Busted by Nicole...

Yesterday I was busted by Nicole in my purge and prune efforts. And here's the progress. We both handled it with much grace.

We went to HUF (Hand Up Foundation) to drop off an entire car load of recycling, mine plus a friend's. It was alarming to see how much waste just two families generated in a relatively short period of time, I think it may have only been a couple of weeks. And my friend didn't even include paper...

After we dropped off the recycling we went upstairs to shop for a skirt for Tianna, who has a manners mixer on Monday. She doesn't own a skirt...and we didn't find one at HUF either.

What we, no excuse me, Nicole did find, however were three items that I had previously purged from our home that she wasn't ready to part with but probably wouldn't have missed had she not come nose to nose with them. Ugh. Busted.

So what did I do? Since I had barrelled on ahead and disposed of her stuff without permission (I violated her boundaries) I did what any unreasonably reasonable mother would do and bought them back. No fighting, no arguing, a simple apology and acknowledgment that I had crossed the line.

What line have you crossed lately?

What' On My Mind...

There are several things on my mind and deep in a comment the other day I left a dangling carrot about promising to post about how "Sex in the City" could possibly be related to hospitality and being a decent representative of Christ. OK, so I have a knack for getting ears ringing or pushing people out of their comfort zones from time to time. But I have to admit I was just too tired last night to post. I had to go to HUF to see the new store, and it is Awesome! I also found out that they are now involved in recycling for the Milton School District, so that is something else on my mind. The list (which may cause some aches and pains from stretching) follows below the next photo... No, this isn't sawdust, although it might as well be. It is ground flax seed that I heard and read is healthy for you so I added some to my oatmeal yesterday. Yuck. It was awful. It had the consistency of sawdust and some of the seeds which didn't get totally ground got caught in my teeth. I may hold on to it, though, because it might make good cat litter. All in the name of recycling. Which will bring me to the first of the other things on my mind...

RECYCLING:
I heard a really nasty rumor at Nicole's elementary school that the paper that is collected in recycling bins in all the classrooms is just dumped in the regular trash at the end of the day. Talk about lousy example and misleading and lack of integrity. So this morning I went in to ask the Principal if it was so. He didn't know for sure, but supported me 100% when I said I would like to cause some trouble and look into it. Apparently there are all kinds of restrictions about what can and can't be recycled. OK. They obviously need to take a lesson from HUF, where they take everything except Glass and it doesn't even need to be separated. So I have a call in to the appropriate powers that be. I know there are like minded people who will get on the band wagon. Yes, it takes time and effort. But our world is not a replaceable commodity.

COFFEE CONVERSATION:
That was a safer heading than politics...I just want to say I believe we all want the same end result for our country: hope, a better economy, peace...and a bright future for the next generation. But we disagree on who we feel is best positioned to get us there. I invite my friends and readers to not get too nervous about out of the box posts. My goal is not to offend anyone or compromise any friendships. So no nervousness, just love allowed.

DIRECT TV:
We switched to Direct TV and bundled it with Verizon phone and Internet a few weeks ago and my mother hates it and can't figure out how to use the remote. So every day I hear about how much she hates it and how stupid it was to switch. Of course never mind that my mom is the one who taught me all about frugality and she will go ten blocks out of her way in NYC to save a dime on a gallon of milk.

CHURCHED:
Matthew Paul Turner's book Churched released yesterday and with the help and support of several friends and fans it made it to #687 on Amazon.com. I finished reading it and have decided to muse and reflect on topics and stories from the book starting today and going through next week.

WIN THE BOOK:
Remember if you want an opportunity to win the book, you get entered in a drawing every time you leave a comment.

FUTURE POLITICALLY ORIENTED POSTS:
Will be posted separately, so if readers prefer to skip politics they can do so and still keep reading the parts they enjoy. I aim to please!

NATIONAL OUTREACH CONVENTION:
The first week of November I am flying to San Diego to attend the National Outreach Convention and can't wait. I will also have the chance to visit my elementary school friend who is courageously fighting breast cancer again. You may recall I spent her birthday with her in June.

That's it for now. On to Churched!
Peace.

Hand Up Foundation...

"Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth" (Psalm 108:5)


I believe we need to take care of the glory of creation. The people at HUF (Hand Up Foundation) also believe this and are doing an amazing job at their recycling center. In the first five months of this year over 70,000 pounds of computer components have been recycled. It is more than some counties in PA have recycled in the past three years.
They own a baler, and bail everything from clothing that doesn't meet the quality standard to be sold in their discount center, to cardboard (I got downright giddy with excitement to discover that I no longer have to tear apart my cardboard boxes, the baler will do it...) to plastic bottles. And they take every imaginable kind of paper too, from newspaper to cellophane windowed envelopes...more giddiness ensued.

More mind boggling recycling efforts include the complete dismantling of major appliances; even the freon in refrigerators is recycled. Can't you just grasp the impact this has on our environment? My personal goal is to get my household down to one trash can of household trash per week...more giddiness! Below are appliance components which will all be broken down and hand separated.

The new building will house the recycling center downstairs and the new discount center upstairs. They hope to have the remodeling completed in time to transition the store by the end of September. The amount of space is phenomenal, and for a bargain happy used clothes junkie like me that is cause for more celebration (and giddiness!).

The outside of the discount center has a completely handicapped accessible entrance as well as a ramp that cars will be able to back right up to to deliver donations. And because of the recycling center, no donation is junk. Some will be sold, some will be recycled.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10)

This place is the ticket. There are so many opportunities to do those good works which I believe God has prepared for us to do right here, right now, in this community. It is a place for relationship building. It is a place for service. It is the new home of the Milton food bank. It helps transition hurting individuals into job ready positions with training and skill development. There are dreams for all kinds of community programs and the space is just waiting to be occupied by willing teachers and eager students.

I am excited, because our church, Community Mennonite Fellowship will be partnering with HUF the last weekend in September when we are engaging in the Faith in Action campaign, serving as Jesus' hands and feet in our community. We will be partnering with them in delivering food baskets, helping with extra volunteer power at the discount and recycling centers. And in the process we will be building more relationships.

And Doug and I banged our heads together and the visions were just exploding. Let the fireworks begin!