Monday, February 28, 2011

Don't Worry Be...Positive

Being positive is simply much more fun than being negative.  Check out Jon Gordon's latest newsletter with some other reasons why we should all strive to find that silver lining.


11 BENEFITS OF BEING POSITIVE

Over the years I've done a lot of research on the positive effects of being positive and the negative affects of being negative. The research is clear. It really does pay to be positive and the benefits include enhanced health and longevity, happiness, career advancement, athletic performance, team building and financial success. Being positive is not just a nice way to live. It’s the way to live. In this spirit here are 11 benefits of being positive.

1. Positive People Live Longer - In a study of nuns, those that regularly expressed positive emotions lived on average 10 years longer. (The Nun Study)

2. Positive work environments outperform negative work environments. (Daniel Goleman)

3. Positive, optimistic sales people sell more than pessimistic sales people. (Martin Seligman)

4. Positive leaders are able to make better decisions under pressure. (Heartmath.org)

5. Marriages are much more likely to succeed when the couple experiences a 5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative interactions whereas when the ratio approaches 1 to 1, marriages are more likely to end in divorce. (John Gottman)

6. Positive people who regularly express positive emotions are more resilient when facing stress, challenges and adversity. (Several Studies)

7. Positive people are able to maintain a broader perspective and see the big picture which helps them identify solutions where as negative people maintain a narrower perspective and tend to focus on problems. (Barbara Fredrickson)

8. Positive thoughts and emotions counter the negative effects of stress. For example, you can't be thankful and stressed at the same time. (Several Studies)

9. Positive emotions such as gratitude and appreciation help athletes perform at a higher level.(Heartmath.org)

10. Positive people have more friends which is a key factor of happiness and longevity. (Robert D. Putnam)

11. Positive and popular leaders are more likely to garner the support of others and receive pay raises and promotions and achieve greater success in the workplace. (Several Studies)


www.jongordon.com

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Friday Date Nights

Oh, Friday date nights,
How do I love thee?
Let me count the ways.

I love the anticipation,
As I eagerly watch the sun set
And the moon rise
With the man that is my best friend.

I love the planning,
As I discover new restaurants to savor
And activities to enjoy
With the man that holds my hands in his.

I love the finality,
As I mark off another week
And celebrate another weekend
With the man that I share dreams with for our family.

I love the tradition,
As I day dream years down the road
And see Friday date nights still marked on the calendar
With the man that I call my own.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Crawlers Dress Clips on Etsy

I finally did it.  Finally uploaded the Dress Clips on Etsy.  You can check them out here.

When I clicked upload it was a rush of adrenaline.  It felt like jumping in Compass Lake in the spring when the water is still cold and it awakens all of your senses.

It is still a huge learning curve.  And I often go round and round with all of it.  Is there a market for them out there?  How much should I charge?  Should I pair with a hair clip?

Lots to figure out.  Taking it one day at a time to see what I learn and figure out.

Thanks for your interest!

Monday, February 21, 2011

5 Ways to Leave a Legacy

Reprinted from Jon Gordon's weekly newsletter.  Find out more at www.JonGordon.com.


5 WAYS TO LEAVE A LEGACY

In Training Camp I wrote that every one of us is going to leave a legacy. It just depends on what kind. So what kind of legacy do you want to leave? I encourage you to think about it because knowing how you want to be remembered helps you decide how to live and work today. Consider the following ways to leave a legacy and then identify other legacies you can share.

1. A Legacy of Excellence - Saint Francis of Assisi said, "It’s no use walking anywhere to preach unless your preaching is your walking." To leave a legacy of excellence, strive to be your best every day. As you strive for excellence you inspire excellence in others. You serve as a role model for your children, your friends and your colleagues. One person in pursuit of excellence raises the standards and behaviors of everyone around them. Your life is your greatest legacy and since you only have one life to give, give all you can.

2. A Legacy of Encouragement - You have a choice. You can lift others up or bring them down. Twenty years from now when people think of you what do you want them to remember? The way you encouraged them or discouraged them? I recently spent a few days with Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager, and I had the opportunity to thank him for his support, encouragement and the difference he has made in my life. He not only inspired me by the way he lived his life but also by the way he encouraged me as a writer and speaker. Who will you encourage today? Be that person that someone will call five, ten or twenty years from now and say “Thank you, I couldn’t have done it without you.”

3. A Legacy of Purpose - People are most energized when they are using their strengths and talents for a purpose beyond themselves. To leave a legacy of purpose, make your life about something bigger than you. While you’re not going to live forever you can live on through the legacy you leave and the positive impact you make in the world.

4. A Legacy of Love - I often think about my Mom, who passed away four years ago, and when I think about her I don’t recall her faults and mistakes or the disagreements we had. After all, who is perfect? But what I remember most about her was her love for me. She gave me a legacy of love that I now share with others. Share a legacy of love and it will embrace generations to come.

5. A Legacy of __________________.

Friday, February 18, 2011

The Tulips are Coming

I had my first sighting today.  There it was standing tall, reaching out to soak in the warm sunshine.  The first tulip.  


I always love tulip season!  I look on in excited anticipation as the tulips begin to poke their heads out around the Wiregrass.  Red, yellow, white, pink, even black tulips are among the varieties that Lakewood plants.  I even have a few breaking through the soil in our front yard.  I don't know what colors they will be, but that is part of the excitement.

To get you excited, here are just a few of the hundreds of tulip pictures that we have from years past.

The tulips are coming...the tulips are coming!












Thursday, February 17, 2011

Cool Website for Old Books

I have shared with you before about how Grant and I are working to be debt-free.  I look forward to the day that we plan our celebratory trip.  And many of you gave us some great trip ideas from my Debt Free Reward post.

As we cut back our lifestyles in order to pay down more debt, I am also inspired to look for ways to create additional income to throw at that debt.  I ran across a pretty neat idea that I got from a friend at church.  This friend was raising money about a year ago for a mission trip she was going on.  Instead of asking for donations, she asked for old textbooks.  Any old textbooks you had lying around she wanted.  She was attempting to sell them online.  What a brilliant idea!  Much less threatening than asking for money.  I went through our bookcases and gave her a bag full of textbooks.  I think she got money for most of them, probably not huge amounts but it all adds up.  The best part about this is she found a website that does the searching for you to find the site that will give you the most money for your books.  The website is bookscouter.com.

So, I decided to try it myself.  I went through our bookcases again.  Put together a pile of books and started entering in the ISBN numbers.  And it worked.  A screen would pop up with a list of 20+ sites that all buy back books.  Some books didn't have anything offered for them so they are still in a pile on my desk.  But others had multiple offers for them.  In fact, I mailed off three books today for a total of $20.33.  And I didn't even have to pay for the postage!  The website sent me a mailing label.  Pretty cool.

Would you like to get out of debt?  Try getting creative with ways to raise money and throw it all at that debt.  It's pretty cool to watch it dwindle down to nothing.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Wearing My Mom's Shoes

Do you remember trying to walk around in your mother's shoes?  I do.  Mom had a pair of brown leather boots that I always went after first.  On me they probably went up my whole leg at the time.  But I always felt grown up and beautiful in them.  Amazingly she got rid of them somewhere along the way.  If only she knew that 20 years later they would be all the rage again.

After many tries before, today LB finally managed to get both of my shoes on and on the correct feet.  Well, at least on the correct feet the first go-round.  At some point she managed to switch feet.  Why is it that kids always put them on backwards?  In their eyes do they look better that way?

Grant will probably shudder when he sees LB wearing these shoes.  These make my feet stink.  Now he'll have two pairs of stinky feet in the house.  Sorry babe.




And just so you know, LB does own pants.  But I always seem to take my pictures right before nap time and she goes sans pants for her siesta.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Will you be my Valentine?

Grant had two Valentines waiting for him last night.

LB loving her balloon


Smelling my roses.  So sweet.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Front Page News

You could say that I'm my hubby's biggest fan and cheerleader.  So I can't help but to throw a few spirit fingers with today's Dothan Eagle.  Check out who is on the front page with the feature article Twins Start Landscaping, Lawn Care Business.  Its a great plug for Weed Man and Lakewood.

Did you know that you can get a free lawn care quote by going to http://www.weedmanusa.com/?  Check it out!

SPIRIT FINGERS!!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Just a Few Pics

Tea for two and two for tea...

I wish I did the laundry with such enthusiasm.


Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Dress Clips Update

I ventured out to Kids Market last night for the Sellers Family and Friends Pre-Sell event.  I managed to stay under my personally allotted amount to spend and walked away with a summer wardrobe that will have little missy decked out in skirts and sundresses.

I must admit though that I was pretty disappointed when I ran over to see my dress clips.  They were on the wall with only a couple hundred hair bows.  But, I guess where does one put dress clips when you are trying to fit in hundreds of items to sell?  And sadly, the flyer I had made up to advertise and explain the dress clips was simply sitting on the floor.  Thankfully my friend Amy was with me and immediately jumped in when she saw my long face.  She took the flyer and clipped it to the top of the wall frame with one of the dress clips.  Then we found and moved all the dress clips so they are directly around the flyer. So, we'll see what happens.  Kids Market opens to the public on Saturday.  Thus far they've only been doing the pre-sell events.  I'll know more next week and will keep you posted.

Praise the Lord for wonderful friends and family that picked me back up immediately and really didn't let me dwell long at all on the lack of sales.  And I think I'm learning that a bargain-hunters atmosphere is probably not the ideal place to sell these.  Etsy is more on the forefront of conversation now.  And possibly trying some local boutiques.

Not wasting anytime, I pulled out all my supplies during nap time.  And yes, JIF is always listed on my supply list.


With a renewed sense of purpose, I have started working on some new designs.  Aren't these bumblebees darling?  I have a strawberry in the works but needed a different size ribbon for the leaves/stem; I'll post it upon completion.



A Creature of Habit

Yesterday as I was fixing lunch for LB and myself she kept going over to a certain chair at the table and saying daddy.  Yes, in fact, she was correct.  She was pointing to daddy's chair.  It made me think about all the things I do without even giving a second thought because that is how I've always done it.

I always sit in the right chair at the table.

I always enter the shower at the front and exit the back.

I always sleep on the left side of the bed. (except for a minor venture to the right while I was pregnant)

The list could go on.

I guess we are all creatures of habit in our own way.  And I guess in the long run it makes life easier.  When you sit in the same chair at the table it helps when setting the table to know where the different drinks go, etc.  You leave your specific books on your side of the bed so they are there for you the following night.

But what if you mix things up all along?

When I was in high school I started parting my hair on the opposite side.  I don't think anyone ever noticed - or at least I don't remember anyone saying anything about it.  But it was fun for me personally.  And just a few years ago I went back to my original part.  Again, I'm not sure anyone noticed. But in the mornings I thought twice about something as simple as brushing my hair.  And for the briefest of moments, before it became habit again, it was new and different.

What could you change up to add a little variety to your day?

Monday, February 7, 2011

My Sister Turned 30

On the first night of my sister's surprise birthday getaway, we all decided that we might have to make this a tradition.

Mom, Dad, Daaron, Henry, Grant, LB and I all surprised my sister with a weekend at Seaside.  It was chilly, but that could not stop us from falling in love with Seaside.  Grant and I have been before.  But this was our first time in a house in Seaside.  Salad Days is four bedrooms with a bonus room, just perfect for our family.  It was so cozy and perfect for this special occasion.

There was a farmers market going on, hamburgers by the beach, and bird chasing along the water.  Until one got wet and then we all made our way back home.  A personal highlight of the trip was a three hour nap when we returned.  But that's enough about me.

We had some fun stuff planned to celebrate the big 3-0.  As we all got dressed up for dinner on Saturday (including the kiddos) we tried to act calm and not look out the window too often.  Catherine only asked a few times what time we needed to be leaving for dinner.  Finally the big surprise arrived - a stretch Cadillac limo.

Now I have been in a few limos in my time - not a lot, but a few.  I must admit this is the first time I've seen two car seats inside a limo.  It was pretty amusing.  LB loved the stars aka lights in the ceiling and Henry was mesmerized by the three TVs.

Dinner at Flemings was delicious.  And note to self - surprise some friends by calling ahead with a bottle of bubbly and a sweet message for special occasions.  So fun!  Thanks Moselys!

We made our way back to Salad Days for cheesecake from Foster Street Bakery.  So good.  And presents.  By this point we were all tuckering out - even with my three hour nap!

I hope Catherine had as much fun celebrating her 30th birthday as we did celebrating with her.  Happy Birthday Sis!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Kids Market

Well, the hard work is done.  Last night I finished eight new Dress Clips for Kids Market.  This is my first real attempt at selling them.  It is a huge learning curve.  Will they even sell??  We'll find out soon enough.

Check out the new designs and my cutie patootie model.