Music

I have a new sponsor, this is for a great company that teaches you how to play piano by ear. I have tinked on the piano since I was a kid, though I haven't touched one in years. I never learned how to read music, I could put together a few chords, as long as they were easy ones (the key of C mostly). I had always hit this glass ceiling of playing. I have started a new music ministry at our church, at the same time our pianist quit (not related in any way to what I am doing). I had been tinking on the piano a bit at church, with the same results as before. I decided it was time for lessons, I knew I wouldn't be able to afford private lessons, even if I could, I didn't think I could find anyone locally who would teach me the style I wanted to play.

I started looking for gospel piano on line and found this company. They offer a course specific to gospel style of playing (think music you would hear at a black gospel church). I started to order just the first course, but they offered a great deal if I would go ahead and get the whole course, they offered a payment plan so I ordered the whole thing. I am so glad I did, I have only watched the first DVD lesson and it has made such a difference in my playing. I can't wait to watch the rest of the DVD lessons and implement what I learn.

Today was another praise and worship service at church, afterward we had our first rehearsal for our Christmas music special. Between the end of the praise and worship service and the rehearsal, I was practicing on the piano, the other people herd me, which was the point, my fingers get nervous when I think anyone can hear me, so I need to practice when other people are around to get used to it. Anyhoo, we started our rehearsal, we were using recorded Christmas music CDs, one of the songs just was in the wrong key for everyone to sing, it also went too fast for everyone's liking. The leader of the Christmas music program asked me to play that song on the piano, and I agreed! I can't believe I'm doing this. I played the song, Joy To The World with our violinist and guitar player, this is going to be an instrumental version. I found the song quite easy to play. I would probably NOT be doing this if I hadn't started my lessons with this company.

Check them out, if you have ever wanted to play piano (or organ, guitar, drums or vocals), you don't have to be able to read music (I don't read music), this teaches you to play by ear. It doesn't matter if you can play or not, they can teach you. I chose gospel style, they teach other styles too, but they specialize in gospel styles.


All written text from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message.

Wretha,

Thanks for visiting!

Good Quote

This is something I read on line, it's pretty accurate

What ever you give a woman, she will make it greater! Give her sperm, she will give you a baby. Give her a house, she will give you a home. Give her groceries, she will give you a meal. Give her a smile, she will give you a heart. She multiplies & enlarges what she is given. So, if you...give her crap, be ready for a ton of shit!

All written text from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message.

Wretha,

Thanks for visiting!

The Prodigal Son

Many years ago, I found a great gospel piano player and singer, Keith Green, his songs are like mini-stories told from the heart. Unfortunately for the rest of us, he was taken all too soon in a private plane crash in '82. Fortunately his music is still alive and well and still touches those who listen.

As part of my new music ministry I often choose at least one Keith Green song to play, this time I chose a song that is not found in any hymnal, it's called "The Prodigal Son", this song always brings tears to my eyes. While looking around the internet, I found a video, a mini-movie played to this song, it really brings this Biblical parable into the 21st century, please play this video, listen to the words, I hope you are as touched by this song (and video) as I am.


The Prodigal Son by Dean L Bauman from dean l bauman on Vimeo.



All written text from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message.

Wretha,

Thanks for visiting!

My Mop Came In! Review

It finally came in, no I'm not complaining about how long it took, especially since the shipping was free (it took less than a week), I just couldn't wait to get it! I used the mop yesterday, at the church where I clean and at a lady's house where I clean. I am so impressed with this mop, it works even better than my original microfiber mop. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this mop!

When I received the box from UPS (thanks Bobby! You are the best!), the box looked too small to contain this mop. I opened it and discovered the mop handle is shipped in 2 parts, there were no instructions in the box, but it was pretty simple to put the two parts together, they snap into place. In the box I found the handles, 3 microfiber mop pads, and 2 bottles, I only expected to get 1 bottle, it was a pleasant surprise to get 2 bottles. After going back to Amazon and looking closer, I discovered that you are supposed to get 2. After playing with it for a bit, I washed the pads, you need to do that with any new microfiber product, otherwise you will leave a trail of microfiber dust the first time you use it.

When I got to the church, I swept the floor in the kitchen then I got to work with the mop, I had already filled the bottle with water, up to the first line that is nearly at the top of the bottle, I put in ammonia up to the second line, which ends up being a couple of tablespoons worth. It fit right into the receptacle on the handle with no dripping. The mop is balanced pretty well, though it does weigh a little more than my original microfiber mop. I pumped the trigger on the handle a couple of times to get it going. It began spraying a near perfect rectangle of liquid on the floor just in front of the mop head, the spray pattern was about the same size as the mop pad, not too much, not too little. On the first swipe, I realized that this was working much better than my original microfiber mop, it cleans better and picks up more dirt and liquid, I attribute that to the fact that the pads are much thicker. That means I will not have to rinse the pad as often, that is something you have to do with microfiber mops, just the same as you do with any mop, after you use it so long, you have to rinse them. With this mop, since it's thicker, it doesn't require rinsing as often, and since I have 3 mop pads, I just change the pad instead of rinsing. The only place I know of that you can get the whole mop kit with the extra pads and extra bottle, is through Amazon, if you buy direct from Rubbermaid, you get the mop with one pad and one bottle, you have to pay extra for more pads and bottles, plus you pay for shipping, through Amazon you get the whole kit, mop, 3 pads and 2 bottles with free shipping, that's the best deal I have found to date.

I used it on the floor, then put on a new pad and went to the glass doors (next time I'll do the glass first, that way I can continue using the same pad on the floors), I sprayed the ammonia water on the door and mopped the doors, inside and out. They came so clean! And no streaks, it dried perfectly clear, I also used it on the sliding glass doors on the front of the church, again with near perfect results. Makes me wish there was more to mop in the church! When I left there, I went to my friend's house where I clean, there is much more to mop there. Again, it worked perfectly over there, I used the mop head that I used on the glass at the church, it was clean enough to use on the floor without rinsing beforehand. So far everyone who has seen this mop wants one, one of my friends did buy one a few days after I ordered mine, she also ordered a dust mop head for hers, I wish now that I had gotten one of those too, perhaps next time I order from Amazon, I'll order one of those.

I give this mop a big thumbs up. It works like a Swiffer mop without having to buy refills of the pads and the cleaner.

One warning, do not use chlorine bleach in any way with microfiber material, it will destroy the material, that goes for any microfiber product you are using, and when you wash them, do not use fabric softener with them, it will soak up the fabric softener and will not pick up anything else after that, in fact it will make streaks where you use it. It's OK that it has static cling, and it will when you take it from the dryer, that helps the cloths work even better when you dry dust.


All written text from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message.

Wretha,

Thanks for visiting!

E gads, Building, Politics, Religion and Buying Stuff

I'm pretty excited on a couple of fronts, first, PB is working on an addition to the sky castle, it started out as the deck on the west side, he expanded the deck then built a room on the end of the deck, this room is separate from the main part of the sky castle, it's a smallish room, meant to be used for storage and such, it can also be used as a guest room during warm weather, I wouldn't put anyone out there during winter without a majorly thick blanket. :)

Next I'm excited about voting day, yeah!!!! I haven't been this excited about voting in a long time, the biggest thing I'm excited about is I don't have to leave the neighborhood to vote, they are having it in a local church and I'll be there. I'll not discuss who I'll be voting for here, if you want to learn that, you'll have to go to my political blog.

Most of my wonderful readers are aware of my recent baptism, I've been a born again Christian since I was a teen, just didn't do the dunk until now. Since the baptism, I have been attending our non-denominational community church, I enjoy every part of it with one exception, the music. It's a bit on the dry side, and that's being kind. Not saying it was bad, the pianist played very well, just slow and sedate. The churches I have attended (regularly) in the past had great music, in fact the church I was saved in, the preacher had formerly been a honky-tonk bar owner, he played honky-tonk style piano, think Great Balls of Fire!, I also come from a very musical family, so I really wanted to spice up the music in church. I talked to our pastor about this and he asked me if I was volunteering for the job... the thing is, it's not a good to complain about something unless you are willing to do something about it, so yes, I volunteered, with the help of a couple of other friends who attend the church and feel the same way I do about the music.

I've never done anything like this before, but that never stops me from trying anything! I chose a variety of gospel and praise music, most with vocals, some without. I had a test run last Friday with a few people, I wanted to test out the music and the equipment at the church, it went very well, everyone enjoyed the music, everyone sang, clapped and moved around, exactly the way I had hoped it would happen. Next Friday, we will be having the first official praise and worship service, I hope a lot of people will attend, I suspect some will come just to see what this will be all about, I hope they enjoy it as much as I do and will keep coming back. It doesn't matter the number of those who attend though, if only those who came on the test run are there, I'll be happy.

Now to my next excitement. I have been pretty busy lately, cleaning houses for people, I now clean for both churches in the community, this is why I haven't been writing much. I prefer using fewer chemicals when I clean, I rely on microfiber cloths to do a lot of the cleaning, they don't require chemicals, just water, and they work great. Many years ago, I purchased a really good Microfiber Mop Kit with Aluminum Pole and Two Pads and I love it, I have had a couple of people want it, you can't find these in stores, only on line. I have seen some cheap knock-offs in stores, have even used a couple, they don't work as well, in fact the cheap ones I have found in the stores are horrible, the handle breaks, the pad doesn't pick up very well, the way the pad attaches to the mop is substandard.

A few weeks ago, I saw a commercial for a Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop Kit, it is designed like those Swiffer mops with the liquid cleaner and disposable pads. The difference is the Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop Kit uses microfiber pads (no disposable pads to throw away and have to repurchase) and it has a plastic bottle that you can use plain water or fill with water and a couple of tablespoons of the cleaner of your choice (so you don't have to purchase the proprietary Swiffer cleaner liquid). I can't wait to get this, it's supposed to come in next week, it is OK to get this excited about cleaning? LOL!

This mop kit comes with the mop handle, 3 microfiber cleaning pads and a refillable bottle, you put the pad on the mop, you put plain water or water with a little bit of cleaning fluid of your choice (I'll probably use ammonia), the bottle fits in a receptacle on the handle, there is a trigger on the handle you squeeze to spray the water/cleaner, then you mop. I like the idea that I'm getting more pads with this kit, it will save me from having to rinse the pads during mopping, when you use these microfiber mop pads, you have to rinse the pads from time to time.

I checked the Rubbermaid website and found they don't sell the kit, just the separate components, the mop (includes 1 pad and a bottle), the pads and the bottle, if you purchase everything it takes to make the kit from Rubbermaid, it costs significantly more plus you pay for shipping, if you go through the link above or below, you can get the kit (mop, 3 microfiber pads and bottle) with free shipping for significantly less.


I think if you use a Swiffer and you like it, you will love this!

I purchased another item, but that I'll keep under my hat for a while, I'm going to try it out, I hope it works, I'll post something about it later. I'll give you a hint, it has to do with smelling fresh and clean all day, it's completely natural, no chemicals are left on your skin or get on your clothes, and it never runs out.


All written text from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message.

Wretha,

Thanks for visiting!

Better Harbor Freight Coupon!

I received another Harbor Freight coupon flier via email, this one has the 45 watt solar panel kit listed at $169.99, quite a savings even off of the sale price of $199.99. Here is the actual coupon as seen on the individual coupon link:

Here are the links to the flier:
http://widgets.harborfreight.com/wswidgets/common/displayCoupon.do?hdr=mag&week=4410&campaign=a_retail&page=4410a_retail.html&cust=78062728788&keycode=0000

individual coupon link:
http://widgets.harborfreight.com/wswidgets/common/displayCoupon.do?week=4410&campaign=a_retail&page=coupon2.html&cust=78062728788&keycode=0000&single=true

This is good through Nov 25, 2010

All written text from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message.

Wretha,

Thanks for visiting!

Harbor Freight Coupon Link

I just received this in my email, it's a coupon for solar related items at Harbor Freight, they have the 45 watt solar panel kits on sale for $199.99 in this sale, plus a lot of smaller solar powered items.

http://images.harborfreight.com/hftweb/campaigns/emails/solar103010/solarproducts103010.html?utm_source=solar_103010&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=4310C




All written text from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message.

Wretha,

Thanks for visiting!

City or Country?

On another site, there is a discussion about whether it is better to be in the city or the country in a SHTF situation, the consensus is it would be better to be in the country, the problem is, for those who live in the city now, how are they going to survive? Of course, many believe that if things got really bad, they would abandon the city and head for the country, well I say that ain't going to work very well, those already in the country aren't going to be very welcoming to the hoards leaving the cities if things go bad. Even those living in the country will not be immune from a major SHTF situation if it causes food and/or fuel shortages, the difference is we aren't all crammed into sardine like housing, apartments and such. Also, those in very rural areas tend to not go to the store as often, so by default, we stock up on supplies and are able to go longer between shopping visits. Not leaving the house for a couple of weeks (or longer) is normal, so in a short term disaster, those living in rural areas will be better off than those living in the cities. One person said that living in the city, she would be good for a short time, then she would head for the country, I suspect that is the thoughts of many city folk, here is my response:

I would say where ever you are, city or country, you need to be prepared for short and long term disasters, have a supply of food and water, it doesn't have to be a lot, most disasters are short term, if you are able to get by for at least ...2 weeks without having to leave your home, then you are far ahead of the masses. Get foods that don't require cooking or heating, canned foods, there are lots of rice and noodle dishes that are pre-made in packages that can be eaten right out of the package. It doesn't cost much to buy up a few extra packages of food like this each week or each payday, shop at dollar stores to get good buys. Canned meats, chicken, turkey, ham, tuna... you can even get these in foil packs so they will not take up too much space.

Buy cheap bottled water and store these, if you can't afford it, then recycle plastic soda bottles, just be sure you clean them well and add a few drops of plain chlorine bleach, honestly if you can afford to buy soda, you can afford to buy cheap bottled water, it doesn't need to be the uber expensive water, look for store brands. These tend to take up more space, you can get creative where you store them, line them up in the back of your closet, under your bed...

As you are doing this, and it would be utterly irresponsible if you choose not to, you can be buying up other things that may be needed if you have to shelter in place, things like first aid-bandages, alcohol, aspirin, ibuprofen, tape... if you can afford it, invest in a good first aid kit.

There are lots more things to do to really be prepared, but if you will just START doing it, starting this payday, you will be much better off than if you didn't do anything. Before anyone says "I can't afford to do any of this...", my response is how can you afford not to, do you really think the government is going to take care of you? Remember the last few natural disasters and what those people went though? Do you want to be in that boat?

Shop at the dollar stores to make your money go even farther, save your money for important things, do you really need to eat out at lunch? Bring your lunch to work and you will save lots of money. Cut down on your frivolous expenditures, do you really need every channel on cable or satellite? How much money can you save by getting a cheaper package, or perhaps cutting it off altogether? I know I'm asking tough things of you, but in a SHTF situation, when you are standing there with your world falling apart, will you be wishing you had watched another soap opera or will you be glad you purchased some food and water to get you though whatever problem you are facing...

All written text from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message.

Wretha,

Thanks for visiting!

Sale Ends Tomorrow!

Just in case you are a procrastinator like me, here is a quick reminder, the sale at Honeyville Farms ends tomorrow, if you are going to order from them, do it asap!

Greetings from Honeyville Farms:

SALE ENDS TOMORROW!  DON'T MISS OUT ON OUR BIGGEST SALE OF THE YEAR AND YOUR CHANCE TO SAVE 15% ON YOUR ENTIRE ORDER*!  USE COUPON CODE "FALL" DURING CHECKOUT.  HURRY, SALE ENDS TOMORROW, TUESDAY, 10/05/2010 AT 6:00 PM PST.

TO ORDER, VISIT:

http://store.honeyvillegrain.com

Just a friendly reminder that the Honeyville Food Products Sale ends tomorrow evening, 10/05/2010, at 6:00PM, PST (Pacific Standard Time).  Don't miss out on your chance to save 15% on your entire order*.  Just browse to http://store.honeyvillegrain.com and add items to your cart as usual.  During checkout enter the coupon code FALL on the second page of checkout and click Apply to activate your discount.  Your savings will automatically be deducted from the total.  We appreciate you as a customer and hope that we're doing everything possible to earn your business.  Don't miss out on these great savings on top of our everyday low prices.

Don't forget to check out our new products in the What's New Section.  Visit us online at http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/newproducts.aspx.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us directly at the phone number or email address below.

Regards,
Chris Ondatje
Director of E-Commerce
Honeyville Food Products, Inc.
chriso@honeyvillegrain.com
(888) 810-3212 ext. 1001

*OFFER VALID FOR INTERNET ORDERS ONLY.  15% off does not apply to shipping.  Newsletter Discount is valid from Thursday, September 30, 2010 thru Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 6:00PM PST.  For assistance call (888) 810-3212.
This message was sent by: Honeyville Grain, Inc., 9175 Milliken Ave, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730

All written text from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message.

Wretha,

Thanks for visiting!

Good Deal on Freeze Dried Foods and Such

Got this in my email today, thought I'd pass it along, it's a good deal and they have super cheap shipping, we all know that the S&H charges always run the bill way up! Has anyone had any dealings with this company? If so, please let me know your experiences with them, good or bad.

Greetings from Honeyville Farms:

SUMMARY:  OUR BIGGEST SALE OF THE YEAR!  15% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER* from Thursday, September 30, 2010 thru Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 6:00PM PST.  Simply enter the coupon code FALL during checkout. This week we're introducing our New Survival Backpacks featuring Freeze Dried Entrees.  We're also blowing out our Powdered Whole Eggs by the case with our lowest price of the year!  Save on these and all of your favorites for a limited time.

DISCOUNT CODE:  FALL

http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/newproducts.aspx

LONG VERSION

Don't miss out on our biggest sale of the year!  These 15% off sales are few and far between so make sure to stock up and save.  From Thursday, September 30th, 2010 thru Tuesday, October 5th, 2010 you'll get 15% off of every item in your cart*.  Just order as usual and enter the coupon code FALL during checkout.  The coupon code field is on the second page of the checkout process.  Enter the FALL coupon code, click the APPLY button to the right, and the savings will automatically be calculated.

This week we're introducing 2 new Survival Backpacks featuring Freeze Dried Entrees from Wise Foods.  These kits have everything you need should a disaster occur.   We're also making room for new products by blowing out our Powdered Whole Eggs in the case.  Save an additional 15% on top of our clearance price.  A great buy.

See our CLEARANCE ITEMS at:  http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/clearance.aspx

 Visit us at http://store.honeyvillegrain.com.  ACT NOW as this discount will end promptly on Tuesday October 5th at 6:00PM PST.  If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to place an order over the phone call us, toll-free, at (888) 810-3212.  We're happy to help.

Thanks for your business.

Regards,
Chris Ondatje
Director of E-Commerce
Honeyville Food Products, Inc.
chriso@honeyvillegrain.com
http://store.honeyvillegrain.com
Toll-Free:  (888) 810-3212

*15% off discount does not apply to our already low flat-rate shipping fee of $4.49.  Discount valid for INTERNET ORDERS ONLY placed from Thursday, September 30th, 2010 thru Tuesday, October 5th, 2010 at 6:00PM PST.  For assistance call (888) 810-3212.
This message was sent by: Honeyville Grain, Inc., 9175 Milliken Ave, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730

All written text from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message.

Wretha,

Thanks for visiting!