My Writing Adventure

In a nutshell, "Imagine" won the title for David Archuleta. That kid can bring it! He stepped up his game tonight and gave his best performances of the season.

That being said, David Cook is the better all-around performer. As much as I would love to see him win, I think that it might be better for him to come in second. He wouldn't have to do all the publicity after the AI season and could go home to spend more time with his brother before the tour starts.

I agree with Simon that David Cook's last selection was a mistake. Moments before Simon commented, I said that David should have done "Billy Jean," "Hello," or "Eleanor Rigby" again. But, mastering "The World I Know" shows David Cook's range and ability to bring something fresh.

No matter what happens, these young men are certain to have very strong careers in front of them.

I've received some very encouraging feedback on my writing over the last few days. My writers group on Friday was extremely affirming. I also sent a sample to a very close friend and then to a new friend who I trust to be "firm but kind." Everyone has confirmed that I have something worthwhile here so I'll keep plugging away.

Today I was encouraged by someone who told me that maybe my book won't be available for others to read until we're in heaven. I get so bogged down by what might happen here and now. As my DH would attest, I struggle with writing this book even though I feel very confident God has told me to write (not that this book has anything profound to say. It's just something He's asked me to do.)

So, I've got to knuckle down and get busy. For His kingdom and His glory.

I always tend to feel a little lost on Sundays. I know I should revel in having this day of rest but I never really seem to know quite what to do. My only-child DH craves his downtime and spends most of the day in front of his computer or with a game - that I have zero interest in joining.

I feel like I just kind of wander around, trying to stave off the temptation to overeat, until the day is done.

The only things I can think to do involve work. And, it seems like nothing else really interests me. I don't even feel all that interested in answering emails.

As a Christian, I know Sunday should be the best day of the week. But, I've always struggled a little with Sundays...




Thanks for listening. I'm going to apply Carolyn Mahaney's principles to my Sundays and start planning them a little better. Maybe if I have a few Sunday-plans made in advance, I'll know better what to do when the next free Sunday rolls around.

My writing adventure is turning out to be very interesting. The writer's conference I was scheduled to attend on Saturday has been canceled. And the more I know about writing, the less qualified I feel to do it. So, I'm seeking God for His will. I had hoped I would receive more clarity at next weekend's writer's conference but the clarity will apparently come at another time - maybe even sooner.

For now, I am thrilled at all the blog readers who visited my post last week about the Shower "Thingy." People from all over the U.S. visited this blog and I was thrilled to receive my very first comments.

If you're here, reading this blog, I want you to know I appreciate you. Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts and feel free to visit my other blog at www.gatheredchick.blogspot.com.

Thanks and I'll keep you posted!

Rocks in my Dryer is doing "Doesn't Work for Me Wednesday" today instead of her usual "Works for Me Wednesday" blog carnival. Since I purchased the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner due to RIMD's recommendation, and because I told you I would let you know if it worked, I thought I would participate this week and comment.

In short, does this tub look clean to you?

Okay, this picture probably isn't a great representation. But, basically the tub looks just as dirty as it does when we don't clean it for three weeks (which we would never do). I kept hoping the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner (henceforth known as the Thingy) would kick in at some point. I started the Scrubbing Bubbles Thingy with a clean tub so, I was more than a little sad when the tub just kept getting dirtier and dirtier.

Bottom line - it isn't cleaning all that well. Or maybe we have a weird tub surface. Or maybe we have exceptionally dirty feet. I mean, it came so highly recommended that maybe we are the problem. But, regardless, it isn't keeping the tub clean.

Also, the glass doors never look anything close to clean because we no longer use a squeegee before we get out of the shower. It would be fruitless since the Scrubbing Bubbles Thingy sprays the doors after the last shower of the day.

And, because we have brass fixtures, we have to rinse off the brass after the Thingy has been run. Our brass fixtures have looked pretty bad since the day we moved in but since the Thingy's instructions were emphatic about not using with brass, we dutifully rinse the fixtures after use each morning.

Did I mention the smell? I've been known to buy certain products just for the smell. For example, Palmolive's Oxy Plus Dishwashing Liquid in Alpine Purity fits that bill. I can't say that I would go out of my way for the Thingy's smell.

HOWEVER, yesterday when I finally decided enough was enough, I pulled out my Lemon Soft Scrub and my Magic Eraser with Extra Power to clean the tub. (By the way, I LOVE the new extra strength Magic Erasers - genius!) What usually takes a lot of huffing and puffing in order to get a clean tub took about three minutes and very little elbow grease.

So, in theory, the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner doesn't work for me as it is supposed to, but it did make cleaning the tub easier for me.

All in all, I'm glad I tried it. There was nothing lost in trying it because I essentially got it for free due to my membership with The Grocery Game.

Okay, that's it for now. Don't forget - you can subscribe to this post's feed and the feed for Gathered Chick by following the "subscribe" link in the sidebar of each blog.