No Television

Yesterday I stopped having cable for my t.v. I  decided it was too expensive to pay so much for air.  So now I have nothing much to do all evening except to be on the computer and play internet games and read. I think I can get movies on Wii but I haven't figured out how yet.  I did attach a box thing so I can get channels eventually when I get an attenna. My hair dresser said to get a digital box, so I will. Who knew I liked t.v. so much? I think it is only because it doesn't work that I like it! I really don't watch anythig much except on Thursday nights and Monday nights and over the wekend if there is a good movie. So what about a good book? I will go and find one!

Cooking with Class

The cooking class went well and I had a great time introducing egg beaters to the college girls and other folks. The breakfast burritos were tasty.  Everyone said they were good. I also think you can make them without the burrito shell and just roll up the eggs.
Just a note about the people in the photo. The woman standing up is a former Wycliff translator for whom I fixed a pork roast when her baby was born. The women sitting in front are Anni-Mari from  Finland and then two Chinese girls whose names I forgot.
We are all in the lobby of my church not the best spot for cooking, as there is no stove or sink but you make do. I had three electric skillets.

Tomorrow I am cooking!

My church OBF is having a Woman's Day cooking with Class tomorrow. It will be fun. last year I learned to make scones. This year I am making breakfast burritos. That is something I know how to make and now I will make healthy ones!
Tonight I am getting ready by making/ chopping veges and practicing the recipe. I hope it tastes good!

Number 18

I love to read. It is my favorite activity. I enjoy other things, but reading is my absolute favorite. Since I missed a book a week so far it is ok that I spent all day today reading. Ah so relaxing!  The weather helped too, snow flurries and burr icey cold.

Anyway I finished up two more Jack Reacher books. One Shot and  Running Blind      Both are good but One Shot is better. I liked how it ended best because the other one I figured out "who dun it" early and I was right. Anyway in both of these Jack is entangled with the law: they think he has committed a crime. Of course he has, but he is more of the vigilante type of guy and only kills the bad guys. He sticks up for those who are innocent. There are two things the same 5 dead bodies. One has people killed in tubs of green paint the other has people shot by a sniper. And that is all I am going to say.
There are still 2 other books I am working on Beyond Ourselves and Angels of Gloom. Don't know when I will have another day to just read, but I am looking forward to it!

Sense

We write to make sense of our lives. I know that is just one sentence. But it is true at least for me.
I began in the summer between 8th and 9th grade to keep a journal. I kept it for years and then when I was married to John I threw it out. I didn't want him to read it for some reason.  I always wondered if anyone else read it because it had no lock but I will never know. It had some perculiar observations by me in it and it had a love story of sorts in it.
I wrote letters often to my grandparents when I was a teen ager and it continued through out my life until they died. It was good to read about their lives even if they weren't very exciting. And I know that every one loves to get mail. Throughout my life I have had many penpals, Jo Ann Kristensen Petersen to name just one.  
I wote out lesson plans for 37 years every Sunday and in the end years I had to include two types, one for the plan check and one for me. I loved the days when I could write Testin in my plan book because you didn't have to write any plans just time for breaks and reviews and fun things like recess. It is great not having to write out what I am doing at 8:45 every day any more, but I sort of miss it. Not enough to get on board with teaching any more though.
Do you think better with a pencil and paper or with a type writer? I am a pencil and paper kind of person. If I can't think of a thing to say I get that paper out and the thoughts flow.
In the last Bible study I did, Believe God, one of the activities was to make a time line of your life and divide it into fifths then write about how God was in each of those 5ths. I still haven't finished mine. But I will. That type of writing really made me try to make sense of my life.
Writing is good. It leads to reflection and reflection is good. It makes you stronger, sort of like exercise.

Book Report

One of my goals was to read a book aweek. Last week I read and finished one book and started three others then this week I FINISHED one of them.
The book I finished was a Jack Reacher novel and I really enjoyed it. I always like how Lee Childs writes.  The novel I read was called A Wanted Man. What I like about the novel is the adventure and the ways the plots unfold. It also appeals to the minimalist in me. I was sorry though that the girl who was the sherrif in this story was shot.
I tried to down load a picture but it didn't work.

It's Sunday again.

Where did the week go? I am sure that I don't know. I did go to curves this week, 5 times at least. Did I walk this week? No, I did not! My body was in massive pain from the weather changes starting on Sunday night so I did not  get much done until I started taking pain pills on Tuesday night and now I can move and everything. Sleep is not interrupted and  I can go to curves and do all the machines.
The US mail was good. Not all of it was junk like usual. For fun, I got a wedding invitation from Katie, and I got a Christmas card from Becky Burke.
 I didn't call my sisters, but I did e-mail them. and I heard back from them.
 I did do prayer and Bible study daily.
 I did work. Four days of tutoring keep me plenty busy. One of the days I read about The Spanish American War. That was in 1898 and was about Imperialism and Spanish  independence for Cuba. Also reminded me about Pulitzer, Hearst and yellow journalism and yellow fever.
Thursday Lita and I went shopping and I got a dress for $7.40 marked down from $50. It is a beige sheath. It  fits and is a size smaller than other dresses I have. Hooray. If I wear it to Katie's wedding then I will need to have something to fancy it up.  This week I am going to go to a thrift store here in town and see what they have. Guess I need to model it for this blog site.
What else did I do? I can't remember.....must be getting old. Oh, I cleaned up the very few things I put out for Christmas. Then mopped, dusted and vacuumed. When you live alone you don't have too much to clean.
And now for the latest adventure of my cat, Emma. She can open the drawers of my jewelry box and remove them. So now I have to keep my earrings in a chest of drawers drawer that is hard to open. Wow, I wrote a lot.
Guess there was more that happened this week than I thought.

List of 30

Yesterday I reexamined the events of 2012. Today I am making the list for this year. And now for this year's goals and ideas:

1.  Pray more often and more effectively~ 
2. Maybe that means buy or keep a prayer journal.
3.  Look for the silver lining. 
4. Do a good deed once a week. ( Make a list of them so I have 52.). 
5. Decorate the walls in the living room.
6. Redo the computer room and my bedroom.
7. Call my friends don't just text or e-mail. And arrange lunch dates to chat and everything!
8. Call my sisters weekly. 
9. Work on managing my finances. 
10. Keep to the budget.
11. Crochet 3 baby afghans.
12. Get a head start on Christmas, like buy or write stuff down as I see needs.
13. Go to Florida to see Cathy, Bill, Sue and others.
14. Walk daily even if it is just up or down the hill.
15.  Go to California to see my sister and her family~
16. Go to Paul Jr.'s wedding~ where is that going to be?
17.  Start a going to China savings account to go to China in 2 years.
18.  Read a book a week and report on it every Friday.
19.  Go to see Aunt Mearlene in Wilmington, North Carolina.
20.  Include more fruit and vegetables in my daily diet.
21. Make a new friend or two.
22. Continue to study Spanish or Chinese.
23. Be accountable.
24. Work in the Sunday school department at OBF.
25. Study the Bible and able to answer questions.
26. Sing Karaoke with Katie and friends.
27. Go Katie's wedding and have fun there!
28. Volunteer at the Middle School with Suzette
29. Go on 4 hikes with Katie and Dustin, one each season.
30. Go to Curves at least 3 times a week.

Happy Happy New Year 2013

 So it is a new year, 2013. Always good to review the old one. So I looked up my last year's list of 52 which was really 35.

1. Pray daily.     95% done.
 2. Have a daily Bible Study This I did better in the 3/4 of the seasons. Always good to have 3 Bible studies to attend.
 3. Go to Florida and visit Cathy, Sue, and Brenda No this didn't happen. It almost did so I better put it on the 2013 list.
4. Walk every day either inside Wal-mart or around the neighborhood. this only happened 20% of the time so it better be included in 2013 too.
 5. Keep to my budget so I don't have to get a job. Nope, I Got a job, actually God provided the perfect job for me!
6. Go to Karaoke No I missed that because I was in Kentucky.
7. See my sister and her family in California, Nope try for next year.
 8. Buy and artificial Christmas Tree. No did not happen.
 9. Go to Jo Ann's in Kentucky to play cards every month Number 9 is a yes!  well some months I missed but some I went a stayed a long time!
10. Do some nice things for random people Not really random people but did help out a few.
11. Help others in ways that I can help Yes this is sort of like 10. 
 12. Go to curves 3 times a week at first then maybe more Yes this was a success!
13. Take a monthly park visit and hike with Katie and others. Nope this did not happen.
14. Visit relatives in Wisconsin.NO 
15. Go to North Carolina and see Mearlene. No
16. Finish my Granny Square afghan Yes I did this one!
17.  Learn to quilt No not yet.
18. Finish decorating my new house with the painted wall squares of canvas No
 19. Clean and stain the deck. No
20. Have a family cookout on the deck.  Yes, and I even had Jiangmei's family over 
21. Invite friends over to eat twice a month no Once a month yes
22. Finish the needle pointed hand towels no, I don't even know where these are!
 23. Have lunch with retired teachers every month No too many conflicts with other things but I did go a few times.
 24. Read a book every week Yes, some weeks I read more than one.
 25. Play with other people's grandchildren yes
26. Volunteer at the Adult Ed school No I have to work on the nights of adult ed.
27. Scrap book once a month No I think I only did this two times.
28. See if I want to become the Creative Memories scrapbook lady No
 29. Make 6 new friends yes Monica, Joyce, Arlene, Kevin, Amy, Kathleen. Mary Gannod,
 30. Learn a new craft Yes for Christmas I learned to make a wooden Christmas ornament.

31. Write letters of encouragement. Yes, I did this when some friends were sick and when  I went to the OBF women's retreat.
32. Change out the curtains. No
 33. Have a party or game night Yes, I did this with the Chinese friends
 34. Participate in League of Women Voters activities so I can be an informed citizen Some of them happened.
35. Teach a scrapbook class at Hobby Lobby  No
OK! So now I see what has been accomplished and I need to make a new one for next year.  The ratio was 16/35  Not even 50% so I guess I can be better next year.