This Side of Perfect

For those of you who don't already know (and who doesn't?), I had an interview yesterday at one of our middle schools for the paraprofessional position. Today, I got the call -- I got the job!

I officially start on August 3rd, the first day of school, but I'll go in the Thursday or Friday before to get to know the staff.

In the middle of all of this, we're still moving. And we think we know where we're moving, but nothing is set in stone. I'll let you know as soon as I sign the lease...then it will be carved in stone. Until then, I ain't sayin' nothin'.


PS - I spent all day looking at houses. That's all there is to report about my Time Challenge. Tomorrow is the last day, though, so make it count!

I fell asleep last night utterly exhausted and yet a bit guilty that I didn't update with my totals.  Just one more day of the challenge, ladies and then we can digest the data and come to some conclusions.
Speaking of challenges, how did you do with mine yesterday?  I did okay...I kind of bit The Man Beasts head off when I told him he just shouldn't speak at all to the Boy because nothing good ever comes out when he did.  He could have retaliated and bit my head off.  Instead, he said some Man thing about making him a stronger and more witty man.  I will never understand how men communicate.  All I know is that the Boy is rarely hurt or offended by what The Man Beast says to him.  It's a guy thing and I should cut the apron strings and let the Man Beast mold his boy to become a Man.  If I live a million years, I will never understand how men communicate.  But then, I suppose that's why God gave She Beasts Man Beasts in the first place - to communicate with our Boys.

M…

If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all.
Thumper, "Bambi" Copyright 1942 Disney

I love Thumper, don't you? He's the epitome of all of us at some point or another. His father could be a four pawed, long eared version of Solomon, however. For those who don't remember, Thumper delivered this line after his mother admonished him for saying something rude about Bambi. This was the advice his father gave him. He repeated it dutifully (even if he did forget it, temporarily).

Proverbs is also filled with warnings about using the tongue. One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 15: 4 - The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. (If you want to read different versions, BibleGateway is a terrific website).

I'm not sure if it's my sinful nature or just my nature as a woman but I always have to have the last word. Always. And more often than not, in order to do it, I have to deliver a cutt…

Just a quick post tonight, guys.  Sorry to disappoint those of you who really enjoy reading my long ramblings.  They'll get longer again...just as soon as I have something worth saying, am not nursing a headache, and have not had  an emotionally trying day.

Baby Gurl had a dentist appointment today at 10. We didn't get out of there until noon.  The chair she was in was right next to the waiting room I was sitting in.  She cried.  The dentists fussed.  And I read a book.  I had to!  If I didn't, Mama Bear would have been in there rippin' the room apart.

Baby Gurl is very proud of her 'new' tooth and had to show everyone at church.

Totals for today - I honestly couldn't tell you.  I know I was up at 7.  We left the house at 9:30.  We got home around 12:30 or so.  Had lunch.  I took a nap on the couch and then left for WalMart to do grocery shopping at 4.  Got back at 5 or so.  Made dinner, finished reading my book (I'll be blogging about that on Tuesday) …

About all y'all need to know about my tallies today is I spent a lot of time on the computer.  I not only checked email and read blogs, but I was doing some banking online, changed my phone service (again) online as well as looked at some rental properties locally (please, do not ask).

I took the kids to the movies, as I explained in my earlier post.  I did a load of laundry.  But mostly, I spent time on the computer.

How did you do today?

My day started out quite strange. I transposed my cell phone number, so when I went online to put more money on my phone (I use AlltelU), I actually ended putting it on the wrong account! After I realized my mistake (my time didn't add up on the screen and neither did my calling features - unlimited mobile to mobile and free nights and weekends), I got on the phone with Alltel.

Fifteen minutes later, I finally got through to a human. Of course, he had to make sure I was telling the truth, so he captured the last four digits of my debit card, the phone number I added minutes to (good thing I wrote it down) as well as the trace number. (He actually asked for the confirmation number, but I had already navigated away from that page so the best I could give him was my trace number).

Bada bing, bada bang, bada boom - success!

The kids and I leave soon after to go see Nanny McPhee at the free summer movie theater (a terrific movie. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it). W…

Making this entry quick.  We've got a big pile of mess coming out way.  Oh, don't worry about me, Dear Readers. We'll be fine.  My area of GA seems to be a safe pocket.  It's the internet that doesn't like to cooperate.  Oh, and the power.  So, The Man Beast and I have set our cell phone alarms, just in case.

Here are my totals for today--

Woke up and stayed in bed until 9.  I took a shower, had a cup of coffee, ate breakfast and surfed the web.

At 10:30, the kiddos and I left for the bank.  After the bank, I paid a few bills.  I came home and spent about an hour on the computer paying more bills and balancing my checkbook.

I had lunch and did laundry at 1 and then spent an hour with the  Man Beast watching TV.  I then spent about an hour reading and then an hour checking emails.

Then it was time for meal prep.

We ate dinner around 7:30 and watched some more TV.  (I watch a lot of TV at night - internet TV - when the Man Beast is at home and isn't playing onlin…

Today, my church voted on its new youth pastor.  What made this day so special is that the youth pastor they voted on is my Sunday School teacher's son.  I couldn't vote, as I'm not a member of the church, but I was so happy I could burst.  I believe that Preacher Man-in-Training will do a fabulous job leading our youth.  And don't forget, The Boy will be 'youth' a year from now.  It's not something I want to really think too hard about, but it's nice knowing that there is such a wonderful guy leading My Guy in his Walk.

So, how'd you do today with your time challenge?  Obviously, the day isn't done, but I'll post my totals so far:

Meal Prep and Dinner: 3 hrs (we had wet burritos and I made the sauce and tortillas from scratch)
Shopping: 1 hr (I went to Walgreens and Staples and took advantage of a few back-to-school sales)
Reading: 2 hrs (I'm reading Nicolas Sparks' The Choice)
Computer: 4 hrs (between checking email, reading blogs …

Okay, so my joke is a little ... odd. But it is time for our Time Challenge. I'm so excited! I hope you are, too.

Here's how this is going to work:

If you decide that you want to participate in the challenge, grab the Time Challenge button located over there ===> When you upload it to your blog, please link back to this message. (Just click the title to get the direct URL)Simply use my document or your own, to keep track of your hourly happenings.Every day next week, I'll have a Mister Linky form under my posts. (Look at the bottom of this post to find it. Go ahead an post your link if you're doing this with me. It'll be fun!) This is for our Daily Tallies. Every day, post your tallies and come back here to a post the link to that blog post (not your blog), so that we can check in on you.
For your convenience, I've created a little sheet for you to use. You can use whatever you want. Use scratch paper if that's your thing. But if you choose to …

I've been in a bit of a funk lately. If you've been paying attention, you'll notice that I haven't been marking off my packing to do list. I've been feeling overwhelmed with some personal things, the house has been a cluttered wreck, and I just haven't felt like doing much of anything.

Yesterday, I decided that enough was enough (this is usually how I get out of my 'poor me' depression moments - they truly are not serious). I turned on some tunes and I immediately felt better. I didn't get much done, but I got something done and that's a start.

Today, Elizabeth calls me when she decides that she's spent enough time on the computer. She told me if she didn't get off then, she'd be on it all day and would never get anything done. Well, I can't read my blogs and talk at the same time, so I closed up the laptop and talked to Elizabeth. Since I'm notorious for multitasking trying to get more done today than I did yesterday, I…

I spent today working on the Time Sheets for the Time Challenge. I've got a few people willing to participate. A few I think are just scared. Or maybe they think it's a waste of their time. Please know that I appreciate everyone who is willing to do this with me. And for those who aren't, that's fine, too. But I pray you come and read up on my progress. Y'all keep me accountable. I need you.

You'll never guess whose blog I found tonight -- Beth Moore's! Of course I found it through a link of a link of a link, but the point is I found it! Anyone who has attended a Beth Moore study has been richly blessed by her teachings. You'll definitely want to check out her blog. It's on my blog roll listed as "Beth Moore".

Many people who blog on Fridays participate in Frugal Fridays. I certainly do not and after today's WalMart trip, I'd cause all my Frugal Friday bloggers to hang their heads in shame.

I went to WalMart for two thing…

In light of the Time Challenge that I posted about yesterday, it's kind if ironic that I write about Five Minutes. Let me first start out by saying that this post is not about five minutes. Oh sure, the title is five minutes and it might take me just five minutes to write this as I have dinner to make. But I have not spent five minutes on the sites that I am going to share with you. I could spend so much longer. But to save time, I have instead, subscribed to the news feed so that I might multi-task and just check email and be done with the computer. (Okay, in all actuality, since the computer is the great multi-tasker of its time - I can read, write, listen to music, stay in touch with friends and my pastor, all at the same time! - more time is wasted than saved. But that's a post for another time).

There is a term rolling around the Internet - web ring. Simply put, it's a directory of like-minded blogs. I like to hang out a Christian sites for women simply becaus…

My dear high school friend, Elizabeth over at My So Called Crazy Life, posted about time yesterday. She said that there never seemed to be enough hours in a day. Boy, don't we all feel that way, sometimes?!?!

I just finished Donna Otto's book, Get More Done In Less Time. In it, she too, talks about how women constantly tell her at her seminars how they feel that there isn't enough hours in a day to get done everything that needs gettin' done. She suggests that we actually waste more time than we realize. She offers up the following challenge:

Record everything you do for an entire week and add up the hours.

I am going to take this challenge and challenge all my readers to do the same. (I'm not sure how many of you there are, but I get an average of five ladies who regularly post - or at least read - my blog. I'm talking to the five of you. If more of you are lurking (that's okay, chances are, I'm lurking your blog, too, take this challenge as well)…

The template you saw earlier (interestingly enough, the circles that looked strangely like horizontal yo-yos) is the template I'm going to undoubtedly go with. When I can afford it.

Oh it's free as it stands. But I want it tweaked a bit and that's going to cost a bit. Anyone want to sponsor me? I can create a PayPal link. (While I am joking, I've seen a lot of people do this on their blogs. Some call it 'Buy me a Beer' while others call it 'Buy me a Cup of coffee'. I think I would call mine 'Buy me a bottle of Calgon'!)

I got this lovely template over at www.splitdecisionz.com. While Linda is using one of her designs, I didn't hear about the site from Linda. I heard about the site from Laura over at Organizing Junkie. I had commented on how great her blog was and asked for some references for blog creators. I got a whole list last week and have been muling things over. But I do believe I'm going to go with Leelou. It has to be…

Please stick with me a second while I attempt to clean house.

I've been at it for two hours now. I woke up this morning to find that my blog list was gone!


Since I changed my title and the the tag-line (see my cool verse that I found? I thought of it last night but had to be sure to write it down so I could get to sleep!) It just fits me ... and it's a fabulous, reassuring verse, isn't it?

I'll be back later to continue...but now it's lunch time!

It happened quite by accident. I was just finishing up on posting about our won ton adventure tonight and commenting on Linda's reply to yesterday's post when I mentioned that I felt like my life with Christ was more like a horizontal yo-yo than a walk beside Him.

Something just kind of clicked. I asked the Man Beast what he pictured when he thought of a yo-yo in action: up and down or out and in (as in toward the body). He said he pictured it going up and down.

Click.

I am the horizontal yo-yo. In movement as I ought to be, but not going in the right direction as I should be.

I should be more organized.
I should be more patient (both with my family as well as with my enemies).
I should move more.
I should eat less.
I should pray more.
I should read more - especially The Word.

Horizontal yo-yo.

It's actually a perfect analogy. So many bloggers have them and now I have one.

I realize that life should not be full of a shoulda, coulda, woulda - and mine isn't. But if I didn'…

The Man Beast, the Kiddos and I stimulated the economy today; we received our stimulus check today. It actually served double duty because while we were doing our civic duty of stimulating the economy with our stimulus check, the Kiddos were able to eat a new food - won ton soup.

There is an awesome Chinese food place in town (we actually have two of them...well four total, but two that this family frequents). We usually just go there for lunch. (But only occasionally. We don't stimulate the economy much as we typically don't have a lot of money to do more than buy gas.) But today, we decided to go there for dinner.

When I first saw the prices, I wanted to high-tail it out of there. But then we ordered the food, (combo meals - three sweet & sour chickens and one chicken & broccoli with eggs rolls and our choice of soup - egg drop or won ton)I could see why it was a bit much. The food was a bit much. We ended up bringing home three doggy bags - well, boxes.

There wa…

I have a confession to make: I am a Bible Geek. I am the one who takes notes during Sunday School and church service. There are times when I'll actually bug my dear pastor with questions. (He's so patient and awesome -- he answers every single one and isn't a bit offended by my questions. I like that about him.)

My pastor, when he speaks, he speaks in series. He arranges his sermons in such a way that note taking is a breeze and scripture cross-reference is a snap. He words his main points in such a way that one can really understand and remember them after church is over. (How many of us leave church in the morning and by afternoon, the pastor's message is lost on us? Yeah, me too.) Not when I take notes. Not when I listen. (Imagine actually listening in church. A novel idea, eh?)

So, we've been learning about God's Will for Our Lives. Today, we learned about discerning what God's will is and what it is not. (15Be very careful, then, how you liv…

So, the Man Beast informs me the other day that I cannot leave the clothes in the dresser drawers for moving. (It's too heavy, he says. Like that's a good excuse!)

This all fine and dandy, but the question remains: how do I pack the clothes?

To pack them in boxes seems like a waste of boxes.
To pack them in suitcases means we run out of suitcases.

A part of me just wants to pack them in (clean) trash bags and call it a day.

So, my question to you is: how do you pack clothes?

This Is My Wish - Anonymous
There is absolutely nothing like being jolted awake, realizing that the gallon of frozen milk you left on the chest freezer to thaw has been left out all night. What makes this realization even worse is knowing that you were in said kitchen, not 12 hours earlier, cleaning it up and you walked right past the milk without even thinking about putting it up.

I declare moving hazardous to your mental health. The proof is in the pudding. Or milk. Whatever.

Today, I'm choosing to tackle the den bookcase. I grabbed a few of my book and looked up the ISBN numbers on Cash4Books. With The Man Beast's two text books, I scored myself $42. Granted, I could have made more if I listed them on eBay. (In fact, the Man Beast had a cow when he found out I didn't go that route). But my thinking is this - quick, fast, speedy...did I mention quick? I cannot be bothered with dealing with listings. I wanted it gone now and I chose this route. At least with C4B,…

Today, I spent a few hours in Baby Gurl's room. We played the ole Keep/Toss game. I admit we kept a lot more than we tossed. And if we stick with the Man Beast's rule of three boxes, this Mom is going to have to get creative!

The Boy got his room completely packed up yesterday. Completely. He did such a good job of packing yesterday, that he was searching through his boxes to find a pencil today.

Ooops.

We have never been this organized in moving - ever. And I've been known to move my fair share. I've been moving on average, every two years since I was a child. I know how it's done. Well, I know how it's usually done. At least in my circle.

TIPS TO MOVING IN MY CIRCLE:
1. Decide you want to move at the last minute.
2. Pack at the last minute.
3. Move at the last minute.
4. Clean at the last minute.

I've been doing it a bit different this time around. I'm packing three weeks early! To be honest, I'm just not quite sure what to do with myself. …

you think I'd crumble
you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no, not I
I will survive
Gloria Gaynor, I Will Survive, 1978
My dear friend, Linda, created my theme song for the next three weeks and she didn't even know it! It will be my mantra - I will survive, I will survive. In my mind, I sound a lot like Natalie Wood when she repeats her mantra about believing, even though she thinks it's silly. (Name that movie and you win bragging rights). Actually, instead of relying on Miss Gloria, maybe I should repeat this mantra:
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13, NKJV

I know of so many people who are moving right now - this month. In fact, my Sunday school teachers are closing on their house at the end of this month and like my friend, Linda, are leaving a house they've been in for a long time. They have two children about my age and they moved into the house in their 20s. I'd say they've lived there just about 30 years. (Imagine how mu…

Okay, so I really should be be packing, instead, I'm going to blog about it. Blogging really is an obsession. Have you ever noticed that there are literally millions of blogs? Most people want to share their thoughts in hopes of helping or aspiring others. There's a small percentage of blogs that just talk about themselves.

Aren't you glad I'm not like that?

So The Man Beast, in his infinite wisdom, suggested the the kids each get three boxes to pack their bedroom - one semi-large box and two large, but thin boxes (if you hadn't guessed, he's the brains of this operation called our marriage). One could argue that this is a very evil child psychology experiment and under normal circumstances, you'd be right. (You all know how I love to torture my children. Okay, not really...but I can play the Big Meanie online). But to know the kiddos and know their bedrooms, you would see that 95% of their belongings never get used or played with...or even touched. …

I've decided that I want to start a new themed day for Tuesday - Tuesday's Totals. Since The Man Beast gets paid weekly and the new sales papers come out on Tuesdays, I'm going to start doing my grocery shopping on Tuesdays. I'll report here on Tuesdays to share any deals I got as well as how much I spent for the week. (My Harvey's has Wednesday-only sales. Some weeks I'll take advantage of them, other weeks, I won't. This week, I choose to take advantage of the 88 cent Food Lion Apple Juice and the 3/$5 deal on Dixie Sugar - I'll only buy one bag as I don't use sugar except for baking, occasionally. I'm out and this is a good chance to stock my pantry. Thanks, Linda)

This week was another week where I used the meat in my freezer to create my grocery list. I'm praying that there is another ground beef sale soon. My supply is dwindling. Next week, I'll be buying ground beef, so I'm just praying it is on sale - a good sale would help).

O…