A Personal Study

Thinking back over my prayer journals, one thought comes up a lot. I want to be a better wife and mother.

Lord, help me be a better wife and mother.

Please help me to be the wife and mother they need.

Show me how to be a better wife and mother.

Over and over again. I can't even count, nor would I want to, how many times I've written a variation of this phrase. I think that constant refrain goes through every woman's head but it could just be mine.

So, it occurred to me that maybe I should look into it. There is a description of a woman that begins in Proverbs 31:10 that is THE woman. At least most Christians agree that she is the one we want (or should want) to be like.

I've decided to go through it one verse a week and look into what makes her tick. I can work on the same traits in my own life and maybe feel like I'm getting somewhere. I guess we'll see what happens. Hopefully, God will choose to bless my efforts or help me to understand what I need to improve upon. So, here goes. Feel free to join me.

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Proverbs 31:10
Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?
She is more precious than rubies.

Character Traits:
Obviously the character traits that stick out there are 'virtuous' and 'capable.'

Character Trait 1:
Virtuous

Definition:
--Virtuous: moral worth or excellence
translated in the NIV as "noble character"

Verses in the Bible about it:
Proverbs 16:17
The path of the virtuous leads away from evil;whoever follows that path is safe.
Proverbs 21:29
The wicked bluff their way through,but the virtuous think before they act.
Ecclesiastes 7:29
But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”
Ecclesiastes 7:29
But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”
Psalm 11:7
For the righteous Lord loves justice.The virtuous will see his face.
Psalm 94:15
Judgment will again be founded on justice,and those with virtuous hearts will pursue it.
Ezekiel 16:52
Shame on you! Your sins are so terrible that you make your sisters seem righteous, even virtuous.

Summary:
Things that stick out to me from these verses that Bible Gateway pulled up for me are righteousness, thinking before you act, justice, and following God's path. There were surprisingly few verses with that word in particular in them.

Character Trait 2:
Capable

Definition:
--Capable: having the qualities (as physical or mental power) to do or accomplish something; having qualities or features permitting; able to do one's job well

Verses in the Bible about it:
1 Kings 11:28
Jeroboam was a very capable young man, and when Solomon saw how industrious he was, he put him in charge of the labor force from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph.
Exodus 18:21
But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.
1 Chronicles 5:18
[ The Tribes East of the Jordan ] There were 44,760 capable warriors in the armies of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They were all skilled in combat and armed with shields, swords, and bows.
1 Chronicles 26:8
All of these descendants of Obed-edom, including their sons and grandsons—sixty-two of them in all—were very capable men, well qualified for their work.
Daniel 1:20
Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.
1 Chronicles 26:32
There were 2,700 capable men among the relatives of Jeriah. King David sent them to the east side of the Jordan River and put them in charge of the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They were responsible for all matters related to God and to the king.

Summary:
These verses use words like industrious, trustworthy, fearing God, well qualified, skilled, and responsible. While a lot of the verses talked about being a good soldier in the context, it seemed to be getting at doing well what you have to do. That's a trait I definitely need to work on.

Conclusion for this verse:
So, gathering from that, what this first verse is saying is that a good woman (wife and mother) would be one who is both wise in God's ways (studies her Bible, prays, etc.) and acts on that (showing Godly character in the attitudes she has and the things she does). She is someone who reflects God's light. She is also someone who does the job given to her well, with dignity and skill, taking responsibility for what has been entrusted to her. It might also be suggesting that she makes herself more qualified by learning skills that will help her to do her job.


Comments:
I'm not sure I can master all that in a week. Eek!

I Have an Addiction

I realized yesterday that I have an addiction. It's a new thing but it's strong. All of you know and love me, so I feel comfortable enough here to confess it to you. You see, I have become...

well...

a chocolate milk junkie. My name is Born Blonde and I am a chocolate milk junkie.

There. It's such a relief to confess.

I must say this. I was led into sin by the temptation of coupons and sales. Yes. It's true. It started with Shamrock Farms Rockin' Refuel. They are these single serve flavored milks. They like to put out coupons for 50 cents off one.

My local Bi-Lo likes to put them on sale for $1. But they also double coupons (up to 60 cents) which means they make that 50 cent coupon into a $1 off coupon. Well. That's free! You can't NOT get it if its free. Right? Right? (I'm looking for affirmation here people.)

But I have two kids and I'd usually only have one coupon. I guess I could have bought a second but that kind of killed the high of getting it for free. So I just figured when I could get this deal that the chocolate milk was mine. I got this deal a lot. As soon as one would expire, they would have another one. And sure enough, Bi-Lo would put them on sale the next week.

Well, they were kind of like marijuana I guess. You know it's supposed to be a starter drug that leads you to worse things. One day, I was walking along in the grocery store and there was a store brand single serve chocolate milk marked down to like 29 cents. I put my finger on my chin and thought "hmm, I'm thirsty." It was gone by the time I got out of the parking lot. Just yesterday, I got a Horizon single serve chocolate milk for 19 cents after my coupon. It made it out of the parking lot...

but not home.

And now, I'm starting to crave chocolate milk. I suppose its better than soda but I don't like having cravings for it. So I guess I'll have to go cold turkey.

Well, at least until the next sale.

You Can Tell A Lot About A Person By The Electronic Handheld Games in Her Car

Hubby is a smart guy. He constantly amazes me with the trivia he keeps in his head. And he can do math in there as fast as a calculator. Just watch us sometime in the grocery store. He's not the person you want to play against in Trivial Pursuit plus he's competitive so you really don't.

What's more, he has always assumed that he is fairly average. If other people didn't do as well as he did in school, he assumed it was because they didn't try. It isn't until recently that I have had to make him understand that wasn't the case. I have to remind him sometimes, after pulling him aside, that Chick and Dude aren't necessarily lazy. Things just don't click for other people like they do for him. He can't understand why they don't remember details from history that they studied three years ago for one class day.. because he does.

On the other hand, that's not my forte. I am more of a logic person. As in puzzles and such. I used to love in particular those standardized tests that always had the lego blocks and you had to choose which piece would fit. I can actually visualize the individual piece in my head spinning around until it's right. Tetris. Now that's my game. I remember playing when it first came out. My brother and his friend hated giving me the controller because they knew it would be forever until they got it back. To this day, I love playing it. In fact, I have the electronic hand held game in my car. When I'm parked at the school, waiting for the kids to come out, you can find me sitting there playing it.

I am not much on strategy though. Games like Risk and Chess are not my thing. Although I have been thinking about it and possibly that's more because of the pressure involved. I don't do well with stress in a game. I think they are for relaxing. Games like Risk make my stomach hurt.

But I suppose if planning out your moves is strategy, then perhaps I am better at it than I think.
The other electronic hand held game I keep in the car is Freecell. It is a solitaire kind of card game (which I also used to love playing -- my dad even gave me a book on playing solitaire once). I often catch myself making a list of moves in my head and following it. Hubby thinks I win pretty much every time I play.

I'm a little more modest in my assessment but I don't think he understands how I beat it so often any more than I understand how he can remember trivia about the 40's when he wasn't even alive. It's probably also why, at least in part, I get how things work more so than he does. The Asvab (kind of the SAT for the military) claimed I would make a good mechanic. It was one of my top two in fact. And when we have a car problem or make a home improvement, that's when Hubby is often wanting my help the most. Sometimes he just can't make it fit together in his head when I can.

That's actually why I think we make a good team. We don't think alike. A lot of our opinions and views are alike but we don't reason in the same way. But because of that, we can see different sides of an issue or problem. He can explain things to me and I can explain things to him. We can make a decision based on our unified view of the problem. And we stick together -- even when it was the wrong choice. That's what makes a couple into a team.

I see that lacking in a lot of couples today and it scares me a little. If a couple isn't a team, supporting each other and pumping each other up, well, then it's just two people who happen to be together. And that doesn't last very long. Working together, recognizing each others strengths and weaknesses, and relying on each other. Hubby would tell you that's a algebraic formula for success. I would say it seems only logical.

Not Egg-xactly

I have always been blessed to have the greatest friends. And look what one of them blessed me with on Sunday....

Fresh eggs! Like really fresh -- gathered that afternoon in fact.

Hubby has often laughed at me because I say I would like to have chickens. Part of the reason is because he comes from Tyson-land where the chicken houses are warehouse sized and you know they're around from about a mile out thanks to the smell. The concept of what I want is completely foreign and simply doesn't seem to compute.

I'm talking around 4-6 chickens in a 'house' the size of a green house or large shed. He's thinking massive stink structure. Once he saw my friend's coop, which is just a wee bit larger than what I want, I think he got it. He no longer seems to be as difficult about it. Of course, now he plays the 'we need land to do that' card but it doesn't work as well as he thinks because I've also been saying that for a while.

To him, I am a city girl. I come from Little Rock, AR, people. This is not comparable to New York or Chicago. But I guess he thinks I couldn't make it out of the suburbs or something. I don't know. I think he's slowly coming around to where I'm at. But he tends to get stuck on his idea of something and it doesn't get revamped easily. So I'll keep working at it.

And maybe I can visit my friend's chickens in the meantime on occasion.

Issues Part Two

Remember, when I was talking about my travel issues before? Well, Hubby has been gone on a business trip this week and I have realized I may have some sleep issues too. Nothing horrible or bad or weird....

Ok. Maybe weird. It's probably just that I've seen too many scary movies. Maybe Hollywood should give it a rest, you know. Or I could just not watch them. But I'm pretty sure it's Hollywood's fault.

Like the fact that I don't like parts of me hanging out from or over the edge of the bed. I don't honestly believe something is going to reach up and grab my foot or something. Besides, if it had to reach up to grab something that is sticking out from mattress level, how scary could it be? I could stomp on it, right? But I feel very uncomfortable if part of my hand or foot or any other limb is sticking out from the mattress. I really don't like to even hang on to the side of the mattress. Actually, even having my foot out from under the covers and not hanging off the edge bothers me. Hmmm.

Or like the fact that I don't like to put my hands near each over my head when I'm sleeping although it doesn't bother me if I'm on my stomach and they are under my pillow. Actually most of the time when that is the case, one is under the pillow and one is on top. Since I'm baring my neurosis,' I'll even tell you why on that one. Here goes. I always catch myself imagining someone (like Jason or Freddy Krueger) tying them together or grabbing my hands from underneath the mattress or something before they plunge the knife into my gut. I told you it was Hollywood's fault. I guess I believe in my subconscious that I can destroy them like a good scary movie heroine if I have one hand free. Hey. I'm a tough mama, you know. You don't want to mess with me -- all I need is one hand.

Well, now I guess I'd better run (while I can still get away from the men in white you're sending). Thank goodness Hubby is coming back today. He is the balm to my psychosis. My issues are much less prevalent when he's here to protect me from the Jason's and Freddy Krueger's of the world.

A Fetish?

I seem to be developing an addictive habit. I'm not real sure what to do about it. I have always considered myself a container person. I tend to like containers. Having various sizes and shapes in my kitchen cabinets always made me feel good but I used the word 'container' because that wasn't enough. I love boxes and chests. And unique gift bags and boxes too. In fact, the more unique or special it was, the more I liked it. I have always held that in control though even if I, on occasion, got more of a thrill wrapping a gift in a different way than I did buying the gift.

But now, for some reason, I seem to be becoming a thrift store purse junkie. I only buy one if its under 4 or 5 dollars but I seem to be finding one every time I go now that I wouldn't mind having. And it doesn't have to be a purse purse either. A change purse or wallet can catch my eye just as easily.

The thing is I never used to buy many at all. I usually (like with all my clothes) find one I like and use it until it falls apart at the seams. So now I'm wondering if I have developed a bad habit or just still haven't found what I'm looking for.

I feel ya, U2.

Disappearing Act

Sorry, I haven't updated since Tuesday. I have been working for the church secretary. And one of our employees got promoted to another store so my work days doubled this week and next until we adjust.

Okay. Yes, I realize that only means I'm working two days instead of one but throw two days on for the secretary and a holiday weekend on top of the Chick's summer class and it's been a wee bit busy. Plus we have the secret sister revealing tonight. And the Dude is getting ready to go to camp for a week on Sunday.

Are you tired yet? Cause I am.

And, well, the sofa is looking mighty comfy. At least I can sleep late tomorrow.

Hidden

For the last several months, I've been in limbo. Even though nothing really changed, my spiritual life has felt somewhat... stagnant, for lack of a better word. I wondered what was going on. I asked God to show me what was missing.

I remember a friend telling me that her husband suddenly realized he was miserable at his job. After much study, he decided that God had given him a talent that he wasn't using. As a result, he felt that God had decided to show him just how unhappy he could be outside of God's will. He became convicted that he needed to step out in faith and make use of his God-given talent. He quit his job, got the training he needed, and is now one of the foremost artisans in his field. He has received multiple prestigious awards, has been published in magazines, and is now in a position to be at home with his family, working at a craft that is his dream. And doing it to honor God.

While I haven't been miserable and I am convinced that God has placed me in the position I have at work, I have been feeling like I'm waiting for something. A couple of weeks ago, I found myself listening to a lesson on talents. Then I found myself reading an article about people who found a place where they were needed and were using their talents to make a difference. Last week, I went to Impact Jr. and found that I was sitting in a lesson about hidden talents. Some of the ones he listed were talents for things like lying or other sins. But he also pointed out that sometimes the talents were ones that honored God. Again, last night the same subject came up. And even more. It has been popping up again and again.

Now I'm beginning to wonder if there is a talent that God has given me that I'm not using. I can't imagine what it would be though. I even took one of those spiritual gifts tests. It just told me that I had the gifts of organization and writing -- not really a surprise much. So now I'm wondering what particular ministry that I'm supposed to be involved in. Or if there really is something I'm missing. I can't imagine what on earth it could be though. And all I have been able to do is ask God for clarity about it.

What about you guys? Any ideas?

Birthday Blessings

I had a wonderful birthday yesterday. I was overwhelmed with good wishes in person, by card, and by email/facebook. At some point, a man showed up at my door and delivered these from my mom.

My family presented me with gifts among which was a tortilla press (something I have wanted for a while now) and cake. The Chick baked it from scratch and Hubby frosted and decorated it.

It was yummy (despite the message) and fortunately they only made me blow out 5 candles instead of 38. I would have been in the hospital. And then I would have missed dinner out at Breck's Steakhouse -- a place we all really enjoy. The 1-inch thick burger patties they serve couldn't have anything to do with that, could it?

Happy Birthday to...

ME!

(If you see me today, the look in my eyes will be cake lust!)

I'm trying not to think about how incredibly large the number is. I'm going to focus on enjoying my day.

From this....

to this...
Hmmm.

Yeah, we've got to do something about pollution levels.

Athleticism...NOT

Hubby and I have been talking about the Dude's athletic ability lately. There really isn't a sport that calls to him. We would like for there to be -- if only for the sake of exercise -- but there just doesn't seem to be.

Unfortunately, this is my fault. He inherited his lack of ability from his mother. Hubby always claims he has no athletic ability either. But to him, that just means he isn't Shaq-like.

On the other hand, having no athletic ability to me is just that.

I remember one PE class in Junior High. I really liked the coach/teacher. She was a nice person and didn't act superior or mean to anyone, jock or not. But one day, she had us run in heats of 5 or 6 each. Then we raced against the people who had finished in the same position.

She was probably thinking, because she is athletic, of how great and motivated it would make some of the first-placers. I don't think she realized how hurtful it might be to the one who finished last of the last. I did. I was that one. And it wasn't for lack of trying.

That lack of mine has apparently not gone away either. We recently got Guitar Hero. Two songs I have completed. Countless times trying and two songs I can do.

On Easy setting.

Hubby and both kids have surpassed me in a major way -- now at the point that they can pretty much pick and choose what level they want to play at. My coordination just doesn't work that way.

And racquetball. Chick and I began the school year with her learning to play and me teaching her. Ability wise, we are now on even ground. Unfortunately what that means for me is that I have lost the last several games to her. And will probably continue to because the level that she has risen to is the same one I've been at since shortly after I began to play. I have no doubt she'll continue to get better. I could attempt to get better by practicing daily for hours on end. She would still surpass me. Oh, well.

I can still give Hubby a little more competition but I think that is more because we've been playing since before we married. I have a slight advantage over the Chick in knowing his style of game play. I still can't win against him. Or even come close. I only play for the fun of being together doing something he loves.

I suppose the Dude will learn to do the same. It would be nice if he could just enjoy the companionship and friendship of playing a game or sport without the competitive part of it.

Hubby is extremely competitive. Thankfully, he's never been like one of those parents that people talk bad about at children's sports games. And if he was, I still have plenty of gumption to set him straight.

Huh. Maybe that's what I got instead of coordination. I've got lots of gumption.

Yes.

And stubborn-ness.

(I was gonna say it.)

Contingency Plans

After reading on Queen B's blog about her travel issues today, I thought to myself, "I don't think I have any travel issues really." I mean, other than -- "Do not get mad at me for wanting to stop at the bathroom. I am a grown woman and I know when my bladder is full." Which, hello! Don't cha think?

And I have one bad tendency. Did you ever hear the fable about the knight who was going on a long journey? He wanted to make sure he had everything he needed so he packed food and things to cook it in, extra clothing, put on his armor and sword in case of a fight or thieves, extra money in case he forgot something, etc. He thinks of all these things he might just need, packs them up, and sets off on his horse. As he's crossing the river, the weight of everything breaks through the bridge and he and his horse fall into the river and drown. Yeah, that's me. I think the moral is that you can't possibly be prepared for every situation. But me. Well, I sure try.

So, hey, what's so wrong with having a small bladder and trying to be prepared? I could have been a boy scout for crying out loud. As far as travel issues go, I'm not too bad.

But then I remembered the one thing.

When we go to China, we will have to fly. Over water. Lots of water. Lots and lots of water.And do you know what lives in lots of water? Have you ever seen that movie "Open Water?" I've watched lots of scary movies in my time. I don't think any of them ever gave me nightmares like Open Water and its not even a horror movie. It's a drama, people!

But the thought of floating along helpless and vulnerable while underneath sharks swim around drooling and thinking about taking a bite. Ooowhoooo...

I have already informed Hubby that I will be carrying on my person a small inflatable life boat. I would rather dehydrate into a raisin in the sun in a lifeboat than deal with sharks. Can Not Do It. I even already have a plan. When we go down, we'll have to swim some away from the other people so I can blow it up without being torn apart for it. Also their splashing and screaming will attract the eating machines. After its blown up, Hubby can get in and help me in. Then if others want to tie together their seat cushions and link them to our boat they can. Or they can remain fish food. Whatever. I will be in my boat.

Actually, that's not really a travel issue. It's a well thought out emergency plan. Am I right?

Umm.

You're supposed to say "Yes!" here.

Grieving

Sunday ended up being a hard day for me. Someone said something in the discussion in our Sunday morning class that hit me the wrong way and I had to fight tears for a bit there -- just missing Daddy. Thankfully, I had nursery duty that day and the Lord was good enough to provide lots of busy babies to distract me. Then there was a song we sang that evening worship, and I was fighting tears again. I thought I was okay then until we went to bed. Hubby had just fallen asleep when I slowly lost the battle and had a good cry. I think its strange how it just hits me like that. I'm strolling along doing well and then, BAM, it's all I can do not to crumble.

I am glad that I don't feel angry or bitter at losing him. I know there's a reason and it's a good one because it's God's reason. But I want to be on the other side of this, missing him with good memories and laughing at silly things he did.

I remember when he was in the hospital and it wasn't looking good that I kept thinking I was on one painful mountain top and I wanted to be on the one that I could see in the distance -- the one with good memories and laughing at silly things he did. The problem was that in order to get to the other one I had to climb down this one and go through a deep dark valley that was cold, scary and lonely. That was the part I didn't want to do but some invisible hand kept pushing me toward it.

I thought maybe I was already climbing up the other mountain but I think the rocks must be loose because I slid right back down to the edge of the valley.

I guess now I'll have to grab another handhold and pull myself up a little again.

Pitter Pat Beats the Heart

I was reading a blogger's rememberings about the shows she used to enjoy as a child and I got started thinking about some of the things I used to love on tv. That led, inevitably, to remembering the 'heart throbs" I used to be nuts over. Probably everyone in my home knew just what I thought of him:

Shawn Cassidy. Just look at his feathered hair. How could any girl see straight with him around. Natalie (from Fact's of Life) wasn't the only one. I'm with ya, sista.

Then, of course, there was Bo Duke (John Schneider). I think every girl I knew was in love with him.

Hmm, I guess I had a thing for blonde men. That changed though as you can see. My most recent heart throb.

That's our engagement picture. Wow, we were young. We'll soon celebrate 17 years of marriage and I wouldn't mind at all another 17 years.

It always bothers me to hear married women, at work or out and about, making comments about how 'hot' some actor is or talking about someone becoming their "next ex-husband." Way to give your marriage a chance.

Not that I believe they are totally serious about it, but why even joke about something like divorce or being attracted to someone else. I didn't deal with divorce in my family but I've seen how it affects others and that's serious enough that no one should ever throw the word around so casually. So I challenge you today to let your current heart throb know how much you love and appreciate him.

Monday's Meal

Hello. My name is Bornblonde and I am a cheese enchilada addict.

What makes this worse is that I absolutely cannot make the things. At least not like Hacienda or Los Arcos or Los Reyes or any of those other Mexican restaurants. This is almost always what I order when we go. I can't remember the last time I ordered something else. Often they have a three enchilada combination and I seriously dig in. The chicken and beef are good but there is nothing like a cheese enchilada in my mind. I have tried several times to make them and they just aren't as good. The other night, though, I made some that hit the mark and I was really wishing I had made a whole lot of them. Unfortunately, I had only made one for each of us thanks to my past failures.

Guess what the secret (at least with these) was. Canned enchilada sauce -- Old El Paso was what I used. Well, if I figure out how to duplicate that, I'll let you know. But until then, use the canned stuff and do this. Amounts are based on how many you want to make.

Cheese Enchiladas

Flour tortillas
Shredded monterey jack cheese
Enchilada sauce

Preheat your oven to 375. Grease a casserole dish. Spread a little enchilada sauce on the bottom of the dish (I only made a few so I only used about 2 or 3 tablespoons on the bottom). This doesn't need to be thick -- just a little on the bottom for them to soak up and not burn or dry out. Lay out a tortilla. You may want to warm it so it won't break but that's up to you. Put cheese on the tortilla and roll. You are basically making a tube with filling. Place it seam side down in the dish. Repeat to roll remaining enchiladas. Spread sauce on top of the enchiladas. Be sure to get the ends or they will be crispy when it comes out of the oven. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Bake until cheese is melted and sauce on the bottom is bubbling, about 15 or 20 minutes. Serve.

A More Fit Mii

Remember when I said a lot of people I know are suddenly on a health kick. I guess it must be somewhat contagious.

It's not my fault though. On my first day back to work, after talking about getting one for 15 hours of driving home, there sat one lonely Wii Fit waiting for someone to buy it.

So now it has a home. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the kids seem to love it even though it's exercise. It has games that they get into but they also like the straight up exercises too. Hubby and I have been doing it as well. When it measures us, it makes our little people all chubby. I think they must lose weight as we do but I'm not sure that's a feature I would have added.

Possibly the most annoying thing it does is give this little surprised "oh" when Hubby or I step onto the board. May I just say this to the designers: having a piece of plastic yelp in terror when I step onto it does NOT motivate me.

But I did make one surprising discovery -- I like yoga or at least the Wii version. I always associated yoga with hippies, macrame, granola, and yoghurt (when it was still spelled with an 'h'). But I actually enjoy doing it and I love how loose my muscles feel when I'm done. So I may have to look further into the yoga thing and see just how close to actual yoga it is.

Wii... may be a little more fit soon. You never know.

Did I Miss Something?

It seems like everyone I know is trying to actively lose weight. It's gotten to the point that I'm actually wondering if I've missed something. Did I get stuck in a time warp? Was the new year last week? What's with all these new resolutions? Or is it maybe the onset of summer with all of its drastically reduced fabric in clothing?

I haven't a clue. I just know that a lot of my friends have suddenly 'become serious about losing weight.'

I am not serious about losing weight. I gave up on that a long time ago. I realized that if I have to choose between my figure and my love of food, my figure will always lose. It may take a while so I can pretend to choose my figure but the food will always win. I can't help it. I've become a decent cook over the years. Bye, bye figure.

And quite frankly, according to my doctor, I am healthy. Not like ample kind of healthy. Like low cholesterol, maintaining the same weight kind of healthy. So, currently, I am not concerned with it.

At least, I wasn't. Until everyone started getting 'serious about losing weight.' Now I'm feeling a little stress or guilt or whatever about losing weight. That's my fault too. I am easily influenced.

Someone influence me to enjoy looking like the Pillsbury dough boy again. I don't wanna be serious.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday!

Ha, ha. A valid excuse to eat cake!

Happy Birthday to me.

Lots of Stuff

I kind of checked out there for a while. Sorry about that. Let me see. Hubby was in Japan. Chick and Dude got out of school. So you'd think there was a lot of time right. HA! The bogus door install was on Monday. Orthodontic appointment Wednesday (braces should be coming off next month -- Yayyy!) and of course some bowling because - hello, it's like almost next door. Thursday we went swimming with some friends. And Friday, well. I worked that day, then had a cub scout den meeting, picking up Hubby from the airport, and taking Chick to a youth group thing AND all the start times were between 6:40 to 7:30. Well, that was fun.

I haven't a clue what we did on Tuesday. Probably passed out. No, actually, I think we made a library trip. But in the midst of this, we had to get ready for camp. That begins on Sunday. And of course, everyone needed more shorts/pants because we went through the stockpile and there were few that still fit. So we went shopping for that stuff and the goodies they like to take (which includes a bunch of water bottles) somewhere in there too. We got to shop for a birthday party gift as well which is happening right now. And a church thing tonight.

I was wondering what I would do with myself next week. This is Dude's first camp week so I'll be all alone during the day next week. I think I may just pass out. After all, when they get back, we'll be going to Cub Scout Day Camp. Guess who was struck by stupid and volunteered to be an assistant den leader. Actually, I think I was talked into it. I thought going to Disney for a week tired me out. Last year, I volunteered and I was never so exhausted.

All of this is to say, I guess, pray for me!

So now you know what's hopping over this way. Hope your summer started out a little slower.

Update: Home Made Laundry Detergent

The results are in. If you recall, I made my own laundry detergent powder last month. I kept a pencil and piece of paper in the laundry room to mark the number of loads I got from the 'batch' of detergent I made. It costs me $1.93 to make. And I have now officially used the last of the powder.

The grand total of loads - 35. So now I have the info I needed to make a comparison between commercial and home made. I have yet to begin on the 'batch' of liquid detergent I made except to say that I have used it to rub directly on stains when one needed to be treated. I guess I should probably keep track of that too. But I actually really like the powder.

And, I say again, the smell of the laundry soap that you grate is WONDERFUL. I love the scent of it. I'll let you know how the liquid detergent stats turn out. Have a great weekend.