Tag Archives: Help

Infected

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I’ve been infected by our culture’s instant gratification bug.

Okay, that’s not fair.  While I’ve certainly been influenced by my culture, I still make my own decisions and are responsible for them.

But I’m sick of making the decisions I am.  Not the big kind of decisions, just the little ones: how to spend a spare hour or $5.  Because an hour or $5 may not be very much, but multiple either by a 100, and that is a lot.

I have a lot of ambitions and things I want to do, but it’s easier in the moment to settle for what I think will satisfy, if only for a moment.  More importantly, when I do so, I’m absolutely putting myself first.

But today’s a new day, and with God’s help, I can choose Him and others over me.

A Rambly Mess, and a Question

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**I apologize for the fact that this post is incredibly rambly.  It’s basically my thoughts from the last 24 hours, put in a slightly more coherent form. **

You know it’s been a busy weekend when I haven’t had time to think about my blog.  Highly unusual, I tell you, because my weekends are usually as happening as 10 PM at the Bingo parlor.   (And I have no idea what that means…please blame the nonsensical simile on the busyness as well.)

Between a Sunday School leaders meaning that I ran, our first day of Sunday School for the new year, and helping a friend who is crazy busy at this point in her life, I was going a mile a minute.  Usually I spend a lot of time resting on Saturday as well as on Sunday, but this weekend I hopped to it, getting a lot done, earning a little money, and doing some exercise (gasp!).  In fact, though I’m only a week into my commitment, my pants are already getting loose.  A good thing…except two of these pairs I just bought!

One of the things I did yesterday was hang out with my friend who has a ton of exciting things going on in her life right now.  She’s crazy busy, so getting time with her was a blessing and a pleasure.  While we were eating lunch (at Chili’s, our favorite post-church hangout…what can I say, we know how to party!), she mentioned in passing that she’s planning on visiting Europe next summer for 10-12 days.

And it hit me…I want to go to.

RomeHearing her say that threw me for such a loop…I just hadn’t been thinking this way.  But, isn’t this one of the reasons I say I love being single…I can take advantage of opportunities like this?  In a exercise of maturity, I actually even mentioned this idea to my parents, even though it’s in its infancy.   They agree that now is the time to do this before I’m tied down.

So for the last 24 hours, I’ve had a hard time thinking about anything else.  I’m the kind of person that wants to know something inside and out, have it all planned, and know the answer to every “What if…”.  When I first told her that I’d want to go we were thinking possibly Italy, Greece, and Turkey (I can’t go all the way to Greece without hopping over to Turkey, and I’d love to introduce my friend to the country).  After looking at the map, I’m thinking that might be a wee bit ambitious, even for 2 seasoned travelers.

So, I know several of my readers have traveled to Europe.  I’ve only been to Spain and Turkey, and my friend hasn’t been to Europe at all.  So, I have a few questions:

Assuming we have 9 days on the ground (2 days spent traveling there, 1 day traveling back), would it be best to limit our travel to Italy?  She has friends in Rome, so we wouldn’t have to pay for a hotel there.

If you’ve been, what would you consider a must-see?

What other parts of Italy would you recommend we visit?

Is it worth trying to travel to another country, or would it be best to focus on Italy?

When you traveled, how much did you budget/how much did it cost?  (This question is a big one, because it will help me decide if I can even save up enough to go!)

Are there any websites that you’d recommend?

So readers, can you help me out?

Photo by **Maurice**

Pillow Issues – Help Please!

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I need help. I have issues with pillows. I like pillows, they just don’t seem to like me. I don’t know what to do.

My problem is that my pillow is always getting really flat, but only one one end. It basically turns into a long wedge. Very quickly, after a couple of weeks. It doesn’t seem to matter that I rotate it every night; it happens anyway.
Now I know that I don’t buy the most expensive pillows, but I can’t afford to spend too much. Seminary students don’t live extravagantly. Do you have a pillow that you could recommend? I prefer it to be medium fluffy (not too hard, not too fluffy), not down or foam, and I sleep on my side often.
If you have pillows you wouldn’t recommend, I’ll take that advice too!
Thanks for any help you can give me! If you are feeling helpful, check out Rocks in My Dryer!

Works for Me: Encouraging Others

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My question is below, but first I have to share that I just realized that I’ve already broken my “resolution lite.” It’s a good thing that I didn’t make an all out commitment to do it. I now know that I MUST take my camera with me everywhere, because at the end of the year, I really don’t want 366 pictures of my room. Or 365, since I skipped the 7th.
Today is a backwards Works-for-Me Wednesday, so I get the opportunity to ask you a question. I’ve mulled over what to ask, and have finally come up with something that I would like help with. (Is it worse to end a paragraph with a preposition than to end a sentence with one?)
One verse in the Bible that I really enjoy is Hebrews 3:13. “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
I’m seeking to try to be an encouragement to those around me, whether young or old, male or female, Christian or non-Christian.
I tend to get in a rut when trying to encourage others by encouraging them in the exact way that I find the most encouraging: by writing encouraging notes and letters. I still want to do this, but I also want to branch out into other ways of encouragement.
If I were trying to encourage you, what would be the best way to go about that? If I were trying to encourage your child, how would I do that? What has someone done for you in the past that has been the most encouraging?
Thanks for any advice you can give on this point!
For answers (not questions) visit my past Works-for-me posts:

Works for Me: Free Tax Preparation

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Okay, now this is just cool. One of the great things about working for a nonprofit is getting to help people. I’ve always just done stuff in the background…until now.
This year I get to help with the free tax preparation. We work with the IRS through a program called VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance). The VITA program is designed to help low- to middle-income individuals and families save money by not paying to have their taxes filed.
I’ve had volunteers at our site do my taxes the last two years, and now I’ll be doing my own (you wouldn’t trust someone to do your taxes if they wouldn’t do their own, would you?).
There are VITA locations nationwide, and it’s pretty easy to find one near you. Call toll free 1(800) 906-9887. If you are in North Carolina, this website can help you find a location near you.
For most locations, you must have a gross income under $40,000 and not have anything crazy like a schedule C for business income or massive amounts of stock dividends. The AARP offers a similar program called Tax Aide, which often does not have income or age limits.
Getting my taxes done for free…that works for me!
Other Works-for-me ideas:

Works for Me: Chicken Soup Casserole

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Okay, so the setup for this week’s Works-for-Me Wednesday doesn’t fit me at all. I’m never home at 5:15, and imaginary children are easy to handle. The imaginary husband is also equally easy to please.
Regardless, dinner can be a difficult time around our apartment. My roommates and I take turns cooking for each other but not on any type of schedule. We’ve all played the, “Hi honey, I’m home; what’s for dinner?” bit, and sometimes its me who gets the pleasure of feeding the household.
This is the recipe that I choose if I don’t have any energy but need to cook. It’s easy, but the best part is that my roommates and I all crave it!
Chicken Soup Casserole
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can chicken and rice soup
1 cup mayo (I rarely put this much in, but I ballpark it)
1 T chopped onion (dried is best and easiest)
1 can chicken (or fresh, if you have leftover)
1 cup instant rice
4 oz crackers (Ritz or Town House)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees and combine all but the crackers in a casserole dish. Crush the crackers (I do it straight in the package since you need exactly 1 sleeve of crackers) and use the broken cracker bits to top the casserole. Bake 30-35 minutes or in the microwave for 20 minutes.
Great with green beans and biscuits, and I’m done! It’s easy to substitute any of the soups for another, or a cream of mushroom.
Chicken soup casserole works for me! For my solution to ink stains, see here.

Works for Me: Remove Ink Stains

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Today I decided to join “Works-for-Me Wednesday” to help with the NaBloPoMo goal.
I used to work as a cashier at Walmart, so I would constantly be getting things on my vest. Occasionally, ink from one of the many pens (pronounced the same as “pins”) I had to have with me would be inadvertently placed uncapped in my pocket. One of the other cashiers mentioned that hairspray gets ink out of fabric…guess what, it does.
If you get a small amount of ink on a piece of clothing (anything less than say, a quarter of a pen), simply spray hair spray on it (enough to make the cloth around the stain wet), let it sit for a minute or two and then stick it in the wash as normal. I’ve tried this on dark colors, jeans, and khakis and each time there was no sign of ink when I pulled it out of the dryer.
Unfortunately, I can’t tell you if this works with other type of ink such as highlighters or markers, and I don’t know how much ink is too much for this technique. I have found this to come in handy, though, since I am constantly writing and can be clumsy from time to time, letting my pen land on my lap, pillow, or shirt.
Hairspray for ink stains…it works for me!

Remember, if you are wanting to participate in the Christmas recipe exchange, you only have 2 more days to do it! I sent in several goodies already, but you’ll have to participate to find out what!

 

NaBloPoMo, Day 28