Getting Ready

I've been doing some embroidery projects this past week. First was the duffel bag for Jon Paul's friend's 16th birthday. Then there are 8 outback style hats for the kids at the party (it will be at DisneyWorld).

Jonathan has spent a good part of the weekend setting up and testing designs for 2 more custom orders we've received. I will be ordering the shirts in the next few days.

And I've been working on a couple of things for my sister's wedding on Friday.

No Manatees

On Saturday afternoon when we had the time to head down to see the manatees, there was a thunderstorm. We figured that being on the water in that kind of weather was a bad idea. So we did not get to see any manatees. :(

But the retreat went really well, especially as this particular program was the first time for Jonathan to present it. We had about 45 people in the class, with many of them taking an active part.

Jonathan has only about 2 more weeks before he moves to his new job. He has lots of details to try and get wrapped up before handing over the job to the next chaplain.

Dishwasher Soap recipe

I came across this recipe to make dishwasher soap. It looks easy enough. I'll have to get the Borax before I can see how well it works. (We buy baking soda by the Costco size bag to use in the cat box.)

Maybe saving money in the kitchen will help ease the budget for gas and electricity for the air conditioner (our electric bill doubled from last month. OUCH!)


Dishwasher Soap recipe
1 part borax 1 part baking soda
Mix thoroughly, and store in an airtight container.
To use: Add 2 tablespoons per load. Increase proportion of soda for hard water.
Use vinegar in the rinse cycle. (In place of the commercial brand like "Jet Dry".)

How does the garden grow?

I had planned on posting some new photos of our garden, but Jonathan and I were out of town this weekend running a marriage retreat. And while we were gone, Denise took photos and posted them. So if you are interested in seeing how the patio garden is coming along- you need to go the her blog. (There is a link under my profile info.)

Jonathan and I will be gone this coming weekend also to do another marriage retreat (his last one for this job). This one will be on the Gulf coast of Florida, in an area well known for manatees. I will try and remember to take the camera and hopefully will be able to get some pictures of them.

The Lord is my real boss

Saw this in an email, thought is was worth passing on...

The Lord is my real boss, and I shall not want.
He gives me peace, when chaos is all around me.
He gently reminds me to pray and do all things without murmuring and complaining.
He reminds me that he is my source and not my job.
He restores my sanity everyday and guides my decisions that I might honor him in all that I do.
Even though I face absurd amounts of e-mails, system crashes, unrealistic deadlines, budget cutbacks, gossiping co-workers, discriminating supervisors and an aging body that doesn't cooperate every morning,
I still will not stop....for He is with me!
His presence, His peace, and His power will see me through.
He raises me up , even when they fail to promote me.
He claims me as His own, even when the company threatens to let me go.
His faithfulness and love is better than any bonus check.
His retirement plan beats every 401k there is.
When it's all said and done, I'll be working for Him a whole lot longer and for that, I BLESS HIS NAME!!!!!!

Notification of new posts

I've discovered a way for you to sign up to get notification of when I make a new post to my blog. The sign up box is the right, just under our picture. You just go to the link, enter your email address and then wait for the confirmation email. Click on the link in the confirmation email and then you will get an email when I post. This will be a lot easier for me, and also will make sure if you really wanted to be notified, (I hate the idea of sending email to someone when they don't want it or don't have time for it.)

Let me know if you have any problems.

Report Cards

Jon Paul and Naomi's report cards arrived on Friday. Here's the news:
Jon Paul- straight A's
Naomi- 6 A's and 1 B+ (she missed the A by 1 point!)
Included with Naomi's report card was the report from the CRCT (criterion-referenced compentency tests). These are state-mandated achievement tests for students in grades 1-8. The level for meeting the standards is 800. The level to exceed standards is 850. Here's how Naomi did:
Science- 846 (max 857)
Social Studies- 846 (max 857)
Mathematics- 842 (max 853) most of the questions she missed are in areas she's only had limited instruction
English/Language Arts- 862 (max 874)
Reading- 870 (max 885) she only missed 2 questions on the whole section!