So … I think I have mentioned how much we hate the little green circle? I have taken to referring to it as the little green circle of doom. It means that the database is taking forever to load one of the gazillion windows that we have to open in order to build a record. It’s kind of like this one only neon green. And it doesn’t move anywhere near this fast! By 4:00 Friday I was threatening to strangle it and turn it into a figure 8! I am REALLY hoping to find a new job before the beginning of our next *busy* season (mid to late July) because as I told my husband … I used to believe I could tolerate anything for a finite amount of time. Boredom and frustration at work have changed my mind!

I tried several covers for the new Facebook profile but never found one that I was entirely content with. Finally built my own.

And then … because I am never entirely content with the graphics that I come up with … I started thinking about tweaking my profile photo for my FB page. I had been using this:

Switched to this:

Here’s what I REALLY like about the new image: I have been pondering the possibility of trying minimal FB ads. A friend has done some and seen incredible growth on her FB page. I really didn’t want to use a graphic that had my face on it. And I wanted to be a little clearer with my message. I found this painting, The Clay, by Ron DiCianni, that just seemed to fit me perfectly! (Even more so than the lady at the window.) Look closely … the woman is on a potter’s wheel, fully surrendered to the craftsman – Jesus. It says so much about what I want my life, and by extension my blogs, to be. Now if I can just manage to be content with it! I know that a lot of people would miss the significance of the message, especially at a casual glance, but I’m okay with that. I LOVE it!

I’m thinking about changing this blog and Journey over to the theme that I’m using on Tigger. I LOVE the theme (very user-friendly and lots of support and encouragement in the forums) so I know I will switch eventually. But right now … my time is so limited that it’s probably not wise to do something that has potential for totally stressing me out if it isn’t a smooth transition!

Still hearing rumors that Google Friend Connect is going away for non-Blogger blogs. Please be sure to choose another way to follow this blog (easy e-mail subscription in right sidebar or subscribe to the rss feed in your reader of choice) before it disappears on you. I would hate to lose any of you because the relationships that we are building really are the reason that I blog!

I tweaked my FB Landing Page a little more today. You can check it out here … and while you’re there you can like me … which will make me VERY happy! If you don’t land on the landing page click the *welcome* link on the left.

Have you added me, and my page, to your Google+ circles? I know some of us are not thrilled about the way Google is invading our worlds and forcing us to adapt to changes against our wills but … I think it’s here to stay! We might as well start getting used to it! And please be sure to add both. They’re separate entities. Thanks!

My desktop computer is continuing to be a pain in the neck. Josiah has decided that it may be an Operating System error so we are backing up my data and then doing a complete system restore. I sure hope this works because a new computer just isn’t in the budget at the moment!

Once we get the computer working and we’re more caught up at work I’m going to start working on redesigning this blog, and Journey, to the format that I use on Tigger. I like that theme better … even though I am still on a major learning curve!

Got my system backed up and the system restore going. Pray for me!

I decided this morning that my cats are Israelites! They are forever doing what I tell them not to and going the few places that are off limits! Bert calls them stupid cats. I don’t think they are stupid but they are decidedly stubborn! And one of them is trying to help me write this post!

Later gators …

Beth

I ventured onto the scales yesterday … even though I said I wouldn’t. I’ve lost (not that I wish to find them) 20 pounds in 3 weeks. I KNOW that’s good but I was still a little disappointed! I had hoped for a minimum of 25 and was really thinking it could be more. Still … 20 was a good start!

My goal for the moment is to be slimmed down enough to wear my Holy Clothing blouse and pants for the dressy evening at Blissdom. (Gives me a month.) I had bought 3 blouses back in December that I have never yet been able to wear. And then I didn’t really have pants to go with them so I ordered some pants from the same company.

I have this in this red, sapphire blue, and emerald green.

And I have these pants in black and brown. Hoping the brown looks okay with the green. I seldom have cause to dress formally and didn’t want to invest too much money in it but I think this will make a really pretty outfit if I can just get into it!

Okay … it’s edging towards 10:00 and I need to go to bed! Talk to y’all later!

Our office finally made the leap to the new software that has been hovering over our heads for the last year. We were locked out of the system for an afternoon while changes were made behind the scenes and not allowed to do anything the next day until we could be taught how to use the program correctly. We spent all day Thursday in a meeting with 4 of us going over the details of how to enter an application. I knew it was going to be bad when it took all 4 of us all day to do something which used to take me 10 minutes! On Friday I was set free to go ahead and start on my piled up work. I did better than one 8 hour application but not by much. It’s horrendous! I kind of doubt that I’m going to find much free time anytime soon!

I have pretty much decided that I am going to just stay off scales until I have to face them in the doctor’s office. I was tempted this morning … 2 weeks since New Years Day … but the scales weren’t where I expected them to be. They turned up later but I took it as a sign that I’m supposed to stay off them. Be that as it may … I have seen some signs that I am losing weight. My clothes are fitting a little more loosely, the steering wheel is a bit further from my tummy, and when I had to go into that all day meeting in my bosses office … I fit in a chair that last time I had to perch on the edge of. Little miracles but I’ll take them!

My computer could use a miracle of its own … and Josiah went out-of-town for the weekend. First it was having the issue where it kept turning itself off and losing it’s connection with the monitor. Then one day last week it lost the keyboard. Rebooting seemed to fix it. But then it turned itself off in the middle of the night. I tried to start it back up and it automatically went to an option that asks if I want to restore it to a previous point. The problem was that I needed to choose an option with the keyboard. And it has lost the keyboard again.  And then … to make matters worse … it lost the monitor again. Now what in the world am I supposed to do with a computer with no keyboard and no monitor. It’s about as useful as a brick! But far more annoying! Using the laptop at the moment but unfortunately it doesn’t have the Quicken records on it that I need to make invoices for Bert. My bad. If we bring it back to life I will definitely back it up and make sure that everything on there that I need is on here too! And if I had the extra cash I would go buy a replacement just to be rid of the frustration!

Josiah arrived home shortly before 9:00 and fixed my errant computer. Memory error. If it misbehaves again we may have to replace the memory but better that than the whole machine!

Hey Peeps!

Until a few days ago I didn’t think that there was a chance in the world that I would be going to BlissDom this year! There were all sorts of obstacles in my way. They have been miraculously cleared and now we just have to pray for good weather! (Can I get an amen?) We’ll be driving from Tulsa (about 10 hours) and hubby is coming with me to get away for a few days and check out Nashville. Besides … he’s a better long distance driver than I am.

Who I am as a person:

I’m a (seriously imperfect)  follower of Jesus. I’m a wife (32 years and counting … yeah … I’m old … sigh). I’m a step-mom times 3. I’m a mom to one 22-year-old that wants to be a missionary.  I’m Oma (grandmother) to 6+ (only 1 lives close). I’m daughter, sister, friend, etc.

I was blessed to be a stay-at-home home-schooling mom for 20 years and just reentered the work force (with great trepidation) about 5 years ago. I work in the admissions office of a private university processing student applications. My job is VERY busy for about 5 or 6 months out of the year and then VERY slow for the rest of the time. I took up blogging to fill some of those quiet hours. Now I’d really like to give up the job and blog full-time but …

I have struggled with weight issues for most of my adult life and currently find myself needing to lose about 150+ pounds. My doctors recently told me that I need both knees replaced (arthritis) but they will not do it until I have lost at least 100 pounds. So … I’m on a very low carb diet. I did Atkins before (about 10 years ago) and dropped 200 pounds so I know it’s possible! The trick is staying ON the plan! Venturing off leads to rapid return of the undesired weight.

Because walking is very difficult for me and I keep hearing “wear comfy shoes … the conference center / hotel is HUGE” I had some reservations about attending but I have been offered a chair (not a HoverRound but similar) which will enable me to maneuver with the rest of you. And when you’re tired you can hook your goodie bags on my chair and walk beside me … or you can sit in my lap and take a ride.

I should also mention that I am painfully shy and prone to social anxiety. Crowds can easily overwhelm me and a friendly face always makes it easier so I’m glad we have this opportunity to meet.

Who I am as a Blogger:

People have always told me that I write well and really should write a book. Somehow the idea of a book scares me. (Maybe someday.) But shorter blog posts … those are easy! And they feed this creative hunger that I didn’t realize my spirit even had until I started blogging. I started on Blogger, moved to self-hosted WordPress a couple of years ago, and added a couple of topical blogs. Last summer my website was hacked with some malware (through a Tim Thumb vulnerability) and in my attempts to clean things up … I managed to delete 4 years worth of blog history. I was, and still am, sad to have lost all that BUT being a lover of new beginnings … I decided to embrace the opportunity!

Beth: A Work in Progress is my most established blog. It’s a catchall for a little bit of everything. I do a few memes here weekly and I regularly pour out whatever is on my heart and mind here. Faith, Family, Humor, Life, Etc. It’s all here. When I was told I needed to belong to a *niche* a few years ago I couldn’t figure out where I belonged. Lifestyle is the closest. But I don’t much care for being categorized anyway!

Looking for Tigger is my fledgling blog. I have long joked that I am an Eeyore … complete with my own storm cloud! When it got really bad recently I decided to combat it … look for my inner Tigger … by finding things to take joy in, and give thanks for, even in the valley. It is a fun and pretty upbeat little blog. I’d love to have you join me there!

Journey is my health and fitness blog and it is, I freely admit, a little dark right now. I have been going through a severe depression and a variety of crises (when it rains it pours) all at the same time. It helps me to be able to journal those feelings and Journey is the place I do that. It is a public blog, because I hope that my story might help someone else, but I don’t actively recruit followers there.

Well … that’s me in a nutshell! A slightly cracked one. I’m really looking forward to meeting you at BlissDom!

]]> http://www.bethszimmerman.com/2012/01/12/hello-blissdom-2012/feed/ 11 http://www.bethszimmerman.com/2012/01/12/hello-blissdom-2012/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bethszimmerman/XIVQ/~3/Kyryt6N9zjU/ http://www.bethszimmerman.com/2012/01/11/techno-stuff-life/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:44:08 +0000 Beth http://www.bethszimmerman.com/?p=336 I know I keep pestering you about this but … have you looked at my Looking for Tigger blog yet? PageLines just came out with a new theme in December that is super user friendly and they offered it to me at a great price since I already used one of their premium themes. I was curious and wanted to try it but I didn’t want to screw this site up with my tweaking so I put it on Tigger to give me a chance to learn it. And I am loving it! Still tweaking to get it just right but I think it looks good and is pretty user friendly. I know I need to get more content above the fold … not sure how to do that! Take a look and leave me some feedback!

I also added a Google+ page for my blogs here. If you use Google+, even minimally, please add me to your circles. Thanks!

Since I decided to add Tigger and retire Faith Walk I have been working on tweaking my business cards (yes, again) and my Facebook Landing Page. I think everything is where I want it … for now! I’d like the FB page to look a little more professional but … it works!

It’s a little odd that I am spending time playing with web design to relax since computer software is currently causing a lot of my stress! They have finally forced the software change that has been threatened promised for almost a year but no one really knows how to use it. So we’re sitting around waiting while the work piles up. And the office is a VERY tense place! Supposed to be in meetings most of the next couple of days which will hopefully clear some of the fog away!

Life in Oklahoma is as crazy as ever. Today we are supposed to hit 60 degrees even though there was a heavy frost on everything this morning! And tomorrow it’s supposed to snow! Josiah is home but as busy as ever so we don’t see a whole lot of him. Erica has gone back into hiding. We pray for her and try to let it go. Haven’t heard from Mallory since early December though I tried to call a few times. Breaks my heart but … Drake seems to be adjusting to his new normal and is a happy healthy kid for which we are grateful!

Okay … end it on a positive note Beth! I am finding that a disciplined daily offering of praise is going a long way towards letting some light into my struggle with depression. I’m not out of the valley but I can see some sunshine! That’s a whole lot better than I was last month! AND … although I am resisting the scales … I KNOW I’ve lost weight! Long way to go but one step at a time … I will get there!

Today, my friend Alycia Neighbours (a.k.a. the Crayon Wrangler), a newlywed with 8 kids (you REALLY should read her blog! The story of her wedding was ROTFL funny! Really!) made a comment that she was going to Blissdom (blogging conference in Nashville in February). I have been saying that I wanted to go and even discussed it with Bert. We decided against it because money is just too tight and this time of year is especially short! But I happened to be browsing Facebook (for 30 seconds coworkers … I swear!) when she made her comment and I responded that I would love to go but it would take a miracle!

Now I was having a really bad day! The software change that the powers that be have been warning us was coming for the last YEAR is hitting for sure tomorrow! And everyone was feeling massive pressure to get all of the data on our desks entered before we get kicked out of the system and are rendered unable to work for a few days. And then when we can get in … it will be brand new software. So the stress level was extreme! And at 10:40 I sent Bert a text message to ask him to pray for me because I was having a panic attack. As I was laying my phone back down a message popped up that I had a message on my Facebook profile …

It was Alycia and she told me to check my Inbox. Okay … another click … and a note from her asking me to define “a miracle.” So I told her. And it wouldn’t be cheap. What came next was completely out of the blue and totally distracted me from my panic attack …

She wanted to send me. Someone had sent her last year and she had promised that if she was ever in a place where she could “pay it forward” she would. Now she was passing on the blessing! I checked with hubby to make sure it was okay to plan to go. I checked with my boss about taking the time off. And … I am going to Blissdom!

Wow!

So, my dear friend, Stacy, tagged me in this post (with the following rules). I like the questions she came up with and random facts posts are always fun! Not entirely sure that I will tag 11 of of you to play along with me. If I do … no pressure! You don’t have to play if you don’t have time! Goodness knows I’m familiar with time limitations!

The Rules:

1. Post these rules.

2. You must post 11 random things yourself.

3. Answer the ques­tions the tag­ger set for you in their post.

4. Cre­ate 11 new ques­tions for the peo­ple you tag to answer.

5. Go to their blog and tell them that you’ve tagged them.

6. No stuff in the tag­ging sec­tion about ‘you are tagged if you are read­ing this.’ Blah blah blah, you legit­i­mately have to tag 11 peeps!

11 Random Facts About Me:

1. I am not good at following rules! Especially in chain letters or tagging posts.

2. If an e-mail contains “fwd” in the subject line (indicating that it is forwarded) I usually will not even open it to read. And if I DO open it and all of the forwarded info has NOT been deleted it will annoy me and I will not read it! I’m not that grouchy. I just don’t have time to waste and I get a LOT of junk e-mail.

3. I am confused by the current trend towards *on topic* SPAM. Have you seen that stuff? It’s like the spam-bots are looking for specific topics now and they make an appropriate comment. I’m never sure whether I should just leave them there or delete them. Opinions?

4. I hold strong opinions and have a tendency to stand firm on them. That isn’t such a bad thing except that I also have a tendency to expect others to agree with me and I can be obnoxious in my attempts to persuade them. This has backfired on me a couple of times. Not even necessarily because I was wrong, in what I believed, but because I didn’t have the right to force my beliefs on others. I need to learn to stand back, quietly, and let God do the changing in people’s lives. He does not need my help!

5. I am seriously addicted to Words With Friends! Want to play? Look for me and invite me to a game on Facebook. Although … at the moment my dance card is full!  Do not invite me to Farmville or any other weird stuff though!

6. I INFINITELY prefer playing WWF on my iPad to either Facebook (annoying ads) or my phone (equally annoying ads and even more annoying tiny screen)! My iPad (the love of my life) also contains my Nook Reader (and a ready supply of books and magazines), a Kindle Reader (with nothing in it at the moment), my Bible (with a BUNCH of versions … I LOVE YouVersion! Such a blessing!), Bible Reading plan (with a daily reminder), a collection journal for 1000 Gifts, Jesus Calling,  Carb Manager (diet journal), my favorite music, and a bunch of other apps. It goes with me pretty much everywhere. Poor laptop must feel abandoned!

7. My (desktop) computer changed to an italic font a few months ago and it was driving me NUTS!  Not only was it italic … it was BOLD italic! I hated it! But I had no idea how to fix it. I asked Josiah to fix it for me yesterday but he had no ready answers. So I googled and googled and googled some more. And I figured out how to fix it! It took me 2 or 3 hours but it is no longer annoying me! (Blog writing, reading, commenting, etc. is the one thing that I really do NOT like doing on my iPad. Reading isn’t so bad but I don’t like the miniature comment boxes.)

8. I love Google!

9. I am thinking (again) about growing my hair out. Mostly because I don’t have the energy or the money to go get it cut and it sounds better to be growing it out than to be too lazy to go get it cut! I pulled my acrylic nails off (again) because they desperately need a fill and we just don’t have the money. And I am procrastinating on a pedicure although I will have to do it eventually because I can’t reach my own toes due to some physical challenges.

10. The hardest thing for me to give up (on a low carb diet) is bread. The sweet stuff, potatoes, pastas, rice, starches, they don’t bother me too much. But I MISS bread! Especially fresh yeast rolls, bagels, and panini type sandwiches! And I really should stop watching Food Network!

11. I am debating whether or not I should weigh weekly. My inclination is to think that I should not give a scale, or the number thereon, that much power to affect my mood and self-image. So I am thinking about staying off the scale except for trips to the doctors office. Hard though …. because I tend to be addicted to the silly thing! Like getting on it EVERY time I walk in the bathroom addicted! Some times even before I use the toilet and again after! Come on! You’ve done it too! Haven’t you?

And the questions Stacy asked me:

1.If money and know-how aren’t obstacles, what is your dream occupation?

Blogging/Social Media. I’ve gotten more comfortable with Facebook and if I had time I think I could conquer Twitter as well. So if I could have a full time job blogging and promoting said blog … that would be awesome!

2.Valentines’ Day is the next “big” holiday. Tell us about your best or worst or funniest Valentines’ Day.

I don’t really do Valentines Day. Never have. Sorry.

3. Do you have a mentor and if so, what have they mentored you in?

Does Google count? I think Google should count. It teaches me nearly everything I need to know!

4. If you could be doing anything under the sun right now, what would you be doing?

Goodness … I think maybe I’d be touring New Zealand or Australia. With good knees and a full wallet!

5. Music can evoke powerful emotions and memories. Is there a song that can instantly take you somewhere?

I wrote this, just Thursday, on my Facebook profile:

There are some songs that (almost) make me forget where I am and what I’m (supposed to be) doing as they carry me to a place of worship. This is one of those songs! Just caught myself leaning back in my chair with my eyes closed wanting to raise my hands. Not sure I could make it through my days without the blessing of music!

6. What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

It isn’t your fault and you can’t fix it. Let it go! Live YOUR life!

7. Have you ever met anyone famous? If you did, what was your impression? Were they what you expected them to be?

I briefly met Ann Voskamp at Relevant. (She wouldn’t care for being defined as *famous.*) I was amazed and impressed by her gentleness and humility.

8. What one book (other than the Bible…’cause everyone’s going to say that) do you think no one should go through life without reading?

At the moment I’m in love with 3 books:

1. The Message (which is technically the Bible so I’m doing two bonus options)
2. 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp
3. Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

9. What is the most unusual thing you’ve ever done?

When I was in high school I had the opportunity one day to sit in a rocking chair and bottle feed a baby grizzly bear. He was adorable!

10. Has your life turned out to be anything like what you’d imagined when you were growing up?

Not really. I thought I would have a lot more kids … and a lot more money … and a lot less problems. God knows what I need better than I do!

11. Have you set any goals or made resolutions for 2012? Share one?

I’m trying to make gratitude / thankfulness a lifestyle choice and a daily discipline. It’s only been about a week and I can already see that it is making a difference in my perspective and mood.

My Questions:

1. If money was no object, and you could hire a designer for your blog, would you use Blogger or Self-Hosted WordPress?

2. Would you rather travel by air, rail, ship, car/RV?

3. What would be your dream vacation?

4. Memes seem to have run their course. Even the established ones are dying out or at least the numbers are way lower than they used to be. Do you think they will bounce back or is that a blogging style that has come and gone? Do you like memes? Do you participate in any regularly? Give them a link here so we can check them out and try to give them a little boost!

5. What’s your favorite TV commercial? Least favorite? (I hated the trend towards disrespecting Santa this past holiday season!)

6. I LOVE watching a variety of shows on HGTV, DIY, and Food Network, but I’m not particularly inspired to DO any of the projects, or cook the foods, that I see on there? Do those type shows simply entertain you or do they inspire you to action? If you’ve done a project, inspired by a TV show, tell us about it.

7. If you could have a $5000 shopping spree in ONE type of store, what would it be? NO Mega Marts … choose a store type! (I’d have a hard time choosing between the Apple Store and a Home Organization Store  like Crate & Barrel.)

8. Regardless of where you live, what is your nature, country mouse or city mouse? (Yes, I know we are all humans here!)

9.  Have you ever considered keeping a disciplined gratitude journal? You could do it privately on paper or online in a blog. Would you consider doing such a thing? Check out an awesome challenge here. It’s called The Joy Dare and I am taking it. I’d love to have you join me!

10. Do you carry a camera in your purse/pocket? Or do you take a lot of photos with your phone? Should you be taking more pictures? I used to take LOTS but have really slacked off! I need to make it more of a habit again. Do you?

11. Are you following my Looking for Tigger blog (shameless self promotion)? I’m content with Journey & Faith Walk staying small and quiet but I would like to see Tigger grow. Will you PLEASE come check it out and subscribe? What  is a blog, or a few blogs, that you think deserves more followers/readers?

Okay, I have been working on this post for a couple of hours and I NEED to go do something else so I’m going to publish it without tagging anyone. I may come back and do some tags later. Or you can feel free to tag yourself and grab the idea and questions. Let me know in comments if you are doing that and I will edit the post to add a link to your blog.

Has the start of 2012 made you stop in your tracks and really think about the fact that it is the year two thousand and eleven? What happened to the 1900’s? Are the Christmas bills filling up your mailbox already? Is the Christmas tree taunting you as it sits in the corner of your house asking to be taken down? Are you still trying to dig your way out of a mound of paper, boxes, and bows? Or maybe you have jumped feet first into the new year and have a new lease on life! Well tell us about it … in letter form of course. Write the who, what, when, where, and why of it all. Grab the button from Julie’s sidebar, and link up at the bottom. I look forward to your Letters of Intent!

Dear Body (mine … you’ll have to write to your own),

You are going to have to cooperate with me at least a little bit! I know I have thrown you into a state of shock. I mean watching the clock, shoving every last possible piece of candy into my mouth, until midnight (local time), and then starting a 2012 commitment to disciplined low carb eating was just plain mean! So I don’t blame you for this little revolt you have going on but seriously … isn’t arthritis and chronic pain (from Whiplash) bad enough? Do you really have to add headaches, nausea, fatigue and muscle cramps? Oh … and waking me up in the middle of the night (in tears) because my Achilles Tendonitis was screaming was seriously over the top! About the time I was thinking about waking hubby (surprised my wailing and moaning hadn’t already done the trick) to take me to the ER when you finally relaxed enough for me to fall back asleep . But that was not nice!

You’re not going to win though! Every time I think that just one bite,  or one indulgence, wouldn’t hurt … I think about the pain of every single step and my resolve is strengthened! I will stick to this and I will lose weight! Even if I have to go to sleep before 10:00 and take naps at lunch! Even if I get sick of steak and eggs! (Rough life I know.)  Even if I am exhausted all day and then have insomnia at night! Even with depression and crises and looming deadlines! I am determined and you will NOT defeat me! And one of these days … I will feel good and it will all have been worth it!

Determined to Stick to It NO MATTER WHAT!!!!

Me

***

Dear Co-Workers,

Enough with the Bagels aready! Do you know how hard it is to resist a fresh Cinnamon Crunch Bagel from Panera? That may have been more painful than the 3:00 a.m. tendonitis attack! (I looked just out of curiousity. This little offender has 430 calories (before the cream cheese) and 80 grams of carbohydrates! Considering that I’m on <20 a day right now that would be a definite no-go!)

Thanks But No Thanks

Me