Bought these beauties tonight.

I wasn't planning on purchasing anything.

But I truly DID need a pair of blue shoes.

Anyways.

How in the world could I pass up:

PATENT LEATHER

HIGH HEELS

PEEP TOES

and

FIFTEEN DOLLARS

??

I couldn't persuade myself that it was unneccessary.
And I'm not regretting it!

linky, linky

Here's a link of a girl's blog that I read.

I'm linking to her engagement/"courtship" story. It was just an incredible blessing to read how she was just waiting for God to do the work. Motivation for me to keep on diligently (patiently) waiting!

Here's the link.

All work and no play....

So I've had two free fun days in a row this week. So unbelievable. On Wednesday, I went downtown Chicago with a friend (K), one of her daughters (A), and her best friend (J). It was in celebration of A's birthday. We rode the train to Chicago and both of the girls were free both ways because they were under 13 and we weren't traveling during rush hour. That was an awesome blessing! We did some shopping and ate at a fabulous restaurant that I'm going to drag my parents to one of these days. :)

Side note: As far as shopping, I finally bought my first White Sox tshirt. I've been wanting one for a while.

On Thursday, I got to put the White Sox shirt into use because I went to a Sox game with a family that I work for. They won 4 tickets (and great parking) at a charity auction they went to earlier this spring. Her husband recently took a job out of state so he wasn't able to go with the family. So they invited me. It was great fun! I really love going to Sox games. They're such a treat because I don't go very often. However, the family that I went with were Cle. Indians fans so that made a little competition. I really can't believe that the Indians won because the Sox had been clobbering them in the days prior to Thursday. All in all it was a great outing and I was back for church in time, which was important. :)

This week, I feel like I have been showered with blessings. They have all been little things but to me they are huge. So it's been an incredible week!

indexing

So ya'll remember about a week ago (maybe two...or three??) when I mentioned that I was starting something new. (Was that what I said?) Anyways.

......Rewind.

A while back, I checked out a book from our local library entitled, C*a*reers for Bo*okwo*rms and other Li*terary Type*s. It looked interesting enough. Most of the careers in the book required degrees in Library Sciences or advanced degrees in History, etc. But there was one little interesting career that caught my eye. An indexer.

Ok. Raise your hand if you think that the index in the back of the book is done by a person (two people out of the ten that I asked said yes).

Ok. Raise your hand if you think that the indexing in the back of the book is done by a computer (everyone else, including me, answered yes).

I honestly assumed that the indexing was done by a computer. Now this is not to say that it is never done by a computer but from what I have gathered, that's not the majority.

So I sent in a check on Monday morning to an Indexing Society. (Exciting people work there, let me tell ya. I talked to them on the phone. They sounded like an indexer.) And I will be working on getting my certification to have some (much needed) credibility.

So I'm telling you all this and it may not all pan out. But I just wanted to share the exciting news. I'm praying that this will work out for me. I really, really need an additional source of income besides just cleaning houses. I'm not complaining because all of my needs are provided for. However, I do feel that I need to be a better steward of my talents and be more diligent about saving money since I am single and I don't want to be a burden on my parents. Plus, I like to read and am detail-oriented, so this seems like a fit.

I'll have to keep you posted on how things work out!

When my grandma first moved up here to IN with us, my Mom let me move the four-poster bed that was originally hers growing up into my bedroom. I was so thrilled! It was a beautiful four-poster bed. The bed is part of a bedroom set that my grandparents purchased from a wealthy, old couple before my Mom was born. So this set is an antique. Well, for the past 4-5 years since my grandma has lived up here, the matching dresser and desk has sat in storage. Not anymore! It's in my bedroom and I couldn't be more thrilled!

vintage paper lining the top drawers

the desk/dressing table

the dresser

the view from the doorway in my bathroom

the view from my bedroom door

It's far from perfect and there are a lot of nicks and scratches, the drawers stick a little and don't work exactly right but I think it's absolutely fabulous!

day-shza-BOO (okay, that's a play on words!)

Normally, the third time's the charm but sadly, it took me until the fourth time to divulge this un-important blog post.

Ok. I am an observant person, especially while driving. I drive the shuttle back to the church on Sunday mornings after we pick up all the kids and they get on the bus and we're headed to church. Ok. And (basically) every Sunday morning for years, I have passed a family in a green minivan headed to church in the opposite direction. Now you might think that it is weird that I would notice. But they're just a distinct family in a green van. I don't want to bore you with the details of why they're distinct, just trust me, it's distinct.

So about a year ago, I'm in Target and I see a lady in a long skirt (clue: Christian) and her daughter in a long skirt (clue: Christian) and her son. I'm like.....oh....I bet they're Christians. Well, they noticed me, too, because I was wearing.......a SKIRT! I smiled politely in a small acknowledgment of, "Oh yes, I notice that you're a Christian. Incredible!" I go on my merry way. I notice, while I'm in the toothpaste aisle some people peeking around the corner to look. When I turn my head, this same daughter and son combo walk hurriedly past like they weren't lookin' at nuthin'. Ok. That was really weird. And it happened a couple of times. Then, I actually start to look at these people and I realize, they are the people I pass in the green van every Sunday morning on the way to church. So weird!

I can't remember the second time I saw them.

But I definitely remember the third time. I'm standing in line at Wal-Mart, waiting while a (dear) old couple insists that this particular Valentine candy is not the price that's being rung up on the screen. At 5:07pm when everyone and they brother, mother, and sister are picking up dinner ingredients. I tried to hide my irritation because they were (dear) old people. Anyways, I look across the aisle, and who do I see checking out in another line? You guessed it! This time, it was the mother and the daughter, sans the son. By the time they were done checking out, I was done purchasing my few items. They were about 10 feet in front of me as we're walking to our respective cars. I am not lying when I say that the daughter turned around at least 5 times to stare at me. I'm like....YES!...I wear a skirt. There are other people on this planet that wear skirts!

The fourth time was tonight. I'm in Walgreens and in walks a man, his son, and a lady in a skirt. I"m like...oh!....those people must be Christians. And, boy, do they ever look familiar. As I'm walking out of the store, I realize.....IT'S THE PEOPLE IN THE GREEN VAN!!

Next time, I'll have to introduce myself.

may I be an encouragement?

Sometimes, I feel like I give-give-give of myself in areas and see absolutely no return. It can be discouraging. I don't know if any of ya'll have ever felt this way before.

But don't forget, "...whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." (Galatians 6:7)

I was reminded of this last night after my cello lesson. My cello teacher is AWESOME!! And I was so blessed as I left my lesson last night. I was her last student and she could have easily packed me out the door at 8pm sharp. But she didn't. I was there at least an extra 10 minutes. It may seem like a small thing but she had been teaching since 3pm and she simply took extra time with me. And she said that she was glad to end the day with me. Wow! She is such a blessing to me. (And I do believe that she is a Christian!)

So as I was walking to my car, I was reminded that I do get blessed for my efforts. Even if it's not necessarily in the direct capacity that I have given of myself, I am still rewarded.

"...whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."