If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. ~Bob Hope

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Feed it Forward!

Thanksgiving...what a perfect day to talk about food!

This morning my hubby received a restaurant.com certificate. Totally unexpected and much appreciated... I decided to look at their site because I didn't really know much about them and I came across something that they are doing from now until December 31st.

Every day from now until then, you can send up to 40 friends and family a $10 certificate. Every day you can send 40 people a little something nice and it doesn't cost you a dime! It's really simple too! 

Go to the website:

Create an account and start sending! You can import Gmail and Yahoo address books and even send to Facebook friends that you might not have an email addy for.

So, if you know me and I have an email or Facebook for you, I will probably be sending you one. 

'Til We Meet Again,
Jenny






Happy Thanksgiving!!

I hope everyone is enjoying themselves, their family and friends today. 

Please Enjoy this movie and have a Blessed day!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Do what you CAN

Tis the season for food collection. I have been thinking about this a lot lately. Mostly because we have a barrel at church and manage to fill it up every two months. Not bad for being such a small congregation!What's more impressive is that two weeks ago it was empty and the decision was made to see if we could send another barrel to the pantry before Thanksgiving, and it's looking like it will be filled on Sunday.

It's such an easy thing to do...donate food. Seriously, how hard is it to spot some one a can of veggies or a box of stuffing? This is the time of year where you can't turn around without finding a barrel or a donation bucket. Short of having someone come to your house and pick it up, it couldn't get much easier. Of course, if you desire pickup call your local boy scouts and find out the dates for Scouting for Food or wait until the Post Office Stamp Out Hunger drive. The point really is that there isn't any reason any of us can't participate in keeping the local food pantry stocked.

Don't know what to give? Well, lucky for you I found a couple of ideas. Toiletries are an oft overlooked item, so shampoo, toothpaste, soap are an option. A long time ago, a church I attended participated in the Feeding 5000 drive, and the suggested items for each box were:
Food items to put into each Project 5000 Box:


1. 2 cans of meat (2 different varieties – 12–24 oz. each)


2. 2 cans of vegetables-not green beans or peas, please (14.5 oz. each)


3. 2 cans of fruit (15 oz. each)


4. 1 can of pasta (15 oz.) (e.g., ravioli)


5. 2 boxes of macaroni and cheese (7.25 oz.)


6. 1 can of spaghetti sauce (26.5oz)


7. 2 cans of pork & beans or baked beans (16 oz. each)


8. 1 box of hot cereal (18 oz.)


9. 1 package of powdered milk (9.6 oz.)


10. 2 package of muffin/biscuit mix (8 oz.)


11. 2 cans of condensed soup or 1 can of non condensed soup.


12. 1 plastic jar of peanut butter (18 oz.)


13. 1 plastic jar of jelly (32 oz.)
Or another take on it can be found here from Kettering Fairmont HS. The list is set up the way it is because it's a class competition and each advisory get points based on how many list the fill. I think also that those are the component items used in the backpack program, so that's the other reason for their madness. The Feeding 5000 list or the Bronze list come out to about $20.00. It's really not that much, especially if you were to set the intention to provide that much on a monthly basis. I bet you could cover the cost with the money you find cleaning out your couch and car....just sayin'.

Til We Meet Again,
J

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Operation Christmas Child

This keeps popping up on Facebook, so since it is important to my friends and family it wins as today's subject. 

Operation Christmas Child is a collection effort by Samaritian's Purse International Relief in which you pack a shoebox full of gifts for a child's Christmas joy. November 15-22, 2010 is the National Collection week and you can search on the OCC site for a drop off location.

There are detailed instructions on how to pack the shoebox. Along with printable labels to designate if your gift is for a boy or girl, and a list of suggestions on what to put in the box. Shipping boxes to 130 countries around the world is expensive, so they also ask that you donate $7 in addition to each box that you donate.

If prayer is more your thing, they also have a Call to Prayer  in which you can commit to praying over the operation during collection week.

More information about Operataion Christmas Child can be found on their website.

Monday, November 1, 2010

...kind of a drag...

It's really disheartening lately. I keep trying to keep on keeping on but it's so hard. I haven't been in the mood to do the research for this blog, so I haven't posted much of anything. Let alone anything useful!

This morning on Facebook, I posted the following Mitch Hedberg quote:
You know, I'm sick of following my dreams, man. I'm just going to ask where they're going and hook up with 'em later.

I try not to let this feeling get the best of me, but I don't know at what point in "giving it up to God" am I supposed to accept that there is nothing out there for me? I had an interview this morning for a job I could do in my sleep, and I don't feel like it went well. Same old thing, it's not rocket science, yet everyone wants to treat it that way. Shrug, whatever. Then just a few minutes ago, I get a call about an "opportunity" that I couldn't pull the information out of the woman about. Hang up and Google what I did get, and yep, same type of not very above-board "opportunity" that I have been getting called about every time I put out a resume in the last ten years.

There is next to nothing posted on any of the job sites. I am certainly not a moron, but unfortunately sometimes I am not much of a sheep either. That is the hardest part of job hunting. I am what I am and it never seems to fit anyone criteria for an employee.

It is so completely demoralizing. You to be honest, at this point, it's just about getting the cash to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. A real open answer to where I see myself in 2-5 years, really depends on whether or not I am getting the job.

I've been patient. I've been receptive. I've been willing. I've tried. I've failed. I'm sick of trying. Modern HR methods are complete boondoggery. I am right here. I am right now. I am ready. I am willing. I am able. Who cares what I did yesterday? Who knows what I will do tomorrow?

People keep trying to somehow console me by telling me that I am smart. Smart never got anyone anywhere. No one wants a thinker like me in their ranks. People take my simple observations as mortal challenges. People hear my ideas as war calls. No one wants someone who has a continual improvement mind-set. If they did, I would be wasting company time typing this right now.

Depressing. I feel like I've wasted most of my life, becoming this unemployable being.  Yet, I don't even have any skills or any hobbies that I can turn into a some what steady income stream.

~~