“. . . therefore I quote” Abraham Lincoln
I read, therefore I quote.
“I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and also those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers . . .
. . . and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.”
Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation
“. . . therefore I quote” Thursday: If you have a quote to share from something you’ve read recently, feel free to comment and/or include a link to your own “quote” post.
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mom’s pumpkins soup, revisited.
In honor of Thanksgiving and my mother-in-law, I’m highlighting a past post for Kitchen Tip Tuesday and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday:
Although we used “real” pumpkin for our jack-o-bread recipe, we use canned pumpkin for this. It’s much smoother – not so . . . grainy, if you know what I mean.
Find great recipes and helpful kitchen tips at Kitchen Tip Tuesdays hosted by Tammy’s Recipes!
And click on over to check out the recipes at Tempt My Tummy Tuesday hosted by Lisa at Blessed With Grace
sorry ladies, he’s taken.
Perusing Craigslist today and ran across the “Outback “Porta Privy“
Me: “Outback Porta-Privy. It’s a pop up tent so you can have some privacy when you are camping.”
FirstHusband: “What? Do you just go on the ground?”
Me: “No. I’m thinking you put a porta-potty in there.”
(pause)
FirstHusband: “See, now that’s why women will never rule the world. They can’t pee standing up.”
Me: “Can I quote you on that?”
FirstHusband: “Sure, you can even put in in a “therefore I quote” post.”
Me: “Those are only book quotes.”
FirstHusband: “I can write it down.”
Then there was rolling of eyes.
Then Sings My Soul Saturday – a little Satchmo.
It’s just not Thanksgiving without this song. It’s tradition for me.
And it HAS to be Louie Armstrong.
For more Saturday music, check out Then Sings My Soul Saturday every Saturday hosted by Amy at Signs, Miracles and Wonders.
turkey thawing innovation.
Kim over at Friday Funnies made me LAUGH OUT LOUD today. (“LOL” was just not enough.)
I did a little you tube search and found these. I didn’t laugh out loud, but they are funny, nonetheless. In an “ewwww” kind of way.
Would You Like Chocolate With That? a little joke.
This is one of my favorites:
A preacher visits an elderly woman from his congregation. As he sits on the couch he notices a large bowl of peanuts on the coffee table.
“Mind if I have a few?” he asks.
“Not at all.”
They chat for an hour and as the preacher stands to leave, he realizes that instead of eating just a few peanuts, he emptied most of the bowl.
“I’m so sorry! I ate all your peanuts!”
“Oh that’s all right,” the woman says. “Ever since I lost my teeth, all I can do is suck the chocolate off them anyway.”
ewwwww.
If you have anything chocolaty to share, post and link to Would You Like Chocolate With That? hosted by Lisa at Stop and Smell the Chocolate!
Need a few more chuckles today? Check out Friday Funnies hosted by Homesteaders Heart!
little of this. little of that.
Random Thought #1: Both my children have fallen off the chore band wagon. I’m not sure what happened, but we are all flippin’ exhausted, so I’m thinking we need a major schedule review. Our color coded calendar is starting to look like a rainbow for November and December. I must stop the madness.
Random Thoughts #2: Last Thursday was a “casual” day for PinkGirl. I dropped her off at school, she walked right past the principle and about 5 other teachers, cheerfully greeting them all. I assumed that, when they returned the greeting, they saw her. Silly me. An hour and a half later, the phone rings and this little voice says:
“Mommy, I need different pants. My shorts are too shorty short.”
I didn’t think so, but I drove to school with jeans for her. Then I had to turn around and go back with a belt because she is so skinny, the jeans wouldn’t stay up and the band of her underwear showed in the back when she sat down.
Random Thought #3: We’ve started putting up some of our Christmas decorations. I’d like to blame Memorie Lane, but I take full responsibility. Right now, there are numerous musical characters lining my stairs. Santa Scooby Doo is the only motion sensor character and I turned his butt off. Literally. His on/off switch is on his butt. All the other characters have a button to push or a paw to squeeze. PinkGirl’s current favorite is the dancing chick. I just have one question. How is the Chicken Dance a Christmas song?
Random Thoughts #4: I had my first facial and I broke out within 48 hours – for the first time in, I don’t know – ever. What’s the deal with that? And what are the benefits of the “pumpkin and yam enzyme” goo that was spread all over my face? My skin smelled like Thanksgiving. My few and far between spa dollars are better spent on massage. I’ll do my own facials.
“. . . therefore I quote” Gail Godwin
I read, therefore I quote.
Today’s quote is from The Wit and Wisdom of Women
“At times . . . one is downright thankful for the self-absorption of other people.”
I love it when self-absorbed people ignore me. Such a relief.
Yesterday I got a cranky stranger to ignore me. He had started talking to me – actually, he had started giving me unsolicited life instructions contrary to my current choices (which he found silly).
After my weight training session, I went into the sauna to stretch. Two older “gentlemen” were in there, complaining VERY intensely about the facility. The whirlpool wasn’t hot and that led to a plethora of additional complaints and insults about management. One of the whiners left, the other stayed and started talking to me. “On a cold day like today, the whirlpool would feel great . . . blah, blah, complain, whine, whine . . . ”
This whole time I’m thinking: “shhhh.”
okay. I was really thinking: “shut. up. This is my quiet time. Or at the very least, it’s YOUR quiet time.”
Anyway. He asked me some question that led to me telling him that I worked out with a personal trainer and there he went. Loud and animated: “You don’t need a trainer! You just pay attention, watch what they do, learn . . . . ”
And whatever he said after that, I really wasn’t listening. As I was wrapping my fingertips around the bottom of my foot (something I probably haven’t done since I was PinkGirl’s age), I debated. For about a fraction of a second. Do I really want to enter into a conversation with this man? Or do I just want to challenge him to a 30 second wall squat and be done with it? Or maybe a lung walk across the parking lot? Cause he would stop talking then.
But NO. That would be mean. So when he paused to take a breath, I was ready. Knowing he would view me as stupid and (hopefully) not worth his time, I said, “I just like it.”
And he had NOTHIN. ha!
There was silence. Peaceful, sauna silence.
Then he baited me, “Well, I guess some people just need that attention.”
But I had already decided that I wanted him to ignore me, so I replied, “That’s one way to put it.” and reached for the bottom of my other foot.
He sat there, in silence, for nearly 10 minutes. Finally leaving . . .
. . . me in peaceful sauna silence.
“. . . therefore I quote” Thursday: If you have a quote to share from something you’ve read recently, feel free to comment and/or include a link to your own “quote” post.
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Healthy, Stealthy Paella
(Ghostwritten – and “ghostphotographed” – by FirstHusband, finalized by the freakish perfectionist. This recipe is another of FirstHusband’s inventions.)
FavoriteSon isn’t a big fan of veggies. When he orders food it goes something like this . . .
“I’ll have a Baconator but no lettuce, tomato or any other vegetables.”
“I’ll have a super burrito supreme but no tomatoes, lettuce, onions . . . or any other vegetables.”
“I’ll have a toasted meatball sub with provolone cheese>” (Nice Sandwich Man: What veggies would you like with that?) Ha, Ha, Ha . . .
You get the picture. FavoriteSon has two weaknesses, sausage and seafood. Healthy, Stealthy Paella plays on both of those weaknesses to sneak some vegetables into his diet. Our approach is to make two batches of Paella, one for the grownups with overt vegetables and a second batch just for the kids with the covert vegetables.
Here’s how it works.
Ingredients
2 10-oz packages of Virgo yellow rice (or any rice – as long as the rice is not instant)
2 cans black beans (o.k. if you zoom in enough on the picture, you will see one can of black beans and one can of pinto beans. The recipe really did have two cans of black beans and now we have a can of pinto beans in a square container in the refrigerator)
1 can mushroom stems and pieces
1 can tomatoes
1 package sausage (if you are feeling adventurous, you can replace the sausage with “Dried Canary”)
1 24-oz bag of salad shrimp (you can use other shrimp but the salad shrimp come with tail off and don’t need to be cut down any)
7 medium squash (or Stealth vegetables if you prefer that name)
Cajun Spice to taste
Start by lining two 9″x12″ pans with aluminum foil. Add rice and the amount of water given in the directions for the rice. For the grown-up’s paella, we drain the water from the can of tomatoes and add additional water as needed.
Add 1 can of black beans, tomatoes, and mushrooms to each pan. We leave the tomatoes and mushrooms out of the kid’s pan.
Slice the squash and place into a food processor.
Finely mince the squash.
Add to the pans of paella. The kids get more squash than the adults to make up for the lack of overt vegetables.
Stir each pan.
Add half the shrimp to each pan. Slice the sausage into bite sized pieces and add half to each pan. Add hot sauce and cajun spice to taste. The kids only get enough spice to add a little flavor with no real kick.
Stir once more to mix all the ingredients thoroughly and fold foil over to seal in the moisture.
Place into oven preheated to 425°F.
Cook until all of the water is absorbed into the rice. We cooked the kid’s batch just over one hour.
The adult’s batch with the extra vegetables took one hour and 45 minutes.
FavoriteSon and scarfs it up and never suspects. It’s a good thing he doesn’t read this blog.
(Preparation time: 30 minutes, Cook time: 1 hr to 1 hr 45 minutes)
Find great recipes and helpful kitchen tips at Kitchen Tip Tuesdays hosted by Tammy’s Recipes!
And click on over to check out the recipes at Tempt My Tummy Tuesday hosted by Lisa at Blessed With Grace
This recipe works for us! Want to learn “what works” for lots of different people? Click on over to Works for Me Wednesday hosted by Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer!
If you ask a Pappy for some foam core . . .
PinkGirl wrote a Thanksgiving play. She typed it all by herself. (With her fingers on the “home” keys, of course.) She took it to school and showed her teacher, who suggested it be performed at “Colonial Day” on Wednesday. PinkGirl, the director, promptly gave out lines and directed rehersal at the end of the day, just before car line. Everyone who wanted a line, got a line.
PinkGirl decided she needed the Mayflower, so on Friday, after school, I called my dad, a retired graphic artist, to ask if we could have a piece of foam core. You can’t just ask my dad for foam core. The situation plays out like the book “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
If you ask Pappy for a piece of foam core, he’s going to ask you why you need it.
When you tell him you want to make a boat, he’ll offer to cut it out for you.
When he cuts out a boat shape, he’ll go ahead and paint it brown.
When he paints it brown, he’ll have to paint planks on it.
When he paints the planks, he’ll realize there will need to be port holes.
After he paints the port holes, he’ll go ahead and make waves to go along the bottom of the boat.
When he paints the waves, he’ll have to make a mast too.
And of course, when he makes a mast, he’ll have to add a flag.
If he makes a flag, he’ll have to make it look like it’s waving.
And when he gives you the foam core, it will look like this:
PinkGirl woke me up this morning with “MOM! Get up! I have to see the Mayflower!” She came downstairs, silently walked over to the Mayflower sitting in my living room and reached out to touch it. I heard her quietly say, “Pappy is AMAZING!”
She took some time, touching it, looking at it, getting “in” it. Then she asked, “How long did it take Pappy to do this?”
Me: “All day.”
PinkGirl. “He did this in only ONE day!?” (pause) “He should be famous. He should be in books and stuff. I mean really, do we know ANYONE who can do this? ANYONE?”
Me: “You’re going to need a BIG thank you for this one.”
PinkGirl: “A card is WAY. too. small. There’s going to be a GIFT.”
Pappy did leave the port holes and windows unpainted and gave us some paint so PinkGirl could finish it off herself. But he was kind of bummed that he didn’t have time to add an anchor.
I already told him that PinkGirl would be writing a Christmas play.
no thank you. you can have it.
That would be half of a tomato, filled with cottage cheese.
And topped with chocolate sprinkles.
And yes. She did eat it. CLICK HERE to see her reaction.
If you have anything chocolaty to share, post and link to Would You Like Chocolate With That? hosted by Lisa at Stop and Smell the Chocolate!
“. . . therefore I quote” Dr. Phil
The hostesses of my women’s circle served a pre-Thanksgiving meal for lunch today. And I didn’t have dessert. Let me clarify.
Dessert was a cranberry, pecan, white chocolate pie with a crumble topping.
I can think about it now, because, now, here at home, I have no opportunity to slam a slab down on a harvest paper plate and “taste” it. How did I pass it up? At the time, I was seriously feeling yesterday’s weight training workout and was overwhelming determined not to completely negate all that pain work.
Tonight, as I sat here, thinking about the upcoming holidays and all the “opportunities” for eating stuff that will contribute to “ba donk a donk butt” syndrome, I perused my “health and fitness” shelves for weapons to fortify myself against the onslaught of yuletide Epicureanism.
In my searching, I ran across something from Dr. Phil’s book, The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom
“If you’re like most people trying to lose weight, you probably think that you must be disciplined and resolute twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This is a will-power driven mind-set, however that is doomed for failure. When your willpower runs out of steam, you invariably break your resolutions. In the aftermath, you develop a sense of guilt that only undermines your efforts and makes further weight-control indiscretions all the more likely . . .
. . . Now here’s something to sit still for: you do not have to be strong twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Read that sentence again: you do not have to be strong twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The truth is, most of the fattening damage you do to yourself is inflicted at very isolated points in time. What this means is that your eating isn’t eternally out of control; it’s out of control only at certain times, during what I call impulse moments. These are brief periods of time, lasting no more than two or three minutes, in which you forget your resolve, you react without thinking, and you break your momentum by caving in to the urge to overeat or binge. Although they seem to come out of the blue, impulse moments are activated by cues in your environment . . .
. . . You can expect to experience four to seven impulse moments during the day. An impulse moment can occur at specific times . . . It can happen when you walk by a bakery and are enticed by the sight and smell of fresh pastries . . .
. . . The best defense for heading off impulses, urges and cravings is twofold. First, you must audit your day in order to figure when impulse moments are most likely to hit. That way, you’re in a better position to avoid them by changing your routine, changing your schedule, or changing your environment.
. . . The second part of your defense involves your response to impulse moments . . . As soon as you feel the impulse, begin engaging, deliberately, in the [an] incompatible substitute.
. . .When you switch gears and start engaging in substitute activities, you change your train of thought, you change your routine, and you change your entire way of coping.
Yes, this requires a little bit of energy, but the good news is that impulse moments pass as quickly as they hit . . .”
It’s that “incompatible substitute” that was such an eye opener for me. The book lists a few examples of incompatible activities, like working in your yard, cleaning something, going for a walk, taking a shower, going to bed . . .
One of my most effective strategies was invented by FirstHusband. We bake a boatload of cookies/cookie bars every year to give away, and we used to taste quite a few – pre and post baking. Now, we pour ourselves a glass of red wine to sip while the smell of cookies permeates the drywall. Chocolate chip cookies and red wine? Temptation gone. Orange juice would probably do it too. But how boring is that?
Any other ideas for “incompatible activities?” I’ll take anything! What activities are incompatible with eating?
“. . . therefore I quote” Thursday: If you have a quote to share from something you’ve read recently, feel free to comment and/or include a link to your own “quote” post.
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a little sidetracked.
No wonder it takes longer to dust a piano when you’re a kid.
Check out more Wordless Wednesday posts over at 5 Minutes for Mom.
jack-o-bread
FavoriteSon has been begging/nagging for days and Sunday night, FirstHusband finally made the long awaited jack-o-bread. It’s pumpkin bread made from our jack-o-lanterns.
First, PinkGirl scooped pumpkin guts on Halloween. (If you carve your jack-o-lanterns too early, you may want to use canned pumpkin.)
Then, the pumpkin gut fairy cleaned up.
FirstHusband/BestDaddy cut up the jack-o-lanterns the next day. (You’ve got to move fast on this, the inside of the second pumpkin started to rot the next day.)
Poor “Jack” was boiled like potatoes.
My copy of “The Tightwad Gazette” was opened to the wrinkliest page – the one with the highlighted pumpkin bread recipe.
FirstHusband did the honors.
And it appears I’m too slow with the camera.
A number of years ago, I insanely – and I do mean INSANELY – made four batches of pumpkin bread – from FOUR different recipes. It took me ALL day and I forgot to wear shoes, so my back and legs and feet were KILLING me when the last oven timer went off. But at the end of the day, the taste tests revealed the winner was a recipe from “The Tightwad Gazette
For a print friendly version in PDF, CLICK HERE.
Jack-O-Bread Ingredients
3 eggs
4 cups sugar (we use half brown sugar/half white sugar)*
1 cup oil
1 16oz can pumpkin (we use 16 oz of “Jack”)
5 cups flour (we use half wheat/half white flour)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1/2 Tbsp cloves or nutmeg
1 cup applesauce (we use sugar-free)
You can add:
1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup dates or raisins
*I’ve also made this with DiabetiSweet Sugar Substitute
Instructions:
Beat eggs.
Mix in sugar.
Mix in oil and pumpkin.
Combine dry ingredients and add to moist batter.
Mix in applesauce, nuts and raisins.
Grease and flour five 1 lb coffee cans. Fill with batter over 1/2 full.
(We use regular loaf pans.)
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Find great recipes and helpful kitchen tips at Kitchen Tip Tuesdays hosted by Tammy’s Recipes!
And click on over to check out the recipes at Tempt My Tummy Tuesday hosted by Lisa at Blessed With Grace
the “silent agreement” incident.
I took a second look at my hair after Stephanie’s comment about the red and I’ve got to say – I think it’s the flash. FirstHusband says he sees a little red when I’m in the sun, so it has to be the lighting. It’s really more of a light brown. I do color my gray (yes, I said it.), but I stay close to my natural color because I’m cheap. I just can’t afford frequent root touch ups. (I know, I’m even pragmatically VAIN.)
Way back, about 15 years ago, I colored my own hair. Once. I picked an auburn color and both FirstHusband and I HATED it on me. His only request since then is “please – no red hair.” The name of my current color is “chocolate” (I love that!) but it seems like I must have some underlying redness in there somewhere. It’s not intentional. I was blond as a child – EXACTLY like PinkGirl. I get highlights in the summer. Because I spend so much time outside, color just bleaches out anyway. It tends to get a little darker in the winter, I guess because I spend more time inside?
. . . I have a client that says I tend to “ramble on.” I don’t see it.
ANYWAY, after the requests for a photo of me with “big” hair, I’ve been looking through old pictures and it sent me on a nostalgic hair trip. I’ve changed my hair a lot over the years. I had the same stylist for 19 years and whenever she got bored (or when I got bored), I let her try something new. The only time I didn’t like one of her ideas was when she cut it short. NO versatility. The exact same hair every single day until it grew out. Never doing short hair again. So for the most part, as long as it was long enough to put up, I didn’t care what she wanted to try.
Then, after 19 years together, she changed her career. Left me flat. (I’m actually happy for her.) I spent almost two years going to another lady in her old shop and EVERY time I went, she wanted me to TELL her what to do. I just didn’t know. And she had no suggestions. So I HATED my hair during that time.
Apparently, I wasn’t alone.
Picture it: I’m at a client site, in the break room having lunch with some women I’ve known for YEARS. We’re all talking about hair. (I wonder now, if it was a setup.) During the conversation, I said, “I HATE my hair.”
And there was silence.
Now, what do women normally do when someone says that? You know. They immediately come back with stuff like, “No, I like it!” or “What’s wrong with it?” and other reassuring comments intended to firmly dismiss the possibility of bad hair.
Complete Silence.
So I said, “It appears . . . I need a referral.”
I got a double. Two of the women went to the same stylist.
It was a GREAT referral. I walked in, gave Lisa just a few criteria and let her have at it. Loved it after the first visit! She’s GREAT. Fearless and full of ideas. She’s already figured out what my hair will and won’t do. AND she’s reasonably priced. Double the fun! It’s coming up on two years of LOVING my hair. For the first time in a LOOOONG time! Since “big hair” went out. (I miss big hair.)
So what’s my “criteria?” Here’s what I’ve learned about my hair over the years:
Cut – Lots of layers because my hair has a natural wave that only comes through if it isn’t weighed down. When my hair is all one length, it just hangs there. Thin and straight and stringy. (Which was the case at the time of the “silent agreement” incident in the break room.) With layers, I can choose to blow my hair out straight if I want, but I still have the option of wave or curls.
Length – Just long enough to put up in a knot without falling down. That’s just below shoulder length for me. Too short and it falls down or sticks out when I put it up. Too long and, again, it just hangs there like string. Ugly string.
Color – I like my hair color to look natural – like I don’t color it at all – so EVERY hair can NOT be the exact same color. (That’s what happened when I colored my own hair.) And most importantly, I CAN’T afford a root touch-up every hair cut, so the base color has to be as close to my natural color as possible. Lisa has convinced me that I need highlights all the time, not just in the summer, but not too much, or I look like a blond. With dark roots. (Which was also the case at the time of the “silent agreement.”)
Other than that, I let Lisa have at it. I figure hair will grow out and color can be fixed. Every “bad” haircut is a learning experience. That’s how I figured out my hair criteria. It’s like the rest of my life. Most of the time, I figure out what works after finding out what doesn’t.
And I see Lisa on WEDNESDAY!
So thanks for all the positive comments about my hair! It takes away some more of the sting from the “silent agreement” incident. Friends tell each other the truth. Eventually. But true friends tell each other the truth much more quickly and don’t let them go two years with bad hair.
Want to see some more hair? After the big reveal and all the comments about how I don’t look like people thought, I wondered about my own preconceived ideas about how some of YOU look. I admit, I’m always on the look out for blog owner photos, so I know what some of you look like already:
Debbie’s Avatar Photo was professionally done, but she says she wouldn’t look like that if we saw her on the street. I found a family photo.
I remembered a tiny little photo of Elle earlier this year. It was a pretty quick find and a nice review of her writing along the way.
Kristin at “The Goat” has a photo on her “about” page – the link is waayyyy at the bottom of her page.
JanMary – I had some time yesterday, so I perused some older pages and found a photo!
I’ve not seen a photo of Lisa at Domestic Accident, but she refers to her daughter as “mini-me” so I just visualize her as a tall version of her daughter.
Lisa Writes has been brave for a while now. Her photo is also in her “about” page.
I’ve always pictured Memarie Lane with long, un-layered dark brown hair. Then she posted photos of herself immediately after . . . CHILDBIRTH. Now THAT’s brave.
Mocha with Linda buried a photo of herself in a post back in July, but I remembered it. You can zoom in!
Sandy has lots of family photos in her sidebar – my favorite is “crazy hair.”
Stephanie has short purple hair. Well, sometimes.
Tina ‘s got a family photo in her sidebar. The photo is small, but I can see curly, brown hair. Her face is way too tiny to make out, so I’m thinking I would never be able to recognize her on the street.
Did I miss you? Comment and link up to your photo! No photo of yourself on the internet?
chicken.
don’t zoom in. seriously.
In honor of my one year blogging anniversary, I decided to use a photo of myself as an avatar. I admit, being invisible has it’s own comfort level, but after a year, I figure it’s time to get a little more personal. So, PinkGirl and I were having some fun with the camera, trying to get a good blog photo of me.
We took these last week. I give up. I can’t choose.
FirstHusband says these three show my personality:
But I’m leaning toward the very first photo we took . . .
Looking for feedback, people, this is my FACE. On the INTERNET. Where people can zoom in. and see wrinkles. eek.
Would You Like Chocolate With That? Chocolate Turkeys
FavoriteSon: How long did that take?
Me: Too long.
FavoriteSon: How long did she hold that there?
Me: Longer than I would.
But they’re cute. And they probably taste good.
I’ll never know. But I figure I’ll post this now, so if anyone DOES want to make these little cuties for Thanksgiving, they will have plenty of time.
If you have anything chocolaty to share, post and link to Would You Like Chocolate With That? hosted by Lisa at Stop and Smell the Chocolate
it’s a pragmatic anniversary!
One year ago today, I posted on Compendium for the very first time – two posts, actually. In honor of that day, I offer the inaugural posts for your perusal:
just journal, even if it’s just one sentence. (What journaling does for me.)
and
be consistent. (One of my first lessons as a parent.)
My first commenter was Leslie at Lux Venit (my first 5 comments) and then Lisa at Lisa Writes (the next two). Thank you both for my first affirmation in the blogosphere!
“. . . therefore I quote” Hansel, Swindoll, James & Ford
I read, therefore I quote.
I’m going to “set up” today’s quote with a little video. My sister-in-law sent me this back in July of 2007. You may have seen it already. But what a powerful reminder that we CAN.
I don’t know about you, but I won’t be whining about ANYTHING today. Or tomorrow. And if I whine the day after that, I’m watching this video again.
Today’s quote comes from “Eating Problems for Breakfast: A Simple, Creative Approach to Solving Any Problem”
“As Chuck Swindoll said so eloquently, ‘We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.’
Some experts believer that 90 percent of all problem solving revolves around one’s attitude. By definition, attitude refers to:
one’s mental posture toward a problem or a situation;
one’s feelings or emotions toward the problem;
the angle or position of one’s frame of reference.
It’s not so much what happens to us, as what happens in us that counts, or what we think has happened to us.
. . . Life is a process: a complex ever-continuing, ever-change set of problems. The choice is not if you’ll accept problems, but How! Your attitude determines whether or not you will succeed. William James said, “Perhaps the greatest discovery of this century is that if you can change your attitude, you can change your life.”
. . . Henry Ford once said, “That who say they can and those who say that they can’t are usually both right.”
. . . One of the most liberating discoveries of my life was that problems have positive and redemptive purposes: they can be potential blessings. They can be a means for growth . . .
. . . I believe that our greatest problem is our self-limitation. In having a more sane estimate of our abilities, we need to realize the incredible things that God can do in us and through us. When we do that, we become much less intimidated by problems because we know that God is not only for us but in us. Therefore, I am not afraid to fail.
. . . Perhaps you are like me and struggle to keep an appropriate attitude toward problems. One recommendation is to read books on problem solving, motivation and attitude. Although I have read countless books on these subjects in the last twenty years, one book was the most helpful. It far outweighs any other book I have ever read on the subject. It not only has better ideas to suggest but actually offers facts to help you with your attitude . . . It’s a guaranteed life changer. It’s the Bible. I highly recommend it. Someone said of the Bible:
Know it – in your head;
Stow it – in your heart;
Sow it – in the world;
Show it – in your life.. . . I recently saw a tremendous formula for success. It consists of these ten points:
- Pray
- Work
- Pray
- Work
- Pray
- Work
- Pray
- Work
- Pray
- Work
. . . If you want to improve your problem-solving abilities, follow all ten suggestions. But in the process of developing our problem-solving skills, we’ve got to be careful of the trap of perfectionism. Someone once said that, “perfectionism leads to procrastination, and procrastination leads in turn leads to paralysis.”
. . . Yes, pay attention to detail. Yes, pursue excellence. But avoid that nagging tendency to strive for perfection, especially on the first attempt.”
“. . . therefore I quote” Thursday: If you have a quote to share from something you’ve read recently, feel free to comment and/or include a link to your own “quote” post.
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he is my density. part II.
Here’s another example of how well FirstHusband “gets” me. He truly is my density.
So, today was Homecoming for our church and I was asked to sing “I’m Building this House On the Rock.”
Now, I can get my twang on, but this wasn’t just a little bit southern gospel, it was a LOT southern gospel. I rehearsed all week and I tried to get into it, to make it my own, but . . . it just wasn’t happening. Last night, as I was rehearsing again, I stopped, turned to FirstHusband and asked,
“Do you know what I need to really make this song work?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, he nailed it.
“Big hair?”
“EXACTLY!”
And that’s what I went for this morning, although I toned it down a little. I didn’t want to scare small children. Reba McIntire would have been proud.
New to Compendium? Peruse my topics & my “little known facts” page to see if we have anything in common, watch a short video of my testimony or check out my website, vocal samples or speaking samples.
Feel free to steal my ideas, ponder my musings, disagree with my rants, jump on my bandwagon, read my favorite books, comment, email me, or just lurk. Whatever works for you.
Fitness Log: April
April Totals as of 4/3
HIIT Incline Days: 2
HIIT Incline Miles: 7.5
HIIT Incline Hours: 2.5
Strength Training/Yoga Days: 1
Forearm Planks: 2Recent Comments
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