Computer Troubles (again) May 9, 2008

So my office computer is sick. My laptop is a PITA (really it’s not — I am just not used to it). Rich’s computers confuse me (and he’s still sleeping so I can’t have him fix it again). I am running a virus scan and then I’ll do an adware/spyware scan. Guess we better back everything up today just incase.

This is what I’d like to do to it!

Gotta find some way to entertain the kids today away from home again. Rich is so busy right now and I can tell that wrinkled expression on his face means he is stressed out too. Best for us all if we vacate for a few hours. He doesn’t lose his temper, but there is no sense in making life harder for him right now. Poor guy has been up until the wee hours of the morning every day this week.

Our Mother’s Day plans have changed slightly. Instead of the beach in the morning we’re going in the evening. Our church building took a disastrous hit with raw sewage flooding last week. We want to be with our congregation on Sunday. We have so many friends who go there.

And, T, all I really want for MD is a day at the beach with my family. That’s all. My friend, L, told me yesterday that there is a book about love languages. She said mine must be “time” and yours must be “gifts”. She reads this blog. No doubt I won’t turn gifts down. But they aren’t important to me this time. Plus, my b-day is in May. That will be the day for gifts.

Alrighty… time for our walk. See you fun lovin’ bloggers later.

PS: Be ready for a lesson in RSS feeds. SO MUCH easier than “favorites”, but really for the intermediate blogger who reads many diff blogs per day. Oh, and, there will be no lesson for the advanced blogger. You already know as much or more than I do — you addicts! Hi, my name is Heidi, and I am a blogger. Uh huh. I get you!

Not After Five May 8, 2008

I should not drink coffee after 5:00 p.m.

Unless it’s decaf.

Because I’m still wide awake

And it’s after 10:00

But I luv me some coffee

 

And         My         Coffee         Luvs           Me

Living the Talk May 8, 2008

Before I go too deep here I wanted to say THANK GOD FOR A HUSBAND WHO IS A SOFTWARE ENGINEER!! I had horrible computer trouble this morning and he got me up and running in about 20 minutes. He’s a genius!!

Now to the deep stuff. Go get your boots. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

We “Christians” talk a lot of crap. We do. Many, many of us have been infected with the Christianese bug. And it is nothing short of a crying shame. A few examples:

1. My sister’s boss talks so much Christian smack and lives it out so little in his business affairs that he looks like a major wussy boy and, even worse, a hypocrit. Thank God he hasn’t turned her off of her faith. Thank God she was already a solid believer before ever going to work for him.
2. On another board I frequent, a person was nearly begging for an acceptable solution for the mountains of cards stacked against him. Out of nearly 130 responses to his questions, only FOUR people offered to actually HELP him. The rest of the commenters threw his way the most Christian Geek Speak that I have ever, ever, ever seen. It was so sadly pathetic that it would make an atheist laugh milk thru her nose while pointing at the screen saying, “that’s precisely what I’m talkin about right there”. How miserably he was failed and by none other than THE BODY OF CHRIST! I don’t recall anyone offering to pray for him. Maybe some did, but I was really, really disturbed by the amount of unthoughtful responses that I almost staggered. If I had been standing, I would have staggered.
3. “Oh we should get together sometime”; “Let’s get our kids together for a play date”; “Give me your phone number so I can call you and we’ll get together”. I cannot tell you how many stupid times I have heard this from people who are almost complete strangers. It’s as if you cannot have a simple conversation with a Christian anymore with no strings attached. No hon, I wasn’t trying to “date” you. I just wanted you to know that I think your purse is cute, hair is cute, shoes are cute, dress is cute, or husband is cute (sike on that last one!!). But, ya know? Why does every conversation have to end with “call me sometime”?????? Don’t get me wrong. I love to have get-togethers. But I don’t compliment people so we can become best friends. It - Was - Just - A - Compliment. Sheesh. Say “thanks”, then walk away. Bye now. Or the best is when they have said this so many times that it becomes automatic and soon you’re hearing them greet people with “Hi I’m so-and-so, it’s nice to meet you, we should get together sometime”. ROFL!

My point is we need to BE REAL with ourselves, our God, and our community — even when our faith is weak and we are suffering — maybe ESPECIALLY then. Understand that a fake Christian is worse than an honest atheist. No one is going to want to become a Christian when “we” have such a reputation as being cheesy with our cheesy smiles, stupid lingo, and flighty airheaded demeanor. It’s weird. It is so super weird. I mean like would you like want to like hang out with like the like teenager of the like week for like a weekend? No!!!!!!!!!! Not that Christians say “like” a lot. But seriously. “Praise the Lord” and all that goody stuff every time the lights turn on when you flip the switch knowing full well you paid the bill on time anyway — that’s STRANGE to EVERYONE!!

God doesn’t need a cheerleading squad. He needs people to be themselves (He created you afterall) and to use their gifts (that He gave you anyway) to affect the lost and to encourage the found.

If someone is hungry, give them food. Don’t give them your best sermon or favorite Bible verse because it will have NO AFFECT on them. Guess what? They’re STILL HUNGRY!

If someone is naked, give them clothes. Don’t drive them by the mall and tell them all about the great sale at Macy’s during Christmas. What good does that do? Think about this. That’s how stupid it is for us to preach to someone who is shivering about how they should turn to Jesus. Show them Jesus. Then maybe you’ll have the opportunity to actually talk about Jesus.

If someone needs a hug, give them a hug. Be compassionate. Don’t push them down a flight of stairs. Duh!

Do you understand me here?

In simplest terms:

WALK THE TALK

BE THE BODY OF CHRIST

HELP YOUR FELLOW CHRISTIANS IN NEED

MEET         THEIR         NEEDS

Don’t just badger them with your most incredible capacity to spew out memorized Bible verses. It’s so ridiculous!

Old adage that is too true:

Actions

Speak

Louder

Than

Words

I Need Help May 7, 2008

I read too many blogs and I’m tired every night and every day. I need more coffee. I need more cigarettes. Someone must come babysit my kids so I can get to all of my beloved blogs. Comment, get ideas, comment, argue, laugh, giggle, cry, yawn, rub tired/itchy eyes, click, click, click, click.

Just kidding about the cigarettes. I haven’t smoked one in over 4 years. Yahoo!

Good night fellow blog lovers. Be back in the mornin’ — coffee in hand as usual. Sweet dreams.

Taken For Granted May 7, 2008

Here is a list of 10 things (not people, this is about things) I have taken for granted. God blesses us so abundantly and may we never cease to thank Him. May we never forget the little things we are so blessed to have.

1. Easy access to healthcare
2. Insurance
3. A car
4. A house
5. A fridge & freezer full of food
6. Vitamins and supplements
7. Clothes, shoes, purses, perfumes, make-up, hair products
8. Running water
9. Heat when I’m cold — AC when I’m hot
10. My Bible

Your turn. What is one thing (not listed) that YOU take for granted?

Click on “comments” to leave your answer.

Results for Positive Tuesday May 6, 2008

Remember this post? Ok, good.

Carey blogged on her site about how nice she was to a persistent and irritating telemarketer here.

Here is my story:

I took the kids to the mall today. Sometimes this is a mistake. Sometimes it is fun. Today it was both. I guess that makes it a fun mistake. LOL!

While at Macy’s, our first stop, the saleslady, Sandy, helped me tremendously. She was awesome. However, she was very slow scanning the items and very chatty which added to her slow nature. Fine. It was fine. The kids were up for it and she kept talking to them so that helped a lot. That, and a few reminders from me that if they didn’t sit still and behave then they wouldn’t get to ride the merry-go-round or the choo-choo train. Those rides are irritating, but they are useful for bribery.

Leaving Macy’s, I explained that we would go get soft pretzels and then I needed to get my jewelry inspected at my favorite jewelry store. Now I should mention that I used to work at this jewelry store (like 8 years ago). I don’t know anybody who works there now. What I do know is what their jobs are like. Sucky! Underpaid and unappreciated and tired of cheap and rude customers (which they deal with A LOT). I get the “new girl”. That’s good b/c I hate to take up the time of someone who is a top seller. That’s a joke! The new girl took my precious gems and off she went to clean them. “Wait!”, I wanted to yell after her. “Wait — you have to check the diamonds first to be sure none are loose or they will fall out in that ultrasonic you’re about to put them in!!!”, my mind was screaming. “Whatever, if they fall out then they’ll replace them. Just let it go”, is how the thought ended. I never opened my mouth. “Doo-doo-doo, let’s look at diamonds kids”, I think as my mind drifts to my favorite past time — shopping — esp shopping for jewelry. For the next HALF AN HOUR I start this conversation only I can hear. This is how it went:

1. Should I trade in my diamond hoop earrings for some diamond studs?
2. Wonder how much they’d give me on the trade-in?
3. No, you need no more jewelry.
4. Mother’s Day is Sunday.
5. You said all you wanted for MD was a day at the beach with the whole family.
6. You lied!
7. How much are diamond studs?
8. Woah - that is a lot. The prices have gone up here.
9. Hmmm, wonder what they’d give me for my trade-in.
10. What is taking this chick so long?
11. How friggin long does it take to clean jewelry and mark the papers??!!!
12. New girls suck!
13. Slow new girls suck worse!

By the time this conversation ended my kids were having let’s-see-how-loud-we-can-scream contests. I ran out of threats. I finally pushed them across the store and walked away. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I knew if I let them out of the double stroller I would have to chase them on top of put up with them. No. Better to keep them contained. The sales people didn’t like that move AT ALL. No customers are coming into a store with two screaming, laughing, kicking, shouting, hyperactive toddlers. I just ruined any chances of them hitting their quota for today. But, by that point, I WANTED to irritate them.

What I REALLY wanted to do was grab the stuff out of the “new girl’s” hands and do it myself. It should take like 5 minutes to do what she did in 30 minutes.

HOWEVER, my jewelry sparkled like it was brand new. My papers were marked as if she was trying to win an award for perfection. Instead of sighing a big heavy eyerolling sigh in her pretty little face and saying “FINALLY”. I looked her dead in the eye, apologized for my heathens, thanked her for not calling security on us and kicking us out of the store, and told her what a fantastic job she did with my jewelry. She even gave me a new earring back for the one that was missing one. What a sweetheart. Those backs aren’t supposed to be free. Now I love the “new girl”. New girls are the best!

Here are my two… lovin’ their brand new Spiderman T-shirts. They really are hilarious and cute and I love ‘em. I do! I’ll keep ‘em awhile longer.

PS: 178 today. You people ROCK!! Thank you!!

Oh No You Didn’t! May 6, 2008

I’ve been tagged. I actually like this one because I don’t have to blog comment anybody. I only have to link to Carey who tagged me from her site. Very cool way to do this IMO.

Six Uninteresting Things About Me (only 6?):

1. In the spirit of weirdliness, I’ll admit that I count things. I count steps and colors and chews and cars. I even separate some things into categories and only count the red cars or every other step.
2. Speaking of chews — I have to chew equally on both sides of my mouth. Even gum.
3. I could eat black olives until they are coming out of my nose. If you ever hear of anyone dying from a black olive overdose, it’s probably me.
4. I have ingrown toenails.
5. I love being short (most of the time).
6. My closet is arranged by item and then by color. In other words, all my skirts are together, all my pants are together, all my short sleeved shirts are together, all my long sleeved shirts are together, all my blouses are together, all my dressy tank tops are together, and all my less than dressy tank tops are together — and all are in order by color or pattern or fabric. Don’t call me Type A.

If you want to play:

• Link back to the person who tagged you
• Post these rules on your blog
• List 6 uninteresting things about yourself
• Tag 6 random people at the end of your entry

Tag — You’re It!!

Jen at The Inner Voices of a Spinster in the Making

Ali at Ali’s Meanderings

Tausha at The Hoyt’s House

Lauren at This Mom’s World

Dave at Big Ear Creations

Melissa at Melissious-Intentions

Positive Tuesday May 6, 2008

Ok so I’m reading this really good book (thank you SW) right now about how to stop the negative internal chatter. So I decided while reading it yesterday that I would start a new thing on here that’s loosely related. See, Carey girl, I think of things to write on here all the time — little snidbits of my thoughts throughout time. Things are always developing. Neverending stream of new topics.

POSITIVE TUESDAY!!

Here is how to play along. You must find something positive to say to someone today right in the midst of being ticked off by them. I tried this yesterday. It changed the whole environment. My kids were ON MY NERVES. Instead of hollaring at them to do whatever I said, “hey kids, you are smart, beautiful, funny, bold, and I love you with all my heart”. It changed my mindset and they started getting along and sharing. Ha! Amazed me.

After you do this thing on Positive Tuesday come here and tell me about it. Let’s encourage each other to stand in the face of negativity and LAUGH OUT LOUD (LOL).

Now go

Go be positive

Go love an enemy

Go put your heart out there

Beginner Help May 5, 2008

There are several of you who look to search engines for the following day after day.

“candid chatter” (3-4 times per day)

“midriff candid belly” (2 times today, 2 times yesterday — and I know I’ve seen this on other days)

And then TONS of stuff about “baby angel tattoo”, “miscarriage memorial tattoo”, “sleeping baby angel tattoo”, “forever tattoo”, and the like.

So let me help you out if it is in fact ME that you’re looking for. You don’t have to search me. You don’t even have to know my whole site address. When you are on the home page of my site, click on that cute little star with the green plus sign (the latest Internet Explorer has this set-up – if you don’t have Windows I can’t help you). Then click on Add to Favorites on the drop down list. Then scroll the next window to whatever file you want in your favorites for my site to be in. Then click ADD. When I do this I stick ‘em in my blogs folder, but that’s a whole different lesson. If you don’t have sub-folders set up in your favorites, then just click ADD and you’re done. Now to find me you click the star w/out the green plus sign. See me there now on your favorites drop down menu? No more searching. Just click and go.

You’re welcome!

Stress Free Zone — No More Stress!

The German in Me May 5, 2008

I love German food. I love sausage. I love kielbasa. I love kraut. I love German potato salad (if it is made right). I love love love German food. For dinner last night, Rich (who also embraces his German roots) made sausages with kraut and mashed potatoes. Oh miles of piles of German food on my plate!! It was freaking gloriously delicious.

He also bought a pork loin roast yesterday that I put in the crock pot this morning with the remaining sauerkraut. We will have another German feast tonight. I can’t get enough of this flavor right now. So rich. So sassy. So fattening. So irresistible. Yummm.

Enjoying it while I can. Breakfast and lunch will be healthful to balance it out. It’s times like these that I am grateful I am not Jewish. I say this because I think Jews don’t eat pork. Right?

I miss Schmidt’s restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. What I wouldn’t do to enjoy a cream puff dessert after my dinner tonight. Oh heavenly sugary yummily treat!