Sunday, February 28, 2021

Thankful for an Increase in Retirement Money $$ via My Hubby

Thank You, Lord Jesus Christ, for your provision and care! 


Dear  Team Member,

 

Duff & Phelps (an independent valuation firm) and the ESOP Trustee (GreatBanc Trust) have completed their annual valuation and determined the value of ❤ Stock to be $9,491 per share, an increase of 35% from the previous valuation of $7,022. The value of δΈ€ stock in participants’ accounts in both the❤ Legacy Stock and ❤ ESOP Leveraged Stock Funds will be adjusted by Vanguard and reflected in participants’ accounts by the end of next week.

 

The full announcement is attached to this message and will also be available in the Virtual Town Hall Documents Library, linked to an announcement on SourceOne, and posted on bulletin boards.

 

This message has been sent on behalf of A. S.

 

Best regards,

 


 

Information Technology Service Desk
Chicago, Illinois 60626









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Thursday, February 25, 2021

FYI: Easy Sidewalk De-Icer for Winter




pc: amazon.com



There are a many other uses for blue Dawn dish soap.  I even used it to get rid of dog fleas in my pups πŸ‘πŸ˜Š

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, 

quit you like men, be strong.

1 Corinthians 16:13




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Tuesday, February 23, 2021

MacKenzie Childs: Foxy! Cute!

 Our MC gift for our grandson on our visit.  

Useful, and Cute to wear! 

MC Fox Toddler's Bib

pc: MacKenzie Childs





Continue to use it in good health, 

❤πŸ’™πŸ’š❤sweetie!


***

 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: 

and so the Lord, the God of hosts, 

shall be with you, as ye have spoken.

Amos 5




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Sunday, February 21, 2021

HuffPost: Musicians Are Smarter Than The Rest Of Us

 

Musicians Are Smarter Than The Rest Of Us


Musicians’ Brains Stay Sharp as They Age

Summary
While it is known that practicing music repeatedly changes the organization of the brain, it is not clear if these changes can correlate musical abilities with non-musical abilities. The study of 70 older participants, with different musical experience over their lifetimes, provides a connection between musical activity and mental balance in old age. “The results of this preliminary study revealed that participants with at least 10 years of musical experience (high activity musicians) had better performance in nonverbal memory, naming, and executive processes in advanced age relative to non-musicians.”


Introduction
Changing one’s lifestyle may postpone the onset of problems connected with old age, like Alzheimer’s disease. These diseases cause cognitive changes like loss of memory, reasoning, and perception. Adequate rest and physical exercise as well as a lifelong habit of stimulating the mind are favorable for clear thinking in old age. Musical activities, undertaken throughout the lifetime, have an impact on one’s mental health during old age. This has been studied in this current research work. Practicing music for a number of years brings about certain changes in brain organization. Comparing the lucidity in old age of those pursued music related activities and those who didn’t may help to understand the effect of the music-related reorganization of brain on successful aging.

Methods
-- Seventy healthy participants, aged between 60 and 83, were divided into three groups, based on their degree of involvement in musical activities, over their lifetimes.
-- The three groups were similar in average age, education, handedness, sex ratio, and physical exercise habits.
-- The first group, namely the non-musicians, never received any formal musical training. The second group, the low activity musicians, had one to nine years of training. The third, the high activity musicians, trained for more than 10 years and played regularly afterward.
-- All were tested for brain strengths such as memory, attention, and language prowess, using standardized tests. Their mastery on the use of language, ability to remember, and ability to express oneself were tested.

Results
-- Verbal intellectual ability and learning, as well as recall of verbal information, were found to be similar across the three groups.
-- The high activity musicians were significantly better at performing tasks based on visual inputs.
-- Although language prowess seemed to be similar across the groups, the high activity musicians’ memory for words was significantly better than that of non-musicians.
-- The age at which musical training started affected visual memory, while the number of years of training affected non-verbal memory.

Read the full article H E R E < ------

This Pup agrees?!! πŸ˜„


O sing unto the LORD a new song: 
sing unto the LORD, all the earth.




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Thursday, February 18, 2021

The Secret to a Truly Beautiful Home

Forget society's standards, here's the secret to a truly beautiful home  Joshua Becker | Fox News


I have a friend who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. An awful diagnosis for anyone, at any stage of life. But as a 48-year old father of four, with two still in elementary school, it has shaken everyone in our community. He’s now in a daily battle to stave off cancer, provide for his family, and both parent and husband well.
In preparing themselves for the long days and years to come, my friend and his wife decided to downsize their home – moving from 3,400 square feet to 1,800. They saw the move as an opportunity to save money, time, energy, and effort for the journey ahead – a journey that would require focus and intentionality.
They hadn’t lived in their larger home for very long before the diagnosis. In fact, I still remember the first time I visited – Christmas, last year. It was for a party and their home was decorated immaculately. My wife and I arrived early for the party and offered our hosts the first thoughts that entered our mind, “Your new home is beautiful. Thank you for having us over.”

As the party attendees continued to arrive that evening, I watched as many had similar greetings for their host and hostess, “Your house is gorgeous!”; “This is stunning!”; and “Your home is absolutely beautiful!” Customary greetings, I know, but these compliments were not empty words of praise – the houseguests were genuinely impressed with their hosts’ home.
We are, after all, a culture and society that loves big houses and expensive furnishings and decorations. Most people spend their lives, and – if current stats on household debt are correct – their money pursuing bigger and bigger homes in nicer and nicer neighborhoods.

In fact, the average American home has nearly tripled in size over the last 60 years, all while the average American family has decreased in members. And if all this increased space isn’t enough, 10 percent of us rent offsite storage and 25 percent are unable to park even one car in our garage. “Bigger” and “more lavish” tend to be homes that are praised in our culture.
Sometimes I wonder if these bigger homes (and the increased furnishings and material possessions that go inside them) are actually benefiting our lives. And if they are not, are they worthy of our praise and admiration? Is it possible we are looking for “beauty” in all the wrong places?
The concept of home as an ideal for safety and comfort, of acceptance and belonging, is one that resonates with almost everyone. But somewhere along the way, we began chasing a different ideal. “Home” became a place to upscale, store an ever-increasing pile of possessions, and chase a never-realized perfection portrayed in Pottery Barn catalogs and on home-improvement reality shows.
pc: Kristi Kohut

But what is the purpose of home and what makes the concept beautiful in the first place?
Home is a place to come home to. It offers a place to relax, unwind, and rest. It provides an opportunity for interaction among family members – a safe harbor from the storms of life to find acceptance, security, and stability.
But home is also a port of departure when you’re ready to brave the high seas of life again. Home offers us rest and security so we can live our best lives in the world outside – accomplishing the most good for the most amounts of people.

As John Shedd said, “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”
These are the ideals we should strive for with the home we create: a safe harbor and effective port of departure. And when these ideals are being met, our home is beautiful. We do not need to constantly increase square footage, discounted (or not) furniture, or decorations.

In fact, often times, reducing the square footage and/or the number of possessions in our home allows us to better realize those ideals that make a house a home. When our money, time, and energy is not spent accumulating and caring for things that don’t matter, we have more resources available for the things that do.
Last week, my wife and I dropped off dinner at our friends’ new, smaller home. It had been a long day for them full of scans, doctor visits, diagnoses, and treatments. We did not intend to stay long – they needed rest as much as they needed a fresh meal.

However, while dropping off the food I asked my friend how he was liking his smaller home. He said, “It’s great! I no longer have a mortgage payment because we removed that burden when we downsized. We’re in a more stable position financially which is important to me. Sure, we’re still adjusting to living in smaller quarters as a family. But this house is easier to clean and maintain and take care of so I can focus more on the things that matter. Most importantly, it’s bringing us closer together as a family. And Joshua, that is the thing that means the most to me right now as I fight for my life and theirs.”
I looked around the room one more time. I saw a family growing closer, better prepared in this smaller space for their difficult journey ahead. “Bob, I think it’s beautiful.”





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Tuesday, February 16, 2021

My Gray Hair Goals

 I am allowing my hair to go completely gray. I need role-models for this (natural-color) Road  and Season of Life. I want to look good even as a Senior.

 I found an example in a Japanese lady. She exudes confidence.  She has a sense of style.  Most of all, she rocks her gray hair! I prefer my hair length to be at my shoulder; with volume like hers. 

Black-rimmed glasses are on now my radar as they are a good contrast on a head of gray. 








How about her hair?!! -- Artist, Yayoi Kusama (wikipedia)

And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

Isaiah 46




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Sunday, February 14, 2021

Sunday's Coffee Conversation

 


I love this analogy!


You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you or shakes your arm, making you spill your coffee everywhere.


Why did you spill the coffee?


"Because someone bumped into me!!!"


Wrong answer.


You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup.


Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea.


*Whatever is inside the cup is what will spill out.*


Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you (which WILL happen), whatever is inside you will come out. It's easy to fake it, until you get rattled.


*So we have to ask ourselves... “what's in my cup?"*


When life gets tough, what spills over?


Joy, gratefulness, peace and humility?


Anger, bitterness, harsh words and reactions?


Life provides the cup, YOU choose how to fill it.


Today let's work towards filling our cups with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation; and kindness, gentleness and love for others.

by Megan Gooden

(Shared from a friend whose cup is full of goodness and inspiration.)



Source: Facebook



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Thursday, February 11, 2021

Bathroom Renovation: Stunning Light Fixtures I Love

Since installing a cool Astra light fixture in our very own master bathroom during renovation, I've looked for similar light fixtures. So cute! Colorful/unusual ones also draw my eye.


















Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. ( Matthew 5 )






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Sunday, February 7, 2021

MacKenzie-Childs: Large Hostess Tray in Courtly Check


I find the MC Hostess Tray beautiful (luv the courtly check black & white pattern!); and useful -- thus not a waste of funds. It promotes neatness as a designated "catch-all" for your things or food items.

Get it on sale if possible (MSRP approx. $200, large). Try eBay as this item is discontinued.



pc: MacKenzie-Childs




pc: MacKenzie-Childs


pc: Neiman Marcus


pc: MacKenzie-Childs

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;






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Thursday, February 4, 2021

FYI: Water Rating Definitions


I certainly hope the water rating by Garmin applies to my expensive, authentic LV watch (water pressure to 5 ATM or 50 meters); as well as to hubby's multiple, less expensive watches (also, 5 ATM).  Not that we will be diving or swimming into a pool or the ocean any time soon.  Even the thought of wearing my watch while  showering, washing dishes, or soaking in a tub gives me the shivers, lol 😁

 BTW, 50 meters = 164 feet.

Water Rating Definitions by Garmin

We rigorously test our devices to make sure they’ll survive the activities for which they were designed. You should note that even if a device is above a depth it is rated for, it might still suffer water ingression if it is subjected to an activity that creates pressure on it that exceeds that depth rating.

Water RatingDefinitionSuitable
IPX7Withstands incidental exposure to water of up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutessplashes, rain or snow, showering
IPX6Protected against powerful jets of water. Water projected at all angles through a 12.5 mm nozzle at a flow rate of 100 liters/min at a pressure of 100 kN/m2 for 3 minutes from a distance of 3 metersheavy spray, driving rain, boat washing, outdoor use in rough sea conditions
1 ATMWithstands pressures equivalent to a depth of 10 meterssplashes, rain or snow, showering
3 ATMWithstands pressures equivalent to a depth of 30 meterssplashes, rain or snow, showering, jumping into water
5 ATM, SwimWithstands pressures equivalent to a depth of 50 meterssplashes, rain or snow, showering, swimming, diving into water, snorkeling
10 ATMWithstands pressures equivalent to a depth of 100 meterssplashes, rain or snow, showering, swimming, diving into water, snorkeling, high-speed water sports
Dive (up to stated depth in meters)Tested to engineering standard EN13319 for dive compliance Scuba diving, snorkeling, and high-speed water sports


Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15)



Ingress Protection



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