What an afternoon! I went to the grocery store right after work to buy a few groceries, mostly meat and salad fixin's. When I came out of the store, the truck would not start. I kept turning the ignition and it tried turning over but would not catch. I called my husband, who had me call my FIL, who said he'd see what he could do about getting off work to come help me. I told him I didn't have a lot of groceries and could walk home with some of them, if he would just come help after he got off work. They were planning on possibly giving me a jump start because the battery signal was showing below 10 volts on the meter when I turned the key over. After hubby and his dad looked at it, they determined the problem wasn't the battery, but that the gas wasn't getting to the engine. I do not understand why it didn't give any signs of trouble beforehand, but it didn't.

We pay for roadside assistance through our credit card. It has paid off a few times to have the help when you need it. Luckily, it pays for two tows a year if you need them. We called and they sent out a tow truck to take the care to the shop. I'll call the mechanic on Monday to tell him what happened and ask if there is any way we can make payments on it. We have not managed to get any savings built back up since the wedding last fall and cannot afford a huge repair bill. I was going to use any tax return money I get back to give the savings a good shot in the arm, but we haven't even filed our personal taxes yet. We have to wait until the business taxes are done, and the accountant hasn't managed to get them finished yet. He's had them about 5 weeks, and they are due next Wednesday. So much stress. Please pray for us for this transportation issue, and/or for our finances on this.

Luckily, we live close enough to most of our needs that we could walk if we need to. The biggest thing is hauling stuff. I really don't want to walk home from the grocery store with a 20 lb. bag of cat food or a 27 lb. box of cat litter. (I can just hear John saying now, "The way to solve that is to get rid of the cats.")

I'm hoping the big thunderstorms will hold off tomorrow until after church, but I don't think they will. We saw where Arkansas got hid hard with them last night, and is getting more today. That stuff is supposed to hit us by morning. The good news is, thunderstorms usually bring us an influx of business, which means more money coming into the store, which means maybe we can pay ourselves a little bigger check to cover car repairs?

I read in last night's paper where this woman is suing a Git N Go convenience store for religious discrimination. Now mind you, the woman was hired, but she showed up for work with her scarf on and was told that employees were forbidden to wear scarves or head gear on the floor. She is Muslim so she wears a scarf on her head for religious reasons, but her boss told her that wearing the scarf was against the dress code and she couldn't be on the floor with it on. So, the woman is now suing the chain.

I think this is reverse discrimination. No one is judging her for her religion. Everyone in the company is being held to the same standards, so how is this religious discrimination?

The newspaper said the woman interviewed for the job with ther scarf/veil on. Nothing was said during the interview so she thought she could wear it at work. I really hope the company wins on this. It isn't right to say this is discrimination when she was asked to stay with the same standards as everyone else. It is her choice to not work if she doesn't wear the scarf, just like it is a Christian's choice to not work on Sunday. If you are hired and do not make clear before you are hired that you will not work Sundays, and the boss schedules you for a Sunday, it is your choice to not work. It is not religiuos discrimination that they scheduled you to work.

I really hope the company wins on this one. I truly do think this is totally unfair.

Now, let me put my cover on so I can handle the mud that's gonna fling back at me.

I swiped this from Anna's site. It looked like it might be fun. I did switch the Z back to Zodiac, however. Anna doesn't do Zodiac, as many other Christians do not. I, however, do not have a problem with "signs".

A - Age you lost your virginity?  16. I was stupid. I lost it to the same boy my best friend had lost hers to. He was a tricky little devil. I didn't even realize we had gone from making out to having sex until it was too late.
B - Band listening to right now?  None. The last band I did consciously listen to was Culture Club singing Karma Chamelion over the speaker system at Wal-Mart Saturday.
C - Dream car?  My dream car is a candy-apple red 1966 convertable Mustang, though I will probably never really own one. Convertables are a little impractical here in the midwest. It's cold too much of the year and I would need to have a garage to winter it in.
D - Dream you recently had?   I was running late for someone's wedding and was trying to put makeup on in the car while my husband drove. The whole time he was chastising me for wearing makeup. Truth is, I hardly ever wear makeup anymore. I usually only put it on if I'm having a photo taken or going to a formal occasion.
E - Easiest person to make me laugh?  That's a tough one. I think it's a toss up between my mom and my best friend. They are very close in age and are both hilariously funny.
F - Food you eat most?  Anymore it is chicken baked in the microwave and baked potatoes. If it's when we dine out, it's Mexican. We seem to go there a lot.
G - Any encounters with ghosts?   Yes. When I was 10 years old, we had to put our dog to sleep before we went overseas. We had been saving our loose change to take him with us, but somehow they changed our departure time or something and we couldn't get the dog the immunizations he needed in time to be brought to Japan with us. He would have died staying with someone else, so my dad put him to sleep. I felt his nose on me in the car on the trip back to our house from our grandparents'. I also saw him in the motel room on Okinawa.
H - Person most hated at the moment?   I really, really try not to hate, but I've got someone who seems to get away with anything she does, and can't seem to get anyone to see that she's a lying cheat. It drove me crazy for a long time, but God is working on my spirit to let it go. It's not good to hate anyone. As a matter of fact, the Bible says if you hate your brother, you cannot love the Lord. It is hard to forgive sometimes, though. Makes me wonder how our Lord Jesus ever managed to forgive us.
I - Interesting unknown fact about yourself?   I don't know if I have any facts about myself I would consider interesting that few people know about.
J - The first letter of the name of last person who broke your heart?  S
K- Kissing with eyes open or closed?  I am a closed eye kisser. 
L - Last time you did something "bad"?  Hmmm, I probably did something bad today, but I KNOW I did something bad yesterday.
M - Most memorable moment you can think of in a minute?  My husband kissing me with tears in his eyes as I was wheeled into surgery for breast cancer.
N - Nicknames?  Deb
O - What's your most valued possession?  Yes, what does O have to do with the most valued possession, unless it's because I "own" it. I'd say my marquis diamond ring that my husband bought me for our 10th wedding anniversary.
P - Position of choice? I am not sure I want to share this with you, but let's just say lately it is any way I can get it.
Q - The last quote you heard.  I honestly cannot remember it now. It was from the Bible, something about not gathering things here on earth.
R - What are you allergic to?   tatracycline
S - Song you sang last?   Some hymn at church.
T - Time you woke up? 4:30 a.m.
U - Favorite pair of underwear?   My red cotton hi-cuts.
V - Vegetable you hate most?   Lima beans - ack!
W - What are you the most afraid of?   Losing my husband.
X - X-rated love life?   Occasionally our love life gets sparked to this magnitude again, but normally it's like old people sex - LOL. I know, TMI.
Y - Yellowcard or Green Day?  I honestlly cannot tell you that I've ever heard either one of them.
Z - Zodiac Sign?  Aquarius. I was born on the cusp and tend to have a few Capricorn tendancies, but mostly I'm an Aquarian. I am moody, artsy, flighty...typical Aquarian.

The past week has ended wonderfully, with only one exception.

The good things:

• Our Bible study Thursday night was definitely spirit-charged. Everyone was there this week, no other priorities or excuses keeping any of us away. We all left energized, holding each other accountable to keep our appointments (quiet times) with the Lord this week and not let life get in the way of at least a small portion of each day spent with Him.


• My darling husband recorded Survivor for me while I was at Bible study so I didn't miss any of it.


• I've had lots of fun printing jobs to get started on at work, as well as a new web site. MY side of the business is picking up nicely.


• Clean up day at the church yesterday went fairly well. We have lots of strong personalities in our church and God helped me hold my tongue and not get bent out of shape when we had too many chiefs. About half of the active congregation showed up and we got kitchen cupboards cleaned out and the basement floor mopped and other things done. There is still quite a bit to get done, but at least we put a good dent in it. We probably should have another clean up day in a month or so and get the outside of the church as well.


• One of the local pizza parlors donated pizzas for the work staff for church clean up day. We got 4 large pizzas of differing flavors. Everyone had a good fill of pizza, sampling just about all types, and there was still nearly 2 whole pizzas worth left in the end. I got to bring home nearly a whole one (by the time you mix in the cheese, pepperoni, sausage, and canadian bacon slices) so I get to eat pizza for the next several days. YUM!!! I like cold pizza.


• I got to spend some time with my best friend last night. She and I haven't been able to schedule each other in since right after Christmas. It was so wonderful getting to visit with her at the local coffee shop. She had a sugar-free Snickers coffee and I had a sugar-free Nutty Irishman (sooo goood). The Nutty Irishman is made with Irish Creme and Hazelnut flavored syrups. I had a large and it gave me a little gas. My burps were tasting like Thin Mint cookies - LOL.


• John got ahold of his best friend in Germany via Skype this weekend. I got to "meet" him and his family. He and I attempted to talk on the phone several years ago, but it was a hard conversation. You know, the kind where you throw two strangers together and tell them to "talk" to each other. I was much more comfortable listening to their conversation and getting to put a couple of cents worth of my opinion every now and then. He asked when we are coming to Germany. He wants us to stay at his house while we are there.


• Today is the Maple Syrup Festival at Nelson Pioneer Farm. The Mahaska County Conservation Board is tapping a few of the maple trees at the farm and demonstrating how to make maple syrup. All-you-can-eat pancakes are only $5. We are planning on going out when I get home from church. It's going to be VERY muddy though. It's been raining hard most of the night and it's still raining. We have a big building at the Pioneer Farm in which to serve the pancakes, but I don't think they'll be doing the wagon rides down to the "sugar field" and we don't have the parking lot to the building paved yet, so it's gonna be mucky.

The only thing that didn't go well this week was the interviewing for the part-time position we have open at the store. All but one of the applicants was rejected before the interview for one reason or another. The one person we interviewed seemed likeable at first, but by the end of the interview we knew she wasn't the right one for us. We have determined that we will not settle on someone just to have a body to answer phones. We will only hire when we find the person we really feel "warm fuzzies" over. They have to impress upon us that they will fit in perfectly. Unless we agree they are a perfect fit, we will continue looking.

Sheesh- this is the last month of the first quarter already. What a fast moving roller coaster life has become. Why, oh why, does the time seem to move so fast?

March is definitely coming in like a lamb in Iowa. It's supposed to be 60° here today. I am really dreading what the end of March will look like. The farmers have gotten very little moisture this winter. We've only had two or three good snowfalls. Very uncommon.

I heard from my younger daughter yesterday. They are getting settled in nicely in their new state. They've been there a couple of months now. Her hubby was looking and looking for a job and couldn't seem to land one. She wanted to be a stay at home mom but decided they needed some income so she found a job that she seems to like pretty well. It's a sales position and she has the personality for it. Funny how God works because the day after she started her new job, hubby found a job. Maybe that was God's way of telling her she needs to be working. They have different days off so they only have to pay for daycare 3 days a week. Seems like life is going well for them. Praise God!

Yesterday my sister asked what I thought of Gray's Anatomy on Sunday. I know she was referring to the gay male couple who was there hovering over their sick adopted child. I've got mixed emotions on this. Let me tell you why.

My first thought, when I realized this was a gay couple standing over this sick child's bed, was that there really is a plot in Hollywood to mainstream homosexuality. Do they not care that the Bible says homosexuality is an abomination? Just a few hours earlier that day, I was surfing through the channels looking for something decent to watch while my potatoes were boiling and laundry was washing, I had come upon the British Film Actor's Awards (or something of that nature). It was basically Great Britain's version of our Academy Awards. I watched it just long enough to see Rene Zellweger present the award for best film, which went to "Brokeback Mountain." The producer (I think Ang Lee is the director) got up there and made a joke about how they've gotten the label of being the gay cowboy movie. He wanted to set the record straight that it's a gay shepherd movie (the are tending sheep, not cows).

There is a lot of play going around about homosexuality in the movies and on TV today. And while I was a little disgusted seeing these two men on Gray's Anatomy hold hands as the doctor drilled into this little boy's brain to relieve pressure, I also remembered that I am also in favor of gay couple's adopting children. Why should children have to grow up in foster homes and orphanages when there are couples out there who are willing to adopt them? I say a child deserves a loving family, even if they aren't society's perfect idea of a loving family. It's better than not having any parents at all. We allow single people to adopt now, so why not allow gay couples adopt?

Some people will argue gay couples will molest the children. I disagree. Being gay makes you no more a child predator than being straight does. It's just like some people think if a person is gay they are going to come on to them if they are of the same sex. Being gay doesn't mean you are attracted to every member of the same sex any more than a straight person is attracted to every member of the opposite sex.

So, do I believe homosexuality is an abhoration in God's eyes? Yes!
Do I believe that homosexuals should be allowed to be leaders of the church? NO!
Do I believe we should ban homosexuals from the church? Absolutely NOT!

Just in this morning's lessons for my Bible study group, I read about a young woman who was gay and was brought to Christ through the love and acceptance of her lesbian lover's Christian parents. They invited the woman to their dinner table, and to church with them. They never condemned her, but allowed the love of Christ to shine through them. The woman in time was convicted that homosexuality was wrong. She struggled through another homosexual affair before she was finally freed of the chains of homosexual bondage.

Do you think that woman would have sat at the same table with those people had they come right out and told her how terrible she was because she was gay? Or what an abhoration she was to God? No.

However, accepting homosexuals as individuals in need of Christ's love is far, far different than accepting their lifestyle broadcast on the big screen like it's normal in society. I could have lived with the gay dad's on "Gray's Anatomy" a lot better had I not had to watch their hand holding shown on the screen. The story could have been just as relevant with a hetersexual couple.

With that said,

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!

I am wiped. It's been a good day, even if it was loaded with work. Overslept this morning. I don't remember the alarm going off, though it was set. Sometimes I forget to set it. Luckily I woke up shortly before 7 a.m. Today I had to be at church at 8 a.m. for the Pastor's Coffee. He really should call it Pastor's Breakfast because he fixes breakfast for the congregation the last Sunday of the month. It's usually scrambled eggs and sausages, juice, coffee, and donuts or sweet rolls. We had a really good crowd today, considering our normal Sunday attendance this time of year is about 12. A few came late and just had coffee. It was a really good time of fellowship before Sunday school.

We had a good Sunday school lesson on Hope, and then the pastor's sermon on God's mercy kinda tied right in. Both talked about the promises God gives us throughout the Bible.

I got home from church and started laundry. Fixed a yummy ham sandwich with tomato and lettuce, and then dived into making potato salad and macaroni salad. I've got a roaster pan full of potato salad (probably 15 pounds of potato salad) and two large bowls (popcorn or potato chip-sized bowls) of macaroni salad. I got a little creative with the macaroni salad and made it with black olives, onions, bell pepper, tomatoes and tuna, along with Miracle Whip and pickle juice for a base. Between the two types of salad, I used two large jars of Miracle Whip and a small one, a whole jar of kosher dill pickles, a bag of red onions, nearly 15 lbs. of potatoes, 3 lbs. of macaroni, two cans of diced tomatoes, a can of black olives, and a whole bell pepper, along with about half a large jar of salad mustard. It turned out pretty good. The potato salad tastes almost exactly like what my mom makes - YUMMY!!!

I took the macaroni salad up to the church right away because I didn't have room in my fridge for it and the potato salad. While I was there I swept the basement (which is our fellowship hall, kitchen and bathrooms). My back is aching now. I'm going to crawl into bed with DH and watch Gray's Anatomy. If the back is still hurting in an hour, I'll take some Tylenol PM, but I don't want to take it yet 'cause I don't want to fall asleep through Gray's Anatomy.

Later gators.

I have little time to blog of late, so I'm going to try to do a quickie.

• Work has been super busy. The printing business is picking up nicely. I begin interviewing for a new customer service rep next week. This one is in addition to what we already have and not replacing anyone.
  
  
  
• A 98-year-old member of the church died this past week. His funeral is Monday. I will be making macaroni and potato salads tomorrow to serve at the luncheon that will follow the funeral. I really wanted to make devilled eggs and chocolate cake, but was informed they didn't need anymore desserts and was told to make salads. I'm a little irritated that I tried arranging time off from work on Monday to help serve at the luncheon, but the person in charge of it has given me no definitive answer as to whether they need me. She said she'll let me know for sure at church Sunday. If I don't have a clear answer tomorrow morning, I will call my employee, who graciously agreed to come in for a half day on her day off, to tell her she can go ahead and have the whole day off. It is not very often I can manage to rearrange the schedule at work on short notice like this. I want to tell the ladies at church if they decide they don't need me to not bother asking me to help on a weekday again. I know I should not have such an attitude and will pray for the Lord to give me a more caring spirit.
  
  
  
• We are trying to pay extra on our medical bills to get them paid down faster, so in an effort to make more money available with what we currently bring home, we are trying to eat out less. The goal is to cut eating out down to once per week. Crrently, we probably eat take out food three to five times per week between suppers and lunches. We did really well this past week, saving ton of money on groceries with a really kick-butt sale at the grocery store. One of the items I purchased was a roast for less than $2 per pound. I actually woke up before the alarm clock and had plenty of time to prep food for the crock pot. I put it in the crock pot with potatoes, carrots, onions and cabbage. I was looking forward to having a nice dinner ready when we got home from work. I told DH to remind me to turn the crock pot on before we left the house because I did not want to start the crock pot too early and have it be dry when we got home. About 2 p.m., DH came into my office and asked if I had remembered to start the crock pot. I did not remember starting it, only plugging the cord into the wall. He said he just realized that I didn't think the same way he did and that I might not have turned it on when he saw me plugging it in. If it had been him, he'd have turned it on when he plugged it into the wall. When we got home the crock pot was cold. The veggies had been sitting in raw meat on the counter all day long, so I ended up throwing the whole thing away. I wanted to cry. I had been hoping to get at least two meals out of that roast. Thankfully we had a Visa gift card that my brother gave us for Christmas and we used it to eat at a restaurant a couple blocks away.
  
  
  
• I also got a 10-lb bag of chicken hind quarters on sale for $3.99. I usually buy chicken breasts. They were also on sale for 99¢ per pound, but I passed on the breasts and opted for the hind quarters for only 40¢ per pound. I attempted to use half the bag to cook chicken and rice for a pot luck LAST Saturday. I started it too late and the rice wasn't done by the time I had to leave, so I just took the cherry pie I made and left the crock pot running. The rice turned out to be yucky in the crock pot, but I picked the chicken out and ate baked chicken all week for lunches and dinners. I ate 5 lbs. of chicken all by my lonesome because DH will rarely touch chicken. He says it puts your brain to sleep.

<rant>

• They are playing Brokeback Mountain at the little movie theater here in our town. This is the same theater that would not show Calendar Girls a few years ago because they thought it would offend the large elderly population here. There is obviously new management of this theater now because we can show a movie about a gay cowboy couple. They don't think this offends the community. I have a couple of friend who want to go picket the theater for the showing of this. I am apalled that they would allow this one to come here. There is a big plot in Hollywood to mainstream gay programs in America. My friend sent me a link to an online petition to sign, but I would not sign it when I saw that by signing it you agreed to receive e-mail from them. I get enough junk e-mail as it is. A couple friend have talked about never attending this movie theater again because of this, but does that really do you any good if you do not tell the management about it?

</rant>

No Bible study group tonight. Good thing, 'cause Old Man Winter reminded us today that it is indeed still winter. We had temps of 58° yesterday. Tonight the temps are supposed to be -5° (that's actual temp, not wind chill) and everything is covered with a sheet of ice or slush.

I'm going to cuddle up next to my honey on the couch and watch Survivor as it happens for a change, instead of the VCR recording of it later.

I have a little time to kill before Survivor actual airs, so I'll post the answers to my movie game:

1. The Notebook (2004). I think this has got to be the MOST romantic movie ever. I cannot remember any movie that I cried so hard over as this one. My mom and sister and I were bawling our eyes out over this movie, and the two of them will attest, it struck me pretty hard.

2. Selena (1997). I LOVE this movie. I have probably seen it at least a dozen times, maybe more. It is said that this movie actually launched J-Lo's career (back when she was just plain ol' Jennifer Lopez). If you don't believe she can act, watch this movie. It is the tragic true story of a Tejano singer who was murdered in 1995 just as she was about to hit the big time in pop music. I want to bawl everytime I hear them play "I Could Fall In Love With You" on the radio still to this day. She was 23 years old when she was killed.

3. It's a Wonderful Life (1946). This is my all-time favorite Christmas movie. I usually try to watch it on TV at least once a year. When John and I first met, I would drive him crazy because I would watch it everytime it was on, even if I had just seen it the week before. I'm not quite so fanatical about it anymore, but I do still feel empty if I don't get to watch it at least once a year.

4. West Side Story (1961). I fell in love with Natalie Wood in this movie. I think I saw it for the first time when I was a freshman in high school. My English teacher assigned us to watch it on TV as a comparison to "Romeo and Juliet," which we were reading in class. I fell in love with the music, and the beauty of simplistic beauty of Maria and her forbidden love for Tony.

5. Beaches (1988). A fantastic story about true friendship and how that bond can traverse social standing and jealousy and miles of country.

Great movies, all.

I found this on jnapalo's site. The deal is you think of 3-5 movies that always make you cry. Then Google the movie name and post pictures on your site. I could think of 4 movies that make me bawl every time I watch them, no matter how often I watch them. Now it's your turn to guess which movies they are.

I'll try to provide the answers this weekend.