't do.  I'm trying to conquer them one at a time, but I'm still too settled. 

It wasn't that long ago almost every store in the US locked doors and turned out lights on Thanksgiving Day. This year many will be open all day Thursday, giving shoppers a jump start on 'Black Friday'. In your opinion is this a good thing or a not so good thing? Will you be shopping on Thanksgiving Day?

I think stores opening on Thanksgiving day is tacky.  I'm sure the people who thought this up aren't away from their families and working on Thanksgiving.  Of course, I'm not a big proponent of  Black Friday either...scratch that...I'm not fond of how people behave on Black Friday.  Thanksgiving day:  "I'm so thankful for what I have."  Black Friday:  "I'm gonna slap the snot out of anyone who gets in my way while I'm trying to by this thing / that thing."  My plan is to go NOWHERE near a store on Friday, not even a grocery store if I can help it.

Speaking of shopping... I saw a recent article on the twelve best shopping cities in the world. In order they are-New York, Tokyo, London, Kuala Lumpur, Paris, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, Vienna, Dubai, Madrid, Milan, and Seoul.  Ever shopped in any of the cities listed? In which city would you most like to pull out the plastic or cold hard cash?

No, I've never even been to any of these cities...yet.  If I could go shop in one of those cities, it would be London.  One city not listed I would like to spend some bucks in is Edinburgh, Scotland.  Have I mentioned that I have a fondness for the UK?

When did you last dine by candlelight?

Never have.

What do you have too much of?

Unfinished business...definitely.

The Hunger Games...are you a fan?  Did you read the book(s)?  Will you/have you seen the movie?  Will you/have you seen Catching Fire?  No spoilers please!

That would be a big fat NOPE on all counts.

Share your plans for Thanksgiving Day. The who, the where, the what...especially the what! As in what's for dinner?  If you're one of my International visitors, whose homeland doesn't celebrate American Thanksgiving (the whole world doesn't ya know!), then still tell us your plans for Thursday.

This year, I'm planning to do something I've never done before.  Our local Episcopal Church serves Thanksgiving dinner to the needy and those without somewhere to go for the holiday.  They've done this for years and I've never been able to help.  So, this year I'm going to help serve.  Afterwards, I've been invited to spend Thanksgiving with some friends.  Gonna be a goodn'.

Insert your own random thought here.

There are tons of Christmas songs, but not many Thanksgiving songs.  So, I thought I'd share a few of my favorites.

 Give Thanks - Mylon Lefevre & Friends

 

Thank You, Lord - Don Moen

 



'
Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

 

Oh Give Thanks - Paul Wilbur & Israel's Hope

 

 

Give Thanks to the Lord - by Israel's Hope (Audio only)

Five Minute Friday: Fly

Thanks to Lisa-Jo Baker at Five Minute Friday for the prompts.

 

GO!

"I wish that I could fly into the sky, so very high just like a dragonfly." - Fly Away by Lenny Kravitz

Flying is cool.  I've only been on two round trip airplane trips in my life and I enjoyed it.  No, it wasn't first class or fancy, but it was just amazing to be in the sky above the clouds.

I remember being a kid and tying a towel around my neck and riding on my bike imagining it was Wonder Woman's invisible jet.  I wanted to be a super hero and fly to the rescue.

Man, this is so random...

If you're ever been in the Marching Southerners, you know there is only one way to sing "I'll Fly Away."  :)

Flying is what I want to do in life.  I want to spread my wings and soar with the eagles.  This grubbing stumps with the turkeys is no way to be.

"Eagle's Wings" is one of my favorite praise songs (among about a million).

TIMES UP!

Draw Four!: The Weekly Hodgepodge

Shout out to From This Side of the Pond for the Hodgepodge questions.

What lesson has failure taught you?

I guess it depends on my definition of failure.  I see small failures as mistakes that can be corrected.  I can learn how to do things better from small amounts of failure.  Large scale failures teach me that I hate failure!  Those are things that can't be corrected quickly or easily, if at all. 

What decision are you glad you made?

The decision to be open and honest.  Holding my feelings in and trying to please everyone by pretending to be OK is very tiring.  Seems like the more honest I am, the more quickly I mentally recover and can move on.  Some people don't like it.  Oh well...

I've been a little bit surprised to see fully lit and decorated Christmas trees popping up for the past several weeks in friend's Instagram feeds. So tell the truth-is your tree up and decorated, and if so when did that happen? If not, when will you be decking the halls?

Nope, neither my tree nor my decorations are up yet,  I don't decorate until the weekend after Thanksgiving.  I don't officially listen to Christmas music until then either.  Yeah, I know, I'm having to listen to some to be ready for our Christmas concerts, but that's because I have to.

Solitaire-Poker-Rummy-Hearts-Go Fish-Old Maid...which game of cards would you most like to join?

Uno or Spades.  Yeah, I know those weren't the choices, but it's what I like.

This question comes to you courtesy of a Facebook friend, who once upon a time had a blog...When you're feeling stressed do you snack a lot or are you more the 'can't eat' type?

I wish I was more of the "can't eat" type, but no, I snack when I'm stressed.  I try to fight the urge, but don't always succeed. 

Have you ever reviewed a product or service on line? Was your review favorable or less than favorable?

Several, actually.  I've reviewed a CD, a book, and a piece of fitness equipment on Amazon.com. The CD and the fitness equipment were favorable (for the most part).  The book, not so much.

What was the best conversation you had yesterday?

A conversation I had with Mom.  I found out something new about my maternal grandparents.  I never knew that although grandma had some education, my sweet granddaddy never know how to read. I know that seems like a sad thing to hear, but it was actually inspiring.  From the stories Mom told me, her parents were very intelligent, hard working people.  That makes me proud.

Insert your own random thought here.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. II Corinthians 12:9-10

Hunting and Gathering: The Simple Woman's Daybook for Sunday, November 17, 2013

Outside my window …  Dark drizzling rain, but nice comfortable temps.

I am thinking...  about my upcoming week and how I can "leave the cave, kill something, and drag it back to the cave." as Dave Ramsey would say. 

I am thankful... that my long crochet project is almost finished.  Yes, I started another one.

In the kitchen...  too late to eat.

I am wearing... blue jeans and my Home Run jersey.

I am creating... I'm finishing up another quilt block-type afghan and I've started on Christmas items.

I am going... Going to visit with my mentor/hero tomorrow.  If the weather is good, I'm going bike riding on the trail with a friend.   

I am wondering... at the utter meanness of some people.  Not being critical.  I've been very mean myself at times and I was a very angry teenager and young adult.  I'm just glad God got ahold of me so I at least have a chance of culling my anger. I don't always succeed.  I've just seen where anger can take people.  Not pretty and full of regrets.

I am reading... blog posts from the other ladies from Five Minute Friday and Wednesday Hodgepodge.

I am hoping... that I can sleep in tomorrow.  I've been on the go this week and all weekend (practices, concerts, speaking engagements, church services) and I haven't taken a good rest day and I'm wore slap out.

I am looking forward to... a good week...no a great week.  I'm also looking forward to celebrating November birthdays with my Sunday School class.

I am learning… that God's love is so much deeper than I could ever fathom.  Nothing I have accomplished, no sorrow or pain that I've been healed of could have happened without Divine intervention and heavenly influence.

Around the house... I've been decluttering, so I'll try to finish that up. 

I am pondering...   on what kind of bass strings fit my guitar.  I know, it's not a very deep pondering, but the neck of this bass is longer than my old one, so the same brand of strings may not work. I'll have to research that.

A favorite quote for today..."I think I have become so soft living in California that I was beaten up by a cookie" - Craig Ferguson
 

"Vegans complaining about hot dogs is like the Amish being mad about gas prices." - Bill "Bubba" Bussey

One of my favorite things... the internet.

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Job hunting, studying, errands, practices, etc.

A peek into my day...  made it to the end of the Anniston, Alabama side of the bike trail yesterday.  A good 12 mile ride with friends.  The other end is at the Alabama/Georgia line...now that will take some training. 

 

 If you would like to join in and post your own Daybook, please head on over to visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook (http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/) . Thanks for stopping by.

Five Minute Friday: Tree

Thanks to Lisa-Jo Baker at Five Minute Friday for the prompts.

 

GO!

I love that God made trees.  Trees give us the colors of the seasons.  Spring trees like the Bartlet Pear gives a display pretty white blossoms to shout "Hello spring!"  Crepe Myrtles and their crinkly pink blooms tell of summer.  All the leaves on the ground in their rainbow of deep browns, yellows, and oranges signal fall and football season (Roll Tide).  When all the leaves are gone and trees go to "sleep" reminds me that winter is not forever and the trees will awake again with new life.

I would love to have a treehouse someday.  I've always thought those were so cool, but I've never actually been in one--only saw them on TV. Just my own little getaway in the sky amongst the birds.  Maybe mine will have a tire swing on a strong branch for the kids of the family (and maybe even Auntie) to swing on and fly high. 

TIME'S UP!

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?: The Weekly Hodgepodge.

Shout out to From This Side of the Pond for the Hodgepodge questions.

Describe a typical Sunday from your childhood.

A typical Sunday morning in my teen years consisted of getting up, eating breakfast, and going to Church.  After church, I headed home and settled down my room in front of the radio to hear Casey Casem's "America's Top 40" radio broadcast.  I loved 80's music (still do), and couldn't wait to hear little tidbits about the artists and songs.  Sunday evenings were spent at evening church service, then home to do any unfinished homework, eat dinner, watch a little TV (If Mom and Dad were watching something I wanted to watch--I didn't have my own TV) read, or listen to music, then off to bed.

How comfortable are you with uncertainty? Explain.

It depends on the type of uncertainty.  I understand that I can't know everything or plan for the unplanned, but I don't like having a future that is so up in the air and interdependent on so many external factors.  I'd like to be more of a captain of my own destiny.  I can trust God with my future-- I'm just not sure I can trust me with it.

What have you accomplished recently that might be described as crafty, as in 'arts and crafts' crafty?  If crafty doesn't work for you, how about handy? Or both?

I'm a crafter, so I've always got something brewing.  I recently finished crocheting a doll dress (pictured here) and a painting of cherries and pansies in pitchers (I forgot to photograph it before I donated it).  I've got several other projects going, so if I don't get in too big of a hurry, I'll have pictures to post later.

Have you ever worked in a 'food place'? What did you take away from the experience?

I worked at the now defunct Hardees in Piedmont, Alabama one summer in 1993 or 1994.  I learned (1) I hope I never have to do it again--it's a food addict's nightmare (it's like an alcoholic working at the liquor store) (B) I don't know what I hate more, dealing with the drive through window, or dealing with rednecks in the drive through window (I did mention this was Piedmont right?), and (3) I learned that I was never so ready for fall classes to start my entire post secondary education.

Cold turkey, talk turkey, what a turkey...in recent days, which turkey phrase or idiom best applies to you and why? Click on the word turkey if you need to read more about the meaning behind each phrase.

Neither, really.   And, no, not Wild Turkey either.  **grin**

If you could have any one guest join your Thanksgiving dinner table, who would it be?

Evangeline Pate, my best friend from high school who took me to church and introduced me to Christ.  I haven't seen or heard from her since she moved away when I was 15.  I owe her so much for not only being a great friend and loving me into the Kingdom of God, but she's also one of the reasons I wanted to learn to play drums and march in the band.  I wish I could find her, but have had no success.  If she's married, I do not know what her married name is. 

What is one thing you must accomplish today?

There's nothing I must accomplish today.  There are lots of things I would like to accomplish.  Hmmm...it's not really a must, but I would like to do well in Choir practice.

Insert your own random thought here.

You know me, when I can't think of something to say, I share a video.  BTW--song #3 is my favorite.  :) 

Five Minute Friday: Truth

Thanks to Lisa-Jo Baker at Five Minute Friday for the prompts.

 

I started to not participate this week because I thought we'd done this post already, but the prompt was actually "true."  So here goes.

GO!

I care too much about truth...other people's interpretation of the truth.  I do things (or don't do things) worrying about what others will think about it--their truth about it.

Jesus said that the Word of God was truth (John 17:17).  Is this the truth I worry about?  Is this the truth I focus on most?  Sadly, no.  I see others take this truth and twist it to their own benefit and to the harm of others.  Most of it comes from not knowing the truth in the first place.  They do not know the Person of Truth, nor do they know His Word of Truth.  If we stuck to the reality of Biblical truth, more lives would be changed rather than destroyed.

The Bible says in Ephesians 4:15 to speak the truth in love.  Do I do that?  Or does good ol' "tell 'em like it is" get in the way?  I'm so anxious to speak truth, but do I speak it in love? Even when Jesus was chastising the religious crowd for turning God's Truth into a bunch of rules and regulations, He still spoke in love and of love.  When He threw the moneychangers out of the temple for thinking more of ill-gotten gain than the needs of people, He turned around and brought in the sick and hurting, healed them, and loved them.

TIMES UP!

PB&J and Whup Troy: The Weekly Hodgepodge

Shout out to From This Side of the Pond for the Hodgepodge questions.

My sister is celebrating a birthday today. Happy Birthday little sis! What's one way you're like your siblings?  If you don't have siblings how are you like your lifelong best friend or cousin?

None of us know a stranger.  Some would call it nosey, but I call it a gift for making people feel comfortable enough to open up.

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of yourself at age eighteen?

Starting college and marching in the Marching Southerners

Sculptor-actor-painter-dancer...if you could excel in one of these arts, which would you choose and why?

Well, I'm already a painter, so I'd like to be better at it.  I'd like to take some formal design and painting classes.  I'd like to figure out how to get exactly what's in my mind or in a photograph to come out right on canvas.

Second in line would be acting.  I've not done any extensive acting and have had no lessons in it, but I'm interested in trying it.  Comedy and improvisation would be my specialties most likely.

What's a scent that takes you back in time, and where does it take you?

Can't think of one.  It may hit me later, but right now I can't think of any nostalgic smells. 

November is for Peanut Butter Lovers (National Peanut Butter Lovers Month).  Are you a lover or a hater?  What's your favorite dish/recipe that calls for peanut butter?

I love peanut butter.  It's one of my trigger foods, so I try to stay away from it now.  My favorite recipe that calls for it is a very simple peanut butter pie.  It will make you lick your eyebrows.

What do people thank you personally for most often?

Getting out their way, mostly. 

What event this year are you most thankful for?

The Mardi Gras 5k in Oxford, Alabama.  It was the first 5k I'd ever run.  It made me realize that I'm capable of much more than I think I am.

Insert your own random thought here.

5ks and Marching Southerners...Amazing how those two things are predominantly on my mind this week.  The Southerners reunion is this weekend and so is a 5k.  I'm choosing the 5k. 

Five Minute Friday: Grace

Thanks to Lisa-Jo Baker at Five Minute Friday for the prompts.

 

GO!

Grace--one of the greatest words in the English language, yet so misunderstood.  The Bible tells us not to frustrate God's grace, abuse His grace, or use His grace as an excuse to sin.  Yet, that's not how most of us treat it.  We treat grace as something we must deserve--something we must earn.  This thought is the very antithesis of grace.  This attitude is the very reason atheists and agnostics don't immediately latch on the tangible grace of God--because we Christians don't act like we believe it either.  Yes, there is God's saving grace through Jesus Christ, but grace goes way beyond that.  Grace and mercy are what wakes us up every day.  Grace and mercy are what carries us through situations we thought we'd never live through.  Grace and mercy are what holds us together when nothing else will.

"Grace, grace, God's grace.  Grace that is greater than all our sin..."

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see."

"Your grace is enough!  Your grace is enough!  Your grace is enough for me!"

TIME'S UP!