Are you right-brained or left-brained?

Choose which best fits you...

1. When I'm finished using an item, I put it away immediately.
2. I love being surrounded by vibrant colors.
3. Whether I'm looking at a work of art or a room, I tend to prefer symmetrical design.
4. I like to move around my furniture a few times a year rather than stick with the same arrangement.
5. I'm the go-to party planner for friends and family.
6. Keeping current projects where I can see them is a must.
7. I love having a designated spot for each item in my closet or drawers.
8. On my computer, I often have multiple windows open at once.
9. I have a specific morning routine that I always follow to a T.
10. When making major purchases, I usually follow my instincts rather than do research.
11. I often wear the same jewelry every day.
12. If I have to explain directions to someone, I'll draw a map instead of telling her verbally.
13. When I find a great dish at a restaurant, I order it every time I go there.
14. I often drive with the turimg signal light flashing.
15. I always bring a shopping list to the grocery store.
16. I have a lot of knickknacks around the house.
17. My books and CDs are in order, so I can always find what I'm looking for.
18. My desk is filled with piles of paper sticky notes and business cards.
19. I feel guilty if I don't follow the rules while playing board games.
20. I'm fine with other people making last-minute changes to plans.

 -June 2010 RealSimple.com

Count up the odd and even numbeers you've circled.  More odd numbers?  You're a left-brainer.  More even?  Welcome to the right-brain club.  I took the test and I'm evenly split. What does that mean?  Take the test and leave me a comment with you results!

The Woman at the Well

(February & March) Weekends are for...

College Basketball

I'll be watching...


Indiana 9-14 @ (11) Wisconsin 18-6 Kohl Center (Madison, WI)

2:00 EST

Providence 12-12 @ (4) Villanova 21-2 Watchovia Center (Philadelphia, PA)

2:00 EST

(12) Tennessee 18-5 @ (3) Kentucky 23-1 Rupp Arena (Lexington, KY)

9:00 EST

GO Tennessee!!!

hmm...

WORDS

I like how this word rolls off my tongue when I pronounce it.

QUAGMIRE

–noun
1. an area of miry or boggy ground whose surface yields under the tread; a bog.
2. a situation from which extrication is very difficult: a quagmire of financial indebtedness.
3. anything soft or flabby.

Origin: 1570–80; quag + mire

Related forms: quagmiry, adjective
Synonyms: predicament, dilemma, quandary, scrape, jam.

Can you use quagmire in a sentence?

Am I a Tourist or a Pilgrim?

A repost from February 28, 2007

What is a pilgrim?

Pilgrimage?

One who travels or journeys to a foreign place.

If I have ...set my mind on things above, not on earthly things... can I be considered a pilgrim traveling in a foreign place? To 'set my mind' is a stripping away of emotional temptations, unhealthy desires, and a love of pleasure? You've heard it explained as if you're peeling back the layers of an onion...exposing what God wants to address.

I think pilgrimage includes both

• space and time.

• travel: interior and exterior

• it is an intentional journey, yet the destination may not be known

A tourist returns each day to their starting point. A pilgrim is always 'on the way', always en route.

Who am I?

Who am I becoming?

A tourist?

Or a pilgrim?

"The Christian is not an unconcerned stroller along the byways of life...He is not a tourist, who returns each night to the place from which he starts; he is a pilgrim who is forever on the way. The goal is nothing less than the likeness of Christ."

Wm. Barclay, Letter to the Hebrews, Daily Bible Study Series, pg 171 Hebrews 12

Visual Journaling...

Teesha's latest creations at Teesha's Circus.

Check her out!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Did you have a Merry Christmas?

I DID!!

Have you taken down the decorations yet?

Visual Journaling

"The creative process is a powerful, transformative tool for healing our minds and bodies, our relationships and our world. Each one of us carries this ancient medicine inside."
--Kay Marie Porterfield, M.A.

"For many years, I stopped myself from using art in my journals by telling myself I wasn't an artist. About twelve years ago, I began keeping a written spiritual journal in a bound sketchbook. After making several entries, I had the urge to buy a set of watercolors. My original plan was to paint colored washes on the pages of the journal so that I could write on a colored background.

Before long I found myself dripping and brushing bold stripes of crimson, burnt umber and phthalo blue along the margins of my writing to make borders and frames. When the paint dried, the random shapes I'd created reminded me of the pictures I'd seen in the clouds when I was a child. I found myself tracing their outline with a felt tip pen. Soon afterward, I bought a gold pen to add more detail.

Sometimes I'd make art in response to journal entries and other times, the abstract paintings in my journal pages inspired me to write a poem or express a thought or feeling I didn't know I'd had. I loved the interplay of words and images. My illuminated journal seemed to be creating itself..." read more of Kay's story and view her website with links.

A year in pictures...

Follow this link from Boston.com to scroll through 2009...

A little snowman humor...

Do you KNOW the 12 days of Christmas?

There are twelve days between Christmas day ~the birth of Jesus 'Epiphany'~ and January 6th, the day Christians celebrate the arrival of the Magi and the revelation of Jesus as the 'Light of the World'.

The Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" may sound silly and contrived to many of us. But it actually had its origins in religious symbolism ~ and with a serious purpose. It dates from a time of religious persecution. The song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," was written as a kind of secret catechism that could sing in public without fear of arrest ~ a learning or memory aid to Christians in fact. Did you know that each element is a code word for a religious truth?

They are:

The partridge in a pear tree is
JESUS.

The two turtledoves are the
OLD and NEW TESTAMENTS.

Three French hens stand for
FAITH, HOPE and LOVE.

The four calling birds are the
FOUR GOSPELS.

The five gold rings recall the
HEBREW TORAH /PENTATEUCH.

The six geese a-laying stand for the
SIX DAYS OF CREATION.

The seven swans a-swimming represent the
SEVEN GIFTS of the HOLY SPIRIT.

The eight maids a-milking are the
EIGHT BEATITUDES.

Nine ladies dancing are the
NINE FRUITS of the SPIRIT.

The ten lords a-leaping are the
TEN COMMANDMENTS.

Eleven pipers piping represent the
ELEVEN FAITHFUL APOSTLES.

Twelve drummers drumming symbolize the
TWELVE POINTS OF DOCTRINE in the APOSTLES CREED.

midnight...

We had an appointment today to finalize our house hunting plans. Our hearts took a nose dive as we found out an accepted contact had already been placed with the seller. Deep sigh...

The rest of the day was good, though.
This evening I read in bed while munching on something salty.
I spent the entire afternoon thrift shopping with one of my daughters.
I had lunch w/ my husband at a very POSH place...I'll never tell!

Everyone is in bed...the house is quiet...my favorite time of the day...

Handwriting 101, part 1

Your words say more about you than you might think. In the August issue of Real Simple magazine, Amanda Armstrong introduces her readers to a primer that will help in anazlying your handwriting. She promises her five simple troubleshooting tips will improve your everyday style.

What does your handwriting say about you?

How you craft letters and words can indicate more than 5,000 different personality traits, according to the science of graphology, also known as handwriting analysis. To introduce students to the field, graphologist Kathi McKnight has them write

She sells seashells by the seashore

in cursive. Why cursive? Graphologists say it gives them a better read on a person. Try writing the same sentnece here in cursive (even if you usually print), then see how graphologists might characterize you and whether you agree.


...to be continued...

Julie & Julia

Have you seen this movie?

The reviews have been bi-polar and I want to know what YOU think! Tuesday's are $5 movies and I'm thinking about going with my girls. Should I go now or wait for the DVD?

Penny Lover?

I have lived with a frugal person for twenty-five years. He is a very generous man (don't get me wrong), but he is tight when it comes to money and how he spends it. He has always been this way, no matter what our financial situation. Ironically, the Lord has blessed him with four women who depend on him for financing every fashion trend that comes their way.

I think his thrifty roots can be traced directly back to his father, who was a wise and discerning man. I, on the other hand, was raised by two parents who never mentioned the cost of things or where money came from. If I couldn't decide between two types of candy at the drugstore, my own father would say, "Oh, just get them both!"

Are you a penny pincher or do you spend without thinking?

DIY (Do It Yourself) and Save Big

I was raised with a father who could fix anything. The only repairman I can ever remember coming to our home was a TV guy. He'd set a large mirror in front of the large screen while adjusting tubes and such from the back.

Today, if you're not even a little bit of a DIY-er, it can be pretty expensive. Here's a list of 17 easy fixes that can improve your home, wardrobe, your beauty routine, even your dog--for a fraction of the price it costs to hire a pro.

Which one would you do??? Which one would you pass over to a pro???

THE JOB:

Repair a stalled garbage disposal

Groom your dog (ears & pedicure)

Rescue jewelry that has fallen down the drain

Repair a small crack in drywall

Replace a dead spot on the lawn

Fix a faucet that spits

Replace a doorknob (two ways)

Secure a window that slides down

Replace a torn window screen

Brighten stained tile grout

Change a burned-out headlight bulb

Install new windshield wipers

Replace a worn-down heel tip

Repair a broken necklace or bracelet clasp

Style your hair in an updo

Trim your bangs

Get a relexology treatment

By the numbers...

30 seconds...

That's about how long you need to feel attached to an item after touching it.

So, touchers beware:

Research says you're 39% more likely to buy an item you touch as opposed to one you never handle.

Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Newly Coined

boomeranger

A child who returns home after college to live with his baby-boomer parents.