Reading about a Rebellion

I'm reading a great book about a rebellion.  So many things that are said in this book could easily relate to our country today.  The main characters are lawyers and politicians, doctors and farmers, and small businessmen.  There are also trained soldiers and a king.  There is so much pride on the part of the king.  He thinks he can squash the rebellion.  He believes his soldiers are so much better equipped in war than the people they are fighting.  He doesn't understand that when people unite for a common cause, especially when God goes before them, they can accomplish anything.  When we are fighting for something that is right, when we use our voice, when we take action, we can succeed.  This book I am reading is called, Rise to Rebellion, by Jeff Shaara.

Shaara is a master in the history of the American Revolution and in imagery as he writes.  You feel like you are there in each scene he portrays, like when Ben Franklin is pacing around in his room to get much needed exercise or when the Boston Massacre takes place.  He details things so vividly you can't help but get totally engrossed in this book.

If you enjoying reading about history and haven't read this one yet, I HIGHLY recommend it.  I have a friend who got the audio book of it and loved it.  He's now reading The Glorious Cause, also by Shaara.

I can't help but be thankful, during this July 4th weekend, for those who fought so valiantly for our independence over 200 years ago and for those who have fought in all wars between then and now and who continue to protect us as a country and fight to keep us free.  THANK YOU.

Here's a link to the book on Amazon IF you are interested.

I Feel Like Edison

I feel a little like Thomas Edison.  He tried 2000 experiments in search of a filament that would work in his light bulb.  He didn't see them as failures but as a way to narrow down the possibilities in search of the one idea that would work.  That is what I'm doing, on a smaller scale.  I just received word from a transcription company I applied to last week that I didn't get the job.  Okay, one door closed.  I know that isn't the direction I'm supposed to go.  I still would like to start my business on line, but I have to come up with the money to start it.  I am still writing.  I'll probably finish my book before I come up with the money for my business.  If no one publishes my book, I'll know that wasn't the direction I was supposed to go, but I am having fun writing it.  I also enjoy hearing from my friends how much they like it, at least I've been able to brighten a few people's days through it.

So, I trudge on, grateful that when God closes doors he opens windows.  I just have to keep stepping through them.  I must remain faithful to his guiding.  By the way, I still have the Pillsbury Bake-Off!!  ;-)

Writing, Waiting, and Wanting

I set a goal in January to write a novel this year.  I think I've changed it 4 or 5 times since I started, especially if you include the one time I started it 18 years ago.  Just recently, after not having written anything for a couple of months, I decided to start it again from a fresh angle.  I've got one of my friends reading it.  Her encouragement keeps me writing chapter after chapter.  Hopefully sometime this year I'll finish it and send out my query letters to publishers and one of them will pick it up.

I am also wanting to start a business online.  I was hoping to get it started sometime this summer, but I've got paperwork to file and attorneys to pay first.  I also have to finish writing some of the homeschool curriculum that I want to sell.  I've got another friend testing out one of the products I developed.  Hopefully it'll work like I'm hoping it will.

I am waiting to hear about another transcription job possibility.  I've grown increasingly frustrated with the company I currently work for and am wanting a new job.  I took an assessment on Friday, but I am waiting for them to evaluate it and get back to me.  I don't like being in the dark, not knowing what is going on.  I like to have some control over the situation that I am in.  Maybe that's why I feel right now like I am in a blender that has been turned on (to steal the imagery from Luke McClain).

Oh, if just one thing that is in the works would crystallize into something meaningful, then I would know what direction my life is supposed to go in...at least for now.

Thankful I'm Not The One In Charge

Last Sunday was promotion Sunday at church.  The 5th graders got to move up to the Junior High class, and the 8th graders moved over to the Senior High.  Nate got to join the Junior High.  To set the morning apart from the regular routine and so it would feel special, the 6th through 12th graders were all in the same room worshiping together.

After we sang 5 or 6 songs, one of the youth gave her testimony.  We sang 6 or 7 more songs, and another one of the youth gave his testimony.  This particular student is in the Senior High group.  I think he's going to be a preacher some day.  His words were very serious, maybe almost a little scary for the younger kids.  He seems like he is one who spends a lot of time thinking about God and how the world is, in relation to his faith.  We finished the morning by singing more songs.

Another leader and I commented to each other that we were surprised they planned to sing all morning.  I was worried the younger students would be bored.  I am thankful I'm not the one in charge.  If I had planned it, we wouldn't have sang so much.  God put it within the hearts and minds of those planning to sing that many worship songs.  He knew what he wanted done!

By the end of the morning, the kids were standing on chairs.  They were clapping.  They were dancing.  They were singing loudly.  They were having a blast.  I don't know too many churches where the kids are able to rock out on Sunday morning, but I sure am glad I go to one.  My attitude changed that morning.  I was a little worried that sitting in a regular class the following week might seem boring to them compared to what they had just experienced.

This morning was the first "regular" class of the summer.  We are going through the Bible in 2 years, in depth.  We looked at Creation this morning.  Luke, the Junior High youth pastor, is challenging the kids to really examine God's Word to see things in it they may have never seen before.  At the same time, we leaders are being challenged.  It stood out to me that the Bible says, 'In the beginning, God..."  We all know that phrase, but think about it a minute.  God doesn't have a beginning.  He just is, always was, always will be, but at some point in his being he wanted to make us.  He wanted a relationship with us.  The beginning is mankind's beginning, not God's.  He'd have been perfectly content with just being, but he wanted to make us.  We are his craftsmanship.  He loves us.  We were wanted by God.  We are wanted by God.  That is so cool to me!

I'm excited to see how we will all grow this summer.  The kids, especially, are blessed to have this opportunity.  I wish I had had something like it when I was their age.  I'm glad we're never to old to learn.

Isn't It Supposed to be Summer?

I wrote something else on my calendar for June this morning.  As I finished writing, I realized that I only have a few days left where nothing is written.  Isn't this supposed to be summer?  Isn't the pace of life supposed to slow down?

Mind you, I am also working every day, so I'm either working around these activities or flexing my time to later in the week.  July doesn't look that bad, but it is still early.  I'm sure I can find plenty of activities to fill each day, but I'd really like to learn the secret of a slower life.  Of course, those times when I don't have any pressing need or something that just has to get done and can sit down and read or watch a TV show I feel guilty for wasting time and get up to do something.  Perhaps I just don't know how to relax.  Maybe when my kids are all off to college.  Maybe not.

Getting Started

I decided the other day to stop wallowing and get started on this business idea.  I wasn't getting anything done sitting around doing nothing.  I think part of my hesitation was the fact that I don't like making phone calls.  I would much rather talk to someone in person, at least most of the time.  I left a message yesterday at the borough's zoning office.  In the afternoon, someone called me back to tell me I didn't need to talk to them but to the tax office.  I called the tax office who told me that I'd just need to pay quarterly taxes and register for a sales tax license through the state but that our senator's office was right in downtown Canonsburg so I could go there and get what I needed.  The man at the tax office must have never gone there to get something.  He might not have been so quick to say this if he had.

Well, anyway, I was so excited that the ball started rolling I jumped in my car and headed to the Senator's office.  The older gentleman who was there asked if he could help me.  I told him I was interested in starting a business and that I'd like any information he could give me.  He stared at me.  That was a little awkward.  He asked what my business was and said I'd need a sales tax license.  He printed the forms from online for me.  I was happy to see my tax dollars at work in the form of ink and paper that I myself didn't have to waste at home.  He asked me what else I needed.  Well, I'm just getting started.  I don't know what I need.  That's why I came to you.

I asked some questions.  He asked some questions.  When I gave him an answer, he'd stare at me.  I almost think he was shuffling through the "virtual files" in his mind to find the right solution.  He gave me a little bit more information and then I left.

My neighbor gave me the name of an attorney she thought could help me, but I didn't want to make a phone call.  I posted on Facebook that I was looking for advice.  My dilemma was whether or not to become a sole proprietorship or a limited liability corporation.  After getting differing opinions, I decided my best bet was to make the phone call.  This morning, I called the office of Smith Butz Attorneys at Law and talked to Brian Lawton, Esquire.  He spent about a half an hour on the phone with me answering all my questions without knowing whether or not I'd even use him.  That spoke volumes to me.  He was also VERY knowledgeable.  Of course, there is a fee with using an attorney, not a cheap fee, but I would know that everything would be done correctly in the long run; and I wouldn't spend hours online learning what I needed to do and hoping, just hoping, I did everything right.  Besides, I have a ton of other things I need to do online to get this business off the ground, like prepare items to sell!!  I will probably meet with him in about a month, as soon as I have a couple of things I feel are ready to sell.  Oh, I do have to come up with a name for my business that uses my last name.  Any ideas?

Bored with the Status Quo

Well, I handed in my kids' portfolios this past week...another school year completely over.  Now it's on to filing affidavit and objectives for next year, but I don't want to sit down and write them.  There has been little to no work this week with my job to the point that when there is work to do I have no motivation to do it.  I have a lot of projects (like a massive amount of painting) to do around the house to try to get it ready for selling next year, but I either don't have the money to buy what I need to do them or, again, lack the motivation.

I get frustrated with myself when I eat too many calories in a day.  I know I need to exercise more, but I just don't really enjoy exercising inside.  I'd rather hike somewhere.  When we went camping last weekend and took a long hike, that was great!!  I loved that, but we don't live near a really good hiking place.  When I think about doing anything, I think to myself, "It's just easier to stay home and do nothing."  What is that?  I wish I knew what my problem was.

I just said to John the other day that I feel discontent.  The Bible tells us to be content, so I feel like I'm wrong.  But then I've got to wonder, if I'm discontent with the status quo, could it be God's way of telling me to get off my butt and change something.  I like change, so why is it so hard?  The status quo is easier I guess.  There is no unknown in the status quo.

I find that I am irritated with myself when I think of the changes other people are making.  I drive past a bakery that just opened a few months ago in Canonsburg.  I think to myself, "I could have done that."  I hear of friends who are writing books or selling homeschool curriculum that they wrote, and I think, "I could have done that."  I get involved in the excitement going on in other people's lives and find myself getting discouraged that I am doing nothing in my own life.

Am I lazy?  Is it just that the school year ended and my brain has gone into hibernation?  Am I afraid of the unknown, or I am afraid of failing?  Who knows?  It is probably a bit of all of those.  I am really hoping that my discontent will soon spur me on to something exciting, something that I feel I should have been doing all along and then, hopefully, I can get out of the rut of the status quo.

To Camp or Not to Camp

We went camping this weekend in Cook Forest State Park.  Two years ago on Memorial Day weekend, we went to Cook Forest.  We ended up there as a result of an online reservation error on my part.  While there, we met two great families who were camping right beside us.  Last year, we didn't go camping because we had just gotten back from vacation two weeks prior to Memorial Day weekend.  I felt it would have been too much.  We decided we were definitely going to back this year.  We made reservations about 4-5 months ago to stay right beside our friends from two years ago.

We arrived on Saturday at about 2:30.  Our friends had gotten there the day before.  It was so great to see them again.  Their kids have grown so much in two years, as did ours, and all of our kids got along so well.  I hope this tradition of camping with them continues.  It is fun to see the kids play together and get along like they do even though they don't know each other all that well.

Cook Forest is a great place to camp.  There are many different things to do there like fishing (there is a kid area that is stocked), horseback riding, canoeing/kayaking, miniature golf, go-karts, water slides, hiking, bike riding, etc.  The possibilities are truly endless.  This campground is clean and large.  It is very spacious.  The bathrooms are relatively clean (obviously not like your bathroom at home but much better than some campgrounds we've been to).  The forest is absolutely beautiful!!

 

 


Saturday night we sat around telling stories and making s'mores on our friends' campfire.  When we went to bed, it had gotten chilly.  People were making a lot of noise, like people often do at campgrounds, so it took a while to fall asleep.  When we woke in the morning, it was damp and cold.  I don't like being cold to begin with, and I don't especially like being damp.  Sunday night wasn't cold, but we were rushed to bed by the rain.  It wouldn't be a Bairen family camping trip if it didn't rain at night at least once.  Thankfully it didn't rain hard or long.

Sunday morning John and the kids fished for 4 hours...catch and release.  I read some and kept falling asleep. Then we went for a 4-mile hike to a fire tower (picture above) after lunch.  Two years ago we hiked to the tower, then down a really steep hill to the river, then back up to the original trail via a 3-mile long hike that wasn't quite so steep as getting down to the river.  We didn't have enough water or food for being gone as long as we were.  John and the kids didn't like the idea of doing that again, so we hiked to the tower and back the road that leads out to the highway.  Of course, after that hike, ice cream was in order.  So, after dinner we went and got ice cream where they have the miniature golf and go karts.  Yum!!

We packed up this morning quickly and efficiently and headed home.  I enjoyed most of the weekend except for the cold, damp night and not feeling very organized with food preparations while camping.  I told John next year we bring breakfast foods, snacks, and drinks, but we need to eat lunch and dinner at local restaurants.  I do have a little trouble not having MY kitchen.  :-(

So, to camp or not to camp, that is the question.  I say...TO CAMP.  I love hanging out with our friends.  I love relaxing and not having to work.  I love hiking and doing the other activities.  I just need to be a bit more organized to do it right and enjoy it more.  I guess next year, though, we'll be trying a different campground.  It'll probably rain at least a little bit, but we'll have funny anyhow.  I guarantee it!

Unfolding a New Job?

I think I may have figured out a way to sell some of my things that is better than eBay...Amazon.com.

I keep putting stuff on eBay, but no one is bidding on anything I put on there.  I put some books on Half.com as well.  I remembered that when I go to Amazon to buy something I always see used items people are trying to sell.  I decided to try it myself.  I put on a KitchenAid food grinder attachment.  Within the first 3 days, it sold.  I put a kids' orchestra book on a little later.  It sold yesterday.

It is a bit easier to sell on Amazon than it is on eBay.  To get started, open up an Amazon.com account. Click the "Your Account" tab on the top right.  On the right hand side is a box that says, "Your Other Accounts" and then "Your Seller Account."  When you first open a seller's account, you enter your information and then they call you.  During the phone call, you enter a PIN number they have displayed on your computer screen.  You also enter your checking account information so that they can direct deposit your earnings into your account.

Now, if I am selling a book, all I have to do is type in the ISBN. It loads all the information about the book for the buyer.  I simply need to detail the condition of the book and what I am charging.  Once it sells, I have to package it and mail it, but I don't have to take any pictures and I don't have to figure out shipping.  They charge a flat rate to the buyer depending on the type of product.

If I am selling something besides a book, I find that item on Amazon and then enter the condition and price, etc.  It is truly that simple.  If someone buys your item, you get an email from the Amazon Marketplace with notification that it sold and instructions about shipping and notifying the seller that the item has shipped.

I had no transcription work this morning, probably because of the holiday, so I think I'll take advantage of this free time and get to work on my new job.  I've got lots of stuff I can sell!!

Unfolding Thanks

It is hard to come up with a title all the time that starts with "Unfolding...," so I'll probably stop doing that.  Be aware of the change.  I like change...most of the time.  I changed the layout of my blog.  It had been the same for months.  I like endings and new beginnings.  My favorite holiday is New Year's Eve, not New Year's Day, New Year's Eve.  I like the ending of one year and the beginning of a new one.  It brings with it the idea of a fresh start, not knowing what the New Year will bring.  Sometimes we get to the end of the year and wish it would have been different.  Sometimes we can look back and reminisce about exciting things that occurred.  Regardless, we should always be thankful.

I taught this past weekend on the 70 years of exile when the kingdom of Judah was taken captive by Babylon.  You know the story of Daniel.  This was at the same time.  The Judeans had prophets come to them before they were taken captive to tell them what they needed to do to prevent their destruction.  They didn't do it.  They enjoyed their sin too much to care about God.  God never stopped loving them, though.  Even through Jeremiah, the prophet, God told them they'd spent 70 years in captivity but also told them there was hope for their future.

These people were taken captive after being attacked by the Babylonians.  They were forcefully removed from their homes, their land, and their families.  I can only imagine the cruelty they were subjected to by the Babylonians.  It is remarkable to me that through all of it Jeremiah still was able to say in Lamentations, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.'"

It is easy to be thankful when things are going well, but we are to be thankful in all situations.  "...give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  I Thessalonians 5:18

I would be remiss if I didn't thank God for protecting us last week.  We were on our way to a birthday party in Washington.  I drove the back roads since it was the quickest way there.  As I neared a bend, I looked ahead and saw an 18-wheeler headed down the hill.  A guy behind him decided - on the bend, down the hill - to pass him.  It was not a passing zone!!  I slowed down, but the truck was barreling down the hill.  This guy in his SUV had just enough time to swerve between me and the truck to get back into his lane.  I was pretty sure he was going to crash because he was losing control since he was driving so fast, but he didn't.  We were all safe.  So, thank you, God, for protecting us!!

Unfolding eBay

About 10 years ago, I started selling things on eBay.  I did that for about 4 years and then quit.  Just recently, I started it back up as a way to try and make some extra cash.  I have a lot of things sitting around not being used.  If I can sell them to someone who can use them, then it declutters my house and makes it easier to move next year, if we actually do.  I am also selling items for a friend of mine.  I love doing the research to find out what things are, like when she gives me figurines, and how much they are worth.  I don't mind taking the pictures and writing up a description of the item.  I don't even mind packing things up and taking them to the post office.  What drives me nuts, however, is waiting for someone to actually bid on something I'm trying to sell.  I become obsessed with the F5 button to refresh the page of items I'm selling.

Now, I know, some things I'm trying to sell nobody wants to buy.  Thankfully for most things there is no listing fee.  If it doesn't sell, I don't lose anything.  When somebody does finally bid, though, it is so exciting to see how high it might go.  Just this weekend, I had a Lladro donkey figurine on that sold for $52.79.  It went up $21 in just one night.  It's addicting.  I'd rather do eBay than play video games or all those other games on Facebook or on my phone like "Angry Birds."  To each his own, I guess.

If you have some things you'd like to try to sell but don't want to do eBay, I'm open for business (for a small percentage).  ;-)

Unfolding Coupons

I am not an expert couponer, but I do use them and enjoy saving a ton of money when I can.  I will share what I do so that hopefully some of you who use them less will benefit from what I have learned.

When the coupons come in the Sunday paper, the mail on Tuesday or Wednesday, and the local newspaper on Thursday, I go through them and cut out what I will definitely buy.  I have started cutting out coupons for brands I don't normally use because they are expensive, e.g., Pantene shampoo as opposed to Suave.  Sometimes when you combine store coupons with manufacturer coupons at places like Rite-Aid and Walgreen's you can save more on an expensive product than a brand you would normally buy because it is cheaper.  I now cut out most every coupon except for pet food, baby products, and food that I won't buy because it is just BAD for you.

Almost every store takes coupons.  I just found out that the dollar stores will take coupons at face value (no doubling or tripling).  Imagine a product at a dollar store that is $1.00, and you have a coupon for 75 cents off.  How great is that to get a product for 25 cents?  I shop at Giant Eagle, Rite-Aid, and Walgreen's most often.  I sometimes shop at Shop 'N Save and KMart.  I rarely shop at Wal-Mart.  I just don't like that store for some reason, although they do have really good prices sometimes.  If I have a coupon for $1.00 off of a product that is not on sale at Giant Eagle, I can be pretty sure it will cheaper at WM.  So, if I really need that item, I will purchase it there.  I once got Snuggle fabric softener for 97 cents at WM because I had a $3.00 coupon and it was cheaper at WM than GE.  I felt like I was stealing it.

I drink bottled water.  Most of the time you can't buy it cheaper than $3.50 for 24 bottles.  I don't like paying this amount because I know eventually a store will sell it for under $3.00.  Walgreen's this week has a coupon in their flyer for 24 bottles of water for $2.67.  You can buy 3 of them at that price.  They will substitute another product if they are out of the product that is on sale.  Just ask them.  They also had Gain dish washing soap for 95 cents with a coupon in their flyer.  I also used a manufacturer's coupon for 50 cents and got my bottle for 45 cents.

There are some websites that help you use coupons and let you print out coupons (be sure your store takes printed-out coupons).  Check out Coupon Mom which is free and The Grocery Game which charges every 2 months based on how many stores you choose to watch.  I just signed up for Coupon Mom, so I don't know a lot about it yet; but The Grocery Game lists all of the items on sale for that particular week for the stores you choose and lets you know what coupons are still valid that have been in the inserts over the past few months.  It then gives you a final price.  You can create a shopping list as well.  These sites are very helpful if you lack the time or know-how to sit and go through all the flyers and coupons yourself.

I recommend signing up for websites that sell things half off, like Groupon.  I got a deal on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, $26 dollars for a year of Sunday and Thursday papers.  If I bought the PG 48 weeks out of the year (no coupons in holiday-week papers), I'd spend $72 a year.  This way, I get my coupons without spending an extra $46 dollars per year.

I will end here for today.  My kids have learned that if it is not on sale and I don't have a coupon chances are I won't buy it.  They know the mantra, "My favorite price is free."

Unfolding an Open Window

I'm so excited!  I got the news this morning that I was accepted to be part of the homeschool crew to evaluate homeschool products and then review them on my blog like I did with the MRSA unit study.  I was so disappointed that I did not get the part-time teacher position I had applied for with another company, but when I thought about it I realized that for every closed door there is an open window.  This is my window.  I will still get to write.  I will have a job that will require me to write.  I love it!

For the past few months I have been taking a Universal Class through the Peters Township Library website called "How to Write a Unit Study."  For my homework, I am required to research how one particular subject can tie into all academic fields like math, art, music, science, etc.  I have been enjoying the brainstorming and research that I need to do for each lesson.  Hopefully one day soon I will actually get some of my unit studies published.  As soon as I figure out how.

I haven't forgotten about my novel.  It sits here on my computer gathering virtual dust.  I don't lack the motivation to write; I lack a sufficient amount of time to sit down and get anything done.  I am hoping after our last 4H this Thursday that I'll be able to get some reading and writing done.

Does anybody remember my word of the day posts?  Does anybody miss it?  Should I bring it back?  My kids still use the word quinquennium from time to time.

Here is a good quote I just read:

Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study.  Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life.  ~Henry L. Doherty