October 2007

I am trying to win a pink Dyson vacuum cleaner for several reasons…

1. My vacuum cleaner was used when I bought it.
2. The self-propel no longer works and it’s a pain to use.
3. I like pink.
4. I’m too cheap to buy a new vacuum.

Because I’m so nice but mostly because it’s part of the rules I’m telling you about the contest so you have a chance to win also. So head over to The Domestic Diva for your chance to win.

Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer is hosting another Fall Blog Giveaway! In honor of this event I thought I would also participate. Be sure to check out all the other great contests going on over at Shannon’s.

I am giving away a copy of When the Morning Comes (Sisters of the Quilt #2) by Cindy Woodsmall. You can read my review of the book on my Book Reviews page. (It’s in about the middle of the page).

All you have to do is leave a comment by Saturday, Nov. 3 and I will draw a winner on the 4th. Please note that only those with a U.S. address are eligible to win.

I would love to have one of these just to mess with people. You have to watch the video demonstration on this page.

GI Joe…it’s just a toy right? Read the story behind the toy.

New Book - “Stop Dressing Your Six Year Old Like a Skank”

FBI Whistleblower Sibel Edmonds will now tell all - and face charges if necessary - to any major television network that will let her.

This came from an email message…don’t know who to give credit to:

Best Prayer I Have Heard In A Long Time…

Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last
night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home
to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious
moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who
can’t make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student,
balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his
student loans for next semester.

Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same
spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that
we can only imagine in our worst nightmares

Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the
store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment,
knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be
the last year that they go shopping together

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the
greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold
dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all
humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience,
empathy and love.

Thus concludes another edition of Interesting Links Hubby Sends Me. (If anyone can think of a better name feel free to let me know because by the time evening rolls around and I’m updating this blog my mind shuts itself off. It’s hard enough to come up with posts let alone a title for the post.)

I am promoting another book for CFBA . For the next few days The Return by Austin Boyd will be featured so head over to my Book Reviews page to check it out.

During Communion at church this morning I realized I haven’t been reading my Bible very much. No wait, I realized it before we left for church when I had no idea where my Bible was. I couldn’t remember where I had it last. I usually have it in a bag with some of my Bible Study helps but have had to use the bag for something else and didn’t know what I had done with my Bible.

I think the last time I read my Bible for actual content and application was when Best Friend and I were studying the book of Matthew (which we haven’t finished by the way). I checked my notes and that was 8/7/07. Oh my goodness! It has been over 2 1/2 months since I have devoured my Bible. No wonder my inner life is a mess…I haven’t been feeding my spirit.

Anyway, during Communion hubby was praying and I realized I give my computer too much of my time. How can I balance my computer time, blog time and Bible reading along with the books I read for pleasure? Then it came to me…I can blog about what I learn from my Bible reading. I journal it anyway so why not post some of my devotions? I have been praying for some time for God to help me shape this blog. What does He want me to do? How can I use my blog for His Glory? I’m not sure of His answer but one thing I need to do is get back with Him, spend more time in His Word which I have obviously been neglecting lately.

I’m not sure where all this will go but I do know that my heavenly Father has been waiting for me to come back to Him and I have been missing my relationship with Him even when I didn’t recognize what was missing. I can’t go without reading His Word for very long or else I get cranky and have a bad attitude. That is not who God created me to be. That is not who I am. My best times are when I am actively searching God’s Word for meaning and personal application. When I am deep in the scriptures my mind is its sharpest and most clear. I have not had that for some time and am going to strive to get it back. My first step is to jump back into my Bible and start reading and meditating on it daily.

For now I need to read the fifth chapter of Called to Radical Devotion: A Totally Practical, Non Religious Guide to Worship (Journey of Faith, 3) by David Morris. Hubby is leading our Home Group tonight and neither of us have read the chapter and it starts in an hour. Hmm, I’m not sure we will be ready however we are pretty sure no one is going to show up. The regular leaders are deer hunting, one member ran a 1/2 marathon yesterday, another family celebrated their daughter’s birthday and still had family over when we left and I’m not sure about the other family. Either way we should at least be somewhat prepared…which means it will probably fall to me since I am about to read the chapter and hubby is talking to his best friend.

Congratulations to hubby’s best friend for just passing his dissertation defense and getting ready to receive his Ph.D. in Physics from Stanford. He has worked hard for it and finally did it. Way to go G! I’m proud of you!

Once again hubby has sent me some links that I would like to share with the world…

An interesting experiment

Article about JK Rowlings recent revelation

What to do about drug resistant staph infections…scary

Death from peanut allergy

The World Without Us - a book hubby would like to read

I Am Legend - another book hubby would like to read

15 unreasonably useful websites

15 ridiculously useful websites

25 useful and entertaining websites

That’s all for now folks. Thank you for tuning in to another edition of Interesting Links Hubby Sends Me.

If you are asked “Do you want to eat out tonight?” what does that mean to you? To me that means going to a restaurant to eat or possibly going through a drive-thru for food. To hubby it means going to his parents house to eat. I think we need to work on our communication skills.

By the way, hubby ended up cooking pot pies while I sulk about not getting to go out for food.

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

Oh my goodness! Not since Harry Potter have I enjoyed a series this much. I read the first book Uglies (Uglies Trilogy, Book 1) and had to go buy Pretties so I could immediately start reading it. I am totally hooked, as a matter of fact, I am getting ready to purchase the last book Specials (Uglies Trilogy, Book 3) because I have to know what happens. I can’t wait for the library to get it in especially since they don’t even have Pretties yet. I will have to buy the book to finish off my set. Not bad since I will definitely be reading these books again and hopefully my kiddos will read them when they are older. I know hubby is interested since he is the one who showed me Uglies in the bookstore ages ago. I looked at it thought it looked good and put it back on the shelf…checked it out at the library several months later and never got around to reading it. Then I saw it at the store and since I had some money to spend thought why not and bought the book…several days later I bought the sequel and I am now going to be buying the third and last book.

These books are amazing. You follow Tally Youngblood’s life from the time right before she turns 16 and is ugly. The story is easy to follow yet captivating. I have to force myself to put the book down and go to bed then as soon as I wake up I am longing to pick the book back up so I can see what happens next. Actually I have a confession…I enjoy these books better than Harry Potter. There I said it. I liked reading these books better than I liked reading the Harry Potter books. Not that the story lines are anything alike because they aren’t. They aren’t anywhere close but for some reason I was able to picture what was happening easier in my head. This is a series of books that I will read and reread time and time again. Harry Potter was a season and so far I have no desire to reread them. Although, not everyone will agree with me and that is fine.

Seriously though, I recommend reading Uglies, Pretties and (heck even though I haven’t read it yet) Specials by Scott Westerfeld. They are that good. I’m even trying to picture these books as movies and wondering if I would go see them. I would at least go see the first one and probably watch the other two on DVD if I didn’t see them in the theater. (Because I’m not a movie person). I don’t know who I would cast but it wouldn’t be any mainstream actors. For some reason I think the story would be ruined if there were name brand actors in it. I enjoy seeing up and coming actors and these could be the movies that made them the next best thing. But that’s just my opinion, what do you think?

This is the part of the evening where the kiddos are in bed and I sit down to write down the profound thoughts that keep you coming back for more. That is what time it is…only the only thing that keeps coming to mind is the song Business Time by Flight of the Conchords.

The song is about sex so some might think it’s a little risque but I think it’s hilarious. A friend of hubby’s told him about it, he came home and looked it up on YouTube and we’ve cracked up laughing ever since. Business Time has become a household song and joke in our home. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

What I love so much about the video is how she completely ignores him even though he is right there.

I tried embedding the video so you could watch it here but for some reason when I do it messes up the format of my blog so instead click here to be able to watch the video.