Category Archives: Faith

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: December 1, 2013

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY December 1, 2013

Outside my window… dark now though it was sunny and in the 60’s earlier. It’s gotten cold lately and I’m loving it.

I am thinking… about what’s going to be coming up this week. For a change, my mornings are free of Daniel appointments.

I am thankful… for a good time with family this weekend.

In the kitchen… made lasagna from scratch today.

I am wearing… black shirt and blue striped fleece pajama bottoms.

I am creating… this entry and Christmas card mailing lists.

I am going… to try and knock out as much editing as possible tomorrow morning.

I am wondering… if my precious sweetling will go to bed on his own or if drastic measures will have to be taken.

I am reading… Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl by Susan McCorkindale. It’s about a New Jersey marketing director who moves to a 500 acre beef farm. It’s very typically “fish out of water” but it’s cute.

I am hoping… this new attempt at potty-training goes better.

I am looking forward to… my mani-pedi on Friday. I never dreamed I’d be saying this a year ago.

Around the house… laundry to be folded.

I am pondering… too many things.

A favorite quote for today… ??Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.?? – Benjamin Franklin

One of my favorite things… peppermint taffy.

A few plans for the rest of the week: ABA therapy for Daniel, mani-pedi and massage for me on Friday, and my parents coming up to help clean out Jon’s study on Saturday.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Quick Takes: 7 Things About Me

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7 Quick Takes

I was at a funeral today and was gone for 12 hours straight. (Thank God I built a cushion of time into my plans because it took 4.5 hours to get from where I live to Aptos for the funeral because of traffic.) There’s been a meme going around Facebook where you like someone’s status and they give you a number. You then have to come up with that number of things about yourself that nobody supposedly knows. I’m exhausted from being on the road since 6:30 so I’ll just do 7 of these for my Quick Takes.

— 1 —

I have a serious fear of dogs. There was a dog in the neighborhood who used to try and attack everyone going by its house. Additionally, I hate the smell of dogs. Give me cats any day!

— 2 —

I love the smell of ground coffee but hate the taste. I can’t drink my coffee black. I also can’t do hot espresso like lattés because the hot milk irritates my lactose intolerance. I can do iced lattés made with whole milk and with a few pumps of vanilla syrup.

— 3 —

I took 8 years of piano lessons. I haven’t played actively since college and haven’t accompanied worship since seminary other than a couple Taizé pieces for the Maundy Thursday service at Jon’s first call in Minnesota.

— 4 —

I taught myself to read when I was 3. We had a word book and I somehow figured it all out. I used to read stuff to my preschool class.

— 5 —

I used to write “books” when I was 5 and 6 years old. My mom still has a few of them. They aren’t anything incredibly amazing — just simple little stories I could write with my spelling words.

— 6 —

I have no sense of rhythm. I’m not kidding. My piano teacher used to yell at me about it frequently. I can’t clap well to songs at all either.

— 7 —

My first vocal solo was part of “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” by Bach. Technically, it was a trio with me singing soprano. I had a fear of singing solos and my teacher just randomly asked me to do it. Once I realized I could do it, I was somewhat unstoppable.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: November 17, 2013

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY November 17, 2013

Outside my window… dark. It’s 11:00 p.m. and I’m writing this to kick my brain into moving around the writer’s block with my NaNoWriMo piece.

I am thinking… about various things I need to do to some of my NaNoWriMo characters. I also need to kill a few donors off creatively.

I am thankful… for a good weekend with my parents and a good nap today.

In the kitchen… dishes. 🙁

I am wearing… plum colored t-shirt from Old Navy and my Left Behind shorts.

I am creating… a NaNoWriMo piece that might be worth publishing… eventually.

I am going… to meet with a woman interested in cleaning for me once or twice a week.

I am wondering… how to best write flashback scenes in… *drumroll* my NaNoWriMo piece.

I am reading… Pope Awesome and Other Stories by Cari Donaldson. Run not walk to get your copy! (Seriously, I love Cari to pieces even if she does have a strange interest in fisher cats.)

I am hoping… I make it to 34K words tonight.

I am looking forward to… seeing my evil twin and his wife at Thanksgiving.

I am learning that I cannot write scenes with dialogue well at all!

Around the house… cats being nocturnal.

I am pondering… the wonderfulness of rain possibly arriving on Tuesday.

A favorite quote for today… ??There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.?? – Maya Angelou

One of my favorite things… chilled Lipton Pure Leaf Raspberry Tea.

A few plans for the rest of the week: writing, ABA therapy for Daniel every day from Monday to possibly Saturday, massage on Friday, funeral for Gordon Smith on Thursday, and… yeah.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

{Virtual} Coffee Date (vol. 12)

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{Virtual Coffee Date}

Once you’re done here, go visit Karianna and the other coffee drinkers.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I’m ahead of my game on my NanoWriMo piece. This is good because I’ll be with family this weekend and possibly attending a funeral in Santa Cruz so I won’t have much time to write.

If we were having coffee, I would ask you to pray for the family of Gordon Smith who was found dead in his office in Capitola on Saturday morning. He was one of the leaders of the college group at my church when I attended UC Santa Cruz. He leaves behind a wife, a daughter, and numerous college kids they adopted during their time in Santa Cruz. I’m still pretty stunned and part of me wants to cry but can’t at this time.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you how much I’m hoping we have rain soon. We’re in a drought and really need the moisture. I could also use a quiet rainy day.

Thank you for having coffee (or tea) with me this week! Join me next week at the same time more more coffee.

7 Quick Takes: C.S. Lewis Plaque at Poet’s Corner, Grousing About Politics, and NaNoWriMo Updates

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Quiet here. Becky of From Mrs. to Mama didn’t post a link-up this week so I didn’t post on Monday and as I’m doing NaNoWriMo, I’m focusing my writing time on my murder mystery for this year. I’m about 10,000 words in and kinda-sorta on schedule. I’m going to start trying to do around 2,000 words a day so I can finish early because I know I won’t be able to write much over Thanksgiving due to family commitments.

— 2 —

There will be a plaque in memory of C.S. Lewis placed in Poet’s Corner at Westminster Abbey on November 22nd (the 50th anniversary of his death). Westminster Abbey does not finance the plaque (they just give permission to place it) so various academic societies dedicated to the study of Lewis’ works are trying to raise the funds for it. The cost will be ?20,000 (about $30,000 in USD) and there’s a link here where you can donate to the cause. I have vivid memories of Westminster Abbey from a 24-hour layover in London 15.5 years ago on the way to Ireland and I remember Poet’s Corner so I’ve donated.

— 3 —

Fascinating. From Facebook, here are stunning portraits of remote tribes before they pass away. It’s NSFW due to cultural beauty standards being what they are but it’s amazing.

— 4 —

Shaking my head… I had someone snarkily remark last night that I should know what’s going on with the parish because, after all, I’m the pastor’s wife. Ummm… if she’d been paying attention for the last 2.5 years, she would probably have heard me say *MONTHLY* that being the pastor’s wife just means I’m married to Jon — he doesn’t tell me anything.

*smh*

— 5 —

Orphans. Do you see these darling children?

L-R: Brett and Iris
BrettIris

Brett still needs a mama. Iris finally has a family committed to her and they are compiling their dossier to send to her country.

— 6 —

Just wondering… If the Affordable Care Act was the work of a Republican president (let’s call it “Romneycare” because it was based on that legislation), would there be as many people engaging in partisan grousing about the website not working? Because as anyone who has ever dealt with the roll-out of software or a website knows, you don’t know what bugs exist until you have a high volume of users. (I grew up in Silicon Valley. This is in my blood.)

It’s also completely unsurprising that insurance companies are engaging in shenanigans. When Jon and I were having to insure ourselves 10 years ago, maternity coverage was an extra $490 per month. It was cheaper to be on the Pill. I also have to laugh when Blue Cross of California claims to be “not for profit” because they are making a bundle on insuring people in California now that insurance companies who don’t want to be regulated have fled the state.

— 7 —

Fundraising for Brett. I’m planning to use NaNoWriMo to help raise funds for Brett. Once I have things figured out, I will let y’all know.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

7 Quick Takes: Pumpkins, 90’s Nostalgia, and My Bizarre Life

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Blogging cutbacks. I’m doing NaNoWriMo this year so I’ll be cutting back my blogging to twice a week: 52 Weeks of Blogging with Purpose on Mondays and then my Quick Takes here on Thursday nights/Fridays. Once November finishes and I’ve (God willing) won NaNoWriMo, I’ll be back to posting more frequently.

— 2 —

Nostalgia. Someone shared this list of things only 90’s teenage girls can understand and I got probably 45+ of them. I feel so old!

— 3 —

I don’t think I could make this up if I tried! So I saw this news story…

CBS Sacramento: Auburn Man Arrested For Bringing Chain Saw To Bar Fight

Yeah. I live in a freaking horror movie or something. (This isn’t close to where I live but it’s in the local news area.)

— 4 —

Zoo animals and pumpkins! Did anyone need cute animal pictures to distract them from something? Here you go!

I aim to please. 🙂

— 5 —

Halloween pics. Here are a couple pictures from today.

Costumes from today.
Jon as a Jedi and Daniel as Thomas the Tank Engine.

Jack o'lanterns from this year.
Our pumpkins from this year. The tall one is the old rugged cross and the smaller one is just crosses.

— 6 —

My philosophy on pumpkins. I believe that Jesus is the Light of the World so at least one of my pumpkins is always a cross of some nature. Part of this is that I went to college at a school that had a sizable Wiccan population and Halloween night was a scary time to have to walk home on campus by myself. Having a cross to ward off any evil spirits (which I believe exist but not much past that) helped. I also don’t do scary pumpkins because I know there are kids that have a really hard time with them. (I actually went out to the sidewalk to bring candy to a couple toddlers who were too afraid to come up to the porch because of the pumpkins.)

— 7 —

An offer I might not want to refuse. I got the following email today. It’s a fake so I’m sharing it.

Become a member of the Great Illuminati and posses riches, connections and fame. all the power you ever wanted, don’t miss this opportunity grab it because there may not be another chance.

We open door of acceptance once in ten years, and few are chosen. I really congratulate you for this great offer on your door step. We choose people, people don??t choose us. You can be among the chosen this year. The great association as been in existence since May 1, 1776 named The Illuminati (aka Bavarian Illuminati). What does this mean? The name derives from the Latin illuminatur, which means ??the enlightened?? Who are the Illuminati? They are, in essence, a cartel or groups of elite people. These people are basically rich, intelligent, or possessed special skills of various kinds and industrialists based in Western Europe and North America. The names of certain families persist over long periods of time. Some of the most important names are Rothschild, Rockefeller, Morgan, Lazard, Warburg, Schroder and Schiff.

We make people great and we rule the world. many of the world’s political leaders & celebrities are members. When you become a member you will have the opportunity to be great and dine with great men from different nations. We rule every social part of the world, music, sports and politics, the second essential component is control of the media. It is controlled through business fashion. We choose men with potentials and we made them what they are today. We are here for you to make your dream come through; if you dream it you can achieve it.

These are opportunity the celebrities and the richest men had, they utilize it and became idol.’s You have more to know when you finally become a full member.

You are advised to fill all the stated information below and submitted to our in charge Co-ordinator on the email given below, for further instructions and direction.

Name: Co-ordinator Rev. Jack Deng
Address: Empire State Building – 350 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10118[1] United States
Email: invitation_illuminati@usa.com

Personal Details:
1) Your full name
2) Phone, fax and mobile#
3) Address:
4) Profession:
5) Age/Sex:
6) Marital status:
7) Scanned copy of your I.D card

In two months the story of your life will change. Do not be the killer of your dream.

For security reasons, you are advised to keep your membership invitation confidential till your membership is processed and you’re made a member. This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claimants or unwarranted membership claims by unqualified persons. Please be warned.

Remember, you are expected to complete your membership process immediately and not more than 7 days to the date of notification. Any claim not made at the appropriate time will be canceled.

All the members and staffs of the great ILLUMINATI. wishes to congratulates you and thank you for being a part of our International membership program.

We wish you continued good fortunes.

Thanks.
JANICE BROWN.
Online announcer

How do I know that this is a fake? The Illuminati would have their own domain for email and their grammar would be better.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

52 Weeks of Blogging with a Purpose: My Letter to Newlyweds

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I’m back this week and writing this before (and probably a little after) Bible study.

Dear newlywed friends,

By now you’ve survived the intense time that is wedding planning and you’ve made it through the ceremony, reception, and possibly (if you chose to go somewhere that rendered you incommunicado) the honeymoon. You might have the “what’s next?” feeling. Here’s some advice for what lies ahead:

01.) You will fight. I don’t care if you lived together for a time before marriage or if you did the “living apart until holy matrimony” thing. Once you said those vows, it all became real and you now have to learn how to share your life and house with one other person. This means arguments over how to the dishes, the correct way to face the toilet paper, probably some words exchanged about finances, and tiffs over things you thought were totally self-explanatory. Guess what? They aren’t.

02.) You will learn to fight correctly. This could be part of the paragraph above but I’m keeping it a separate thing. You might have heard the Bible verse about not letting the sun go down on your anger. Don’t let your anger fester for days but there are times when it’s better to just go to sleep and hash things out in the morning when you both have level heads rather than fighting until 2 a.m. (Ask me how I know this.) You’ll also learn to pick your battles, especially ones where neither one of you will give any ground.

03.) You will learn new ways of doing things. Maybe your spouse has a more efficient way of washing dishes or loading the dishwasher. Maybe they know how to fold fitted sheets rather than just wadding them up and putting them in the linen closet. Maybe it is easier to just toss your wrinkled shirt in the dryer. Learn from your spouse if you expect them to learn from you.

04.) Your relationship will change. As I said, things become real once you’ve said the vows and you’re no longer that cute engaged couple — you’re now those adorable newlyweds. This could be a small change or a drastic change but it’s change nevertheless and you will go crazy trying to make things “like they used to be”. Live in the time/space where your butt is at that moment and you will enjoy things much more. This also applies to when you have kids — lots of change there.

05.) You will learn things about yourself. Living with someone else teaches you things about yourself that are useful to know. You might discover that you actually *like* folding clothes if you can do it with your spouse. You might never have tried parasailing on your own but you tried it on your honeymoon and you can’t wait until you get a chance to do it again.

Above all, you will find out that the curves life throws at you will be easier to handle with someone else there who has your back and you will be a better person for it.

Blessings,
jen

Now go see Becky and what everyone else wrote.