Chatter

Where to start, it feels like I haven't sat and blogged in like forever. Of course that is besides the Thursdays at the park and Bench talk, I do force myself to sit long enough to get my two cents in or when it comes to Bench talk tomorrow my $20.00 worth!

Firstly, let me say how much I have missed chatting with all you Benchers. Work is going very well, it is long days but I really enjoy it. I like the interaction with the kids and coming up with different menu ideas that I think they will like. This past week I made meatball subs and they were a huge hit! I sold all that I had made and only heard great reviews on them. I am going to do Pizza subs this week. I am very busy at lunch time, so busy that I need help, the teenager had a day off this past Monday and came to help me, and the husband is on the afternoon shift so he has come in the other days to help. There is no way I can do the lunch without help. The preorders have increased which does make it a little easier but it is very busy. I have about an hour mid morning and an hour mid afternoon when it is quiet and I can plan menus, eat my lunch or just read the paper. Sometimes, I will even do my bible study homework then. This past Friday a note went home to all the elementary students announcing Monday soup days. They can preorder a bowl of warm soup on Mondays to accompany their homemade lunch. KD has agreed (kinda twisted her arm) to come in on Mondays and help get the soup orders out. They will be delivered to the child's classroom just before their lunch time. I am hoping it will be a hit! As of this coming Wednesday the grade 4's and 5's will be able to come to the kitchen and order their lunch, so that will also increase business. This past week was the highest sales so far and I was able to pay back all the original investment that I put into the business! Now I can start taking a SALARY!!!!

As I am writing the little one is coughing away on the couch watching cartoons, she has caught a cold so I think we will let her just lay on the couch for the day. The teenager is still sleeping, she went to a birthday party with Dilbert (the boyfriend) last night but was home before 10:00 pm. She said that some girl party crashers had arrived and brought alcohol and things were starting to get a little out of control so they left. After she told us the story I did mention how proud of her I was for making a wise decision and leaving the party before things got out of control.

This past week has been fairly quiet concerning the teenager, but as usual we all know that calm will not last too long. It was rough a few weeks ago but I am getting real tired of the drama and told the husband it is time for him to step up and deal with her emotions and hormones for a change! Now lets see if I can follow through on my decision and stay out of it.

The husband has been working steady for a few months now but layoffs start the beginning of November for two weeks and he told me that at Christmas he will have 5 weeks off instead of the normal two weeks off. The plant is shutting down for retooling.

A few weeks ago the Wednesday night Women's bible started and I did say I would blog about it. If you remember I mentioned we would be studying Living Beyond Yourself by Beth Moore http://www.lifeway.com/lby/. Well, let me say so far so good. We have 27 women signed up, amazing. This past week we studied just who is the Holy Spirit, and it was very eye opening. I am excited to see where God will lead this group of women and of course, myself.

Also, our Friday night Small Group has resumed after the summer. We are studying a book by Richard Stearns called, "The hole in our Gospel", http://www.theholeinourgospel.com/. Mr. Stearns is the CEO of World Vision in the US. We have read and discussed the first three chapters. I am excited about this book as well. It is a good read (so far) and if your heart is in missions then this is a book for you. As a small group we are trying to find a missions project we can do that includes all the children that are part of our group (13 kids ages 4 - 17). In the new year we are planing a food drive challenge for our church. We would like to challenge all the other small groups to fill up our sanctuary platform stairs. For the next few weeks we are looking into a few things. I was given some information about Habitat for Humanity's Aluminum Pop Cans drive. I am going to go to the website and get more info and talk to the group. I think this is something the kids can do and get excited about. Also, I know KD has been talking to a organization called Regeneration they work with women who are in the world of prostitution and (usually) drugs and try to get them to make better choices for themselves. I don't know much about this one yet.

Well that's about it for now I need to get ready for church. I am looking forward to your interaction.

Carolin

P.S. Welcome follower number 19!! I can't wait to get to know you as we chat on the Bench