CasaBlast: I am loving this program, so far!

I found this last week: CasaBlast. http://www.casabi.net/

I signed up and set up an account and what I have seen so far, I really love!

It is a family account that comes with a phone number. I set up each person in the account with their name and a different color. I then (very easily) put their schedule (such as practices, games and so on) on the calendar. When I did that, I indicated whether or not I wanted reminder texts to go out to cell phones. Calendar page tells me what's coming up for the day. Hubby and I get a text with everything for that day. Kids can decide if they want reminders or (so far, my son does not, daughter does, other daughter doesn't have phone yet).

Anyone in family can send a blast to all cell phones.

Also, a grocery list that can be sent to cell phone.

I skimmed the terms of agreement and they look okay.

It is free for the first 10,000 subscribers.

I will update this review as I use it more.

Latitude and Longitude -- how I can finally remember the difference!

I finally came up with a way to remember longitude and latitude. I had trouble remembering which was which.

I focus on the second letter of the word.

lAtitude: the A has the cross in the middle (equator) and the tip at the top. The lines are different lengths. Latitude lines are the ones going horizontally, and the lines get smaller going north and south. The lines are not the same length.

lOngitude: the O reminds me of the longitude lines that are all the same length and encircle the globe.

Messes

Life is messy. Cliche, but true.

And it occurs to me as I am gathering laundry that I am behind on, again, and mulling over recent events among neighbors, that I don't like messy.

The two (paying) jobs that best suited my talents were both about organization. One was coming in behind a manager who was good in many ways, but not good at discarding mountains of unnecessary paper and organizing the necessary ones. The other was setting up a human resources department that needed to exist, but didn't. Instead, aspects of H.R. were handled by a variety of people in different departments.

And here is something that I think is weird. I like creating forms. The form that captures and organizes need information gives me a small thrill.

I like life neat and this recent emotional messiness has laid me low. I can deal with the messy house and piles of laundry. And, through God's grace, I hope to learn to deal with the other messiness, too.

Then I think about Jesus. He was God-made-man. How it must have grieved him to see, to be in, life here on earth. People twisting Holy teachings for selfish purposes. Others just completely misunderstanding. Sabbaths and festivals that had become something they were not intended to be. Followers who usually didn't understand what was going on. Some of them even vying for things that were not His to give. Those who wanted a political revolution, not a spiritual one.

Did He look ahead to the time of redemption as His expense for comfort?

And I whisper, reverently, "thank you, Jesus."