the Ring

The Ring

I have been married to the most amazing man for 30 years now.

Well for our anniversary I decided I wanted to have an Alexandrite of some sort. SO being the angel who spoils me rotten we went to the Gem and Jewelry show and got me a ring.

He gave it to me on the anniversary and I was thrilled. I did mention it felt a bit rough on one end and he looked and said nah it’s fine.

Well the next morning in the shower the ring caught on my scrubby glove and I unhooked it and off I went. Well later I looked down and OH NO I was missing a stone. Well I happened to be SMSing to my sister in South Africa and so we prayed right there and then to find it.

 I went upstairs and checked everywhere even the drain hole and yes the glove. Told Mark and he went off and searched to no avail. Well I nap most days if I can and so off to nap I go. As I lay down God says you know you stuck your hand down behind the bed to make it last night check there soooo. Being as it is a King sized bed and the base is on the floor, I can’t actually scoot it or anything so I look as well As I can and no stone so I lay down and God says uh hmmm I said look there did you look right up against the bed. Well no God I can’t see around corners and can’t move the bed. Well how about over the top then say He. SO I get Marks torch and stand on the bed like you tell kids not to and look over the top. Suddenly there is a sparkle and I think surely not. I mean why would God tell me to look where it wasn’t right? Anyway I get down and scrabble along the carpet with my finger and brush towards the wall and lo and behold the stone appears.

 Well I am thrilled and Thank the Lord and write to my sister and tell Mark and folks. Well today I took it down to see if the jeweler I know can fix it and off she goes into the back and 5 minutes later it is fixed for a very reasonable amount and back on my finger. I was sure I would have to leave it for a week or so. I mean they are just one technician and Lisa and she doesn’t actually do the work just knows what needs doing and how much to charge.

 SO I am a very happy little spoiled rotten girl. Thank you Lord for many Blessings the biggest of all being your Son and my family. Then stuff like rings and things

the Tabernacle

Tabernacle

Well it’s 2am Isn’t that a good time to blog

 I am awake and hot and scratchy so here goes nothing

Today I went and saw a reproduction of the Tabernacle that Moses made in the dessert.

It was much smaller than I imagined it would be. I mean I thought all those hundred of people would need to get into it obviously not all at the same time.

It was interesting to see it from the outside and then get the headset and go through it listening to the commentary. Each step of the way they tell you where you are and what happens there. They even have a few things for you to do to see a bit what it what like to maybe be a priest in those days.

You start with a description f the clothes the priests wore and get to take a small bit of linen with you. You are asked to imagine you are putting on your robes and going abut the work of the temple or tabernacle. Then you go to the altar of sacrifice. There you hear what happened there and you get a small piece of wood and are encouraged to throw it into the fire and pray a prayer to represent your sacrifice or confession of your sin remembering that Jesus was the sin offering for all of us. So this could be a prayer of thanks too.

 Then you go to the Laver and wash your hands and then there is a description of the actual Tent of meeting and how everyone was to give the same offering for the bases of the walls to show God sees us as all the same worth not richer being worth more or poorer being worth less. Then you go into the tent .

There inside is the table of bread offering and you can take communion there. Then you go to the lamp stand and can light one of the lights of the menorah. Then you go to the altar of incense and hear about that then you go through the veil that was split when Christ died on the cross. Inside is a replica of the Ark of the Covenant and you hear what it represents and get to spend some quiet time with God.

 This is the whole tour. It was beautifully done

http://tabernacleexperience.com/

 This is the website about it. It was a fun day

this is a 2 minutes sketch of the altar of sacrifice with the fire burning

cruising and things to know

Handy stuff to know if you are cruising soon

Things to pack that you might not think of

Backpack for on shore

Lunch bag soft sided coolers for water bottles

Water Bottles with a wide mouth

Over the door shoe holder for the bathroom door to hold all those odd small things you won’t know where to put. Like sunscreen, toothpaste tubes, camera batteries, MP3 player earphones etc.

Quart sized baggies if you need very cold water on shore I use them to carry ice so must be the double seal type

Shower cap if you don’t wash your hair every time

Make up mirror

Some ships have them but they are only for tall folks about 5foot 9 and up

Laundry bag type that hangs so you can hang it behind the door and be done.

Highlighter pens, possibly one colour for each member of the family

When you read the daily “what to do sheet” you can mark who wants to do what, at what time and know at a glance

Lysol spray and once you are in your cabin spray the door handles and phone and TV control lightly. Hey they have different folks every week in that cabin just be a bit cautious and you will be fine. You only have to do it the first day and you are done

Once you are on the ship the only thing you have to do, is the lifeboat drill, everything else is optional.

Relax and have fun. DO the stuff you want to do and don’t hassle if you miss something.

When you fill your water bottle don’t do it from the spout, fill a glass and then use that otherwise you have actually done the same thing as putting your mouth over the spout. The cruise lines really don’t mind washing the extra glasses but you will be glad not to get sick from someone who didn’t use a glass as much as they don’t want your germs

Use the hand sanitizers and wash your hands often. Hey there are thousands of folks on that ship and if one is sick you don’t want what they got and chances are someone is sick that is just the way the numbers go.

Think of going to the mall. You don’t eat after running your hands on the escalator rails do you?

That said the cruise should be a breeze and a wonderful healthy time.

They have water, tea Hot and cold, coffee, lemonade and hot chocolate available 24/7

 Usually there is pizza and maybe sandwiches available 24/7 and on some ships soft serve ice-cream is also available 24/7 other ships it is at certain times

And that is apart from room service

 They have room safes on Carnival it is a good idea to take an old gift card and use it as the lock you just need something with a magnetic strip they suggest you use your driver license but I like to lock mine up in there along with my purse as, as it is a cashless society and your room card is your key and cash card you don’t need it except for video games. On RCL they have a code so you don’t need the card.

If you drink soda’s buy the drink package as soon as possible and you are set, if you don’t drink lots of them, them don’t bother but know they are way expensive.

If possible don’t expect the kids to eat with you they usually have a basketball tournament or something they are itching to do so if they are young take them to the buffet before you go eat and drop them off at the kids club. If they are teen let then find their own food at the buffet or eat Pizza. Most male teens eat pizza and burgers all week and think they have died and gone to heaven hey it’s only one week.

This way you get to eat in peace and they get to play and eat on the run.

 The first day we usually roam the ship and try find certain things. Dining room, theatre, for me the shops, different lounges as, as we don’t do a lot of sunbathing we are looking for quiet spots to chill later in the week. If you sunbathe and don’t have small kids go find the adult only pool and that is where you probably want to be.

Roam the main deck inside with dining rooms and theatres and such and then up to the pool deck and the one above and see what is to be seen. If you have kids find the kid centre and check it out.

WE love the shows and they usually have 2 shows an evening so pick which suits you and enjoy. There is usually a large variety that appeals to most folks

The Vulture escapade

It all began with a challenge.

Paint in plien aire and try for 100 paintings. Well that is a bit more tricky than it seemed I hate the heat and temps are around 95-100 most days and humid soooo. I am trying to paint through a few windows.
Well I was on the way to the store and lo and behold almost ran over a silly Vulture snacking on the edge of the road. It hopped to safety but my little devious brain said picture! SO I turned the car around and went to see if I could park somewhere reasonably safe and do a quick sketch from there. Well as I drove back and turned off the main road I was out of sight so, chucking a U I went back to forget the whole thing when the silly bird flew across my path and landed on a telephone pole. SO I cruised past and noticed it was opposite a cul de sac in the neighborhood.
 Well another U turn and back we go By ow there was a poor gent totally confused as to what I was doing and so he followed me to make sure I was harmless I guess.
 Anyway I found I could happily sit in my car and draw except the wind kept blowing and the bird kept moving so the sketch was rather dreadful but the escapade was fun and hey I learned a bunch. Like how a vulture has a tiny head and looks sort of like a duck with a deformed head from the bottom of a pole.