FAITH :: Checking In and Sharing What's New

Hello, again...  My blogging efforts are really in sad shape.  I'm not sure what will happen with them, but we can find out together.  :-)

I have been working on how to get everything done, what to focus on first, and the path to the future.  It is an ongoing battle in my life.  I decided to try PROJECT  WEEKS and see if that gets my listings up and sales going.

The plan is to focus on one crafting project a week... like one week of art, one week of resins, one week of polymer clays, etc.  Then I can list what looks like it is worth buying!  :-)  

In the listing process, I am still trying to make PATREON my first priority.  My Patrons the special people in my life.  They will have access to Patreon-only options and products.  So I will have to work out how to achieve that.

My ETSY shop will be for other items.

My EBAY shop will be focused on AUCTION items and some BUY IT NOW options... I think finding my ART pricing there will be a starter action.  How does anyone know what their work is worth?!?  I have no idea!  I think it's a hit-or-miss target.

PAYPAL has an option to list things on social media and other spaces, so that will be a new option to try out.  I think that will be great.  I assume the fees will be PayPal only, but who knows...  I will try to remember to let you know.

BLOGGING is finding its place.  This will be my JOURNAL spot, maybe... maybe for spiritual issues, maybe just my walk with GOD and life.  I am debating what to do with the PUBLIC posting option at Patreon until I get my Patron spots filled... it may become my first place journal.

All this matters because my income seems to be having problems getting bigger.  :-)  I have PRAYED about it!  A long time.  A long, long, long, long time.  I don't see any reason it should have these problems for such a long time, so maybe GOD needs to step in.  I hope He does -- and soon!

July starts my Christmas season... prepping and giving.  

Spreading my Christmas giving over six months has made it a lot easier on my budget.  I tend to give to the same groups each year, so some just get their (small) donation from me a bit early.  Their computers don't know I only give once a year, so I get barraged with more requests the rest of the year.  I'm working on that problem, too.  :-)

Filling up my Christmas inventory started the Project Weeks effort.  I keep getting sidetracked with all the day-to-day battles and never get to making the things I want to sell for income.  I hope my Project Weeks will change that issue.

Keep watching my online spaces.  I am working on a LOT of new designs and ideas.  It will be great to share them with you later.

In Christ,  Deborah Martin

https://patreon.com/DebsRetirementPlan

https://etsy.com/shop/work2gather

https://ebay.com/usr/work2gather

Thursday, 30 August 2018

Some days are better than others...

I see that things will be better.  I continue with my quests.  And my faith is the main issue in everything that happens... good and bad.

We seem to think that loving GOD makes us protected from all the ills of the world...but it doesn't.  It is choosing sides in the constant battle between good and evil, between GOD and Satan, between what is right and what make our lives suffer in ways we don't comprehend at the time.

I watched most of the videos on the Franklin Graham link I shared last night... one wouldn't work on my computer.  It always makes me see how great a difference salvation makes in life.  I wish I could convince everyone to accept the gift of Jesus so they will grow into the goodness that is discovered.

I explored the Chip Gaines site with the funding competition... it is called CHIPSTARTER 2.0, as it is the second year.  I still have to look at the details, but you can see some of the winners from the first year at the site.  It looks like you have ONE WEEK to enter your video... something close to that.  Small dreams, big dreams... what is your dream?

In my effort to get better at public speaking and all the business events that life seems to include, I watched a video at a linked site from either FB or Twitter tonight... good one. I shared it from the page to three different FB sites of my own... I still have to find out if one of them went through, but two to my pages did.  It is getting interesting how you can share with social media accounts.  I would like to do a ONE-click operation, but that is somewhere in the future, probably after I am gone!  :-)

The video was by INC Magazine, with 8 Tips on presenting to groups.  I hope you can find it easily... it is a nice short video.

I am getting pretty close to finishing my yardwork for this summer... but it will still go into September... the ivy patch project is really going to be my last effort.  I have to finish my berry vine clean-ups and a few small dirt space clean-ups... then it will be the ivy patch to the end.

October starts the normal burn season for this area... I am wondering what my son will be doing about the mountain of debris that is waiting to be dealt with.  I worry that a neighborhood cat might be living under the pile... a safe place for the nights around here, and the wild predators.

My list efforts are getting better.

Still have four more letters to do for August.

I'm almost done with my September budgeting.  It's going to be a hard month.  I forgot about some major expenses in September, so I am trying to squeeze out the pennies as much as I can.

My reorganized room is beginning to flow better.  It takes awhile to remember the changes as you go looking for things.  I am really amazed at how much better things are getting.  I seem to be a month behind my goal schedule, but that is still workable.  PHOTOS are still a major issue, as is SHIPPING.

I love my revamped shipping space in my closet. It may work out great.  We never really know until we start using things... I have discovered this with my form designs.  They are great in the computer, but I discover the problems when I try to use them in my real life needs.

I wish life was not the way it is, but I am praying through all the issues I have to deal with.  I trust that GOD is able to make them into something better, as He has promised in His Word, the Bible.  Faith is hard, whether you are believing in GOD, or in people.  I keep reminding myself of the things I have learned in the past, and search for what I can learn from today.

GOD is in our limitations as much as He is in our abundance.  It is really about what HIS will is for our lives... where HE is leading us... WHO He is trying to reach... what HE is trying to achieve.

That was a hard lesson to learn.  It has helped me to cope with the things life has brought me since I understood this way that GOD works.

I am just one person, without the funds I would like to have, a senior, a woman, with health issues, and more.  In the end, GOD is the one in charge.  I am His servant, His child, His follower... when I was saved, I kind of traded my future for heaven. The Bible says we are bought, that Jesus is the payment for our eternity, and other things I can't quote right now... but the idea is that there is a trade.  We offer out lives because He has given His life for us...Jesus, I mean.  So, it is like the hierarchy of the family... GOD, Jesus, Holy Spirit -- then Man, Wife, children  -- and Christ becomes the husband of single mothers.  There is order in everything that GOD does... including creation.

I am trying to say why I make my days available to GOD and watch what happens.  I do what I can, and then I believe that GOD will do whatever else needs to be done.

I still pray and ask for a lot of things.  :-)   It is like any child asking their parents for things.  Then I look for the gift, hoping it will be mine.

So, I better get going now or I will keep on about these faith issues.  It looks like I may get to bed early tonight... haha.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc.
Building for the End Times

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May the GOD of all things, life and eternity, be kind to those who love Him, protect us from the attacks of those who hate Him, and provide for our needs.  Amen.

Friday, 16 March 2018

Isn't it interesting what each day brings us.

I thought some construction in my room was going to be finished on Thursday, but nothing happened.  Nothing happened today, either.  I had all my things, well... as many as possible, covered with towels and blankets to try to avoid the dust from cutting holes in that chalk board they use on walls...  Instead, I ate too many caramels.  :-)  haha  What a way to wait!  I think they will be gone by Monday, and I will have to start my food challenge all over again.  :-)

I watched some HGTV as I was trying to wait.  Today I prepped a lot of veggies into fried rice, chili, and salad.  I have my "Sabbath food" for this weekend !!   :-)   (Plus my recently purchased fruit and veggies.)

I love how they change a building into something new.  I am always impressed.  Lots of ideas for the future.

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My computer, not attached to the internet, seems to have a problem with Excel so I can't revise one of my forms.  This happened before, when I was attached to the internet, I think.  The button to color the text shuts it down.  Not sure what to do.  It isn't "protected" from viruses via the internet.  It just happened the other day... Wednesday.  I was working on it fine all morning and afternoon, then when I went to use it in the late afternoon or evening, it wouldn't work anymore.  I just shut it off.  I will have to try it again over the weekend.

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I watched a great video clip somewhere on Facebook as I was checking pages and posts and groups... I shared it with some of the Christians on my page...  The guy that was on the video had a container with a bunch of orange styrofoam-like ping-pong-sized balls for his visual effect.  He was sharing how keeping in the Word will keep you filled with GOD and prevent the ills of the world from taking space in your life again.  It was great how he poured one pitcher of water (representing GOD and spiritual goodness) and only half of the little orange balls left the life of the "person" in the example.  :-)  At this point, he shared how being half filled with the goodness of GOD's Word and Presence left you looking "lukewarm" and more like the world.  Then he poured in a second pitcher of water and all the things of the world left that person in the example.  He then showed how being filled with GOD meant that the attacks of the Enemy might attack us again, but they wouldn't be able to take up residence... they could only float on the surface and be rejected.

I was impressed.  I don't know if you can find it on my page, but I think my Facebook address is ::  facebook.com/DeborahMartin.2014  I checked the name of my account, and that is the right one, but I am not sure of the exact web address to link it to.  It has been a LONG time since I shared it like this.  I am also a member of a women's Christian group, where I posted it as a link... the group is called Women of Faith ... you might find it there.  It is worth the search

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EDIT NOTE ::   

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1882185155145850&id=100000631509963   

 -- Hopefully, this will be the right link.  I will check it.

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I have created another photo message that I might make into a series... I am considering it.  I will try to post it here... hopefully, it will work right.  It is titled ::  HAPPINESS is...  -- and I would try to make a single statement about being happy, then I would write a short paragraph about the topic.  :-)  I am experimenting with ideas to post.  I didn't get any response from my fiverr.com/work2gather gig about making posts for others, but that is also a work-in-progress.  :-)

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Who knows what I will find to do this weekend.  I have tons of things on my "list" to get done, but who knows what will actually be accomplished.  I have an unusual life with its own set of challenges.

I need to answer a letter from one of my sons, and do a few more of the letters on my monthly list.

I am really wanting to work on my art, start some craft projects, and find a place for everything.

Now, to decide what is allowed on GOD's Sabbath...

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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May GOD reach the hearts of all those I love with the message of the gospel for their lives, for their salvation, for their future.

May all those searching for Truth, for Peace, for Love, for Rest, and for all the good there is in this life, find their way to GOD through Jesus Christ.

May all of us be good, find good, and love what is good in this life so our world will be a better place.

May we be the best kind of person there is.

Amen.

Tuesday, 13 February 2018

Another day...
I have just been catching up with a lot of things...
and making a list for my next shopping adventure.  :-)

I will probably have to recover over the weekend.  haha

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I am starting to develop several different project for eventual sales online.
Waiting for some supplies I ordered.
Thinking about what to do with them... what to do first... if anything will sell...  

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I listened to a Christy Wright live webinar, by recording :-), yesterday...
about having confidence and how it affects your ability to sell your product.
I think I listened to most of it at least three times... kind of in the background for a couple of those.
I had "technical problems" to deal with.

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There is always something new to learn, or to think about.  I am growing more aware of the style of delivery for sharing these kinds of things.  I've been trying to work some video efforts into my lists.  So, that means thinking about what to say, watching other videos with a different set of eyes, and figuring out the equipment I need.

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I happened on a link to a non-GMO site, with a shop, so I checked it out.
I decided I could push my budget to buy the two shopping bags for $8, plus shipping.
Now I need to find the best PRO-LIFE shopping bag/s.  :-)

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I'm anxious for my big crafting supply order to reach me.
It was like a major decision for the month...
I hope the items are what I am thinking they are.

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My food changes are doing well, so far...
I have to finish off the speghetti squash, so tacos will be going away for awhile!  :-)
Lots of veggies and fruits are finding new ways to get together for my tummy.
It is becoming a great game to figure out what might taste good.

I still have a bunch of produce left from my other shopping trip/s.
Onions, lots of onions, eight of them.  I see more baked onions in my future.
I still am having problems with my lemons and limes.
Right now I have limes.  Four and a half limes.
I was finally able to eat one of my kiwis. One more to go.
My mango is still ripening.
I plan to have a banana shake today, using the last of my plantains with some ice cream.
Apples last a long time, so I always get them... three more to go.  I am getting more use to eating them as a snack, or with a meal.
I am going to make some sweet potato fries with my last sweet potato... today or soon.
I haven't used any of my small beets yet.  Those will make 3 or 4 servings.
I'm out of salad greens... they have to be purchased when I shop.
I'm starting to use fresh tomatoes again, so more of them will be needed.  I use them on sandwiches, in salads, and sometimes as a side dish for something else.

I am thinking I will only need about ten to fourteen servings of fruit and another ten to fourteen of veggies per week. That isn't much when you are in the produce section.  I keep ending up with two to three WEEKS of fruit and veggies... I really need to make a better plan for shopping.  I am going to try to buy more organic foods, and also to buy things I normally can't afford... maybe experiment with the strange produce I see in the stores.  :-)

If I already have two apples and a mango and all those blackberries to eat, I can limit myself to oranges, grapefruits, maybe a melon, more bananas or plantains, maybe a pear, maybe some grapes, maybe some strawberries... depending on where they are from and what kind of condition they are in -- and the price!

Throwing a small or medium potato into the microwave is becoming an easy meal.  How many to buy at one time is my challenge.  I used up 7 since my last shopping trip...about a week ago, I think.  I need to figure out the calories for the different kinds of potatoes, then only buy as much as I want to have in the house for those "quick meal choices."

I definitely will be trying to find at least one, probably two, avocados every week.  They are like a treat because of the fat and calories, but they taste sooooooo good.  I am beginning to smash them into a substitute for butter and/or mayonaise.  Limiting them makes them stay a treat.  I want to try making some kind of avocado dressing for salads and other dishes.

More squash is needed... I ate the ones I had, and they last a long time, like potatoes and onions.

I still have one more piece of my chicken breast, a sliced and cooked piece for a sandwich.  I ate some Lipton Chicken Soup, too... so that is my chicken for the month.  I also have a can of salmon... my extra meat for the month.  I can still get my grated cheese (8oz) for this month.  I alread had my cream cheese allotment.  This is going to be a hard challenge.  I am practically dreaming of the foods I love and can't eat (or am trying not to eat). 

I have been eating way too many pistachios and cashews!  I decided to call this my "transition" phase with those.  I am beginning to crave them less as I find other foods to eat.  They are very expensive, even in the bulk section of WinCo.  It seems that cashews are a staple of many recipes in the plant-based diet.  I have been checking recipes this week.  I expect to develop my own food choices once I figure out the options for myself.  I will be selling food on Etsy, so this is all research!  :-)

I guess that is enough food sharing for one day.
Shopping for healthy foods is not as easy as it sounds.  :-)

Until next time,
In Christ,
Deborah Martin

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May GOD lead us all toward health and the freedom to choose our foods.
May our government begin to truly protect us from the lies of major food companies that bias the research.
May we grow as much as we can for our own families, and our friends and neighbors.
May we find a better way.
Amen.

Sunday, 11 February 2018

My goodness... it has been a longer time than usual...

I can't begin to catch you up on everything that has been happening.  I tend to see the world through my heart, but the things I am feeling and thinking about.  I get weird in the middle of figuring something out... and it sometimes depends on what I am trying to figure out.

I haven't seen much news for awhile...  I hope the world is still out there, somewhere.  :-)

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I am praying very heavily these days, for some very difficult issues in my life and dreams.  I never know how GOD is going to answer my prayers... sometimes it scares me.  When we stray from where we should be, GOD sometimes has to get our attention in such hard ways.  It is never easy, never fun, never simple... 

I am planning to get my driver's license again... somehow... without buying a car at first.  This is going to be a fun goal.  :-|  When I was homeless (in 2003), I drove my van without insurance... and I may have had expired tags, too, I can't remember.  This means I have to deal with more financial issues than just getting the license.  It's always been a financial problem.  I decided I have to be able to drive to do the things I need to do.  So, that is my goal.  Eventually, I will go for the car, some kind of decent car that will make lots of freeway trips (for now).  To drive a U-haul when I move, I need a license.  These are details that matter in my current life.

I guess this is a big event in my life.  It has taken about five years to reach this point of commitment.  I like public transit, like taking trains, but my wallet and my body can't function that way right now.

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I really have to confess that I watched more documentaries.  I was impacted by the information about tar sand oil in the environmental documentary with Leonardo Di Caprio  (spelling?) called BEFORE THE FLOOD (I am pretty sure that is the title.) ... it really irritates me that they are going all the way across the nation when they just have to stay right there, across the border from Canada.  If it is the most expensive method of getting oil, why do we even need to be involved in it?  And, why must it be piped to Texas!!!!  I hate politics at moments like this.

I would like to share one called CAPITAL C, which was on crowdfunding.  Loved it.  Didn't know anything like it existed.  Or the one called SOMETHING VENTURED, about venture capital funding.  Another one, similar to theses, was GENERATION STARTUP... about, you guessed it, young people in the middle of the start-up learning curve... some with mentorships, some as new businesses trying to grow.  I believe they were all in Detroit (Michigan).

I have topics I look for.  Food issues, Poverty, Business, Education, Faith, Housing, and more.  I like animals, so they get my attention at times.  I watched one about the ASPCA rehab facility for animals (dogs) that would be killed if they weren't able to change... so damaged by their lives they couldn't deal with life anymore...not in a good, adoptable way.  It was called Second Chance... pets or dogs or animals... I can't remember.

There was a post on Facebook tonight about a place with 900 dogs on a property that were saved from the struggles in their country.  When I watch the shelter stories, I wish I could adopt a lot of them.  I don't know if I agree with the 900-dog free-roaming option,  but they seem to be making it work. 

If GOD is kind, and I finally get my personal property to finish my life on, I would like to get one or two small dogs and some cats, and............. maybe a big fish tank, or a bird, or a ferret (which are like cats), or something else.  Of course, I will need to win the lottery, the BIG prize, to afford them all.  :-)   So, maybe a cat or two, and a small dog.

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My crafting is getting closer to becoming a reality.  My workspaces are beginning to get organized.  Spring and summer are near, for opening the windows.  I keep saying I have to figure out my shipping process before I can sell anything... that is still being figured out.

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Well... it's late, I am tired, and who knows what tomorrow will bring.  I watched two new VHS exercise tapes I got at the thrift store and I may try a few of the routines I watched...  maybe it will kill me... God forbid!   Exercising is a slow process for me these days.  I don't want to kill myself trying to get healthy.  :-)   It is my goal this year to find an exercise plan I can do, regularly... so this is part of that process.  I didn't really think of doing exercise routines, other than an occasional jumping jack!  This is new to me.  Interesting.  I am trying to find a way to make it work for me.

This is a good week for my goals... I hope to figure these problem areas out.

Until next time...
In Christ,
Deborah Martin

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May we all find the blessings of GOD, salvation, faith, and hope.
May our world be filled with good people.
May time bring us the solutions we need to protect our nation from those who want to overcome it.
May goals be achieved.
May finances be provided.
May our lives be filled with all the good things we search for.
May America find its foundations again, the faith that brought GOD's blessings.
May our enemies be overcome, defeated, destroyed... and our friends be found.
Amen.

Thursday, 21 December 2017

Today has been a difficult day.  The cat that lives here has been visibly ill this week, and today she died.  It is hard to watch a living thing die, whether an animal or a person.  I was told she was at least 15 years old.  Her sister died a short while back... we assume... she just disappeared.  She was ill like this... not able to walk, visibly in pain, not eating, etc.  I thought it might be caused by something in this neighborhood, but I wouldn't know for sure.  There's little you can do after something happens, for the victim, but you try to keep it from happening again.  Her name was Dottie.  Her sister was called Lucky.

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As for me, I am still recovering from my shopping "exercise" yesterday.  I wasn't able to stay up a bit longer.  Sorry about that.  No one else can do my writing for me.

I became one of those community charity recipients yesterday.  :-)   I was on my way to the Salvation Army Sale Day and a police car stopped by me on the street... I think it said it was a Sheriff's car.  Some man got out and started talking to me... I tried to think of what I could have done to warrant the police stopping me!  A local news station vehicle stopped, too... across the driveway from where I was.  I was so busy trying to figure out what was going on I can't even remember what was said.  The purpose turned out to be some anonymous Christmas cheer... they gave me a crisp, new, green, wonderful, amazing $100 bill !!!  I was shocked!  I remember I kept looking at it... later I said something about wondering what I was going to do with it... It was quite an experience.  :-)  Nice Christmas gift!  Totally unexpected!  The TV people asked me some questions for a follow-up, but I don't know if they did anything with it.  I probably wasn't as visibly excited as I might have been.  :-) 

FYI ::  I still haven't decided what to do with it, so I'm saving it until I do.  :-)

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It was a long day... and I didn't get to eat anything until I got home... about 6am to 3pm...

I did stop to buy some grocery food... that worked out good.  :-)  I bought my second container of eggnog for this season.  Today I tried it in my coffee... so good!

The new gifted money let me buy some things I might not have bought otherwise... especially craft supplies.  I decided to spend some money on gold (leaf?) sheets and some gold and silver paint pens for some experimenting.  This should be fun!  I still have a long list of things I want to get over time, but this will really help.

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Not too many days left to get anything done...

I will feel better by tomorrow, I think.  I will be able to start using the supplies I have collected to try some projects. 

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The sale at the Salvation Army Thrift Store was great for me.  I finally found one of those asparagus pans... the tall ones with the basket inside.  I told the cashier it was my Christmas gift for the year... I had been wanting one for such a long time.

I found a BIGGEST LOSER cookbook that shared something interesting to me.  Their menu planning goes 4-3-2-1, which means 4 fruit and veggies a day, 3 proteins a day, 2 whole grains a day, and 1 extras (200 calorie limit).  I am now trying to think of daily options for my healthy food quest.  With portion control, my food bill should really improve!  :-)  Shopping will be even more important... weekly, limits on what I buy, etc... maybe I can buy more organic now.

I also found an old book on being frugal, but I haven't browsed through it yet.

I actually was surprised to find Bibles... they seem to be extinct in the thrift stores these days.  I discovered a MESSAGE Bible so I grabbed it.  I have never really seen one before.  I hope to explore it soon.  I also noticed a Devotional Bible for Women.  I decided to get it as a companion to the one I found for Dads.  :-)  I have always tried to collect Bibles so I can compare the versions... but I lost them because of poverty issues.  I will keep looking for more.  I can never replace some of the things I had.

I looked for more Christmas music and wound up finding great CDs by Kenny G and Michael Bolton.  I have a Celine Dion already.  There are some songs I want to find and keep around.  :-)  I did also get a Christian music CD (and a VHS tape of worship music), and then a CD on How to Make Your Point in 30 Seconds.  I have it in the player already, but not listened to it yet.  I hope it has some great ideas for my marketing efforts... maybe for when I start doing commercials.  :-)  I also found a Joyce Meyer DVD on Confrontation.  That should be helpful.  haha

I love thrift store shopping!  :-)   I look for treasures that only matter to me.  Old things that are still good to use.  Things you will never find anywhere else.  It is my fun!  :-)

I saw a video on Facebook a long time back about someone putting one of those xylephones up for their chickens, and they all had a time pecking at it.  I thought it would be fun to get one for my son's chickens... and mine, later on, if I get that far.  So, I remembered to look for one yesterday and there was something like it there so I bought it. ($2)  I still have to get it put up.  I decided to put some cup hooks in the back that will fit on the fence wire to hold it up and move it easily.  I hope that will work out good.  I still need to clean it and do the hooks.  Maybe by the New Year... or next week.

Shopping is fun.

I got a lot of the things on my continuous list, and that always makes me feel like it was worth the time and money and energy it takes to shop now.  I am trying to save some money for the after Christmas sales.

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Have you figured out any goals for 2018?

I am still trying to decide on my one main goal for the year.  I have lots of goals on my lists, with lots of different categories to think about (self, home, work, income, debts, health, education, crafting, etc.)...  Last year was the food hours... which evolved over the months, and died somewhere in November, maybe October!  :-)  I try to figure out how to do things better the next time.

I did answer two goal questions on Facebook... one for Christy Wright (Business Boutique), one for Daymond John (Shark Tank).  I am thinking about those submissions... but not sure I want to make them my main goal.  Separating my personal and my work lives is a stage that is increasingly important, but I haven't found an answer I can do.

It really is true about goals... you need to be clear about them, and write them down, and keep them in view every day.  Life seems to do battle with our goals.  It's so easy to get distracted by the "urgent" and forget what really matters.  (The "tyranny of the urgent" I think it's called.)   My constant work at my goals is an effort to keep them in view.  It is another reason I always look for those books, DVDs, CDs, VHS tapes, etc., that have to do with learning new things.  I tend to get lost in Facebook and Pinterest posts for the same reason.  I suppose that is a big weakness for me.  :-)

I still have some time to decide...

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Hope this update is enough for two days of posting...  I'm done for now.  God willing, I will return on Monday.  Happy getting ready for Christmas!  This is the last shopping weekend... I hear it is one of the biggest shopping days of the year... probably all those men who wait until the last minute... what do you think?  Am I right?  :-)

In Christ,
Deborah Martin

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May GOD help us to make it through this year and plan for next year.
May GOD help our nation's leaders to put America first, really put her first, so we can make the decisions that need to be made to survive our current problems and become stronger for the future.
May GOD be good to those who love Him... bless them in special ways... and provide for their deepest needs.
May our loved ones all meet us in heaven.
May life become worthy of our devotion to it.
May all the poor be blessed, may the homeless find shelter, may the aged be cared for and loved, may we all find someone to love that we haven't met and will never see again... love with and open heart and hand and wallet, as much as we can.
May Christmas become the season when searching hearts find Jesus as their Saviour... bringing those unexpected blessings to every day... helping us to see the meaning of our lives.
May we all trust GOD to guide us.
Amen.