Great Achievement is Born of a Struggle ??

"Our strength grows out of our weakness," said Ralph Waldo Emerson. "Not until we are pricked and stung and sorely shot at, awakens the indignation which arms itself with secret forces." Strife and struggle can inspire you to overcome adversity and to propel yourself to real achievement. View every struggle as an opportunity for personal growth. It is the struggle itself, not the result that builds character. If you know you are right, stay the course even though the whole world seems to be against you and everyone you know questions your judgment. When you prevail-and you eventually will if you stick to the job-they will all tell you that they knew all along you could do it.

The above was sent to me via Jeffrey Gitomer’s Sales Caffeine Issue 290. I believe and yet disagree with the statements made. I do think strength grows out of difficulties. This is what I call learning and growing as a person. What I disagree with is if the whole world is against you stay the course. Does this mean the “universe” is working against you or family, friends, colleagues and such? If it is others telling you to quite and your heart and soul tells you what you are doing is correct and you listen to your inner self than the universe will respond accordingly. If this isn’t your path and obstacle after obstacle is thrown your way, then perhaps the universe is telling you to take a different way towards the path or you need to choose a different path.

Then again if a thought creates action and we each know we deserve and willingly accept abundance, or whatever it is we want to attract, then why aren’t we all fulfilled beyond our fondest dreams?

Right now my head is spinning thinking about all this. I am going to think and believe that I deserve and accept abundance of prosperity and see what happens. I am going to write out a positive affirmation and read it every day and at least 3 times a day for 30 days. At the end of this time, I will tell the tale and let everyone know what has happened.

Here is my affirmation:

I deserve and willingly accept an abundance of prosperity flowing through my life. I now receive my good from expected and unexpected sources. I am an unlimited being, accepting from an unlimited source, in an unlimited way. I am blessed beyond my fondest dreams.

Attention Creative Crafters!

Imagine my disappointment when I found out the soap I purchased was BLUE and not WHITE! Oh well, the craft will go forward and it doesn't look "that" bad with blue...but white makes it look so much better I think! Anyway, blue it is! It is difficult to find white soap with only the name of the soap carved on one side!

Marching on! My finished project is drying in the bathroom.

Monday's News

Not much to tell. Had a pretty laid back weekend. My phone is D E A D....I guess I talked on it to much this weekend and without charging it in my car like normal, it won't turn on. At least I hope that is the only problem. For a couple weeks now, for no reason, the phone has been going into auto mode saying "Say a name" and disconnects whoever I am speaking with. I hope and pray it is just out of battery now that I am thinking about it....

Crafting Creatures....how does this week look to craft? Obviously Monday is here so looking at Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night. I will show you how to stamp on soap! Friday is out because my long time friend Beth, is sending her dauther to Indy with grandparents and I get to have her for a night and we are looking at Friday night...Which day can everyone meet on the days left?

I am also thinking about what I would put in each others shrines and will post one by one here. Keep a look out!

Ronald McDonald

I smell something
I smell something
What do you smell
I smell French fries
10 miles away
And he sits there
Looking at you
Pointing at you
Laughing
I will get you my pretty
I will get you
He gets us all

I read this wrong

I am always looking for fun crafts my friends and I can do. When I saw this book, I thought to myself....I wonder if my friends would want to create a shrine for me. I made a loud laugh when I thought of that...seriously...then I laughed because I thought we could do a shrine for each other. Then each day we can look at the shrine and give blessings and thanks. I just think the idea is funny. May not be for some but I can't imagine why I would want a shrine in my house.

Question....If you were creating a shrine for me, what would you include?

Question....Who and what would you put into a shrine if you were going to make one?

HAVE FUN with this one!

What did I read wrong on this? Well...I thought the book was called..."Creating your personal shrine." That got my attention, which is why I may be so loopy about the entire shrine thing.

McDonalds

I have been hearing about the new salads at McDonald’s today. I had to go out and pay my car payment so I decided to pick a salad up. It was good of course! One of the major reasons, why I am sure, is because I ended up with the crispy chicken instead of the grilled! UGH! I wanted to eat a reasonably healthy lunch! Of course I could have taken the chicken off and starved but that wouldn’t be any fun. I must remember to repeat grilled over and over when ordering next time and then check prior to pulling out.

I have had a headache for 2 days now! I heard this morning that the pollen count was high. As much medication I am on, I should be feeling a little high myself. I am not good with headaches!

Hope everyone is doing well.

Monday

Why God made Moms -- BRILLIANT Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions.

*Why did God make mothers?*
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

*How did God make mothers?*
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

*What ingredients are mothers made of?*
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice plus one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

*Why did God give you to your mother & not some other mom?*
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

*What kind of little girl was your mom?*
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

*What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?*
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?


We decided to ask Maggie a few questions this weekend. Very cute responses!
1. "If the president lives in white house, where does the vice president live?" She answered..."The North Pole".
2. "An apple a day, keeps...."
She answered...."It's leaves on."

I am very tired this Monday morning. I am really having troubles keeping my eyes open and my typing isn't good!!!

Red Onion

Sandwiches as big as your head.

Baby Goes on Journey

Just wanted to give you the laugh of the day!!!!

I urgently needed a few days off work, But, I knew the Boss would not allow me to take leave.I thought that maybe if I acted "Crazy" then he would tell me to take a few days off. So, I hung upside-down on the ceiling & Made funny noises. My co-worker asked me what I was doing. I told her that I was pretending to be a light bulb, So, that the boss might think I was "Crazy" & give me a few days off.

A few minutes later the Boss came into the office and asked, "What in the name of good GOD are you doing?" I told him I was a light bulb. He said, "You are clearly stressed out." Go home & recuperate for a couple of days." I jumped down & walked out of the office... When my co-worker followed me,

The Boss asked her "...And where do you think you're going?!"

(You're gonna love this....)

She said, "I'm going home too, I can't work in the dark!!

Lipps!

Double trouble. More on this later.

If this is true, I need to pray at work

Hospital Visit

My mother had to call off plans with all of us today as my dad had to be driven via ambulance to the hospital. He is still in the hospital and is waiting for a cath tomorrow on his heart. Please keep both of them in your thoughts and prayers!

Love this one!

A change

Like the song Sheryl Crow sings..."A change will do you good!"

I am going to start a new way of thinking about work and the 2 boys. I have had problems in the past with boss 1 yes I have and I will admit however we always seem to work things out. We have even gone to therapy for our work issues. My issue is now working with boss 2. I have tried many things with him (don’t ask what!) and I always find myself angry. I am learning from boss 1 and how he is dealing with boss 2 and this is by not dealing with him. I am going to go along my merry way and do what I need to do. Sounds easy enough doesn’t it? Why I didn’t figure this out sooner is beyond me. Just this morning, I found myself getting very mad at boss 2 and I just thought to myself just ignore him and I felt much better! My anger went away!! The major issue I have with boss 2 is him not going out and working in the field like he needs to. He needs to bring in new sales to the company and if you aren’t going out then you aren’t seeing new faces thus he is not bringing in new business. I have decided not to get angry at him every morning when I came in seeing him sit there in front of his computer, reading the paper or magazine or talking on personal calls. I figure it is only a matter of time when boss 1 will have to deal with it so why should I waste my time and energy being angry.

Michael

This is for one of my past employees. He is now living in California and is having a difficult time. He hasn't been married a year, and he and his wife is separated. This saddens me a great deal. Working with Michael, you knew how much he truly loved this girl. It is very sad for me as it seems they aren't going to reconcile. She has moved back here to Indy. So, I remembered his birthday and thought I would surprise him with a card. I love surprises. Well, really I don't because I like to know what is going on but I love giving surprises.

Speaking of surprises....I have a few for a certain friend who just landed on the US soil this week. Just as soon as you feel up to it, we can get together...maybe one day next week for lunch??

*Wisdom of Larry the Cable Guy*

1. A day without sunshine is like night.
2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.
3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.
6. He who laughs last thinks slowest.
7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.
9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.
10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.
14. OK, so what's the speed of dark?
15. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!
19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?
20. Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, 'What the hell happened?'
22. Just remember -- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.
23. Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
24. Life isn't like a box of chocolates; it's more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.

Thanks to Ariel! Loved these!!

Tuesday

Not much fun news to report.

Right now it is difficult to type because my fingers are numb. Yes, my neck is giving me fits and I seem to have a pinched nerve, which is causing numbness in my fingers. Today I went to CVS and purchased a shoulder heat pad. It heats up and stays heated for 8 hours. It is a throw away kind but I didn't have a choice today. I forgot to ice my pack last night so I didn't sleep on my ice pack and I was pretty feeling lousy this morning so I found this to use to get through the day. So far so good...except for the finger tip part....

Boss 2 has been away for 2 days. It has been heaven. He is out with a factory person. Tomorrow, well, I bet he is here. My only issue is that he will most likely be here for the rest of the month. Oh bother....he needs to get out and sell more...

I have to send my computer in for repair again to Dell. I just can't wait to be without my computer at home....

I can't think of much else to complain about so I guess I will get off now.

Hope your corner of the world is doing okay!

Manic Day

Manic Monday
Manic Depression

The Beach

Isn’t this the sweetest picture? A couple weeks ago, I purchased story writing paper. You are supposed to draw a picture and then tell a story about the drawing. I was sitting next to Maggie when she drew this picture of the beach. I didn’t tell her what to draw. I didn’t tell her what to write. I was actually sitting working on my laptop. She ripped the paper out of the pad and said the picture was for me. I was stunned. Not because of her drawing me a picture, that is for sure as we all have many pictures colored by her. I was stunned at the picture. I was stunned at the details and more than ever I was stunned at how she wrote out the words “The Beach.” The picture is now being displayed on our refrigerate door. Open hours of the gallery are unpredictable so if you would like to see this or any other masterpieces in person, you may want to call first.

Math Trick

Grab a calculator. (You won't be able to do this one in your head)

1. Key in the first three digits of your phone number (NOT the area code)

2. Multiply by 80

3. Add 1

4. Multiply by 250

5. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number

6. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number again.

7. Subtract 250

8. Divide number by 2

Do you recognize the answer??

Thanks to Ariel for passing this one on!

I knit! I'm a knitter!

This kit was purchased for me from SIL! I have always wanted to knit and I even took a knitting class but couldn’t get the hang of things. SIL found a kit and made a scarf and I decided I wanted to try a kit. SIL then purchased me a kit to try and I was quite HAPPY to be the receiver of the kit! I now am almost finished with the scarf. I tell you, the scarf really isn’t much to look at and if you happen to look closely you will see how the rows aren’t straight and even but never less it will be my first finished piece.

SIL talks about the needles in the kit being made by Fisher Price! When you look at them, you can see why because they are huge and one has a blue ball and the other one a red! It does look like something the toy company would have made. I have purchased my next smaller set of needles as well as another skein of yarn. They both were on sale at Hobby Lobby this week!

Don’t be surprised if a homemade, child-like looking scarf ends up on your doorstep! I don’t know what else I am supposed to be doing with all these scarves so I am going to pawn them off to family and friends! HAHA!