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Photos from the Week of Jonah

Rachel Anne — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:49:38 -0800

I posted "behind the scenes" photos of the Jonah taping over at Going Beyond. There is an adorable dress featured in one of the photos, and also my chunky arms made it into another. Argh. Besides that, the week was a huge and wonderful experience.

Don't forget to send in your Last Chance Photos for the company girl book! Deadline is Sunday at midnight, CST. Thank you to the girls who have submitted some already...there are some good ones in there!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Company Girl Coffee 11.6

Rachel Anne — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:00:08 -0800

It's been a really great week of taping Priscilla Shirer's newest Bible Study, "Jonah." Last night was the final night, and I hated to see it end! The lessons have been simply amazing, and I have so much that I can apply to my life immediately. The subtitle is "Navigating the Interrupted Life," and this study is my favorite one so far.

I'm a little late in getting this posted this morning, but I will add a couple of photos from the week later today.

Stop over and see my introduction on Priscilla's blog today! Woo!

This is YOUR opportunity to link up and enjoy some Company Girl company! Simply invite us over by linking your URL into the form below....then try and visit as many blogs as you can!

Excessive Tub Debris Citation

Rachel Anne — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:52:04 -0800

The Tub Police is patrolling your neighborhood and is issuing citations right and left! There is so much Tub and Shower abuse happening, that a special task force has been formed to enforce a "No Clutter" Policy. Please comply with code enforcement and clean up the debris in your tub area.

Thank you.

POINTS: 40 for complying with citation. Please note that if your tub/shower area is already straightened up, you may receive today's points!

Talk Like a Norwegian

Rachel Anne — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:56:00 -0800

Many people imagine the mighty Vikings when they think of Norwegian people. I'm not sure where those fierce warriors came from, but I think they might have actually been Italians. Anyway, by the time Norwegians began emigrating to America, a steady diet of plain, boiled potatoes had caused them to become a whole lot more bland. And stoic.

You see, I was born into a solidly Norwegian family, whose roots go back to the very origins of stoicism. These people prize long-suffering like the crown jewel of character, which is why so many of them settled in sub-zero Minnesota and the dreary Northwest. California would have been far outside their comfort zone.

Norwegians aren't known for their hot tempers. They've learned to swallow hard and get along, a lesson painfully learned through years of being forced to eat lutefisk until they liked it.

A rip-roaring argument between two Norwegians might sound something like this:

"So then. That's the way you feel about it."
    (Long Pause)
"Ya.   Ya, it is."
    (cricket chirping)
"Well then."
(Longer pause)
"I guess there's no changin' your mind."
    (Clock ticking)
"Nope."
    (dogs barking in distance)
"OK then."

Boy, the fur was really flying there for a second.

I guess you can say one thing for these stout-hearted individuals. They do know how to weigh their words.

James 1: 19 says, "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry..."

Today's Small Thing is to measure your words. Put another way, "think before you speak." Like the Norsemen of olde.

Rarely do I regret holding my tongue and taking a deep breath before speaking, especially in the middle of conflict. The damage done by a few thoughtless words can be devastating, as most of us have experienced at one time or another. As moms, wives, and friends, our lives are filled with opportunities to speak our words with kindness...but we often miss them because we are rushing ahead to make our point, thankyouverymuch. A "vise voman" (Norwegian for "wise woman') will take a moment to weigh her words, and then speak kindly.

POINTS: 75...because pausing to measure your words isn't easy, but it's life-giving. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you today.

Prizes, Prizes!

Rachel Anne — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:02:20 -0800

I've completely fallen down on my job! Not only have I missed changing the daily song for two days in a row, (did you notice?) I've forgotten to announce this month's prizes!

But first, you Company Girls really know how to REPREZENT! Thank you for all your comments and well-wishes to Priscilla Shirer this week! At last count, there were over 60 comments on her first post, mostly from my CG's, and I am so very proud!

The winning commenter is: Stacy at Living a Life of Purpose! Stacy, I've got the book, "A Jewel in His Crown" by Priscilla for you. If you will email your address to me, I will send it off! Thanks for stopping over there to say hello.

Drumroll.

This month, the Most Points Winner will receive something I fell in love with online. From Anthropologie, this crocheted ascot scarf is to DIE FOR. Or at least seriously KILL FOR.

Won't you look absolutely enchanting with this draped around your shoulders? You know you will. It's you.

The Random Drawing Winner will receive "The Facts of Life and Other Lessons My Father Taught Me" by Lisa Whelchel. Lisa was at Priscilla's taping of Jonah the other night and kindly helped me with the Twitter App on my phone while waiting for the study to start. I'm not sure if I'm more embarrassed or grateful that LISA WHELCHEL, YA'LL! fixed my phone. I am such a goob.

So there you have it, girls. We'll have plenty of opportunities for earning points because it's going to be another great month of Small Things! Thanks so much to all of you for keeping me company and for encouraging one another on the journey.

Door to Gracious Living

Rachel Anne — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:56:25 -0800

Do you ever pass by something a million times...and be annoyed every single time?

Maybe "annoyed" isn't the right word here.

Perhaps "bothered."

Or even "beaten."

Well, whatever word it is, that's what I feel whenever I pass through the doors of my house. And it's not the ROOMS that are bothering me.

It's the DOORS.

Where did all those fingerprints come from? Worse yet, how LONG have they been there?

Wiping down doors is NEVER on my housekeeping list, and usually the time I really notice their griminess is just before company comes. By then it's too late and I'm focused on tossing debris into closets and hiding things in the dishwasher.

Today's Small Thing is easy: simply wipe down a few doors (mainly around the doorknobs) and call 'er done. I think I'm going to feel a whole lot better about my life when all the fingerprints and goo are gone from my presence.

POINTS: 40 for cleaning up 3 doors to gracious living in your home. Quick! Easy! So Sanctuary-like! (Pop-up wipes are great for this job.)

Priscilla Shirer's Blog!

Rachel Anne — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:59:18 -0800

Girls,

Priscilla is blogging! Let's hear a "woot" from the crowd!

Her website is absolutely GORGEOUS, just like she is, and I know you'll want to have a look around at everything.

I would LOVE to give Priscilla a huge Company Girl welcome today by leaving tons of comments on her very first blog post.

You can find her blog here: http://www.goingbeyond.com/blog

Then take a tour of her new digs, check out the upcoming events, admire the decor, and say a prayer for her as she videotapes her new Bible study series on Jonah this week. Last night was the first night of taping and OH. MY. WORD.

Jonah will be the best study EVER. I've been to every single one of her tapings and this one is my absolute favorite. I can't wait for it to come out!

So please stop over and say hello to her....AND sign up for her blog feed so you won't miss a single post. I'll post on her blog this week and I hope to see you there!!

I will give a free Priscilla Shirer book to one lucky commenter on Priscilla's first blog post!

Vote for Change

Rachel Anne — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:51:17 -0800

Today is Election Day across the U.S. for scores of local and statewide political races. I thought it would be a good time to consider last year's Small Thing task for today.

It seems like everyone is FOR change and AGAINST the status-quo.

Put me down for that, too.

In fact, I'd even throw my own hat into the ring if it meant seeing significant changes around here.

For example, I've been stumping for lower saxes and less violins in classical music for a long time. And I'm for greater medi-hair coverage (government funding for salon treatment), less Social Insecurity, and more Equal Pouting Opportunities for the middle class.

I'm proudly casting my vote for a change in attitudes and mindsets, and I'm starting with my own electorate: my household. Do I imagine that I'll be better off four years from now, simply by a shift in my thinking?

You bet your plumber's crack, I do.

Today's Small Thing is to make some small changes in your own precinct. "Change," in this instance meaning, "to replace the old with the new."

You can elect to:

Change the sheets on a bed

Change the towels

Change the batteries in your smoke alarm (which I forgot to do when the time changed)

Change a light bulb

Change the oil in your car

Change your tablecloth

Change your undies, or simply turn them inside out. Good to go.

OK, that last one was in very poor taste, sorry New Girls. I'll get my spin doctors on it right away.

In exchange for your vote today, I will give you some mighty fine points. And since I'm the President of Company Girl nation, that's a promise I can keep.

POINTS: 10 for each change you make today, limit 10 changes. You can adopt some of my proposals, or you can elect to make your own changes. You decide!

100 possible points today! Let's see Congress top THAT!

Make a November Goal

Rachel Anne — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:39:12 -0800

Many of you have been asking about the progress on my beautiful little book on friendship, titled "Company Girl." It was back in June that I ran a contest for photo submissions, and then Dawn Fry and I went through a selection process in August.

Now that it is November 2, I probably should tell you exactly where I am on it.

Answer: Almost done.

And: Just can't pull the trigger to finalize it.

The book is turning out GORGEOUS, by the way.

Here is the deal. There are about 70 photos in all. 65 of them are hands down, absolutely perfect. About 5 of them are....almost perfect. They would work fine. But I'm just not quite able to say "I LOVE EVERYTHING and I'm ready to send it to the publisher."

Out of the 311 photos that were submitted, I must say they were all wonderful. So our selection process went like this: We eliminated photos taken with phone cameras, the ones that were out of focus, were poor resolution quality and photos that didn't fit the subject. That was the easy part. The harder part came when deciding between two similar photos, i.e. grandmother/granddaughter subjects. Or the fact that we had so many adorable photos with children but not enough with adult women friends. And we had plenty of great photos of friends with their arms around each other, smiling at the camera...but we just couldn't use ALL of them.

So I've set a November Goal: I will finish this book project by the end of this month and have it sent off to the publisher. And I will ask for some help.

To finalize this, I will give everyone an opportunity to submit additional photos with the following subject matter: older women friends, more diverse ethnicity (hispanic, african american, aisian etc.) and ACTION photos: talking, walking, painting fingernails, having coffee...in other words, not just smiling into the camera. This is a great "second chance" to get a photo into the book. But they have to be EXCEPTIONALLY good, seriously. They need to be awesome.

I will consider any photos meeting the above criteria if you will submit them by Sunday, November 8. Simply go to Companygirl.com and go to the upload page to submit!

Do you have a goal for this month? Writing it down is a great way to make yourself commit to getting it done. Blogging about it is another surefire way to get it done so you won't face public humiliation.

Today's Small Thing is to set a goal for November. It can be big or small, it doesn't matter. Sometimes a small goal is just as important to write down and accomplish because it gives us a taste of victory when we complete it!

What is your goal? Write it down and then tell someone about it. Let's accomplish our goals together this month!

POINTS: 50 for having the guts to put a goal on paper!

October Winners!

Rachel Anne — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:50:41 -0800

Girls, we had a tie for Most Points:

Joyce and Kaylene B both came in with the same score! These girls managed to do the Small Thing every single day...an amazing feat. Joyce recently had a new baby, and the Small Things were a way of helping her keep her sanity. She writes, "Your site has been such a blessing for myself and many Company Girls out there. I love the community that we have even though we are all in different states, countries even, and different stages in our lives as well."

This was Kaylene's first month as a Company Girl! " This is my first time turning in points and boy did I work hard for them. I resolved to do every single small thing this month. Yes, every single thing. I enlisted the help of my sister to keep me on track and keep going when I wanted to make up excuses. Another thing that helped me was that I was laid off from my job at the end of September and I had a choice. I could wallow and sink into depression and do nothing or I could be productive and busy while in the midst of job searching. I chose to be productive and part of what kept me going was your small things. It gave me at least ONE little thing that I could feel proud of accomplishing for that day.

I really like the idea of enlisting help from a friend AND choosing to be productive. Wow.

Since there are two winners, I will need to alter the grand prize just a bit and give 2 Shutterfly books to each. Congratulations!!

The Random Drawing winner is Josie (Josie, I'm sorry I can't find your blog URL). This was her first month keeping track of points and she did a great job. She will receive the devotional book on Philippians.

Here is a new Tally Sheet for NovemberDownload TallyNovember2....print it off and put it on the fridge or next to your "To Do" list, or somewhere that reminds you to jump on the Small Thing bandwagon every day. I'm such a huge believer in the power of Small Things to make Big Changes that I hope everyone gives them a chance! Let's make November a great month!

I'll have Today's Small Thing posted by 10 am CST.