Nessas Place

1. If all the world is a stage, where are the audience sitting?

If the rest of the world is anything like my house, they're on the couch playing Halo 3, screaming and wondering why everyone else looks at them funny.

Before finding this book at Blogging for Books, I had been wanting to read it. Where I live, we don't have the most extensive library or a Christian book store. So if Wal-mart doesn't have it, you have to go at least 30-45 miles to hopefully find it or order it online. Lucky for me, just as I was about to use some of my blogging moolah to order the book, I saw it on Blogging for Books and nabbed it.

I am so very glad I did too! The title tells you exactly what the book is about, the bad girls in the bible. Pretty self explanatory there. The exciting part is that this is not one of those preachy "don't be like this girl" books. The author, Liz Curtis Higgs, has written this book with so much personality that you almost feel like you should be answering her when she asks a question in the book. It is so personable that it's like you are sitting across from a good friend discussing the subject rather than reading a book. It literally made me want to read more and more, learn more and more. I finished the book in 2 days, but if I hadn't forced myself to put the book away so I could work, I'd have finished it in less than 1. I did not want to put it down!

Other than the way it's written, is the way in which you learn that these bad girls were going through then, what we still face now in some cases. Sure the scenery is different and so were the times, but ultimately these could be the stories of a neighbor, a friend, a co-worker, a family member. Each chapter is prefaced with a woman from our time and tells the story of the bad girl in such a way that we can instantly relate to. Each chapter ends with a study on what we can learn from that particular bad girl. Once again, teaching not only some of the stories of the Bible, but how to apply them to YOUR life.

The book is informative, entertaining, insightful, hopeful and just a downright awesome read. Do yourself a favor and get it however you can and be prepared to tell others about it too. If you're reading anywhere in the vicinity of others, they're definitely going to ask what it is that's making you laugh out loud.

Nessa

1. Did you take a picture of the moon SuperMoon Saturday evening? If so, please post it. If not, steal one and post it.

Yep, I did. It was too pretty NOT to.



2. Have you ever howled at the moon?

No, I honestly can't say I have, but my boyfriend did once while we were in the hot tub. He's a tard.


3. Do you believe that feelings and emotions are affected by the changes in lunar phases? (ie: children misbehave, lovers misbehave, tempers fly)

Yeah, all that and drivers are worse than ever!

4. In the language of astronomy, the two extremes of the moon are called ''apogee'' (far away) and ''perige" (nearby). Who or what would you like to be apogee and who/what perige?
(Crikey! I can now talk moon talk!)

There are a few apogee's I can think of, but seriously they could go straight to hell and not be far away enough. I just pretend they don't exist at all and go on with the people I love that love me back.

Perige's would be the rest of my family. They're so awesome

5. Name a famous moon walker.

There was only one..........Micheal Jackson of course. He was even the first.


Oh wait, you meant that other thing. Oops! Oh well, MJ was more exciting to my generation.



6. Scientists claim there is no relation whatsoever between a Supermoon and natural disasters. Yet we have experienced tsunamis and earthquakes in the last 7 days on Earth. Do you believe them?

I dunno, it's generally the scientists that try to freak us out and convince us that the end of the world is imminent. The politicians are the ones that lie. I'm thinking it's a coincidence.

7. Creedence Clearwater Revival sang about the evil of the moon. Is there a Bad Moon Rising in your life?

Nope, the song that fits my life right now is Blue Skies, by Willie Nelson

1. Are you concerned at all with the possibility that radiation leaks could head your way?

Nope, if they do, there is nothing I can do about it anyway really. I'm going to be happy and live life like I do every single day.

2. What is the one thing that you will always go cheap on?
Ummmm, it's easier to say what I will never go cheap on, Toilet paper, under garments and laundry soap.

3. What would you buy that price would have no limit?

Pretty much anything for my kids. I might not be able to buy exactly what they want but i'll spend my last dollar to get the best i can get for them.


4. Name a TV show that could be about the stupidest thing ever.
All the court shows on Fox.

5. What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten?

Ummm, nothing really. I don't eat sushi or anything weird. Oh wait, I did try tofu....does that count?

6. If it were really hot out and you were at the beach, would you go in the water even if it was dirty or full of jellyfish?

I went to the beach with some of the family last Summer and the water was really gross with all this brown seaweed in it. I didn't go in for long but I did go. It was just too hot not to.

7. Can you teach old dogs new tricks or is it just not worth the effort?

I have an old dog. If I tried to teach her a new trick she'd either bite me or crap on my clothes at her first opportunity. No, you should not attempt to teach old dogs new tricks. get a puppy, it's much easier!

8.What makes comfort foods taste so good?

The only comfort foods I have are homemade waffles and homemade Egg noodles. They taste so good because they are my Grandma's recipe and they remind me of the only time as a child when I truly felt loved. I'd wake up in the morning and see Grandma and Grandpa waiting for me with a smile on their face and I Love You's in their eyes.

9. How do you like your steak cooked?

At least past the moo-ing stage. beyond that i'm not too picky. I live in Texas, if it's cooked too much they'll kick you out for Blasphemy.

10. Have you ever stepped on something and had it stuck in your foot?

Yep, a couple weeks ago actually. I was wielding a really big machete chopping weeds and pretending I was hitting people who piss me off and i realized my shoe felt weird and there was a pain in my foot. Turns out there was a thorn about 6" long stuck through the bottom of my shoe and in my heel. naturally I cussed a blue streak and had major surgery. Major surgery meaning i yanked it out and bitched majorly about it for at least an hour.

11. We're looking for viral video theme ideas. What's your best idea for a viral video day?

I dunno, I have to look up and see what this whole Viral Video thing is all about lol.

12. What is your twitter handle? Can we follow you?

NessajTx, sure you can follow me, and I will even follow back. I'm sweet like that.

Yesterday, we planted the garden. Today I am so sore I can barely move. I mean that quite literally too. I don't know why though. My workout is MUCH harder than gardening and takes twice as long on most days. Not sure what happened but I am in a bit of a quandary wondering how it is that I can run 2 miles without stopping now, but I can't plant a garden.

Whatever happened, I am in pain and it's not much fun. To make it even less fun, this morning as i tried to get myself out of the bed, Tyler came and told me that he has a track meet today. I just LOVE those very last minute notices. Especially at 6 in the morning.

So I worked for a few hours and realized I still had no idea where the meet even was. I know it would be after school but it could be anywhere. So I broke my own rule and texted him while he was in school and asked for details. He finally called me after school was over and told me where I had to be.

I was thinking I REALLY wasn't sure I could actually go but I didn't want to disappointment him and not show up. I know he would have understood because he saw how bad i was hurting this morning but still, A mom has to do what a mom has to do.

So, I knew there would be a lot of time where he wasn't running and figured I'd make the most of it. I woke Daniel up to drive me. He's so good about that kind of thing and I packed up my laptop and video camera. Off we went.

So here I sit in the bleachers, surrounded by screaming people getting my blog posts done. This is exactly what a bloggin Mom does. Adjusts!

Nessa

6. For the rest of your life you can eat one spice and one spice only (on whatever food you want, of course), what spice do you choose?

The same thing i pretty much use now. It's good on everything!


9. If you could slide down a rainbow, which side would you slide down?

Both! I'm a ninja like that. That little leprechaun won't know what hit him!


5. So a mom is suing her kids' preschool because it failed to prepare the child for the kindergarten entrance exam... did you eat paste in preschool?

LOL, Why? What did YOU hear? Actually, our school had these markers that smelled like fruit. I didn't eat paste but I did sniff the markers. That probably killed a few brain cells. Should have eaten paste I guess.

Join us at Thursday Thunks and be a Thunker too!

Nessa

I am so excited that I saw an ad for Blogging For Books on a facebook ad! I clicked on it and found a way to get free inspirational books to read just for blogging about them. I truly love to read and I love to blog, so this works for me on more than one level.


I just finished reading "Life, In Spite Of Me" and in all honesty I'm on the fence about this book. On one hand, it is definitely about facing life after making very bad decisions and discovering what God has in store for each of us. Learning about God and realizing his love for us can't ever be a bad thing.

Clearly the story of this young lady is very compelling. I finished the book in less than 24 hours. It wasn't so much that it was because the book was hard to put down. It was more like it was just that short.

I don't mean that in a necessarily negative way. Kristen, the young lady the book is about, still has a very long life to live and likely a great deal more to share with the world. Her desire to help others and to teach them from her own experience is awe inspiring. Her struggles with coming to terms with the fact that she not only lived after attempting suicide but actually DESERVED to live, are a heartbreaking testimony to the thoughts that go through a teenagers mind when things just aren't going right.

I admire Kristen's ability to tell her story and to share it with others so that they might not have to face the trials and tribulations she went through. Her notes throughout the book written to the reader are very inspirational and very insightful.

My issue with the book is as I said, Kristen has a long life to live. I have a feeling she's going to do so much more with it, that maybe this book was premature. I feel this book should have been titled "The Tip Of The Iceberg" because what you read in the book seems to be only the beginning.

The book is a very good read and it has a lot to offer teenagers who need to understand that there are consequences for their actions. Things don't always go as they planned and Thank goodness they don't. The world would be a sadder place without someone like Kristen in it. God truly is wonderful and I'm so glad that through Kristen, God is working miracles.

Nessa

Before I post in my normal snarky, smart ass manner let me issue a disclaimer. It is fairly clear that this week's theme is at least somewhat based on the disaster in Japan. I in no way find what has happened there amusing or funny. My heart goes out the the Japanese people and their families. This is just a meme and my answers in no way reflect what I feel for them.

There, now that's done, on with fun or something like it.

The Queen has decreed that this week's theme shall be Disaster Prepardness and since she has a dungeon.....it's probably best not to argue. So here goes.

1. How many days worth of food, water and supplies do you need in your Emergency Kit?

Hmmmm, Well first I need to figure out how many people to worry about. I figure i'd need enough for my 3 sisters, my 6 nephews, 4 nieces, my aunts and uncles, my cousins, my dad, my step moms, my man, my Grandma, my friends, myself and my kids. Anddd, now that I've listed all those I've determined I need 6 more jobs and a building about as big as a Super Walmart to keep it in. I think at least a months worth would be good, just in case.

2. You should prepare supplies for home, work, and vehicle.
What item do you need in your car that is not needed at home?

My cell charger, my auxiliary cord to let me listen to my MP3 player since pretty much all the radio stations SUCK here and a box of Twinkies. I get hungry when I drive. ::shrug::


3. If you are evacuated from your workplace.
You grab your "grab and go" bag. What is in it?

My laptop, a big bottle of water to hit people with so they'll move from the building faster and a super jet pack to get to my kids faster with.

4. How many gallons of water should each person in your household need for 3 days?

12......I don't know why, but 12 sounds like a good round number.

5. Tell us your favorite non-perishable food items.

And herein lies a problem. My diet pretty much doesn't allow anything non perishable. I can pretend that I'd stash Twinkies in my car but I know I really won't. I've lost 15 pounds and still going. So most of my favorite foods are outlawed and banned lol. I figure I would probably just get a lot of canned fruit and veggies but they are so high in sodium and preservatives it's not even funny.I know this much, if the disaster makes me fat I'm gonna be pissed!



6. How much cash are you going to hide in your emergency disaster kit?

LMAOOOOOOOOOO!! HAHAHA!!! I'm a Mom to 4. Even though they have great jobs and work hard, I never have extra cash! Therefore, there's nothing to stash!


7. Do you have a basic emergency plan developed for you and your family? Have you written it down, practiced and discussed it? Does everyone know where the emergency supplies are?

We've explained to Minnie, the chihuahua that she is in charge at night and must be on guard at all times. Apparently she thinks this means the trash can needs to be picked through and she's about to be removed from her position. We tried to let Nikki be in charge but she sleeps so much that I am pretty sure a freight train could call and warn her it was about to hit the house and she'd decide she'd need a nap before warning anyone else. Sarge, well.....lets face it, My hairy grandson is an idiot, but we love him anyway. Harley would probably warn us of impending doom if there's nothing at all to chew on the way.

I guess my answer is no. We have no plans at all. I guess we'll talk about it now though. The thing is though, in Japan they said that as many as 10,000 people may have been simply washed away in ONE village. No amount of preparation or plans would have helped those people in that moment they saw the wall of water coming.

rather than worry so much about physical preparedness, I think the best way to be prepared for anything is to know God, Love God, and be a good person so that when we are taken, we will see our loved ones again. HE'S my emergency plan :)

Nessa

PS...I ran spell check after I finished writing. Did you know that spell check will correct you and suggest you capitalize "Twinkies" but not "Japan"? Somethin up with that I tell ya!

While I'm trying to look for something incredibly clever and witty to post about i figured I'd kill some time and start participating in this weekly meme that I have had bookmarked for about a year and then forgot about lol. Who says I procrastinate? I flat out forget!

So anyway, better late than never. Check out Monday Movie Meme hosted by The Bumbles

So for the first installment I am supposed to come up with books in the movies but not movies based on books. Hmmmm, Maybe I should have waited til next week to begin because so far I literally can't think of anything.

Ok, after 10 minutes sitting here i finally came up with:

Ghostbusters!!! The first ghost the guys face is in a library.I think it's the first ghost anyway. It's definitely a library.

Man I hope it's easier next week lol, this was hard! Then again, right after I publish this I'll probably think of 10 others. That's how it usually goes.

Nessa

Meet Harley. Apparently he's not at all interested that Mommy wants to sleep. He doesn't care about a challenge. He's got puppy things to do and must be entertained.

It is my own fault really. I have been crate training him but last night I was so tired that I fell asleep and didn't put him in his crate. So he was confused and then when I did wake up I couldn't find his crate anywhere at first. when I did find it, I couldn't find his toys which he will not sleep without. In the end, he won, sleep lost and I've been cranky all day. Maybe I started this sleep challenge at the wrong time lol.

Oh well, I will continue, but tonight I'll be prepared with toys, crate and blankie so that hopefully things will go smoother tonight.

Tonight's goal along with creating the dark cool room is:

2: Do not consume alcohol, caffeine or nicotine 3 hours before bedtime.

I don't smoke, so i'm okay there. I guess if i HAVE to have a soda I can drink a sprite, but I will try to avoid that too. As for alcohol, sheesh, why dontcha just kill me?? Fine, I'll forgo the nightly margarita. Just kidding, it's only every other night lol.

Nessa

As most of my family and friends know, I have been in love with Motley Crue collectively since I was about 12. At 42, that love is just as strong. They've always spoken out. They always spoke to my heart. Their music taught me about the world beyond my little corner of Texas. Sure there is some music a 12 year old probably shouldn't relate to, I'm not saying that things like "10 Seconds to Love" or "Sticky Sweet" were my anthems. "Knock Em Dead" was though. So was "Bastard". What can I say? I had daddy issues. I wanted mine and I was stuck with a monster. It's not a wonder I related to the angry, angst ridden songs. They were healing to me. It meant someone else out there understood what I was facing and that felt good.

Flash forward to the present and Nikki is still speaking to me. This time via his band Sixx AM and his new book. The first single, Lies Of The Beautiful People, based from the new book, This Is Gonna Hurt, is meant to shake the conscience of all who see it, read it, hear it. It's not angry. There's no angst. There's no poking fun at anyone. It's meant to show the world that there is beauty in everything and in everyone.

Nikki has managed through a photo lens to show through to the soul of people who would be stared at on the streets. People who would be called horrible names are now shown as beautiful and special. I don't know about anyone else but I have always felt that people who faced adversity and made it through were the people who TRULY deserved admiration. It's a hell of a lot harder to get through life when you've been horribly disfigured than if you look like Jennifer Aniston. Someone who has a weight problem that they can't help, or even if they can, faces more hell in their life than most others will ever know. Nikki's book brings this out. He shows people who have sometimes been hiding in the shadows of our world and shines a bright beautiful light on them. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this!

Some may argue that Nikki's perception or the way in which they were photographed makes it something ugly or pornographic. Yes there are some very "gritty" pictures. They are MEANT to shake you up though. That's the whole point. When you see the pictures, you aren't supposed to be looking to see if you can catch a glimpse of koochie or a nipple. You are supposed to be looking at it to see the beauty of the person shown. These people opened themselves up. They were already vulnerable to an extent and now they get to hear that the Facebook powers that be find them offensive. It's not pornography. It's art you morons!

Typical Nikki didn't and isn't taking it lying down. My fellow fans have put the cover picture for Lies Of The Beautiful People on their Facebook profile. It seems they are not being censored, yet Nikki has been targeted more than once for removal with the threat of his entire page being deleted. I have literally seen MUCH worse pictures on facebook, usually by minors. What's more offensive? A picture of a woman where you can see nothing at all except a vulnerability she chose to share with the world or a teenage girl doing her best to show everything she possibly can? A teenage boy might argue that point, but it just proves mine. It's all about perception.

My cousin's hubby, posted this picture today.

It clearly shows a nipple. It's not offensive. It's beautiful. It still shows more than this picture does.

This woman is showing nothing of her body that you wouldn't see if she had on a bikini. So what does facebook find so offensive? if she posts a picture of herself on her facebook profile would that be found to be offensive too? Or is it just because Nikki posted it that it's become pornography and therefore too offensive for Facebook?

They allow games like "pass a Joint" where people can virtually grow and roll marijuana. I find that offensive as a parent, but it's still available. Facebook probably makes money off the games though so they turn a blind eye to it. Is that what Nikki needs to do? Hey there's an idea!! Make a game of it Nikki, if they're making money they don't care who's offended!

As for me, I shall promote the song and the pictures. They have a very important story to tell and it should be a story read in the loudest, hardiest of voices. There is beauty in adversity, There is beauty everywhere. It simply takes an open mind and a good heart to see it.

I know I do. I work hard to pay bills and I hate it when I can't just go shopping when I want. So one of my favorite things to do is to fill my mailbox with freebies every chance I get. It's like getting a little present every day!

The hard thing is to find a good source for free product samples that don't require you to order things you don't need or use a credit card to prove you're over 18, etc. If you have to order something to get free stuff, it's not really free stuff in the long run.

the best things to get are the new and improved products coming out on the market. For instance, I received a sample of a popular Shampoo and Conditioner. They were a brand I don't normally use and I actually just ordered it to have on hand for emergencies or to put in one of my baskets that I send to the local women's shelter every month. As it turned out, I had a shampoo emergency and had to use it this time and I LOVED it! I'm now a regular user of the product because the company took the time to send out free samples and let me try it before I spent money on it. It's an awesome marketing strategy!

I just found thefreebiesource.com today and i'm in love! They have some great freebies on there and I love the easy to use site. Have fun my readers. Get yourself some goodies and never dread the walk to the mailbox again!

Nessa

I swear I'm not trying to neglect this blog or it's readers. To those of you who emailed to ask how/where I am, sorry it took so long to get back to you and I hope you don't mind that I'm addressing everyone here. I literally have so much to do and nowhere near enough time to do it. The whole 2 birds with one stone saying means a great deal lately. Things are hopping that's for sure. I can't say they're hopping in the direction I always hope lol, but I have faith. I know that God has all this in his hands and everything is going to be fine. It's an awesome feeling to know that good things are coming my way and that the enemy will be defeated. The enemy being anything or anyone that stands in the way of my progress or happiness.

One thing I have been trying to work on is actually being able to sleep. For almost 6 years I have dealt with periodic bouts of insomnia. It is driving me nuts! I have tried pretty much everything to help me sleep but it always makes me feel so groggy and out of it that the sleep didn't do any good. It's not restful, it's just drug induced.

Lately I've been seeing an ad on facebook about getting more sleep and finally decided to check it out. It's called "One Week To Better Sleep Blogger Challenge". Well, I joined the challenge and it starts tonight. I'm not too sure how well it will go, but I figure it's worth a shot, so we'll just see what happens. Here's the link for anyone that wants to check it out.


The idea it seems is to create a good atmosphere in which to sleep and to prepare the body for much needed rest by following some basic rules. For anyone interested, you can find the rules here.

Tonight's part of the challenge is:

Night 1: Create an optimal sleeping atmosphere. Make your bedroom as dark and quiet as possible. Adjust the temperature so that the room is cool.

I'm not sure how this will go. Criminal Minds is on til like 1 in the morning and I watch that til I fall asleep every Monday night. How can I go to sleep without the TV on??? pray for me lol, I'm sure I'll let you know tomorrow. No more ignoring my readers. it's time to get back on track where it counts most.

Nessa