41 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 12-1-15”

  2. Good morning, December!
    Good morning, W.Viewers stateside.
    Blessed times for all wherever you are on the globe.

    It’s a day to deal with car maintenance for us. Almost time to get the inspection sticker, too. The state sent out a letter saying we will not receive the usual forms we get in the mail for tag tax/renewal because the contract company canceled on them and they have not yet found another firm to do that. This is a first in all the years I have owned a car (since 1976). It just seems like another indicator of how things are not working in our nation. Little things are sliding.

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  4. It’s back to work full time for me today. I have been asked to teach a class at the office today, but I don’t know that I can sneak away to do that.
    I didn’t remember to tell you that Guy came to the funeral home yesterday morning. I certainly didn’t expect it. In all the years we have known each other it was the first time we ever hugged.
    I am putting a prayer request on that thread then trying to get to an early start on everything that isn’t done

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  5. Musical Advent Calendar – Day 1: Ep-ouro – This song of praise is sung on the three great Lordly Feasts of the Coptic Church: the Nativity of Christ, the Epiphany of Christ, and the Resurrection of Christ. It is sung in Coptic which is the liturgical language of the Church and also the remnant of the language of Ancient Egypt. When sung in church, it is only accompanied by the triangle and cymbals; though when performed outside the church, other instruments may be used. A translation of the text:
    Oh King of Peace, grant us your peace. Bestow on us your peace and forgive us our sins.
    Disperse the enemies of the church and, with your might, establish her forever.
    Emmanuel, our God, is now in our midst, with the glory of His Father and the Holy Spirit.
    May He bless us all and purify our hearts, and heal the sickness of our souls and bodies.
    We worship You, O Christ, with Your Good Father, and the Holy Spirit, for You have come and saved us.

    This post is in memory of the 20 Coptic Christians and one Ghanaian Christian murdered by ISIS in Lybia in February 2015.

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  9. I like the face of that duck on the far left. 🙂

    Low 50s in my house this morning, today I need to get the heater filter cleaned (or a new one put in, I bought one last year, I just need to find it). It’s time. Although I’m sitting up against annie and she’s awfully warm.

    More work today in the kitchen & I may get into the bedroom, who knows.

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  10. I still need to get out in the next few days to buy my Angel Tree gifts — for the “toy” portion, she wants “fashion jewelry.” She’s 9. Any thoughts??

    Again, I can’t fathom asking for either clothes or jewelry at 9, I was still playing baseball at that age. 🙂 Clothes were the last thing I wanted at Christmas. But she may have older siblings — or simply is part of a faster-maturing generation.

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  14. We went to see our new Walmart on our way home from the car place. There is one row of parking between the store front and the street. The rest of the parking is underground. I think I prefer to still drive to a store fifteen minutes away to park in a regular lot.

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  16. Speaking of accidents…seventeen year old had one the other day. She got home and told oldest daughter that she had hit a parked car with our car she is using. Oldest Daughter was surprised she not only did not leave a note on the hit car, but she could not remember where it was. So oldest had her knock on doors in the general area, continue to look for the damaged car, and will have her call the police this morning to ask if there were any reported hit and runs in the area at that time. She will then turn herself in if there was one. If not, oldest daughter plans to have her write a five page paper on hit and runs and do forty hours of community service.

    Meanwhile, back at the ranch. Husband had left the dumpster and getting back up to speed when a seventeen year old decided she must pass him to get to the bus on time for the basketball game. She pulled back too quickly and hit him starting about the latch on his driver’s door. Both managed to stay on the road and called it good, with the only damage being to our car. Anyway, she is the best friend of daughter who just had the accident in Boise. Amusing.

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  19. There’s a $20 limit on clothing + $20 on the “toy” component. So two gifts, $40 total.

    I’ve found some jewelry making kits suitable for “tweens” on Amazon that look like good possibilities — never heard of Claire’s, but I’ll google them. thanks!

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  21. Here’s a QOD – yesterday 6 said she balances her checkbook to the penny every month. I do that every day. Anyone else besides me that anal?

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  25. Linda, I balance my checkbook when I sit down to pay bills once a month. If I have used the debit card, I will go online and check to make sure that everything has come in so I can enter it in the ledger. I rarely use either, so it is not so imperative.

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  26. Donna – Emily works at a Claire’s, part-time, & also part-time at Destination Maternity, located in Macy’s. She was offered an opportunity to interview for the latter job while working at Claire’s. The lady liked her customer service demeanor, & set up an interview with her.

    Claire’s employees need to try to keep up their sales numbers, although they don’t get paid commission. They need to make suggestions at the register, to try to drive up each sale. Emily tends to work there on weekday mornings, when there isn’t much customer activity, so her numbers aren’t too high.

    She was once talking to a newer employee about that, & said that she does her best, but doesn’t worry about it. Sometime after that, her friend Stephanie, the assistant manager, told her that she heard from the manager that Newer Employee had told the manager that Emily said she doesn’t care about her job. 😦

    But Emily cannot defend herself to the manager without divulging that it was Stephanie who told her. Fortunately, Emily is not too bothered by this, although it did annoy her. It sure would bother me, & I would want to defend myself, but she is able to shake it off & continue doing her best.

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  27. Interesting Karen — One of the ones near me is inside the Toys are Us, the others are all in the big malls. I like the idea of the kits since they can make what they like — as opposed to me, a stranger, trying to guess at her tastes, although I suppose whatever is popular with tweens should be OK. 🙂 ?

    Got some more kitchen cupboards cleaned, reorganized, found a couple more items to put into the Salvation army pile. I think i may have to move on to another room, though. Only so much time in a week and I’ll be gone all day Friday plus I still have to do some gift shopping.

    I do banking online so … (Dave Ramsey, you can put your hands over your ears now) … I just keep track of my balance there — seriously, their math skills are so much better than mine, but I do give it a decent once-over, usually 2-3 times a week, but not always that often, to make sure all the charges & what’s left over looks right.

    I like how all the debit charges come out instantly — and all your bills that are scheduled to be paid are subtracted for you up front. I feel like I have a much better “real time” view of things online. I only write checks to church and the gardener anymore so my checkbook doesn’t get used a lot, but I do record whatever I pay out by paper.

    I happened to notice that the most recent calendar on the check register that I’m still using is for 2012. 🙂

    Remember writing checks at the grocery store? And everywhere else?

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  29. Wow, Donna, such energy. Do you have this week off?
    Morning all. another rainstorm yesterday. We are good here as far as rainfall goes.

    I have some infected bug bites that were not getting better, so last night I got out some old antibiotics and started taking them, as nothing else worked. I have gone to the clinic before and that is what they give me. Seems much better today.

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  30. Donna,
    Here is a list of what Toys for TOTS! is suggesting for pre-teens. Maybe it will help you.
    Pre-teen/teens are groups for which shopping is especially difficult. Here is a list of gifts to consider:

    sporting equipment/bags/balls
    books
    backpacks
    cosmetics
    purses
    watch/wallet gift sets
    bath gift sets
    board games
    radio control cars/trucks
    hand-held electronics
    skateboards/helmets
    curling irons
    hair straighteners, and hair dryers.

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  32. Thanks Kim — but these come with the kids’ wish lists, taken down by volunteers at the church who contact the family. For clothes, it’s anything (sweatshirt, nice blouse, pants, skirt) in any color; for the “toy” it’s “all fashion accessories, jewelry.”

    Trust me, as a 9-year-old I’d much rather had some of those things on your list, but this is the list I was given for this particular child.

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  34. What is cool is different at each school from my experience with grandchildren. A kit sounds wise, but Claire’s should have a good idea, as well.

    Those employees sound like jr. high children, Karen. Sheesh.

    We will keep tabs on the checkbook, but only actually balance it once a month. I let my husband do it. I pay the bills.

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  36. OK, Claire’s it is. 🙂

    One year I had an older girl who wanted a tea set — but so many of the tea sets were too little-girl. Found a great set at Toys are Us, I think, looked like miniature Fiesta Ware. Breakable, but hopefully it survived!

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