Wow Have we Been Busy!

Looking back to my last post I realize how fast time flies! Yikes! I'm going to update as best I can, trying to put things into chronological order....

My Oldest little brother had his first baby. A beautiful boy who looks just like him!

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This is my littlest little bro and my nephew.

We have found a really cool church. We have been very involved with it and Love it! The kids were all Baptized the Sunday after Easter. Unfortunately the pics didn't turn out. :(

DH "dropped" two, count 'em two, wild hogs in the yard and then we processed them into the freezer. I also got my first try at making chorizo (which we didn't care for, my fault I think), and breakfast sausage. THAT was good stuff now!

BR turned 11. She had a really cool "Beach Themed" party with a beach ball pinata, bubbles and a "sand castle" cake.

Little J joined scouts and had his 10th birthday. His theme was "A Campfire". We made some REALLY cool hot dog cookers and his cake was awesome!

DH and I celebrated another anniversary at the end of May.

We went to the "Annual Rib Fest" where we say Charlie Daniels play. That was WAAAAYYYY coool!

We started a new Sunday School class called "God's Garden" for special needs kids. It really hasn't taken off but I'm still hopeful.

Somewhere in there I started taking Aikido. I enjoy it immensely! A couple of weeks ago I got my first Aikido belt. I'm super excited! As long as my attacker is standing still I can defend myself!

I made a friend from Scouts and our families got together and went swimming at the river. They are a HSing family with a SN kid too, so they are really easy to talk to.

Everyone has made new friends through the church. We house sat for some of them over the4th of July. That is when we were adopted by our cat, Bobby. He is half bob-cat and uber~cute (now)! When he found me he had fleas crawling out of his eyes, ear mites and looked like he hadn't eaten in awhile. He was also developing bald spots from the fleas. We got him cleaned up with some good ol' Dawn tho, and now he's healthy as the rest of us, and just as ornery! lol That is also the weekend I sang at church for the first time. I was nervous but got through it ok. I did well enough that they asked me to sing again.

We went and saw our first baseball game! The Mariners. I LOVED it! Much better than watching it on TV!

Our freezer quit working. By the time I realized it everything in it was thawed completely. So we had a cookout and then I did what I could with the rest. I canned two whole chickens and the broth they made. All in all we lost very little!

We took both dogs in to get "fixed" at the beginning of August. Bear doesn't seem to be doing very well. I'm actually a bit concerned for him.

Doesn't he look about pitiful??

We attend family movie night most every month at church and DH runs the popcorn machine. It generally is a really good time!

Before Aikido class, I plan to practice singing "Alabaster Box". I'm supposed to sing it this weekend. Pastor "walked in" on me practicing last week and then asked me to plan something once a month for the next 6 or 7 months. I guess I'm part of the music ministry now! Woohoo! Now to pick the songs!

I think that just about covers it. I'll probably think of more later. Like how we went to a rodeo and the kids got to participate. Or how A got to try riding a sheep.

Or BR's new glasses that we got from here.

Or the time we made a solar cooker out of a pizza box and then made lunch in it!

Maybe about the church's ball field that DH has adopted. Ooo! Ooo! Or that we joined a kick ball league! I guess that doesn't really count since it hasn't started yet. You know, my life really isn't as boring as it seems, at least not from a distance!

TTFN,

Me

Gossip...

I have always struggled in this area. I think a lot of women do. I recently realized that it has been rearing it's ugly head recently. I have decided to take an active stance against it in my own life. I have found that a good way to go about this is to study the problem so that I can recognize it more readily. Let us begin shall we??

First... What exactly IS gossip?? Is it relating any story or situation?? Maybe only the ones that the particular someone wouldn't want repeated?? Maybe it is talking out of hand?? If I am "venting" to a friend is that gossip?? It seems to be a "cloudy" area, and I'm not a fan of overcast conditions.

According to Wikipedia gossip is...

Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others. It forms one of the oldest and most common means of sharing (unproven) facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and other variations into the information transmitted. The term also carries implications that the news so transmitted (usually) has a personal or trivial nature, as opposed to normal conversation.

Normal Conversation ... allow people with different views on a topic to learn from each other... A successful conversation includes mutually interesting connections between the speakers or things that the speakers know. For this to happen, those engaging in conversation must find a topic on which they both can relate to in some sense. Those engaging in conversation naturally tend to relate the other speaker's statements to themselves. They may insert aspects of their lives into their replies, to relate to the other person's opinions or points of conversation....

So it seems that it is a fine line between gossip and normal conversation. That being said, one is harmful and the other is not. If you are relating your own experiences with out being nasty about someone else, that is conversation. If you are telling me all about so-n-so's marital problems etc., that is gossip and could potentially hurt someone.

Now that I have a definition I can turn to my Bibles to determine the rest. What does the Bible say about it?? Here is what I have found... (for those who are KJV only, I believe it uses "idle tongue" but I could be mistaken. You can just look up these verses in your personal Bible to compare them.)

Proverbs 11:12-13 (NIV)

¹² A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor,
but a man of understanding holds his tongue.

¹³ A gossip betrays a confidence,
but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.

So a gossip doesn't keep trusted secrets. Have you been guilty of this?? "Don't tell anyone but..." I have. Lord forgive me this sin and help me to never repeat it again!!

Proverbs 16:27-29 (NIV)

²⁷ A scoundrel plots evil,
and his speech is like a scorching fire.

²⁸ A perverse man stirs up dissension,
and a gossip separates close friends.

²⁹ A violent man entices his neighbor
and leads him down a path that is not good.

I see this as a type of... "defense" mechanism. You keep friends separate by telling them "things" about the other. By extension, they like YOU more than each other. This is a form of passive aggressive behavior.

Passive–aggressive behavior (negative personality trait) is .... a personality trait marked by a pervasive pattern of negative attitudes and passive, usually disavowed resistance in interpersonal or occupational situations... It is a defense mechanism, and usually only partly conscious

Proverbs 18:7-9 (NIV)

⁷ A fool's mouth is his undoing,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.

⁸ The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to a man's inmost parts.

⁹ One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys.

According to verse 8, gossip sinks into your soul like food goes through your body.

So a gossip is someone who lacks judgment, causes problems, is untrustworthy, perverse, violent, a slacker and a fool!

1 Timothy 5:12-14 (NIV)

¹²Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. ¹³Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to. ¹⁴So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander.

So we are to keep ourselves busy (as women) taking care of the kids and the house and such. For some that means working outside the home, for others inside the home. The point is to be busy doing things that should be done instead of blabbing on the phone or running around willy-nilly. This is a struggle for me. I would have a phone implant if I could. Fortunately at our currant residence the phone isn't as much of an option since my phone doesn't like it here. Who would have thought that would be a GOOD thing!

People who gossip are to be avoided.

Proverbs 20:19 (NIV)

¹⁹ A gossip betrays a confidence;
so avoid a man who talks too much.

Fights die out without gossip.

Proverbs 26:20 (NIV)
²⁰ Without wood a fire goes out;

without gossip a quarrel dies down.

Have you ever been upset with someone so you call another to "vent"? Do you feel better after getting off the phone?? No, you usually feel WORSE! Take it to God, not the phone, and you will feel better and the quarrel will die out.

Romans 1:28-30 (NIV)

²⁸Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;

OUCH!! I certainly do NOT want to be in with THAT crowd!!

So far we have learned what gossip is and what it isn't, what to expect from a gossip and what kinds of people God puts gossips with. I have already admitted that I have this problem. The question now is.. What to do about it??

First, ask God for forgiveness and help. He will help you if you truly want it. Remember that God knows what is in your heart. Next, be actively aware of the conversations you are in. Try to change the subject. If that doesn't work, remove yourself from the situation. If you "can't" then simply don't participate. It's hard to hold a conversation by yourself (though I have seen it happen). If you know someone who is a "known gossip" then avoid them as much as possible if not all together. Remember not to give them information you don't want thrown around because they are an untrustworthy lot. I have been known (recently) to say, "let's change the subject because this isn't who I want to be". You will be rewarded for your efforts. Either your friends will understand and support you, or be offended and not. Either way you can and will overcome this sin!

I hope those of you feeling convicted will take the next step to eradicate this from your lives. Those of you who aren't, well you aren't and that's not my business. I personally felt that being open and honest with family, friends and blog~land was a good first step for me.

TTFN,

Me

I got it!!! (and other updates)

I went with your advice dear readers and ordered desk No. 3!! I ended up getting it for a total of $137 after taxes and shipping!! Woo hoo!! It was ordered on Sunday the 10th with an expected arrival date of Tuesday (?) the 18th. I was a bit disappointed that it would take that long but hey, what can ya do?

To keep me busy, on Tuesday, my order of round tins came in for my spices!! Woo hoo!! I was so excited I tore open the box immediately...









I got three different sizes, though they had many to choose from...



And got to work. First I dug out my spices. These are just a few...



Then I labeled them with permanent marker...



And filled them up...



Next came the tricky part. Super glue. I hate the stuff, or rather my evident lack of ability to use it without gluing myself to... myself. I did ok this time though. I used a Q-Tip to apply the glue and only got stuck to something or other about a dozen times or so.

(*A* took this pic so it's a little blurry but you get the idea.)




I also glued strips to the inside of a cabinet to attach them to. It worked out beautifully, but the glue is not adhering to the cabinet like I want it to so I will use my staple gun on them later today. Remember the movie "Christmas Vacation" with Chevy Chase hanging his lights?? Pray for me...



I can not believe how cool this project turned out!! It is going to open up an entire cabinet for me!! Any spices that didn't fit will go in a tub to be stored else where until needed for a refill.

Here is a random pic of Bear, the puppy that was born in October..



While working on this project I got a call from my FIL saying that my desk had arrived all ready!! I hot footed it over there only to discover that it was just one of the two boxes. :( Knowing that with my luck, box two would wait until the 18th to get here.

Then last night I got another call from Dear FIL. That's right... the second box has arrived!! I'm supposed to go pick it up today, but I think I'll call him and ask if he can drop it off for me. I won't be able to lift it out of the truck once I got it home, and I'd like to get started on putting it together today if at all possible. Wish me "luck"!

I'm so very excited!

TTFN,
Me

P.S. If you decide to try this just let me add... USE INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH VELCRO... MAKE SURE NOT TO MIX AND MATCH VELCRO TYPES!! lol If the fuzzy part doesn't match the "sticky" they will fall off if you put force behind opening the cabinet. Probably not a big deal in a house, but in a camper??? The cabinets are made so that they will not open during transport so....

Me

I need your help!!

OK, so we didn't get into the camper on time. Things happen. :( However we have made progress since CHRISTmas. Things I HAVE accomplished are

~lining the cabinets and drawers
~all of the painting is completed
~ flooring into the kids room, and on the slide out floor
~the table is put together, but DH and I can not agree on how to fit it in. (It isn't going to fit where I had originally planned unless I don't want to use my best cabinet.)
~first roofing coat is on (though we have to wait for the weather to warm up before applying the second coat)
~bought a new refrigerator (at a discount I might add!)

So dear blog land, I now need your help with computer desks. I need something small, but not compact, with storage (if possible) at a good price. I'm going to put in a picture of the flooring where it will go and the table that will be (sort of) next to it. Then pictures, or links if that won't work, of my top three choices with the pros and cons I see of each one.

First, the table...



And this is where the desk will sit...



Now for the desk options...

No. 1~ It is the "right" color and price range, but has absolutely no storage capabilities at all.

No. 2~ Doesn't match, has no real storage but is on sale this week for 15% off.

No.3~ Has useful storage, good size, wrong color (but matches the bed I will be putting opposite of it). The price isn't "great", but my Father-In-Law gets a discount so that helps. This is my favorite option but DH thinks it is to spend-ie. *I* think that the price is within range given what you get.

So, dear readers, what do you choose?