I have had the same computer for over four years. I know, I know, it's almost unheard of. A four year old computer still being used on a regular basis. But in my defence, I don't do much on it aside from class work and the occasional surf session, and writing a blog post on rare occasions.
I am now on my last year of college, and this time around I have gotten a lovely Pell grant. I decided that it would be a good idea to invest some of those funds in a new laptop. Now, I am not a computer person. I go to look at computers from the view of how the keys feel, how the screen looks, and am I going to enjoy working on it. Mandy is my desgnated geek; I take her along to look at all the letters and numbers that make no sense to me.
I found an Acer laptop that has a number pad on the laptop. I know that is not a big deal for most, but being as I didn't have one before and I am an accounting major I found it fascinating! The keys also feel amazing under my fingers. And talk about lightweight!! Mandy came up to the store and read the specs (letters and numbers) and gave her approval on the purchase. The best part was that this particular laptop was on clearence (clearence is my favorite section of any store).
So I made up my mind to buy it. I went up to the store, found a nerd, and asked to buy the laptop. To my astonishment, the nerd responded that they had been advised not to sell this particular model. "Becasue it is so slow and outdated" was the reason behind the refusal. Now, as I have already informed you, I do not game, skype, or much else. I am a very boring person. The speed of this model was more that what I need, and way more than what I am used to working with. I tried to explain this to the nerd. It took a while, but I finally convinced him to allow me to spend my hard earned money on the computer I wanted. I have never before had to work so hard to spend money...
Now it is mine, and I am loving the speed of it! It is much easier to type on too. And the best part is, I found a fifty dollar cupon for clearence computers to use with my purchase, so my laptop was cheaper than I planned. Which means I can buy a fancy external hard drive!!!!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Oh 119B, Wherefore art Thou?
I must do this every other month; there is no getting past it. My roots start to peek out at the world, and they are most definitely not the same color as the rest of my hair.
You see (literally) my hair is naturally gray, with a lot of white in it. I have been cleverly hiding that fact for over fifteen years. God showed man how to create Clairol hair color, specifically the kind that covers stubborn grays, just for my benefit. Yet another way He proves His love for me.
I like using the Clairol box. It is fairly easy to do, and it is very cost efficient. Most people I know who have their hair dyed on a normal basis spend around $60 per application to have it done by a stylist. Me being a poor, part-time employed full-time college student, I have to be a little more conservative with my meager funds. (Do you have any idea how much Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A I could get with $60?) Clairol costs around $7 a box, and sometimes it is on sale for $5.
I have discovered, through some trial and error (my high school purple hair phase excluded) that the ideal color for me is a natural reddish brown, more commonly known as shade 119B. The downside is that 119B seems to be pretty hard to find.
I usually have an extra box stored in my closet, but this past time for a coloring I found myself without my trusty box. Making a late night WalMart run, I was sadly disappointed to find the shelf space for 119B empty. So I decided to put off the job for a few more days. My roots were just beginning to grow out. But a few days later there was still no sign of my box. I was now desperate! I had no choice but to, gasp!, try another brand/color.
My stubborn grays laughed at my attempt to subdue them. They disapproved of the new brand, loyally declaring that they would be wooed by none other than 119B. They rest of my hair seemed to agree with them. Instead of beautiful natural reddish brown, I ended up with a fiery red that, with the right shirt, looked more pink than red. Not a hint of brown. I should have known...
Oh 119B, where are you hiding? I need you greatly! Please return to me, and I promise never to try and replace you with another! Only you can truly please me!
You see (literally) my hair is naturally gray, with a lot of white in it. I have been cleverly hiding that fact for over fifteen years. God showed man how to create Clairol hair color, specifically the kind that covers stubborn grays, just for my benefit. Yet another way He proves His love for me.
I like using the Clairol box. It is fairly easy to do, and it is very cost efficient. Most people I know who have their hair dyed on a normal basis spend around $60 per application to have it done by a stylist. Me being a poor, part-time employed full-time college student, I have to be a little more conservative with my meager funds. (Do you have any idea how much Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A I could get with $60?) Clairol costs around $7 a box, and sometimes it is on sale for $5.
I have discovered, through some trial and error (my high school purple hair phase excluded) that the ideal color for me is a natural reddish brown, more commonly known as shade 119B. The downside is that 119B seems to be pretty hard to find.
I usually have an extra box stored in my closet, but this past time for a coloring I found myself without my trusty box. Making a late night WalMart run, I was sadly disappointed to find the shelf space for 119B empty. So I decided to put off the job for a few more days. My roots were just beginning to grow out. But a few days later there was still no sign of my box. I was now desperate! I had no choice but to, gasp!, try another brand/color.
My stubborn grays laughed at my attempt to subdue them. They disapproved of the new brand, loyally declaring that they would be wooed by none other than 119B. They rest of my hair seemed to agree with them. Instead of beautiful natural reddish brown, I ended up with a fiery red that, with the right shirt, looked more pink than red. Not a hint of brown. I should have known...
Oh 119B, where are you hiding? I need you greatly! Please return to me, and I promise never to try and replace you with another! Only you can truly please me!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Life's not fair; neither is God (that's a good thing)!
Have you ever heard the expression "life's not fair"? Have you ever said it yourself? That promotion that you wanted and worked so hard for is given to an undeserving co-worker. I have uttered it while watching Bridezillas one afternoon: these beastly, BEASTLY women have somehow convinced a man to marry them; and here I am, single. Life is just not fair! Sad but true, people do not usually get what they deserve.
That is the bad news. Are you ready for some good news? OK, here it is: God is not fair, either.
There is a parable Jesus tells His disciples about a certain landowner who needed help harvesting his field (Matthew 20:1-16). The man goes out at 6am and finds some unemployed folks standing around, and promises them a full days wage for a full days work. They agree and head off to his field, or vineyard, depending on your translation. But they aren't enough. He goes out again at 9am, 12 noon, and 3pm for more folk, promising them that if they go work in his field he will give them whatever is fair. And still he needs more men. He goes out one last time, around 5pm, and tells some guys standing around to go and work for him. No promises of payment he gives these men, just directions to his field.
At 6pm the day is over, and it is now time to pay everybody. The landowner gives instructions that the last guys, the 5pmers, should be paid first. Imagine their surprise when he pays them a full days wage! Did they earn it? Did they deserve it? Absolutely not!!!! Look closely at verses 13-16: What was the landowner's reason for giving the 5pmers more than they had worked for, more than what they deserved? He was generous! He wanted to give them what they didn't deserve!
What do we deserve, according to Romans 6:23? "The wages of sin is death, BUT the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." We deserve death; but God is generous and gives us what we do not deserve: life! And not just regular life, eternal life! Do we deserve it? Have we done anything to earn it? Can we ever do anything to earn it? No, no, and no. If a gift could be earned, it wouldn't be a gift, would it?
Praise God today that He is not fair, that He is generous and gives us undeserved eternal life!
That is the bad news. Are you ready for some good news? OK, here it is: God is not fair, either.
There is a parable Jesus tells His disciples about a certain landowner who needed help harvesting his field (Matthew 20:1-16). The man goes out at 6am and finds some unemployed folks standing around, and promises them a full days wage for a full days work. They agree and head off to his field, or vineyard, depending on your translation. But they aren't enough. He goes out again at 9am, 12 noon, and 3pm for more folk, promising them that if they go work in his field he will give them whatever is fair. And still he needs more men. He goes out one last time, around 5pm, and tells some guys standing around to go and work for him. No promises of payment he gives these men, just directions to his field.
At 6pm the day is over, and it is now time to pay everybody. The landowner gives instructions that the last guys, the 5pmers, should be paid first. Imagine their surprise when he pays them a full days wage! Did they earn it? Did they deserve it? Absolutely not!!!! Look closely at verses 13-16: What was the landowner's reason for giving the 5pmers more than they had worked for, more than what they deserved? He was generous! He wanted to give them what they didn't deserve!
What do we deserve, according to Romans 6:23? "The wages of sin is death, BUT the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." We deserve death; but God is generous and gives us what we do not deserve: life! And not just regular life, eternal life! Do we deserve it? Have we done anything to earn it? Can we ever do anything to earn it? No, no, and no. If a gift could be earned, it wouldn't be a gift, would it?
Praise God today that He is not fair, that He is generous and gives us undeserved eternal life!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Zombies of the Bible
No, there is nothing wrong with your eyes; it really does say ZOMBIES. Now before you get all upset and start to call me some not nice names, finish reading the rest of the post, please. I think you will enjoy it as much as my Sunday School class did.
I am not a fan of the horror genre-I have a hard enough time sleeping as it is, I do not need anything else keeping me up at night. I do know just a little bit about zombies, thanks to the first half of Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies. Zombies are defined and depicted as the dead walking, the undead, the living dead (anyone else notice all the definitions include the word dead?). We see them stumbling around in search of a nice meal consisting of human flesh or brains. Do we see them having any thoughts and feelings? Nope, just hungry...
Now, what does all this have to do with the Bible? I am so glad you stayed with me this far and want to know. Look up Ephesians 2:1-5 and Colossians 2:13. What do these verses say about us before we came to know Christ? We were dead. "And when you were dead in trespasses and sins"(boldness added by me). Is he, Paul, talking about a spiritual death or a physical one? Seeing as how you are reading this, he's speaking of a spiritual death. I mean, you are alive, right: your brain is waving and your respiration system is working all by itself? According to Ephesians 2:1-5 and Galatians 5:19-21, what does a Biblical zombie look like? Both speak of living out the lusts of our flesh and desires of the flesh and mind (just to name a few: immorality, impurity, idolatry, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, dissensions, envying). Just as a fictional, physical zombie is controlled by the fleshly desire to nom brains, the Biblical, spiritual zombie is controlled by the fleshly desires and lust of it's body and mind. Let's look at them together.
Fictional Zombies
-physically Dead
-controlled by hunger (brains)
-unable to resist hunger
-No cure, No hope
Biblical Zombies
-spirtually Dead
-controlled by lusts of flesh and desires of the mind
-unable to resist lusts/desires
-Cure: Jesus
What does Jesus Himself say is our cure in John 5:24-25? "...anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to LIFE."(again, the bolding and caps are added by me).
I used to be a zombie, stumbling around aimlessly trying to satisfy my unending hunger. If you weren't looking closely, you wouldn't have known. I mean, I'm wasn't walking around with my arms pulled in like a praying mantis, bent slightly to one side with clouded-over eyes in a decomposing body and moaning (I am not counting in the morning before I have had my second cup of coffee). I looked normal on the outside, but the inside was dead. But God loved me so much that He had mercy on me and made a way for me to be cured. I am a zombie no longer; I am alive!
I am not a fan of the horror genre-I have a hard enough time sleeping as it is, I do not need anything else keeping me up at night. I do know just a little bit about zombies, thanks to the first half of Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies. Zombies are defined and depicted as the dead walking, the undead, the living dead (anyone else notice all the definitions include the word dead?). We see them stumbling around in search of a nice meal consisting of human flesh or brains. Do we see them having any thoughts and feelings? Nope, just hungry...
Now, what does all this have to do with the Bible? I am so glad you stayed with me this far and want to know. Look up Ephesians 2:1-5 and Colossians 2:13. What do these verses say about us before we came to know Christ? We were dead. "And when you were dead in trespasses and sins"(boldness added by me). Is he, Paul, talking about a spiritual death or a physical one? Seeing as how you are reading this, he's speaking of a spiritual death. I mean, you are alive, right: your brain is waving and your respiration system is working all by itself? According to Ephesians 2:1-5 and Galatians 5:19-21, what does a Biblical zombie look like? Both speak of living out the lusts of our flesh and desires of the flesh and mind (just to name a few: immorality, impurity, idolatry, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, dissensions, envying). Just as a fictional, physical zombie is controlled by the fleshly desire to nom brains, the Biblical, spiritual zombie is controlled by the fleshly desires and lust of it's body and mind. Let's look at them together.
Fictional Zombies
-physically Dead
-controlled by hunger (brains)
-unable to resist hunger
-No cure, No hope
Biblical Zombies
-spirtually Dead
-controlled by lusts of flesh and desires of the mind
-unable to resist lusts/desires
-Cure: Jesus
What does Jesus Himself say is our cure in John 5:24-25? "...anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to LIFE."(again, the bolding and caps are added by me).
I used to be a zombie, stumbling around aimlessly trying to satisfy my unending hunger. If you weren't looking closely, you wouldn't have known. I mean, I'm wasn't walking around with my arms pulled in like a praying mantis, bent slightly to one side with clouded-over eyes in a decomposing body and moaning (I am not counting in the morning before I have had my second cup of coffee). I looked normal on the outside, but the inside was dead. But God loved me so much that He had mercy on me and made a way for me to be cured. I am a zombie no longer; I am alive!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Let There Be Light...Maybe
As I have previously mentioned, I played Design Star this past weekend, but I was not finished. Part of the plan for redecorating my room was to upgrade my lighting. I had a mis-match assortment of lamps and had decided to at least find some lampshades that I liked that went together. I had an idea in mind of what I wanted, but so far the price to upgrade was, well, let's just say "unpleasant".
I have my eye on a footstool at Bed, Bath, and Beyond that I really want. I took my sister to show her and get her valuable input a few days ago. On display next to my footstool was the absolute most beautiful lamp. A nice, bronze color with marble accents that reminded me of swirling coffee. It made my hearth sing. That is what I wanted!!! My mouth started to drool as I realized the exquisite lamp was part of a set: one floor lamp, two table lamps, and a smaller lamp. Amazing! Imagine my joy when I then looked to the price tag and discovered the lamps were on half-price clearance!!!!! Needless to say, they came home with me.
I could not wait to get home. I opened the box and began to assemble my precious lamps. After a few moments, though, I realized something was terribly wrong. I only had three lamps in my possession. Three lamps, not four. No smaller lamp at all. I dug back through the box, frantically searching for the lamp I must have overlooked. I called in my youngest sister, desperately hoping I had just missed it in all the excitement. My heart dropped to the floor as the sad realization that it was absent set in. I had managed to receive the shade, but not the lamp.
What was I to do? I pulled out my receipt and called the store. How was I going to explain this bizarre event? Would they even believe my story? Or would they assume I was another thief trying to rob them of a small lamp?
As you can see from the picture at the beginning, my melodrama has a happy ending. The manager asked me to bring in my receipt and they gave me the small lamp from the display. My joy was restored, and my room is now beautifully well-lit!
Do not despair, my footstool! I will return for you soon. And do not feel unloved because the lamps came home first; They were much less expensive than you are, and there was only one set left. My sincere desire is that you join me next week...
Friday, April 22, 2011
HGTV Inspired!
So, as ya'll all know, I am a huge HGTV fan. I drive my family crazy by leaving it on all day long. Even when I am not in the room watching, I love just listening to the shows. And no, there is nothing wrong with that! All this obsessing over paint techniques, furniture arraignments, proper displaying of accessories, and wall demolition has payed off this past weekend. Well, all but wall demo-we rent; but one day....
For eight years I have lived in my converted garage "apartment". No kitchen or private plumbing, but a nice sized open space that was just big enough for one car and maybe a lawn mower; the downside was that it was crowded with furniture. For a while I just tried to ignore it; the only time I spent in there was when I was sleeping. Then I got rid of a lot of unnecessary things, which made it better but still crowded. By now the claustrophobia was really starting to get to me.
Two weeks ago I had an idea: move some of the larger pieces of furniture around. So I started studying my living quarters. I decided to leave the bedroom side alone. There isn't anything I can do about that area. I turned my attention to the other side of my space. Years of planning, collecting, and dreaming had given me an assortment of furniture; you don't even want to know what is in the attic!
I measured my room and mapped it out on a grid. Then I did the same to my furniture. A very smart woman once told me to move furniture on paper instead of in the area. Paper furniture is so much lighter. I came up with a design that looked good, and then spent a few hours putting my plan into action. It is amazing how much of a difference taking a small couch and switching its home with an armchair. Pull the rocker next to that armchair for a nice, intimate conversation area, and perfection! The room feels so much more open and spacious, the claustrophobia is gone! Thank you HGTV!!!!!!!
I am in college for accounting, but after surveying the results of a few hours' work the thought of changing over to interior design did cross my mind. But hey, I've only got six more classes to go. I'm too far in to start over now...
For eight years I have lived in my converted garage "apartment". No kitchen or private plumbing, but a nice sized open space that was just big enough for one car and maybe a lawn mower; the downside was that it was crowded with furniture. For a while I just tried to ignore it; the only time I spent in there was when I was sleeping. Then I got rid of a lot of unnecessary things, which made it better but still crowded. By now the claustrophobia was really starting to get to me.
Two weeks ago I had an idea: move some of the larger pieces of furniture around. So I started studying my living quarters. I decided to leave the bedroom side alone. There isn't anything I can do about that area. I turned my attention to the other side of my space. Years of planning, collecting, and dreaming had given me an assortment of furniture; you don't even want to know what is in the attic!
I measured my room and mapped it out on a grid. Then I did the same to my furniture. A very smart woman once told me to move furniture on paper instead of in the area. Paper furniture is so much lighter. I came up with a design that looked good, and then spent a few hours putting my plan into action. It is amazing how much of a difference taking a small couch and switching its home with an armchair. Pull the rocker next to that armchair for a nice, intimate conversation area, and perfection! The room feels so much more open and spacious, the claustrophobia is gone! Thank you HGTV!!!!!!!
I am in college for accounting, but after surveying the results of a few hours' work the thought of changing over to interior design did cross my mind. But hey, I've only got six more classes to go. I'm too far in to start over now...
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
This is the Stuff...
"I lost my keys in the great unknown. Call me please, cause I can't find my phone. This is the stuff that drives me crazy; this is the stuff that's getting to me lately. In the middle of my little mess, I forget how big I'm blessed." Francesca Battistelli-This is the Stuff
So often we focus all our attention to the things that are causing us stress: family, job, school, ... The list could go on and on, but that would be defeating the purpose of this particular blog post. I don't want to call attention to the stresses in life; I want to call attention to the blessings!
Just like the line from this adorable song, we so often forget about the many blessings in life when surrounded by all our mess. Our focus is in the wrong place.
What are my blessings? Well, for starters, the same people I listed for causing some stress: my family. Don't get me wrong, I love my family! They are the best! And I am not just saying that because they will be the first ones to read this. They are super supportive and much wiser than I.
What else? My room. I live in the converted garage, and I just redecorated it a few days ago. Now it looks like one of those "luxury" one room apartments I see on HGTV, and I mean that in a good way! All I need is a tiny kitchen and bath in there and it would be perfect.
Next would have to be Zaboo. My spoiled-rotten kitty brings a smile to my face when she runs to the front door to great me as I return from the great beyond. And while she abhors any public displays of affection, when it is just the two of us she showers me with love and purrs. She is also a decent help with Accounting homework...
Don't forget about the little things, either: hot water for inside showers, indoor plumbing, air conditioning (it is a MUST in the hot and humid South!), a fridge full of food, a car that has been payed for and still drives like new,... These things truly are blessings!
"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Phillipians 4:8 NLT Look around. What are your blessings?
So often we focus all our attention to the things that are causing us stress: family, job, school, ... The list could go on and on, but that would be defeating the purpose of this particular blog post. I don't want to call attention to the stresses in life; I want to call attention to the blessings!
Just like the line from this adorable song, we so often forget about the many blessings in life when surrounded by all our mess. Our focus is in the wrong place.
What are my blessings? Well, for starters, the same people I listed for causing some stress: my family. Don't get me wrong, I love my family! They are the best! And I am not just saying that because they will be the first ones to read this. They are super supportive and much wiser than I.
What else? My room. I live in the converted garage, and I just redecorated it a few days ago. Now it looks like one of those "luxury" one room apartments I see on HGTV, and I mean that in a good way! All I need is a tiny kitchen and bath in there and it would be perfect.
Next would have to be Zaboo. My spoiled-rotten kitty brings a smile to my face when she runs to the front door to great me as I return from the great beyond. And while she abhors any public displays of affection, when it is just the two of us she showers me with love and purrs. She is also a decent help with Accounting homework...
Don't forget about the little things, either: hot water for inside showers, indoor plumbing, air conditioning (it is a MUST in the hot and humid South!), a fridge full of food, a car that has been payed for and still drives like new,... These things truly are blessings!
"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Phillipians 4:8 NLT Look around. What are your blessings?
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