I most prefer working in rooms that have good natural light, so I scoped out the kitchen for possible options. After a quick inspection, I decided to try the top of the microwave, normally tucked under the corner of the dish cabinet. I pulled it out and went to work. The newly acquired height placed the screen at eye level, perfect for reading online.

Not so perfect for anything that required more than a tiny bit of keyboarding. I found myself having to stand on my tip toes to lift my arms above the keyboard. After a while, I retreated to a favored chair in the upstairs Living Room.

This morning I wanted to try something more at arm’s reach. Once again I stood at the counter, this time trying to imagine the perfect keyboarding height. With that in mind, I went in search of something to build a small tower. I was unsuccessful at finding the Amazon box that arrived the other day, but I was undeterred.

What could I use for my own version of a standing desk?

Aha!

My newly constructed, portable standing desk is not much to look at, but it’s certainly affordable and nearly the perfect height for a morning of keyboarding. This option, however, presents the opposite problem of my microwave standing desk.

Now the keyboard is at optimal height, but the screen isn’t. Fortunately, I can type fairly accurately without looking at the keyboard, so when I’m simply typing, I can enjoy watching a flurry of cardinals feast on the berries outside the kitchen window. And use psellcheck spellcheck.

I suppose if you had a traditional computer with separate monitor and keyboard, a standing desk like this might give you the option to elevate the monitor and keep the keyboard at arm’s length.

Maybe one day, we’ll invest in a more permanent “real” solution. For now, I’m content to switch my laptop back and forth, between microwave and stock pot. Or is it stockpot? Spellcheck didn’t catch that.

What about you?
What creative things are you doing in your workspace? In your home? Or both? 

There are two ways to vote:

1. Visit the Lynchburg’s Bark for Your Park entry and click on the orange “Vote for This Finalist” tab.
2. Like PetSafe on Facebook and then click on the “Bark for Your Park” link under the profile picture. Scroll to the bottom to find Lynchburg. Click “View Entry.” Scroll to the bottom of that page and click on the orange “Vote for This Finalist” tab.

You can vote twice on Tuesday (time’s running out) and twice on Wednesday. Please…

When Lynchburg has a dog park, Archie won’t have to play Twister.

Archie’s wanted a dog park ever since he was a puppy.

Last year, a dog park was the only thing Archie wanted for Christmas.

Visit my Flickr site for more fun Archie photos of “When Lynchburg Has a Dog Park.”

What about you?
Does your city have a dog park? Would you please vote for Lynchburg? Would you mind sharing this post on your Facebook wall, in your Twitter stream or on Google+?

According to Kawasaki, “Zappos is built on trust – two-way trust, actually.” Customers trust Zappos’ money-back guarantee with free shipping (both ways) and Zappos trusts customers not to abuse the privilege by returning items that have been worn.

I knew about the return policy and have used it on more than one occasion, but I never put it together that this was really a trust issue. Cool!

In Real Life
Last month we went to the beach for Spring Break and guess who forgot to pack her swimsuit? The mere thought of trying on swimsuits in some beach shop nearly sent me over the edge. Thankfully, I remembered Zappos sells more than just shoes and I’d been wanting to try a Miraclesuit®. Afterall, who can resist: Look 10 lbs lighter in 10 seconds®?

I wasn’t sure what size or style to order, so I perused the options and settled on two different styles and sizes, just to cover my bases. I was hopeful one would fit, and even called to see if I could return the one that didn’t. I mean, swimsuits, right? The person on the phone assured me that I could return the suit, provided the liner was still in place. How awesome is that?

I ordered the suits on Monday (overcast and cool) and they arrived  on Tuesday, in time for sunny skies and warmer temperatures. Peter and Hannah both liked the black and white suit better than the solid black one (even though it was cheaper by about $10) so that’s the one I chose.

Kawasaki says there are three components to enchantment: a great product or service, likability and trustworthiness. In my opinion, Zappos has all three down pat!

What about you?
When is the last time you’ve found a company to be trustworthy? I’d love to hear your story in the comments below.

This post is in conjunction with the book club discussion on Enchantment over at The High Calling. Today’s discussion is on Chapters three (trustworthiness) and four (preparation). I love what Guy had to say about checklists. You can watch the video here.

Today Ann talked about her kids growing so fast. Who knew? My oldest is already finishing her first year of high school and has college and career all figured out. Just not keeping up with homework assignments, necessarily.

This week I talked with my friend Kelli, reminding her of how desperately I wanted children. My ex-husband and I tried for five years to have children, and thought we weren’t able to have any when we were surprised by Hannah, then by her brother Morgan.

I so wanted children, loved holding them in my arms while they nursed and slept, and that gulping sound they made.

And God has even blessed me with two bonus children – step children. Four children for a woman who often wept at the thought of an empty womb.

But nothing prepares you for how hard the journey is, how much of my own baggage gets in the way of parenting, and how quickly they grow.

As Kelli and I talked this week, we finally agreed that we’re not parenting perfectly, but we’re giving them Jesus. We’re praying that God will redeem all of our mistakes, and cause them to lean into Him for fullness of joy, abundant life, freedom and purpose.

** That’s it. That’s five minutes. Unedited. **

What about you?
What do you think Motherhood should come with? If you’re a blogger, give it a whirl yourself for five minutes. If not, simply share your thoughts in the comments section, or even as a Facebook note. Be sure to share the link with me. Try it.

Creative Commons photo on Flickr by WilliamOlyOlson.

Today’s post is part of Five Minute Fridays at Gypsy Mama’s blog. No editing, no nothin’.

Last month, I had the privilege of interviewing Guy Kawasaki for a post to appear on The High Calling in conjunction with our upcoming book club series on Guy’s latest book, Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions.

Guy is a former Chief Evangelist and Fellow for Apple (yes, the Apple), is the Founder of Alltop, and is a co-founding partner for Garage Technology Ventures, a venture capital firm for early stage technology companies. He’s a best selling author (Enchantment is his 10th book) and speaker, a husband, father, ice hockey fanatic, a marketing genius and a Christ follower.

I had such a great time interviewing Guy. He’s so enchanting that I smiled for hours after I interviewed him! Can I just tell you how crazy cool it was?

Three Ways to Be Enchanting

1. Read Enchantment and join in our weekly online discussions. If you’re a blogger, you can also blog your thoughts about each chapter and share them through The High Calling community.
2. Come to our Twitter party tonight (Thursday, May 5th) from 9-10 PM Eastern and ask Guy your own questions. Check out the details at Super Hero Dan King’s Bible Dude site.
3. Finally, click on over to The High Calling to watch the interview and leave a comment here, there or both. I’d love to know what you think!

Here’s a quick look at the first question, just to whet your appetite:
 

What about you?
Who do you find enchanting?

Creative Commons photo on Flickr by Rogercarr.

I LOVE making new connections and helping others make connections as well, sort of like Steve Martin’s “I get paid for doing this” gig. When I worked at the Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce it was my job to help people make connections. Today, I still love helping others make connections and often do so via e-troductions.

The best Connector I know, however, is God, and there’s nothing more thrilling than a Divine Connection! Paul Merrill is one such connection. Recently, he asked if he could use one of my posts over at The Seed Company.

Won’t you join me over there today for a repost of What is God’s Testimony? The story of Showbread.

Creative Commons photo on Flickr by moonty.

Suddenly I was in high school again, or worse, in middle school. I wasn’t the popular kid. I invited all the cool kids to come to a party. I decorated the house, prepared all the snacks, popped in my Kool and the Gang 8-track and sang into my hairbrush while I pulled out my favorite red tab Levis, my Izod shirt and Sperry Topsiders. I was ready to get my groove on, but not one single person came to my party. The chairs were empty.

Empty.

The knot in my throat made it impossible to breathe.

That was sometime after midnight on Friday. I’d had the idea to write a series of posts about “simplify,” one of my words for 2011. I wanted to invite others to participate because God knows, there is no wealth of knowledge on that subject within my experience, nor in these fingertips. Still, the thought of hosting a blog project was In.Tim.I.Dating.

I traded emails with JoDee, bounced the idea around with her and she immediately said yes. One friend.

I could exhale.

JoDee was the first to reply. I’m happy to report that more than a dozen outstanding women have said, “yes.” I’m hoping others will join us as well. (Feel free to share the invitation!) Here’s who’s on board so far for one or more Simplify posts:

• JoDee Luna
• L. L. Barkat
• Stephie Goldfish
• Laura Boggess
• Kawania Wooten
• Karen Prior
• Michelle DeRusha
• Ann Kroeker
• Jennifer Lee
• Amy Sullivan
• Dena Dyer
• Jenny at Jenny’s Minute
• Beth at B. Meandering
• Linda Chontas

This Just In!
I’m not a nerd anymore!!!!

Don’t judge me. I know I’m a grown woman but that’s beside the point.

I have two final thoughts on this Simplify Journey before I quietly slip into bed next to the man I met at the Pittsburgh airport.

Community
I made this observation in my reply to Cassandra last week, “People often want to go from information to innovation, but innovation doesn’t take root until the information is processed within the context of community. Maybe that’s what I’m after!” I think that’s part of what Stephanie said as well.

Perfection
I think when it comes to simplifying, Perfection isn’t our friend. We shouldn’t invite her to our party. I hate to be like that, but that girl can drag you down. How many times have I wanted to take steps on the Simplify Journey only to be talked out of it by Perfection’s persuasion. I could go into details, but you’ve seen her in action. You know what she’s like.

Think about it. She convinces us that if we can’t simplify perfectly (think Martha Stewart or the pages of Real Simple magazine) then we shouldn’t even try. Well, she’s wrong. She knows it, and so do we.

Perfection is an experienced party crasher. Beware! She won’t give up easily. If you see her trying to sneak in, you have permission to kindly (or not so kindly) ask her to leave.

I can’t wait to hear what folks have to say this Saturday. I already have several ideas I’m looking forward to sharing.

What about you?
What journey have you taken in community? Is Perfection your friend?

Creative Commons photo on Flickr by ohsohappytogether.

Our traditions are a little different this year since the youngest found out the the truth about Santa Claus, and since our house is still in a state of disarray thanks to the remodeling job, but it’s coming along. Peter’s done a GREAT job!

One advantage of celebrating Christmas after New Year’s is that you can hit all the sales! I’ve got a few more presents to wrap. Once the kids are in bed, we’ll stuff the stockings. And tomorrow morning, we’ll wake up and read the story of Jesus’ birth. We’ll open a few presents, have a leisurely breakfast and maybe stay in our pajamas all day.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Just Start.

What about you?
When has the Holy Spirit impressed upon you to do something? How did you handle that prompting?

A Prayer
Holy Spirit, as you speak to the depths of our hearts about the needs of the world around us, empower us to act, in confidence. May we be the eyes, ears, hands and feet of Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.