"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing-that's why we recommend it daily." ~ Zig Ziglar
"People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success." ~ Norman Vincent Peale
"People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success." ~ Norman Vincent Peale
"When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us." ~ Alexander Graham Bell
"When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us." ~ Alexander Graham Bell
"It opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." ~ Milton Berle
"It opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." ~ Milton Berle
After all of your hard work spring cleaning and organizing your home, you certainly won’t want to see things back to the way they were in a matter of weeks.
Staying organized takes a little work and is certainly a learned habit, but for this small amount of daily effort, you will have a cleaner home and a happier family.
Here are a few easy ways to help keep your home looking like you just wrapped up your spring cleaning:
Set aside a little time each week or on the weekend to do a more in-depth cleaning. Check the fridge and pantry for expired food, wipe the stove, cabinets, table, and counters thoroughly, and clean the floor well. If you have kept up on your daily straightening ritual, you will be shocked at how quickly the kitchen cleans up.
This way, you'll get up the next morning and be able to start your day with a fresh start (without having to worry about yesterday’s mess!).
Ready for more Spring Cleaning Tips? Grab your copy of the Hillbilly Housewife's Spring Cleaning Guide today!
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
Staying organized takes a little work and is certainly a learned habit, but for this small amount of daily effort, you will have a cleaner home and a happier family.
Here are a few easy ways to help keep your home looking like you just wrapped up your spring cleaning:
- Keep a small basket in each room for things that do not belong. Get in the habit of checking the basket as you leave the room for items that might belong in your next destination.
- Keep all of your cleaning supplies together, along with rags, paper towels, scrub brushes, and any other items you may need to complete any cleaning task. Using a bucket or cleaning supply caddy will make grabbing the necessary tools a snap when it is time to do your daily chores.
- Sort through your mail each day when it is brought in. Immediately throw away junk mail, saving only important letters and advertisements that you are planning to use. Place all the mail in a designated area and file the bills away after they are paid.
- When choosing containers for storage, remember to look for lidded boxes, bowls, and bags that are clear. It will be easier to find an item if you can see into the containers without opening each and every one.
- Every night after dinner, make sure that all the dishes are cleaned and put away, or at least rinsed and put into the dishwasher, until there is a full load. Don’t let the dishes get away from you or you’ll find yourself in the midst of a marathon cleaning session.
- Wipe counters and tables after each meal, knocking the crumbs to the floor. Sweep up after washing the dishes each night and use a damp rag to wipe up and spots, splashes, or spills on the floor. After washing the dishes, wipe the sink out well and dry it to prevent water spots.
Set aside a little time each week or on the weekend to do a more in-depth cleaning. Check the fridge and pantry for expired food, wipe the stove, cabinets, table, and counters thoroughly, and clean the floor well. If you have kept up on your daily straightening ritual, you will be shocked at how quickly the kitchen cleans up.
This way, you'll get up the next morning and be able to start your day with a fresh start (without having to worry about yesterday’s mess!).
Ready for more Spring Cleaning Tips? Grab your copy of the Hillbilly Housewife's Spring Cleaning Guide today!
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
After all of your hard work spring cleaning and organizing your home, you certainly won’t want to see things back to the way they were in a matter of weeks.
Staying organized takes a little work and is certainly a learned habit, but for this small amount of daily effort, you will have a cleaner home and a happier family.
Here are a few easy ways to help keep your home looking like you just wrapped up your spring cleaning:
Set aside a little time each week or on the weekend to do a more in-depth cleaning. Check the fridge and pantry for expired food, wipe the stove, cabinets, table, and counters thoroughly, and clean the floor well. If you have kept up on your daily straightening ritual, you will be shocked at how quickly the kitchen cleans up.
This way, you'll get up the next morning and be able to start your day with a fresh start (without having to worry about yesterday’s mess!).
Ready for more Spring Cleaning Tips? Grab your copy of the Hillbilly Housewife's Spring Cleaning Guide today!
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
Staying organized takes a little work and is certainly a learned habit, but for this small amount of daily effort, you will have a cleaner home and a happier family.
Here are a few easy ways to help keep your home looking like you just wrapped up your spring cleaning:
- Keep a small basket in each room for things that do not belong. Get in the habit of checking the basket as you leave the room for items that might belong in your next destination.
- Keep all of your cleaning supplies together, along with rags, paper towels, scrub brushes, and any other items you may need to complete any cleaning task. Using a bucket or cleaning supply caddy will make grabbing the necessary tools a snap when it is time to do your daily chores.
- Sort through your mail each day when it is brought in. Immediately throw away junk mail, saving only important letters and advertisements that you are planning to use. Place all the mail in a designated area and file the bills away after they are paid.
- When choosing containers for storage, remember to look for lidded boxes, bowls, and bags that are clear. It will be easier to find an item if you can see into the containers without opening each and every one.
- Every night after dinner, make sure that all the dishes are cleaned and put away, or at least rinsed and put into the dishwasher, until there is a full load. Don’t let the dishes get away from you or you’ll find yourself in the midst of a marathon cleaning session.
- Wipe counters and tables after each meal, knocking the crumbs to the floor. Sweep up after washing the dishes each night and use a damp rag to wipe up and spots, splashes, or spills on the floor. After washing the dishes, wipe the sink out well and dry it to prevent water spots.
Set aside a little time each week or on the weekend to do a more in-depth cleaning. Check the fridge and pantry for expired food, wipe the stove, cabinets, table, and counters thoroughly, and clean the floor well. If you have kept up on your daily straightening ritual, you will be shocked at how quickly the kitchen cleans up.
This way, you'll get up the next morning and be able to start your day with a fresh start (without having to worry about yesterday’s mess!).
Ready for more Spring Cleaning Tips? Grab your copy of the Hillbilly Housewife's Spring Cleaning Guide today!
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
"When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on earth. So, what the hell, leap!" ~ Cynthia Heimel
"When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on earth. So, what the hell, leap!" ~ Cynthia Heimel
"The next best thing to winning is losing! At least you've been in the race." ~ Nellie Hershey Tullis
"The next best thing to winning is losing! At least you've been in the race." ~ Nellie Hershey Tullis
"The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs... one step at a time." ~ Joe Girard
"The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs... one step at a time." ~ Joe Girard
If you plant ornamental shrubbery or gorgeous flowers, you probably don't intend to plant them where they'll get mowed, right?
Technically, I didn't plant these. The Good Lord did. I've just been putting off lawn duties because it seems like such a shame to eradicate the natural beauty that has popped up all around us.
How overgrown is too overgrown? I'm not sure yet. Obviously, I don't want to let the place go completely wild. That'd just be tempting the snakes, skunks, rats and other critters to move in. I'm just finding myself so unwilling to cut these down.
Oh yes, in case I hadn't mentioned it or you didn't know, I'm a rural gal. I consider this yard my naturally xeriscaped lawn. =)
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
Technically, I didn't plant these. The Good Lord did. I've just been putting off lawn duties because it seems like such a shame to eradicate the natural beauty that has popped up all around us.
How overgrown is too overgrown? I'm not sure yet. Obviously, I don't want to let the place go completely wild. That'd just be tempting the snakes, skunks, rats and other critters to move in. I'm just finding myself so unwilling to cut these down.
Oh yes, in case I hadn't mentioned it or you didn't know, I'm a rural gal. I consider this yard my naturally xeriscaped lawn. =)
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
"The difference between a mountain and a molehill is your perspective." ~ Al Neuharth
"The difference between a mountain and a molehill is your perspective." ~ Al Neuharth
"If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in the dark with a mosquito." ~ Unknown
"If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in the dark with a mosquito." ~ Unknown
"Every ceiling, when reached, becomes a floor, upon which one walks as a matter of course and prescriptive right." ~ Aldous Huxley
"Every ceiling, when reached, becomes a floor, upon which one walks as a matter of course and prescriptive right." ~ Aldous Huxley
"The significance of a man is not in what he attains but in what he longs to attain." ~ Kahlil Gibran
What's in your heart?
What's in your heart?
"The significance of a man is not in what he attains but in what he longs to attain." ~ Kahlil Gibran
What's in your heart?
What's in your heart?
The mixed media messages and the reactions I hear from both boys and men continually blows me away. Ads and the fashion industry glorify tall, rail thin gals. Most men say they prefer disproportionately shaped gals (aka "D"+). Yet, most gals are average.
Neither extreme is healthy and to have either of them glamorized as "ideal" is downright scary.
[su_list icon="icon: hand-o-right" icon_color="#ff1493"]
JLo's "big butt" is a size 6. Mindy Kaling is an 8. Megan Fox has admitted to wearing chicken cutlets, you know, those fake boob things. Halle Berry has breast implants. Now, let's look at a picture of the much touted, "Perfect Woman".
Yes, it's Angie and yes, I defaced her pic with my captions.
If you look closely at some of her un-Photoshopped pics on the internet, you'll see that - while she is a naturally beautiful woman - she's also very, very thin. Bony, in fact. You can see the veins in her arms and forehead. Some pictures even show a distinct difference in her nose. I.e. she may have had a little help achieving said "perfection".
Don't get me wrong, I love me some Angelina Jolie movies but she's not perfect. Not one of the people we worship are.
The bottom line is that there's a lot of money to be made on people who try to "buy" the "dream" product. Meanwhile, NONE of the people we worship as "perfect" actually IS perfect. They've got an army of assistants to keep the image, and both photographers and companies who benefit from peddling the image.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to enhance your image or change something about yourself that you are not happy with. The problem comes when we start to believe that there is something wrong with us, with our uniqueness, and the changes would be made to fit someone else's idea of ideal.
Stay Tuned!
In Part 2, we'll be lifting the privacy curtain to see how some of our favorite magazine and television commercials are styled. Hint: Things are not always as they seem!
[signoff]
Neither extreme is healthy and to have either of them glamorized as "ideal" is downright scary.
[su_list icon="icon: hand-o-right" icon_color="#ff1493"]
- Option 1
Starve/purge/drug to get and stay thin + get breast implants. - Option 2
Go Jayde Nicole/Heidi Montag, lipo and Botox everything + get huge breast implants. - Option 3
Go straight for "Rapper's Delight" (AKA "Coco-ified") by getting huge breast and butt implants.
JLo's "big butt" is a size 6. Mindy Kaling is an 8. Megan Fox has admitted to wearing chicken cutlets, you know, those fake boob things. Halle Berry has breast implants. Now, let's look at a picture of the much touted, "Perfect Woman".
Yes, it's Angie and yes, I defaced her pic with my captions.
If you look closely at some of her un-Photoshopped pics on the internet, you'll see that - while she is a naturally beautiful woman - she's also very, very thin. Bony, in fact. You can see the veins in her arms and forehead. Some pictures even show a distinct difference in her nose. I.e. she may have had a little help achieving said "perfection".
Don't get me wrong, I love me some Angelina Jolie movies but she's not perfect. Not one of the people we worship are.
The bottom line is that there's a lot of money to be made on people who try to "buy" the "dream" product. Meanwhile, NONE of the people we worship as "perfect" actually IS perfect. They've got an army of assistants to keep the image, and both photographers and companies who benefit from peddling the image.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to enhance your image or change something about yourself that you are not happy with. The problem comes when we start to believe that there is something wrong with us, with our uniqueness, and the changes would be made to fit someone else's idea of ideal.
Stay Tuned!
In Part 2, we'll be lifting the privacy curtain to see how some of our favorite magazine and television commercials are styled. Hint: Things are not always as they seem!
[signoff]
Ads and the fashion industry glorify tall, rail thin gals. Most men say they prefer disproportionately shaped gals (aka "D"+). Yet, most gals are average.
The mixed media messages and the reactions I hear from guys continually blows me away. I don't think either extreme is healthy and to have either of them glamorized as "ideal" is scary.
JLo's "big butt" was a size 6. Now, she's much smaller. Megan Fox has admitted to wearing chicken cutlets, you know, those fake boob things. Now, let's look at a picture of the much touted, "Perfect Woman".
Yes, it's Angie and yes, I defaced her pic with my captions.
If you look closely at some of her un-Photoshopped pics on the internet, you'll see that - while she is a naturally beautiful woman - she's also very, very thin. Bony, in fact. You can see the veins in her arms and forehead. Some pictures even show a distinct difference in her nose. I.e. she may have had a little help achieving said "perfection".
There's a lot of money to be made on people who try to "buy" the "dream" product. Meanwhile, NONE of the people we worship as "perfect" actually IS perfect. They've got an army of assistants to keep the image, and both photographers and companies who benefit from peddling the image.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
The mixed media messages and the reactions I hear from guys continually blows me away. I don't think either extreme is healthy and to have either of them glamorized as "ideal" is scary.
- Option 1: Starve/purge/drug to get and stay thin + get breast implants.
- Option 2: Go Jayde Nicole/Heidi Montag, lipo and Botox everything + get huge breast implants.
- Option 3: Go straight for "Rapper's Delight" (AKA "Coco-ified") by getting huge breast and butt implants.
JLo's "big butt" was a size 6. Now, she's much smaller. Megan Fox has admitted to wearing chicken cutlets, you know, those fake boob things. Now, let's look at a picture of the much touted, "Perfect Woman".
Yes, it's Angie and yes, I defaced her pic with my captions.
If you look closely at some of her un-Photoshopped pics on the internet, you'll see that - while she is a naturally beautiful woman - she's also very, very thin. Bony, in fact. You can see the veins in her arms and forehead. Some pictures even show a distinct difference in her nose. I.e. she may have had a little help achieving said "perfection".
There's a lot of money to be made on people who try to "buy" the "dream" product. Meanwhile, NONE of the people we worship as "perfect" actually IS perfect. They've got an army of assistants to keep the image, and both photographers and companies who benefit from peddling the image.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
"Years teach us more than books." ~ Berthold Auerbach
"Years teach us more than books." ~ Berthold Auerbach
"There is seldom any rational reason for having regrets about past deeds or events. Because the past does not exist in any way other than in your memory." ~ Paul Wilson
"There is seldom any rational reason for having regrets about past deeds or events. Because the past does not exist in any way other than in your memory." ~ Paul Wilson
"Remembering a wrong is like carrying a burden on the mind." ~ Buddha
"Remembering a wrong is like carrying a burden on the mind." ~ Buddha
"When the wise man gets angry, he stops being wise." ~ Hebrew Proverb
"When the wise man gets angry, he stops being wise." ~ Hebrew Proverb
"When the wife is away, the husband is master of the house." ~ Hebrew Proverb
"When the wife is away, the husband is master of the house." ~ Hebrew Proverb
When my son was a teeny little tot, I started making stories up for him. Stories about helpful little animals that solved mysteries, righted wrongs and generally just made the world a harmonious place.
At some point, my Mom convinced me I should be writing them down and voila! My children's book series idea was born. I even started a blog for it.
Sadly, I was plagued by issues with illustration and my little production ground to a halt. Then the terminally ill Uncle I helped care for reached the last few, very critical, months of his life. The project was abandoned and forgotten. Until today.
This evening my son asked me why I didn't try using his software to animate the books (or at least render static images). A few months ago, he got on a video game/animated movie kick and we downloaded Blender.
Considering we really didn't give Blender a good trial run, it looks like I'm going to be lurking on some power-user sites for inspiration and tutorials!
Ahh .. the challenge of learning a new skill. Smells almost as good as my morning cup of Joe. =)
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
At some point, my Mom convinced me I should be writing them down and voila! My children's book series idea was born. I even started a blog for it.
Sadly, I was plagued by issues with illustration and my little production ground to a halt. Then the terminally ill Uncle I helped care for reached the last few, very critical, months of his life. The project was abandoned and forgotten. Until today.
This evening my son asked me why I didn't try using his software to animate the books (or at least render static images). A few months ago, he got on a video game/animated movie kick and we downloaded Blender.
Blender is the free open source 3D content creation suite, available for all major operating systems under the GNU General Public License.
Considering we really didn't give Blender a good trial run, it looks like I'm going to be lurking on some power-user sites for inspiration and tutorials!
Ahh .. the challenge of learning a new skill. Smells almost as good as my morning cup of Joe. =)
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
When my son was a teeny little tot, I started making stories up for him. Stories about helpful little animals that solved mysteries, righted wrongs and generally just made the world a harmonious place.
At some point, my Mom convinced me I should be writing them down and voila! My children's book series idea was born. I even started a blog for it.
Sadly, I was plagued by issues with illustration and my little production ground to a halt. Then the terminally ill Uncle I helped care for reached the last few, very critical, months of his life. The project was abandoned and forgotten. Until today.
This evening my son asked me why I didn't try using his software to animate the books (or at least render static images). A few months ago, he got on a video game/animated movie kick and we downloaded Blender.
Considering we really didn't give Blender a good trial run, it looks like I'm going to be lurking on some power-user sites for inspiration and tutorials!
Ahh .. the challenge of learning a new skill. Smells almost as good as my morning cup of Joe. =)
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
At some point, my Mom convinced me I should be writing them down and voila! My children's book series idea was born. I even started a blog for it.
Sadly, I was plagued by issues with illustration and my little production ground to a halt. Then the terminally ill Uncle I helped care for reached the last few, very critical, months of his life. The project was abandoned and forgotten. Until today.
This evening my son asked me why I didn't try using his software to animate the books (or at least render static images). A few months ago, he got on a video game/animated movie kick and we downloaded Blender.
Blender is the free open source 3D content creation suite, available for all major operating systems under the GNU General Public License.
Considering we really didn't give Blender a good trial run, it looks like I'm going to be lurking on some power-user sites for inspiration and tutorials!
Ahh .. the challenge of learning a new skill. Smells almost as good as my morning cup of Joe. =)
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
"Whoever marries for money will have unworthy children." ~ Hebrew Proverb
"Whoever marries for money will have unworthy children." ~ Hebrew Proverb
It's taken me a few years to accept looking nice isn't bad.
In a nutshell: I'm 5'3". My son's dad wanted me ugly and shapeless. He had me wear ugly, baggy stuff or he'd insult me and say I was trying to sleep around. After our physical confrontations, I ran away in the middle of the night.
Letting myself get treated like crap was one thing but having the baby in my tummy hurt was completely unacceptable!
Anyway, I ran back to my childhood "home", got really depressed, didn't take care of myself and honestly didn't care. I got up to 199 when preg and almost died of complications including high blood pressure.
Slowly, I've been dealing with my internal demons and the weight has been coming off by itself. I'm no where near what I was but I still feel weird about myself. It feels like I am continually trying to get used to being in my own body again.
It doesn't help that I used to be snotty before. Both about how I looked and my intelligence. I'm trying to find that balance. The place where I can think, hey I look good but it's not one of those conceited things, you know? Balance. In and out. =)
This is me before I met my son's father:
That was a full body pic. If I find the rest of it, I'll upload it.
This is me after all the drama:
This is me now:
Mom, an equipment and techno-phobe, took the pic on the left. After 10 minutes of asking "I push this button?". Hence my slightly frustrated/annoyed look. If you stare hard enough into the fuzz, you'll see what I mean. ;)
CJ yelled "wait!" and snapped the pic on the right in the space of a blink. Srsly. My little tech nut doesn't fall far from the tree! After his one shot, my camera promptly died and I took it as a sign that enough was enough. LOL
You can see I've made progress but I still feel really odd in my own skin. So much so that I normally don't have pics of myself now.
This post is basically in response to all the "full body" and "head to toe" pics I've been asked for. There. You've seen me in all my embarrassed glory. We can move on now.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
In a nutshell: I'm 5'3". My son's dad wanted me ugly and shapeless. He had me wear ugly, baggy stuff or he'd insult me and say I was trying to sleep around. After our physical confrontations, I ran away in the middle of the night.
Letting myself get treated like crap was one thing but having the baby in my tummy hurt was completely unacceptable!
Anyway, I ran back to my childhood "home", got really depressed, didn't take care of myself and honestly didn't care. I got up to 199 when preg and almost died of complications including high blood pressure.
Slowly, I've been dealing with my internal demons and the weight has been coming off by itself. I'm no where near what I was but I still feel weird about myself. It feels like I am continually trying to get used to being in my own body again.
It doesn't help that I used to be snotty before. Both about how I looked and my intelligence. I'm trying to find that balance. The place where I can think, hey I look good but it's not one of those conceited things, you know? Balance. In and out. =)
This is me before I met my son's father:
That was a full body pic. If I find the rest of it, I'll upload it.
This is me after all the drama:
[ LOL As if I'd show a pic of that! Actually, I don't even have one. Thank God! ]
This is me now:
Mom, an equipment and techno-phobe, took the pic on the left. After 10 minutes of asking "I push this button?". Hence my slightly frustrated/annoyed look. If you stare hard enough into the fuzz, you'll see what I mean. ;)
CJ yelled "wait!" and snapped the pic on the right in the space of a blink. Srsly. My little tech nut doesn't fall far from the tree! After his one shot, my camera promptly died and I took it as a sign that enough was enough. LOL
You can see I've made progress but I still feel really odd in my own skin. So much so that I normally don't have pics of myself now.
This post is basically in response to all the "full body" and "head to toe" pics I've been asked for. There. You've seen me in all my embarrassed glory. We can move on now.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
"With a good son-in-law you gain a son, with a bad one you lose your daughter, too." ~ Hebrew Proverb
One of every parent's worst fears ...
One of every parent's worst fears ...
It's taken me a few years to accept looking nice isn't bad.
In a nutshell: I'm 5'3". My son's dad wanted me ugly and shapeless. He had me wear ugly, baggy stuff or he'd insult me and say I was trying to sleep around. After our physical confrontations, I ran away in the middle of the night.
Letting myself get treated like crap was one thing but having the baby in my tummy hurt was completely unacceptable!
Anyway, I ran back to my childhood "home", got really depressed, didn't take care of myself and honestly didn't care. I got up to 199 when preg and almost died of complications including high blood pressure.
Slowly, I've been dealing with my internal demons and the weight has been coming off by itself. I'm no where near what I was but I still feel weird about myself. It feels like I am continually trying to get used to being in my own body again.
It doesn't help that I used to be snotty before. Both about how I looked and my intelligence. I'm trying to find that balance. The place where I can think, hey I look good but it's not one of those conceited things, you know? Balance. In and out. =)
This is me before I met my son's father:
That was a full body pic. If I find the rest of it, I'll upload it.
This is me after all the drama:
This is me now:
Mom, an equipment and techno-phobe, took the pic on the left. After 10 minutes of asking "I push this button?". Hence my slightly frustrated/annoyed look. If you stare hard enough into the fuzz, you'll see what I mean. ;)
CJ yelled "wait!" and snapped the pic on the right in the space of a blink. Srsly. My little tech nut doesn't fall far from the tree! After his one shot, my camera promptly died and I took it as a sign that enough was enough. LOL
You can see I've made progress but I still feel really odd in my own skin. So much so that I normally don't have pics of myself now.
This post is basically in response to all the "full body" and "head to toe" pics I've been asked for. There. You've seen me in all my embarrassed glory. We can move on now.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
In a nutshell: I'm 5'3". My son's dad wanted me ugly and shapeless. He had me wear ugly, baggy stuff or he'd insult me and say I was trying to sleep around. After our physical confrontations, I ran away in the middle of the night.
Letting myself get treated like crap was one thing but having the baby in my tummy hurt was completely unacceptable!
Anyway, I ran back to my childhood "home", got really depressed, didn't take care of myself and honestly didn't care. I got up to 199 when preg and almost died of complications including high blood pressure.
Slowly, I've been dealing with my internal demons and the weight has been coming off by itself. I'm no where near what I was but I still feel weird about myself. It feels like I am continually trying to get used to being in my own body again.
It doesn't help that I used to be snotty before. Both about how I looked and my intelligence. I'm trying to find that balance. The place where I can think, hey I look good but it's not one of those conceited things, you know? Balance. In and out. =)
This is me before I met my son's father:
That was a full body pic. If I find the rest of it, I'll upload it.
This is me after all the drama:
[ LOL As if I'd show a pic of that! Actually, I don't even have one. Thank God! ]
This is me now:
Mom, an equipment and techno-phobe, took the pic on the left. After 10 minutes of asking "I push this button?". Hence my slightly frustrated/annoyed look. If you stare hard enough into the fuzz, you'll see what I mean. ;)
CJ yelled "wait!" and snapped the pic on the right in the space of a blink. Srsly. My little tech nut doesn't fall far from the tree! After his one shot, my camera promptly died and I took it as a sign that enough was enough. LOL
You can see I've made progress but I still feel really odd in my own skin. So much so that I normally don't have pics of myself now.
This post is basically in response to all the "full body" and "head to toe" pics I've been asked for. There. You've seen me in all my embarrassed glory. We can move on now.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
"With a good son-in-law you gain a son, with a bad one you lose your daughter, too." ~ Hebrew Proverb
One of every parent's worst fears ...
One of every parent's worst fears ...
"Who's a hero? He who turns his enemy into his friend." ~ Hebrew Proverb
Wow. If you read yesterday's quote, you'll see I gave you a great hero tip! Are you ready to put on your tights and join me? LOL
Wow. If you read yesterday's quote, you'll see I gave you a great hero tip! Are you ready to put on your tights and join me? LOL
"Who's a hero? He who turns his enemy into his friend." ~ Hebrew Proverb
Wow. If you read yesterday's quote, you'll see I gave you a great hero tip! Are you ready to put on your tights and join me? LOL
Wow. If you read yesterday's quote, you'll see I gave you a great hero tip! Are you ready to put on your tights and join me? LOL
"Whoever welcomes his friend with a smile, it's as though he gave his friend the finest gifts in the world." ~ Hebrew Proverb
So true! I could be having the worst day ever when I meet up with a friend. Just seeing their smile makes it feel like I'm shrugging off something heavy and oppressing.
As a side note, smiling at your reflection can also boost your happy quotient. It may feel fake and dorky at first but pretty soon, you'll have a real smile. People also unconsciously return smiles. One of my favorite things to do is walk with a smile and make eye contact. It's like inviting others to share the joke.
Heck, I wave and smile - in public - at people who hate me and/or are treating me unfairly. Most of the time, they do it back just because they don't want to seem like jerks. With enough repetition, it becomes something they look forward to and sometimes they even become friends!
Kill 'em with kindness. ;)
So true! I could be having the worst day ever when I meet up with a friend. Just seeing their smile makes it feel like I'm shrugging off something heavy and oppressing.
As a side note, smiling at your reflection can also boost your happy quotient. It may feel fake and dorky at first but pretty soon, you'll have a real smile. People also unconsciously return smiles. One of my favorite things to do is walk with a smile and make eye contact. It's like inviting others to share the joke.
Heck, I wave and smile - in public - at people who hate me and/or are treating me unfairly. Most of the time, they do it back just because they don't want to seem like jerks. With enough repetition, it becomes something they look forward to and sometimes they even become friends!
Kill 'em with kindness. ;)
"Whoever welcomes his friend with a smile, it's as though he gave his friend the finest gifts in the world." ~ Hebrew Proverb
So true! I could be having the worst day ever when I meet up with a friend. Just seeing their smile makes it feel like I'm shrugging off something heavy and oppressing.
As a side note, smiling at your reflection can also boost your happy quotient. It may feel fake and dorky at first but pretty soon, you'll have a real smile. People also unconsciously return smiles. One of my favorite things to do is walk with a smile and make eye contact. It's like inviting others to share the joke.
Heck, I wave and smile - in public - at people who hate me and/or are treating me unfairly. Most of the time, they do it back just because they don't want to seem like jerks. With enough repetition, it becomes something they look forward to and sometimes they even become friends!
Kill 'em with kindness. ;)
So true! I could be having the worst day ever when I meet up with a friend. Just seeing their smile makes it feel like I'm shrugging off something heavy and oppressing.
As a side note, smiling at your reflection can also boost your happy quotient. It may feel fake and dorky at first but pretty soon, you'll have a real smile. People also unconsciously return smiles. One of my favorite things to do is walk with a smile and make eye contact. It's like inviting others to share the joke.
Heck, I wave and smile - in public - at people who hate me and/or are treating me unfairly. Most of the time, they do it back just because they don't want to seem like jerks. With enough repetition, it becomes something they look forward to and sometimes they even become friends!
Kill 'em with kindness. ;)
Perhaps I'm behind on the news timeline but this definitely made me stop and go "ewww!!".
Watch this:
Made me wish I could make my own! Srsly.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
Watch this:
Made me wish I could make my own! Srsly.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
Perhaps I'm behind on the news timeline but this definitely made me stop and go "ewww!!".
Watch this:
Made me wish I could make my own! Srsly.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
Watch this:
Made me wish I could make my own! Srsly.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
"Whom God favors, he tries with affliction." ~ Hebrew Proverb
Well, if this one is true, I know there are a few of us thinking we must be really, really favored! LOL
Well, if this one is true, I know there are a few of us thinking we must be really, really favored! LOL
"Whom God favors, he tries with affliction." ~ Hebrew Proverb
Well, if this one is true, I know there are a few of us thinking we must be really, really favored! LOL
Well, if this one is true, I know there are a few of us thinking we must be really, really favored! LOL
"If someone is coming to kill you, get up early and kill him first." ~ Hebrew Proverb
No, I'm not advocating murder or in any way attacking someone/something. I am saying take yourself by the horns and squish any barrier you see blocking you from your goals.
If a fear of public speaking is holding you back at work, attack it! Take a class, join Toastmasters. If disorganization is at the root of your problems, reach out to a professional. Yes, I know there are many other issues but I also know there are many other solutions.
There's no shame in asking for help to overcome issues that want to "kill" you, your dreams and put a kibosh on your personal progress. Even the hippos agree ...
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
Or "The Dog With The Skunk Fixation".
Sometime last week, my Tweeps were treated to a flurry of Tweets wherein I complained about one of my Labs. Well, both of my doggie boys really. My "little girl" Zena, the King Charles spaniel mix was surprisingly mellow and declined to participate in the K9 mayhem.
As we adopt or rescue our new additions, we usually never really know what their backgrounds are. I knew Zena's previous family, so I have some of her history. Scooby Doo was adopted from a shelter and both looks and acts like a purebred Lab. Blackie had been with his "Mom" since puppyhood but came to us after she was placed in a nursing home. We don't have any info on him but he resembled what I thought was a Lab/Pit mix.
Then came skunk incident #1 and continued, determined baying. Not barking. Baying. To the point he was losing his voice and STILL would not quit. I could not redirect him to save my sanity or his poor voice.
Of course I hit Google and Animal Planet's Dogs 101. Blackie, although resembling a lab, acts and sounds like a true hound. Once on the scent, it's like people disappear! He's loving, kind and great with my kiddo but totally follows his nose.
My little family was in luck because another skunk decided to come visit tonight. He/she was not deterred by the barking. Nope. I even heard the moment Blackie got it full on the face. He ran around the side of the house, stopped at my window and suddenly .. stink!
Blackie took a few steps back and commenced the doggy shake thing. Hard. So hard I could literally hear his lips flapping. I kid you not. Toss in some nose blowing in between shakes and there is Round 1 in the 2nd skunk battle.
Almost too late, I decided to try using my laptop's built-in mic to capture the incessant baying and Scooby's higher pitched barks interrupting the monotony now and then. You may need to turn your speakers up but I guarantee, the determined baying is there.
They'd just turned a corner and were no longer directly beneath my window. Eu de Pepe LePeu, however, was still there!
Moseying on over to the kitchen for a better sound bite, I find - to my everlasting dismay - that I simply cannot breathe over the stench! Nothing remained of the light-hearted, taste bud teasing aroma of coffee and donuts that had cheered my somewhat discouraged self not more than a couple of hours ago.
Instead, there was a dark, oppressing odor of burned rubber, permed hair, hair dye AND standard skunk stink combined.
You've been warned ...
So what is the point of this post? What do all of these words mean? In a word: nothing.
Quite frankly, I just can't sleep now. I do thank the Good Lord for Vick's Vaporub because that definitely helped me put the kibosh on the stomach churning smell that was now stuck in my nostrils.
The kicker here is that an 18 wheeler had a blow-out just as it appeared the dog's din settled down. Ka-blam. Thump thump thump thump thump. It seems the Universe was determined to not let me got to sleep early! Well, on time if I'm honest. It's not like I stay up late because of a *cough*Twitter addiction*cough* or anything, you know? ;)
Perhaps if I just stare up at my darkened ceiling long enough I will eventually fall asleep. I know I can't hold my nose long enough to warm some milk. I'm going to rest my head next to my gorgeous old cat, Kitana. If I'm nice, she may sing me a kitty lullaby (purr).
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
Sometime last week, my Tweeps were treated to a flurry of Tweets wherein I complained about one of my Labs. Well, both of my doggie boys really. My "little girl" Zena, the King Charles spaniel mix was surprisingly mellow and declined to participate in the K9 mayhem.
As we adopt or rescue our new additions, we usually never really know what their backgrounds are. I knew Zena's previous family, so I have some of her history. Scooby Doo was adopted from a shelter and both looks and acts like a purebred Lab. Blackie had been with his "Mom" since puppyhood but came to us after she was placed in a nursing home. We don't have any info on him but he resembled what I thought was a Lab/Pit mix.
Then came skunk incident #1 and continued, determined baying. Not barking. Baying. To the point he was losing his voice and STILL would not quit. I could not redirect him to save my sanity or his poor voice.
Of course I hit Google and Animal Planet's Dogs 101. Blackie, although resembling a lab, acts and sounds like a true hound. Once on the scent, it's like people disappear! He's loving, kind and great with my kiddo but totally follows his nose.
My little family was in luck because another skunk decided to come visit tonight. He/she was not deterred by the barking. Nope. I even heard the moment Blackie got it full on the face. He ran around the side of the house, stopped at my window and suddenly .. stink!
Blackie took a few steps back and commenced the doggy shake thing. Hard. So hard I could literally hear his lips flapping. I kid you not. Toss in some nose blowing in between shakes and there is Round 1 in the 2nd skunk battle.
Almost too late, I decided to try using my laptop's built-in mic to capture the incessant baying and Scooby's higher pitched barks interrupting the monotony now and then. You may need to turn your speakers up but I guarantee, the determined baying is there.
They'd just turned a corner and were no longer directly beneath my window. Eu de Pepe LePeu, however, was still there!
Moseying on over to the kitchen for a better sound bite, I find - to my everlasting dismay - that I simply cannot breathe over the stench! Nothing remained of the light-hearted, taste bud teasing aroma of coffee and donuts that had cheered my somewhat discouraged self not more than a couple of hours ago.
Instead, there was a dark, oppressing odor of burned rubber, permed hair, hair dye AND standard skunk stink combined.
You've been warned ...
So what is the point of this post? What do all of these words mean? In a word: nothing.
Quite frankly, I just can't sleep now. I do thank the Good Lord for Vick's Vaporub because that definitely helped me put the kibosh on the stomach churning smell that was now stuck in my nostrils.
The kicker here is that an 18 wheeler had a blow-out just as it appeared the dog's din settled down. Ka-blam. Thump thump thump thump thump. It seems the Universe was determined to not let me got to sleep early! Well, on time if I'm honest. It's not like I stay up late because of a *cough*Twitter addiction*cough* or anything, you know? ;)
Perhaps if I just stare up at my darkened ceiling long enough I will eventually fall asleep. I know I can't hold my nose long enough to warm some milk. I'm going to rest my head next to my gorgeous old cat, Kitana. If I'm nice, she may sing me a kitty lullaby (purr).
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
"If someone is coming to kill you, get up early and kill him first." ~ Hebrew Proverb
No, I'm not advocating murder or in any way attacking someone/something. I am saying take yourself by the horns and squish any barrier you see blocking you from your goals.
If a fear of public speaking is holding you back at work, attack it! Take a class, join Toastmasters. If disorganization is at the root of your problems, reach out to a professional. Yes, I know there are many other issues but I also know there are many other solutions.
There's no shame in asking for help to overcome issues that want to "kill" you, your dreams and put a kibosh on your personal progress. Even the hippos agree ...
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
Normally, I don't let my son see me cry. He'd been outside playing and I didn't hear him come in this time.
"Cowgirls Don't Cry" was playing and I, well, cried. The ranch life I missed, the reference to a father, the woman who winds up a single mom ...
CJ took one look at me and then yelled at my computer. "Yes, they do! Sometimes."
Ahh, my sweet, sweet son. Doing his best to be "the man of the house" and protect/defend me even though he'll only be 8 in a few days.
In so many ways, he is already a man. Which makes me want to cry more. Both from pride and a sadness that I haven't been able to protect him as much as I'd wish.
He makes everything worthwhile. I'd do everything the same way all over again, if only to be his mom.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
"Cowgirls Don't Cry" was playing and I, well, cried. The ranch life I missed, the reference to a father, the woman who winds up a single mom ...
CJ took one look at me and then yelled at my computer. "Yes, they do! Sometimes."
Ahh, my sweet, sweet son. Doing his best to be "the man of the house" and protect/defend me even though he'll only be 8 in a few days.
In so many ways, he is already a man. Which makes me want to cry more. Both from pride and a sadness that I haven't been able to protect him as much as I'd wish.
He makes everything worthwhile. I'd do everything the same way all over again, if only to be his mom.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
After giving it some thought, I've decided to go ahead and search for my biological father. The one who abandoned my mom before I was born because he believed some jealous biddy's lies.
Whether I drop kick him or hug him first still remains to be seen but quite honestly, my son needs a male in his life. More so since CJ'sdad sperm donor had his parental rights terminated.
No, I didn't fight the termination because, well, who wants a guy like that around? Dude tried to "help" me have a miscarriage when I wouldn't abort and left me for dead when I had a severe allergic reaction. He calledour my son "it". Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Anyway, as previously mentioned, my father believed some lies our jealous neighbors told. They said my mom had been with another man and I wasn't his. He didn't bother to verify any of this, in spite of knowing how these "women" were viewed by the general community.
When the court went to garnish his wages for child support, he swore up and down I wasn't his. The child support was reversed and my mom was forced to pay back ALL child support. Got to love the pre-DNA test days, huh?
When I was a tween, I tried finding him on my own. I started by called every person in the phone book with his last name in the place where he said he was from: San Antonio. I pestered the operators to give me all the numbers they had.
The only thing I learned was that there was no "Ralph Hennington" in San Antonio. Oh yeah, hospitals won't give you the name or number of their contractors either. My dad was welder who was working on the local hospital's elevator when he met my mom.
Let's not even get into the huge long distance bill I racked up!
Flash forward a decade and I've used the internet to track him down to the Dallas area. I never got the courage to call or find out if it really was him. What would I say? I threw the file away.
Now, I know I can find this person again. Much quicker than before this time. Would I have the guts to do it? Would I be able to remain calm and rational while all the times he could have been there flash through my head?
Fact remains, I lost my job in the economy and am a single mom with a son. I started a business and am struggling to juggle everything. I worry about my little boy. I really would love to have my dad around right now. If nothing more than to give me cheesy - but heartfelt - motivation.
Getting to know my half-brother would be cool too. He's 8 years older than I am and the only thing I know about him is that he has blue eyes like his mom's.
Ralph wasn't there for me when I needed him as a kid but maybe he can be here now? Or maybe I'll just get closure and be able to move on, knowing I did my part.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
Whether I drop kick him or hug him first still remains to be seen but quite honestly, my son needs a male in his life. More so since CJ's
No, I didn't fight the termination because, well, who wants a guy like that around? Dude tried to "help" me have a miscarriage when I wouldn't abort and left me for dead when I had a severe allergic reaction. He called
Anyway, as previously mentioned, my father believed some lies our jealous neighbors told. They said my mom had been with another man and I wasn't his. He didn't bother to verify any of this, in spite of knowing how these "women" were viewed by the general community.
When the court went to garnish his wages for child support, he swore up and down I wasn't his. The child support was reversed and my mom was forced to pay back ALL child support. Got to love the pre-DNA test days, huh?
When I was a tween, I tried finding him on my own. I started by called every person in the phone book with his last name in the place where he said he was from: San Antonio. I pestered the operators to give me all the numbers they had.
The only thing I learned was that there was no "Ralph Hennington" in San Antonio. Oh yeah, hospitals won't give you the name or number of their contractors either. My dad was welder who was working on the local hospital's elevator when he met my mom.
Let's not even get into the huge long distance bill I racked up!
Flash forward a decade and I've used the internet to track him down to the Dallas area. I never got the courage to call or find out if it really was him. What would I say? I threw the file away.
Now, I know I can find this person again. Much quicker than before this time. Would I have the guts to do it? Would I be able to remain calm and rational while all the times he could have been there flash through my head?
Fact remains, I lost my job in the economy and am a single mom with a son. I started a business and am struggling to juggle everything. I worry about my little boy. I really would love to have my dad around right now. If nothing more than to give me cheesy - but heartfelt - motivation.
Getting to know my half-brother would be cool too. He's 8 years older than I am and the only thing I know about him is that he has blue eyes like his mom's.
Ralph wasn't there for me when I needed him as a kid but maybe he can be here now? Or maybe I'll just get closure and be able to move on, knowing I did my part.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
Normally, I don't let my son see me cry. He'd been outside playing and I didn't hear him come in this time.
"Cowgirls Don't Cry" was playing and I, well, cried. The ranch life I missed, the reference to a father, the woman who winds up a single mom ...
CJ took one look at me and then yelled at my computer. "Yes, they do! Sometimes."
Ahh, my sweet, sweet son. Doing his best to be "the man of the house" and protect/defend me even though he'll only be 8 in a few days.
In so many ways, he is already a man. Which makes me want to cry more. Both from pride and a sadness that I haven't been able to protect him as much as I'd wish.
He makes everything worthwhile. I'd do everything the same way all over again, if only to be his mom.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
"Cowgirls Don't Cry" was playing and I, well, cried. The ranch life I missed, the reference to a father, the woman who winds up a single mom ...
CJ took one look at me and then yelled at my computer. "Yes, they do! Sometimes."
Ahh, my sweet, sweet son. Doing his best to be "the man of the house" and protect/defend me even though he'll only be 8 in a few days.
In so many ways, he is already a man. Which makes me want to cry more. Both from pride and a sadness that I haven't been able to protect him as much as I'd wish.
He makes everything worthwhile. I'd do everything the same way all over again, if only to be his mom.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
After giving it some thought, I've decided to go ahead and search for my biological father. The one who abandoned my mom before I was born because he believed some jealous biddy's lies.
Whether I drop kick him or hug him first still remains to be seen but quite honestly, my son needs a male in his life. More so since CJ'sdad sperm donor had his parental rights terminated.
No, I didn't fight the termination because, well, who wants a guy like that around? Dude tried to "help" me have a miscarriage when I wouldn't abort and left me for dead when I had a severe allergic reaction. He calledour my son "it". Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Anyway, as previously mentioned, my father believed some lies our jealous neighbors told. They said my mom had been with another man and I wasn't his. He didn't bother to verify any of this, in spite of knowing how these "women" were viewed by the general community.
When the court went to garnish his wages for child support, he swore up and down I wasn't his. The child support was reversed and my mom was forced to pay back ALL child support. Got to love the pre-DNA test days, huh?
When I was a tween, I tried finding him on my own. I started by called every person in the phone book with his last name in the place where he said he was from: San Antonio. I pestered the operators to give me all the numbers they had.
The only thing I learned was that there was no "Ralph Hennington" in San Antonio. Oh yeah, hospitals won't give you the name or number of their contractors either. My dad was welder who was working on the local hospital's elevator when he met my mom.
Let's not even get into the huge long distance bill I racked up!
Flash forward a decade and I've used the internet to track him down to the Dallas area. I never got the courage to call or find out if it really was him. What would I say? I threw the file away.
Now, I know I can find this person again. Much quicker than before this time. Would I have the guts to do it? Would I be able to remain calm and rational while all the times he could have been there flash through my head?
Fact remains, I lost my job in the economy and am a single mom with a son. I started a business and am struggling to juggle everything. I worry about my little boy. I really would love to have my dad around right now. If nothing more than to give me cheesy - but heartfelt - motivation.
Getting to know my half-brother would be cool too. He's 8 years older than I am and the only thing I know about him is that he has blue eyes like his mom's.
Ralph wasn't there for me when I needed him as a kid but maybe he can be here now? Or maybe I'll just get closure and be able to move on, knowing I did my part.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
Whether I drop kick him or hug him first still remains to be seen but quite honestly, my son needs a male in his life. More so since CJ's
No, I didn't fight the termination because, well, who wants a guy like that around? Dude tried to "help" me have a miscarriage when I wouldn't abort and left me for dead when I had a severe allergic reaction. He called
Anyway, as previously mentioned, my father believed some lies our jealous neighbors told. They said my mom had been with another man and I wasn't his. He didn't bother to verify any of this, in spite of knowing how these "women" were viewed by the general community.
When the court went to garnish his wages for child support, he swore up and down I wasn't his. The child support was reversed and my mom was forced to pay back ALL child support. Got to love the pre-DNA test days, huh?
When I was a tween, I tried finding him on my own. I started by called every person in the phone book with his last name in the place where he said he was from: San Antonio. I pestered the operators to give me all the numbers they had.
The only thing I learned was that there was no "Ralph Hennington" in San Antonio. Oh yeah, hospitals won't give you the name or number of their contractors either. My dad was welder who was working on the local hospital's elevator when he met my mom.
Let's not even get into the huge long distance bill I racked up!
Flash forward a decade and I've used the internet to track him down to the Dallas area. I never got the courage to call or find out if it really was him. What would I say? I threw the file away.
Now, I know I can find this person again. Much quicker than before this time. Would I have the guts to do it? Would I be able to remain calm and rational while all the times he could have been there flash through my head?
Fact remains, I lost my job in the economy and am a single mom with a son. I started a business and am struggling to juggle everything. I worry about my little boy. I really would love to have my dad around right now. If nothing more than to give me cheesy - but heartfelt - motivation.
Getting to know my half-brother would be cool too. He's 8 years older than I am and the only thing I know about him is that he has blue eyes like his mom's.
Ralph wasn't there for me when I needed him as a kid but maybe he can be here now? Or maybe I'll just get closure and be able to move on, knowing I did my part.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
"In a community, your reputation matters. in a strange place, your clothing counts." ~ Hebrew Proverb
"In a community, your reputation matters. in a strange place, your clothing counts." ~ Hebrew Proverb
"If you can't find peace within you, you'll labor in vain to find it elsewhere." ~ Hebrew Proverb
"If you can't find peace within you, you'll labor in vain to find it elsewhere." ~ Hebrew Proverb
One of my incredible Tweeps recommended a book to me a while back that I never got around to buying. Yesterday, I received a slightly pointed reminder and would like to publicly acknowledge that I accept this intellectual challenge.
A simple book recommendation turned into a challenge? Why?!
Quite honestly, since my exec job followed the economy down the tubes, I've been approached by various individuals and businesses to represent a staggering variety of things. After hearing countless pitches and attending numerous webinars, I've come to believe that much of the product out there is more hype than substance.
The underlying message always seems to be: leverage social networking to label yourself as an expert, find someone's weakness, exploit it and move on to the next opportunity when the market gets saturated.
Sadly, the most common target is hope. Hope for a better life, the ability to afford good health care, resources to send children through college ..
Where is the substance? Where is the real product? I once had someone get upset and ask me, "does it really matter? we're working with [name omitted] here!"
The answer is yes. It does matter. Regardless of whether I plunk down money for a service or a product - like a book - I want to know that it is more than fluff. I don't need or want a conglomeration of free information I can find online or pithy "you can do it!" comments meant to do nothing more than snatch money from my son's college fund.
<-- This is the book that launched a thousand+ character post.
A simple book recommendation turned into a challenge? Why?!
Quite honestly, since my exec job followed the economy down the tubes, I've been approached by various individuals and businesses to represent a staggering variety of things. After hearing countless pitches and attending numerous webinars, I've come to believe that much of the product out there is more hype than substance.
The underlying message always seems to be: leverage social networking to label yourself as an expert, find someone's weakness, exploit it and move on to the next opportunity when the market gets saturated.
Sadly, the most common target is hope. Hope for a better life, the ability to afford good health care, resources to send children through college ..
Where is the substance? Where is the real product? I once had someone get upset and ask me, "does it really matter? we're working with [name omitted] here!"
The answer is yes. It does matter. Regardless of whether I plunk down money for a service or a product - like a book - I want to know that it is more than fluff. I don't need or want a conglomeration of free information I can find online or pithy "you can do it!" comments meant to do nothing more than snatch money from my son's college fund.
<-- This is the book that launched a thousand+ character post.
The only reason I'm going to read it is because I honestly like my Tweeps and think highly of the one who made the recommendation [you know who you are].
Hope you don't mind but you are going to be kept a special secret for now to make things interesting: I'll send a new copy of this book to the first person who guesses your identity correctly.
If it goes well, this will become the first of many book challenges, herein after dubbed Penny's Book Club. I encourage everyone to send me their book recommendations and participate in an interactive discussion. Date, time and e-location to come. The winner of my "Guess My Identity" contest will be announced then.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
One of my incredible Tweeps recommended a book to me a while back that I never got around to buying. Yesterday, I received a slightly pointed reminder and would like to publicly acknowledge that I accept this intellectual challenge.
A simple book recommendation turned into a challenge? Why?!
Quite honestly, since my job followed the economy down the tubes, I've been approached by various individuals and businesses to represent a staggering variety of things. After hearing countless pitches and attending numerous webinars, I've come to believe that much of the product out there is more hype than substance.
The underlying message always seems to be: leverage social networking to label yourself as an expert, find someone's weakness, exploit it and move on to the next opportunity when the market gets saturated.
Sadly, the most common target is hope. Hope for a better life, the ability to afford good health care, resources to send children through college ..
Where is the substance? Where is the real product? I once had someone get upset and ask me, "does it really matter? we're working with [name omitted] here!"
The answer is yes. It does matter. Regardless of whether I plunk down money for a service or a product - like a book - I want to know that it is more than fluff. I don't need or want a conglomeration of free information I can find online or pithy "you can do it!" comments meant to do nothing more than snatch money from my son's college fund.
<-- This is the book that launched a thousand+ character post.
A simple book recommendation turned into a challenge? Why?!
Quite honestly, since my job followed the economy down the tubes, I've been approached by various individuals and businesses to represent a staggering variety of things. After hearing countless pitches and attending numerous webinars, I've come to believe that much of the product out there is more hype than substance.
The underlying message always seems to be: leverage social networking to label yourself as an expert, find someone's weakness, exploit it and move on to the next opportunity when the market gets saturated.
Sadly, the most common target is hope. Hope for a better life, the ability to afford good health care, resources to send children through college ..
Where is the substance? Where is the real product? I once had someone get upset and ask me, "does it really matter? we're working with [name omitted] here!"
The answer is yes. It does matter. Regardless of whether I plunk down money for a service or a product - like a book - I want to know that it is more than fluff. I don't need or want a conglomeration of free information I can find online or pithy "you can do it!" comments meant to do nothing more than snatch money from my son's college fund.
<-- This is the book that launched a thousand+ character post.
The only reason I'm going to read it is because I honestly like my Tweeps and think highly of the one who made the recommendation [you know who you are].
[signoff]
"If everyone cleaned his own doorstep, all the streets would be clean." ~ Hebrew Proverb
Ah, the proverbial log in one's eye reference. Here, let me help you brother, for you have a speck in your eye. Oh hush up meddling peep and look at the log in your eye first!
Or is is .. people in glass houses?
Hmm. Many ways to interpret this one. What do you think?
Ah, the proverbial log in one's eye reference. Here, let me help you brother, for you have a speck in your eye. Oh hush up meddling peep and look at the log in your eye first!
Or is is .. people in glass houses?
Hmm. Many ways to interpret this one. What do you think?
"If everyone cleaned his own doorstep, all the streets would be clean." ~ Hebrew Proverb
Ah, the proverbial log in one's eye reference. Here, let me help you brother, for you have a speck in your eye. Oh hush up meddling peep and look at the log in your eye first!
Or is is .. people in glass houses?
Hmm. Many ways to interpret this one. What do you think?
Ah, the proverbial log in one's eye reference. Here, let me help you brother, for you have a speck in your eye. Oh hush up meddling peep and look at the log in your eye first!
Or is is .. people in glass houses?
Hmm. Many ways to interpret this one. What do you think?
"He who prays for his neighbors will be heard for himself." ~ Hebrew Proverb
"He who prays for his neighbors will be heard for himself." ~ Hebrew Proverb
Happy Monday! I hope it is the start of a great work week for everyone.
Although I will be out-of-office today due to family obligation, I will be popping in when/if I can throughout the day.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
Although I will be out-of-office today due to family obligation, I will be popping in when/if I can throughout the day.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
Happy Monday! I hope it is the start of a great work week for everyone.
Although I will be out-of-office today due to family obligation, I will be popping in when/if I can throughout the day.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
Although I will be out-of-office today due to family obligation, I will be popping in when/if I can throughout the day.
Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
"Humor is an important asset: it means understanding and self-criticism. where humor is absent, you'll find small-mindedness." ~ Hebrew Proverb
