Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Odd Random Thoughts

                       It's another sunny morning at Hobbit Cottage!


"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."   ....Psalm 37:4


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1.) Two weeks before leaving on our train vacation, I began unsubscribing to various emails so that I'd not return to The Dreaded Flooded Inbox. 

Best thing ever. I've remained unsubbed to nearly all those coupon/recipe/vitamin/whatever companies and it's like I decluttered my head(!) A great New Year's idea, as well.

2.) Please tell me you never throw out hardened brown sugar. For decades I've just added an apple slice to my brown sugar canister and almost instantly (well...) the sugar softens. One of the best handy dandy hints, ever.

3.) I wanted to set aside emergency food and forget it rather than eat it up. :) I also needed to create some space on shelves.

Sooo I packed four storage bins/totes with food, set them in a safe-from-insects-and-humidity-area and now feel like Mrs. Prepper, herself. Things like rice, dried beans and flour I froze for a week first (to kill possible insects), then placed them in seal-able bags (with a desiccant or two) before dropping them into the bins.

And I leave these bins alone. For now.

Oh, and one tote I labeled 'Bug Out' in case we (heaven forbid) ever have to drive to an emergency shelter. In that one I placed ready-to-eat foods only, plastic silverware (unopened from Chinese take-out), first-aid items and a can opener.

4.) Having problems with mold in your dishwasher? Just occasionally add a quarter cup of bleach before running a load. Works great. I found that idea in my (had it for ages)copy of this book:




5.) Feeling unappreciated lately? People, being the often-clueless creatures that they are, will sometimes take us for granted. The best thing (I've found) is to learn to receive appreciation from God. Expect Him to meet your emotional needs and He will do it. He is that good. That faithful.

6.)  Eegads! Our local 2:00 a.m. snowplow driver does love to drop that huge front shovel of his with a Bang! Often. Oh dear.

7.) Searching for a terrific easy-listening music station online, one with gorgeous photography (super vintage, some) as well? Here's my favorite. If you see someone wandering around there with headphones while her husband's watching tv in the next room and her daughter's playing a keyboard upstairs, well, that'll be me.  heh.

8.) Now, no one go all wild-eyed-ballistic, but, well, I am all loopy happy that the holidays are over(!)

9.) The credit card that I use online expired and I was here all twiddling my thumbs waiting for a new one to appear in my mailbox. Hmm. 

Finally I went to the website, looked around for something other than a phone number to call about this (I am so not a phone person. You just don't know.) Next day I looked again and aha! Discovered all I needed to do was make a simple click if I needed a new card.

Good gracious. Go assuming credit card companies will automatically send you a new card like they used to, and well, you just might be sitting in front of your computer without a card for a long, long time.

So often we must change with The Times and just cooperate and deal with that like the good, patient soldiers God wants us to be.

And sometimes, not. But what matters is having the ability to recognize when to change our way of thinking, when to speak up or when to keep silent. And then move on in meekness in whatever way it may be.



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"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry..."   James 1:19



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I'd love to hear your thoughts about any of these random thoughts!


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Yes! Oh yesssss.........



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3 comments:

Pam said...

It's fun to read your random thoughts. Like you, I enjoy taking care of the big and not so big things of life. Nothing feels better to me than putting my home in order--cleaning, straightening, mending, etc. As the years go by, I enjoy the chores that allow my mind to wander--those random thoughts often bring back memories long unvisited. Life is good!

terricheney said...

At the beginning of each New Year (or really in late December) I empty out the SENT folder in my emails, start unsubbing from every 'signed up for Swagbucks' subscription newsletter, dump blogs (yes really, the whole blog list save a very few) and start a fresh. Yes, I do feel lighter for it and it takes a good bit to find new bloggers to replace the old ones but I've had a great variety over these past ten years and I like it that way. Now and then I stumble on an old blog friend and I catch up but I don't bookmark.

Debra said...

Thanks, Pam, and yes! Life is good with God and I'm glad we agree small things are the best things. :)

Terri-- great ideas! Unsubbing from sites which no longer teach and inspire you sounds like a great way to make a new year feel really new! :)

Thanks, Ladies! Blessings, Debra