We are just having a little family friendly competition. We love to laugh and compete!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
The Shirt Show Down
We are just having a little family friendly competition. We love to laugh and compete!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Finances....Faith in Actions and Attitudes
We encouraged her that when you honor God, he will honor you. She was eventually told they were going to give the hours to someone who could work Sundays. Last week she received a phone call from a dental hygienist, who has agreed to let her job shadow on a consistent basis. She had been diligently seeking employment and a job shadow opportunity simultaneously. She is studying to become a hygienist currently and this experience may help her get selected for the dental school of her choice.
Although, it isn't a paid position we see God's hand in this. Her babysitting opportunities have increased and she is available to job shadow because she isn't working at the bakery. She concluded, "Maybe this is what God had in mind!" I agree. She will make an excellent hygienist and maybe the bakery hours will work out later.
Grant Taylor: I want God to bless this team so much people will talk about what He did. But it means we gotta give Him our best in every area. And if we win, we praise Him. And if we lose, we praise Him. Either way we honor Him with our actions and our attitudes. So I'm askin' you... What are you living for? I resolve to give God everything I've got, then I'll leave the results up to Him. I want to know if you'll join me. Facing the Giants, 2006
How have you seen His faithfulness in your finances? How have you honored Him with your actions and attitude?
Monday, March 5, 2012
Quick Hair Trick: Updo without any hair ties, clips,
Quick Hair Trick: Updo without any hair ties, clips,
I think this works best with "dirty hair" or hair with holding product in it. In this picture my hair is fairly clean and it's slick. This is a trick that takes some practice to get the right tension to hold well and not hurt your head from pulling the "netting" over. I'm still working on perfecting it. My hair may be too long and heavy for this to hold for very long. I can easily stabilize it with a pencil or chopstick. Click on the Quick Hair Trick link above or go to www.nerdygirlmakeup.com where I found this neat hair trick.
Let me know what you think of this hair trick. Do you have a hair trick to share?
I think this works best with "dirty hair" or hair with holding product in it. In this picture my hair is fairly clean and it's slick. This is a trick that takes some practice to get the right tension to hold well and not hurt your head from pulling the "netting" over. I'm still working on perfecting it. My hair may be too long and heavy for this to hold for very long. I can easily stabilize it with a pencil or chopstick. Click on the Quick Hair Trick link above or go to www.nerdygirlmakeup.com where I found this neat hair trick.
Let me know what you think of this hair trick. Do you have a hair trick to share?
Friday, February 24, 2012
CouchSurfing...
What are you crazy, letting strangers stay at your house with your family????
Welcome to my world. Here I go...breaking the mold again, living outside the "norm".
Last spring, my two eldest blessings had graduated from homeschool high school. I wanted to take a memorable family trip before their life paths took them this way or that, farther from the family, be it schedule or geography. I had been saving money from my ESL Homestay tutoring but we still had a very tight budget. I was exploring alternatives for lodging other than in hotels. Here comes CouchSurfing.....
I can now look back in time and remember coming across a guy wearing a t-shirt that said "CouchSurfing" on it. But at the time I thought, ha ha, it was some kind of statement about being lazy, like a couch potato, or another term for bed-hopping. I took note of it enough to remember it now but at the time I didn't "get it". I do now.
In July, one of my ESL students and I were at the top of the Seattle Space Needle waiting for the sun to set so we could see both the city in the daylight and the night lights of Seattle from above. Sitting next to us were two young men. One was speaking with an accent and I was trying to not-so-obviously detect from where. Alas, it was French. My student happen to be a darling young beauty from France. She struck up a conversation with the strapping young man and found out he was couch surfing. As we descended the Space Needle expedition we started talking about couch surfing. I thought I'd be fun and adventurous to meet strangers and be so bold to ask if me and my friend could crash on their couch but I would be afraid to do it by myself as a woman. And I don't think I would sleep very well with my antennae up throughout the night. Okay, so I tuck that into my brain somewhere to be retrieved later this summer.
Seaching for lodging alternatives in August, I considered hostels. My husband and I stayed in one that was completely empty except for us in Maui. It was cheap and we had the place to ourselves. That was before children and the flight tickets were a $99 special that I spent the night in the airport to get. That is another story. I stayed in a hostel in Israel with a rather large group from my church. Again, great price and we were the only group in the place. But taking my five children was way to expensive to stay in a hostel, I might as well get two hotel rooms. That goes without saying, I don't want them in some hostel environments anyway.
AirBnB.com is another alternative. Again, it could cost the same as a hotel so that didn't fly either. What about this couch surfing thing? Hmmm... Let me see what some people say about it on the web.
The search begins. I find that there is an organization that is called CouchSurfing.org. I did a lot of reading on their website. I learn they have a system of checks and balances to help everyone determine if the host and guest are a good fit. You can accept or decline. You can just meet up at a coffeeshop or meet up at an organized local event. This is intriguing. I set up my profile and to see what happens. (I did talk to my darling husband, and then to the kids, before opening our home to strangers. They are already use to it anyway, with my ESL homestay students arriving every so often.) Within three days I had three requests to stay at our house. This was exciting. What have I gotten us into now?!
The first CouchSurfer was a sweet woman in her 30s from Taiwan, then an 18 year old young man from Ukraine, who fit right in with the family, and then a disgruntled guest. I didn't want to be discouraged from the hard-to-please. So I took the kids to a coffee meet up meeting in Seattle to hear from others about their experiences. It wasn't easy breaking into the conversation, but once I did I was happy to have gone. Soon after, I was a day tour guide for a couple from France who just wanted a local to show them around. They didn't speak much English and I don't speak much French. We took a picture together, waved and said our au revoirs.
The big jump was finding a big enough couch for my five kids and myself. My husband would be joining us later on the trip, flying down to meet us in San Diego.
I found a math teacher CouchSurfer host in northern California, who was a member of a church I was very familiar. His profile only offered a couch for four. I sent him a message anyway, asking if he would stretch his couch for us. He did!
We arrived late in the night. I tentatively went into the apartment, taking in the surroundings and evaluating if I felt safe. It wasn't but a few moments and we were all smiles. Introductions were made, me, my kids, "Frederic" and his roommates. We stayed up even later into the night talking, sharing and praying together.
"Frederic" opens his home to many people who come to northern California to attend church conferences, and he rents bedrooms to male students attending the church ministry school. There are three futons in the living room and two outside in the gazebo on the small patio. After much talk, brownies and ice cream we eventually fell into bed exhausted from the long hours on the road, and the thrill of our first CouchSurfing gig. We are now officially CouchSurfers! Three of us slept inside and three slept outside in the still warm summer air.
The next day when we were back on the road my youngest son, 12 years old, confessed he was somewhat unsure of CouchSurfing at a stranger's home. Now, that he's been through it, he reveals "CouchSurfing is great!"
Last Wednesday, our latest CouchSurfers left to go back to Canada. We have hosted CouchSurfers now just six months later from: Taiwan, China, Ukraine, Korea, and Canada. In the next few weeks, we will host CouchSurfers from Germany and Sweden.
Have I piqued your interest? Check out CouchSurfing.org
Last spring, my two eldest blessings had graduated from homeschool high school. I wanted to take a memorable family trip before their life paths took them this way or that, farther from the family, be it schedule or geography. I had been saving money from my ESL Homestay tutoring but we still had a very tight budget. I was exploring alternatives for lodging other than in hotels. Here comes CouchSurfing.....
I can now look back in time and remember coming across a guy wearing a t-shirt that said "CouchSurfing" on it. But at the time I thought, ha ha, it was some kind of statement about being lazy, like a couch potato, or another term for bed-hopping. I took note of it enough to remember it now but at the time I didn't "get it". I do now.
In July, one of my ESL students and I were at the top of the Seattle Space Needle waiting for the sun to set so we could see both the city in the daylight and the night lights of Seattle from above. Sitting next to us were two young men. One was speaking with an accent and I was trying to not-so-obviously detect from where. Alas, it was French. My student happen to be a darling young beauty from France. She struck up a conversation with the strapping young man and found out he was couch surfing. As we descended the Space Needle expedition we started talking about couch surfing. I thought I'd be fun and adventurous to meet strangers and be so bold to ask if me and my friend could crash on their couch but I would be afraid to do it by myself as a woman. And I don't think I would sleep very well with my antennae up throughout the night. Okay, so I tuck that into my brain somewhere to be retrieved later this summer.
Seaching for lodging alternatives in August, I considered hostels. My husband and I stayed in one that was completely empty except for us in Maui. It was cheap and we had the place to ourselves. That was before children and the flight tickets were a $99 special that I spent the night in the airport to get. That is another story. I stayed in a hostel in Israel with a rather large group from my church. Again, great price and we were the only group in the place. But taking my five children was way to expensive to stay in a hostel, I might as well get two hotel rooms. That goes without saying, I don't want them in some hostel environments anyway.
AirBnB.com is another alternative. Again, it could cost the same as a hotel so that didn't fly either. What about this couch surfing thing? Hmmm... Let me see what some people say about it on the web.
The search begins. I find that there is an organization that is called CouchSurfing.org. I did a lot of reading on their website. I learn they have a system of checks and balances to help everyone determine if the host and guest are a good fit. You can accept or decline. You can just meet up at a coffeeshop or meet up at an organized local event. This is intriguing. I set up my profile and to see what happens. (I did talk to my darling husband, and then to the kids, before opening our home to strangers. They are already use to it anyway, with my ESL homestay students arriving every so often.) Within three days I had three requests to stay at our house. This was exciting. What have I gotten us into now?!
The first CouchSurfer was a sweet woman in her 30s from Taiwan, then an 18 year old young man from Ukraine, who fit right in with the family, and then a disgruntled guest. I didn't want to be discouraged from the hard-to-please. So I took the kids to a coffee meet up meeting in Seattle to hear from others about their experiences. It wasn't easy breaking into the conversation, but once I did I was happy to have gone. Soon after, I was a day tour guide for a couple from France who just wanted a local to show them around. They didn't speak much English and I don't speak much French. We took a picture together, waved and said our au revoirs.
The big jump was finding a big enough couch for my five kids and myself. My husband would be joining us later on the trip, flying down to meet us in San Diego.
I found a math teacher CouchSurfer host in northern California, who was a member of a church I was very familiar. His profile only offered a couch for four. I sent him a message anyway, asking if he would stretch his couch for us. He did!
We arrived late in the night. I tentatively went into the apartment, taking in the surroundings and evaluating if I felt safe. It wasn't but a few moments and we were all smiles. Introductions were made, me, my kids, "Frederic" and his roommates. We stayed up even later into the night talking, sharing and praying together.
 |
| Where in the world do you live? |
The next day when we were back on the road my youngest son, 12 years old, confessed he was somewhat unsure of CouchSurfing at a stranger's home. Now, that he's been through it, he reveals "CouchSurfing is great!"
Last Wednesday, our latest CouchSurfers left to go back to Canada. We have hosted CouchSurfers now just six months later from: Taiwan, China, Ukraine, Korea, and Canada. In the next few weeks, we will host CouchSurfers from Germany and Sweden.
Have I piqued your interest? Check out CouchSurfing.org
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
A Heartbreaking Year 2010
Two deaths in the family. That's why I haven't blogged in over a year! My father-in-law lost his battle with cancer and I had a miscarriage. Tough stuff. I still find myself getting weepy when I think of the loss of either one or both. Seeing my mother-in-law find her way without her life partner since she was 18 years old has been inspiring. She has made bold steps to create a new normal for herself. I can't imagine what life would be like to lose a soul-mate after living together for over 50 years. Ugh! I know my dear father-in-law is in a much better place, my hope is in Heaven, and with Jesus the Christ.
The miscarriage, that is too tough to write about yet. I am teary-eyed just thinking about it. My sister, my cousin and my niece all had healthy babies last year. They all recently turned one year old. Again tough stuff for me, but I am thankful to be surrounded by them all. I love them. The babies, they bring me such longing in my own heart but yet overwhelming love swells up to watch each new development in their lives. They are all now walking, a bit like Frankenstein.
Both my husband and I have gained emotional weight. Crud! I have never weighed so much outside of being pregnant (with my only birthed son.) I once thought, after hearing that Rene Zellweger gained 30 pounds to play Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones' Diary, that I wanted to do that, gain weight...and then lose it quickly, like she did. Just to prove I could do it. Up to that point I hadn't battle with weight issues. That was several years ago, and who thinks that kind of thing. Wanting to gain weight to lose it! What was I thinking!? Now, I've gone and done it, gained not quite 30 pounds but close enough to warrant a GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND MOVE IT alarm. Yesterday, Stud Muffin and I went for an hour walk. You can't walk for an hour let alone 30 seconds from our house without encountering HILLS. Therefore, my butt is sore, and my quads are sore going up and down our stairs.
My peanut M-n-M savant husband won the M-n-M prize two years in a row for guessing the number closest to how many M-n-Ms were the a jar at the Christmas party. Side note: He also received five pounds of his favorite candy/peanut M-n-Ms as Christmas gifts. I just measured out 1/4 cup of M-n-Ms. It is 17 candies and 220 calories. Do you know how many times our hands have been in that jar since he won it? Too many "just a handful" of 220 calories EACH! It takes running two ten-minute miles to burn off that "handful" of M-n-Ms.
Despite her great loss, my mother-in-law has taken on a host of new challenges at 76 years old! She is doing yoga on Mondays with my sister-in-law. She walks everyday. She has lost considerable weight and she is eating well. She is volunteering at a non-profit shop for breast cancer. And she is a breast cancer surviver. I know her heart still aches for her husband yet she has found a way to work through it and to shine in a new way.
What will be the spark to light my fire? I don't know yet. I keep facilitating between being cynical about life and being hopeful of the future. I do believe that the cynical voice is diminishing and the hopeful is re-emerging. More time will tell. I have ideas of what I want to try in the new year. Whatever it is children will most likely be involved, somehow.
The miscarriage, that is too tough to write about yet. I am teary-eyed just thinking about it. My sister, my cousin and my niece all had healthy babies last year. They all recently turned one year old. Again tough stuff for me, but I am thankful to be surrounded by them all. I love them. The babies, they bring me such longing in my own heart but yet overwhelming love swells up to watch each new development in their lives. They are all now walking, a bit like Frankenstein.
Both my husband and I have gained emotional weight. Crud! I have never weighed so much outside of being pregnant (with my only birthed son.) I once thought, after hearing that Rene Zellweger gained 30 pounds to play Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones' Diary, that I wanted to do that, gain weight...and then lose it quickly, like she did. Just to prove I could do it. Up to that point I hadn't battle with weight issues. That was several years ago, and who thinks that kind of thing. Wanting to gain weight to lose it! What was I thinking!? Now, I've gone and done it, gained not quite 30 pounds but close enough to warrant a GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND MOVE IT alarm. Yesterday, Stud Muffin and I went for an hour walk. You can't walk for an hour let alone 30 seconds from our house without encountering HILLS. Therefore, my butt is sore, and my quads are sore going up and down our stairs.
My peanut M-n-M savant husband won the M-n-M prize two years in a row for guessing the number closest to how many M-n-Ms were the a jar at the Christmas party. Side note: He also received five pounds of his favorite candy/peanut M-n-Ms as Christmas gifts. I just measured out 1/4 cup of M-n-Ms. It is 17 candies and 220 calories. Do you know how many times our hands have been in that jar since he won it? Too many "just a handful" of 220 calories EACH! It takes running two ten-minute miles to burn off that "handful" of M-n-Ms.
Despite her great loss, my mother-in-law has taken on a host of new challenges at 76 years old! She is doing yoga on Mondays with my sister-in-law. She walks everyday. She has lost considerable weight and she is eating well. She is volunteering at a non-profit shop for breast cancer. And she is a breast cancer surviver. I know her heart still aches for her husband yet she has found a way to work through it and to shine in a new way.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Shoes Off or Shoes On?
We generally take our shoes off in our house. I like the idea of keeping the stuff from the outside ground from coming into our inside world. There are numerous things that may have attached themselves to anyone's shoes, such as: manure, spit, pesticides, gum, bug guts, seeds, chemicals, etc.
We allow guests to leave their shoes on if they are more comfortable that way. I also make available socks or slippers for guests. We don't have new carpet but we do sit and play on the carpet quite frequently. I hope to keep it fairly clean and non-toxic. I'm not an obsessive neat freak but I will do what I can to prevent uncleanliness.
I like the Japanese tradition (other countries do it too) of not wearing shoes in the house. We haven't always practiced this and sometimes it's just unpractical to be taking shoes on and off when working on projects or bringing in several bags of groceries.
I like to take my shoes off but not everybody does. On this one I choose to conform. I will take my shoes off at your house if you prefer it that way. Sometimes I even plan ahead and pack thick socks or slippers for visiting where I know I will be shoeless.
I'm thinking of posting a sign that says, "Care to bare your 'souls'?" I think it is a kind way to let visitors be informed of our general policy without demanding it.
Do you have any other kind way to request "No shoes"?
We allow guests to leave their shoes on if they are more comfortable that way. I also make available socks or slippers for guests. We don't have new carpet but we do sit and play on the carpet quite frequently. I hope to keep it fairly clean and non-toxic. I'm not an obsessive neat freak but I will do what I can to prevent uncleanliness.
I like the Japanese tradition (other countries do it too) of not wearing shoes in the house. We haven't always practiced this and sometimes it's just unpractical to be taking shoes on and off when working on projects or bringing in several bags of groceries.
I like to take my shoes off but not everybody does. On this one I choose to conform. I will take my shoes off at your house if you prefer it that way. Sometimes I even plan ahead and pack thick socks or slippers for visiting where I know I will be shoeless.
I'm thinking of posting a sign that says, "Care to bare your 'souls'?" I think it is a kind way to let visitors be informed of our general policy without demanding it.
Do you have any other kind way to request "No shoes"?
Friday, November 5, 2010
Emergency Disaster Check-up Time
Time to set your clocks back on November 7th, 2010. The fire department encourgages everyone to check your smoke/carbon monoxide detector batteries. You should have one near the bedrooms and at least one on every floor of your home. This is also a very good time to go through your emergency disaster stash. Here in the Northwest US we are suppose to be in for a more extreme winter than we are accustomed.
I recently graduated from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program in our area. It is a nation wide program to help prepare citizens to help their communities in case of a man-made or natural disaster where the police and/or fire departments are overwhelmed with the vastness of the disaster and cannot help the masses.
During my CERT class we were told it is better to have an out of state family contact east to west rather than north to south. If cell phone circuits are locally overwhelmed during a disaster for whatever reason it is more difficult to contact others locally than long-distance, and more easy to contact east-west. If everyone in your family contacts the same person out-of-state you may be able to check everyone's status better through your contact than to call them direct locally.
Here is a list of essentials to have in your personal/family disaster emergency kit from http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/
You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it might take days. In addition, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment, and telephones may be cut off for days, or even a week or longer.
Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kit:
Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
Flashlight and extra batteries
First aid kit
Whistle to signal for help
Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
Local maps
Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger
Additional Items to Consider Adding to an Emergency Supply Kit:
Prescription medications and glasses
Infant formula and diapers
Pet food and extra water for your pet
Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
Cash or traveler's checks and change
Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container. You can use the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) - PDF, 277Kb) developed by Operation Hope, FEMA and Citizen Corps to help you organize your information.
Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov.
Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
Fire Extinguisher
Matches in a waterproof container
Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
Paper and pencil
Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children
I recently graduated from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program in our area. It is a nation wide program to help prepare citizens to help their communities in case of a man-made or natural disaster where the police and/or fire departments are overwhelmed with the vastness of the disaster and cannot help the masses.
During my CERT class we were told it is better to have an out of state family contact east to west rather than north to south. If cell phone circuits are locally overwhelmed during a disaster for whatever reason it is more difficult to contact others locally than long-distance, and more easy to contact east-west. If everyone in your family contacts the same person out-of-state you may be able to check everyone's status better through your contact than to call them direct locally.
Here is a list of essentials to have in your personal/family disaster emergency kit from http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/
You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it might take days. In addition, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment, and telephones may be cut off for days, or even a week or longer.
Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kit:
Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
Flashlight and extra batteries
First aid kit
Whistle to signal for help
Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
Local maps
Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger
Additional Items to Consider Adding to an Emergency Supply Kit:
Prescription medications and glasses
Infant formula and diapers
Pet food and extra water for your pet
Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
Cash or traveler's checks and change
Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container. You can use the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) - PDF, 277Kb) developed by Operation Hope, FEMA and Citizen Corps to help you organize your information.
Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov.
Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
Fire Extinguisher
Matches in a waterproof container
Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
Paper and pencil
Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children
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