You know when someone just doesn't get it....

I recently witnessed my coworker lick her fingers and then proceed to sort through a stack of printed documents in the output tray of our shared printer.

Reasons why this is disgusting:
Number 1 - It is cold and flu season.  Keep your germy germs off your fingers and in your own mouth.

Number 2 - As this person is well aware, I have a food allergy and I really don't want her glutenous saliva on my printouts.  'Tis the season for a gazillion office treats.  Let's keep that stuff inside your mouth and gut and away from mine. 

I created an anonymous survey and 10 out of 10 people said the finger licking paper sorting was gross.

When I suggested to this person that I would look for a moisturizing agent to out at the copier because of licked fingers, she actually replied, "Yeah, that's gross to lick your fingers."

It was then that a lightbulb went off. 

This person has no clue that what she does is gross.  She only sees others.  There is no inner-self searching.  The rinsed / washed hands under our shared water cooler spigot and now the licked her fingers situations have shed light on her behavior.  Perhaps doing these things is second nature...?  Perhaps she can only look outside of herself because looking inside is not pleasant?  I have no idea.  As MJ said we gotta take a look at the man (woman) in the mirror to make a change. 

*shrugs shoulders*

Crazy is as crazy does. 

Garage Floods

I don't have a Christmas tree.  If you know me, this should come as a complete and utter shock.  Like pick-up-your-jaw-from-the-floor kinda shock.  

I love Christmas.

I love Christmas music.

I love Christmas sweaters.

I love Christmas coffee mugs.

I love Christmas lights (especially white twinkly ones).  

I love sappy Christmas movies.

I love Christmas fiction - equally as sappy as the aforementioned movies.

So, why don't I have a tree?

I had a tree.  I had a lovely skinny 6' tree.  I even had teal, red, and white ornaments.  Very shabby chic.

I had stored for the summer 2 boxes of childhood ornaments.

I had a box of snowmen.

I had my childhood stocking - which hasn't been filled in years.

All of these items met their demise during one of two garage floods my last summer in the apartment complex.

I have not blogged about this event even though it happened 17+ months ago yet I remember most of the events surrounding both floods.  {I've not blogged about it for several reasons - one of which is totally ridiculous but probably the most relevant - I've not blogged about missing a Christmas tree, my childhood ornaments, and photos because on some level it felt extremely selfish.  In a world with so many people hurting and with desperate needs and here is "poor Angie Good" writing about how much she misses these silly things like photos and Christmas knick-knacks.}

The first time my garage flooded I learned that not all storage totes are made alike.  This flood ruined my totes of winter clothes (sweaters, boots, etc.).  This one was traumatic but not as traumatic as the second flood.  I can always thrift and get more cute sweaters.  

You see, when I drove home after the 2nd flood, I was greeted with gushing water carrying away my all of my Christmas ornaments.  My teal and red ornaments floating away.  My Granddaughter ornament from circa 1985 sailed on like it was headed for Lake Michigan.  

What tore my heart out was opening my garage door and seeing my childhood ornaments water-logged.  And then there were the two (what I thought were safe) photo boxes that were completely destroyed.  Negatives (who has those anymore?  Not Angie Good.) ruined.  My high school yearbooks - which honestly I hadn't looked at them years and clearly the people who wrote that we would be BFF's are either A) still my friend or B) have faded away like a distant memory.

The ruined ornaments and drenched photos broke my heart.  They cannot be replaced.  I can't go back in time to 1987 and gather my friends and snap another photo.

Last Christmas I didn't pay too much attention to not having a Christmas tree as I spent Christmas in Michigan with my family.  

This year - so as not to feel too terribly sad about not having a Christmas tree - I have copious amounts of white twinkle lights around.  I, also, was looking forward to having our department tree up - which did not happen.  

Maybe I will shoot for 2019...until then if we go on some sort of adventure, please remind me to pick up an ornament.  

A song from Sunday....

This past Sunday we sang the most beautiful song.  Soon and Very Soon.

Here are the lyrics as posted by Hillsong United:

Soon and very soon
My King is coming
Robed in righteousness
And crowned with love
When I see Him
I shall be made like Him
Soon and very soon

Soon and very soon I'll be going
To the place He has prepared for me
There my sin erased
My shame forgotten
Soon and very soon

I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I'll see Him
There my soul will be satisfied
Soon and very soon

Soon and very soon
See the procession
The angels and the elders
'Round the throne
At His feet I'll lay my crowns
My worship
Soon and very soon

Though I have not seen Him
My heart knows Him well
Jesus Christ the Lamb
The Lord of heaven

I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I'll see Him
There my soul will be satisfied
Soon and very soon

Soon....

My computer perished.  It happened over a month ago. 

Not wanting to rush and get something I would regret, I took my brother's advice to checkout Black Friday online deals. 

A month ago Black Friday seemed forever away but now it is nearly here. 

It will be nice having a computer again.  I can get back to posting pictures on my blog. 

Soon...

Did you know....

......creepy millipedes* can survive a Whirlpool delicate cycle????  THEY CAN!!!!!!

* I cannot be for certain if it was a millipede or if an earthworm & a millipede had a love child.

Yesterday when my washer stopped, I fetched my clothes and saw something in the bottom that looked like a string or leftover fuzz from a sweater.  I also don't believe I was wearing my glasses.

I removed the item from my washer and when it was about 12 inches from me, it twitched 1 or 3 of its legs.  I nearly had a conniption fit.  I took my full container of laundry soap and beat it to death.  God bless the designers of the 7th Generation liquid laundry soap.  Their containers are quite durable.

When it stopped twitching, there wasn't enough left for a photo to identify the creature.  It was about 2 inches long and had a worm-like body with those legs.  Legs that reminded me of miniature hermit crab legs.  Lots of legs.

How in the world did it survive a laundry cycle?????

Did you know....

......creepy millipedes* can survive a Whirlpool delicate cycle????  THEY CAN!!!!!!

* I cannot be for certain if it was a millipede or if an earthworm & a millipede had a love child.

Yesterday when my washer stopped, I fetched my clothes and saw something in the bottom that looked like a string or leftover fuzz from a sweater.  I also don't believe I was wearing my glasses.

I removed the item from my washer and when it was about 12 inches from me, it twitched 1 or 3 of its legs.  I nearly had a conniption fit.  I took my full container of laundry soap and beat it to death.  God bless the designers of the 7th Generation liquid laundry soap.  Their containers are quite durable.

When it stopped twitching, there wasn't enough left for a photo to identify the creature.  It was about 2 inches long and had a worm-like body with those legs.  Legs that reminded me of miniature hermit crab legs.  Lots of legs.

How in the world did it survive a laundry cycle?????

After nearly 30 years as an admin....

It's a CRYIN' SHAME to me that after nearly 25 years as an administrative assistant, you need to be told to retrieve packages, send an email about the package, date-stamp the package's contents, etc. 

This is a STANDARD office procedure.

The last time I asked this person to retrieve a package, this person did only that and somehow I was made to be the jerk.  No worries. I have learned to be thorough.  My email instructions will NEVER again lack directions.  Directions a second grader could follow.

You're welcome, universe.

My week in a nutshell:

Me (on Tuesday while sitting in the cabana at lunch):  "I am so glad tomorrow is Friday."

My mom and friend both looked at me with that what? look.

Me:  "Oooh my goodness, it is not Friday.  It's only Thursday!"

More looks.

One and / or both of them:  "Tomorrow is WED-NES-DAY."

And there is your proof that I need a mental health day tomorrow...  Angiekins is losing it.

Tuesday is NOT the new Thursday.
#lastvaycaydayuntilanniversary #headingtothebigmac_notthatuckyburger

My breaks

Today I used my break time to blog.  It's like going to the therapist mid-day. 

I was thinking how truly thankful I am for the gift of writing.  It truly is a gift and I hope I never forget to thank the One who gave it to me.

Some day I will write my memoirs and it is going to be magnificent.  :)

Sincerely,
The girl with humidified curls

Craftroom setup!

As promised, here are craftroom pics:

Purging and 5 choices

Well....I am reading 2 books at once. The first is about a minimalist's perspective.  The second is about making 5 different choices to be more productive.

Both books have homework.  Homework that yours truly is not doing. 

The minimalist homework is to go through my whole house and purge.  I have 3 piles:
1. Keep
2. Maybe
3. Toss

Keep is for what I use and love.

Maybe is crap that I maybe should keep and maybe should toss.  The maybe items will be boxed-up for 6 months.  If I don't use them or miss them, they have to go bye-bye.

Toss is for compromised clothes and items.  Also stuff I have duplicates of and stuff I don't love / need.

I have gotten through...
1. My closet
2. My junk drawer
3. A basket that is sort of catch-all
4. My pots and pans

There is soooo much more to go through. 

I have a tote of stuff to take to the consignment shop and a HUGE bag to donate to Agrace thrift in Janesville. 

My 5 decisions to productivity's homework is to determine my labels and classify them Q1 through Q4.  I want to copy the chart and post it in my office. 

So much to do...and now I wish I had a good FLUFF book to dive in to and get lost.  *Sigh*

Friday night shenanigans

Ingredients:
3 crafty friends
Copious amounts of laughter
A room full of craft supplies
A bag of Angie's brand Sweet and Salty Kettlecorn
A dash of tears

A great quote

I'm reading Steven Covey's book titled, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  GREAT READ!!!!  Mr. Covey has done a bang-up job explaining interdependent relationships and how to improve yourself.

On page 96, he writes, "Anytime we think the problem is 'out there,' that thought is the problem.  We empower what's out there to control us.  The change paradigm is 'outside-in' - what's out there has to change before can change.  The proactive approach is to change from the inside-out: to be different, and by being different, to effect positive change in what's out there - I can be more resourceful, I can be more diligent, I can be more creative, I can be more cooperative."

I'm going to start copying pages out of this book and posting his quotes around the office.  

T-minus 46 hours

I binge-read today.  What does mean?  Well.....

I let my coworker's dogs out at 6 a.m.

I went to church and ran propresenter (Melinda calls it Jumbotron).

Came home and took a never-do-I-take-naps nap for an hour.

Made a dozen or so handstamped cards.

Picked-up up my Tuesday night bookclub book and read from 5 pm to 7:45 when I realized - OH MY LANTA, I NEVER ATE SUPPER. 

Brief pause to scramble some eggs with chicken bacon & cheese.

Mmmmmm....

Washed my face and brushed my teeth.

I have 67 pages left and 46 hours to finish them.

Wow. Just wow 3.

Having a great work testimony includes...
1. Having good work ethic.
2. Being honest.
3. Not being lazy.

We are life-long disciples of Jesus...always learning and applying God's truth.

Be discipled on Sunday.
Apply it on Monday...and Tuesday and Wednesday and so on and so forth.

It's weird and ABNORMAL to have people stay "teenage-like" with their Christianity.  Spiritually grow-up.  

Wow. Just wow 2.

You can track maturity by someone doing something that will not benefit themself but will benefit others.  (Children vs. teenagers vs. adults)

Wow.  Just wow 2.

Wow. Just wow.

Having character at work and IN work is a form of discipleship.  Wow. Just wow.

I am so very thankful for my church.
#Harvest #discipleship #buildabonfire

Journals

There are days when I wish I had saved my college journals.  Especially my chapel  notes.  ALL OF THEM. 

The particular journal I am wishing I had tonight was a Boyds Bear journal that said, "Love bears all things."  Nice play on words, Boyds Bears.

The message I want to re-read is titled "Dig another well."  With the help of Google, I managed to find the passage:  Genesis 26:17-35

Isaac and his men dug a well.
Imagine the work!  The sweat and toil.
They get all done and *insert dramatic music* the Philistines enter the scene and claim the water & well theirs.  (Meanies!!!!)

What do Isaac and his men do?  They go dig another well.

They do this repeatedly.
Dig the well and here come the Philistines.

In the end of this account, the Angel of the Lord comes to Isaac and says, "Fear not."

You know what I have been thinking?  That perhaps this is MY reminder.

I can do task after task without an ounce of thanks because I am working for the Lord - not to earn any type of sanctification but out of a heart of love for Him.  I love Him and He will fill me to love others.  At the end of my life, it makes no difference what so-and-so did.  I will stand accountable for MY actions and thoughts. 

When I am wronged tomorrow and this next week, I think I might just go a-well-diggin'!!!!

T-minus 70 hours

I HAVE 70 HOURS TO GET THROUGH MY JULY BOOKCLUB BOOK.  July?  Yes, I have had 2 months and now it's t-minus 70 hours and I just finished downloading it.  Here's what happened....

I actually checked it out from the bibliotecca (that's Spanish for library) in June....

...and then I fiddle-farted around and someone had put a hold on it....

...so instead of keeping it at a rate of what?  $0.50 per day, I returned it on time....

...and then I slowly watched day after day tick away and me not reading THIS book.

I did finish 2 good books and read cover-to-cover my Cleaning Eating magazine...but no July bookclub book.

Here's hoping I can get through it.  Perhaps some pages can be read inbetween services tomorrow as I am running the jumbotron.  :)

A teal covered library book.

I love the color teal.
On my computer desk/table at home (yes, I, Angela Good, bought a computer desk/table and have actually got my computer setup and working - minus the speakers because I can't seem to figure out how to make them work.  Bryan, they are plugged in.)...where was I?  Oh yes, on my computer desk/table, I have a teal picture frame with a photo of Bryan and me. 

My double papasan has a teal cushion.

Teal accents are sprinkled around my craftroom. 

My kitchen is pretty much teal and red.

My coffee station is a chalk painted teal dresser.

I love teal.

A couple weeks ago while perusing the nonfiction section at the library, I stumbled upon a teal book with an intriguing title, "Party of One."  The "a" in party is a cute little, black dress.  The cover charmed me so much that I read the back and decided to give Joy Beth Smith my undivided attention when I checked out her book.

Can I just WOW!  I mean W-O-O-O-O-W!  She addresses so many intricate details about being a single Christian adult.  She debunks lame and well-intended dating advice.  She addresses so many facets of single life.  Facets that the church is neglecting. 

When I got to page 184, I said to myself, "Angie Good, you need to put this on your blog" soooo here goes....

Joy Beth writes:
"My life, my significance, doesn't begin at the altar, and I wish I felt like the church acknowledged this truth.  Instead the church feels centered around marriage.  The Christian market is saturated with marriage books, marriage workbooks, marriage workshops, marriage conferences, marriage articles, marriage sermon series, marriage seminars, and marriage devotionals.

Some may respond by saying this market is comparable to the number of married people who regularly attend church.  But it might be a self-fulfilling prophecy.  If your ministry is only ministering to married people because the majority of those who attend are married, you will never grow in the number of singles you attract (nor will you grow in empathy toward the singles in your church).  A church that waits to ministers to singles until there's a large percentage will never have to adjust their heavy emphasis on marriage; singles will leave long before then. 

But still churches and conferences and books insist that marriage is the norm, that it is the desired, inevitable end, so it only makes sense to utilize your singleness as a road to make you better in marriage.  Instead of helping all people, much less singles, grow into Christlikeness and learn to love and know Christ more, we teach how to become better wives and mothers and husbands and fathers.

For a long time, I took this advice.  I started trying to cook more, ordering those fancy boxes of food that have step-by-step directions and ingredients included.  On my first go, I burned butter so badly I had to throw away the pan.  By the end of the third box, I was microwaving most of the ingredients in a single bowl and eating while standing of the sink.  Wife fail...

You see, I tried to be a better wife for years, and when that comes I'm going to be awesome.  But I've kind of sucked at a lot of other stuff because I put so much effort into the hope of something that may never come to fruition. 

" ' That's such a small view of what the Christian life is,' Jenny says, referencing this idea that singleness is meant to prepare you for marriage.  'It's telling you that your ultimate goal is to be a good wife and mother one day, but there's so much more to being a Christian woman and advancing the kingdom of God and being a part of the church.  You shouldn't be growing in those skills to be a wife; you should be growing in them so you can serve the Lord.  This lie is telling you that your strengths and skills are limited to your family, and they're not.' "

I could type the remainder of this chapter. 

I love Joy Beth's insight and fabulous wit.  I would love nothing more to meet up with her in the Windy City for a cup of coffee. 

Church leadership (from Pastor to Deacons/Elders to Sunday school teachers to youth ministry workers) should read this book.  I, also, think this book would be good for married people to read in order to get solid insight to their single friend's minds/hearts. 

I hope Joy Beth writes another book!!!