Christmastime is Upon Us!

I have Christmas music in all 6 slots in my CD changer in the car and I'm lovin' it.

Any time this commercial comes on for the first time, I know it's Christmas:


I love how Hershey's has shown the same commercial since at least the early 90's. It's most definitely a consumer favorite and it always gets my int he mood.

Of course, by the end of the season, it annoys the heck outta me, LOL

Yesterday I didn't do any Black Friday shopping, really, although I did hit up Wal Mart before I had to be at work; they had $2 DVDs and I scored 2 early gifts for J (double disc special editions, no less!) and got a gift for our Adopt-a-Family little girl we picked. It just said "Age Appropriate Gift" for a 3 year old, so I got her this:

It's a Furreal Friends Newborn Puppy. When you pet its back it'll bark and whimper and even move a little and Paulie was flipping out when I was demonstrating it to J. So funny!

I had to work at 7 so after Wal Mart, I went to Walgreens to buy some nacho chips for the buffalo chicken dip I made for our potluck in the back room, then headed to work and got there way early. There were 2 cars waiting at around 6:40. Everyone started lining up around 6:50 and then we let them in at 7. I'm not even kidding you, I started ringing people out around 7:07 and I didn't have time to even pause for a drink until 8:30. We had our $5 and 50% off doorbusters (some AMAZING deals, too!) as well as a 25% off your purchase coupon. Other than my lunch break I don't think I had a total of 15 minutes where I wasn't ringing someone out. But other than a few people being P.O.ed about their coupon not applying to the doorbusters or about the doorbusters the wanted being gone, people were very patient and in good moods.

All in all, my 8.5 hour shift went by incredibly fast (which is one reason I love working Black Friday, thought I'll be glad when I have a teaching job and won't have to do it ever again!). It was fun hearing the people talk about where they had already gone that morning. One group of ladies came in in matching pink shirts; the front said BFB and the back said Black Friday Babes. Cracks me up how into Black Friday some people get.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Turkey Day and if you went out yesterday that you were safe and scored some great deals.

Ten Commandments of Holiday Shopping

This is my second Christmas season working retail and after the evening I had tonight, I thought I'd come up with this.

1. Don't blame your sales associate if the price came up wrong on the register.

2. Don't get mad at the sales associate if your coupon isn't valid on the stuff you want to buy. Exclusions apply, people. Oh, and on that note, no you can't use two coupons. That's called a double discount.

3. If you change your mind on an item(s), don't just put it anywhere. Put it back where you found it. Or, even better, give it to an associate who knows where it goes and would be glad to put it away.

4. If your credit card is not signed, I'm going to ask to see an ID, especially if you're making a big purchase. This is for your safety. Don't get mad at me for doing this because you don't have it on you and you have to go out to the car to get it.

5. Lines happen. Deal with it.

6. Remember that the sales associate checking you out is just as pressed for time as you are, if not more. The kinder you are to them, the nicer they'll be.

7. No, we don't have the listening stations anymore. If you like, I can pull an accompaniment track for you of a song off of that CD. It was not my decision to get rid of the listening stations, so please don't get mad at me.

8. No, I don't have a box for everything. Trust me, if you saw the box most of the items came in, you wouldn't want one, either. However, I would love to wrap it carefully in paper and/or bubble wrap. Please be understanding that we don't keep every box to everything.

9. If we close at 9:00, please please please don't come in at 8:53 and spend the next half hour shopping. We have things we need to do that can't be done with people wtill in the store, and we have families to get home to as well.

10. Remember the Reason for the season. All this commercialism is really insane, but I respect the desire to find the right gift for your friends and family. I'm here to help make your Christmas season easier, and I hope you'll do the same for me. =)

I took the PRAXIS Again...

Why? 2 reasons: 1. I'm insane! and 2. If I pass, it tacks on a second certification, which makes me more marketable.

I took it in Early Childhood education. I didn't take a single class in ECE, but it seemed the easiest out of the two I was considering (ECE or Middle School Math). It was a lot of learning theory questions and stuff that is similar to the elementary education test. I walked out, though, feeling like I really, truly, could have, SHOULD have done better. But then I started rehashing it with my husband and I realized that I really don't think I did that bad. Like, I think I did well enough to pass. I hope hope hope hope I did!

If I pass, I'll be certified to teach early childhood ed., which includes Head Start and Parents as Teachers (either of which I would LOVE to teach for!), which will hopefully make me more marketable. Pray hard that I did!!!

Happy Fall!

Come on out of Google Reader and check out the new background/color scheme. I'll be working on a new header tonight. =) Have a great day! (Even though it's sooooo rainy and nasty today in the STL.)

I want this album...

In May 2008, Steven Curtis Chapman's youngest daughter Maria was run over and killed as her older brother backed the family SUV out of the driveway. Many in the Christian entertainment industry -- and some in the mainstream entertainment industry, too, were heartbroken for the family. Maria had been adopted from China and would turn five soon. Chapman did what any songwriter would do in grief -- he wrote songs.

It started with just an added verse to his song "Yours" off of his CD This Moment. Then he wrote more and more songs and recorded them, which turned into recording a whole slew of songs for his new CD Beauty Will Rise. In an article in CCM Magazine, they wrote that he recorded a lot of the songs in one take, so the song is very raw and very honest. And it's getting rave reviews.

Here are a few that StereoTruth.Com has gathered:

The New York Times had this to say…
…the aching candor that suffuses the album, paired with Mr. Chapman’s unmistakable gift for melodic uplift, exerts a deep emotional pull. The production, leaner than usual, backs up the raw feeling behind the songs.

USA Today went on to say…
He quietly, thoughtfully works through his grief but never surrenders to despair. If you can’t imagine how to find hope out of such devastation, Chapman can show you.

ChristianityToday.com added…
After his daughter’s death, the veteran artist battles despair but finds hope in his most candid record to date.

Billboard Magazine has even stated…
Both intensely personal, yet universal as well, this is a brilliant, deeply moving album sure to resonate with listeners on many levels.


It's important to note that Chapman has been recording for almost 20 years. He knows how to write hit songs. He knows what sells. But what I'm looking forward to the most about this one is that, yeah, it was an album and I'm sure they wanted to sell it, but in all reality it's also an album full of a father working through his grief. And if these reviews are true, it's also true testament to the hope and healing power found in faith in Jesus Christ. This album will be amazing.

And now, i leave you with Chapman's first single "Heaven is the Face."



Heaven is the face of a little girl
With dark brown eyes
That disappear when she smiles.
Heaven is the place
Where she calls my name
Says, “Daddy please come play with me for awhile.”

Chorus:

God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more,
But God, You know, that this is what I’m aching for.
God, you know, I just can’t see beyond the door.
So right now...

Heaven is the sound of her breathing deep,
Lying on my chest, falling fast asleep while I sing.
And Heaven is the weight of her in my arms,
Being there to keep her safe from harm while she dreams

And God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more,
But God, You know, that this is what I’m longing for
God, you know, I just can’t see beyond the door.

Bridge:

But in my mind’s eye I can see a place
Where Your glory fills every empty space.
All the cancer is gone,
Every mouth is fed,
And there’s no one left in the orphans’ bed.
Every lonely heart finds their one true love,
And there’s no more goodbye,
And no more not enough,
And there’s no more enemy (no more).

Heaven is a sweet, maple syrup kiss
And a thousand other little things I miss with her gone.
Heaven is the place where she takes my hand
And leads me to You,
And we both run into Your arms.

Oh God, I know, it’s so much more than I can dream.
It’s far beyond anything I can conceive.
So God, You know, I’m trusting You until I see
Heaven in the face of my little girl,
Heaven in the face of my little girl.

Feel like I'm neglecting you?

The truth is, I've started a few different posts and then had to save them as drafts because I didn't have time to finish them and then I forgot about them. One was about my summer. We'll see if that goes up.

Anyway, as we approach Christmas (cal you believe it's NOVEMEBR already??), I'll be getting even MORE busy at work. This week I have 32 hours, next week I have 30.5 and the following week I have 23. Then the week after THAT is Thanksgiving. It's all crazy from here, folks!

I've been working in the back doing inventory as our regular ICS person is on vacation with some friends. It's been a nice break from customers, and my super organizational side is loving it, but I'll be glad when I'm back up front with people, and not back in the "dungeon," LOL.

I did receive word today that I'm going to the Goshen Valley Boys' Ranch April 5-9. It's north of Atlanta and serves 24 boys in a residential method. Their core beliefs in helping these boys are Family, Faith, Education, and Work. I'm really excited about this trip. I'm going with a bunch of other FCS employees from all over the country (including my own manager!). It's in conjunction with the James Fund, our store's non-profit organization. It does a lot with widows and orphans (see James 1:27). We do a lot of special partnerships at work too. For example, PureNRG's CD that released in July helped put shoes on orphans in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The Casting Crowns CD prebuy is partnering to feed children in Haiti. We also have our Barnabas Bears every year that puts money into the fund.

Anyway, the Ranch is in need of some items, so if you know me personally and would be interested in donating items for me to take, let me know. The website has a list of needs that they have, but I'll be letting you know about some other things I'd like to bring, like games and books and treats and things. It's going to be amazing and I can't wait to see how God will use me to reach the boys, and how He'll use the boys to reach me.