Tuesday

The company that has the hospital's account called this morning.  I hadn't made my $50 payment for the month, but were willing to take the $30, as I explained that I needed to buy shoes for the job starting in April, and that I would be able to make it up in May. 

Last night, my husband and I did our family home evening project of going over to Jeanette's house, to see if there was any service work we could do, visit her for Home Teaching, and to deliver the RS announcements.  Jeannette was headed over to her friend's Jan's home--her oldest son died.  (Not a surprise, as he'd been ill for years.)  I volunteered to take over a veggie tray in the morning.

We stopped at Albertson's and got sliced ham on sale, and a Redbox movie, "Cowboys and Aliens," and I made hard boiled eggs and peeled carrots and made a celery and carrots tray.  The movie was awful, and I ended up going to bed way past midnight.

This morning  I shelled the eggs, found a large plastic tray, and put out the ham and sliced cheese and the eggs on it, and took them and the carrots and celery and a box of nice crackers to Jan's house, arriving just in time, as she and her other son had just arrived back from the mortuary, as they delivered the clothes for her oldest son, and her grandchildren were expected at any minute.

I felt blessed to know that I had brought what was needed, at the right time.

79 Turning points

Today my blog is going to shift a bit to my health.  "Today I decide to be healthy."

I've got my job starting in a month, and I need to get physically prepared for it.  I know I'm @ 100 pounds over-weight, maybe less, as my weight in college was 170.  I'm 260 this morning.

Yesterday I was thinking about the hymn, "I'll cast my burdens at his feet, and bear a song away." And I thought about that some more, and gave a silent prayer, asking if I could do that, and I got the answer back, a very small, still small voice, that I could.

So I'm going to start with giving 50 pounds to the Lord in this month and during my time at Park and Rec. 30 weeks.  That's a healthy loss of almost 2 pounds a week on average.

I've been exercising, but not steadily.  And I've made some half-hearted attempts at portion control.

Today I need to do better, and everyday. Without the extra weight, I'd be able to buy clothes, and I know I'd feel better and look more employable to others.  I saw one of the moms at Pine Ridge walking in front of me, and I hoped I didn't look like that in the back, and I felt sorry for her.

This morning I took a one-mile walk with the dog down to the river and back, and was pleased that I was able to do the slope without getting winded until about the end, and still have energy when I got home.

I bought over 2 lbs. of broccoli last night, and ate over a pound for dinner with a salmon patty.  No potatoes or bread.

And wealth-wise, I'm thinking about Tabatha Brown's Fashions (no bolts of fabric were cut) sewing.  There was a black curtain with flowers I saw at Goodwill--it would make a beautiful jacket. But the thought of buying it gives me a guilt feeling--that's $8 I could spend on my children or on bills.
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I've been toying with sewing ideas, and one of my fantasies was a business named "Tabitha Brown Fashions," after the Mother of Oregon, a woman named Tabitha Brown, who came out west on one of the worst wagon trains ever assembled, probably second to the Donner Party for its bad luck.  After making it to The Valley, at age 66, destitute but for her family, she found a coin worth 61/2 cents--a picayune--in the finger of a glove, and used it to buy a sewing needle, traded some fabric for buck skin, and made gloves to sell, and that was the start of her fortune. She ended up founding an orphanage, prospered, founded an orphanage (now Pacific University), and died wealthy and well-loved.

What better name to bless the business?

And then I googled the name and found that Tabitha Brown is already in existence as a fashion planner in Tennessee, on Facebook (Australia), a murdered woman in South Carolina, a dead one in Missouri, and a blogger/illustrator on Esty who has her studio named "The Pairabirds".

There's a small business thing at the Library on Tuesdays. I can always check out there using the name there.

78

I got called to work at Pine Ridge today, another 3.75 hours on the time sheet, and children happy to see me.

When I got home, my husband told me that Park and Rec. had called--I start work April 9.

77

I called June and offered to take her to the library, which she accepted. 
I got the OHSI paper delivered to NeighborImpact, and we shopped at the new DollarTree, and had lunch at Reye's Mexican restaurant. She also gave me $20 for gas, which I gratefully accepted.

I mended some clothes and returned them to her, and deposited Elizabeth's paychecks that had arrived in the mail today.

I keep thinking about the cloth/curtain that I saw at Goodwill, and imagining it on a very thin me.
I've eaten so many calories today, it's just awful. 

76

My unemployment came through again.  A little more breathing time there.  No wonder welfare was called "relief."
I got a card mailed off to my youngest sister for her birthday.
I keep eating.
I went to work at R.E. Jewell Elementary school for two hours today.
Stopped by Sist. B. and dropped off a copy of a letter from Yvonne's mission blog, which she greatly enjoyed.
My husband went to the scout meeting.  I did 20 stair laps, my yoga routine, and some free weights.

75 Money to pay bills

My husband had enough work to pay his business creditors and to pay our bills and still have some in reserve!

I read today about the poorhouses in England, the whys and the wherefores.  I am so grateful to live in this day and age.

I paid the tithing and fast offerings yesterday.  My husband and I give a ride to a man who lives in a trailer park, and was going to be evicted if he didn't pay the rent.  After church, he told my husband that the church is helping him to stay another month.  My husband gave him $10 for the laundry machine, and the woman who we also gave a ride home offered to help him with his laundry, and would send her husband to help him get to her house.  I hope things improve for him.

74 I need to focus

I spent time writing, housework, shopping, and visiting Helen. Her memory is pretty much shot, and she no longer remembers that I go to the same church she does. She just remembers that she's glad to see me, and I'm glad for that. 

I am fasting, as tomorrow is Fast Sunday, yet I don't know what to fast for, what personal need is the most pressing.  I suppose it is to use my time better, to have a way to see Sarah's graduation, now that gas is almost $4 a gallon.

I did get my three job applications for the week done.

73 Health and attitude

I've restarted my yoga exercises. They're rather simple, and a very short list and very easy to do, and focused on my back and legs, which is why it's always a shock when I feel the results.  It feels like the cords behind my knees have been cut, as if they had been taut.  My back feels straighter, and I walk forward easier, more like a dancer instead of slightly lunging from side to side.

One of my husband's customer's just called, and though I told him that Doug was at a job site, he went ahead and started giving me a list of what he needed done.  Instead of writing everything down and assuring him that he would call him, back, I cut him off and offered him my husband's cell phone number instead.  Now he's going to call Doug as his job, and distract him.  Or, perhaps Doug was just packing up and the call is at a good time.