The Ballad of the Broken-Down Cars

Image from North Geelong Radiator Center

I didn't want to get on here and complain, so I haven't said anything on Facebook or anywhere else, but my life has been SO ridiculous this week that it's just downright funny now! So I just had to share.

The short story? Hubby in Africa, both vehicles break down, internet goes out, stranded twice. 

Yeah. 

Here's the timeline:

MONDAY - Lonny flies to Malawi, nearly misses his flight, then the last leg is delayed and he spends the night in the airport in Nairobi. But he finally arrives safely - yay!

TUESDAY - Our 1999 Cadillac Seville overheats just driving a few miles to Santaquin, even though the coolant was filled before the very short trip. We decide not to drive it anymore until my brother-in-law, Lyle, (who is my hero when Lonny is gone!) can check it out for me.

WEDNESDAY night - Our 2002 Chevy Express Van's battery light starts glowing. I've never seen it happen, so I ask Lyle about it and he agrees to look at it when he comes over Friday. Also, our internet starts having issues, so we have on/off internet & phone all day. This continues throughout the week. Lonny's having internet issues too, so no communication with him in Africa.

Why I Love the Miss Genola Program

Last year three of my daughters participated in the Miss Genola Program, one as a "Miss Genola" contestant, one as a Junior Miss participant, and one as a committee member. We were all hesitant to get involved at first, because I have never been in a "pageant" in my life, I've never had a desire to do so, and my girls have pretty much followed my lead on that.

However, last winter my oldest daughter, Jessica, was asked by Kristy Green, to participate on the Miss Genola committee. Jessica loves Sister Green so readily agreed to help. When she heard what the program was going to be all about, she said to herself, "Now THAT'S the kind of program I want to be involved with!" Once she agreed, Jessica set about to convince her sisters that they should all participate. She got a lot of push-back, because... well, I already told you why - we just don't do pageants.

But then Jessica mentioned to 16 year old Katilyn that there would be a scholarship for the winners of the program. This started to get our attention a little! So, we decided to go to the Introductory Brunch and see what it was all about. By the time we left, we were psyched about participating in Miss Genola! 

Why? I'll tell you why! This is no ordinary program!

In fact, it's not really a typical pageant at all, in the sense that many of us think of pageants. First of all, it's very far removed from being a "beauty" pageant, because the contestants' scores are based only 10% on appearance. Yeah. Really! No swimming suits, no prancing about, no immodest attire. In fact, the program focuses primarily on inner beauty, service, building strength, and developing friendships. 

If it's not a Typical Beauty Pageant, then What's it All About?

Well let me tell you about one of our gatherings, and you decide for yourself.

Blog Spotlight: DIY Confessions & A New Journal Idea

This morning I read a post on the Flylady mailing list about a recipe for homemade bathtub cleaner posted on a blog called "DIY Confessions." I went to www.diyconfessions.com, anxious to see what other fun household tips they had. I was surprised to see that the current post on the home page was not about housekeeping at all. It's title read: "Seven Tips to Eliminate Postpartum Depression."

This caught my attention for a couple of reasons. First, because I have been feeling kind of blue the last few weeks. Second, because I am no stranger to the whole "baby blues" thing, after having given birth to 7 children in 13 years! Though my youngest is now 9 years old, and baby blues are far behind me, I have friends who may be dealing with postpartum issues.

So - I started reading.

The very first tip caught my eye because I think it's such a great idea, whether you're dealing with actual depression, or if you're just wanting a really great way to end each day with some positive closure. Although, I have a confession of my own: Being the jumbled person that I am,  I haven't actually read the rest of the tips in the article because I got so excited about sharing the first one with all of you - my jumbled friends - that I came over here to start writing and never finishing reading the post! hahaha... oh well! It's a really good tip, so I'm sure the rest are great too! ;) Here it is....

Keep a journal. 

Simple, right? But how can that help? Here's a bit of what blogger Ceara said about it: "This was actually the most effective tool I used! I would just write these three questions out before bed and answer them: 

1. What was the high point of my day? 
2. What was the low point of my day? 
3. What am I looking forward to tomorrow? 
4. I eventually started added a verse as well that I found encouraging. 

She continues: "I saw how shallow the lowest point of my day was. You know, the thing that was supposedly ruining my life? Yeah, when I looked at it on paper it didn’t seem so bad."

Here's a picture of one of Ceara's actual journal entries.

Wow - this is SO SIMPLE and yet SO PROFOUND! Writing in a journal can really be a great way to get your feelings on paper and give some closure to each day. In fact, my husband Lonny told me once that he doesn't sleep as well if he hasn't written in his journal, because it gets rid of all of that stuff that's bouncing around in his head, and gets it out on paper so he can rest.

I love the four points that Ceara suggests including in your journal entry each day. Instead of being overwhelmed by trying to catalog everything that happened that day, you can just write a few simple things to get an overall view. Being able to think back on the day and identify something great that happened as well as something tough that happened helps you to take a step back from your life and see it from a different perspective. And listing what you are looking forward to tomorrow? What a great way to give yourself a reason to get out of bed the next morning!

I've been keeping a journal fairly regularly on and off since I was a teenager, and I've been working at getting my habit back "on" since 2014 started. My goal has been to write just 5 sentences every night, no matter how tired I am. I did really well in January (don't we all?) and then dropped off a bit in February. So - March is a new month, and I'm going to use this idea to get myself motivated to write more often again. Tonight I'm going to write about my high point, my low point, and what I'm looking forward to tomorrow. PLUS - a scripture verse - love those!! 

How about you? You may want to give the journal thing a try! 

If you'd like to read the full post and learn about Ceara's other six suggestions for eliminating post-partum depression (which I haven't read yet, lol!), visit DIY Confessions for yourself at www.DIYconfessions.com. You'll also find "tutorials for DIY projects, crafting, thrifted finds, delicious recipes, the joys of motherhood, tips & tricks and green cleaning." 

Thanks for reading, and have a marvelous day! 
~JS~