Quick update

We finished up moving at about 9:30 pm tonight. We are all bushed and want to sleep for days. But we cant because we close on the house in the morning and then its off to Dodge to deliver the last load to the auction. I knew we had a lot of stuff but the auctioneer called me yesterday and said they are going to have an auction on Friday and Saturday instead of just Friday so they can get our stuff sold. OOps. I guess we had a lot of stuff, but we don't any more.

We tarped and plastic wrapped all the molds and equipment and its sitting where I hope its out of the way of the new owner. We still have to get all that moved to a location about 1/2 a mile from where it is now. It would take at least one flat bed semi to move it all.

I took a natural sleep aid tonight so I hope my mind can rest as well as my body. I am just plum tuckered out.

Luckily some friends came the last few days and helped me clean and sort through the last of the stuff. I am so thankful for them. I also hired a few ladies to come in as well, I am so grateful to everyone who helped. I am pretty sure I will never collect so much stuff again. In fact I am going to pare down even more of what I have now because the aisle of the storage trailer is now full and that is exactly what I didn't want to happen.

Well I am going to try to relax and get some rest.

Just a workin

Just a few more days of working like a dog then we can relax.

I sorted through my canning jars that I had stored in the storage trailer because Jeff asked me where I was going to put the jars that now have food in them when they get empty. I realized I had way too many jars. So I once again sorted them and sold over 19 dozen to a local lady who likes to can too. I kept the ones I really like, like the straight sided ones and the fancy ones.
Then I decided that since I was now going to store them in totes instead of on shelves that I should run them all through the dishwasher first before returning them to the storage trailer. It took the times of running the dishwasher but they are all clean now. I have them stored in clear totes and I think I am going to like that.

I also consolidated two boxes into one of Pink Monkey supplies and threw away 4 totes of soap blocks that I now know I cant use to make liquid soap. Long story, but after talking to my chemist friend I know I have to use a different process to make the liquid soap. It is almost impossible to cut the blocks into bars to sell as individual bars so I just tossed the whole lot. It bothers me to do that but I don't have any other ideas and I don't have time to figure out someone who can use them and no way can I store them.

I have been trying to pare down even more what I am keeping because the storage trailer was just getting too full.

I also gave away 6 five gallon buckets of pork lard. That saved 240 pounds of cargo.
I know once we move and I have time I can go through and sort the pictures and consolidate even more, but for now I just need to get this much done.

Now in other great news

*Another Nightmare*


*Did you know that if you sell your house after 2012 you will pay a 3.8%
sales tax on it? That's $3,800 on a $100,000 home etc.**

When did this happen? It's in the healthcare bill. Just thought you should
know.

SALES TAX TO GO INTO EFFECT 2013 (Part of HC Bill) REAL ESTATE SALES TAX

So, this is "change you can believe in"? Under the new health care bill -
did you know that all real estate transactions will be subject to a 3.8%
Sales Tax? The bulk of these new taxes don't kick in until 2013 (presumably
after Obama's re-election).*

*You can thank Nancy, Harry and Barack and your local Democrat Congressman
for this one. If you sell your $400,000 home, there will be a $15,200 tax.
This bill is set to screw the retiring generation who often downsize their
homes. Is this Hope & Change great or what? Does this stuff makes your
November and 2012 votes more important?**

Oh, you weren't aware this was in the Obamacare bill? Guess what, you aren't
alone. There are more than a few members of Congress who aren't aware of it
either (result of clandestine midnight voting for huge bills plus they don't
read the bills anyway. And there are a few other surprises lurking.

Edited to add:
BILL
THIS IS NOT TRUE- IT ONLY TAXES GAINS OF OVER $250,000 - NOT MUCH TO WORRY ABOUT
DICK I got this as am email from Bill, aparently Dick said it only affects gains of over $250,000. Good news.

Just so you understand

Let me get this straight.

We're going to be "gifted" with a health care plan we are
forced to purchase and fined if we don't,
written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it,
passed by a Congress that hasn't read
it but exempts themselves from it,
to be signed by a president who also smokes,
with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes,
to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese,
and financed by a country that's broke.

What could possibly go wrong?

Closing date set

We will close on our house Thursday morning. This means we must be out of here and on to the next adventure.
I have some apprehension of getting everything done in time but everyone is pitching in and helping so I am sure we will be fine.
My main concern is the stone business. I really want to get it sold. It is a great business and can be a money maker if a person has a building to put it in and main street frontage is helpful. It only takes about two hours a day of work. Please pray with me that we are able to sell this great business.
I sat down last night when I couldn't sleep and made an equipment and inventory list and came up with the figure of worth of $34,500.00. We are asking $25,000.00 so this would be not only a great business but a bargain as well.
I would also finance a portion of it if the right person came along with part of the money and the desire to become a business person.
I must get busy now on my huge long list. Please pray that everything goes according to God's will.

4 people proof read this thing.

http://friendsofirony.com/

Will it ever end?

Just about the time I think I have a good handle on this moving thing, I remember a closet, or something that needs gone through. I just have to remind myself that I do have several rooms completely done and several more almost done.

I suppose its good that I have the time to sort and toss and not just box everything up, so I am thankful for that.
I am just so ready to be done with this.

Advice to everyone. De clutter NOW, do it all your life. Don't wait for an occasion such as mine or leave it for your kids to do. Even if you take one room at a time and it takes a month or two to do it, just do it. It will never get done until you start. Don't wait until you have a deadline. I just keep thinking how easy it will be for my daughters when Jeff and I die. Not that we are planning to die any time soon, but you just never know. If I can refrain from becoming a collector again they could conceivably sort through our stuff on a weekend or two.

I have a lifetime of habits to retrain myself of. I am a consumer and have been a consumer for years. I shop, I buy, I have. Now I will have very little space to store things and I hope to retrain myself to really think hard before I make a purchase.

Jeff came up with a good idea for our closet in the RV. The closet is somewhat hard to get to because you have to pretty much sit on the bed to access my side. His idea is to both of us use the same side of the closet and use the other side for clothing we wear less often. We can even box up our out of season clothes, like coats, long sleeve tops and such and store them in the storage trailer. I thought he had a great idea and we will implement it when we begin to move our clothing to the RV.

So far I have been unable to get my article to submit to Woodalls Camping magazine. I saved it and hope to figure out how to get it to submit. It would be great fun to write for a magazine now and then.

Yesterday a friend stopped by to visit and I showed her the storage trailer and then I showed her the RV. We sat on my new furniture and began to visit. She asked me if I would get a job once we moved. I asked why? She said she thought I might go crazy living all the time in such a small space. I explained to her that I plan to install a work bench in the storage trailer and make soap and other Pink Monkey Soap products out there. Right now I am not able to develop my product line or even get my products set up in retail markets because I am so busy. I plan to work my Pink Monkey like a job and develop a client base and add products so that even if and when we moved to another city I could still service my existing accounts via USPS or UPS. That is why I want to work hard on it here and now, so that I have some existing clients that will continue to want my products.

We might close on the house next week

It looks like we may close on the house next week. We thought for sure we would close on the 10th or 15th. That came and went and no closing. I just kept decluttering, sorting, cleaning on and on.
We were going to have to rent from the new owner if we closed before the 1st of Oct. Now it looks like it will be the first of Oct. by the time we close so we should not have to rent. Yeah.
I knew God would work all this out.
We are not done but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The company we purchased the furniture for the 5th wheel published my letter in their customer comments sections along with the picture I sent. They even published my blog address. How fun. If you want to see it go to their site at: http://www.homereserve.com/index.cfm and click on customer comments. I am Debbieo.

I just finished writing an article for Woodalls Camping magazine and am trying to get it to submit. Then I wait to see if they like it and publish it. It is the first time I have submitted an article. Whoo hoo.

SHORT CIVICS LESSON

The Washington Post babbled again today about Obama inheriting a huge deficit from Bush. Amazingly enough,...... A lot of people, swallow this nonsense. So once more, a short civics lesson.

Budgets do not come from the White House. They come from Congress, and the party that controlled Congress since January 2007 is the Democratic Party. They controlled the budget process for FY 2008 and FY 2009, as well as FY 2010 and FY 2011. In that first year, they had to contend with George Bush, which caused them to compromise on spending, when Bush somewhat belatedly got tough on spending increases.

For FY 2009 though, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid bypassed George Bush entirely, passing continuing resolutions to keep government running until Barack Obama could take office. At that time, they passed a massive omnibus spending bill to complete the FY 2009 budgets.

And where was Barack Obama during this time? He was a member of that very Congress that passed all of these massive spending bills, and he signed the omnibus bill as President to complete FY 2009. Let's remember what the deficits looked like during that period.

If the Democrats inherited any deficit, it was the FY 2007 deficit, the last of the Republican budgets. That deficit was the lowest in five years, and the fourth straight decline in deficit spending. After that, Democrats in Congress took control of spending, and that includes Barack Obama, who voted for the budgets. If Obama inherited anything, he inherited it from himself.

In a nutshell, what Obama is saying is I inherited a deficit that I voted for and then I voted to expand that deficit four-fold since January 20th.

Eccentric~who me?

Today two people called me eccentric. I always thought of an eccentric as sort of a hoarder type person. Not something I would necessarily want to be called. I looked it up and I think I might like being an eccentric. Here is what wickipedia says:

Eccentricity is often associated with genius, intellectual giftedness, or creativity. The individual's eccentric behavior is perceived to be the outward expression of his or her unique intelligence or creative impulse.[1] In this vein, the eccentric's habits are incomprehensible not because they are illogical or the result of madness, but because they stem from a mind so original that it cannot be conformed to societal norms. English Utilitarian thinker John Stuart Mill wrote that "the amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigour, and moral courage which it contained",[2] and mourned a lack of eccentricity as "the chief danger of the time".[3]Edith Sitwell wrote that eccentricity is "often a kind of innocent pride", also saying that geniuses and aristocrats are called eccentrics because "they are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd."

What do you think from reading this blog? Am I an eccentric?

New sectional for the rv

To the far left of the picture you can barely make out a light oak tv tray. This is what we plan to use in lieu of a kitchen table. The girls can also use them for school work. If this proves unsatisfactory, I have a long narrow white plastic table that can be positioned several heights. I thought it might work as a coffee table/dinning table/schoolwork table. We will see how it goes. I didn't want to clutter up the area too much. If the tv trays don't work we will try the white plastic table.
The kitchen cart located below the tv contains plates, glasses, mixing bowls, silverware and such. Another honey do project is for Jeff to replace the wheels with bigger ones so I can maneuver the cart around easier. I pull it around when I am making meals for more counter space and when I am not using it I place it below the tv.


The sectional is made up of 5 pieces. A right arm piece, a left arm piece and 3 middle sections. Plus an ottoman. Each section has storage under the seat. This was a huge factor in my decision to buy this style. The company that makes these is called Home Reserve and they are so clever. Jeff said they were very well engineered.

I plan to put cardboard beneath the storage compartments and store my jarred food there.
I plan to use the storage in the ottoman for blankets to be used while sitting on the couch watching tv or visiting.

The table at the end of the sectional unit is the only piece of furniture I wanted to keep. You cant see it because I have some doilies over it. I bought it at an auction when I was in high school and a couple of years ago a friend refinished it for me.

I plan to build or find a small table or cube type structure to place behind the table in the corner to use to put the computer printer on and store paper and such below. There is just enough room for that.


This is the canvas unit I hung in the bathroom after the one I put together didn't work because there was nothing in the wall to fasten it to. This is the type of thing made for closets that you hang on a clothes rod. I had a shower rod I knew would fit so I placed it close to the ceiling and the units Velcro around the rod. This is a lot more storage than we would have had with the over the toilet unit we started with. Its not the prettiest but the bathroom is so very tiny I cant imagine anyone spending too much time in there anyway so these will do nicely.

This is the curved shower rod that replaced the glass doors. We think this will give us more elbow room.

I have a few more modifications I want to make to the 5th wheel. I will try to post pictures as we do each project.

On the list.

Take the steps to our bedroom out and make steps that have hinges for more storage space.

Build a shelf in the bottom section of cabinet right by the door that we use for shoes.

Knock out the top board above the coat closet and build a shelf there for storage of some kind.

Every time I come across space not being used in what I deem the most useful way, I figure out how to change that and make it useful for us.

Internet woes

Just a quick up date to let you all know I am ok. The Internet went down Friday and we just got it fixed a bit ago. Here's whats been happening.
1. Joy came home for the weekend. She went through her room and boxed up anything she wanted to keep.

2. Our furniture for the 5th wheel came in and we put it together and I love it.

3.We are still waiting on a closing date for the house.

4. Today after school I have two boys hired to move lots of stuff.

5. Jeff built shelves in the girls closet in the 5th wheel.

6. Jeff put up the new curved shower rod in the 5th wheel.

7. We bought a shelf unit to put above the toilet in the 5th wheel bathroom, I put it together, Jeff went to install it and there was nothing in the wall to fasten it to. So I took it apart and returned it to wal mart. I then bought 3 hanging things and used a shower rod and hung them above the toilet and I like that better after all. Lots more storage.

8. Jaynee Lockwood is out of the hospital and thankful for the prayers. She is still having trouble so keep praying. You can read her posts on their blog.

9. Oh and no that was a joke and it didn't happen to me. I always wear my seat belt. My mom sent it to me as an email. I was surprised how many people thought it happened to me.

I will post pictures of the new furniture later when I have some time.

On a lighter note

DOES THIS SOUND LIKE ANY OF US?????

I was driving when I saw the flash of a traffic camera. I figured that my picture had been taken for exceeding the limit even though I knew that I was not speeding.

Just to be sure, I went around the block and passed the same spot, driving even more slowly, but again the camera flashed.


Now I began to think that this was quite funny, so I drove even slower as I passed the area once more, but the traffic camera again flashed.

I tried a fourth and fifth time with the same results and was now laughing as the camera flashed while I rolled past at a snail's pace.


Two weeks later, I got five tickets in the mail for driving without a seat belt.


You know, you just can't fix stupid.

Urgent Prayer Request

Jaynee Lockwood a missionary in southern Mexico is in critical condition. After miscarrying her 13th child the fetus did not complete and she went in for surgery. They ended up taking her uterus and she almost bled to death.
Please pray for her recovery and help with the unbearable pain she is having.
You can read about it on their blog listed on my right sidebar.

http://www.lockwoodfamilytomexico.com/

An Update On Punjab and Kashmir

An Update On Punjab and Kashmir
9/15/2010



Dear Pastor Jack & Kathryn,


An update regarding the Muslim violence in the state of Punjab and elsewhere following false reports of a Koran burning in Florida:

Praise God for compromise talks held in Maner Kotla, 40 kilometers from Ludhiana. These talks involved IGO's ministry director for Punjab Pastor K. Koshy and various other Christian leaders with the Imam, Mullahs (Muslim priests) and Muslim business leaders, plus government officials.



The Muslim business people agreed to repair and rebuild the church that was burned and replace the furniture.

The general curfew was lifted yesterday, although night curfews continue in Ludhiana and Maner Kotla and other locations.



Pray for the unstable situation in Kashmir. According to Pastor Koshy and the newspaper reports in India, Muslims in Kashmir also watched the news on Iranian television which falsely reported the Quran was burned on 9-11 in Florida. Muslim mobs went on a rampage through Christian neighborhoods, destroying homes, churches and Christian schools in retaliation for burning their holy book.

On Sunday, they burned a Christian school in Gulmarg, near Srinagar, killing 18 people including seven children. They declared they will kill every Christian in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir. As a result, Christians throughout northern Kashmir are in hiding, and many Christians who were able have fled Srinagar to find refuge in Jammu, about 120 miles to the south.

Because of the curfew and tension, there are presently no more buses leaving Srinagar, so the Christians no longer have a way to escape or go out on the market to buy food and other necessities for fear of death.

There is a radical terrorist element supported by Pakistan in Kashmir always looking for any reason to cause problems and instability if they think it will further their cause. So pray for the Christians in Kashmir, especially those who are stuck in Srinagar. Pray for our evangelists and believers safety.



On another note for prayer:



September 24 is an important day as India's Supreme Court will announce the decision regarding the Babri Masjid mosque. For some background: on 6 December 1992, the Babri Masjid mosque was destroyed by a large group of Hindus in retaliation for the destruction of their own temple on that site more than 500 years earlier. Built in the 15th century, the mosque was located at what is believed to be the birthplace of the Hindu god, Lord Rama. Destruction of the Muslim mosque triggered Hindu-Muslim riots in different places in India that killed many, many people.



So this is a deep festering wound that has continued in India for over five centuries as both sides claim possession of what they both regard as a sacred site to both religions. In India, memories are long. However the Supreme Court rules, someone is bound to be unhappy. Pray that God will restrain the emotions of fanatics on both sides.



Pray that God will work through this tragic and needless situation to bring people to the truth that lies only in the one who declared,"I am the Way,the Truth and the Life"-- Jesus Christ.




Thank you for praying.





Blessings in Christ,



T. Valson Abraham

We should all love burned biscuits

Burned Biscuits-author unknown

When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every
now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made
breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago,
my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits
in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all
my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask me how
my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I
do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and
eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom
apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget
what he said: "Honey, I love burned biscuits."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he
really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said,
"Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And
besides - a little burned biscuit never hurt anyone!"

Life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. I'm not the
best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just
like everyone else. But what I've learned over the years is that
learning to accept each others faults - and choosing to celebrate each
others differences - is one of the most important keys to creating a
healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the
good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the
feet of God. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give
you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker!

We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is
the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or
friendship!

"Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket - keep
it in your own."

So Please pass me a biscuit, and yes, the burned one will do just
fine.

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some
kind of battle.

Three False Christs

Three False Christs

Church Removes the Cross and Jesus Christ and His Gospel

Church Removes the Cross and Jesus Christ and His Gospel

Todays visible progress

This is the fireside room. Cleaned, swept and mopped.


This is the front room. Cleaned, swept and mopped.
Mollie wanted to put the table and chairs by the window.



This is the opposite side of the front room, leading into the dinningroom.

This is the dinningroom. The china hutch is the only piece of furniture left.

The other side of the dinningroom. The doorway on the right leads to the kitchen and the french doors lead to the sunroom/office. As you can see the office is on the list to clean and declutter.

I like having less stuff

I am starting to really like having less stuff. I may continue to downsize until I am at my bare minimum.

Visible progress

Today I am bound and determined to make visible progress.
What do I mean by that? Well I'll tell you.
Today I mean to get enough stuff done that it is obvious to someone who was just here yesterday to notice the difference.

I don't have any plans to go to town. The only thing besides work on my progress plan that we have to do is to pull stone and clean the rest of the molds after school.
I gave my girls this week off so we can work intensely on the house.

I remade my list on my right side bar. I often forget to update it as you know if you read it.

Today is Sept. 15th, if we are going to be out of here by Oct. 1st we have to stay on schedule. The girls think I am pushing it but I would rather be done early than to be rushing at the end and not able to rest, become cranky, and end up with a job not done to my satisfaction. I want to leave this place clean and nice. I am not going to paint because I don't know the new owners preferences and such but I can certainly leave it nice and clean.

My plan is to thoroughly clean a room and then take a picture of it. I will post the pictures later this evening so you can see how we did.

Urgent Prayer Request

This was sent to our church prayer chain from one of our missionaries in India. Please read and pray.

High Tension and Violence in Punjab
9/13/2010

India Gospel Ourreach

Dear Pastor Jack & Kathryn,


Please pray for God's intervention in India, Afghanistan and Pakistan where Muslims are violently reacting to threats made by Terry Jones from Florida, to burn copies of the Koran (a threat not carried out).




However, some of the news media in north India reported falsely that he did burn the Koran, and radicals, always looking for any excuse to attack Christians, jumped at the opportunity.




There has been much violence in Punjab--three churches burned Sunday and today in Maner Kotla and Batala, the only two Muslim communities where they are a majority in Punjab. One of the churches was associated with the Church of North India and the others were Pentecostal churches. One 40 kilometers from Ludhiana and the other near the border of Pakistan. These churches are well known to IGO's ministry up in that area.




During this time of high tension, IGO's Punjab Bible College in Ludhiana is under guard by five police officers. More than 50 police officers are guarding IGO's main church in the city of Jalandhar around the clock until agitation subsides (I dedicated this new church facility three years ago).




There was a peaceful protest in the city of Ludhiana involving 5,000 Christians. Pastor K. Koshy, IGO's director of Punjab Bible College, also chairperson for all Christian churches and fellowships in the Ludhiana area spoke at the meeting earlier today.




My daughter, Ann, who works with World Vision, also reports that Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan attacked and beat many Christians and churches in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have strong Muslim majorities and powerful radical elements.




Pray for the restraining power of the Holy Spirit to prevail. Pray for peace in these troubled areas. Pray for God's protection for our churches, Bible College, training centers and believers.




Thank you for your prayers. Remember that "the fervent prayer of a righteous person can accomplish much." (James 5:16)




Blessings in Christ,



T. Valson Abraham

Two loads to the sale

Yesterday and today we took a trailer load full and a pick up load full of stuff to the sale in Dodge. I was surprised at how much stuff we could get into a 12 ft. enclosed trailer and the back of the pick up. The fireside room is completely empty except for a folding table. The dinning room is empty except for the china hutch and the table and chairs. We didn't have enough room to take the two matching dinning room tables and all the chairs.

We will continue to go through each room, completely emptying them and then cleaning them. The girls bedroom is empty, just needs cleaning.

One room at a time and we will get it all done.

We took lots of tools and stuff from the sheds to the sale as well as household stuff. He thinks he will schedule it to sell a week from Friday. We hope to take another load next week.

This week I will continue to organize and put things in my storage trailer. I cant wait for my new furniture to come for the RV so I can get that installed and put stuff in the storage compartments that the furniture has.

I feel now like we may just pull this off.

We watched the show Hoarders online tonight. Now I think I am a hoarder but the girls say I am not. But to be on the safe side its a good thing we are doing this move. I mean really, I know I don't need all the stuff I had, its ridiculous.

In loving memory

Beaver County Fair

We spent yesterday and today at the Beaver Co. Fair at a booth for the Pink Monkey Soap. It was very successful. I was amazed at the amount of people who attended.
For a small town they have a lots of stuff going on. I was really happy with our weekend.
Lots of people mentioned that they had read about me in the PTCI communicator. Some thought they had seen me on TV. I really enjoyed myself but I am glad its over.

Organizing the 5th wheel kitchen

A few months ago I purchased these cardboard can rotators for my pantry. I love them. I was worried that they would not work in the 5th wheel. They do, yeah. As you can see there is still room above the rotators so I will utilize that for baking sheets or something like that. There is room along the side to slide my cutting boards for storage. There is also room in front of the can rotators. I will have to think about using that space.
Maybe those long narrow organizers you use in the utensil drawers to hold spices. I have been wondering where to put my spices.

I have 4 of the longer rotators that do not work in any of my cabinets in the RV. The place now makes a medium organizer I would like to try but for now I am happy that these work in the RV. We sorted and arranged a few of the cabinets today.
On top of the cabinets I put my crock pots, rice cooker and things like that.

I bet you are wondering where my dishes are? We need plates and glasses to eat all that canned food.

Well I have a nice kitchen cart I use for more counter space and it has two shelves and a cabinet with doors. It also has a leaf that you can raise for even more room. When Jeff was living in the 5er it was very handy.

Well anyway. I put the plates, glasses and bowls in the cupboard part of the kitchen cart. I put my mixing bowls, rolling pin, and such on the shelves. I am hoping that my kitchen aide mixer will fit on the bottom shelf.

There is almost no wall space to speak of in the kitchen area although I do want to install a magnetic knife holder behind the stove on the wall.

We have several modification we intend to make to the RV. As we accomplish these I will take pictures and post them.

Goodbye Flowbee Hello Wahl clippers

We have used a Flowbee for a few years. It has saved us lots of money. A few days ago I purchased a set of Wahl clippers with color coded clip ons.

I gave Sammy a hair cut at camp meeting using the clippers. I probably should have started on an adult who sat still, but oh well. It was enough to know I love these clippers.

I really love the fact that the container is pretty small and I don't have to hook it up to a vacuum.

I just finished giving Jeff a hair cut with the clippers. Goodbye Flowbee, you are going in the sale stuff.
I was able to trim around Jeff's ears easily and trim his eye brows. I was able to do the entire hair cut with the clippers. With the Flowbee I had to finish with the scissors and then shave his neck with either a razor or clippers. Add to that the fact that the Flowbee is noisy because you have to run not only the Flowbee but the vacuum at the same time.

PTCI article about Pink Monkey Soap

This is a copy of the article written about Pink Monkey Soap in the PTCI newsletter, The Communicator. It is delivered to several hundred customers of the local phone company. If you want to read the article just click anywhere on it to make it larger. There are a few mistakes like the fact that I have never been kicked in the head by a goat. I have no idea where she got that and the adding glycerin thing. I think she wasn't paying complete attention when I was talking to her and then tried to write it from memory. The goat part is kind of embarrassing, but oh well. I just wanted to show you that it got published. I started getting phone calls and emails right away. I am hoping the free advertising will be a boost to my business.

Hey who would of thought of this?

From 19 to 3

Yesterday the girls and I got most of the Pink Monkey stuff put into the storage trailer.

Then I asked them to go to the shed and get the totes with yarn and fabric. Mollie came back and told me there were 17 totes of them. So I said take them into the house so I can sort through them.

Well they were wrong. I had 19 totes. I went through them this morning and narrowed it down to 3 three, yes 3. I am so proud of myself. I may not be cutting down by 90% like I have been saying but still, I am cutting down huge amounts.

I had sorted through the fabric and crafts in my sewing room and had thought I was pretty much done. Well, I now have about 5 or 6 boxes of fabric and yarn. With the totes in my sewing room I probably started out with at least 25 totes.

I found loads of my hand made soap so I am going to make a bunch of grab bags to sell at the farmers market and the craft shows coming up.

Carrots, Eggs, and Coffee

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...You will never look at a cup of
coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how
things were so hard for her She did not know how she was going to make it
and wanted to give up, She was tired of fighting and struggling. It
seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose..

Her mother took her to the kitchen.. She filled three pots with water and
placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil.

In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in
the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil;
without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the
carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed
them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl..
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did
and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take
an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard
boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee.

The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then
asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in
strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the
boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its
thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting
through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee
beans were unique, however.. After they were in the boiling water, they
had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your
door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with
pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the
heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a
financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and
stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and
tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water,
the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it
releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things
are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you
when the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate
yourself to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The
brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go
forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone
around you is crying.

Jail vs nursing home

Food for thought:

We need to put the seniors in jail, and the criminals in a nursing home.

This way the seniors would have access to showers, hobbies,
And walks, they'd receive unlimited free prescriptions, dental
And medical treatment, wheel chairs etc. And they'd receive money
instead of Paying it out.

They would have constant video monitoring, so they could be
Helped instantly ,if they fell, or needed assistance.
Bedding would be washed twice a week, and all clothing would be
Ironed and returned to them.

A guard would check on them every 20 minutes, and bring their meals
And snacks to their cell. They would have family visits in a suite built for that purpose.
They would have access to a library, weight room, spiritual counselling, pool, and education.
Simple clothing, shoes, slippers, P.J.'s and legal aid would be free, on request.
Private, secure rooms for all, with an exercise outdoor yard ,with gardens.
Each senior could have a P.C. A T.V. Radio, and daily phone calls.
There would be a board of directors , to hear complaints, and the guards
Would have a code of conduct, that would be strictly adhered to.

The "criminals" would get cold food, be left all alone, and unsupervised. Lights off at 8pm, and showers once a week. Live in a tiny room , and pay $5000.00 per month and have no hope Of ever getting out. Justice for all.

Olden times

I am on the bottom row, third from right. 1968-1969 5th grade


I am on the third row down smack in the middle. 1969-1970 6th grade

Some of my old classmates have been posting class photos on face book. It has sparked memories and discussion. I apparently wasn't even in the 6th grade class I thought I was. I think I just wanted to be in the other class and with time the desire became a memory and then I thought I had been in that class. Strange huh? I am in the picture so this must be my class.

A cute joke

Three men married wives from different states.

The first man married a woman from Michigan. He told her that she was to do the dishes and house cleaning. It took a couple of days, but on the third day he came home to see a clean house and the dishes washed and put away.

The second man married a woman from Kentucky. He gave his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes, and the cooking. The first day he didn't see any results, but the next day he saw it was better. By the third day, he saw his house was clean, the dishes were done, and there was a huge dinner on the table.

The third man married a woman from New Jersey. He ordered her to keep the house cleaned, dishes and laundry washed, lawn mowed, and hot meals on the table for every meal.

The first day he didn't see anything, and the second day he didn't see anything either.

By the end of the third day, some of the swelling had gone down and he could see a little out of his left eye, and his arm was healed enough that he could fix himself a sandwich and load the dishwasher.

Fun with the water hose

Hannah and Jace, the little boy Mollie watches playing in the water.


Lets get a drink.

Jace is splashing Hannah.

Hannah and Jace fill the bird bath.

Hannah trying to pull more hose over.

New shelves in the trailer

Since there is unused space at the front of our storage trailer I decided to put two sets of shelves that we already own in that space.
One set of shelves is metal and one is plastic.
We rearranged the shelves on the rolling metal rack to hold small totes of finished soap of different scents.

When we got the shelf unit to the trailer we discovered it was too tall by about 4 inches. I thought a good way to cut off the tops would be the jig saw. I got it out and it lasted 1 1/2 legs until the blade broke. Then Mollie remembered that Jeff has a pipe cutter. We used it to finish and it gave a much more smooth cut. Wish she had thought of it earlier.
Finally we were able to fit the metal shelf unit into the trailer.

Then I brought out the plastic shelf unit. Of course it was too tall as well. Easy fix. I just took it apart and went to the mitre saw and chopped off 12 of the posts so the shelves would be more evenly spaced.
Wah lah. They fit.
Now to fasten them to the wall and load them up.

I know I am making progress but I am still concerned that I am behind schedule. I want to be out of here by the 25th of Sept at the latest. That will give us time to come back and clean and scrub and make it nice for the new owner.

I just feel that if we work consistently every day we should be in a good position instead of waiting until its time to move and working 24/7 and end up getting sick from the work and stress. I prefer to work slow and steady.

I am sorting through almost everything so that takes time. I am not sorting through the years accumulations of pictures. I hope to do that in the winter when we are more stuck at home.