and Iced Tea go hand in hand.

I suppose most of my southern friends think that I am a heathen and blasphemer for prefering UN-sweet tea.  I am my happiest when I cross the Ohio or Mississippi Rivers into normal tea land (where sweet isn’t the default).  Very few things make me more angry than getting sweet tea from a drive thru.

For the past several years I my most favorite tea came from the local Sonic, Route 44, extra ice, unsweet, no lemon please.  Brown water with a straw!  Before 10 am it only set me back $1.16.  or during happy hour they were half price, from 2-4…any other time of day $2.20 or some crazy number.

And yes, I paid it, often.

Part of the Sonic attraction is the ice- I MUST HAVE the ice!  If you don’t know the ice you are totally missing out on a world of chilly goodness.  I have always called it “rabbit turd” and I am not the only one becaus a google search will bring up hundreds of results.  The more cultured refer to it as shaved or crushed ice, but that really isn’t the best descriptor because they are little pellets.  Whatever term you prefer, it is hands down the best way to super chill a beverage when you are on the run.

For several years, I could tell you the exact location of several establishements that carry this type of ice.  If pressed, I could also tell you the exact date that some of them stopped (oh yes Speedway, in LaGrange, I am referring to you).  I understand it is a sickness and one that for years I was willing to ignore.

That is, until customer service, or lack there of, got in the way.  About 6 months ago my local sonic went through a change-and not for the better.  The drive thru window was taking an average (yes average people) of 5 minutes-when I WAS the only person in line.  I switched to McDonald’s-it just wasn’t the same .  Every few weeks I would give the Sonic another try and they would always get something wrong, a Route 44 came out as a 32 oz-and/or it was sweet.  Some days no one ever came to the window at all.

Honestly, in these tough economic times, if there is someone wanting to give you business, take it people, take it!

I moved on.
I turned to plan b.
Introducing the Tervis 24 oz. Big T Clear Tumbler

This puppy has solved all my problems.

• It is thoroughly insulated so drinks stay super cool or super warm.
• You can buy two types of lids, one that takes straws (like above) or one that works for coffee-and travel with a snappy shut lid.
• AND it is dishwasher safe!
• oh and there is something about a life time guarantee..which can’t be beat!

The amount of tea I was drinking and buying at fastfood restaurants paid for this glass in 3 days.  I will be buying a few more for the rest of the family.

This experiment is a success!

Change.

There are so many things all of us could say about change this week.

Here in Kentucky the leaves FINALLY started coming off the trees.
Change.

Earlier this week, we, as a nation, elected the first African American President.
Change.

Stock market up.
Stock market down.
Change.

But, nope, not me.
I am gonna talk about stuff going on around my house.

We (the spouselet and I) have known for a couple of months we made a really bad financial choice in getting my new car. (new to me, not new off the lot) The lure of the leather heated seats, 6 disk changer, DVD and sun roof got us all hot and bothered and we bought the car. The first day out.

We do love it. HOWEVER, we do not love the 15 MPG (which ISN’T what all the websites said it would get) nor the increase in insurance and we really didn’t like the big car payment-and when gas was 4 bucks a gallon…this car was setting us back close to a $1000 a month.

OH HECK NO!
Something had to Change.

So, today, he took the car in for an oil change and while there started talking to one of the sales persons. We have several choices that fit our eco-criteria and could save us up to 300 bucks over what we are doing right now, IF we play it right.

It won’t have heated leather seats. It won’t have a DVD. It might not even have a CD player (OH the humanity!). And it will be much smaller back down to seating for 4 instead of 8.

It WILL be a change.
One I can certianly live with.

Check out more on change at Sunday Scribblings.

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We had Consecration Sunday. I absolutely LOVED it.  For years MY church (I have forever called it my parents church because I was never certian I was staying for any length of time) would have a team of people go do home visits and discuss your finances and get a tithing pledge card filled out.  I always hated that practice and luckily for whatever reason (hiding under the sofa) never had a home visit.

My tithing or lack of isn’t subject to a committee-and I know myself.  I am much less likely to give when my personal generosity is in question.   The bonus was a catered lunch AND a guest speaker-who happened to be the guy who was my Youth Minister at this same church. 

His sermon ROCKED!

He talked about how being a good steward isn’t just about the money you tithe, it is how you live.  How can you buy a pair of shoes for $85.00 when child labor in a third world country made them and they got paid pennies?  He mentioned Red Letter Chrisitians.  He talked about UNChrisitan (which is the next book on my reading list). He kicked (figuratively) rear end up and down the isle.

It was fantastic.
It was two things at once-my little clue that THIS IS where you are supposed to be DEAL with it and stuff I have been LONGING to hear, I just didn’t know it.  The title of the sermon was “A Peculiar People”  and I am one.  I always have been but people may not have used the word peculiar, they used ecentric, odd-bohemian.  Part of me was extremely proud of the nutball labels, but there was also a part of me that wasn’t so keen on being so darned different all the time.

And then he tied it all up in a nice package that related to giving and tithing.  Good stuff.  One of my favorite verses he mentioned.   Wouldn’t that make a nice tatoo (ok, if I ever grew the ovaries to actually have one…it would be so fun!)

1 Peter 2:9
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
1 Peter 2:8-10 (in Context)
1 Peter 2 (Whole Chapter)

So, now knowing EXACTLY what/who I am…puts a bit of pressure on me to make some changes that I was considering.  And woodoggie, they are not going to be easy.

Starting this week we are going to a “cash only” system for groceries and other day to day needs…the debit card will be for doc visits and gas (because we get a 3 cent discount when you use a debit card) and (the one that is going to KILL me)-no more trips to sonic.  It isn’t just the monitary cost, it is the environmental cost-the price of gas to get my happy arse over there AND the supersized styrofoam container that the beautiful pellet ice and unsweet tea is housed. 

Done. 
No more.

There will be more changes, but these are the first two.
I am terrified.

Sunny and I just got home from Church with the Methodists. I have been going to the early service because it is more contemporary and I can easily get my husband and son there. I came home and checked email and I had one from my grandmother called “Christian one liners”  (wouldn’t that be a great blog series-or even sermon series!)…

oh heck, I digress (alot)…So, my loving momaw sent me this email before she left for church (same UMC by the way). 

“Some people are kind, polite, and
Sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews. “

I laughed out loud.  That is the theme for the day-My popaw (who died in April) sat in the same place with the same people (my family and his best friend) every sunday since they built the new building in the early 1990’s.  The far left, second from the back.  I think that if he could have gotten away with putting his name on the row, he would.  He showed up early to be sure that on one visiting would make the mistake of sitting in his family row.

I can not say that he was ever unkind to someone who made the error, but they certianly got the hairy eyeball and figured out very quickly that he may be happy they are HERE, but not happy they are SITTING here.

Popaw died in April and every Sunday my mom and dad and my sister and her family still reside in the same pew.  I know part of it is habit and part of it is a memory thing-but change is good! This morning my parents joined us for the early service and they sat with us-in the second row from the front just right of center-there is hope for us yet!

This time last year Sunny and I were preparing for our wedding and had to measure every part of our bodies to order wedding garb from India.  I had put it off as long as possible because I just wasn’t losing the weight light I felt I should.  Actually, when we returned from Iowa (making wedding arrangements) my Weight Watchers plan went straight out the window.

I was not enjoying any part of the wedding process because I was so obsessed about my weight.  I finally was able to let go of being a wedding barbie (because that was beyond unrealistic).  I started WW again in January and did ok for a bit, but the numbers hadn’t changed at all in 3 months.  Enter Chantel Hobbs!  I am back on track and feeling great.  And the numbers are starting to show it:
 

 
As a part of the 16 week commitment to changing your life I get to weigh myself and measure various parts weekly.  So that even if the scale doesn’t show a change the tape should.  The biggest thing for me now is knowing that my waiste measurement is FINALLY smaller than my hip measurement and THAT is huge because of health risks involved.