Spell Check

Are there a few words that you know you tend to misspell, even though you are a good speller?  It may not be a difficult word to spell, but you always check its spelling in your writing.  For one word: receive, I recite (in my mind)  a chant I learned in elementary school.  I before E except after C...
For another, tomorrow, I write it two ways.  Then I can pick out the correct spelling.  A cappella  is another term I always look up.   Spell checker on a computer is helpful, but the old fashioned dictionary is my most reliable source.
I think I have spelled everything correctly in this post.  Maybe you can think of one of your tricky spelling words.
Enjoy your weekend,
Sylvia

Weighty Matters

I was the "new person"  in a group of  female friends.  During the chatter, one of the women said loudly to her friend, "You have gotten too heavy. You look like you've packed on at least 20 pounds.  You really need to get rid of some of that weight!"  The woman at whom the remark was directed replied, "We may be friends, but you really need to mind your own business!"
I kept my mouth shut, but I did have some thoughts.  Would I have said that to one of my friends?  Why would I say that to one of my friends?   Would I say it out of concern for health reasons?  Would I say that  in a group or would I say that one-on-one?  Don't most adults know when they have gained lots of weight?  Would I want one of my friends to address my weight with me, and if so, under what circumstances?
Some people never give unsolicited advice.  Is that always a good thing?
It would be wise to consider how we say what we say, and when we should say it,  and why we say it.
Take care,
Sylvia

Graduates Brunch

This past Saturday, the  church Scholarship Committee held a wonderful Graduates Brunch.  The honorees were three young ladies who were graduated from high school this June.  All three are lively; all three are lovely; all three are Christian young ladies who participate in church and community activities. They are all headed for college!  Looking at their fresh, wholesome, and expectant faces reminded me of when I was eighteen.  At eighteen, you feel like you can conquer  the world.  You feel invincible.  You think you know, because you have made it through this far, right? 
I pray for these young ladies, and all the young people who are being launched this year.  There are so many more negative influences in the world now than there were 20 or 30 years ago.  At the brunch, many adults gave them sound advice, and for the most part, I think the honorees heard the advice.  I hope they heard and will take advantage of our offer to come to us when they need direction, advice, support, and prayer.
Pray for a teenager today.
Take care,
Sylvia

Product Reviews

Do you read reviews about movies, products, or services?  If you do read reviews, how much  impact do they  have on your decision to purchase?  Are you someone who likes to find out things for yourself?  It seems there is a growing  product review industry, according to a recent report.  I guess that is fine if you want to know what others think of a purchase:  a type of car, an accessory, an article of clothing, a cleaning or other service, some merchandise.  However, a problem could arise if the reviews are slanted by reviewers who are paid to give a negative review or an inflated positive review.  I am not saying that this happens, but what if it sometimes does?  I  may read some product reviews, but they are not the only resource I use before I make a purchase.  It really pays to be a wise consumer, especially these days.  To quote our elders, "Money does not grow on trees!"
Take care,
Sylvia

Cake Smash

Today, I learned about a Cake Smash session.  It is a photo session that commemorates a child's first birthday.  In a studio setting, the parent places the child in front of a themed cake with the number one on the cake.  Then, the parent steps aside and the photographer starts taking pictures of the baby interacting with the cake.  Of course, the child digs into the cake and gets icing all over his/her face  and body while trying to get cake-to-mouth.  The expressions are priceless, and the camera catches them all.  Finally, the child gets full or tired of the exercise and starts to whine.  A few more pictures are taken. Then, the session is over, and the family ends up with a photo collection of the little darling and  his/her first personal birthday cake experience.  I do not remember the cost for all of this, but it seems many parents are willing to pay for this professional photo session.  Would you?
Smiles,
Sylvia 

Rush

I walked past the television yesterday and caught an advertisement  for  back to school supplies.  I know some schools in other states open at the end of August, but it is still July. 
A shopping channel  is featuring women's sweaters and jackets.  Just the thought of wearing anything long-sleeved while I experience the July heat makes me cringe. Another big box store is  offering a layaway program for back to school clothing for children.
One way to look at this is that merchants want us to be prepared.
Another way to look at it is that we are rushing past summer and vacation time, and rushing past fun.
I wonder what the school children think... Everybody in the pool!
Smiles,
Sylvia

Start Your Engines

Sometimes, I find that the latest technology is really cool.   At other times, I cannot figure it out.  There are also days when I have to decide if some technology is good or just unnecessary. 
As I was loading groceries into my car trunk this afternoon, I heard the engine of the truck next to my car start.  This surprised me, because I had looked around before I opened my car trunk and had seen no one near me. I looked at the truck, expecting to see the driver in the front seat, but there was no one in the truck.  Yet, I heard the truck's engine and the air conditioner.  The wacky part of my mind flashed on a Stephen King novel, where the car, I think it was named Christine, came to life and wreaked havoc in a town.  I quickly checked myself and remembered that some new vehicles have a feature that allows one to start the ignition with a remote feature/app.  One does not have to be in the vehicle to start it and turn features on inside the vehicle.  I guess this technology is good if one wants to cool off the vehicle before entering it on a hot day.  I am trying to think of other ways this particular feature would be useful to me.  So far, I have not come up with any others, but I think this heat wave is slowing down my thinking process.
Smiles,
Sylvia

Benefits

 I opened what I thought was my only monthly medical  insurance coverage bill, for dental insurance. Thankfully, my benefits package covers Medical and Prescription.  Imagine my surprise when a bill I expected to be under $50.00 was just shy of $971.00!  Whoa!  Then, I remembered that my former employer switched billing services to another company, so I knew something had gone wrong.  This bill could not possibly be accurate.  Still, I read it carefully and felt compassion for those who have no little or no health insurance benefits.  These costs are enormous!  My incorrect bill had Medical listed at just under $680.00 and Prescription at just under $247.00.  These are monthly amounts.  Until I saw the amounts broken down, I did not fully realize how much money some people have to pay for medical coverage.  No wonder I have heard about some  who are unable to afford their medications and some who must choose to purchase food instead of their medications.
This does not seem right to me.
Take care,
Sylvia

Pyrotechnics

Fiction writers often spend lots of time observing their surroundings and listening to the people they meet.  You never know when you will hear  something interesting that can be woven into a story.  You  have to keep your writing eyes and ears open, though, or you may miss a gem. While in the waiting room of a medical facility this morning, I had a conversation with an interesting person.  Mostly, I listened, because what he shared with me was stuff I did not know.  He is a pyrotechnician.  He engineers and works those fantastic fireworks shows, like the ones we can view at parks during the 4th of July  celebrations.  This man is a licensed professional, and I found out that there is a lot more to a professional fireworks display than lighting a firecracker.  A pyrotechnician has a license that must be renewed annually. The fireworks  shows involve extensive planning and all types of safety precautions before, during, and after the events. I was told that the fireworks practice was brought over by the early colonists from England, where fireworks there were for the exclusive use of the royalty.  I learned about websites that show licensed fireworks celebrations.
Now, let me see how I can slip some of this info  into my developing second novel.  Perhaps some intrigue during  a holiday fireworks show  where the bright lights and exploding sounds provide a distraction for...
Thank you, Mr. Pyrotechnician.
Take care,
Sylvia

Computer Glitch

My siblings were given a generous portion of the computer gene.  In fact, I have a third brother who can practically build a  computer!  More about him later.  Although I am not a computer expert, I do okay for my purposes.  I continue to learn by trial and error, and by asking questions.  However, you can imagine my discomfort a few hours ago when I repeatedly turned on my laptop, and got nothing but two whrrs and a black screen!  I was about to escalate to pre-spazz mode, but I stopped and prayed.  I did not pray for the computer to miraculously heal.  I prayed for grace to calm down and think about what steps to take next.  Prayer worked. I had no doubt that it would work.  With clarity of mind, I remembered the steps an expert had told me to use to troubleshoot in a situation like this.  And now, I am writing my blog post for today.
I am thankful.
Take care,
Sylvia

Brushes

Ladies, here is something I read about:  bacteria can grow on the brushes that we use, so the brushes need to be cleaned.  I am talking about the brushes that we use to apply face powder, bronzer, foundation, eye shadow, and blush.  When I think about it, it makes sense, especially if you wear makeup every day.  I do not, but I know many women who do. One source reports that if you often get skin irritations or acne on your face in the area where you regularly use these brushes, it might be because of your brushes.  I used to throw my brushes away after awhile and buy new brushes, but I discovered that you can wash them.  This is good, because it can be expensive to  keep buying new good-quality brushes.  One source indicated that you can use the dishwasher to clean your brushes, but I do not use a dishwasher.   The old-fashioned way works for me.
So, look at your brushes.  Sniff them.  If they smell salty, you might want to clean them!
Smiles,
Sylvia

Be Still

The current extreme heat, humidity, and thunderstorms reminded me of something. 
When we were children, we played in the rain, but when the thunder and lightning came, we had another practice.  We all sat down in the living room and we were quiet for as long as the storm raged.  The television, radio, iron,  and other appliances were turned off.  Some adults would not talk on the phone during a thunderstorm.  I do not know if this was only a southern tradition, but my friends whose parents migrated here from down south say  they also got inside and  remained quiet and still during thunderstorms.  I seem to remember the adults saying, "Be still and be quiet.  God is talking."  It was a matter of being respectful of God and His power.  That  is actually a sound concept.
It is interesting the things we remember.
Take care,
Sylvia

Complaining

I caught myself today.  While preparing my daily task list, I remembered a writing project I  had reluctantly agreed to do.  The person who asked me sent me a reminder about it on Monday, and I emailed back that I  would have a draft by tomorrow.  When I remembered my email, I started fussing out loud to myself. 
"I knew I should not have said I would do this!"
"The more you do for people, the more they ask you to do!"
"I really do not have time for this!"
Then, a better thought popped in my head, "Do everything without complaining or arguing."  Philippians 2:14 presents a principle  I should follow.  I immediately stopped fussing and took my responsibility for the situation.  No one made me agree to this writing task, I could have declined. 
I am now finished with the writing task and I have emailed it to the person.  I feel humbled and I feel better.  Lesson learned.
Take care,
Sylvia

Small World

In a way,  it is a small world.  I often think of  how we find  we are connected in a Six Degrees of Separation kind of way.  For example, this year I found out that a lady I exercise with was a secretary at the elementary school I attended at the same time I was a young student there.  Another lady I exercise with was my Home Economics teacher when I was in junior high school.  A lady who grew up on the same street I did was added to the church recently.  I remember her as a little girl, trying to keep up with the older children.  Now she is a wife and mother.  I am in a book club  with a retired teacher who was one of my mentors on my first teaching assignment.   I was fresh out of college and she taught me some refinement in the school culture.  While at the grocery store  this weekend, I was able to introduce my teen to one of my former students.  I taught him when he was a third grader and now this young man works at the store.  Last week, I visited a  dear friend I met in junior high school  who was visiting at the lovely home of another  friend I met in high school.  I  went to this home with a friend I met in kindergarten. We shared lots of memories.  We are thankful we are still able to do so.
When you stop to think about it, you probably can make many similar connections.
Take care,
Sylvia

Cough Drops

When I find a product that works for me, I stick with the product until I find something better.
I like to have something to refresh my mouth and cool my nasal passages, especially during allergy season.  My latest find is a version of a cough drop with the brand name that starts with an H.   These individually-wrapped drops have a menthol shell.   Inside is a lemony flavored syrup.  It is sugar free.  The taste is cooling and soothing and tart at the same time.  When I can find this product,  I can only find it at dollar stores. I wonder why this is so.  Maybe major companies send different versions of their products to different regional markets.  Maybe dollar stores buy surplus product and what they stock is what is available at the time from the surplus market.
Anyway, the expiration date on my bag of cough drops passed last week, and I want to find some more of them.  I plan to keep searching, and I also plan to enjoy the remainder of my expired cough drops.
Smiles,
Sylvia

Grown Folks

Some life lessons are truly worth learning.  One of them is :  Grown folks are going to do what grown folks are going to do.  You can give an adult  sage advice about a decision he or she will make, but the final decision will be made by the adult.  I guess that is why parents, parent figures, and guardians try so hard to shape their children and help them learn how to make sound choices.  Decisions are inevitable in life.
When I finally learned that grown folks are going to do what grown folks are going to do, this part of life became easier.  When asked my opinion, I give it with prayer, some life experience, and a caring spirit.  To keep me from agonizing when I see a friend about to make an unwise decision, I offer a gentle suggestion.  Then I pray for that friend, because I know he/she is grown and will make his/her own choice. I pray for the right decision, because it will bring the right outcome.
Take care,
Sylvia