Author Archives: madge

Tahoe’s Vet Visit – One of ‘Those’ Days

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Tahoe had a recent trip to the vet to get a check-up and to get his teeth cleaned.  I didn’t have the pleasure of seeing him get drugged, but I was told he walked around with his leash in his mouth – resisting sleep and finally collapsed with his leash squarely planted between the very teeth that were about to be cleaned.

After his teeth were clean, he recuperated on the floor….would you look at that tongue?

He was plain tired out.  I’m glad he’s a dog and not a human.  A child might not forgive his mom for posting photos like these!!

Some days I feel a bit like Tahoe looks in the above pictures.  It’s OK when it happens, right?  We all have ‘those’ days.   When ‘those’ days strike, I try to strike back with a bit of faith – and quote a couple short verses for inspiration:

“March on my soul, be strong.” Judges 5:21   or

“Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!” Psalms 27:14.

An ‘attitude of gratitude’ is another effective weapon.  I tell myself, ‘Name 10 things you are thankful for in less than a minute.’   Then I go on with my day, knowing there’s hope that it’ll get better today…or…tomorrow may be more like this:

…or even like this!

Tahoe jumps for the kong

Today, I’m praying for my niece, Crystal, who lost her young husband to cancer last January when she was six months pregnant.  She’s an inspiration to me as I watch her navigate being a single, working mom of three.  My hope is that she has less days like the first pictures and more like the last ones.

…..what do you do to get through ‘those’ days’?

May your day be filled with wisdom, faith, hard work and fun.  Love to all from Madge on a ‘Tahoe Tuesday’!

A Favorite Mobile App – Youversion Bible

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Oh, do I love my iPhone and my iPad.  Apps are my friends. The Youversion Bible App is definitely right up at the top of my list of favorites. I use it everyday.  Who knew that you could carry so much wisdom and faith in a little app like this?  I always have my bible with me now.  No longer do I need to pack it when I go to church or out of town.  That’s convenience.  I have to confess that, in the past, I actually cut a  ‘One Year’ bible into multiple sections so I didn’t have to carry the whole thing around to do my daily reading.  Before you say ‘sacrilegious’…a quadriplegic figures out how to get around with mobility issues. Physical disability adds a new outlet for creativity.  OK, back to the app….

If you already downloaded a free bible to your mobile device you probably have this puppy. If you don’t have it yet, this is for you.  It’s feature rich and easy to use and it’s free.

Versions.   With the push of a button you can access over 150 versions in 50 languages! 27 versions are in English.  Access to various versions keeps familiar passages fresh and lends new perspectives!

Reading Plans.  There are over 150 reading plans. There are ‘read-through’, ‘topical’, ‘devotional’ and ‘youth’ plans – some take a few days, others years!  I have only scratched the surface of the plans.  Once you select a plan, the readings are easily accessed.  No flipping pages around and you never lose your place from one day to the next!   The flexibility associated with plans is a beautiful thing .  You can start a plan at any time and track your way through its readings.  I like the ‘One Year Bible’ plan because it works well with other tools I use, but I supplement with other plans as well. 

Audio.  Many of the versions have audio associated with them – they are easily identified by a small speaker icon.  Some of the voices are better than others!  When I use the audio, I  switch versions to get the reader I most enjoy.

Downloadable by selection.  Most of the versions can be downloaded to your device as indicated by a green download symbol next to the version name.  By downloading your favorite versions you’ll have the bible even if internet access isn’t available.

Live Events. If you are a pastor or if you lead group meetings, the ‘live event’ feature is handy. Once a group or live event is set up, participants can do things like take notes, ask questions, respond to questions – and immediate results can be displayed for the group.  I haven’t had the opportunity to use this feature, but look forward to trying it out.  Sounds powerful.

The app makes it simple to search or highlight text, add public or private notes, send passages to friends (via email, SMS, Facebook or Twitter), and allows customization of text font type and size.

Youversion is an impressive app that I hope you’ll check out.  I’m sure I’ll reference this app again as we get close to the beginning of the new year.  A new year is a great time to start a reading plan.  Well, anytime is a great time with this treasure.

 

You can check it out in your market place/app store or at www.youversion.com.

Enjoy!

Madge

 

 

‘Fresh’ Nugget

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This morning I came across a verse that struck a chord in me.

May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, and enliven your speech. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 MSG

Wow, I want to be surprised with gifts of unending help and confidence. No fear. No reluctance. ‘Fresh’ is what I want in my life.

Fresh vision.

Fresh energy.

Fresh kindness.

Fresh purpose.

Lord, invigorate and energize us to speak words and do work that give life and encourage others today. Let us refresh others – for ‘whoever refreshes others will be refreshed’ (Proverbs 11:25).

Have a Fresh Friday!

A Favorite Mobile App – Dragon Dictation

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One of my favorite apps, Dragon Dictation, is a ‘voice to text’ or  ‘speech recognition’ tool. Dragon Dictation is a great free application for the iPad, iPhone, iPod (and Android and Blackberry).  This is not ‘new’ technology, but a favorite nonetheless.  Honestly, I don’t fire it up often enough so I’m encouraging my own efficiency today.  I find this app invaluable when I use it and it is a lifesaver for non-typists and people with mobility related disabilities. Below are some benefits and tips to consider.

 

3 Benefits of using Dragon Dictation:

  1.  Improves output speed.  I am not a very efficient typist. I was a great typist before my accident, but now that I have limited use of my hands, I am sloooow. I can make better progress by using a dictation aid like Dragon. Why not get more done in a shorter period of time?
  2. Helps to better formulate thoughts. I suppose doctors or individuals in occupations where dictation is common may not experience this type of improvement, but it helps me to be more thoughtful of my speech patterns as well as the clarity of my voice.  This benefit surprised me.
  3. Quickly sends in a variety of formats.  A great feature is Dragon’s ability to send dictated text directly as a Facebook post, tweet, SMS message or email.  What a treasure to speak a few words and text or tweet them in seconds. You can record a larger document in 30 second intervals and freely edit and insert using your voice or the keypad.

Tips that increase the usefulness of any voice recognition software:

  1.  Enunciate clearly. Make sure to enunciate your words clearly.  Using voice recognition software illuminates our poor speaking habits. It reveals  words we do not pronounce clearly and patterns where we mumble.
  2. Use a quiet environment. Have a quiet environment when possible. Dictating in a noisy environment may be a challenge. I have a friend who often dictates notes while she is at a restaurant or in a noisy area and she does pretty good. For greatest accuracy, it is best to be in a more subdued environment. By all means, test your limits and be hands free as much as possible!  It is the future.
  3. Always proofread. Proofread to avoid the wrong wording.  For example, ‘mark’ and ‘mart’ or ‘fat’ and ‘sat’  are the kinds of words you may see interchanged. Trust me on this.  I’ve embarrassed myself more than once by not effectively proofing.
  4. Speak punctuation. When you record with voice recognition software, you may want to insert punctuation in your text to avoid adding it later. To add punctuation you merely say  the punctuation like say ‘comma’, ‘question mark’, ‘new paragraph’, etc.

We’d Better be Ready.  All in all, Speech to Text is a must for those of us who are physically challenged with typing, but it certainly helps those who hunt and peck, and anyone who can speak faster than they can type on their devices.  Not only that, it is the future.  Apple’s release of the iPhone 4’S’ (as in Siri) further emphasizes the added importance of voice recognition. The iPhone 4S has built in voice recognition as well as verbal communication.   Check it out here.  It reads emails, texts and reminders to you and responds to your spoken inquiries.  It answers questions like, ‘How cold is it outside’ as well as dictates text that you initiate.

If you haven’t tried the free Dragon Dictation application – don’t delay.  It’s available in your app store.  You won’t be sorry, and you’ll be ready for the future!