{Dear Jesus} my prayer this week

 Dear Jesus, thank You for loving me...

for staying beside me, for holding me up when I fall. Please give me an open mind and an open heart. Let me see things as You see them. Show me what’s truth. Show me where I am wrong. Open the doors You want me to walk through, and close the ones that lead to places You don’t want me to be.

Please bless my efforts to improve my finances. Multiply my resources, and bless me so I may be a blessing to others. Most important, line up my thoughts with Your thoughts. Help me forgive myself for the mistakes of my pat, and forgive others for mistakes against me, just as You forgive me for all my sins as soon as I ask. I release the mistakes of yesterday, and I receive the blessing You have for me today.
 In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

I'm reading "Your Money God's Plan" by Amie Streater and hope to post a book review about it when I'm done! It started out as just a book review, but its turning into a Bible Study - lots of Scripture to look up! It's great!!!

“Amie Streater…delivers a powerful message of common sense and biblical wisdom that today’s churchgoers desperately need.” - Dave Ramsey

Faith Minute and Google Reader

I hear the Faith Minute program on the radio most mornings on my way to work. The past couple of mornings he's been talking about work.

Sometimes just hearing something doesn't mean it stays with me (especially in the morning) so this morning I tried hard to remember to go to their website and add it to my Google Reader - this way I'll be able to hear and read! (I'm a visual learner after all...)

Today this part really stuck out to me (especially in light of yesterday's "rant" - as my dad called it :)

"Avoid always blaming others for what is wrong. Become the employee who contributes rather than complains."

Read the full article here.


Since I already mentioned my Google Reader subscriptions, let me take another few minutes to highlight some recent favorites:

• Michael Hyatt featured a guest post on What Cheap Grace May be Costing Your Organization. "Cheap grace—the kind that allows for bad behavior to flourish unnoticed—is more expensive than you might think. It costs you, your employees, and your relationships. May it be that we dare to lovingly confront, hoping for confession and reconciliation as we do so."
• In a newer-blog-to-me, The 99 Percent, I learned 6 Simple Yoga Stretches for Daily De-Stressing. Now before you right it off, I just want you to give it a try. I already added a reminder to my calendar to do this during work. I often get bogged down with work and start feeling crumby. I think this will help me to breath deeper and help me get my work done faster! Try it with me! Let me know how it helps you!
• Recently someone on Facebook asked what About.com was for, and if it had any value. I happen to subscribe to articles about management per a suggestion from Google Reader, but do not usually get much out of it. However, one recent article was on Meeting Management. Since I attend more than my fair share of meetings, I was interested in the article. The article expanded just a little on the idea of "A meeting has to have: a Purpose, an Agenda and a Timeframe." 

So, what are you reading these days?! Please share, I'd love to add another blog or two to my 157 subscriptions!! :) Seriously, I'm always interested in reading more about God, saving money, getting out of debt, decorating, creative office management, organizing, and much more!!

miles of smiles & a few tears

I planned a last minute trip to visit a dear, dear friend to "get away from it all" and also to be an encouragement to my friend.

What I expected was a trip with a change of pace, a vacation from my work-eat-sleep, work-eat-sleep routine. I expected to catch up with my friend who I hadn't seen in 2 years, learn about her new life in Colorado, help with her kids, and just plain enjoy being with my friend Danna.

What I got was all that and more!

Saturday - woke up at 4:15a to get to my 7:05a flight. Arrived in Denver at 8:30 and we hit the ground running! Danna and Gang picked me up and we headed back to the "ranch". They're currently living with Danna's brother's family who happened to be on vacation for almost 2 weeks...leaving behind 1 dog, 1 cat, 12 chickens, and a huge garden that needed water!

We arrived at the ranch and the Dumplin' Gang scattered to their usual... Kelli, age 9, loves to read. She probably read 3 or 4 books while I was there. She also loves to swing on the tire swing that creeks with an annoying sound [kerr-erk! kerr-erk! kerr-erk!]. Karis, age 6, always heads for the chicken coup: she loves to carry "Fluffy" around like a sack of potatoes!! Ryan, age 4, just loves to bug and he's got 3 sisters, so he's good at it too! Little Selah, age 2, who acts like she's 3, she loves to sing. Whatever she's doing, she's got a song going while she's doing it. [You love me, You love me, We're a happy family...You love me, You love me, We're a happy family...] One more time, Selah-baby! :0)

That evening, after a delicious dinner of Danna's famous Calico Beans, we headed to the local fireworks to meet up with a group from church. We arrived a little late so we were lucky to find a parking spot. We found the group and were warmly welcomed! The fireworks were delightfully choreographed to patriotic and other fun music, but they were a little loud for Karis - she had her head buried under jackets and blankets. She made it through like a champ and then while we were waiting for the traffic to clear out, she enjoyed playing with a sparkler from some people we didn't know. All the kids had fun playing with their new friends.

Sunday we were all exhausted from our late night and swooped into church right as the preaching began. Kelli took the two youngest down to class and Danna headed to the cry room with Karis. There wasn't a seat for me in the cry room so I slipped into the auditorium to hopefully get a blessing.

To my surprise, I not only got a blessing, but a challenge to my thinking! The speaker was just getting into his message about work. Work?! I don't want to hear about work, I thought. Here's the outline:

Get...to Work
Proverbs 6:6

I. Work is given to us...
A. As a good gift from a loving God.
B. As an opportunity to serve others.
C. As an opportunity to partner with God.
D. As an opportunity to be like God.

(Work was hard before the fall. God cursed the ground which brought thorns & thistles.)

II. In your service of others...
A. Thorns and thistles are produced easier than wheat.
B. Thorns and thistles drive you back to dependence on God.
C. Thorns and thistles train and prepare you for future service.

Application
- Some jobs are not for Christians.
- Choose work carefully...don't choose for what it can do for you but what it can do for others.
- Retirement is not a biblical term. There's only a change of service.
- Trust God to place you in the area of service he wants you in.
- Trust God to place you in the perfect timing in your work.
- I need to change my thinking from "work is a necessary evil".

Sunday late in the afternoon we headed to downtown Denver. Neither Danna, nor I had been there before so we weren't sure what to expect. We found directions online for something called 16th Street Mall. Turns out it was a fun, outdoor mall with street vendors in the middle of the road. Also turns out there was a Jamba Juice, which Danna claims Kelli is made out of, so that was our first stop! Our second stop was a bathroom for 2 of the kids. We then started to explore the mall but were quickly distracted by Karis' interest in a horse & buggy. After a short inquiry, we all climbed aboard and had a half-hour tour of downtown Denver! Everyone enjoyed the ride so we decided to end our trip downtown on this high note. Side note: as we were heading out, Danna mentioned she hadn't started to water the garden yet (this usually takes most of the day). My serious reply was, "It's Sunday! God will provide!" Even though I meant what I said, I truly did not know I was speaking as a prophet! On our way home from downtown, it began to rain, pouring rain!! Jehovah Jirah, God will provide!

Monday was possibly going to be a trip to Garden of the Gods and Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, but a call from church friends with an invitation to hang out at a pool easily changed our plans. We were all excited to get a little extra vitamin D, especially me!! That evening Kelli had a friend over and we made a little campfire and s'mores in the cool of the evening. The ranch has several pine trees in the yard, so there were plenty of pine cones to add a little extra spark!

Tuesday was the last day of my visit, so we were all a little sad. I did have a college friend come by and take me to lunch (thank you , Jeni!!) so that brightened the day for me, but not so much for the Dumplin' Gang. They wanted to go with me, of course! :) Jeni and I had fun catching up on ol' times and what we've been doing in the 12 years since we last saw each other.

Back at the ranch it got a little crazy before heading out by 3:15 to get me to the airport: little Ry Guy got his feeling hurt and spent a while in a room...; Karis collected "berries" from a bush outside to make a smoothie, but that didn't that didn't end well; and Selah ended up in tears, but I can't remember why... Kind of made it a little stressful for the Gang's mama, but somehow we made it out the door on time! We even had time for a couple of detours: Gap & Wendy's!

I was definitely sad to end my visit. I miss them all already!! I hope it's not 2 years before I see them again!! MSP to DEN seems to have decent ticket prices, so we'll see...!!

{Book Review} The Noticer written by Andy Andrews

The Noticer written by Andy Andrews

As this is my first “official” book review as a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program, I feel a little nervous (almost like I have a book report due)–but here goes anyway!

The Noticer is about a man (Andy, the narrator) who meets an old man (simply Jones, not Mr. Jones) who over a period of many years, and at different times, gives Andy and the rest of the town “a little perspective.” This “perspective” is given when Andy or the townspeople are going through a difficult time. Many of lives are changed because of this old man's inspirational perspective. You will be encouraged by the stories of these people's lives as they are very believable. The experiences written about could be about your neighbor, your co-worker, or even a family member. There are interesting twists in the book about who is Jones?, why does he carry a suitcase?, what nationality/race is he?, why do some people call him by another name?

My first reaction was that I liked this book. The readability was set at a nice pace to be read in just a few evenings. I don't like slow starters and this definitely had me from the beginning. I was intrigued why a guy would be living under a pier and how a random old man could change his life by asking him “What is it about me that people would change if they could?”.

As much as I liked the book, it didn't really work for me because of the lack of scriptural context. There were many inspirational, helpful life-tips, but not a lot of reference to God and what He can do for and through you. A few themes in the book that I appreciated and would like to consider more with scripture mixed in:

• Love dialects (spoken word of approval, favors & deeds, physical contact, quality time).
• Whatever you focus upon, increases.
• “Don't sweat the small stuff”is not really an accurate motto to live by because it's the small stuff that makes the big picture.
• A decision to change may take a long time, but the actual change takes place in a heartbeat.
• Choice vs mistake. Ask forgiveness for wrong choices, don't just say “I'm sorry.”
• Take the first 10 minutes after you wake up to write down what you're grateful for.

Recommendation: Good Read.

more fun!

MINI-GOLF

Here's some more fun! Lindsay wanted to celebrate her birthday with mini-golf. We had a great time at an indoor mini-golf place. Just don't ask us how long it took to get there! ;-)

Check out the "CD Cover" photo I took!

Mini-golf with Tuttles, Formans, & Shirley

BABYSITTING
Linday got flowers for her birthday from her good friend in China; however, she left town two days after she got the flowers. Fortunately for me, I got to babysit the flowers! They were so fragrant and pretty. A new flower opened up almost everyday. I was sad to give them back to her when she returned from her trip, but she did get to enjoy them for several more days after that. I also got a couple of nice pics of my apartment in this folder (which is a sneak peak since I haven't posted moving pictures yet!)

Lindsay's Lillies

Bekah's Bright New Venture

Hey, there family & friends!

Just wanted to share with you what I'm up to these days!

I just completed my 2nd year here at theJob* in downtown Minneapolis and still love the challenge of the job and the fact that I live near 2 out of 3 sisters, plus my niece and nephews. Oh, and of course the 2 B-I-L's (brother-in-laws).

Due to the economy, my job (and maybe yours?) was affected by a reduction of both pay and hours beginning April 1st. To offset the financial reduction and keep up with my previously set goals, I applied for a few local part-time jobs when I found out in March, but had no success. Around that time I received an invite to a PartyLite show with a friend from church. I had already been tossing around the idea of selling Pampered Chef, Tastefully Simple, or something similar so I decided to go the party to find out about selling PartyLite.

So the party was fun, I liked the products I saw, and then I found out that it would cost me NOTHING to start selling. I had been sure that the starter kit would cost something, but was glad to learn that the I could receive $500 in product for hosting a starter show ($350 kit plus $150 in product credit).

It really was easy. I invited all the (local) people I could think of (60!!) and had an average turn out (13!). I reached the sales goal ($350) with the starter show orders and earned my starter kit for FREE.

With all the people I had invited to my starter show who couldn't make it and with orders from people at work, I was able to "host" another show just through catalog orders! This helped me out a lot b/c they ask that you have 6 shows in your first 2 months. Now I've booked the remaining 5 shows and can't wait to show people all the candle stuff I got for FREE!

Last Tuesday I went to my first PartyLite team meeting and got more free candles and PL logo stuff! I had fun while learning a lot! Somethings I learned and want to share...

• Now you can SHOP ONLINE - Even send gifts!!!


• $$$$ Do you know of an organization looking for a profitable FUNDRAISER? How about 50%? That's right, 50% PROFIT - with NO sorting! Product is shipped to EACH seller!! Check it out!


• July Hostess Benefits (lots of product for little money!)


• July Guest Specials (must order through hostess or me-not online)


• NEW! - Wedding and Special Occasion Brochure! You can earn the decorations for your special event for free! Skimp on budget without skimping on style!


• See the PartyLite Catalog: click here!


• Opportunity! Go to: www.partylite.biz/bekahflaming

Thanks for reading my updates! Hopefully I'll be able to post a story about my first month of success at the end of July!

May God be gracious to you and bless you and make his face to shine upon you. Ps 67:1

~ beKah ~


*theJob = name change to protect the innocent

WD-40

Since I've been "too busy" to blog lately, I thought this was an appropriate entry for my "not the last to know" theme...
My dad forwarded this email from my uncle:
Subject: WD-40Before you read to the end, does anybody know what the main ingredient of WD-40 is? Don't lie and don't cheat.
WD-40. Who knew?
I had a neighbor who had bought a new pickup. I got up very early one Sunday morning and saw that someone had spray painted red all around the sides of this beige truck (for some unknown reason). I went over, woke him up, and told him the bad news. He was very upset and was trying to figure out what to do, probably nothing until Monday morning, since nothing was open. Another neighbor came out and told him to get his WD-40 and clean it off. It removed the unwanted paint beautifully and did not harm his paint job that was on the truck. I’m impressed!
WD-40 who knew? 'Water Displacement #40'The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a 'water displacement' compound. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Convair Company bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts.Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you. When you read the 'shower door' part, try it. It's the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. If yours is plastic, it works just as well as glass. It's a miracle! Then try it on your stove top ... Viola! It's now shinier than it's ever been. You'll be amazed.Here are some other uses:

1. Protects silver from tarnishing.
2. Removes road tar and grime from cars.
3. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
4. Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making them slippery.
5. Keeps flies off cows.
6. Restores and cleans chalkboards.
7. Removes lipstick stains.
8. Loosens stubborn zippers.
9. Untangles jewelry chains.
10. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
11. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
12. Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.
13. Removes tomato stains from clothing.
14. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots
15. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
16. Keeps scissors working smoothly.
17. Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.
18. It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor! Use WD-40 for those nasty tar and scuffmarks on flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.
19. Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD-40!
20. Gives a children's playground gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
21. Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers.
22. Rids kids' rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises.
23. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
24. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
25. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
26. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
27. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
28. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
29. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.
30. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
31. Removes splattered grease on stove.
32. Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
33. Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
34. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
35. Removes all traces of duct tape.
36. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.
37. Florida's favorite use is: 'cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers.'
38. The favorite use in the state of New York, WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
39. WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a little on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it's a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing is not allowed in some states.
40. Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.
41. WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.
42. Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and rewash.. Presto! The lipstick is gone!
43. If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to run smoothly.

P. S. The basic ingredient is FISH OIL.

gala

AdvisorNet Financial 50th Annivesary Gala

My sister Jen & I attended a work function last night. The advisor networking group that my company has been associated with for 20 years is celebrating 50 years this year. In honor of their 50th Annivesary they hosted a gala, with a special video presentation and a four-course dinner at the Minneapolis Marriot Southwest. The program started after 7pm and a video presentation was mingled through out the four course dinner. The first course began around 8pm and we finished with dessert around 10pm. After the meal we took a few minutes to snap some pictures with my bosses and co-workers.

Excerpt from a money blog I read*:

"for years financial advisers and Money magazine have repeated the 8-10% historic rate of return on stocks. Can we trust this history? What were the factors that contributed to that history? When I was growing up, I remember seeing things that said, Made in USA. I don’t know if I’ve read that phrase in the last ten years. Might that impact the historical rate of return of US stocks? I think it might." Read more here.

My comments:

Funny thing is after working in the financial world for 18 months, I understood and could relate to most of the post. I've learned a lot at this job and I'm learning that I still have a lot to learn.

*http://www.google.com/reader

a little reading about debt

In case you need a little advice on the subject of debt (or how to stay/get out of it), I recommend subscribing to this blog's feed. Lots of good, practical tips for the average debtor...

what's cookin': easy potato soup

Thanks for the recipe, Mom!

2 Tbls Butter
1 Diced Onion*
1 Large Can of Chicken Broth*
Same Amount of Water as Chicken Broth
3-4 Large Cubed Baking Potatoes
1 Large Diced Carrot (optional)
Pieces of Diced Ham (if you don't have leftover ham from Sunday dinner, use bacon!)
Milk or cream to taste

In a large pan melt butter and brown onion. Don't burn! Add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Cook for 25 min. Add milk or cream to individual bowls of delicious soup!


I really wanted to make this one day, but lacked what my mom calls a key ingredient: onions! Here's what I substituted:

*not shown in picture

antique road show

In a time of "market volatility" it was nice to have a little fun with our clients! Today we hosted our own version of "The Antique Road Show" at a nearby country club. Our clients enjoyed a huge appetizer buffet and brought along with them an item in to be appraised by a couple of local antique appraisers. While everyone was eating they also listened to the dealer describe how much the item is worth, where it came from, how old it is, etc. Lots of older people came. They loved it!

Here are a few pics from the event:

plant update

Since it's been a while since my last post, I thought I'd do an update on my plants. Here you can see how they started out.

Now for how well I did or didn't do...
In July/August I almost killed my plants from lack of watering, but I made a small additional purchase in late August to get me back in the game, a beautiful mum plant. Overall my geranium plants didn't flower very well, but they're not dead, and I lost some of my tiny purple flowers. I'm happy that my neglect didn't kill everything.







So far the weather has still been beautiful and I've been remembering to water my plants again. We'll see how long the weather holds out...

i know lawn bowling

theJob* hosted a client educational/appreciation event today at Brit's Pub & Eatery. Brit's is known for their fish & chips and lawn bowling on the roof. About 40 people (clients and staff) gathered on the roof for a delicious buffet lunch and a rousing game of lawn bowling. I had fun meeting the clients and soaking up the rays...we were outside for a little over 2 hours in the middle of a work day!:-)

There were more than enough players and my bowling skills weren't needed, so I, the self-appointed photographer, kept busy taking pictures:


*theJob = Company name change to protect the innocent