From Elizabeth Elliot

One day, I will read and learn more about this woman. Chris and I watched the movie about her and her husband (the name escapes me now), and that was more than enough to whet my appetite.

Author: Elisabeth Elliot
Source: A Lamp For My Feet
Scripture Reference: Psalm 119:90-91

All Things Serve Thee

During my husband Addison's terminal illness, everything in our lives was changing. The cancer had spread with a speed which startled the doctors. I found during those hard days and nights strength in the ringing words of the liturgy, proclaimed aloud as the congregation knelt: "Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again." I could hold onto those immutable facts.
The psalmist found the same strength in the Lord's infrangible decrees: "This day, as ever, Thy decrees stand fast: for all things serve Thee" (Ps 119:91 NEB). The Lord is not subject to vicissitudes, exigencies, and contingencies. "Accidents" are, in fact, subject to the Lord of the universe, the blessed Controller of all things.
"Thy promise endures for all time, stable as the earth which Thou hast fixed" (Ps 119:90 NEB).
He "fixes," that is, He sets in place, the whole earth. Surely He can fix and establish my heart. Every "happening" serves Him.

Worth the return trip

I actually did 2 CVS runs today. The first one was to pick up the deals in the paper, the second one was spur of the moment. What happened was that I figured this was a straightforward week and there was no sense in bringing my coupon binder with me. Then when I got to the store, I checked the clearance shelf out of habit and noticed they had whole bins of toothpaste and mouthwash marked down to $.40-$.70 each. Picturing my coupon binder, I knew I could do some matching and get an awesome deal. I decided it was worth it, picked up my items and checked out quickly, then drove home, got my binder, and drove back. It did help that the CVS is only 5 minutes from our house. In the time that it took me to get there and back again, several huge bottles of Scope mouthwash and a few other things had been snagged. Anyways, here's what I got, along with their markdown prices:
Colgate Total Advance Toothpaste (6 in various sizes- no travel sizes) $.40/ea
Colgate Total Whitening $.30
Crest Whitening with Scope $.30
Crest Extra Whitening (2) $.40/ea
Listerine Vanilla Mint 1L (2) $.50/ea
Oral B Xact Toothbrush (2) $.50/ea
Kotex Light Days 16ct liners $1.49

Coupons- the receipt doesn't list which they were, and I can't tell from the amounts because a lot of them wound up being rounded down. I pulled out whatever I had in my coupon binder that matched the items above.
1 @ $.10
2@ $.50/ea
1 @ $.75
1@ $.94
1 CVS coupon @ $1.00 (I know this one was for the Kotex pads)
2 @ $1.00/ea
1 @ $1.50

Grand total OOP (WITHOUT using any ECB's from my earlier transaction)
....
...
$.62 (sales tax)!

Even though there was an ECB deal with the Listerine and the Colgate Total toothpaste, it didn't print any ECB's for me. I noticed the ad says "pay $xx and get xx ECB's," so that may be why. I wasn't interested in pushing it.
My mileage varies on the sales tax thing- sometimes I get charged for it even if my ECB's would cover it, and sometimes I don't. It seems to vary depending on the cashier, and I don't worry too much about it since its rarely more than a dollar.
Lessons learned
ALWAYS bring the coupon binder. If you don't think you'll use it, leave it in the car- at least then if you see a great deal its quick to run out and get it.
Find out where the markdown/clearance section is at your CVS, and check it whenever you go in. I've seen some other really great deals there, although this was the best by far.

Oh, and the kitty was not included in the markdowns. He just likes to be in pictures.

Crossing over...

Yes, its true. I've gone over to the dark side. I'm not usually one to follow trends but I did finally go for this one, albeit a bit late. That's right, I now own a pair of Crocs. Let me explain, though. This is what I was wearing before
Because its been so warm here, I was wearing those sandals almost whenever I left the house. I wore them with capris, and lately I've been wearing them with jeans because its too hot for socks and my tennis shoes are for running only. I wore them to work, I wore them out to eat (casual place), I wore them when walking to get the mail, you get the idea. I've had them for about 10 years. No joke. They were my shower shoes when I was a freshman in college. Needless to say they were long past needing to be replaced. I've been eyeing up Crocs for a while, but just couldn't get past the ugly and unprofessional look, no matter how comfortable. Not to mention I couldn't justify paying $30 for a pair and I didn't want an off brand. But today Chris and I walked into a shoe store that was going out of business and everything was 50% off. I started hunting for a pair of everyday sandals, and this is what I finally settled onThey're still comfy like Crocs, but they are actually cute with a pair of jeans. They're chocolate brown, so should go with almost everything and yet not show dirt or dust too much. The fit is...interesting, but I'm getting used to it. And as Chris put it, NOTHING could be worse than what I was wearing. So I've finally jumped on the Crocs bandwagon, and am hoping these shoes will still look good in a few years.

I just looked, and realized I only have 9 posts in September, and the month is nearly over (where did it go?) I have a bunch of post ideas floating around in my head, but can't seem to formulate any of them. I've started making a list of things that need to be done before I leave for Michigan, and its quite lengthy. I've been working my tail off to double up on visits so that some of my kids are "caught up" ahead of time. ALL of my end of the month paperwork needs to be done and filed, along with all of the normal stuff. Oh, and I need to pack too. That will probably happen Monday night since I fly out on Tuesday.
Running has...not gone well this week. After the 10 miles I did on Saturday, I took Monday as a rest day also. Tuesday I actually made it out the door, but only managed 1.5 miles (20 minutes or so). Yesterday and today I was so tired that it just didn't happen, so tomorrow is my last chance before another long Saturday run. I REALLY wish running in the evenings didn't mess with my sleep- I'm so much more awake later in the day, but it still doesn't cool down here until dark. And as much as I'd love it, a treadmill or gym membership isn't an option right now. I think I'm also just hitting a bit of a plateau with this training. The initial novelty of this whole thing has worn off, although it took longer than I expected. Now its a matter of chugging along and persevering. Just like life I guess- run and not grow weary, walk and not faint. I did get to meet my PCH honor patient last week- that was a fun time even if Dave and Buster's is basically a casino minus the possibility of winning something of value. I have a picture, but I don't know the exact releases that the families signed so I won't post it. Hopefully I'll have one soon that I can post to my firstgiving website.

Steadfast Faith

Whatever it is you're doing, have faith!

Author: Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
Source: Streams in the Desert
Scripture Reference: Joshua 6:5

Shout of Faith

"And when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him" (Joshua 6:5).
The shout of steadfast faith is in direct contrast to the moans of wavering faith, and to the wails of discouraged hearts. Among the many "secrets of the Lord," I do not know of any that is more valuable than the secret of this shout of faith. The Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour." He had not said, "I will give," but "I have given." It belonged to them already; and now they were called to take possession of it. But the great question was, How? It looked impossible, but the Lord declared His plan.
Now, no one can suppose for a moment that this shout caused the walls to fall. And yet the secret of their victory lay in just this shout, for it was the shout of a faith which dared, on the authority of God's Word alone, to claim a promised victory, while as yet there were no signs of this victory being accomplished. And according to their faith God did unto them; so that, when they shouted, He made the walls to fall.
God had declared that He had given them the city, and faith reckoned this to be true. And long centuries afterwards the Holy Ghost recorded this triumph of faith in Hebrews:
"By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days."--Hannah Whitall Smith.

"Faith can never reach its consummation,
Till the victor's thankful song we raise:
In the glorious city of salvation,
God has told us all the gates are praise."

This classic devotional is the unabridged edition of Streams in the Desert. This first edition was published in 1925 and the wording is preserved as originally written. Connotations of words may have changed over the years and are not meant to be offensive.

Books about Books

I almost consider this a genre within the fiction genre, and its quickly becoming one of my favorites. Maybe (or probably) because I love to read, books about books fascinate me. Here are a few that I've read (or listened to).

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. This is one of the first audiobooks I listened to, and I'll admit its hard to recall some of the details after the time that's passed. I picked it up from the library after Kristin recommended it, and I wasn't disappointed. This is the story of two writers- Vida Winter and Margaret Lea. Vida is a bestselling storyteller at the end of her life, and she chooses Margaret to write her true biography. As the story unfolds there are twins, murder, ghosts, and a few love affairs. I'll admit to not having read the Bronte sisters, or much other gothic literature, but if it reads like this I'll certainly give some a try. 5 out of 5 stars.

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. This one is a more recent listen, although it was a random pick at the library. It concerns the Sarajevo Haggadah- a book with an interesting and varied history. The main character is a restorer or old books. She uses artifacts from the Haggadah to try and piece together its history. The structure of the book- moving between past and present is a bit awkward, and the main character gets a bit tiresome, but overall this was a good read. 3.5 out of 5 stars.



The Bookman's Promise by John Dunning. I just started listening to this one, but it definitely fits into this category. I'll try and remember to review it once I finish.





So what other books about books have you read and enjoyed?

Long Run- 10 miles

Well, like the title says, the goal for our long run today was 8-10 miles. Being the extremist that I am, I decided to go for the big 10. The first 4 or 5 miles were great. I was actually keeping up with the rest of the group, and feeling good. I don't know what my time was for that part, but it would at least have been respectable. Around mile 5.5 or 6, I just ran out of gas. I've never felt anything like it before. And the really odd part was that it was mental as much as physical. I just felt DONE. I imagine that's why its described as "hitting the wall". Needless to say, the last 4 miles were NOT fun. I ran/walked them, although it was actually more walking than running. It was the first long run I've done where I wasn't sure I would be able to finish. I was literally taking it 1/2 mile at a time, and breaking it up into run/walk segments. To make it even worse, my headphones shorted out, so I didn't have any music to distract me either. I finished right about 9am (we started around 6:15).
Ironically enough, our mini-seminar today was about food and gels. I think its time to start experimenting with that a bit. Apparently your body can only store about 90 minutes worth of carbs, and after that you have to start replacing it at about 200-300 calories/hour. Interestingly enough, 90 minutes into a long run is about where I start to feel it. I guess the granola bar that I typically eat in the car (90 calories) isn't enough to get me the whole way.

Take up your cross

I got this as my e-mail devotional a few days ago. It applies to so many situations in our lives.

Author: Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
Source: Streams in the Desert
Scripture Reference: Mark 8:34

Carry Your Cross

"Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Mark 8:34).

The cross which my Lord bids me take up and carry may assume different shapes. I may have to content myself with a lowly and narrow sphere, when I feel that I have capacities for much higher work. I may have to go on cultivating year after year, a field which seems to yield me no harvests whatsoever. I may be bidden to cherish kind and loving thoughts about someone who has wronged me--be bidden speak to him tenderly, and take his part against all who oppose him, and crown him with sympathy and succor. I may have to confess my Master amongst those who do not wish to be reminded of Him and His claims. I may be called to "move among my race, and show a glorious morning face," when my heart is breaking.
There are many crosses, and every one of them is sore and heavy. None of them is likely to be sought out by me of my own accord. But never is Jesus so near me as when I lift my cross, and lay it submissively on my shoulder, and give it the welcome of a patient and unmurmuring spirit.
He draws close, to ripen my wisdom, to deepen my peace, to increase my courage, to augment my power to be of use to others, through the very experience which is so grievous and distressing, and then--as I read on the seal of one of those Scottish Covenanters whom Claverhouse imprisoned on the lonely Bass, with the sea surging and sobbing round--I grow under the load.--Alexander Smellie.

"Use your cross as a crutch to help you on, and not as a stumblingblock to cast you down."

"You may others from sadness to gladness beguile,
If you carry your cross with a smile."

This classic devotional is the unabridged edition of Streams in the Desert. This first edition was published in 1925 and the wording is preserved as originally written. Connotations of words may have changed over the years and are not meant to be offensive.

I know I need to update more often. I keep meaning to, but lately blogging has just been getting lost in the shuffle. I'm still working lots- I'm trying to do some extra visits now in anticipation of being in Michigan for two weeks in October. Excited doesn't really describe how much I'm looking forward to this trip, even though Chris won't be able to come with me (he can't miss that much school). I haven't been home in...4 years, and haven't seen my family in over 3 years. Generally it doesn't bother me much (or I just avoid thinking about it, I'm not sure which), but lately it does. Maybe its seeing everyone's pictures on Facebook and realizing that I don't recognize most of my cousins anymore, and that half the people I graduated high school with are either married, pregnant, or have kids (or some combination thereof). Hopefully I'll have some time to catch up with old friends. Thus far the only certain things on the agenda are a haircut, and Nichole's wedding. I'm obviously looking forward to both of them, although I'm still debating what to do with my hair. With the way the weather is going here, it may still be hot when I leave. In any case I should be in Michigan at the right time to experience an actual autumn, complete with leaves (leafs?) falling from the trees. That should be a nice change from the lack of seasons here.

Hair stuff

I love GIMP for photo editing. Its so much fun to play around with, and you can't beat the price. When I was doing more digital scrapbooking, I was doing it all with GIMP. There's a bit of a learning curve (or at least there was for me), but the instruction manuals are online, and tutorial sites abound.
My project for this morning was to see if I could figure out how some of my current hair cut ideas would actually look ON ME. I'm getting my hair cut in October, when I'm in Michigan, and I really want something different since my hair has been long and straight for so long now.
What I did was cut my face out of a picture, and paste it into the hair style pictures. The results aren't perfect, but they are interesting, and it did help me narrow down the choices. What do you think?
First the original, then the "me" version:
Yes, I had to reverse the angle because of the angle I took my own picture from. I sort of like this one though.With bangs. I've had them before, and I'm not opposed to having them again. I don't think the alignment is quite right here, and obviously the skin and hair color are different. I'm mostly looking at the style of the cut.Surprisingly enough, I rather like this one, although I'm not sure how it would look with the shape of my face (round).This was one of my favorites going in, but after seeing the "me" version I'm not so sure anymore.
This was by far the crowd favorite when I posted on Facebook, but I still don't really care for it. I've HAD a haircut like this before and I didn't much like it.This is one of my other favorites, but as much as I tried, I couldn't come up with a "me" version where the alignment was even close.

$20

Yes, health care costs are out of control, and the system is broken. However, giving control to the government isn't the way to fix it. Since when have they taken any industry and made it cheaper or more efficient than private businesses?



And here's the link to her blog.

Swimming Pools

Just in case anyone was looking for a swimming pool.

Swimming Pools: "

It’s Labor Day here in the U.S. of A. The end of summer. Time for school to start, time to take the job seriously again (no more early departures on Fridays), and apparently, time to destroy the swimming pool.

“It’s been nice, summer, but so long as I have to look at the pool in the backyard, it will be hard to let you go. I need a ritual release. I need to mark the end of our relationship in a big, bold way. I need to kill the swimming pool.

Then try to see if someone will buy the remains.”

Found by: Anon on Kanas City Craigslist

I have a 18×33 swimming pool for sale. it has been sitting since 2007. The pump and all is still there. It needs a liner. I am asking $250obo.

Found by: Kam & Amy on Thunderbay Kijiji

Above ground pool, as is, needs some TLC and perhaps some duct tape.Good for parts.

_{p.s. – yeah, Thunder Bay is in Canada. I think they have Labo[u]r Day, today, too.}

"

Things that are obsolete now...

due to the internet.
1. Phone books. We try and save one every few years, but the ones we can't unsubscribe from get recycled. We open ours about twice a year.
2. Encyclopedias. My parents have a set that's about 15 years old. My aunt told the encyclopedia salesman that computers would make them obsolete. I guess she was right.
3. Road maps. Between mapquest, and TomTom, who needs them?
4. Recipe books. I know some people love them, but between recipezaar, and allrecipes, we have a whole shelf of them collecting dust.
5. Almanacs. Remember those? When was the last time you saw, let alone used one?

What am I missing?