All Is Well

It has been awhile since I've posted.Since starting my new job about five weeks ago, I have been so physically and sometimes emotionally exhausted I can't think straight. I come home at night after being gone nearly twelve hours, two of them from travel, all I want to do is crash....and so I do. I sometimes go to bed before it's completely dark. And that's not good because the seasons are about to change and it's getting dark much earlier! Ugh! But all is well. I'm settling into the job nicely.

Oh No!!

With two very difficult days of work behind me, I came home last night to hear a hissing sound coming from my basement. Upon investigating I discovered my water heater was spewing water on to the basement floor. It looked as though it hadn't been doing it for long, even so there was a mess. And because I was so physically and emotionally tired I began to panic and cry and I called my sister and yelled, "what do I do, what do I do?" She made a couple of phone calls and my brother came over to do what needed to be done. So now I have no hot water. As I said before, I do not handle these types of crisis very well. But when this one was over, for the most part. I loaded up and left the house! I went to the Laundromat, and then went and had myself one of my favorite 'comfort food' sandwiches.....Arby's. Then I went to the grocery store and bought myself a much deserved donut. I had been so excited, I got off work early and was home sooner than normal. But when all was said and done, I didn't get settled in my chair until after seven p.m.

Today is Saturday, I have no hot water at home. But I'm not going to let it concern me. I have water. Lots of people don't. And I have friends who will let me borrow their shower! Hope they don't want me to return it. :-)

Anyone want a kitten? I have three that need a home!

One Thing.....

One thing I miss now that I'm back to working full time......time to myself during the day! I miss my afternoon naps, my errand running, checking Facebook and e-mail and WRITING!!!

Day One

My first day as a full time Nanny. I'm exhausted yet invigorated. The drive home was long and tense as I am coming home in after work traffic. Not used to that. People are maniacs out there. In a hurry to get home. I do the speed limit, they pass me like bats out of heck and still end up setting at the stop light next to me. I will be going to bed before it is dark! :-)

See What a Smile Can Get You

I had such a busy day yesterday that I decided to sleep in this morning. When I got up I decided I needed to take my journal and go to the local Starbucks for a cup of good coffee. After I drained the first cup I went up to get my .55cent refill. The clerk said, "you remind me so much of my mother in law when you smile. You walked in and smiled before you ordered and I thought I was looking at her." We chatted briefly and then she handed me my refill and said, "it's on me." Then she smiled and walked away.

I know it was only fifty five cents, but see what  a smile can get you! I sat back down, thanked the Lord for an extra shot of favor for the day, got a little tear in my eye.....and burned my tongue on the refill! Had to laugh though.

Life is fun.

Be careful what you ask for.........

This morning while I was at breakfast I was reminded of something I heard yesterday...."What's in our heart, comes out of our mouth".

I treated myself to a $4 breakfast at Denny's. The hostess sat me next to a table of "adults" and one young kid, he was probably 12 or 13. Of all the empty tables, the hostess had to set me next to these people. That's what I get for asking God to give me divine appointments!

Most of the conversation between these people was to loud and to personal for public consumption. At least I didn't want to hear it.

This poor kid got harped on so much about one thing and another. He was told he needed to grow up, start taking responsibility and quit being a mommas boy. I could just see the defeat on his face. I thought to myself, "well maybe if momma would stop pulling his head into her visible cleavage that is hanging out for the world to see, he could grow up".

And the language they used toward him and in front of him. I mean come on, who needs to grow up? These were older adults, well dressed, except maybe for momma who for a woman her size needed to be dressed a little more nicely.

Then the kid accidentally knocked over his soda, spilling it on his aunt. What happened was she sat down and he moved to make room for her and over went the glass of ice. Again producing lectures from who I think was his uncle.

I had about had it. I finally looked at them, caught the kids eye and gave him a sympathetic smile. When I did, his face lit up for the first time since I sat down.

I didn't need to say anything ( but boy did I want to ).

Maybe everything the adults were saying to the kid was true. But their tone and actions needed adjusting. You can really catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

Even hours later it is still on my mind and in my heart. I asked God to bless that kid. I should ask Him to bless the adults too with sense. :-)

How To Shop For Free......Book Review of sorts

I checked out this book at the library, "How To Shop For Free" by Kathy Spencer. It is full of "shopping secrets for smart women who love to get something for nothing". That would be me!

I have always been a coupon user. Lately I have started signing up online with all sorts of coupon sites. This book is chocked full of websites not only for coupons but websites of companies who offer freebies and discounts.

However, I do find  this book as with so many others out there on "saving", is geared to the "smart woman" who has a family. I am a Smart Woman, but it's just me so I don't buy in bulk. I guess I could, and then give it away. If I bought in bulk some of it would expire before I used it.

The only problem with printing internet coupons and such is that you use so much ink in your printer! And ink isn't cheap! There should be a webiste to find coupons for ink!

Do you coupon? What sites do you use?

Sale of a lifetime.....

Yesterday I woke up at my usual time and decided I was going to gather some stuff up and set up a table in my front yard in the hope that I would sell some things. Wow, that's a long sentence for just wanting to say I had a yard sale! ;-) Anyhoo, after getting all the stuff outside and on the table I started to set up a sign. And I began to giggle to myself. The sign did draw some attention. You know how people advertise their sales by saying, "Huge Sale" or "Big Sale"? I decided to be different and my big sign said, "Small Sale".  Teehee. Like I said, it drew some attention, however no one bought anything. Bummer. I'm going to try again today. Maybe I'll make enough money to buy some lunch! :-)

I'm Looking For......

I'm looking for some new recipes. Would you consider sharing one? I'm wanting easy and not expensive! I don't want to have to take out a bank loan to buy the ingredients! Please consider sharing a recipe on my Blog and if I make it I'll take a photo of the finished project!

What Gives?

While at my family reunion the other day I sat and looked at two of my cousins who are 65plus in age. They have both been married a time or two, both widowed a time or two if that makes sense. Yet they always seem to have a man in their life. Good Christian men. I mean where do they find them? Where do they come from? Do they have any young sons? Young grandsons? I'm not complaining I'm just wondering..........what gives?????!!! How come their 48 year old relative can't find a single date and men come out of the woodwork for them? Do they have something I don't? Do they know something I don't? Don't think so. Don't get me started. LOL

A Few Ramblings and a Question

I turned 48 last week. Ahhh, yes Facebook sentiments are nice but nothing beats a card in the mail or a phone call or a "hey I'm taking you out for lunch"!

I made the best of all those free meal coupons I got! Denny's, IHOP, TGIFridays!

I have my second annual family reunion tomorrow. Last year I was in charge of it all and it was beautiful weather. This year someone else took it over and it's supposed to rain.....I'm just saying. :-)

I'm eating a bowl of Captn Crunch .....what's your favorite cereal? I guess it is my appetizer as I am getting ready to go see my sister in 'the home'. She has requested a bologna sandwich for supper. Guess I better go make it for her.

Hello??

Surprise!

Those that know me well know that I frequent a local cafe here in town. Just about every Saturday morning I walk in at around seven a.m. and start my day with the rest of the regulars. I have met new friends and even done some networking there. This morning we had a surprise birthday party at 6:30 for one of the regulars who turns 80 today. She's a hoot. Turns out I went to school with her daughter. Small world. The person who hosted the party had a catered breakfast which was delicious. So one would wonder why I'm sitting here at home three hours later eating a pancake. We were afraid the birthday girl wasn't going to show up and I said, "well if she doesn't I'll stand in for her since my birthday is next Saturday."  Nothing like dropping a hint or two. :-)

The Plight of Mamma

I've been taking care of a stray cat for about a year now. She's had two litters of kittens that I have found homes for. She's a nice cat, doesn't 'stray' far from the house, gets in the car with me, is a happy cat. However a couple of weeks ago something happened to her tail. It has a patch where the fur has come off and it looks icky, not infected though. It doesn't seem to bother her. It does bother the two neighbor girls who were upset when the saw it. They came to the house with their mother and we talked about having the
'cat police' come and get it so that it could be taken care of. I then began to cry. I had to leave the house so that I wouldn't see them come and take her away. I drove around for a long time, did a couple of errands and when I started to head back home I saw the 'official' truck and decided to wait till it was gone. Finally I went back home and got settled, cried over the loss of a nice cat who I took care of and had a relationship with.

About an hour later I was in the kitchen and looked out the window and who did I see? You guessed it, there she was, looking in the window wondering where her dish of water was. I guess she bolted away from the 'cat police' ! Oh the emotions of it all.

What A Way to Start The Day!

At four thirty this morning, with the cat laying on me nice and cozy, we were both awakend with a start. My music box globe in the other room suddenly began to play. It hasn't been wound up in quite some time. It's a globe with an angel in the middle and the word HOPE on the front. The song, "Beautiful Dreamer". Yes it startled me. I jumped up and went to look at it thinking....well the worst I guess. Then I just relaxed and rolled my eyes and went back to bed. The song stuck in my mind as I went back to sleep. The first thing I did when I got up later was look up the lyrics to the song. I'll share them with you.

Beautiful dreamer,

Wake unto me

Starlight and dewdrops

Are awaiting thee

Sounds of the rude world

Heard in the day

Led by the moonlight

Have all passed away

Beautiful dreamer,

Queen of my song

List' while I woo thee

With soft melody

Gone are the cares of

Life's busy throng

Beautiful dreamer

Awake unto me

Beautiful dreamer,

Awake unto me

I got goosebumps reading them. And then I broke into tears. That was God waking me up and talking to me through these words. What a way to start the day!!!

News From the Frontline

So, what has been happening since we last gathered at the blogging hole? I have recently gone through training to be a Homecare Aide and I work with a local agency. We provide in home care and errand service to seniors. Three days of boring training, old videos and paperwork....I guess the training I got from my mother most of my life didn't count. :-) I continue to operate my business and have picked up another private client. I also continue to do basic housecleaning and laundry for private clients. A local business uses my errand service to shop for their office supplies and at times I even clean the office. I truly love what I do and do what I love.

In my spare time I continue to work on my mystery/romance story that my writer's group is helping me with. I have also started writing poetry. Go figure.

I love my Saturday mornings at the cafe where I sometimes meet with a new friend or set alone and write. It's nice to have a place to go to where "everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came." I walk in and hear "Jenny's here" and suddenly I'm catered to!

I continue to fully trust God for provision. Life has changed. And I know good things will come from this change, for one it has brought me closer to Him. Sometimes though, I prefer the type of change you find under the couch cushions!

Brief Note

Me and my sister

As I continue to trust God for all that is needed, I find that I have more peace. That sinking, fearful feeling that comes when you don't know how bills are going to get paid, doesn't come as often anymore. When the thought pops into my head I immediately tell the enemy to shut up and a smile comes over me. I have God, he is all I need.

An Example

I have an anonymous, discouraged, negative blog stalker who as long as they use bad language will not have their comments published. Sorry Charlie.

Here's an example of God's resources at work. I thought that yesterday was actually going to be my first day on the job, but there was a snafu. So I was a little bummed about that. However, the phone rang and it was a friend from church who owns a business and needed some errands done. There I was, to her rescue! I ran the errands, ( got some of my own down while on the job ) and got paid for it! I love it!! I needed that bit of money in my pocket and I totally believe it was a God thing.

Ahhhh....life

I have finished my job training and thought I was going to actually work today, but that is not the case. I don't know how bills are going to get paid, I need an income now. Have $40 to my name. But I remind myself that I serve a God who has plenty of resources and I seek Him daily for answers. Ahhhh, life.

And the winner is....

Congrats!

On The Job Part Two

It has been a busy week. I survived two 8 hour days of job training. There are four of us new employees. Thankfully we get along, we have had fun and gotten to know one another. The training consists of paperwork, watching video upon video, taking tests, more videos, more tests and discussion. My title is "Homecare Aide". I work for an angency that provides housekeeping, meal preperation, errand service to Seniors. I have never "worked" with Seniors before but I have gotten to know plenty of them at the nursing home where my sister is. I love to keep someone elses home, fix meals and run errands so this is right up my alley. Next week I have two half days of training. I have to go for a TB test and finger printing.

Whew! I have not had a "real" job like this in many years. I prefer to work privately for people and hope to get back into that very soon. But I am looking forward to the income!

I thank the Lord for how this has all come about and for what He has in store for me. :-) He is all I've got, He is all I need.

Book Giveaway!

It's been awhile since I've done a Book Giveaway....so lets have another go at it!

The book: "Destiny Thieves" by Sandie Freed

Description-Defeat Seducing Spirits and Achieve Your Purpose in God. God is offering you a destiny greater than any you have ever dreamed of as you seek to build His kingdom. But Satan is working relentlessly to distract, seduce and shame you into defeat. Read and discover how to thwart the plans of the enemy and enjoy the destiny that is rightfully yours.

Rules: To be eligible you must make a comment to this post and answer the following question.

"What is your favorite month of the year"

You must also post your first name.....ANONYMOUS posts will not be eligible.

Deadline is April 11th. Every ones name will be put into a basket and the winner will be drawn out. I will then contact you.

Have fun!

It all started....

Attention to my Anonymous commenter who is always telling me to..."get a job"...Guess what? I now have 2 of them!

But I digress......last week we received some rather distressing financial news. Instead of making any snap decisions we took the three day weekend to get into the Word and listen to what God has to say and to be at peace. I found I wasn't as panicky as I usually was. The bottom line was/is that in a few short weeks there will be virtually no money coming in from anywhere.

The business I have started is taking off. I do have a few clients but that isn't enough yet. I continue to pray about that.

A couple of weeks ago my Pastor's wife told me about a place that might just be up my alley to work for. I put it aside in the back of my mind for awhile. Today when I woke up I just knew I was supposed to go to this place. So I did.

I got an application.....took it somewhere to fill out and decided I should just take it back right away.

Stay tuned for PART TWO of this post where I will continue the story!

Bad News Question

I thought life was tough at the moment until I read the headlines in today's paper about someone I know.

I received some distressing news this week concerning my future as well as my sister's. Usually when I receive bad news I break down and all sorts of emotions take over. I have been known to panic and generally become a basket case. However, this time was a bit different. I took the news in an 'ok' manner, shed a few tears and yet I felt peace. Not totally 100% peace, but I knew it was there. I know that total peace is available. I know whom I trust. And the more I trust, the more I seek His face and His plan, the more peace I have.

What do you do when you get bad news?

Learning to.......

Have you ever given driving lessons to a loved one? Or have you ever seen a funny movie or television show where someone does?  Do you know how nerve racking it can be to set in the teachers seat while the other person is in control ( hopefully ) behind the wheel?

Recently I gave some lessons to a family member on how to use a new computer, maneuver through e-mail and the Internet. I admit, I was a wreck when it was all over. My loved one wasn't familiar with a built in mouse. She didn't know what clicking on 'this' or 'that' did, "Stop, stop, what did you just do, how did you just do that"? My response was, "it doesn't matter, you wont need to do it". My patience grew thin.

Ok, so it wasn't as tense a situation as teaching someone to drive. But it was close. And it is now laughable. And a worthy subject to write about.

Life

I've just been plain worn out lately. There are a couple of things in my life that just wears me out and at the moment there really isn't anything I can do about it, except stand my ground.

I know some people that are in the process of adopting a 2 year old orphan from China. They are in need of some major $$ to complete the process and actually travel to China to bring their new daughter home. God has been faithful  beyond belief from the beginning and will continue to be so until they get her home....and every day in their lives thereafter. Please join me in praying for continued swiftness to the process. That the money needed will come in soon and continued blessings will flow through it all.

They are cutting down trees across the street from me. It's taken three days so far. You know how noisy that process is? Three days of it starting at seven each morning. I complain not. It will be different without those trees that have been there since I was born. Less shade.

I baked a strawberry cake yesterday, from scratch. Complete with real strawberries, pink frosting, ( not from a can ) and decorated it with real sliced strawberries. And then I ate it. Well, not all of it! :-) I should have taken a picture of it before I cut it. Next time!

Events

It was an eventful week. Actually I don't remember much about it except for Thursday and the fun ambulance ride I took to the hospital. Chaching! I woke up with a really bad cold and could just tell it was messing with the asthma, so I called an ambulance. I know how I sometimes get and I didn't want to let it get to that point. I went to one of my favorite local diners the other night for some good old walleye, and I carried in my Beth Moore Bible study book. I sat, I ordered, and the lady in the booth facing me said, "I notice you have a Beth Moore book".....we never stopped talking. Her and her husband used to have a prison ministry and he used to take his keyboard around different places to minister in music. We talked about a lot of stuff. I have had so many conversations about things in general just because of a Beth Moore study book, or my Bible. I love interesting things like that in life.

The Other Night

A few short years ago my very best friend and I had a parting of ways due to something she did that she shouldn't have. However because I chose to forgive her, we still talk. And the other night we actually got together for the third time. We just meet for a meal and conversation. Granted the conversation is usually just small talk but that's ok. Each time it gets easier. They say it is easy to forgive, but hard to forget. I find that very true. But the more I think about it, what she did back then becomes less serious to me now. I'm almost to the point of laughing about it. Almost, not quite.

Good News

It pays to be confident! I acquired two new business clients this morning. I had a well respected local doctor tell me they trusted me because I show such confidence in the fact that I smile a lot. Thanks! But I always thought smiling made people wonder what you were up to. ;-) I do know that it is contagious.

A picture

I thought I would post a picture of the place I go to for my inspiration. I especially love this picture because there is no snow on the ground!! CJ's Cafe, downtown Pekin. I took the picture on a Sunday so it was closed and the awning was not out, but this is where I go when I write, read, visit, surf the net, do my research, work on my Bible study and have coffee...and breakfast and lunch :-) 

A Poem

Ode To A Blizzard
By Jennifer Thomas ( C )

You came, you saw, you dumped


A ton of snow on us


You wreaked havoc with traveling


You caused the electricity to malfunction


But worst of all you kept me in my house for twenty four long hours


Though there was plenty to occupy my time


I sat and tried not to rhyme


But I just had to give in and do so one final time


Thank you blizzard of 2011 for causing me to write more than I usually would


And bake, and clean and all sorts of things in between


You can melt any time now, I’m ready for spring!

Question for you

We are anticipating, I say that lightly, up to 22 inches of snow over the next 24 hours. The stores have been extra busy with people stocking up.

Have you ever been snowed in? If so, what did you do to keep busy?

I plan on baking some of my favorite cookies, reading, writing, and taking a nap. Not necessarily in that order.

If You Can't Say Something Nice, Don't Say Anything at All

I looked at my Blog comments this morning and saw that someone anonymously told me to "get up off my knees and get a job". I deleted it. I don't need someone telling me stuff like that when they know absolutely nothing about my situation in life. But in case they are reading this, I do have a job. I have my own business and I can pretty much work when I want to. I earn money. I pay taxes and I only get on my knees when I come before God to worship and praise Him. I don't even get on my knees to scrub the floor. So there.

Name Change

I was in the Morton library the other day and I ran across a book by a well known author/speaker. Though she isn't one of my personal favorites I still liked the title of one of her older books. The word "confident" stood out for me. I said to myself, "that's it, that's the word I've been looking for". I'm using the word in my title as sort of a prophetic gesture.

When I hear the word "confident" I think of Maria, before she became a Von Trapp. In the movie, The Sound of Music, Maria is marching down the road with her suitcase and her guitar singing, "I Have Confidence." She's on her way to a new chapter in her life, not sure what is going to happen when she gets there but she's sure she has confidence. All will be well. And then she gets to the gates of the mansion and her cheery song lyrics stop. She looks at the estate and says, "oh help".

I am at a new chapter of my life. I turned a page several months ago and said, "oh help". My confidence does not come from myself though. It comes from God. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13

I have confidence in sunshine
I have confidence in rain
I have confidence that spring will come again....The Sound of Music

Venting

I am a careful driver. Even when I'm in a hurry I go the speed limit. One of my all time pet peeves is people who tailgate. Even worse, people who tailgate in bad weather when the roads are packed with snow. The speed limit is posted, I obey the law of the land ( like the Bible tells us to do ) and when the roads are bad I go a little slower. I'm not a turtle though. I look in my rearview mirror and I see what is usually some type of big 4wheel drive behind me. Any closer and it would be hooked on my rear bumper. More than likely their attitude is "I've got this big bad machine and I don't have to go slow in this type of weather." Contrary to popular belief I have seen big bad machines spin out of control and land in ditches just like the rest of us do at times. You know what happens to people like that who are stuck behind me? I go even slower. Might not be the nice thing to do but then again neither is riding on my back bumper so that I can't even see your headlights. What if I had to come to a sudden stop because of something in front of me? Then you would go beyond my bumper and land on my hood. Slow down. I'm not impressed.

Can You Guess?

It took me so long to get to my Blog site that I forgot what it was I was going to post. LOL...but it came back to me.

I looked at my calendar this morning and figured out there are 8 weeks and 3 days left until an exciting thing happens around here. I'm looking forward to it.

Can you guess? And are you looking forward to something?

Choose Wisely

Have you ever had someone say something to you that made you feel about 2 feet tall? I mean here you are, doing your best, running here and there, doing this and that for someone and they say to you, "don't you know how to do laundry?" And when you say "yes" they say "well obviously you need a refresher course." What makes it even worse is they say it in front of someone else.

We really have to be careful of our words. I turned the other cheek this time, but my face spoke volumes as to how it made me feel.

Has anyone spoken down to you lately? What did you do?

Pancakes and Conversation

So I got up and got dressed to head to Bob Evans for a pancake, or two. I had a brief conversation with the gas station clerk when I stopped for a morning paper, but driving toward my destination I gave yet another sigh of bewilderment as to why I'm always doing things alone these days. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, just wondering. The hostess who didn't want to be working, directed me to a table, I would have preferred a booth. But I took the table and was about to sit down so I could look out the window when I got this strong push to set facing the other way. Ok. I began looking at the newspaper and I looked up to see someone I know walking towards me. Hadn't seen her in awhile, she has been going through some health issues ( who isn't  these days? ). Anyway we had a nice visit. She and her husband sat behind me and we were able to continue our visit and get caught up. Now, had I set where I really wanted to, I never would have seen her and vice versa. I believe that strong push to set where I don't normally set, was a nudge from our Heavenly Father. He knew I was in need of some conversation, some one on one time with a friendly face, and He turned me toward it.

Question For You!

I don't make New Year resolutions, do you? If you do, what is one resolution that you made that you are determined to keep???