Friday, September 19, 2008

Great Deal on Computer Parts

I love my laptop; I take it with me nearly everywhere I go, and I don't know how I would write without it. But while my HP Pavilion dv6000 "Entertainment PC" has been my constant companion for some months now, I always had one little issue with it that I couldn't get past – the power cord.

The official power cord was heavy, bulky, and ridiculously long (I liked the freedom that provided, but not the added bulk of the cord in my bag). Worse, it got terribly, terribly hot all the time. While at home, I often had to angle the cord so that the little box thingy (that's the technical term, you know) was directly in front of a fan. I burned myself more than once on the blasted thing, but that wasn't the worst of it. Occasionally, while playing a game or watching a movie, the cord would get so hot that it would malfunction and surge on me, killing the computer. I could always unplug and boot back up the system, but whatever I was doing was irrevocably lost. I hated it.

And, of course, like all such "official" junk, the power cord began to fray and tear after only 8 months of use. I felt cheated and frustrated, but what could I do? My choices were limited; I could either break down and replace the cord, or I could replace the computer. I put the task on my 101 goals list, and tried to forget about it. Unfortunately, it would not stay forgotten. Within days of me noticing the problem, it had escalated to the point where I was spending an hour or so at a time trying to angle the cord just right so that it would connect and give me a charge. I knew I needed a new cord ASAP, but wasn't looking forward to shelling out the 90 or so dollars HP wanted for a replacement. Instead, I turned to our friend, eBay. What I found was an eBay store called sib-usa.

The store had excellent feedback, and a record of shipping quickly, so I didn't hesitate to order my power cord. Where HP had wanted almost $100, sib-usa charged $9.99, with $10.99 shipping, for a grand total of $20.98, and they offered a longer warranty than HP's. Can't beat that, huh? Even with shipping more expensive than the item itself, it was still a great deal. I placed my order on a Friday night, expecting that, because of the holiday weekend, I'd get it late the next week or even early into the next, just in time for the first day of my challenge.

Wrong! I opened my front door the next Tuesday (Monday being a holiday) to find a little box waiting for me, my new power cord inside; the package had been over-nighted to my doorstep.

And the cord itself? I love it; it's lighter than the original, and while it does get hot, I've never been burned and it has yet to shut down my computer. It also seems to keep a better connection – I don't have to adjust it as often as I did the other. It even came with a convenient Velcro strap for wrapping it up, so that I can keep it neat without damaging or tangling the cords.

My experience with sib-usa on eBay was a great one, and I highly recommend them if you're looking for replacement parts or accessories. You can check them out here: http://myworld.ebay.com/sib-usa

1 goal down…100 more to go!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

My 101 Goals

Because People Matter, and so does my Faith

  1. Complete the "Captivating" journal
  2. Tithe off of each of my paychecks, no matter the circumstances (1/70)
  3. Find an online puppetry course and take it
  4. Donate hair to locks of love (actually has to be mailed in to count!!)
  5. Buy items for the angel tree at the mall every Christmas (0/3)
  6. Send a box for "operation Christmas child" every year (0/3)
  7. Raise money/collect shoes to equal 100 pairs for Shoes for Orphan Souls (0/100)
  8. Contribute via care package or bible mailing for Voice of the Martyrs
  9. Faithfully pray for my Sunday School Prayer Partner each week (5/141)
  10. Pay the tab of the person in line behind me at the drive-through
  11. Fast for 24 hours

To See the World (or at least more of my own backyard)

  1. Go to France
  2. Go to Disneyworld
  3. Go to Williamsburg
  4. Spend a night at Falcon's Rest B&B

Of Food and Finances

  1. Try one new recipe each week (0/141)
  2. Eat out no more than once a week, except for special occasions (2/141)
  3. Pay off all credit card debt
  4. Compile at least 101 recipes in my personal collection (14/101)
  5. Have a copy of my recipe collection professionally bound
  6. Put into savings out of each of my paychecks (0/70)
  7. Keep the checkbook balanced (0/141)
  8. Develop a taste for 6 new healthy foods (1/6)
  9. Make an apple pie entirely from scratch
  10. Automate all recurring bills
  11. Host a "gourmet" potluck
  12. Go one week without spending any money at all (not including actual bills)
  13. Earn $1001 outside of my "day job" (0/1001)
  14. Stick to our budget for a full month (not a cent over!)

Because my Family Deserves the Best

  1. "FLY" with Flylady for more than half of the 1001 days (7/501)
  2. Finish painting the Kitchen
  3. Paint the study
  4. Finish unpacking everything in the house
  5. Grow a square foot garden
  6. Take a ballroom dancing class with my husband
  7. Email C at least once a week every week (1/141)
  8. Send birthday cards to every member of my close extended family on their birthdays
  9. Find out the birthdays and anniversaries of every member of my close extended family 9/19/08
  10. Fill out every relevant page of our "Family Records" book.
  11. Start a journal written specifically to our future children
  12. Go on a picnic by a waterfall with my husband
  13. Send a thank you card for every gift received, even if given in person by a relative
  14. Get the complete Willow Tree nativity set
  15. Go apple picking together
  16. Go to a drive-in movie
  17. Organize our important documents (taxes, birth and marriage certificates, etc)
  18. find a safe place to store them
  19. Open and clean all windows in the house (even the ones sealed shut)

Because I'm Worth It

  1. Get motorcycle license
  2. Get a scooter and learn to ride
  3. Reach my healthy target weight
  4. Bring my GPA up to at least a 3.5 before leaving Motlow
  5. Exercise at least 3 days a week for 3 months (0/36)
  6. Land a leading role in a play
  7. Take the MENSA test
  8. Talk to/IM/email J at least once a week (3/141)
  9. Finish Pre-Cal with at least a B average (12/08 - A average!)
  10. Return all library books by their due date (not retroactive, lol!)
  11. Receive an Academic scholarship
  12. Move piano into house
  13. Have it tuned
  14. Learn to play Cannon in D
  15. Buy a new power cord for my laptop 9/7/08
  16. Deep clean my laptop and replace the missing key
  17. Purge wardrobe of anything that is outdated or torn
  18. Drink nothing but water for two weeks (1/14)

For Entertainment's Sake

  1. Watch 5 French films without subtitles (0/5)
  2. See a Cirque de Soleil performance live
  3. Watch AFI's top ten movies of all time (1/10)
  4. Read at least one book every week (1/141)
  5. Read 5 "banned" books (0/5)
  6. Read 5 fiction Pulitzer prize winners (0/5)
  7. Subscribe to a literary magazine
  8. See every local Theater League broadway show in a given year (0/4)

To Satisfy the Crafter in Me

  1. Make a quilt
  2. Finish (including framing and matting) 3 big cross-stitch projects (0/3)
  3. Learn how to crochet and read a pattern
  4. Make an Edward Cullen amigurumi
  5. Learn to knit
  6. Make an article of knitted lingerie
  7. Finish every piece of a "wardrobe" sewing pattern
  8. Sell something on etsy
  9. Enter something in the women's building at the fair
  10. Find a way to get the camera to work or get a new one
  11. Take 365 pictures and post them online (0/365)
  12. Paint the hope chest
  13. "steampunk" my laptop

Because I will Pursue my Dream Career

  1. Write every single day for a month – no exceptions (0/30)
  2. Finish a complete manuscript
  3. Query a literary agent
  4. Reach 600 posts on Crafty Little Things (11/600)
  5. Take Holly Lisle's "Thinking Sideways" course
  6. Have an article or short story published in print
  7. Write a bible study
  8. Finish NaNoWriMo
  9. Write a short story in French
  10. Obtain an external hard drive and back up all of my writing
  11. Have a poem published in print
  12. Get paid for a piece of my writing
  13. Write and mail letters to the 5 living authors who have had the greatest impact on me (0/5)

And because it will all be worth it…

  1. After 1001 days, celebrate the journey with a nice dinner out, no matter how many things got accomplished (or didn't).

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

101 Goals in 1001 Days

Maybe you've guessed, by taking a look at the post dates on the website, that I'm a big dreamer who struggles with the follow-through. If there were any one thing that I could just magically change about myself, that would be it!

Well, I don't foresee that happening anytime in the near future, but I DO know that dreaming big is always a good thing. With that in mind, I've decided to join the "101 Goals in 1001 Days" bandwagon.

For the full details, go here: http://www.triplux.com/dayzero/default.asp.

Basically, the idea is to come up with a list of 101 things that you wish to accomplish in 1001 days (a little less than 3 years). The time frame is broad enough to be realistic, but not overwhelmingly long. The list should be comprised of goals which are "specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part)."

As you can see, the list in and of itself is a challenge!

I'll be posting my list and adding a countdown timer here as soon as I get it done, and then will post updates to my various successes and failures as I go.

What about you? Do you have a list? If so (or if you decide to start one) tell me a bit about it and provide a link in the comments section. I'd love to see what some of your goals are, and how successful you've been thus far!

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Adventures in Spaland

The idea of having enough money to spend the day at a real spa is absolutely laughable in this house – in fact, I can't remember a time in my life when the idea didn't seem like a farfetched dream. That said, what girl DOESN'T like the sound of a day devoted to pampering? I certainly do! With that thought in mind, I decided to spend a few hours last night treating myself to an in-home spa experience. The results were – well, I'll let you decide whether the effort was wasted or not.

While I come up with a lot of wild and crazy ideas, I like to do lots of research before jumping in. So when I decided that the evening was ripe for girly entertainment, the first thing I did was jump online. My best friend, Google, pulled up lots of pages filled with home-spa ideas, but most of them called for exotic fruits, tons of essential oils, and a forest's worth of nuts and berries to pull off. I didn't have any of those things on hand, so I took note of the common elements in the recipes and continued my search. The overarching theme of all of the pages was that bath and body products get absorbed into your skin, so if you wouldn't put it inside your body, you shouldn't put it on it, either.

Having taken lots of notes about what kind of pantry goods did good stuff to your skin, I made one last stop at About.com. They seem to think they know everything, so I thought maybe I'd find some sage advice there, too. About's big beauty secret? Kitty Litter. No, I'm not kidding. According to their "spa" page, it is a well kept industry secret that the "premium" clay used in most facials is the same stuff they make the cheapo, store-brand cat litter with. So swears industry insiders. Just add water and, if desired, some essential oils, and voila! You have a cheap as dirt (no pun intended) facial.

Warning bells went off right away ("Would you put cat litter IN your body, Lily?"), but NOOO…I just had to try it. So, under the guise of changing out the cats' litter, I scooped a small bowlful out of the brand new bag of Special Kitty 'premium' litter, and hid it under a hand towel on the bathroom counter so my DH wouldn't see it and think I had lost my mind.

Then it was off to the kitchen to collect the rest of my supplies. I started with a simple body scrub, made from salt (I combined regular table salt with a little bit of crushed sea salt – that stuff's expensive, and I didn't want to waste it) and extra-virgin olive oil. I just drizzled enough olive oil into the bowl of salt to make a paste, then set the bowl aside.

Next was my facial scrub. I had seen lots of "facial smoothies" on the web, so I thought I'd make my own. A little bit of sugar, for exfoliation, some raspberry preserves, and a heaping spoonful of full-fat yogurt later, I had a concoction that smelled good and was mostly the consistency I thought it should be. Taking one last look in the fridge, I pulled out the big bottle of Lipton's Green Tea that I had bought on my last health kick, and the bottle of Arbor Mist that was still half full from my anniversary in May. Obviously, DH and I aren't big drinkers…I don't particularly like wine, in fact, but nearly every spa thingy had suggested it, and I wanted to use one of the pretty wine goblets that came with our crystal.

I carried my spoils off to the bathroom, where I tried to figure out how to arrange everything in the handicap shower our lovely little home came outfitted with. For the record, wine goblets fit nicely into the baskets of shower caddies if you angle them just right! I cleared out all the bottles and bath paraphernalia (Am I the only one who thinks these spa treatments sound an awful lot like work?) and settled my three bowls on the bench. It was time to relax!

First up was to wash my hair and slather it in conditioner. I let that sit, pulled up in a bun, while I worked on the rest of me. The "clay" mask was first on the agenda. I didn't have any essential oil, so I just went with warm water and a splash of the green tea, to make it smell good. Unfortunately, our "premium" litter, which refuses to clump when I need it to, decided that it wanted to clump now. Slathering mud studded with little pebbles on my face was NOT my idea of a relaxing time! I gave up on it quickly, but the mud didn't want to give up on me. The next thing I knew, I was trying to wash the mud off of the shower walls, curtain, and the detachable shower head.

Once that mess was finally cleaned up, I slathered the "face smoothie" on. It was cool and silky, and felt marvelous! It also smelled great, which made up for the clay disaster. Once I had it applied, I gently scrubbed from head to toe with the salt and olive oil. It felt so good, my earlier mishaps were quickly forgotten.

The best part about the scrub was that after I'd rinsed it off, there was enough oil still on my skin to make shaving a breeze. I've never had such a smooth, comfortable, close shave in my entire life. By that point, the smoothie mask was dripping a bit (it tastes as good as it smells, by the way), so I rinsed it off, too. I realized that my wine goblet, forgotten until that point, was full of hot tap water, so I dumped it down the drain and rinsed my hair. I ended my "spa" experience by splashing my skin with cool green tea, then toweling off. I was tired and the bathroom was a mess, but my skin was soft and smooth, and I smelled fantastic.

While the evening wasn't as much of a success as I would have hoped, I DID come away feeling pampered. Here are the recipes I would suggest for your own home spa treatments. Feel free to adapt and play with them – that's what I did in the first place!


Mediterranean Body Scrub –

1 cup table salt

2 tbsp. crushed sea salt

About ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil


Combine all in a small bowl, adjusting the amount of olive oil as needed, to create a paste. Gently rub into skin, avoiding delicate areas, and concentrating on tough spots like the elbows, knees, and feet.


Raspberry Smoothie Facial -

2 tsp granulated sugar

2 tbsp raspberry preserves (With seeds)

4 tbsp full-fat plain or vanilla yogurt

Mix together in small bowl, and return to fridge if not being used right away. Apply by rubbing on face in gentle, circular motions, avoiding the delicate eye area. Leave on about 10 minutes, then rinse off. Follow with a toner and moisturizer.


Green Tea Toner –

To really complete the spa experience, place a pale green tea in a spray bottle and chill slightly. Lightly mist over body and face. Pat dry, then follow with moisturizer and lotion.

Do you have any home-spa recipes of your own? If so, feel free to share them in the comments section. I'd love to hear them!

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Reprinting Rights

Unless otherwise noted, all works found on Crafty Little Things are the intellectual property of Lilith Bitterfield. If you would like to reprint an article you find here, you may do so - under certain conditions.

All of my works are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. This means that you have my permission to reprint, redistribute, and otherwise use my work for non-commercial purposes, as long as you credit me for the work and link back to this site. You may not alter the work in any way. If you do chose to reprint anything I've written, I would love to see it; send me a link using the contact form at the bottom of the page.

Permission to reprint the material for commercial purposes may be granted free of charge or for a small fee on a case-by-case basis. If you would like to use one of these articles for commercial purposes, please use the form below to email me about it.

Prayer Requests for July 19th-23

Prayer is one of our most powerful tools as believers; it strengthens our relationships, both with God and with each other, and provides an avenue for God to work in our lives and hearts. I am committed to praying for each and every person who asks me to, and you will find many of those requests shared here. If you are so inclined, please take a few minutes to stop and pray for those listed below.

Prayer Requests - July 19-23

Melanie - 3 years old; inoperable brain tumor
Gregory - 9 years old; mono
Thomas - cancer, currently in ICU

Mona - hospitalized for pneumonia
Larry - having knee surgery
Polly - knee replacement
Doris - kidney surgery
Terry - knee and back problems
Reba - having blood sugar problems

Aubrey - tooth extraction
Lily and DH - guidance with upcoming career decisions



If you have a request of your own, please use the contact form found at the bottom of each page to email me. Note the nature of the request, whether it is urgent or not (urgent needs will be posted on an individual bases), and the duration for which you would like your request to be displayed. By default, all requests received will use first names only. Please specify if you would like your request handled differently. Also, please feel free to send private requests, as well. Just note on the form that you don't want the request made public, or if you want only your name displayed.

Slavin' Away


"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men. Because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free." Ephesians 6:5-8


For most of us, real slavery is something we never need worry about. The very fact that the world's leading nations are collectively known as the "Free World" goes to show the wide range of personal freedoms that we enjoy. But it doesn't always feel that way, does it?

In the toil and drudgery of everyday life, it's easy to forget just how blessed we are. Instead, we end up feeling like slaves to our families and to our workplace. Our jobs, especially, can be sources of real frustration. Whether our work is demanding or just plain monotonous, it can make us feel trapped. Financial obligations keep us in a position long after our enjoyment has worn off, or worse – in a job we never wanted in the first place. In such circumstances, it becomes harder and harder to drag ourselves out of bed each morning and into the 'daily grind'. With no end in sight, what are we to do?

Scripture provides our answer, though it's one we may not want to hear. The bible doesn't say that we're forced to keep the same, dead-end job for the rest of our lives, but it DOES dictate how we are to behave while we are there. Ephesians 6:5-8 (quoted above) and Colossians 3:23-24 both tell us that as "slaves", we are to diligently serve those above us, as if working for the very Lord. No matter the task, no matter the circumstances, we are to do our jobs wholeheartedly.

Stop and think about that for a moment – how would you work differently if your boss called in sick, and Christ filled in for him? Would your attitude change completely? Mine sure would! While we may not be in love with all of our circumstances, we cannot use that as an excuse to slack off or to serve grudgingly. With every new responsibility we take on or job we are assigned, we must commit to working as if God is the one who will review the final product of our efforts.

Of course, the concept of having Jesus as our boss is all fine and good – but what if we have a boss we think is better compared to Satan? We've all had them at one time or another…and boy, does it make things difficult! Working with and for someone who has a bad attitude or who belittles, degrades, and attacks us is certainly never fun, and keeping an attitude of servitude is anything but a cakewalk in that kind of environment. And yet, that's exactly what we're called to do. I'm not saying that you have to stay in situations where you are miserable, or that you shouldn't report someone who is harassing you at work. What I am saying is that, no matter the circumstance, we must always serve as if we were serving the Lord.

That concept is never an easy one, but it becomes just a little bit easier to swallow when we look at WHY. As with every other commandment in scripture, there is a very good reason behind this attitude. The act of serving wholeheartedly in an unfavorable or hostile situation is very different from the mindset of our culture. By acting in such a way, you are setting yourself apart from (while still engaging in) the world. An 'attitude of servitude' grabs the attention of the people around you because it is unusual. This attention can then be directed to your savior – in short, by serving wholeheartedly regardless of the situation, you are taking a step away from the crowd and shouting 'hey, look over here!', at which point heads turn, and you are privileged with a golden opportunity to point toward Jesus.

I don't want to imply that any of this is easy. Whether you are spotlighting Christ in front of 2 people or 200, you are still fulfilling a vital ministry. Quiet, unspoken evangelism of this sort is some of the most important in the world, and that takes a tremendous amount of faith and effort. As Beth Moore put it in her study A Woman's Heart, God's Dwelling Place, "For those really fulfilling their calling of evangelism and ministry, purity is neither easy nor accidental. We must guard our minds and put on our armor. A war rages out there. And we are Satan's favorite prisoners." (Moore, 141). Not everyone is called to the kind of ministry that Beth fulfills, but each and every one of us is called to a ministry of some sort. Even if that ministry involves "nothing more" than serving others with a Christ-like attitude, we must fight for the will to do it. Trust me when I say that living in accordance with today's verses will meet heavy, heavy opposition.

But we can take heart – both the Ephesians and Colossians passages follow up their verses with a promise; while we may never receive acknowledgement for our wholehearted servitude in this life, those who work as for the Lord will receive their reward from Christ himself. In the end, though we are serving earthly 'masters', our real work is to bring glory to God…and God is the one, perfect boss who keeps a record of all we've accomplished in his name.


Resources:

The Archaeological Study Bible, NIV translation, Zondervan

A Woman's Heart – God's Dwelling Place, updated edition, Beth Moore