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dianetavegia -> Another week approaches (7/13/2008 9:17:24 PM)

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Deuteronomy 11:13-17 'And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.' Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, lest the Lord's anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you.


Deuteronomy 11:18 -32 Place these words on your hearts. Get them deep inside you. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder. Teach them to your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning until you fall into bed at night. Inscribe them on the doorposts and gates of your cities so that you'll live a long time, and your children with you, on the soil that God promised to give your ancestors for as long as there is a sky over the Earth. That's right. If you diligently keep all this commandment that I command you to obey - love God, your God, do what he tells you, stick close to him God on his part will drive out all these nations that stand in your way. Yes, he'll drive out nations much bigger and stronger than you. Every square inch on which you place your foot will be yours. Your borders will stretch from the wilderness to the mountains of Lebanon, from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea. No one will be able to stand in your way. Everywhere you go, God-sent fear and trembling will precede you, just as he promised.

I've brought you today to the crossroads of Blessing and Curse. The Blessing: if you listen obediently to the commandments of God, your God, which I command you today. The Curse: if you don't pay attention to the commandments of God, your God, but leave the road that I command you today, following other gods of which you know nothing. Here's what comes next: When God, your God, brings you into the land you are going into to make your own, you are to give out the Blessing from Mount Gerizim and the Curse from Mount Ebal. After you cross the Jordan River, follow the road to the west through Canaanite settlements in the valley near Gilgal and the Oaks of Moreh. You are crossing the Jordan River to invade and take the land that God, your God, is giving you. Be vigilant. Observe all the regulations and rules I am setting before you today.


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Isn’t she beautiful? This is our five year old granddaughter, Kaylee Elizabeth.




Wow did it rain today. Jim and I rode into Atlanta right after Sunday School and, because of the rain, could only see one or two cars in front of us. Before starting home, we went to Wendy’s and got a chicken sandwich for me and a hamburger, fries and soda for Jim. I tried sipping the Coke and couldn’t drink it. Wow. It amazes me how just months ago I would have drank six or eight sodas a day and now can’t tolerate the carbonation.



I took a nap today. I slept about an hour and a half. The tendon in my neck is very sore. The muscle in my neck and shoulder hurt too. My ribs are about the same as last night. I’m ‘working through’ the pain in my right arm by forcing it above my head several times an hour. I couldn’t lift it at all this morning and now can lift it with just muscle discomfort. I’m glad I heal quickly!



We were going over to Jon and Mary’s to see their pictures from their vacation but there was a problem with one of the memory cards. One picture was corrupted. Once he removed that, he was able to upload and view his pictures. He’ll take them to Wal-mart in the morning and get them on a CD so we can view them on their 90 some inch t.v. We’ll go after the daycare baby leaves tomorrow night.



Nick’s invited his church friend to spend the night on Monday night and all day Tuesday. Mom has to check with Dad. Hope he can come. They usually just spend the day together. The family lives about 30 minutes from here. Nice family.



I didn’t do any chores today, to let my body heal a bit more, so I’ll have a lot of laundry and vacuuming to do tomorrow. Other than that, not much planned for this week.



I forgot to sign in on the photo sharing sites and lost many of my images in the first 924 blogs. Also, when you see an ‘item deleted’ notice, I deleted a blog years ago and every time I near a new page, the forum recognizes I should be on an extra blog and shows an error.



Hope you have a great evening.

[image]http://usera.imagecave.com/jimtavegia/diane3.gif[/image]

Diane Tavegia

Love Deeper. Speak Sweeter and in ALL THINGS, give thanks!



dianetavegia -> Tuesday chit chat (7/15/2008 4:35:47 PM)

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Psalms 26:1 “Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.”


Psalms 51:6 “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.”


Matthew 6:34 "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.”



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Nick’s friend came over yesterday afternoon and they’re having a great time. They’re so quiet that you’d not even know they’re around. Jim’s going to take them to the water park in Carrollton later today. It’s ‘Family Day’ and it’s $1.00 per person. If the daycare child were to leave early, I’d go with them.



Last night Jim and I went to Jon and Mary’s and viewed SOME of the pictures from their trip. We took such a long time viewing some of the pictures that we called it a night about 9:30. Jon took a huge amount of pictures of our youngest grandchild. She’s very photogenic and loves the camera. She has my nose, eye color and hair color. She favors my mother. She’s so easy going, like me, and always sees the bright side of everything. Jon took a number of photos of her in black and white. The child should be in magazines. I kid you not! The older granddaughter is camera shy. He only got a few shots of her in the background and one where she’d buried her head in a pillow after agreeing to have her picture taken.



Eden had made Grandpa a ‘toolbox’! It’s so precious. It has a strap for over his shoulder, a saw and wood, hammer and nail, screwdriver and pliers. She made it from construction paper. The girls sent us a lot of their drawings and creations for us to hang up. I’m running out of space! I’ll put some on the bulletin board over my sewing machine.



One of Mary and Jon’s girls has a cyst on her ovary. She’d gone to the doctor on Sunday night and he took blood, thinking she had appendicitis. She went for a CT Scan on Monday afternoon and was diagnosed with the cyst. She’s in so much pain. They did give her some pain medicine. She’s going to see another doctor later in the week. She’s only 15! Please pray for Christina.



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Hebrews 10:19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 This is the new, life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us through the sacred curtain, by means of his death for us. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's people, 22 let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23 Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.




We have many prayer needs within our extended family right now. I cannot share these because they are a sensitive nature or have been shared with me in confidence. Please pray for these unspoken concerns.



Today was a primary election locally. We didn’t vote. We don’t know anything about any of the people running for coroner, etc., and I really don’t think it matters who gets certain jobs. Many of these are more popularity type contests. I didn’t waste the gas.



So, I did my surveys and entered the sweepstakes available early this morning while I had my coffee and waited for my family to wake. It was quiet in the house.



The daycare baby is ill with a cold. She’s fussed and cried for two days. She has loads of yellow nasal discharge and is sneezing quite a bit, too. She was warm to the touch yesterday afternoon. She must feel awful because she’s a very easy going child. I can’t walk around and hold her because of my rib injury/ neck pain, but I sat and she’d put her head in my lap and just whimper. I sure hope I don’t catch her cold because sneezing is very painful right now. Hope she feels better soon. Poor little thing. She woke from her nap with both eyes swollen almost shut. I almost called mom, but waited about 30 minutes in case she’d slept funny. The swelling went down a good bit.



Jim needed a copy of Hamlet. A used bookstore had it for 93 cents. He went to pick it up. We have a VHS of the play. We’re going to watch it too. He just has to refresh his memory before taking another literature test.



More bruises have appeared from my fall. My right thigh and right arm are now sporting bruises. My ribs seem better every day. My neck hurt me quite a bit during the night. I’d rolled onto my stomach and woke with my neck hurting. I can raise my right arm over my head with no pain. I sure was blessed to not be badly injured!



Jim has left with the boys and I’m just entertaining the toddler until her father comes. Jim and Nick won’t be home until after 7:00, most probably, so we’ll be eating a late supper.



Scooter has adjusted well to my not walking him down the street at night. I walk with him in our backyard and he shows off for me with his soccer ball and running around with a stick or pinecone. We have a doggy Frisbee, too. It has a large cone that keeps it from lying flat. He loves to chase anything. I’m glad he made the adjustment so easily. It’s certainly much easier for me. Someone had suggested that Jim and I could still walk without the dog.



I heard Nick compliment his friend and ask about his shoes. The friend told him they cost $75.00. Nick’s shoes were on sale for $7.99 at Wal-Mart. He never says anything and never complains that he can’t have what other kids have. He’s a great kid.


I hope you’ve had a really nice day! Have a great evening.

[image]http://usera.imagecave.com/jimtavegia/diane3.gif[/image]

Diane Tavegia

Love Deeper. Speak Sweeter
and in ALL THINGS, give thanks!



dianetavegia -> Some money saving tips for you (7/17/2008 7:52:41 PM)

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Matthew 20:25-28 "But Jesus called them over and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and the men of high position exercise power over them. It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many."





Thursday: I have a flat screen monitor! I’m thrilled with it! I got it for FREE on Freecycle.org last week. It didn’t have any cords but we found the one we didn’t already have on Ebay. Jim set it up for me this afternoon. Amazing! The pictures are so pretty! My previous monitor was a hand-me-down from a man at church and it had lines running through it. It was one of those old, huge black units that took up large amounts of room.



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Of course, I put my 19” monitor on Freecycle right away. I have four people who want it. The ‘winner’ is supposed to pick it up tonight. Jim carried it down already. I really like the give and take of www.Freecycle.org and free is always good!



Scooter has a bald spot on his left foot. I’d say it’s a ‘hot spot’ but he’s never outside. He’s removed all the fur in a spot about the size of a quarter. Now he’s licked it until it’s starting to look a tiny bit raw. I’ve used anti itch doggie spray but he licked that off! Not sure what else I can do. I don’t have money to go buy something. Any ideas? I tried putting a gauze wrap on it and he took it right off.



A lady in the super nice neighborhood behind us (HUGE homes) puts coupons in my mailbox every few weeks. She’s an angel in disguise. I was able to find dozens of coupons for our son, his wife, our daughter, my mother and us. I have them in envelopes ready to mail or deliver.



My ribs are feeling better every day. My neck did hurt me a bit yesterday but I’d driven to Dollar Tree for some invitations for the 6th grade Sunday School class members. My car is a standard so there was shifting involved, plus twisting and turning my head. I’ve had even more bruises appear but these are more yellow. The one on my thigh is horrible. Again, I’m so very thankful I wasn’t badly hurt. The canker sores in my mouth from hitting my face on cement are very, very, very painful. One has started to get smaller. All three are right where my teeth touch the inside of my mouth. It hurts to talk or eat.



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My gas bill came today. I’ve made some changes in laundry, showers, dishwasher, etc., and my natural gas bill was down $11.00! I’m only doing ‘full loads’. I wash almost everything in cold water. I stopped using the extended dishwashing cycle that sanitizes and am using air dry to save on electricity. Nick used to take horribly long showers. He’s cut it down to 10 minutes. We cook with gas, and that hasn’t changed. We have gas hot water, heat, stove and fireplace. We’re not allowed to put up clothes lines in our subdivision. I’ve cheated, tho, by putting towels and jeans on the deck chairs, letting them dry almost fully, and then putting them in the dryer so they won’t be overly stiff.



Other things I’m doing to save money include: Using the minimum amount of laundry or d/w detergent for each load. Cutting napkins in half. For sweet tea, I’ve decreased my use of tea bags from 8 bags to 6 bags. We’ve switched to a cheaper brand of sugar and buy it in 10 lb bags, too. When items seem empty, we don’t ‘give up’. My roll-on deodorant appeared empty. I stored it upside down and got two full weeks more use. Make-up, both liquid foundation and mascara: When the container seems empty, immerse in hot water for a few minutes while you shower! I’ve been using a container of Revlon foundation for over a month now, after it seemed empty. Lipstick tubes, when they appear empty, can still hold lots of lipstick. Use a Q-tip or fingertip to get the remainder out for use. That is quite a bit! Toothpaste tubes (other tubes too) appear empty. Run a comb along the tube from bottom to top. You’ll find you can get a lot more paste out of the tube. When all else fails, cut the tube open at the bottom and reach inside! Add water to empty shampoo and conditioner. Shake well. Warning, on subsequent days, the shampoo will be quite cold, but there’s plenty left. I recently read to save shampoos or conditioners that you didn’t like to use as shaving cream for your legs! I’d never thought of that. Shaving your legs with the water off is much cheaper than doing it in the shower with the water running.



Old towels can be cut and hemmed to make wash cloths or hand towels. Really ratty towels can be cut into strips and braided into throw rugs. Get creative! I’ve used pockets from old jeans!! I cut them out, glued cardboard on the back and hung them with either magnets or sticky back tape to hold our glasses or pens by the telephone. They’d look really cute in school lockers.



Generic medicines! Did you know Benadryl and some over the counter sleep meds are all the same thing. Check out ingredients and dosages and choose the cheaper of the bunch. We always buy generic. Did you know that yeast infection medicine is the same as athlete foots medicine? Yep! There’s two types so check for your favorite and find what’s cheaper. Or, better still, get hubby to use that left over Monistat on his toes. Baking soda can be used in place of Alka-Seltzer. Follow directions on the box and burp away!



Animals: Shop around for vaccines. We take Scooter to a drive in vet who visits a local tractor store one day a week. He gives shots, exams and spay/ neuters for super cheap. If you have lots of pets, you can BUY the vaccines at Feed Stores and give it yourself. Follow directions, of course. You won’t have a tag or proof, tho. Not sure how you’d get around that except for keeping a journal and receipts for the meds. Hmmmm



I’m thrilled! Dr. Preston Nix is going to come and preach at our church on July 27th! I’ve heard Billy Graham and many of the ‘great’ preachers and Preston can out preach all of them! If you live anywhere near Villa Rica, Georgia, you need to come hear this man preach! Dr. Nix is the Associate Professor of Evangelism and Evangelistic Preaching at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I wish he’d taken the job as our pastor, but God had called him to teach young men entering the ministry and I yield to God’s call.



Meanwhile...... have a lovely evening and God Bless!


[image]http://usera.imagecave.com/jimtavegia/diane3.gif[/image]

Diane Tavegia

Love Deeper. Speak Sweeter and in ALL THINGS, give thanks!



Butterflies Villa Rica, Georgia Diane Weldy Money saving tips budget Marriage advice



dianetavegia -> The weekend (7/20/2008 7:26:21 PM)

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Ezekiel 31:4 “Water made the tree grow, and underground springs made it tall. Rivers flowed around the place where the tree was planted. Streams ran beside all the other trees around it.”

Zechariah 4:10 “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand. For these seven lamps represent the eyes of the LORD that search all around the world."



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Friday: We solved two problems with one answer last night. My canker sores were so very painful and I was concerned because Scooter had licked his bald spot raw so we went to Wal-mart to look for solutions. We found a liquid bandage for dogs at $9.00 and a liquid bandage for canker sores for $6.00. We bought the mouth stuff and used it on my mouth and on his foot. He’s not licked his foot again. I applied the medicine once last night and again, this morning. Jim applied it to my mouth. Oh it is sooooooo painful while it dries! It didn’t bother Scooter at all, tho. It’s supposed to last 6 -9 hours in my mouth. It doesn’t fully stop pain, but does help quite a bit.



I have two survey checks for $10.00 each on their way. I also have $20.00 in an account to use at any store of my choice. I think I’ll hang onto that until closer to Christmas. Two of my survey sites dropped payment from $1.00 for each survey to 50 cents each. That means it takes twice as long to save up the $30.00 minimum for a check to be mailed. I find that I’m doing a lot less surveys there because of the time it takes to do the surveys for such a small amount of money.



I have a long weekend. My daycare child will be home with her daddy on Monday. I think I’ll plan a nap and some time in the sun! I don’t feel safe, even with Jim and Nick up and about, taking a nap when she’s sleeping. I know I’d hear her if she made a sound, but I just feel ‘responsible’.



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Colossians 3:2-3 “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”





Saturday: We had a bad night. Jim couldn’t sleep which means no one slept. I was up at 2:00 for aspirin and at 4:30 to walk the dog. At 5:30, I went ahead, got up, and made my coffee.



Once Jim got up, he went out, filled in our sinkhole again, and covered it with cattle fencing. Something had gotten in there and Scooter was dangerously close to falling head first into this hole. We would have had to call rescue to get him out. Anyhow, Jim filled it as best he could with dirt and warned me to stay clear because it’s spreading underground. By covering it with the doubled over cattle fencing, we should be able to steer clear while it settles. What we need is a good rain.



We showered and then went up to Wal-Mart. I needed some material. Our feather pillows were looking quite bad. The outer covering was stained. I found some tightly woven cotton blend for $1.00 a yard. I only needed 1 1/3rd yard so for $1.33; our pillows are as good as new. The first pillow was a learning experience. There were feathers loose on each side of a center pouch that held the vast majority of feathers. I slit one side of the outer covering and gathered the feathers, putting them into my newly sewn covers. Once I realized what the inside was like, I was able to devise a better system. The second pillow was very easy to do. I removed the outer covers from both pillows and got everything stuffed into the new covers before sewing the ends up on my machine. All total, it took me less than 15 minutes to sew the covers, stuff the covers and sew the ends! Jim vacuumed the new covers to remove any stray feathers. So, just like new!

Being poor is an adventure! I’d rather go to Sea World. (Diane Tavegia)




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Luke 14:23 Then the master said to the servant, "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled".




Sunday: We had a wonderful Sunday School lesson today on ‘Prophets and Prophecy’. We had a good sized turnout in our youth group. Jamie and I found out today that we’re being moved to 9th grade girls. A young mom is moving up to co-teach 7th and 8th grade girls. Her daughter and niece should have been in the class all year but have been going into the 3 year old class instead. Hopefully they’ll feel more at home with mom/ aunt there.



Jim is going to co-teach 7th and 8th grade boys. He cooks breakfast for all the youth and youth workers each Sunday and has to wash the dishes, clean up the area during the actual class time so he’s not in with the class much at all unless the teacher is away. Having a co-teacher means no scurrying for replacements.



I’ve been lazy all day. We ate light and I took an hour nap this afternoon. The only thing we did was a quick run to the dump and then stop to buy a few groceries. Since I don’t have the daycare baby tomorrow, I can make up for lost time then. Or not.



Jim went through his LP records and found a huge stack that he’ll never listen to. I listed them on www.Freecycle.org and a young woman who was raised on a reel to reel tape deck and turntables responded that she’d just gotten a turntable and was trying to build a collection. She picked them up within two hours. I’m so glad I found someone who’ll appreciate them. Freecycle is a neat.


Ayhow…. Have a great evening and talk to you later!

[image]http://usera.imagecave.com/jimtavegia/diane3.gif[/image]

Diane Tavegia

Sometimes the Lord calms the storm.
Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.



dianetavegia -> Time outside and ramblings (7/23/2008 9:09:30 PM)

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Jeremiah 30:19 “From them will proceed thanksgiving and the voice of those who celebrate; and I will multiply them and they will not be diminished; I will also honor them and they will not be insignificant.”


Ephesians 1:11-12 “Also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.”


Wow, it’s already Wednesday! I’ve spent much of the last two days outside. We’ve had cloudy days with some rain. There’s also been a nice breeze. Being outside makes me and the daycare toddler sleepy. She wanted a nap right before Daddy picked her up today. I wanted one, too!


Jim’s done some more electrical work for Jon and Mary. They have a problem Jim can’t figure out. The voltage in their shed was constantly changing, 8 volts to 13 volts. Jim rewired it and got it a constant….. drum roll, please……. 18! It should be over 110 volts! A tracing of the wire, which runs underground, seems to lead to their central air unit! There’s a matching wire wired off the 220. Jim won’t fool with 220 so Jon’s called an electrician to stop by and check that out. The shed had been a meth lab!! No wonder it’s wired weird!


I’ve got a bunch of laundry to do. I’m only doing full loads to save money, so it piles up until I have a full load of whites, etc. I’ve always just done a few loads each day. I’d much rather have small amounts of laundry to do than have several large loads, but saving money is very important.


My bruises are almost gone. The canker sores in my mouth are healed. My ribs only hurt once in a while if I twist funny. My shoulder and upper arm (right arm) still hurts in the morning and doesn’t want to move as freely as it should. All in all, I’m just about healed from my belly flop on the street 12 days ago. My ankle that I sprained around the 4th of July still is giving me some trouble. I never rested it but have started wrapping it with an ankle brace that was designed for strains and ligament tears. A good hint is not to fall down at age 57. Especially on cement. Think Belly Flop.


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I sent invitations to 32 6th graders and asked them to join the youth group for breakfast on August 3rd. I hope some of the kids who’ve not been coming to Sunday School are intrigued enough to come and see what it’s like before they promote on August 10th. The videos we use are excellent and the lessons are probably more advanced than some the adults have.


Galatians 6:9, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."


I’ve polished up a silver plated flatware set from 1917 to put up for sale. It’s a set of 12 -14 pieces of each, knife, spoons, fork, salad fork plus numerous very nice accessory pieces. The tomato spoon sells for $39.00 on Ebay. I’ve got that plus a number of other odd pieces. It’s a more traditional looking set called ‘Adam’ by Community Plate. Unfortunately, I don’t have the wherewithal to sell it one or two forks at a time, which is how people make so much money. I am not sure what to ask for the main set. I can guess on the accessory pieces. Mine would be the only full set on Ebay. Anyone an Ebay expert? LOL


Last night we had high winds and hail that was almost marble sized. The rain lasted a long time. Rain is just starting again. I am so very thankful for the rain! Jim wants some rain barrels for collecting run-off but they cost an arm and leg! Our grass is getting long. Jim has always cut it before it really needed it, but with gas prices so high, we’re cutting back on that, too.


I got $10.00 in survey money and have $20.00 more on the way. We’re going to go see the X-Files movie on Friday or Saturday. The movie house in Carrollton charges $6.00 for senior citizens and that means over age 55. We go nowhere. We never eat out. We don’t buy clothes. We don’t rent movies. We don’t drink soda and neither smoke. We no longer have any decent channels on Directv. Going to the movie once a month or a few times a year is our only entertainment. Would you believe we haven’t had a real vacation in 14 years. Nick has never been on a real vacation.


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Hey. If you’ve known me 2-10 years you will remember how Nick has reacted so violently to mosquito bites. Even last year he was on Singular and Benadryl to prevent reactions with a steroid cream for bites. Most years he’d have at least one round of Prednisone. Well, he’s had about 15 bites this year and he DOES get raised bumps about the size of a quarter or smaller but they go away very quickly and he’s not had one incident of localized swelling or egg sized lumps. It seems he’s grown out of it! Since no one in our family reacts to mosquitoes like that, I wonder if Nick’s birth father or his sibling have such an allergy. Whatever, it seems to have passed. I prayed for that for years!


Psalms 20:4-5 May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed. May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory and raise a victory banner in the name of our God. May the LORD answer all your prayers.



As it is, I am still searching for a few more daycare children. I used to get so many referrals from people at church. A few months ago, I turned down a woman, friends with a wealthy church member, who had two little kids with a ‘boyfriend’. They were buying a new home together in the area; both had good jobs and nice cars. I was quite honest and told her I would feel uncomfortable with their not being married. She got really huffy with me. I was very polite and told her I felt it was only right that I be honest with them.

(Before you send me an email concerning my choice, consider these verses.)

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” - Eph. 5:11


2 John 1:7-11 For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.


Well, there’s some re-runs on tonight, so think I’ll watch a bit of t.v. before going to bed. Have a lovely evening and God Bless,



[image]http://usera.imagecave.com/jimtavegia/diane3.gif[/image]

Diane Tavegia

Sometimes the Lord calms the storm.
Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.




About 99,000 people in the United States await organ donations, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Since 1995, more than 85,000 Americans have died waiting for an organ.



dianetavegia -> Bor-ring........ (7/26/2008 7:26:04 PM)

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James 2:5 “ Listen, my beloved brethren: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and in their position as believers and to inherit the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him?


Matthew 17:20 “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."


Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


We probably would agree that it was impossible for Sarah to have Isaac when she was 90 years old. There was no way Jonah could live three days in the belly of a big fish only to be spit out and land exactly where God told him to go in the first place. Think of Lazarus or the woman with the issue of blood for 12 years. How ‘possible’ is it that Jesus could suffer a horrific death and rise again after being in the grave for three days? NOTHING is impossible with MY God!
(These deep thoughts were inspired by a devotion from Senior Living Ministries)



Friday seemed to come fast this week. I’m really looking forward to this weekend because Dr. Preston Nix is preaching at our church this Sunday! I really love Preston and Diane Nix. He is the best preacher I’ve ever had as my Pastor, tho it was as interim. In fact, I think he’s the best preacher I’ve ever heard, and I’ve been to Billy Graham Crusades, etc. I got an email from Preston yesterday.



We went over, last night, to watch Jon fly his remote control airplane. It flew quite well for a while and then crashed, destroying the whole body. He got replacement parts today and is going to fly again on Saturday. His Dad is going to film it with our digital video camera.



We decided against the movie tonight because of cost. Jim really wanted to go but he felt we should skip it. He’d watched a number of X File VHS tapes this week because of our plan to see the film.



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Saturday: We had to go to the post office today so we stopped by the consignment shop and picked up some money I had there. That and a survey check got us half a tank of gas. It’s down to $3.85 here today.



It’s very muggy here today. Overcast, but humid! Our plan was to film Jon flying his plane so I hope the weather clears soon. He needed to buy a piece to repair the plane and will call when he it’s set up. I wish we lived even closer to them. It’s about a 15 -20 minute ride. We really enjoy their company. They live in Carrollton and that’s an area with some of everything, but it’s also not near any interstate highways. I guess Villa Rica will someday have more stores, etc.



While at the consignment shop, I left a flier for my daycare. They won’t let you put signs in the window but allowed me to put it on the desk. I have other fliers to put up, if I can find places.



Habakkuk 2:2 Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it"



Romans 12:11 I also believe He wants us to pursue serving Him and what he shows us with passion, "not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord"



Our Sunday School lesson tomorrow is on Christ’s Return. It’s a very good lesson. I’m sure it will frighten some youth because, like the days of Noah, this is an ignored event. It was 120 years from the time God told Noah the flood was coming and to build an ark 'til the first raindrop fell.



So, today we ran to the post office, consignment shop, gas station and later the grocery store for a few staples. We run out of milk so quickly. We got a pot roast for Sunday dinner. I’ll put it in my slow cooker. It was a pretty boring day.



We’ve had light drizzle and lightning for a few hours. No real rain, so far. That put a damper on any outdoor activity. The temperature sure dropped quickly.



There are yard sales all around the last few weekends. I’ve actually thought of having one, but have not noticed a lot of traffic at any of the sales. I’ve listed 20 Veggie Tales on a free local classified and not had one call. Nick listed a bunch of his PS2 games, no calls. People are hurting.



Well, I’m bored. Nothing on television (our stations anyhow) and nothing to do. Maybe I’ll do a crossword puzzle. Have a nice evening and God Bless.



[image]http://usera.imagecave.com/jimtavegia/diane3.gif[/image]

Diane Tavegia


Sometimes the Lord calms the storm.
Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.



dianetavegia -> Dreamers (7/29/2008 4:42:07 PM)

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Hebrews 13:15 "Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name."


Psalms 27:3 “Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.



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Monday: Once in a while, very seldom in my life, I feel overwhelmed. Today I feel overwhelmed. I believe it is an attack from the enemy because of the wonderful day we had in The Lord’s House yesterday.



Praise God, Dr. Preston Nix preached a wonderful, evangelistic challenge sermon yesterday. The time seemed to fly by, tho we were in church service almost an extra hour! I was so blessed by the sermon and inspired to not be bound by decisions our church leadership has made regarding no organized visitations, but to do what I feel led to do, on my own. I have many ideas and am quite excited about my opportunities.



Then there is this ‘dread’ or ‘defeated feeling’ that has come over me today. This is not me.


But you, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me. Psalm 22:19




My husband’s old (as in previous job that no longer exists) boss and wife sent Jim a card with some cash to take us out to eat. That was such a wonderful surprise. We actually had enough to go out to eat AND go see the X-Files movie last night. We both enjoyed it. No aliens and not one cuss word (that I noticed). I won’t spoil it, but if you’re an X Files fan, I think you’ll enjoy the movie. This gift brought some joy into our boring life. I praise God for this gift!



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I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly, I will praise you. Psalm 22:22



Tuesday: We went to visit a church member in a nursing home last night. We didn’t realize just how ill he is. While there, I was touched by the number of older women sitting by the front door, on the sofas and chairs, staring out the windows as if hoping to see a loved one coming up the walk. Most of the women looked to be late 60’s – late 70’s. They started conversations with us. Come on people! Our elderly are not disposable! Those who are terribly ill and cannot be handled at home due to horrific strokes or injuries are one thing. Just being old is NOT a crime!


1 Timothy 5:4 But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God. ……….8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever



After the nursing home, we stopped by Jon and Mary’s house and went with them to fly Jon’s plane. All was well until the football goal post came out of nowhere and hit the plane! The wing broke off. It’s not a major problem, but that ended last nights flight. Jim and Mary had both filmed it so we went back to their house and viewed them on their huge t.v. It was pretty late when we got home.



I slept well last night until Patches decided to be a mouser. She goes through these stages. For a long time, nothing. Recently she’s been bringing up all sorts of things. She found a Beanie type Frankenstein monster and would bring that from the rec room over and over. We put it where she couldn’t find it so then came naked Barbie dolls! I thought we’d put all those away. Last night, MEOW, MEOW, MEOW…. And then the presentation…. A naked Barbie doll on our bed. I put that away and not much later, she got a pair of Jim’s dollar store reading glasses! She had them under the end table in the living room and again, MEOW, MEOW, MEOW. Silly Kitty. I was awake from about 4:00 a.m. til almost 5:00. I used the time to pray for different needs.



Jim went out this afternoon and picked up my lesson plans for our next 12 weeks of Sunday School and two CD’s of Dr. Preston Nix at our church this past Sunday. One to share and one to keep.



I’m going to get out of the house for a few minutes tonight. We need a thank you card. Wow! A trip to Dollar Tree! Someday I’ll be ‘free’ again and have transportation. Maybe. Maybe not.



Here’s something different! This is chapter one of Jim’s novel. Enjoy! If you’re a publisher (not one of those vanity press thingies) and are interested in publishing it, contact Jim through my email on this forum.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The Dreamers by Jim Tavegia
Chapter One

"Hey kid, the place is closed. No one is allowed in here after the park is closed." Gus Lollar made you fully aware of his presence and who was in charge. "Whadayawant in here anywaze," Gus barked?

I was immediately reminded that I was drafted into the Monarch organization, the dialect was unmistakable. "I'm Bill Alan, I hollered back." I was to report no later than Friday, but sitting around my grandparent's house was driving me crazy.

Gus stood about fifty feet down the tunnel from the playing field that I was surveying for the first time. "Come on down here kid," Gus said with a much more friendly tone in his voice.

As I walked down the tunnel toward Gus, I could sense a presence, almost ghost like, of former Monarchs greats that had also used their stay in this same ballpark to hone their baseball skills. Could it be that I belonged here in this same ballpark? Did I have what it took to make it to the bigs?

"Come on now Alan, stop daydreaming. I don't got all day ya know," Gus bellowed from the opening to the locker rooms.

The echo of Gus's voice resounding, swirling down through the tunnel snapped me from my thoughts of potential inadequacy. I started my trek toward Gus and the lockers wondering how many times Gus had made the same statement to other rookies. It must easily be two or three hundred times.

As I got closer to Gus, I could see his lips start to curl, and then his right hand became outstretched. "Alan, good to meet you and welcome to the Madison Monarchs. Your reputation precedes you," Gus warmly stated. "Come-on in. I got ya all situated with a locker in a good spot."

As I shook Gus's hand, his face lit up just like it was Christmas morning on his tenth birthday. It was then that I realized that not only was Gus Lollar the Monarch’s clubhouse manager, a job he held for over 29 years, but he was also a fan. Gus was a true baseball fan, but you had to be to endure over 30 years in the bowels of a minor league ballpark. Hope always springs eternal, and I, Bill Alan, was to become Gus's hope for this new season.

"It's good to meet you," I said. "I've never been in a ballpark quite this big before. But, I guess I'd better get used to it in a hurry."

"Yuv got nottin to worry about," said Gus still smiling ear to ear. "Yur right, Alan, it’s a little bit different up here, but from what I hear, you got what it takes to make it in "AA" ball. Don't worry aboudit", Gus said as he turned and started walking toward the locker room.

I followed Gus as he pushed his way through the double swinging doors that led to the Monarch’s locker room. The room was huge by any standard. Around the rectangular room were cubicles with players names written on white tape stuck at the top of each space. Jones, Meyers, Bolton, Adams, on and on til I found Alan.

Each cubical was five feet wide, constructed of wood, and freshly painted a baby blue. The paint was so thick it probably equaled the thickness of the original wood. At the rear of the locker was a full width seat, and above it were four brass hooks. A full-width clothes pole was placed six feet from the floor and above it was a shelf.

I was so used to regular foot-wide "high school" lockers that this almost seemed such a disgusting waste of space.

While I was admiring my new territory Gus had sauntered off and returned with my entire uniform and a couple of towels. "I thought ya might like your old high school number so I got Dave Bolton to switch," Gus stated. Gus saw the expression on my face and was quick to respond, "Don't worry Alan, he wasn't mad or nuttin. All it took was a new glove, coupala new jockstraps and some new Nikes." Gus started laughing, so proud that he had pulled the greatest deal of all time.

"Thanks Gus", I said. "I'm glad I negotiated a contract BEFORE the Monarchs realize they have the shrewdest negotiator since Jack Donlan." Gus was laughing even harder now.

Gus started making his way to a door off to the left of the locker room. "Any place to get something to eat in this town?" I said to Gus.

He stopped at the doorway, turned and said, "Give me bout ten minutes kid and we'll have Gloria fix us sumthin at the Bluelight. OK?"

"Sure Gus, that will be great. I'll just unpack a few things and we can go."

Gus turned and entered the room and closed the door behind him. The door was one of those doors you see in "private eye" movies with the etched glass you can't see through. Across the middle of the glass in large black letters was painted "Manager, Private".

So that's where the infamous Red Dodge lived behind the scenes. Red Dodge, manager of the Madison Monarchs, that would be some meeting.

I sat down on the stool that was pushed into the corner of my locker, tugged the zipper on my smaller suitcase. I started emptying the contents on the seat at the back of the cubical. Two gloves, Wilson A2000 models, one brand new, the other so dark from being oiled so much that it flopped back and forth like a rag doll. I knew that I would have to start breaking in the new one, but I just couldn't part with that old glove that I had used all through Junior High and High School. It would serve as a good reminder of where I came from, and who I was, just in case my head ever got too big.

I thought back to when I first bought that glove. $48.50 that glove cost me! Over five weeks of paper route money back in 1961. It was Ron Santo's second year with the Chicago Cubs. Before Ronnie came up with the Cubs, I always wanted to be the shortstop because Ernie Banks WAS Mr. Cub long before anyone had thought of the name. But now Ron Santo was here, a potential star baseman with some sock in his bat.

More than anything else, I believed that it was Ron's strong personality that drew me to him. Fiercely competitive, you could sense that he did not take to losing easily. This was the same quality that I thought I possessed. I now know that I was just hot tempered and that it had nothing to do with an intense desire to win or team spirit. But, at fourteen years old, what did I know and who was anybody to tell ME differently.

Santo used the Wilson A2000 so that was the glove I would use. Good enough for Santo, good enough for Alan, I thought. My love for Ron Santo went so deep that if I had known what deodorant, soap, jockstrap, foot spray, and antifungal cream he used, I would have used it too. Sometimes you become so superstitious you really believe that things like that make a difference. I don't anymore, but at fourteen I sure did.

"Hey kid," yelled Gus. "I thought you were gunna unpack some yer stuff. I thought you were hungry."

"I am," I replied as I awoke from my coma. I then realized that I hadn't accomplished anything in over twenty minutes. "I'm sorry Gus," but then he interrupted. "Don't worry aboudit kid; you weren't the first or nuttin. Let's get some grub, whadya say?"

"OK, Gus, you're the boss," I said as I soaked in his warm smile. "Would you like me to drive? My car is right out front."

That'll be great. Now my old lady doesn’t have to make the trip. She hates the trip. She hates this place. Never liked baseball like we do, Alan. I thought it might grow on her, but it never did."

I could see the sadness surface on Gus's face. Men love to come home from a day at the office and dump the entire day's happenings in their spouses lap. It is some form of therapy; I'm sure, one that was never prescribed for Gus. I could then realize how lonely Gus was and why he spent so much time at the ballpark. He loved it here. He was safe. It was his whole life.

Gus flipped off the lights as we pushed our way through the double doors out of the locker room. The clicking of our heels made the sound you might hear down a lonely, deserted alley on a rainy night. I could almost imagine Bogart throwing down his lit cigarette, then snuffing it out with his left shoe. The he would disappear into the night with the collar of his raincoat pulled up on his neck.

"Bill, what kinda car you driving? Ya got one of dem fancy German mochines, or what?" Gus smiled as he inquired about my mode of transportation. He knew I signed one of the largest bonus contracts the Yankees ever dropped on a high school player. He also figured that I was like other players and blew it on fast cars, fast women and fast living.

"Sorry if I disappointed you Gus," I said. "That's my black Taurus Wagon over there. I know it isn't a Benz or BMW. I hope you're not disappointed. Gus smiled a little apologetically.

"I didn't mean nuttin, Bill," he said. "It's just that most of these guys think they're God's gift to the Monarchs or something. They come strutting in here like they already made it. Big cars, fancy suits and clothes like they should be pimping in the Bronx.

"Hey Gus, that is NOT MY STYLE," I replied in a firm voice. "I came here to learn how to play baseball. My only agenda is to make it to the big leagues. There may be time for that stuff later, but right now it doesn't interest me."

Gus sensed that he had touched a raw nerve with me and he had. "Alan, don't take me wrong,” Gus said as he raised his hand as if to stop the next words coming out of my mouth. "I didn't mean you were some kinda primadonna or nuttin. It's just that I've seenum come and go over the years. Some of them had no talent to start with, but others just screwed away a good opportunity. A smile started to stretch back across his face. "I just don't want that to happen to you, Bill." "You have more talent at this stage of your career than anyone I've ever seen step into this ballpark. You could be the first pitcher/ full time player in major league history. I just want you to have the best shot at it you could have, that's all." As he finished talking he put his big, thick hand on my neck and shoulders and gave me an affectionate squeeze.

"I know, Gus." "That's all I want too. Let's get some of that good food you said Gloria can cook up for us. You don't mind if I treat do you? That's not too extravagant is it, Gus?" I said.

"Naw. Go ahead kid. It may be the best investment you'll ever make." With that, I opened the passenger door and Gus slid into the bucket seat. As I walked around the front of the car Gus and I both looked at each other. We both knew he had just made a very important statement. Only I did not know just how important it really was to become.

I pulled the Taurus wagon into the Bluelight parking lot. Every town in America has one just like it, and probably someone just like Gloria bussing the counter, I thought.

In the parking lot were mostly old pickup trucks, and old Pinto with rusted rocker panels and a Central Connecticut State University decal in the back window. One of the trucks had a gun rack in the back window with what looked like two shotguns mounted with Master combination locks securing them in the rack. If the driver of the truck needed a weapon to defend him self in a hurry, those rifles were certainly out of the question.

The outside of the diner was one of those polished metal models. This type of diner reminded me of an old Silver Streak model train engine that I got when I was eight years old for Christmas. The entry way to the diner jutted out like the nose on your face. There were two doors, one on either side of this entry way, and one main swinging door directly into the diner.

Once inside the diner, the smells of coffee and cigarette smoke over took your senses. A counter ran the full length of the diner separated in the center to accommodate traffic from the grill to the booths that lined the area by the front windows. Two stainless steel coat racks rose like pillars to signal your entrance to the Bluelight Diner.

The left counter was home to three men in plaid wool coats and baseball hats that said John Deere across the front. They spotted Gus and me right away. The tallest one smiled at Gus and said, "Hey, Gus, howya doing. Come on over here and let me buy you and your buddy a cup of coffee." "Hi, Jack," Gus replied while grabbing my elbow and ushering me toward the counter.

"Who's your friend?" Jack asked. "Jack, I'd like you to meet Billy Alan, our newest member of the Madison Monarchs," Gus beamed.

"Nice to meet you, Bill. I'm Jack Cramer. This is Art Crowley, and next to him is Jake Conlan." We all shook hands and took a place at the counter.

"Bill just got into town tonight fellas, and we got a little situated over at the ball park and decided to get a bite to eat."

"Jack. This is the kid I was tellin ya about. Mr. Everything back in Illinois." Gus emphasized the "s" at the end of Illinois like it was the most important letter in the name.

"Ya know, Bill, you're all Gus here has talked about for the last two months around here. Ya think Steinbaum puts pressure on his players? Ya ain't seen nothing yet." They all started laughing. So did I.

"I hope I live up to the advance billing," I responded toward my three new friends. "I'm sure I've never experienced any pressure like what lies directly in front of me but I'm looking forward to it. I guess if you're going to play for the Yankees you'd better get used to it in a hurry."

"You're right about that," stated Jack matter of factly. "Gus thinks you have what it takes, if that makes you feel any better." I could see Gus becoming a little embarrassed by the direction of this conversation. I was sure Gus had developed some opinions about me that he freely expressed to these gentlemen on many occasions. Opinions that he developed on his own without ever speaking with me once. or for that matter, before he had ever met me.

"Well, fellas, I'm looking forward to the challenge. I know that the jump from High School baseball right into Class AA professional ball is a big one. I'll give it all I've got. I'm sure Gus is going to be a big help to me in learning the ropes as fast as I can."

Jack smiled. "The people associated with this ball club from Gus all the way to the top, are all first class in my book," he firmly stated. "If you have the ability, these people will mold you into a fine major league ball player."

Art Crowley chirped in, "God know the Monarchs need someone to turn that team in the Bronx around. I hope you're it, kid."

"Don't worry about it Art. This kid is all I've said and more. You're gonna hear a lot about Billy Alan for a long time to come,” said Gus matter of factly. "Hey fellas, the kid is gonna starve to death while we push him into the Hall of Fame. Here's a menu, Bill. Decide what you'd like."

I took the menu Gus had pulled from between the sugar glass and the napkin holder. It was one of those plastic laminated, pre-printed cardboard menus. Tape had been placed across the original prices, with ballpoint pen signifying that even the Bluelight was not exempt from inflation. The menu was sticky from all the handling from fingers dipped into maple syrup, ice cream, Coke, and other famous confections. I quickly surveyed the standard listings. There were hamburgers with six different names, mashed potatoes with roast beef and gravy, grilled cheese, veal cutlet, cube steak, about a dozen of Campbell's best soups and a listing of deserts to top off a wonderful evening of exquisite dining.

"What'll it be Bill?" asked Gus. "It may not be the most delicious meal you ever ate, but the food is good, and the price is right, and the people are real. You'll learn to appreciate this place in a short while. You'll see,” said Gus.

I sensed that Gus was either embarrassed for bringing me here, or that he felt that I was used to eating in better places that the Bluelight.

"Gus," I said, "this place is just fine. You don't need to apologize to me for this place. I prefer to eat in places like this than in some fancy restaurant. Don't worry about me."

Gus smiled as he leaned over the counter. "Now if we can just get some service around here, we can get this show on the road."

Impatiently Gus got up from his bar stool at the counter and went to where he could see into the grill. There was a rectangular cut out in the wall with a small counter where the cook spun the next meal to the waitresses. Above the counter was the typical array of spinning lazy-Susan order ticket rack. A rather crude, but effective way of communicating the culinary choices of the many patrons of the Bluelight Diner.

"Hey Gloria, Mel, anybody home?" shouted Gus into the grill area.

"How ya doin Gus," Mel shouted back. "Good to see you." "Come on out here. Got someone I wantya to meet." Out from the gill came this man about five feet five inches tall and well over 250 pounds. This had to be Mel. He was wearing white pants and a "V" neck tee shirt with billows of gray and black chest hair foaming out. He had on a filthy chef's apron that had been collecting the droppings of a hard days work. He was totally bald except for a wedge of gray hair just above his ears that wrapped all the way around the back of his head. The black rimmed bifocals were pushed down toward the end of his nose, and were accented by a dark, pencil thin mustache, like Clark Gable used to wear.

"Whattsamatter Gus, you finally bring us a celebrity into our fine establishment, or what?" joked Mel.

"Just come on over here and meet Billy Alan, a new player for the Monarchs," stated Gus. "Good to meet you. Any friend of Gus's is a friend of mine. We don't get too many players to frequent the joint. Not spiffy enough for em, I guess."

"This place is fine for me," I said. "No need to be apologetic. It's nice to meet you. I know it's pretty late, can we still get something to eat?"

The clock on the wall showed that it was well past eleven p.m. on Saturday night. "No problem, we usually are open til well past one in the morning," Mel was quick to inform me. "What'll it be?"

As I began to tell Mel what I was hungry for, I heard the door to the grill begin to swing back and forth. Moving toward our end of the counter was a girl. No, it was a woman who was working her way toward us. At first, she wasn't paying any attention to us, but then she looked up and she saw that I was staring at her.

Could this be Gloria, THE Gloria that Gus had mentioned to me? She was young, beautiful. She had auburn hair that had been permed into flowing waves that fell to just below her ears. Her skin was like porcelain with just the right amount of blush accentuating her high cheekbones. Very little eye make-up and just a touch of lipstick to highlight her perfectly formed lips. How could a girl, I mean woman, look this good after working all day? This was not what I was expecting to find. I was expecting to find someone Gus's age, not my own, and certainly not this beautiful.

I don't know how long I had been staring but it must have been a considerable length of time because Gloria was becoming a bit uneasy. She stopped at the end of the counter to our right and frantically searched for some work to accomplish. She seemed to realize the only thing she could do was to fill the sugar jars and started to unscrew the top to the first one.

"Gloria, stop messing with the jar and come over here," said Mel. "Bill Alan, I'd like to introduce you to Gloria James. Gloria, meet Bill Alan, newest member of the Monarchs."

"Hi, Bill," said Gloria in a voice so soft and warm it would have melted a block of ice. "Hi Gloria," I responded, hoping that my voice didn't either crack or sound like Mickey Mouse. "It's very nice to meet you."

"Gloria, Gus and Bill would like something to eat. Why don't you take their orders and I'll go back and fire up the grill in the meantime, OK? said Mel with a big smile on his face.

Gloria grabbed an order pad and pencil from the back counter in front of the milk dispenser and started scribbling what was probably our counter location and the date. She was so nervous she forgot that we were the only people eating in the whole place, and was not likely to forget who ordered what.

Her soft brown eyes finally lifted off the pad. It seemed to take forever. "Bill, what could I get for you?" she said softly.

Oh, Gloria! Why did you have to say it like that, I thought to myself and buried my eyes back in the menu.

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Hope you enjoyed that! If you’d like more, let me know and I’ll share more later.


Diane Tavegia

Sometimes the Lord calms the storm. Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.



dianetavegia -> Accident prone lately (7/30/2008 9:12:07 PM)

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Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy, and I will give thanks to him in song.


Nehemiah 8:10 "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Take comfort and find joy in the knowledge that Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, loves you.


Hebrews 13:20-21 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.


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It’s Wednesday. This week is going slowly. I guess it’s boredom.

We had some strong storms last night. Our electric went off several times. I didn’t lose any trees but one of my largest Butterfly Bushes fell over. We got too much rain too quickly and the ground was too soft to hold it. I’ve trimmed off a lot of the branches and am staking it up with a four foot tall garden fence post. I’ll prune it pretty severely this fall so this won’t happen again next year. I have two Butterfly Bushes that are about half the size of a Volkswagon Beetle.


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Scooter woke me at 1:00. I couldn’t get back to sleep until after 2:00. Jim was up at 3:10. He had cereal and wandered the house. Just before 6:00, he made eggs. He listened to Gordon Lightfoot and sang Andy Williams and Nat King Cole songs downstairs. I finally fell asleep at about 6:45 and the clock went off at 7:15. Once I got up, Jim got back in bed and slept until almost 10:00. Boy am I tired. The kitchen was clean when I went to bed. When I got up there were four bowls, five glasses, a cup, a fry pan and lots of silverware awaiting me.


I was putting a covered casserole (glass Pyrex) dish into my microwave yesterday and it slipped out of my right hand when I let go of it with my left hand to open the door. It fell on my left foot. I have a long bruise across my foot where my toes meet the top of my foot. I sprained the same foot a few weeks ago. It’s sore, but only to the touch. I’ve gotten so very clumsy. I’m not paying attention, I guess. Rushing for no reason at all.


I’ve made a lot of contacts for church already this week. I called over 20 homes today alone. I have a lot more to call, too. I’m trying to contact all the 6, 7th and 8th grade parents/ students and any visitors we’ve had in the last few weeks. I’m not a telephone person.


"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." -- Psalm 153:8



A local friend owns an online travel agency and is looking for people who want to work part time or full time out of their homes, for themselves and get travel tickets, tours at a great price, too. If you'd like to know more, call the phone number listed around 7:10 EST on Thursday night to listen to details with no obligation. Please tell them Diane in Villa Rica invited you. The conference number is (231) 644-8000 access code 709011# It's first come, first served on the 100 dedicated lines. Feel free to share this with your friends. Be sure they mention that Diane Tavegia invited you!



[image]http://usera.imagecave.com/jimtavegia/diane3.gif[/image]

Diane Tavegia

Sometimes the Lord calms the storm.
Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.



dianetavegia -> Whatever (8/1/2008 9:01:12 PM)

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Joshua 1:6-7 "Be strong and courageous, for you will lead my people to possess all the land I swore to give their ancestors. Be strong and very courageous.”


Philippians 3:13-14 “One thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus.”




Thursday: Another very boring day here. Really boring. Time seemed to drag by. Jim has a literature test tomorrow and was studying for that, participating in a chat for another course and working on another paper for college. He has two papers to do and two to be graded before Sept. 30th.



Nick invited a friend to come over and spend the night. He’d hoped his friend would come early today, but this is a ‘Tax Free Holiday’ in Georgia and the boy was out with his grandmother, shopping for school clothes. Not sure when he’ll get here. Ah, he got here after supper.



It rained on and off today, so I couldn’t sit outside. It’s rained enough lately that I haven’t needed to water my plants. I’m thankful for the rain! I went out late yesterday, once it cooled a bit, and staked up my Butterfly Bush that had fallen over. I pruned off an armload of branches. Once I got it up, I realized it reaches our gutter! It’s the tallest of all, but I have one that is fuller and more mature. We have a total of 7.



So, Elizabeth Taylor is on life support. John McCain has $500. shoes. A preacher in Alabama kept his wife on ice for 3 years (in the freezer). The newly found 44 pound cat was a victim of foreclosure. Obama kicks Hillary to the curb. Man stabs, guts and beheads sleeping passenger on Greyhound Bus. (Yuk!) Not even anything worth reading in today’s news.



My daycare baby left very early today. She hadn’t been asleep long when Dad arrived. I took advantage of the free time and took a short nap on the sofa next to Scooter.



Our daughter won several rounds of The New England MegaStar competition and will be singing at the New England Dodge Center on August 15th. She’ll be one of the opening acts before Counting Crows and Maroon 5. If she wins there, she’ll be competing and performing at The Big E this fall. In the previous rounds, she had to choose from a limited number of songs. Now she can choose her genre and song, the key it is in, etc.



Our local son, Jon, is covered in poison ivy again. His chest, arms and legs are blistered and bright red. It began about two or three days ago but looked like it wasn’t going to be bad. He’s at the doctor tonight. He’ll get a steroid shot, prednisone and a couple of other ‘scripts. He’s going to have to see the allergist and begin shots to prevent this. He had shots back when he was a pre-teen each spring for a few years in a row. He’s been fine for 20 years, tho. I remember one season he looked like he’d been in a fire.



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Friday: Hey, do you want to listen to a GREAT sermon? Check out Dr. Preston Nix from last Sunday at my church at this link. It’s entitled ‘How to Change Your World’. You’re going to enjoy this sermon. We had almost 100 more people than usual in attendance last week and, tho you cannot hear it well, the congregation was very involved and touched. Do listen!

Click for Dr. Nix preaching at First Baptist Church in Villa Rica



I was totally inspired by the above sermon to reach out and draw in, to the family of God, those in our community that I come in contact with or those I can reach on the phone or by sending cards, making visits, etc.



A lady offered 10 or 11 hard cover novels, the genre I enjoy, today on Freecycle. I picked them up tonight. I got a chance to witness to her and her husband and invite them to join us at church. I hope they’ll come. Again, ‘rich church’ came up.



Our Sunday School lesson this week is on ‘The End Times’. The next week is on ‘The Anti-Christ’. The kids moving up are going to be a bit overwhelmed with the deepness of the lessons, coming in, in the middle of this series. I’ll be moving up to the 9th grade boys and girls class that week. I’m excited about it and a little apprehensive. Some of the boys are still a bit immature. The girls are years ahead.



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I’ll be glad when the new t.v. season begins. Even tho we only have basic satellite now, we’ll have something new to watch! We’ve been watching Frasier, George Lopez and Seinfeld at nights. Hmmmmmm



There's a free concert at Prospect Park tomorrow night. The group has a weird name. Ratz or something.... Older guys..... We're thinking of going. We'll take some lawnchairs and find a good place to sit where we can watch people and hear the music. We'll see. Maybe Jon and Mary want to go with us. Hope the weather stays nice.



Well, there is just nothing new to tell you or share because my life is so boring right now! Do whisper a prayer for me to find more children to keep. That’s very important to us.



Have a nice Friday night and God bless,



[image]http://usera.imagecave.com/jimtavegia/diane3.gif[/image]

Diane Tavegia

Sometimes the Lord calms the storm.
Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.



dianetavegia -> doo wop (8/2/2008 8:27:55 PM)

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Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.



Romans 8:38 “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”





I heard the remark today ‘All you can do is all you can do and all you can do is enough’. He also said we are to ‘Work as if everything depends on you but have faith, believe that everything depends on God’.



Today I signed up to become an online (referring) travel agent. A neighborhood friend and her husband have been in the company for 1 ½ years now. To begin, I’ll only share information about the company with others and not have a website where people can book travel. What I’ve signed up to do is FREE and I’ll be paid. Having a true travel website costs less than $500.00 (lifetime). I hope to be able to do that soon. Within two hours, I’d already signed up one person. If you’re interested in reading about this Christian owned company, go to http://www.ytb.com/dianetavegia



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Philemon 1:7 I myself have gained much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because your kindness has so often refreshed the hearts of God's people.


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Jim and I were going to see the Ratz in the Attic concert at the local park tonight but major thunderstorms are moving in. Some areas got larger than golf ball sized hail! It didn’t make sense to sit out and take a chance. Also, hail has ruined many a car. Better to be inside!


So, I’m watching ‘Doo Wop’s Greatest Hits’ on PBS. Now THAT’S music! I love the old music! I love Big Band era music, too. Where’s my saddle shoes and poodle skirt? Take me back to the ‘50’s. Now, these singers are the originals, singing the originals so they’re my age or older but are doing a great job.



Still not much going on. Still no other child to keep. Really need that income. Praying for more children OR for my income with the travel agency referral to be enough.



Have a great Sunday. If you live near-by, join us for breakfast in the Youth area. We’ll have plenty of pancakes!



[image]http://usera.imagecave.com/jimtavegia/diane3.gif[/image]

Diane Tavegia

Sometimes the Lord calms the storm.
Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.



dianetavegia -> I'm SO bored! (8/4/2008 7:04:18 PM)

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Romans 8:33-37 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died -- more than that, who was raised to life -- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.


2 Samuel 23:15-16 David said, longingly to his men, "Oh for a drink of water from the well at the gate of the city of Bethlehem." So the three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out before the LORD.



Sunday: The weekend went way too fast.



We had a pretty good turn-out for our Youth Sunday School breakfast today. A couple of teachers were out of town but things went really well. Even some of our shy older kids who have not come all year came. Making contacts means a lot to many people. One younger boy came up and asked if I was the lady he talked to this week.



The pastor mentioned thinking of one person we’d like to invite to church and mentioned something about September. I’m praying we’ll get back into outreach and visitation! We have so many who need God’s touch. I hope that’s the plan. Even if we don’t, as a church, I have fallen under conviction and will follow MY calling. If you live in our area and are searching for a church home, or just want a big hug, please join us next Sunday at 10:15.



Our lesson on The End Times went well. It went SO well that we and another class lost track of time and were late getting to service. I need a clock for our (new) Sunday School class. I can’t wear a watch because I’m allergic to metals, even the back of watches. I lost my bracelet style watch about 35 years ago and only have my grandmother’s old Timex. It has to be wound. I cannot wear it and forget it’s in my purse. Consequently, it runs down and I never know what time it is. A church leader told me I could check my cell phone. I don’t HAVE a cell phone.


I’d put in a roast before Sunday School so we had a nice lunch. We had corn on the cob and potatoes, too. The corn was okay. Not as good as earlier in the year, tho. After lunch, I took a nap. I slept quite hard.



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Isaiah 40:31 Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Psalms 37:23-24 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholds him with his hand.




Monday: My daycare family has a work schedule change so Dad picked the two year old (August 3rd birthday) up about 4:15 today. Mom will begin picking her up each evening and she’ll be coming earlier each day. Much earlier, we think. It’s not long before Jim returns to school so we’ll be up early anyhow. She’s a very good toddler from a lovely Christian family.



I’ve still not found more children to keep. A divorced friend in Douglasville lost three children this week because they’ve entered public school. She kept six children plus her own, so that was half her income. She also goes to a big church and she has advertised, but she’s also not gotten any calls either. I think a lot of women who were not doing childcare have started keeping kids to off set gasoline prices. Without another car, I can’t even work a part time evening job after the toddler leaves. I have no idea what we’ll do. Times are tough.



Even tho the 'work for yourself at home' travel agency company pays weekly, it’ll take me a while to make enough money to make a big difference. If you’re interested in working from home for yourself, you can watch a company presentation by going to http://www.ytb.com/dianetavegia
You can sign up for the FREE rep ‘job’ or sign up for your own website right there, too. Whatever, no one will ever know you were there if you choose to not do anything.



I’m so bored, I’m so bored, I’m so bored!



[image]http://usera.imagecave.com/jimtavegia/diane3.gif[/image]

Diane Tavegia

Sometimes the Lord calms the storm.
Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.



dianetavegia -> Praises, prayer needs and pretty flowers (8/5/2008 8:33:47 PM)


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Hebrews 11:1 What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. 2 God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith. 3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen…….. 39 All of these people we have mentioned received God's approval because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can't receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race.




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Our oldest son, Scott, was really blessed during his mission trip to Honduras with his Baltimore church. He’s been invited back to be one of the chosen people to participate in the building of the 100th church. He and his church built number 38. You can see some pictures here. Honduras 100 Click here. We are SO proud of him! He’s in several of the pictures and they’ll be uploading more later. Scott took over 700 pictures himself. He loved the country and the people and enjoyed himself while being greatly blessed.



Our youngest grown son, Jon, (I know, it’s confusing) is still very ill with his poison ivy. He’s finishing his second round of prednisone and it’s getting worse. He is going to go back to the doctor. He’s had shots, daily medication and has done all the right things, such as oatmeal baths, etc., but just keeps getting worse. Pray for Jon, if you would.



I’ve been having such strange dreams at night. Last night I was walking all over a town we lived in years ago. Nick was with me, yet still in diapers. I was trying to please a lot of people at once, trying to contact them by phone and either lines were busy or no answer. I was helping plan a reunion or get-together, it seemed. Everyone asked something of me that would keep me from doing what the other wanted me to do and I couldn’t please anyone. It was overwhelming and frustrating, too.



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James 3:5-6 So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself.



The ‘tongue’ hurt my youngest child, Nick, very badly yesterday. He overheard the mother of his best friend say something quite hurtful about him (think home schooling means failure in life and more) while they were on the phone. I will never see this woman in the same light as before. It’s amazing how people can act one way at church and be so different when they think no one is looking.



Luke 12:3 12:3 Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!



1 Corinthians 4:6 "Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God".



Please pray that this woman and her family are blessed and that her children grow up in faith, working to bring both rich and poor to the kingdom of God.



Matthew 5:-43-46 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?




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Our two youngest granddaughters, ages 7 and 5, are going to the Jersey shore with their other grandmother and their father for a week. They’ll be staying at a relatives home. It has an in-ground pool. Last year one of them jumped in, not realizing the danger. Please pray for their safety. Our daughter, Erin, is no longer married to the father, so she won’t be there to watch them.



We bought a $3.87 clock for my Sunday School room. I wound my Grandmother Weldy’s watch and realized it runs fast. VERY fast. In fact, in just a half day, it gained several hours. It’s a very old and very cheap watch. It wasn’t her dress watch. I’ll put it aside with Papaw Weldy’s gold Railroad pocket watch. Precious memories! Anyhow, it was evident that I couldn’t depend on the watch to get us to service on time.



Jim took the clock up to church and hung it in my room. We have a t.v. and DVD player in our room so we can watch more of the video that goes along with our lessons and discuss those, too. I’m looking forward to the upcoming year. It’ll be interesting having both boys and girls. The girls are excited. I don’t know about the boys.



Our Sunday School room is all beige but has a window and a large bulletin board. I’d like to put up some posters, but don’t have extra funds to purchase them. Our church is about $130,000 behind in our budget for the year and we are missing a staff member, a youth minister, who is greatly needed.



We went and walked around Wal-Mart again tonight. I needed cream rinse and dishwashing soap. I buy the cheapest I can find of both. Still, it was nice to be out of the house.



My daycare toddler will be here by 6:30 starting tomorrow morning. Mom’s going to see how that works out with getting to work early enough that she can leave earlier and pick up the toddler here first, and then the older girls at the after school program before 6:00. I’m sure it’ll work out well. They’re a lovely family. I couldn’t ask for nicer people and a sweeter child. Oh, she’s trying her oats, like any two year old,, but is loving and responds well to ‘no m’am!’



Are you a bit down today? If so, be sure to read Immune to Blessing, a devotional, on www.crosswalk.com by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Faith Editor. While you’re there, sign up for daily devotionals. They’re great devotionals written by people like you and me.



Have a really nice evening with your family. Time is short, so grab every minute you can and God Bless!


[image]http://usera.imagecave.com/jimtavegia/diane3.gif[/image]

Diane Tavegia

Sometimes the Lord calms the storm.
Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.



dianetavegia -> Next Stop? (8/8/2008 4:57:18 PM)

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Matthew 7:17-19 “A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.”



1 Corinthians 2: 14-16 But people who aren't Christians can't understand these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means. We who have the Spirit understand these things, but others can't understand us at all. How could they? For, "Who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who can give him counsel?" But we can understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.




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Thursday: I’m wiped out!

Yesterday was my first day for my daycare toddler to arrive at 6:45. Her sisters’ school orientation was late afternoon, so Mom picked the toddler up just before 7:00 p.m. I was worn out from 12 hours of playing ball, running, chasing, tickling and lifting a happy two year old. I was SO worn out that…….



We ate supper, ran out, got milk and bread, and tried to watch some t.v. but I was in bed and asleep by 9:00. It was hard to get up this morning. The toddler was asleep when she arrived so I laid her down. She woke within a few minutes, ready for breakfast. Mom will pick her up each day between 5:00 and 5:15 so my hours are adjusted slightly. She was playing ball with Scooter when Mommy arrived this afternoon. I’ll head to bed earlier for a few nights and be back in the swing of things before Jim heads back to school in a week.



I still need another child to keep while my online travel agency takes off and starts bringing in money. I’m still trying to come up with a neat name for the business before I order business cards and choose my domain name. I’ve given myself until Monday to come up with a name. I’ve chosen the background and style for (free) business cards off Vista Print. I’ve already had someone contact me about booking a flight and hotel rooms in Memphis for later this month. Cool Beans!



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Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."



Jim has another full week off before he has orientation and then teacher workdays at the new school. School starts again in Bremen on August 22nd. The summer went too fast. Jim accomplished a lot of his college work, but we didn’t accomplish anything else. It has been a very quiet and humdrum summer. Speaking of Jim, his birthday is August 21st. He’ll be 61 years old. We can get social security in one year. That will be a blessing.



Nick and I are going to home school on the same schedule as Jim’s school. We’ll begin our year on August 22nd. I’d been given books for several years by a woman on Freecycle at the beginning of last year. I seem to remember having everything but literature, but I’d better check and make sure there’s a science book. YEP, I have everything we need.


With the Olympics beginning, I doubt there’ll be anything on television for the next week or so. That’s a bummer. I won’t be watching the Olympics. I have no interest in sports.



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2 Corinthians 12:9-10 [The Lord] said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.



Friday: We went over the Mary and Jon’s house last night and stayed until quite late. Jon had some fireworks he’d bought before their second honeymoon vacation and he and Nick woke up the neighborhood (not really) right after the school band stopped their practicing. AWFUL music! Awful!



We laughed and joked for hours. That was just what we all needed. Jon’s poison ivy is finally going away. He has a spot on his abdomen the size of a dessert plate that is a purple red color and he still has many splotches on his ankles and arms, but the blisters have closed up and the itching is gone. He found where he got the poison ivy this time. Their house is on the corner of one street with a dead end street next to them. It ends at the end of their property and backs up to the school property. There were a lot of lovely boulders and huge rocks in the overgrown area. Jon chose some to use in an area where he wanted to direct drainage from his driveway. He didn’t see the poison ivy and oak until he went searching for the culprit in this last outbreak. He’s going to spray there and kill the vines and avoid the area. There’s a snake in there, too.



I was still sleeping when Lauren got here today. I’d adjusted my alarm because it was going off at 6:15 and she’s getting here around 6:45. She was here around 6:40 today and the clock didn’t go off until almost 7:00. I heard her knocking on the door and laughing. My clock isn’t digital so it’s hard to tweak it to just the right time.



I got my laundry done early, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher and cleaned out the fridge. We’ll probably go buy groceries today or tomorrow. I’ve been doing fewer (larger) loads of laundry and dishes to save water and energy (think MONEY). I’d much rather do smaller loads more often, tho. I didn’t see a drop in my water bill because I’ve watered my plants some over the last two months. Consequently, my water bill was about $15.00 higher. We get a bill every two months and our water cost is much less than we’ve paid elsewhere. Really shouldn’t complain. My water bill is $57.20 this month. For TWO months.



It’s quite pleasant here today. If you’re in the shade, you’d really think it was early autumn. There’s a cool breeze and lovely skies. The sun is warm, tho. We had a high of 78° and a low of 56°. That’s MY kind of summer weather! Jim took advantage of the nicer weather and cut the grass.



My weekend started a bit early. The daycare Dad got off on time today and picked up his little one before 4:30. I finished watching ‘Little Bear’ and then did some chores.



Oh! I decided on a name for my business and ordered my business cards (free on Vistaprint.com). I chose a lavender card with a large purple flower. I wanted something feminine and exotic. My website will be fully functional sometime Monday. People can book airline tickets, cruises, car rentals, buy backpacking stuff or even a car off my website.



Have a lovely weekend and be thankful if those you love are healthy. In all things, give thanks.



[image]http://usera.imagecave.com/jimtavegia/diane3.gif[/image]

Diane Tavegia

Sometimes the Lord calms the storm.
Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.




"Next Stop Paradise Travel Agency" "work from home" "own your own business" "Online Business" "make money working from home"



dianetavegia -> Weekend draws to an end (8/10/2008 6:55:28 PM)

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Matthew 6:25-34 "So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at the birds. They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not. "And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you? You have so little faith! "So don't worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.




Saturday: I slept in a little today. Scooter woke me around 8:30. He was at the door. We put up a baby gate to keep him out of our bedroom and he could see me and Patches. I’d stayed up late last night, watching t.v., but slept pretty well.



It’s really pretty here. We turned off the central air and opened the windows last night. It got down to about 56°. There’s a nice breeze and it’s low 80’s°. I seriously doubt it’ll stay nice the rest of the year but we’re going to save money and enjoy the weather while we can.



I made some phone calls for church today. Several kids have phones that have been disconnected. So many people are going to cell phone only and haven’t updated the church records.



I sent out email fliers saying I’d do drop in day care. I really hope I can find some kids and soon. I feel a little panicky. I’ve had to turn away so many children over the years because of ‘no room’ but now there just seem to be no kids out there. My friend in the next town is trying to replace three kids who started school this year.


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Philippians 4:6-9 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you.





Sunday: Wow, we had a lot of youth at church today. It was promotion Sunday. Our lesson was on The Antichrist. It was a very good lesson, too. The kids in the 9th grade class listened and participated. I asked two of them to read scripture from Revelation 13.



Class went really well. I was very thankful that Jim got me the clock and hung it up in the room. It got us out on time. Our third teacher remained in the 7th and 8th grade girls class this week because the teacher had a baby a few days ago, her first, and won’t be in church for a week or so. It looked like they had a decent turn-out, too.



Nick signed up for a Facebook page today. Many of the church kids have those or My Space accounts. He’s a few months too young for My Space plus I don’t like how people can post things on your account without your approval or the ability to remove icky remarks. Maybe they’ve changed it since I first looked at it. I’ll check it out when he turns 14. His first ‘friend’ on his page is our preacher’s son who is one year older than him.



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Galatians 6:14 But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world..




I was touched today. A church visitor that I’d contacted during the week came looking for me before Sunday School. That’s two weeks in a row that someone has approached me after me calling them to welcome them or encourage them to get back in church. Last week a teen sought me out and an adult who’d not been in church in close to a year was there. I told you God had laid it on my heart that I was to reach out even if our church didn’t have a formal program in place. God has shown me how He uses those phone calls, visits and cards for HIS glory.



I had a youth tell me she’d contacted a missing member and several other youth offered to approach kids who have not been in class and invite them back. I think we’re going to experience a revival and I think it’s going to start within our youth group. God be praised!



Today’s music, in church, inspired me. It spoke of faith and giving concerns and needs to God. I am trusting God to supply the needs of my family and bless our efforts. God is good.



It’s remained quite pleasant here. We’ve kept our windows opened. I did use the whole house fan for a short time this afternoon because the sun hits the windows of the t.v. room late afternoon and that room gets a bit too warm. The fan will draw in the cool air and drop the temperature quite a bit.



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A tiny, tiny lizard lives right off our deck. I’ve seen him several times lately. Today he was on a deck chair. I thought I’d be funny and catch him. Well, he was too quick but when he jumped, he landed on my tennis shoe. I tried to reach him but he jumped to the other foot and started up my jeans. I quickly put my hands around the leg so he couldn’t go up very far. It was cute. He came down, looked around and then jumped back onto the deck. I’m surprised Scooter didn’t try to catch him. My digital camera isn’t very good at all or I’d have taken a picture to show you. I’ve always liked lizards. Jim would have had a heart attack if that had happened to him.



Tomorrow begins my online travel agency for ‘real’. I’ve waited because my friend who got me into this has been at the convention and I wanted her to walk me through this so I do it right the first time. I ordered my business cards and then had second thoughts about the company name. I’m stuck now, tho. It’s a cool name. I think I’ll do well. This company has already sold over $414 MILLION in travel! Wish I had money to buy stock in the company while it’s under $2.00 a share. If you’re into that type thing, it’s YTBLA on the stock exchange thingy.



Nick and I have two weeks until we begin schooling. I’m going to catch up on some household things before then so I’m ahead. If I don’t forget, I’m going to ask Jim to bring up a ladder and help me wash out the light fixtures and ceiling fans while he’s home. I inherited some inner ear problems from my Daddy and wouldn’t dare!



Well, have a nice evening and a great start to your week.



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Diane Tavegia


Sometimes the Lord calms the storm.
Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.



dianetavegia -> God is GOOD! (8/12/2008 8:07:00 PM)

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Jeremiah 17:5 &7 "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD." …. "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him."


Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.


Matthew 6:20 “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal”





My God is an AWESOME God! AWESOME!



Monday night was pizza. I’ve been a very bad girl this summer and had gained back 4 lbs. Jim and Nick are snackers and I join right in! I have no self control! Plus, with several injuries, I stopped doing my aerobics. My ankle still isn’t well, but I must get back to my exercising!



Jim and I went to Hobby Lobby last night. I love that store! It was almost closing time, so I only got to look at the Christmas decorations and the 90% off items. I found a gorgeous wrought iron shelf piece, very ornate, that was reduced from $39.99 to $8.00. I bought it for my entranceway. Jim hung it for me this morning. It looks so pretty under my giant clock on that two-story wall.



After Hobby Lobby, we went over and visited with Mary and Jon until 9:00. Hobby Lobby is in Carrollton and only 2 blocks from their house. We’d taken over some candy and sat out on the patio eating candy and drinking lemonade.



I went over to my friend’s house who shared the information about the online travel agency. We visited for quite a while. She’d just gotten back from the company convention and had lots of great information for me. I’m really excited! She and hubby will be sharing a lot more when we get together with a lot of other folk on Thursday night. If you live nearby, or want to call in and listen, let me know!



My website is up and running. I chose the name “Next Stop Paradise”. I was able to get the domain name www.nextstopparadisetravel.com and I’m thrilled! Check it out! Flights, Cruises, Flowers, Hotel reservations, Travel Insurance, Car Rental, Movie Tickets, Golf, Theatre Tickets, Honeymoon Registry, buy a new car, purchase outdoor equipment for camping, hunting, fishing and more, Apply for a Passport or Visa, check travel info and map an address….. off my website! If you’re interested in starting your own website, drop me an email and I’ll give you the link to watch the presentation. No pressure here! I started as a rep (for FREE).



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Micah 6:8 “ He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness , and to walk humbly with your God?”




Rain moved in this afternoon. It was already quite pleasant, but the temps dropped quite a bit right away. It was down to 67° by suppertime. Well, by 6:30. We ate a bit late because the toddler’s mom was late getting here. She got stuck in traffic. People in the south don’t know how to drive in rain, snow, fog, smog or sunshine. It’s still coming down. I love the rain.



Okay, I gave in and called DirecTV and got back some channels. We’re already so very bored and having no channels was torture! Get this, now DirecTV is making me send for waivers to get the networks and west coast channels again. I’ve had a waiver from each network for over 10 years. I only turned them off a few weeks ago and have to reapply. DRAT! I like having the west coast channels because we can watch what is on more than one channel and watch anything we may have missed earlier. They’re also making me allow a guy to come and change out our dish. Oh, it’s FREE, but we really don’t need a new dish. This one is 12 years old but Jim did replace the white thingy when ours died a few years ago. A lady on Freecycle.org had changed companies and gave us her dish. He just swapped out the broken piece and put the dish on the share table at the dump. Still, just a hassle.



Nick is so excited. Youth Group starts back tomorrow night. He really enjoys SPUR. He’s made friends with a lot of older kids who are very devout Christians. I really admire many of our youth. Cody and Jason have both been called into the ministry. Cody is losing his hearing and wears hearing aids. It’s a genetic condition. Both of his grandparents are deaf. His mom is a ‘cop’ and also translates the sermons and music into ASL. I love watching Anne’s hands. It’s like she’s painting words to God. A couple of our girls also have been called into ministry. Destiny really impresses me as a young woman after God’s own heart. She’s loving, kind and has a smile that will melt any heart. We are quite blessed!



Jon’s dog was stung by at least six Yellow Jackets. Erin is singing Friday night as an opening act for Counting Crows, Maroon 5 and some other groups. My mother went back to Birmingham and saw the oral surgeon. It turns out that she can have her procedures completed in Birmingham and save half or more over a local dentist. Our granddaughters are in New Jersey but will be home earlier than planned. We aren’t sure why.



Jim has an assignment to complete for college and really needs a book. He’s had it on order at the library for months. He has until Sept. 30th to have this completed and graded/ pass it. He’s thinking he’ll drive over to a college over by Jon’s house and see if they have a copy he can use.




We took Lauren and went over to Wal-Mart this morning. She’s sooooo cute. People were taken with her. I was waiting in line at the pharmacy to get some Sudaphed from behind the counter and she was singing ‘Happy Bir-day to youuuuuuuuuuuuu’. She’d pretend to sneeze and then laugh so hard and say ‘I so funny’. All the customers were pointing to her and ‘isn’t she precious’ remarks. I’m