Does anyone listen anymore & May Scripture Writing Plan

April 28, 2016April 28, 2016 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Sometimes I wonder. I just wonder what kind of people we are becoming. Raising a generation on technology. Our cell phones, for instance. You don’t have to know much of anything going out into the world. Why? Because you can call anyone at any time & find out what to do. How many times has my 12 year old puzzled me to the point my knee jerk reaction is “Google it.” Not to be confused with it’s close cousin “Googol”, which if I remember correctly from 7^th grade math class, that a googol is a 1 with 100 zeros behind it. And not JUST an internet sensation that I am mainly dependent on for vast amounts of knowledge. Just a little history lesson on math. Bet you don’t get that often.

ANYWHOO- There are many times that I personally may not hold myself responsible for listening as closely as I need to because why? I can call or text at any time & find out what that person said. Perhaps for example when my sweetie is giving me his grocery list, as I head out the door, I may or may not listen as intentively as I could, because, well you know, I have a LOT of other things I need to be remembering right then. I know once I get to the Kroger, I can text him & find out everything he told me, plus some other things he forgot. Sometimes I wonder, do I do this with God, too? Am I guilty of not listening, not heeding the warnings of sin, until I get into a fix, then I start trying to pray my way out of it? Then, I have time to listen & talk to God. I believe that is why we should daily stay in contact with God. I feel like if we are listening to the Lord, by studying our Bibles & talking to Him through prayer, we will have little time to be judging, looking down our noses at others, & fault finding.

Solomon had some beautiful words about listening in the book of Proverbs-

Proverbs 1:5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel

Proverbs 19:20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction, That you may be wise in your latter days.

And this wonderful piece that is titled “The beginning of knowledge”

Proverbs 1: 10-19

My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.
¹¹If they say, “Come with us,
Let us lie in wait to shed blood;
Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
¹²Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,^[a]
And whole, like those who go down to the Pit;
¹³We shall find all kinds of precious possessions,
We shall fill our houses with spoil;
¹⁴Cast in your lot among us,
Let us all have one purse”—
¹⁵My son, do not walk in the way with them,
Keep your foot from their path;
¹⁶For their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed blood.
¹⁷Surely, in vain the net is spread
In the sight of any bird;
¹⁸But they lie in wait for their own blood,
They lurk secretly for their own lives.
¹⁹So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.

How relevant is that over 3,000 years later? We should listen & stay away from sin, as much as possible. I truly believe staying in God’s Word is one of the most important ways to keep listening.

My sweet friend Shannon, over at Sweet Blessings, said I could share her scripture writing plans. This is the one for May.

If you get a chance, go on over there & let her know what a “sweet blessing” she is for creating these scripture plans.

Y’all, I have so much to catch y’all up on. I will be back with pictures, before long! Until next time, I should be going, because I should be washing clothes.

A shout out to my favorite stores

March 25, 2015March 25, 2015 / kstrick7 / 2 Comments

I know Christmas is way over. However, I wanted to give a shout out to some remarkable merchants out there. Since I broke up with Wal-Mart or Walmart or Walmarts (as my Mamaw called it) my cash flow has been much more flowy-er. You can read about that here.

Just want to give a public & personal thank you to the following stores:

Kmart

Dollar Tree

Walgreens

Dollar General (which my Mamaw called the General Dollar Store)

Thank you, understanding merchants, for not having a maximum time you can visit your store, in a few days period. Thank you for allowing me to patronize your store every time, which seemed like I had just left your store, & then I remembered something I forgot. For the nine days I was off work at Christmas, I shopped just like it was my job. You allowed that. No questions asked. After I went back to work, one of your dear employees probably was chatting at break with a fellow coworker & said

“You know that lady we saw in here so much that one week during Christmas time? I have not seen her in a while.”

That’s because I have to face reality and go back to my real job. But thanks for not judging me.

And I can’t not say something about these folks without mentioning Kroger. Listen ya’ll, Kroger has been a life changer for me. They give you free stuff. Not just once or twice a year. Every. Single. Week. Just for shopping with them. They give you a free item every Friday. You just have to get online & download the freebie. When you check out, you give them your Kroger Card & it adds up on your ticket to be FREE. They also GIVE you in FREE UNITED STATES DOLLARS $.10 or $.20 off of each gallon of gas your purchase. That truly makes me weepy. I drove a gas guzzling Suburban for years. Only to trade into a Ford Focus that gets 75 miles to the gallon. Well, maybe not that much. But after spending my kid’s inheirtance on gas for that Suburban, it sure does seem that way. (Sorry kids. I know you thought you got all that shuttling around for free.)

And I can’t say something about Kroger without mentioning the lovely Katie at Kroger Krazy. That sweet girl just wants everybody to save money. If she lived closer to me, I know we would be tearing the Kroger store down together. Her blog is chocked full of life changing, game changing, deals. I love Kroger Krazy. Anybody that wants to do all the leg work for me, hey, we are friends for life. (Katie, you may or may not want to put out a restraining order on me right now, ha!) Seriously, this is a wonderful resource for anybody that want to save money.

My next new store to patronize & love is Dirt Cheap. Let me just say I bought a BUNCH of clothes for my Grand Baby Girl for not a lot in there. We are talking Target brand shirts for Dirt Cheap. EEEKK! I get happy all over again just thinking of it. And, too my daughter was a page for the Senate one year & got to meet the owner of Dirt Cheap. He was some sort of government official. He was a really nice man & held in high regard by his peers. I like doing business with nice people.

Some people may view my thriftiness as cheap. No, no, no. There is a difference. I seek out bargains, but will spend the big bucks when needed. As I get older, I realize, when it comes to my purchases, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. (Don’t get PETA after me. It’s just a Southern expression meaning there’s more than one way to do something.) With a little time & effort, you don’t have to pay full price for stuff. I do think it kinda my responsibility to take care of my home & the people there in. Just like the woman in Proverbs 31. I love this passage because I believe this is still a wonderful example laid out for us today.

Proverbs 31: 27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. (NKJV)

If you get the chance, reading the whole passage about the virtuous woman, will truly bless your heart. (Proverbs 31:10-31) It always inspires me to be better. I have been blessed to be acquainted with some of the most wonderful virtuous women ever. My Mama, Mamaw, Mama Boyce, & mother-in-law are the ones that come to mind. They all were wonderful examples that I try to pattern my life after. My Mamaw & mother-in-law would be tickled to death to see me saving money at the grocery store. They both LOVED a bargain.

Mamaw & Mama

I hope you have gotten some use out of this little blog post today. I know I love to shop. But I don’t think I have to spend ALL my money. Until there’s another sale at the dollar store, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: walgreens, dollar tree, dollar general, http://www.krogerkrazy.com , Kroger, Dirt Cheap

Memory loss, the time change, & many other things that make you fretful at 40-ish

March 11, 2015March 11, 2015 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

It goes without saying, everybody has their ups & downs in life. I was just talking to a good friend of mine the other day about us being in our 40s. If you have not gotten to your 40s yet, let me just say IT’S NO WALK IN THE PARK PEOPLE. Things that you never really dream of or understand starts happening to you. You start to be more conscious of your over all well-being, because to be honest, it clearly becomes more of an issue.

For example, I used to could live with my contacts or live without them. I didn’t have to wear them if I didn’t want to. Now, it is a real problem if I don’t have them in. When I’m driving, luggage racks on top of vehicles start looking like a set of lights like the state troopers have. If I meet a car on the road with one of those, let me tell you how much I obey all the traffic laws. All in the name of poor vision. Could this be from being in your 40s?

Then, there is my memory. I don’t know where it goes. The other day my daughter & I were shopping. I kept saying I was going to wait to buy shampoo at Kmart because it was probably cheaper there. Miss Neenee exasperatedly reminded me several times,

“Mama, we ARE in Kmart.”

“You know I mean Kroger.” I said. Repeatedly .(May I insert here Mamaw referred to these stores as Kmarts & the Kroger. I will never forget that.)

Later on that day, we were talking & I said,

“Riddle me that, Batman.”

She said, “What does that even mean?”

I commenced to relive the torturous Riddler in Batman & how he always spoke in riddles to Batman. Then, it hit me. I could quote dialogue from movies upwards of 25 years ago, but just a short time ago that day, I didn’t know if I was in Kmart or Kroger. It’s being in your 40s.

And don’t even get me started on the time change. I don’t know why it’s so hard, but the struggle is real, ya’ll. I have a morning disorder, anyway. It’s all I can do to get up & get around. This ain’t helpin’ me none. Make the time & leave it. Seriously, enough with the time change. This must be from being in your 40s.

Digestive woes. Do you remember the Andy Griffith episode where Andy & Helen were broke up & Barney had fixed him up with another girl? They were going with Barney & Thelma Lou to Mt. Pilot to eat. They kept naming off places & Andy’s date couldn’t eat at any of them. She couldn’t eat Chinese because “Cabbage laid on her chest.” That was like the funniest thing to me. Until I got my own list of foods that have less than desirable effects. We just have a mutual understanding (me & these kinds of food that is) If I eat this, then that happens. Why? Just why? I have always had a stomach of cast iron steel up until a couple of years ago. Yup, it’s being in your 40s.

But there are some good things that come from being in your 40s. Here’s a little list (I love a list):

You don’t put up with a lot. You make a decision on what you want to take & what you don’t. Then, you plan accordingly.
You come to the reality that life is short. You begin to appreciate the loved ones you have, even more. James 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. (NKJV)
After a stressful day, one begins to realize the power a Samoa (or Caramel Delight, just depends on where you are) can have over you. It just purely changes your whole demeanor. Those Girl Scouts just have my heart.
Pajama time becomes a real thing. Pajama time can start when I get home from work & given it is a weekend, can last until I go to church on Sunday. After church, back to pajama time.
You begin to have more understanding & empathy for others. Biggest reason is because you need more understanding & empathy from others. Times come when you clearly are confident enough to step back & say, “I am being ridiculous.” This is where other people’s grace comes in, for us. BOY, DO I NEED THAT! Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.(NKJV)
You know who you are, who your friends are, & know you do not have to deal with toxic relationships. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
It occurs to you, what you have is just plenty. Worldly possessions are not all they are cracked up to be.

(Matthew 6:19-20) “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (NKJV)

And there ain’t no way I am sending my soul to torment over greed & jealousy of what someone else has. I’m not sacrificing my family time nor my ethics to gain more either. You become just plain thankful for what you have. Which takes me to my last one

8. You know what’s important. You take care of that & everything else just falls into place.

On other note, my Miss Neenee had Flu B (just in time for Spring Break). She had RSV about 3 weeks ago. She’s not really gotten past all of that, until this happened. She has been around several people who have had the flu. She was just patiently waiting her turn. She’s a sweetie like that. My grandson, Mr. Sweetie Pants, had it, too.

Speaking of which, we made our very own laundry detergent, this weekend. Here he is being a big ol’ helper.

While I was snapping a couple of pictures of him, He said, “Grand, take my picture doing this.”

Such a good boy to help his Grand.

And by the way, if you want the recipe for the detergent it is below.

2 bars of soap (We used Olay Sensitive Skin, since we have some folks at home that require special attention. Like not having dry skin & recurring skin related rashes)

2 cups of Borax

2 cups washing soda

1 canister Purex Crystals or Downy Unstoppables (which I just now saw on the internet you are supposed to put the Purex Crystals directly in the drum of the washer. I don’t think it will hurt anything. I guess the smell will last longer putting it right into the washer instead of the soap dispenser. But we just mixed it in with everything else)

Grate the soap in a bowl. Measure & add all the other ingredients. Mix together. You only need ¼ cup of this for each load. It smelled so good!

Thank you for stopping by to visit with me today & read through my randomness. You make my day brighter!! Hope you are having a good week. Always remember wherever you are God it there to take care of you. Until next time, I should be going because I should be washing clothes.