Today is I Like Monday

Things I like:
I like teaching school. (well duh)
I like to spend time with my adult children.
I like going to church, women's prayer meeting, BSF, Wednesday morning Bible study, small group and Gail's house group.
I like children, my favorite is age 5.
I like to sing.
I like to listen to K-Love on the radio.
I like to embroider..
I like to finish projects. (FYI~ I finished painting in my bathroom.)
I like studying the Bible and other things of interest.
I like cooking and baking. (Sunday I baked cookies for my neighbor!)

I like meeting people from other countries and getting to know them.
I like going shopping.
I like to figure things out.
I like to play spider solitaire.
I like to do sudoko puzzles.
I like to talk to my sister on the phone.
I like to go to Curves.
I like to walk.
I like to play board games and cards.
I like to write letters.
I like to read aloud.
I like Smallville.
I like A Person of Interest.
I like romantic movies.
I like regency novels and mysteries.
I like books by Harlan Coban, Janet Evanovich, Susan Albert-Whittig, Anne George and some others.
I like some children's books.
I like nature and being outside when it is not too cold or windy.
I like Eagle Harbor, Michigan.
I like Washington, D.C.
I like Oxford, Ohio.
I like to go to basketball games and football games.
I like to watch Jonathan play baseball.
I like my friends, in fact there aren't too many people I don't like.
Some day I would like to go to Georgia.
And that is all I am sure I could think of more but that is "all she wrote for now."

Taxes

I am thinking of joining the Tea Party. I can relate to those Bostonians who threw the tea overboard. I really hate taxes. I hate taxes because I have to pay them on my retirement money. I got some money out of my retirement  so I could pay off my car and truck and put a down payment on a small house and live there the rest of my life. Well, I paid 20% in taxes then. I also paid taxes on my car and on my house when I bought them I also paid taxes on my pay checks. I paid to the City of Oxford and the State of Ohio and to the school district as well as to the Federal government. You would think that I had paid enough.  But it was not.
 And now I have to find a job so I can pay my taxes. This means for a while I can not take any weekend trips, go to Curves, buy any new clothes, or go out to dinner until I get enough saved up. Then I need to get more saved up so I can if I ever need to do it, go to the doctor. As of today retirement is over, well, not until I find a job. FYI ~I called two employment offices out of the phone book, and  one was only for people with health care experience and the other did not have that phone number anymore and the phone book just came yesterday. So I hate taxes. Today, Monday I went to Wendy's and applied there. On Friday I applied to deliver Pizza at Papa John's. One thing good about these jobs, I don't have to use the computer ( I do like to use the computer just not to scan tests and read test scores.) to give and grade and record tests. I also don't have to plan or attend meetings or take classes. At any rate I hope that I don't have to do these things.

Valentine's Day Arrives

Today is Valentine's Day and for the first time in 37 years I did not receive 52 or even 3 Valentines. Lots of e messages, but there is something about the cards that kiddos make that mean so much more!  However I did celebrate with the knitting of a hat, going to a Pacers game, playing a basketball play station game, a special table set for a special dinner, and getting a new hair color. All really fun things to do and I did them with people I love. 
So Hats off to love and Valentines. 

How to apply for a job

I am so old that I really do not know how to find a job any more. I checked at Krogers and Wal-mart and they both said go on line and apply there. I tired to find a job/head hunter and couldn't even find that. I emailed my resume and cover letter and the site was no longer active. FYI:  I got my company's name from the phone book!
So I know why there are so many unemployed people out there. They don't like the hassle of the application process.
 Update: As of February 20, I now have applied to many jobs and found several headhunters. Thank you to Lita, Jonathan, and those who prayed that I would find a job. Still no job but I will have one soon I just know.

Learning to Cook

Today I learned to cook at church. They did some really nice presentations, and I enjoyed learning and trying some new recipes. My favorite one was the clotted cream and scones. I plan to make some of these soon and take them up to Indy. My second favorite was a Cornish pasty, (only Tutu called it a meat pie). This too I want to try soon. We also had winter squash soup and mini cupcakes decorated for holidays. All and all a yummy way to spend a Saturday morning.

Practice Makes Perfect

 It is Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers: The Story of Success who talks about the 10,000 hour rule.  He says when we look at people who are very proficient at what they are doing, we know they have spent at least 10,000 hours practicing. 
Wow! that is a lot of hours to practice anything. It is amazing that anyone gets to be good at anything. Of course, I think that a person needs to have an inclination to a sport or other activity to want to practice it so long and to some degree your body has to be conditioned to do or be acceptable to things.
Anyway, I lift my cup up to the football players, basketball players, piano players, preachers, readers, typists, writers and anyone else who is more than proficient in any area. 
Congratulations to all people who practice!

14 Days of Valentines

My cousin Tamara, Uncle Keith's step-daughter is doing a 14 days thingy so I thought I would join in. Of course her Valentines are much more elaborate than mine, but I can do what ever I want and make them up as I go along. That is the fun part of it. If I was dating anyone I could do 14 day things with them, but since I am not I will do 14 things with people I love, not romantic love but plutonic love.
Day One: I went to Hobby Lobby with Karen and bought some yarn to make a hat to send to Afghanistan through the radio station K-love's project.  Also Lita,  Karen, and I went to dinner at Dad's favorite restaurant~ Applebees.


Day Two: Today I knit on the K-love hat and watched a movie, "27 Dresses". That was a good movie and so romantic. I also found some other ideas for Valentines  for 12 other days. The women at the Resource Center gave me some movie titles to try.


Day Three: I subbed at Kramer and gave the third graders some hearts to write who they loved on the heart and then we wore them on our sleeves. After all, I wear my heart on my sleeve.

Day Four: Make heart shaped scones, serve them with tea, clotted cream, strawberry jam, and love.


Day Five:  Make a Valentine to send
A Valentine Poem (not original)by Henry Dumas


Forgive me if I have not sent you 
A Valentine
But I thought you knew
That you already have my heart
Here take the space where my
Heart goes
I give that to you too


Make several people that look like gingerbread men and draw a small heart on the front. On the back of the shape glue this poem. 


Day Six
Actually make the scones and deliver them to someone you would like to become friends with. I am going to make and take some over to Margy Brandenburg.


Day Seven
Play a game of Hearts with cards and friends or with the computer!


Day Eight
Get packages ready to send to those you love who live far away. Then go to the post office and mail them. Everyone loves to get mail!  I included a box of chocolates in the package, a cure for cancer pen and tablet because you can't have too much paper for notes and pens are always good! Mine also write in fun colors.


Days Nine and Ten
 I got a cold and was sick so I did nothing but sleep and drink lemon tea and read books.

Day Eleven
Go to a Pacers  ( or any other NBA basketball team with your true loves.) You can get pretty good seats for 10 dollars.


Day Twelve 
Prepare a Special Valentines dinner for those who have other plans for the real day. Include Valentine plates, pink doilies, pink plastic ware, red napkins, and red solo cups for a little change of pace. It is also good to invite a friend and watch the grammys.


Day Thirteen

Finish any unfinished projects ~~ like new hair! Valentine Red.


Day Fourteen
Happy Valentine's Day! I prayed for snow and there was some but not enough to cancel any plans for the day. I went to Bible Study and traded Valentines with Jesse.