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Thursday, June 26, 2008

Changes

Denny called me from work yesterday afternoon and told me to sit down. What he said next is NOT what I was expecting... They fired him; he hadn't sold enough cars. (Next week his insurance would have begun AND they would have to pay him the "signing bonus" they promised.)

Well, the bad comes with the good, so we're not complaining. We'll just wait in hope and see what God has in store for us. (All things work together for good to those who love Him. Ro 8:28) Denny's already started checking the Classifieds.

In the meantime, it's a gorgeous summer day here in Billings, MT, and I hear country music through my open windows. Yesterday evening we had another 10-minute thunder storm.

Life is good.

And it sure is interesting, isn't it!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

What Are You Reading?

Summer vacation is true luxury! I've been reading my Bible for hours each morning, while sipping my favorite drink (a very good imitation of those expensive coffee house blended frappes).

I usually get up about 5 or 6 AM to pray, then I take out my King James Bible, which is less than a year old (a lovely gift from Julie and Mandi!), so it's not marked up yet, and I'm doing my best to color and underline where needed. I fell behind when I got sick, so had to catch up, and I can't read for long at night, so my best studying is in the morning, and I love being able to do it for HOURS! What a great foundation to begin each day.

My night reading happens after I lay down and before I fall asleep, so very often it's only 5 minutes! Right now, I'm reading between two fictional series that are a lot of fun and very sweet.

The first series was recommended by my mom. The author is Alexander McCall Smith, who wrote The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency and subsequent books about Mrs. Precious Ramotswe who lives in Botswana, Africa and becomes... you guessed it... a detective! It's an addicting series full of hope and sweetness and a lovely view of Africa. Here's the official web site in case you're interested: http://www.alexandermccallsmith.co.uk/

The second series is a quilting-murder-mystery series by Earlene Fowler (http://www.earlenefowler.com/index.html). Each book in the Benni Harper mystery series is named for a quilt pattern, and the heroine is a quilter, of course, and she's always doing fun and interesting things besides solving murder mysteries. Ms. Fowler is a Christian, so you don't have to wade through the disgusting, grisly, ugly details that other authors feel they have to include in their stories. The books are quick and easy to read, and good values are presented in a fun way throughout each book.

What are YOU reading?

Friday, June 13, 2008

Important Life Questions

Some days I'm very introspective. I did a lot of cleaning today, and I'm always introspective while I'm cleaning.

The same three questions keep popping up for me, as a recurring theme in my life. I'll throw them out here with my answers. Maybe you've thought about them, too.

1. What is your greatest fear in life?
My greatest fear is that people won't like me, or will disapprove of me, or will be disappointed in me. One one level, that impacts every human interaction I have. It makes me shy. It makes me wish I was smarter, or had a better education, or a better sense of humor. On another level, it impacts my relationship with God every single moment. Obviously, I'm not perfect because I'm human, so I already fall far short of His goal, and there's no way to achieve that goal.

2. What would you do if you were told you only had a few months to live?
I would be more bold in the way I live my life. I would give my honest opinion regardless of how other people's impression of me might change. I wouldn't be a wall flower; I'd KNOW others would want a relationship with me. I would study, fast, and pray more often to build my relationship with God; He's the most important thing in my life, but I'm not sure He knows that because I let other things interfere too often.

3. We're all dying, from the moment we're born. Our time here on earth is limited. Knowing THAT, what are you going to do about questions 1 and 2?
That's the big question for me. Time goes so quickly, and we must make the best use of it. I was always a good student, but life is not like school; am I failing Life 101? I have a plan, but sometimes I have to remind myself of it. As much as I'd like it to be, life is not all about sewing or reading. Here's what I've come up with.
- Take a deep breath and be real, every moment of my life, even if taking that chance hurts.
- Re-evaluate my day before I sleep every night.
- Start my days with prayer and Bible study.
- Set aside time to fast and study.
- Be thankful for the time I have.
- Try to make progress on all my goals.
- Realize that each day is a chance for a fresh start - and sometimes you have to start fresh several times in the day.
- Take a deep breath and keep going.

One of my favorite quotes is by Ralph Waldo Emerson and it goes like this:
"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it well and serenely."

Good advice. Enough said.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Bliss and More Bliss

BOO HOO! My camera is sick right now. I'm not sure, but it may need a **complete hysterectomy** so I'll send it in to Kodak and see what they say. When it gets out of the hospital, I'll take pictures of my "finished" studio, which is very messy right now, even though I finally have a place to put everything... I'm creating!

MONDAY WAS BLISS -- Michelle called early to see if I wanted to go do some errands with her and the girls. We started at Michael's Crafts, but since my wallet was empty, I didn't find anything I needed. (The girls each got a CUTE pink foam cowgirl hat, and they've been galloping ever since. Giddyap!!)

Then I asked Michelle to drop me at Borders across the street while she did her shopping. She called me a few hours later to see if I was ready to go home. I hadn't read all the sewing / quilting books and magazines yet, so I told her I'd catch the bus home. Once all the books and magazines were read, I walked around the corner (stopping for lunch at McDonald's) to Barnes and Noble and read all of their sewing / quilting books and magazines.

Denny finally called me about 5:30 to see where I was (he got off work early), and since I was ready for dinner, he came and picked me up. I thoroughly enjoyed my day visiting the books; I think I'll do it again very soon!

Time + books = total bliss

MORE BLISS -- Yesterday, Nadara picked me up and we went shopping for a new sewing machine for her. Hancock's was hosting a sale on Singer student models. These machines sew AND serge -- for $99. They're left-over stock from high school orders, so should be good machines.

After Hancock's we went to Hobby Lobby, which I had never been in before. What a gi-normous store! We checked out the sewing department, of course, and not much else.

Then we hit Joann's where Nadara found the perfect fabric for a sewing hussif. It's got all manner of sewing tools on a happy yellow background. She'll add solids (blue, green and/or red) for the insides of the hussif.

Speaking of hussifs, I finally finished writing up directions for my hussif, and will make them available for sale.