While I'm Waiting

Good Tuesday Morning, World!

Got lots of news to post today at The Ponder. Also, gotta keep an eye on my stocks on E-trade.

Last night my phone went crazy. It keeps flashing on and off. I think it got a little wet. I'm afraid it won't straighten itself out and I may have to get a new one. My leave check and commissary money hasn't come in yet, and if that happens, I will have to use my credit card. I will have to have a phone if I have nothing else, in order that potential employers can call me.

Once I get my leave and commissary check from my previous employer, I should be okay for another couple of months until I can get some checks coming in again.

I still have about $3,000 worth of unused credit if I absolutely need it, on top of that, though. I am SO glad I made the choice to get it!

Yesterday, I gave the dogs a bath. They were, surprisingly, very good baby-dogs. They didn't run away. They sat in the tub like big boys, and when it came time to get out, they waited patiently for me to get the towel and then let me wrap them as they got out. I dried them off real good and powdered them down, and then watched them get all playful and excited running around the house feeling good, until they plopped to take a nap. They certainly smell better!

We had chicken nuggets and corn on the cob last night for supper. Fred got the bright idea to give them a cob eat when he got done. They LOVE that! Otis is being very territorial with his, and Milo carries his everywhere he goes.

All I have left to do is the carrots. Everything else is cut and stored. Today, I'll finish up on that. Last night I snacked on the pepper jelly and cream cheese crackers as we caught up on episodes of Supernatural, The 100 and then I couldn't talk Fred into watching Game of Thrones. He wants to wait until the whole season is out so we can binge watch it. I told him that's fine, all I ask is that I am home and watching it with him when he does.

I tried to start my lawn-mower, but I couldn't get it started. I need to clean my yard...I just don't have the energy...or is lack of motivation? Not sure.

I feel like I am starting completely over again, and I am praying I don't have to give up everything - again - and start over with nothing - again. But, if that happens, I know my God. I will survive, and I will be able to endure. I am blessed no matter what.

Well, time to get this day started.

Have a blessed day!

Today's a New Day

Hello, World.

Just getting my day started.

Yesterday, I canned my first pear preserves and they turned out awesome! So, I thought I would try my hand at some pepper jelly.

When I got done, it tasted great, but it was WAY too hot. I think I used too many peppers. So, I only have one jar of those, and the rest of the peppers, I am going to cut up and throw in the freezer.

I am out of jars. So, I'm prepping the oranges today and throwing them in the freezer for later as well, the carrots, too.

I have learned that if I work too hard on my web site, I make less money. So, I'm not going to try so hard from now on. I'm only doing what I have time to accomplish. But, I am not neglecting it. I have plenty of time, I just won't feel as rushed.

Playing the stock market is a challenge. I have lost more than I have gained. But, I have also LEARNED. It's a very strategic game you play with that, with real consequences, so I have to be careful. But, it's also fun.

I use the E-trade website. And, what I have learned is that commissions you pay when you buy stocks are what costs you the most. The only one really making money right now is the bank. LOL. But, I have also learned that it takes a LOT of patience and playing by the rules, and on a good day, there is money to be made. I have also learned that you have to have money in order to make money on Wall Street.

I have also learned that sometimes you just got to cut your losses.

Well, other than waiting for my new job to call me in, telling me I passed the background check, that's it for today's projects -- other than cleaning house, which is a never ending job (especially when you live with two bachelors, LOL)

Have a blessed day!

Here's to the Farmer!

Hello, World!

Thursday was a big day for me. It is the day that I go to Texarkana and get free produce from Flower Acres Baptist Church. They get produce every two weeks to give out to the public. No income verification is needed. Harvest Texarkana provides the produce from farmers who have an abundance and if it is not given away, it rots. So, we are blessed.

When I get there, I have to get in line, in my car as each car goes through the line. Each car should have it's trunk open as it goes through the produce line, slowly, so the volunteers can pack it with what is portioned out to them. When the last volunteer places his produce in the trunk, he shuts the trunk and tells you to have a blessed day, and you drive off.

I never know what I get until I get home, but it is always worth it.

This time, I got 2 grocery bags full of pears, 2 grocery bags of oranges, a bag of potatoes, two grocery bags full of seranno peppers, two bags of carrots, a pint of milk, a plastic serving of butternut squash noodles, and two bundles of bananas and two gigantic cabbage heads.

I gave half to my mom and sister.

The other half, I am using to can orange marmalade, pear preserves, saurkraut, carrots (every way I can do it) and we ate the bananas.

I have cabbage in bags in my freezer, and carrots, too. I am also going to make some pepper jelly. I'm cutting the rest of the peppers up to put in quart bags and store in my freezer for cooking with later.

Last night, I did a big boo boo. I cut some peppers and bagged them and wiped the seeds off the cutting board and forgot about it. Then, I cut up a pear to munch on.

Don't ever do that. Wash the board. Trust me. I couldn't taste the pear, my mouth was burning so bad! It was an hour before it finally died down completely. LOL

Today I made the saurkraut.

Tomorrow I have to make a trip to a memorial for my Uncle Bobby who died in 1994. He was the only man in the history of my little town of New Boston, Texas who got elected to office after he died. The city is going to put a memorial for him in the city museum.

Then, I'm going to come home and make some pear preserves and cut up some carrots for storage.

Well, it's late. I've updated my website and played around with PTCs and Traffic Exchanges while watching TV long enough.

Have a blessed day! (Mine is!)

Changes and Preparation

Hello, World!

Today is canning and cleaning day here at The Ponder home. I'll be making a trip to Flower Acres today to see what new produce I can gather up.

Yesterday, we had pizza from Little Caesar's, and I did some shopping at Cash Savers for the 6 for 22 deal in meats. Gotta save money any way I can, right?

Don't know if I got the job yet officially, but since she said we are just waiting on the background check, I am going to assume it's in the box. Of course, assuming always gets me in trouble. But, I'm stepping out in faith, anyway, so I decided to celebrate and also get us some stuff to make strawberry shortcakes with to celebrate. The guys enjoyed that!

I am going to do some changes at The Ponder News blog, as well. I'll be focused more on issue-oriented posts rather than solely on press releases now. I feel it is time to step up my game. I have enough sources now. Now I need to focus on traffic and my readers.

Need to give them a reason to keep coming back.

ON the website, I'm focusing on affiliate marketing. Anything you want will be found there eventually, all filed neatly for easy searching.

Eventually, I'll be making my own advertising banners to display on my news posts, rather than sending you directly to each affiliate, you'll be sent to a page with all the affiliates that fit that category, for a more complete shopping experience.

Wow. This is time consuming. But, what else do I have to do?

Have a blessed day!

Give Me Faith

Hello, World!

For the last three weeks or so, as I sat at home, praying and reflecting for the most part, I was doing my best not to question God's wisdom for my life.

In the past, God has always taken care of me. I have never gone hungry. God always gave me a way to get food. It may not have been the way I would have chosen, but I never went hungry.

I have always had shelter when I needed it. Even when I had to sleep in a homeless shelter. And, even if I didn't, God saw that I stayed alive and healthy.

God brought me out of a very abusive situation. He blessed me and everything I did.

I am now buying my own home.

When I needed healthcare, He made sure I had good insurance, so the bills were minimal. He gave me just enough so that I could wonder how, and then watch Him do.

I have always tried to bless others with the extra God gives me. I have two bedrooms I am not using, so I have rented them out to my two homeless friends. I am glad I did, because at least I know my house payment is going to be made, now that I am unemployed.

God has blessed me for blessing.

My heart was broken at having to leave my last job. But, I've tried hard to maintain my faith, to believe that God knows best.

Me knees are about as healed as they are going to get. My health is good. And, I've had time to do some internet marketing I've been putting off, to help me get through the NEXT time.

Today I go in for an interview at a place I sent my resume'. The job would be perfect, I think. The hours not near as long and the pay not near as good, but I've done what I can to cushion that. I will miss the insurance and retirement, but I know God has my back there, too.

Pray for me.

Have a blessed day!

The Rachel Scott Story: I am not Ashamed

If you have never seen it, I would advise you to watch "I am not ashamed: The Rachel Scott story".

This is about the first person who was killed at Colombine High School in 1999. It is truly inspirational. A MUST SEE.

Very Inspirational. I give it a 10!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, World!

or rather,

Happy Resurrection Day!

Today, approximately 2000 years ago, Jesus the Christ rose from the dead, sat up, neatly folded the napkin that was over his face and laid it on the table beside his funeral bed and walked out of the tomb.

He was on a mission of comfort and healing, as He had been during the 33 years before that day. He had one final mission: to make sure that his disciples understood what was asked of them. Only by showing them that He had conquered death could that happen.

Over 500 eye-witnesses saw Him walking the streets in the days after His death. That's a lot of eye-witnesses.

He showed Peter the power of forgiveness, and tasked him with "feeding His sheep" and "watching over His flock". Then, He went to the mountain and He told those that followed Him, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." He said He would stay with us until the end of the age.

And, He said on numerous occasions, "I'll be back."

Today, we don't just celebrate the resurrection. We also celebrate the new life, the second chance, the hopeful future that Jesus promised.

Happy Resurrection Day!

Forgiveness

I sat here today watching "After Colombine" on Pureflix.

As I listened to the second episode, I heard the former students who were there that day talk about forgiveness. It got me thinking.

These were kids (now adults, 20 years later) who still live with the trauma of what happened in their lives. They talk about what they have had to do in order to move on with their lives and not be "stuck" in the dark place that tragedy took them. They explained the process they went through in order to forgive and move on.

Many people suffer from PTSD from bad events that happened in their past. Soldiers who come home from wars, women who were raped, children who were abused. The PTSD, I have learned, is at its worse when the victim doesn't know how to forgive.

How many of us today are still holding on to anger over something someone did to us years ago. When we see them we become angry all over again, and it eats at us -- from the inside out. That is a form of PTSD.

Trauma can be defined as something that happens to you that your mind just can't seem to let go of. What may be something someone else seems to brush off and move on as if nothing happened, may be something you personally can't. That is a form of PTSD.

I look at the Colombine "Kids", and hear their story and then I look to myself at the things in my life that I have found hard to "let go". If they can do it, there is no reason I shouldn't be able to.

Getting By

Hello, World!

I had to go to the store last night because the dogs were out of food. As for me and the guys, we've been getting by.

The other night, I fixed chicken and dumplings for the first time in a while. The guys really enjoyed that. They said so.

Last night, I fixed homemade beanie weenies. Gary said it was really good, and reminded him of when he was a kid.

I was looking for something cheap and good.

I made a chicken and rice casserole the other night. Only one thing wrong with that: There wasn't more.

Tonight it's hamburger helper. Might cook up some of my cabbage to go with it. Or, sweet potatoes.

Doing all I can not to have to spend money.

Happy Easter weekend, and have a blessed day!

Storm

Hello, World.

I am starting to feel a little better.

It stormed here at the homestead last night. The dogs were frightened. Milo was in fight or flight mode all night.

I remember the first time he heard thunder, just a few days after I first got him. Poor baby used the bathroom all over himself, yelping and crouching in the middle of the kitchen floor.

He's grown a lot since then. Now he jumps in our laps, or tries to find the strongest person around to snuggle with. Or, hides in a corner somewhere.

Last night, I got the feeling he was trying to protect ME. LOL

Otis barked at the thunder.

Needless to say, last night wasn't a very restful one. I had to soothe my babies.

Well, time to get to work on the websites, and then fill out an app or two. Have a blessed day!

Applications, Dogs and Left-Overs

Hello, World!

I spent all day updating my sites and filling out applications and completing assessment exams. Wow, I didn't know you had to be educated in calculus to work at a pizza joint! LOL

Anywho...

I'm still not feeling well. Awful. Just Awful. I just have to endure...(which, I'm so good at doing now).

The dogs have spent most of the day outside. I gave them chew sticks once when they came in. Otis ran with his. Milo dropped his and walked off like I hurt his feelings or something, so I had to take his back and give him a bacon treat, instead.

Later, Otis had his stick over halfway chewed up, and when I sat down, he dropped his stick long enough to come love on me for a minute. Milo grabbed his stick when he wasn't looking and ate the rest of it. Mean dog. LOL

Fred is making friends with some stray cats we have hanging around. After months of feeding them, two of them are finally letting him pet them. Oh boy. A cat. Sigh...

The baby dogs will love that. LOL

It's left-over beans and cornbread today. I don't feel like cooking, and the guys aren't complaining.

Have a blessed day!

Vital Marketing and Me

Good morning, World!

Was looking at my earnings from my website and by the 11th of this month I surpassed my earnings from last month. Today I have doubled it. My sites are finally taking off after 10 years of playing with it. I think I hit the go button somewhere. LOL

Makes me want to keep working at it. Anyway...

I woke up late this morning. I have to go to the store, then I have to work on my living room some today. I'll be spending the rest of the day working on marketing again. Something is better than nothing, and I am not spending gas money.

I had a hundred shares of Vital Therapies, INC. I was doing good. The whole thing was $2 when I bought it. I was going to make $60 if I sold it all...then the company merge with another company and I was compensated only 2 shares of the new company. THAT SUCKS! Welcome to the stock market. Sigh...should have sold it. But, I wasn't allowed to sell until I held it for more than 30 days, and my thirty days wasn't up.

We're having beans and rice with sausage in the crockpot today. I don't feel like cooking. LOL

I was reminded last night that I am still a woman by God. Today, for the first time in months, it seems, I woke up feeling like I had a hangover from you know where. Not a good day, but doing the best I can with what I have with what God gives me to do it with.

Sigh...

Have a blessed day. (I know mine is, no matter how I feel).