Cat's Collection

Story of Citizens United v. FEC, The Critique

2011-03-02T21:37:00.001-05:00

This is well worth the watch...

We Are Having A Grand Girl!

2011-01-16T12:22:00.002-05:00

SO excited! Gonna have a little grandgirl in the family in June! The grandboy has given us such joy, can't wait to double it with a new baby girl!
Such blessings. All of which I am so grateful to have! Thank you, God. And Bless Us, Every One!

2011 is a Whole New Year to Look Forward To!

2011-01-03T21:56:00.002-05:00

2010 was a good year. I was blessed with the precious opportunity to be a care provider for my first grandchild while his parents work and go to college and police academy. I was also blessed with the ability to attend the Restoring Honor Rally in Washington, DC on 8-28 of this year. Both of these things have meant so much to me. Being afforded the privelege of loving, teaching, and caring for one of your grandchildren on a (nearly) daily basis is something to treasure always. Being able to be in the midst of over half a million like-minded, peaceful, honorable, patriotic people on the Mall in DC is a memory to be treasured as well.
I would like to post more on these subjects, as well as the many other blessings I am so grateful for, e.g. another grandchild on the way; in the days to come. I have a blog...I should use it, huh!?
Don't forget, dear friends to count those blessings every day...it is so amazing to see them multiply right before your very eyes! God bless each of us mightily!

Good Friday

2010-03-30T06:46:00.002-04:00

Easter Sunday. Christmas. Religious holidays that have been a part of my whole life in this great country, America. I cannot believe that we are actually sitting by and allowing these celebrations to be neutralized so as not to "offend" those that are actually standing up for their beliefs, or lack thereof. Shame on us.
Our country was founded on religious principles, and through the years we have turned away from them...woe to us when our God turns away from us.

Pay Attention, America

2010-01-19T22:42:00.003-05:00

Oh, America!

2010-01-13T09:48:00.002-05:00

This is a beautiful video of a beautiful country...America.

SPAM...No, not the canned meat...

2009-11-19T10:11:00.002-05:00

We all get it. We all hate it. At least, most of us do. Not a lot of the really stupid, blatant stuff ends up in my gmail inbox anymore, and for that I am thankful. But I had one this morning that slipped through. It had the subject line: Alertpay: Youve Got Payment Received

Well, I was expecting money from alertpay, so I quickly opened it and it was of course, one of those that says 'do you want to receive emails like this everyday, all day long...', you know the ones. While this was annoying, as I looked down to see if it was maybe from someone I knew, I encountered this at the bottom:

-----------------------------------------------
By visiting and/or clicking on any link inside
this email means that you agree - that you are
interested in the business or our products. If
you are not interested, please go below this
email for removal instruction. Thank you!

To remove this email address from further mailings,
please click this link:

http://tinyurl.com/*******

Thank you!

Wow. If I click on a link in the body of this email, I agree? Yes, I know not to click on the links. Especially the one at the bottom that is supposed to remove me from the list. But I'm thinking about all the newbies out there that don't know any better YET... It seems that so many in our society would rather take advantage of people than to be legitimate and actually help those that are new or unsure about the internet.

I can't help but believe that there is plenty out there for all and if you can help someone along the way, that good will come back to you, multiplied.

I like what Sarah says...

2009-11-14T21:44:00.001-05:00

Pelosi "Health Plan" Should Be DOA

Thu at 11:40am

We need to be vigilant in investigating the ramifications of the Pelosi Health Care Bill. Some provisions sound so outrageous as to be considered impossible to fathom, but they’re right there in the bill in black and white. For instance, page 297 of the bill explains the punishment for not purchasing government mandated health insurance. If you don’t buy what the government considers “acceptable health care coverage,” you’re going to be hit with a tax of at least 2.5% of your income. And if you don’t pay that new tax, you could be fined as much as $250,000 and sentenced to up to five years in prison.

But here’s the thing: they have to make the penalty for opting out very harsh in order to force us to buy coverage. The only way to keep this government run health care plan afloat is for everyone to buy into it – especially young and healthy people. That means that they will have to penalize citizens if we choose not to buy a plan that will cost a minimum of about $15,000 per family per year.

The bill that came out of the Senate last month – the Baucus Bill – does just the opposite. It calls for a much lighter penalty ($750 maximum) for people who don’t buy government approved health coverage, making it cheaper to pay the fine than to pay for the coverage. (And with a recession on, who can blame families for not wanting to pay $15,000 for a government mandated health care plan?)

But here’s the kicker: the bill also forces insurance companies to cover everyone, regardless of pre-existing conditions. Think about what that means. A lot of people – especially young and healthy people – will just pay the penalty instead of purchasing coverage because they’ll figure that it’ll always be there if they get sick, as government has promised. That’s what will happen, and when it does it will totally undermine the very concept of “insurance” – which is basically a group of people pooling their resources over time to cover themselves for a rainy day, paying while they’re healthy so that they’re covered when they’re sick. Those who are healthy now pay for those who are sick. If your insurance pool only contains sick people, it’s a bust. And that’s what this government plan will be. Without all of those young and healthy people paying into the pool and defraying the costs, the government will have to pony up more and more money, and who knows how long the whole crazy plan will last before it goes broke – and our country with it!

That’s where we are with this bureaucratic mess: either the government penalizes people so harshly that they could be hit with huge taxes and even possible jail time, or the government makes the penalty a slap on the wrist and undermines the plan from the get-go. Forcing individuals to buy health insurance seems unconstitutional, yet Congress wants to foist it on us anyway. Proponents of government controlled health care will say, “But we’re made to buy car insurance and home insurance, what’s the difference with health insurance?” It’s apples and oranges. Auto insurance is a state law requirement, and people can always choose not to drive. Banks might require you to have home owner’s insurance, but again, you choose to own a home, just as you choose to drive. You have no choice at all when it comes to this federal government health care insurance mandate.

There are other ways to reform health care without violating our Constitution and our personal liberties. Let’s get back to discussing market-driven, patient-centered, result-driven solutions, like, for example, allowing people to purchase insurance across state lines, tackling existing government waste and fraud, and reforming medical malpractice laws (tort reform) to stop unwarranted lawsuits that force doctors to order unnecessary procedures just to cover themselves.

Please let your Senators know that the Pelosi Bill should be dead on arrival. Once we go down this big government path, it will be virtually impossible to reverse course. Let’s fight for the reform that makes sense for Americans before it’s too late.

- Sarah Palin

The Bill of NO Rights

2009-10-06T22:31:00.002-04:00

Here's one of those emails from a family member that is just too good to delete:

"We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional, and other liberal thinkers. We hold these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights."

ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything..

ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -- not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.

ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes ..

ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not interested in public health care.

ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.

ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful.

ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.

ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We don't care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from!

ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country's history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution. The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!

If you agree, share this with a friend. No, you don't have to, and nothing tragic will befall you if you don't. It's about time common sense is allowed to flourish. Sensible people of the United States speak out... because if you do not, who will?

4 weeks...very nearly, almost one month...

2009-08-28T16:43:00.002-04:00

And growing SO fast!

Here's a pic of Avery and his mommy, taken on the 23rd of August:
I love being a Grandmother!

A Baby Sooner...

2009-08-25T17:01:00.002-04:00

This is the youngest Sooner Fan in the Melton Clan

Granny Update

2009-08-14T20:19:00.002-04:00

It is utterly amazing how a human, so small, can capture one's heart so largely!!!

He's Here!

2009-08-03T22:21:00.002-04:00

I have not had time to post here before now, so I apologize for my tardiness in announcing:

Avery Jones was born just before midnite on July 31st!! He was 20.25 inches long and weighed 7lbs. 7oz.

AND HE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BABY IN THE WHOLE UNIVERSE!!!

Change Blindness

2009-07-30T00:21:00.003-04:00

This is a video that has struck a cord for me...watch all of it and see what you think.

Is your Inbox overwhelmed?

2009-07-26T10:08:00.003-04:00

I learned a new term from one of the blogs that I follow. Signal sources. The author of Mighty Bargain Hunter said that he has way too many projects (all with accompanying emails, or SIGNALS) that he is working on. To tame the email inbox beast, he had set up various filters for most all his email.

MBH said, "With only a few important projects and sources of information (signal sources) it’s straightforward to handle them all. But bring in dozens, or possibly hundreds, of other signal sources, and some filtering is needed to avoid going completely insane." While this appeared to be working, he realized that "a tamed beast is still a beast" and that "now some important e-mails could be stuck in a place I didn’t expect".

So, to tackle this problem head on, he has disabled almost all of his email filters. This is forcing him to ACT on his emails as he receives them, instead of "storing them" with filters.
This ACTion has taken him as far as even canceling a membership or two (so far) in those SIGNALS that send out too many unnecessary emails.

I think I like this. But will I, pack rat that I am, actually take that step and thin out my own signals? Oh, look, there's a shiny, new traffic exchange....

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

2009-07-23T17:00:00.002-04:00

Anxiously awaiting the arrival of the grand bundle of joy...
Have had a few false alarms. I know he'll come when he's ready,
but I'm ready NOW!
Have been getting into a few more traffic exchanges, and other programs
in the marketing side of the internet. There's a lot out there...be careful
where you click.
I am also keeping a couple of the social marketing sites up to date. Mostly
for friends and family, but some business, too. Twitter is one that I really
like just to see where in the world the next follower is from. It seems to have
made the world a much smaller, more connected place.

Well, I think I'll go make a woobie for the grandson...

This is Good

2009-07-17T07:52:00.001-04:00

Here is a Friday story I think is worth sharing...

This is Good

The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!"

To which the king replied - "No, this is not good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake.

As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend.

"You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened." And so, I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this."

"No," his friend replied, "This is good!"

"What do you mean, 'This is good'? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"

"If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you, and not here with you right now."

In a very unusual way, the message here unfolds into exposing the following principle about life.

"Absolutely everything happens for a purpose; and out of what seems like adversity at the time; always comes good".

I'm sure that if any of us care to reflect back on the tragedy's, the heartaches, the 'bad times' in our lives, that we discover that we have really grown or developed during that period of time:even though the reflection may still cause us discomfort in some way.

It is in this way that we slowly gather experience and wisdom, and even though we may think or feel that it is unfair, that's the way it is.

"This is good". Many of our life's experiences have saved us from some form of cannibals; it's just that we often don't know that they have at the time.

So, for a simple example to help with awareness: next time you may begin to feel you are being 'wronged' by being stuck in a traffic jam, think about the cannibals that could be lurking down the road a bit,but will be gone by the time you get there.

Now that's a bit different, but worth trying: "this is good" - despite the circumstances.

Remember: "What others do or say is their stuff; how we react, or not, is our stuff"!
And: "True Happiness in life isn't having what you want, but wanting what you have"!

© Phil Evans

www.peoplestuff.com.au

Personal (Life) Coach and Small Business Mentor
Specializing in Relationship Dynamics
Keynote Speaker: Life Skills and Business Topics

Good Morning, World!

2009-07-12T09:52:00.002-04:00

It can be just that...A GOOD morning...if you so choose. It's all in how you look at it.

And if you throw in a little bit of counting your blessings...who knows where you'll end up on the Happiness scale!

Have a good one my friends,

Cat
>^..^<

All the Birdies have left the Nest...

2009-07-05T16:10:00.002-04:00

Cakes, Dinners, Dresses, Tuxedos, Flowers...It's all done now. Our oldest son married his beautiful bride on the 27th of June. Click this link for wedding pics on Facebook: http://lnk.ms/0plDH
It was a lovely wedding. There was lots of company. And now the house is so quiet. But only for a moment...The youngest daughter is expecting our first grandbaby in about 4 weeks.
I have said many times before how grateful I am for all the blessings I have been given, and can only say that the more you count those blessings, the more they multiply.

Go ahead, just start with one, and see how fast you get to 10, or more!

I don't even own a gun, but....

2009-05-19T13:46:00.000-04:00

If we don't unite and stand against arbitrary government action, then our rights will be whittled down one at a time.

HR 45 Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sales Act of 2009

Very Important for you to be aware of a new bill HR 45 introduced into the House. This is the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sale Act of 2009.

We just learned yesterday about this on the Peter Boyles radio program...
Even gun shop owners didn't know about this because it is flying under the radar.

To find out about this - go to any government website and type in HR 45 or Google HR 45 Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sales Act of 2009. You will get all the information.

Basically this would make it illegal to own a firearm - any rifle with a clip or ANY pistol unless:

It is registered

You are fingerprinted

You supply a current Driver's License

You supply your Social Security #

You will submit to a physical & mental evaluation at any time of their choosing

Each update - change or ownership through private or public sale must be reported and costs $25 - Failure to do so you automatically lose the right to own a firearm and are subject up to a year in jail.

There is a child provision clause on page 16 section 305 stating a child-access provision.
Gun must be locked and inaccessible to any child under 18.

They would have the right to come and inspect that you are storing your gun safely away from accessibility to children and fine is punishable for up to 5 yrs. in prison.

If you think this is a joke - go to the website and take your pick of many options to read this. It is long and lengthy. But, more and more people are becoming aware of this. Pass the word along. Any hunters in your family - pass this along.

Peter Boyles is on this and having guests. Listen to him on KHOW 630 am. in the morning. He suggests the best way to fight this is to tell all your friends about it and "spring into action". Also he suggests we all join a pro-gun group like the Colorado Rifle Association, hunting associations, gun clubs and especially the NRA.

This is just a "termite" approach to complete confiscation of guns and disarming of our society to the point we have no defense - chip away a little here and there until the goal is accomplished before anyone realizes it. (Did Obama promise transparency? It seems his motives are more and more transparent while his methods are hidden in back rooms.)

This is one to act on whether you own a gun or not.

If you take my gun, only the criminal will have one to use against me. HR 45 only makes me/us less safe. After working with convicts for 26 years I know this bill, if passed, would make them happy and in less danger from their victims.

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h45/show

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-45

Please.. copy and send this out to EVERYONE in the USA

Poor Pigs

2009-05-13T07:07:00.003-04:00

Is it possible that the Swine Flu (H1N1) is not much more than a late season outbreak of what we normally would see during the winter months? It seems there was a pretty big scare about it by some pretty big entities. Governors, Presidents, and the like. I came across this little tidbit in the Total Health Breakthroughs Newsletter today:

So, what's the reason for the worldwide hysteria about swine flu? Could it be that... fear keeps people tuned in to the mainstream media... terrified citizens are easier for governments to control and manipulate... fear is an effective marketing tool when there are enormous profits to be made? -- in this case from flu vaccines and medications.

Just wondering...

Ordinary Miracles

2009-05-09T11:14:00.002-04:00

I just found this video and loved it...

Ever had a Gentle Thunderstorm?

2009-05-08T17:08:00.002-04:00

It's raining here in Kentucky...and thundering...and lightning. But it's not all blustery and loud. It is, in fact quite quiet. We have a metal roof and the sound is very soothing. I really enjoy little blessings like that.

Have a Blessed Easter

2009-04-12T00:15:00.000-04:00

Hope your Day is bright and happy!

You're Still Invited to a Tea Party

2009-03-30T10:22:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to add this interesting little video on the subject of Tea Parties.

(While we're on the subject of the economy, check out this post over on blondie's blog.)

There seems to be great interest in this Tea Party phenomenon, so I think I'll re-post this:

I saw this floating around the 'net and just had to grab it and post it. But before I did, I went to the New American Tea Party website and they are saying this particular effort is not endorsed by them, but is a neat idea and to hold off a bit and await further info from them. The comments to their post are a mix of pro and con, but it was mostly pro when I read them this morning.
I also checked Snopes.com and they reiterated the New American Tea Party's posting, and added info about the mailing of potentially hazardous materials after 9/11 and postal regulations for mailing items that cannot be run through postal machines (i.e. items that cause the surface to be uneven). The suggestion was made to send only the label and/or the empty teabag. It is the principal of the mass mailing effort, not necessarily the receipt of actual tea that is important here.

Date: Mar 12, 2009 8:24 AM
Subject: NEW American Tea Party...Important Message To All/REPOST!

NEW American Tea Party

Please mark your Calendars: April 1, 2009

There's a storm abrewin'. What happens when good, responsible people keep quiet? Washington has forgotten they work for us. We don't work for them. Throwing good money after bad is NOT the answer. I am sick of the midnight, closed door sessions to come up with a plan. I am sick of Congress raking CEO's over the coals while they, themselves, have defaulted on their taxes. I am sick of the bailed out companies having lavish vacations and retreats on my dollar. I am sick of being told it is MY responsibility to rescue people that, knowingly, bought more house than they could afford. I am sick of being made to feel it is my patriotic duty to pay MORE taxes. I, like all of you, am a responsible citizen. I pay my taxes. I live on a budget and I don't ask someone else to carry the burden for poor decisions I may make. I have emailed my congressmen and senators asking them to NOT vote for the stimulus package as it was written without reading it first. No one listened. They voted for it, pork and all.

O.K. folks, here it is. You may think you are just one voice and what you think won't make a difference. Well, yes it will and YES, WE CAN!! If you are disgusted and angry with the way Washington is handling our taxes. If you are fearful of the fallout from the reckless spending of BILLIONS to bailout and "stimulate" without accountability and responsibility then we need to become ONE, LOUD VOICE THAT CAN BE HEARD FROM EVERY CITY, TOWN, SUBURB AND HOME IN AMERICA. There is a growing protest to demand that Congress, the President and his cabinet LISTEN to us, the American Citizens. What is being done in Washington is NOT the way to handle the economic free fall.

So, here's the plan. On April 1, 2009, all Americans are asked to send a TEABAG to Washington , D.C. You do not have to enclose a note or any other information unless you so desire. Just a TEABAG. Many cities are organizing protests. If you simply search, "New American Tea Party", several sites will come up. If you aren't the 'protester' type, simply make your one voice heard with a TEABAG. Your one voice will become a roar when joined with millions of others that feel the same way. Yes, something needs to be done but the lack of confidence as shown by the steady decline in the stock market speaks volumes.

This was not my idea. I visited the sites of the 'New American Tea Party' and an online survey showed over 90% of thousands said they would send the teabag on April 1. Why, April 1?? We want them to reach Washington by April 15. Will you do it? I will. Send it to; 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington , D.C. 20500 ..

Forward this to everyone in your address book. Visit the website below for more information about the 'New American Tea Party'. I would encourage everyone to go ahead and get the envelope ready to mail, then just drop it in the mail April 1. Can't guarantee what the postage will be by then, it is going up as we speak, but have your envelope ready. What will this cost you? A little time and a 40 something cent stamp.

What could you receive in benefits? Maybe, just maybe, our elected officials will start to listen to the people. Take out the Pork. Tell us how the money is being spent. We want TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. Remember, the money will be spent over the next 4-5 years. It is not too late.

The USPS is going to have a hell of a lot of tea to contend with, after all it only costs 42+ cents to send a message, hopefully heard round the world!!!

Of course, if you agree with the way things are being done now, just delete!!!!

Putting Gratitude To Work For You

2009-03-26T18:40:00.003-04:00

Hello!
I've been thinking alot lately about how negative
things seem to be and it seems such a waste of our
allotted minutes in this life.
So, while clearing out my inbox, I came across this
and it said much more effectively exactly what I
wanted to say:

Prosperity Secrets 101

    "Prosperity is generated by mental and
   physical forces. To generate prosperity in
 your own life you must open your mind to it."
               - - Catherine Ponder

The question that seems to be on everyone's
mind right now is "How can I confidently live
prosperously when all the news is bad?"

People will say it can't be done, but as you know,
"people" are usually wrong. The common
wisdom is often not wisdom at all.

Unless you believe it, of course. Then it becomes
true for you! So let's look at some basic prosperity
principles of uncommon wisdom instead!

You remember the first principle in the Gratitude
ebook, right? We live in a friendly Universe. That
means that we don't have to really create prosperity
because the friendly Universe is already loaded
with it! We don't have to convince the Universe to
give us anything, but we do we have to mentally
open up to receive it.

How do we do that? By expecting it. By looking
for it. By feeling worthy of it, and you know that
the fact that you're alive is proof that you're
worthy of it. And that's your first prosperity
secret.

Next is getting clear about what you want. Most
people have trouble with this; they know what
they don't want but not what they want.

That doesn't work in a restaurant, and it doesn't
work in your life. You gotta decide what to
order and be clear about it. Write it out, and
visualize it with strong positive emotions. This
is prosperity secret # 2.

Third, decide what you're willing to give for it. We
live in a friendly Universe, but not a something for
nothing Universe. What will you trade for your
prosperity? What labor, what product, what
service will be your gift to the world? Giving is a
gratitude principle and stepping up to this
requirement is prosperity secret #3.

And finally, take action. Sitting and waiting for
something to happen is not a success
formula that works. Besides it's easier to steer
when you're in motion! Get moving. Action is
secret #4.

What if you're not sure what to do? That happens
to all of us at times. Well, don't go around saying,
"I don't know what to do" because that's an
affirmation that's not going to help you! Something
like "I know what to do and I do it" or "The right
course is becoming clear to me now" will get you
better results. Expect an opening, look for the
opportunity and take action.

In the Great Depression a young company named
IBM under the enlightened leadership of Thomas
Watson was run on these principles of mental
preparation, confident expectation, service and
action. While companies were failing all around
them, IBM was doubling its revenues each year.
This is not theoretical voodoo, this is proven,
practical stuff that works!

You do live in a friendly Universe, and that's
something to be grateful for!
Wes

PS - Remember to go to dailygratitude.com and
give us your comments.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
              Find Your Dream

Want some more advanced prosperity tools? The
single best source for building a life of prosperity
and service is The Science of Getting Rich.
Success is based on gratitude, service and
abundance, and Bob Proctor does a great job of
showing you how. I have just a few copies left at
half price.

http://www.CreateSuccessSeminars.com/sgr.html      
--------------------------------------------------------------------

© 2009 Wes Hopper. All rights reserved.
Feel free to pass the above in its entirety to
anyone you wish.

You're Invited to a Tea Party

2009-03-13T08:27:00.011-04:00

I saw this floating around the 'net and just had to grab it and post it. But before I did, I went to the New American Tea Party website and they are saying this particular effort is not endorsed by them, but is a neat idea and to hold off a bit and await further info from them. The comments to their post are a mix of pro and con, but it was mostly pro when I read them this morning.

I also checked Snopes.com and they reiterated the New American Tea Party's posting, and added info about the mailing of potentially hazardous materials after 9/11 and postal regulations for mailing items that cannot be run through postal machines (i.e. items that cause the surface to be uneven). The suggestion was made to send only the label and/or the empty teabag. It is the principal of the mass mailing effort, not necessarily the receipt of actual tea that is important here.

Date: Mar 12, 2009 8:24 AM
Subject: NEW American Tea Party...Important Message To All/REPOST!

NEW American Tea Party

Please mark your Calendars: April 1, 2009

There's a storm abrewin'. What happens when good, responsible people keep quiet? Washington has forgotten they work for us. We don't work for them. Throwing good money after bad is NOT the answer. I am sick of the midnight, closed door sessions to come up with a plan. I am sick of Congress raking CEO's over the coals while they, themselves, have defaulted on their taxes. I am sick of the bailed out companies having lavish vacations and retreats on my dollar. I am sick of being told it is MY responsibility to rescue people that, knowingly, bought more house than they could afford. I am sick of being made to feel it is my patriotic duty to pay MORE taxes. I, like all of you, am a responsible citizen. I pay my taxes. I live on a budget and I don't ask someone else to carry the burden for poor decisions I may make. I have emailed my congressmen and senators asking them to NOT vote for the stimulus package as it was written without reading it first. No one listened. They voted for it, pork and all.

O.K. folks, here it is. You may think you are just one voice and what you think won't make a difference. Well, yes it will and YES, WE CAN!! If you are disgusted and angry with the way Washington is handling our taxes. If you are fearful of the fallout from the reckless spending of BILLIONS to bailout and "stimulate" without accountability and responsibility then we need to become ONE, LOUD VOICE THAT CAN BE HEARD FROM EVERY CITY, TOWN, SUBURB AND HOME IN AMERICA. There is a growing protest to demand that Congress, the President and his cabinet LISTEN to us, the American Citizens. What is being done in Washington is NOT the way to handle the economic free fall.

So, here's the plan. On April 1, 2009, all Americans are asked to send a TEABAG to Washington , D.C. You do not have to enclose a note or any other information unless you so desire. Just a TEABAG. Many cities are organizing protests. If you simply search, "New American Tea Party", several sites will come up. If you aren't the 'protester' type, simply make your one voice heard with a TEABAG. Your one voice will become a roar when joined with millions of others that feel the same way. Yes, something needs to be done but the lack of confidence as shown by the steady decline in the stock market speaks volumes.

This was not my idea. I visited the sites of the 'New American Tea Party' and an online survey showed over 90% of thousands said they would send the teabag on April 1. Why, April 1?? We want them to reach Washington by April 15. Will you do it? I will. Send it to; 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington , D.C. 20500 ..

Forward this to everyone in your address book. Visit the website below for more information about the 'New American Tea Party'. I would encourage everyone to go ahead and get the envelope ready to mail, then just drop it in the mail April 1. Can't guarantee what the postage will be by then, it is going up as we speak, but have your envelope ready. What will this cost you? A little time and a 40 something cent stamp.

What could you receive in benefits? Maybe, just maybe, our elected officials will start to listen to the people. Take out the Pork. Tell us how the money is being spent. We want TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. Remember, the money will be spent over the next 4-5 years. It is not too late.

The USPS is going to have a hell of a lot of tea to contend with, after all it only costs 42+ cents to send a message, hopefully heard round the world!!!

Of course, if you agree with the way things are being done now, just delete!!!!

How To Be Self Confident

2009-02-10T20:11:00.003-05:00

Here is another gem of an article from:


Daily Gratitude Newsletter
Volume 5, Issue 2 - February 2009
Putting Gratitude To Work For You
***********************************************

           How To Be Self Confident

 "When you feel as though you are doing
    what you were born to do, there is
    simply no alternative but to succeed.
   Failure becomes nothing more than
   feedback on the road to your destiny. "
                        - - - Daniel Levis

A lot of people want to know how to become
self confident. They think its a new skill to
learn. But it's not.

You were BORN self confident!

How many times did you fall down learning
to walk? Did you ever see a baby sitting
there blubbering "Waaa, I'll never learn to
walk. I can't do it. I'm such a klutz!"

No! Babies have absolute confidence that
they can walk and they'll fall down as often
as they have to without ever doubting they
can do it.

You know why? They were BORN to walk!

Their self confidence comes, as Daniel Levis
says, "from doing what they were born to
do." Falling is nothing more than feedback
on the way to 60 mph toddlerhood.

That's the way you were born. Now let me
tell you about you as an adult.

You were BORN to live your dream!

But wait, what happened to the absolute
confidence that you can do it? Well, it's
still there but you've been conditioned to
being afraid of falling down. Somewhere
between toddler and adult we get taught
that "falling down" means we're a bad
person. We're a failure, incompetent, less
than good.

So we stop taking risks.We forget that
nothing wonderful was ever accomplished
without risk. We forget that Thomas Edison
had over 10,000 failures before he got the
light bulb to work.

We forget that Napoleon Hill wrote an
entire chapter on persistence in his classic
"Think and Grow Rich" saying that it was
the most important characteristic of
successful people.

We forget that it's the way we learned to
walk.

Remember we live in a friendly Universe.
You can have anything you want as long
as it's for the best for everyone and you're
willing to do the work. That means you
gotta fall down, get up, fall down, get up,
repeat until you have achieved it.

Bob Proctor speaks to thousands today
but he didn't start that way. His first
seminar, he rented a place seating about
1,000 and six people showed up. Do you
know how empty that place looked? He did
the program anyway. He got up.

It was his way of telling the Universe, "Hey,
see these 1,000 seats? That's my vision,
so let's get busy and fill them." And he
kept doing seminars until he did.

You don't need to learn self confidence.
You just need to remember it! Know you
were born to live your dream. Have the
same feeling you had as a toddler holding
on to the coffee table, looking at the chair
so far away and thinking, "I can do it!"

Because you can. You were born to succeed!

That's something to be grateful for!
Wes

PS - Remember to go to dailygratitude.com and
give us your comments.


© 2009 Wes Hopper. All rights reserved.
Feel free to pass the above in its entirety to
anyone you wish.

**********************************************

In reading my last post, I realized that just
the day after I had posted it, we were hit
with an ice and snow storm that knocked out
power to many, many Kentuckians.  We were
without power for 5 days, but I have to say
that this time was so much different than a
few years ago when we had no power for about
the same amount of time.  I was calm and
truly peaceful, and not really terribly
cold.  (We have yet to get that alternate
heat source hooked up...yes, I know, Jim...
we're working on it...lol)

Even the fact that I had no internet did not
upset me as it used to.  It was as if I was
finally actually practicing what I was
preaching...gratitude for the things you
HAVE, and not fretting for the things you
don't.  A peace. A knowledge that all would
work out.  Patience.

Amazing how the Universe works.

Just smiling quietly

2009-01-25T21:21:00.002-05:00

I find myself sitting here with a smile on my face, just browsing around...reading friends' blogs, playing a bit of catch up after spending the day yesterday helping our daughter and her husband move into another house.
I can't help but be ever so grateful for the absolute blessings that come my way each and every day. I have a roof over my head. I have a husband that is unequaled in character, strength, and beauty. I have 3 fabulous children who have each found their someone to spend their lives with. I have plenty to eat, clothes to wear, a vehicle to drive...and those are just some of the material things. I have a peace in knowing that no matter what comes my way, it can be embraced or worked through to an end that will be all right.

I am truly thankful.

Track US Legislation and Congress - wikiHow

2009-01-20T18:28:00.002-05:00

I thought this was very interesting, something to help keep up with things.

How to Track US Legislation and Congress

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Want to be involved in politics now that you've registered and voted? The Internet makes it easier than ever to stay in the loop and get involved. Find out what is happening in the Senate and House by following the steps below.

Steps

Bookmark these sites:.
- Thomas, maintained by the Library of Congress, provides legislative information to the public (and to Congress). The most useful features are:
  - Lookup any bill to learn what it is about, its status and sponsors.
  - Links to the House of Representatives and the Senate.
- Govtrack - a non partisan resource for tracking Congressional activity. Its most useful feature is sending alerts for any area of interest.
- OpenCongress.org - track legislation by a number of criteria.
- Congress.org - a generic advocacy site. Includes posts by individuals and advocacy groups.
- USA.gov - main portal to US government agencies, services, etc.
Find your Representative and Senators. On Govtrack, click on Members of Congress and enter a US zip code. You'll be given the names of your two Senators and Representative as well as a map of the congressional district. You can also get a full list of members of the House and Senate. Keep the address and phone numbers handy when an important issue comes up. News reports sometimes say that phones are ringing off the hook in congressional offices.
Go to the web sites of your Senators and Representative. Sign up for their newsletters to find out what they think is important. You'll also find out which committees they are on.
Find out what committees your Representative and Senators are on. They are listed on Govtrack as well as the member's site. Often one of the three will sit on a committee that covers your area of interest.
Track what's going on in the House this week. Both major political parties have a whip who posts a notice of bills appearing for a floor vote that week along with a one line summary.
- Democratic Whip - click on The Daily Whipline.
- Republican Whip - click on Daily Whipping Post - Full Notice.
Track what's going on in the House today. Click on the Office of the Clerk - Legislative Activities to get a nearly real time summary of actions on the House floor.
Find active legislation by topic for both the Senate and House. This page provides the bill number for legislation currently in the pipeline or that has become public law ("P.L.").
Find the status of a bill. On the Thomas site, enter the bill number, such as HR 100. A more sophisticated query can be entered here.
Learn what the committees are doing. Click for the House or Senate. The real work in Congress gets done in the committees. Tracking the activities of committees also:
- Lets you know what's in the pipeline before the final vote.
- In many cases you can send a letter to the committee, which at least gets published as part of their proceedings. For example, the House Ways and Means committee posted witness testimony and citizen submissions for a 2006 hearing on Health Savings Accounts.
Watch CSPAN broadcasts of major events - debates and votes in the House and Senate, committee hearings, press conferences, etc.
Get email alerts on issues important to you. Sign up for the Vote Monitor weekly newsletter or on Govtrack
Craft your message so the Senator or Representative will listen.
Post a note to your Representative or Senator. Senators and Representatives make it easy to post messages by their constituents. They likely prefer posts because of security issues with email and snail mail.
Call your Senators and Representative. Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and give them your zip code. They'll find who represents you and connect the call to the right office. See tips below for how to find a toll free number to the Capitol Switchboard.
Find Special interest groups on the internet. Go to Votesmart.org, select a senator or representative and click on Interest Group Ratings. This will ultimately lead you to the interest groups for your issues of interest, and links to their websites. You can also use a search engine with a bill number (e.g. "HR 1234") or a phrase related to issues of interest.
Track rollcall votes. You need to know the date or the vote number to find how people voted, but you can also get information from Congress.org.

Tips

For a review of how the House and Senate work, read the Legislative FAQs.
Because Representatives often visit their home districts over the weekend, Monday and Tuesday bills are usually not significant. Also, votes on these bills are usually held off until early evening.
Before reading the text of a bill, read the CRS Summary. The summary is a short paragraph about what the bill enacts. The text of a bill itself is usually quite long and often becomes confusing because it says to drop some text and add other text.
Many special interest groups use Capwiz/Capitol Advantage as a portal to Congress and advocacy. Congress.org is a portal directly from Capwiz/Capitol Advantage, which is owned by Roll Call/The Economist.
Special interest groups also have toll free numbers to connect you to the Capitol Switchboard. Use a search engine with 202-224-3121 and your area of interest.
The Whipping Post notices for both parties have identical content, so don't be concerned about party affiliation here.
Learn the proper style of writing letters to your Senator and Representative.

Warnings

All previous bills are dropped in January of every odd year as a new Congress begins and freshman Senators and Representatives are sworn in. Bills then need to be reintroduced and bill numbers again start with one.
HR 1 - 10 are reserved for major legislation and may not have a title until later in the year.
A small percentage of bills actually get passed by Congress. Frequently there are several bills with the same purpose, each introduced by a different Senator or Representative. Bills are assigned to a committee and that's the end.
It can take months for a letter written to a committee gets published on the web, so don't be concerned if you don't see it immediately.
The website address for the whips can change every year, as the membership and leadership changes.
The body of a bill can change entirely through an amendment.
All bills involving raising revenue must originate in the House. However, since the Senate can amend any bill, it has in the past changed entirely a revenue related bill for its own purposes.
Bill titles can be misleading. Sometimes the actual content of a bill can be the opposite suggested by its title.
Some major bills do not have their text available on the web at the time of the final vote. It may not even be available for the Senators or Representatives for the vote.
Beware of viral emails:
- Members of Congress don't pay Social Security taxes. They have since January 1984.
- Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.- quote from opinion article originally written by Charlie Reese in the Orlando Sentinal in the 1980's. A current version describes the US as having 300 million citizens, but you can still find the article referencing the US as having 235 million.
Avoid nice sounding (but unknown) organizations and their "surveys". Some just collect mailing and phone lists to sell.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Track US Legislation and Congress. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Here's some Horse-Tradin' for Ya...

2009-01-11T01:36:00.003-05:00

Chuck and the Farmer

Young Chuck moved to Montana and bought a horse from a farmer
for $100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the horse the next day.

The next day he drove up and said, 'Sorry son, but I have some
bad news - the horse died.'

Chuck replied, 'Well, then, just give me my money back.'

The farmer said, 'Can't do that. I went and spent it already.'

Chuck said, 'Ok, then, just bring me the dead horse.'

The farmer asked, 'What ya gonna do with him?

Chuck said, 'I'm going to raffle him off.'

The farmer said, 'You can't raffle off a dead horse!'

Chuck said, 'Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anybody
he's dead.'

A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, 'What
happened with that dead horse?'

Chuck said, 'I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two
dollars a piece and made a net profit of $898.00.'

The farmer said, 'Didn't anyone complain?'

Chuck said, 'Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars
back.'

Chuck grew up and now works for the government.

Hey, have a really good day today, okay? It's not that hard to do:
Just decide when you wake up that you're gonna have a good one,
and no matter what comes your way; take it and make it as positive
as you can and go on to what's next.
And a smile or two simply cannot hurt anything...

Cat

I still say it's all in your attitude...

2009-01-06T12:59:00.002-05:00

I hope that 2009 is treating you just fine...

And, if it's not, well here's an article that might give you a bit of insight:

Take a Year-End Attitude Inventory

It’s a wise custom to end an old year and begin a new one with serious self-reflection. What did you learn this year that can improve your life and make you a better person?

Start by examining the way you think and feel about your job, your relationships, and yourself. After all, the single most important factor in personal happiness and your impact on others is your attitude.

In the geometry of life, the axiom is “positive attitudes produce positive results.” They make success more likely, failures less harmful, pleasures more frequent, and pain more bearable. Some people tend to bring warm sunshine wherever they go; others bring cold chills. What do you bring?

To find out where you can improve, take an honest inventory of your predispositions, the attitude you’re most likely to start with.

• Are you generally optimistic or pessimistic?
• Do you tend to assume the best or expect the worst of people?
• Is your first instinct to be empathetic or judgmental?
• Is your first instinct to be supportive or critical?
• Do you send the message that you enjoy life or that you’re barely enduring it?
• Do you come across as the captain of your own ship or simply a passenger?

Wherever you are on the positive-attitude spectrum, think how much better things could be if you were more consistently and self-consciously optimistic, empathetic, supportive, grateful, enthusiastic, hopeful, and cheerful.

So why not resolve to think, act, and speak more positively about yourself, your family, your coworkers, and everyone else in your life?

Michael Josephson
www.charactercounts.org

2009

2009-01-02T20:54:00.002-05:00

A fresh, new start for all of us. What will we do with it?

I have a list in my head a mile long of the things I want and need to accomplish. Maybe that should be two lists...lol. Wants and Needs.

Either way, procrastination is not the way to get 'em done, so I better get started...

Tomorrow.

:)

Merry Christmas

2008-12-23T08:27:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to say a quick Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
to Everyone just in case I get sidetracked and can't post later.

Christmas

2008-12-15T14:01:00.002-05:00

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully, Ben Stein

Cat's note:
This is another of those emails that gets passed around from time to time, so you may have seen it before. I did shorten it to only that part that pertains to the Holiday season.

I appreciate that Mr. Stein voices his opinion on this subject and I have to agree with him. It does not offend me to see symbols of religions other than those of my own Christian faith. What offends me is that there is a minority of people that refuse to honor the foundations of this great country as it was built...on faith, patriotism, loyalty, liberty...the list goes on. And I could go on as well, but I will leave it at that.

'Tis the Season for Giving...

2008-12-11T14:48:00.004-05:00

Christmas is a mere 2 weeks away...already.

Among the many thoughts and feelings of this Holiday season, I find myself continuing to be grateful for the wonderful blessings I have: My extraordinary family; a warm, comfortable home; food to eat; friends (online and off) to interact with; and peace.

The following article is from the dailygratitude newletter that I receive and I wanted to share it:

"If we seem to experience difficulties,
it's because we are out of the flow.
And one of the most effective ways
to get back in the flow is through giving."
- - Eric Butterworth

This seems to be a good time to point out the power in the 5th principle of gratitude. After all, the holiday season seems to be mostly focused on giving. But there's a danger here.

When we give out of an obligation, we eliminate the benefits. When we're resistant to giving because of a belief in scarcity, we're asking the Universe for more scarcity. And these can be big issues this time of year.

So how do we stay in the flow without being totally irresponsible?

We make a conscious decision to give from love and joy. We drop some money in the Salvation Army bucket outside the store, even if it's just a buck. We spend responsibly while rejecting any thoughts of scarcity, and focus on the joy that giving brings.

We know that giving is an outlet that opens up the inlet to our lives, so we claim the truth that as we give, so shall we receive.

A great Teacher said that once, I believe.

We have all been the recipients of countless blessings this year. Make a gratitude list and really feel the feeling of gratitude and appreciation. Wrap every gift with the appreciation that you feel for the recipient. Tie the bow with love.

If you do, you'll be firmly in the flow, the flow of life, the flow of good. And your heart will know the difference.

Holiday love to you all!
Wes

PS - Remember to go to dailygratitude.com and give us your comments.

**************************************************************

Make 2009 Fabulous!

Give yourself a gift, the gift of a powerful, successful 2009. Wouldn't you love to learn how to effectively set and achieve your most important goals? You can with the Goal Achiever program, and I have a very small quantity at 40% off. Give with love and joy to yourself. But hurry!

Click here for Goal Achiever

***********************************************************

© 2008 Wes Hopper. All rights reserved.
Feel free to pass the above in its entirety to anyone you wish.

Some call me MamaMelton, some WILL call me GrandMamaMelton!!!!

2008-12-08T10:49:00.002-05:00

Yes, we got the beautiful news this past week:

Our daughter and son in law are expecting their first child...and our first GRANDchild!!!

We are very happy, and excited to begin this new journey. August 1st is the due date. Can't wait!

A Special Thanksgiving Message

2008-11-25T08:51:00.006-05:00

From Wes Hopper, DailyGratitude.com

A Special Thanksgiving Message

I think it's wonderful that here in the USA
and Canada we have special days to
remember gratitude. Of course, we know
that gratitude is a 365 days a year attitude
that creates constant blessings, but to
have its own day is still good.

This year, with the world in economic
turmoil, many people out of work, and
lots of anxiety about the future, it's even
more important than usual to practice the
attitude of gratitude. Here's my suggestion
for how to do that.

First, put everything in perspective. Here's
a quote from a newspaper during the
Great Depression of the 1930's:

"To give thanks in prosperous times may
seem easy. To give thanks in difficult times
may seem all but impossible. But it is never
harder to give thanks at one time than at
another, if the thanks be given in an
understanding of God's invariable goodness."

So we remind ourselves that we live in a
friendly Universe ready and willing to support
us. We remember that there is good
everywhere if we look. We know that if
we look for the good, we are focusing on
what we want, not what we don't want. And
what we focus on, grows.

What next? Well, the best way I know to take
my mind off my problems is to do something
for someone else. Who can you reach out to
with a call, or a visit, or a meal, or a helping
hand? Think about it, and then take action.

When you do you'll find that not only do you
feel really good, but gratitude for your own
blessings will bubble up inside of you
without effort. And linger for quite a while.

I am thankful for "God's invariable goodness"
this week and I am thankful for all of you.
Writing would be no fun without readers
and their feedback.

So go forth and do good.
I appreciate all of you, very much!
Wes

© 2008 Wes Hopper. All rights reserved.
Feel free to pass the above in its entirety to
anyone you wish.

Horn Creek Productions LLC
PO Box 1402
Lakeside, AZ 85929

-----------------------------------------------

The only thing I can add to this is
that I wish for all of us the most
peaceful, joyous, and gratitude-
filled Thanksgiving holiday ever.

Cat

My, how times have changed...

2008-11-04T07:38:00.003-05:00

Comments made in the year 1955!

(That's only 53 years ago!)

'I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are,it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20.00.

'Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $2,000.00 will only buy a used one.

'If cigarettes keep going up in price,
I'm going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous.

'Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter!.

'If they raise the minimum wage to $1.00,
nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store.'

'When I first started driving,
who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon.
Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage.

I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more.
Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying DAMN in GONE WITH THE WIND,it seems every new movie has either HELL or DAMN in it.

'I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century..
They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas.

'Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball?
It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the President.

'I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric.
They are even making electric typewriters now.

'It's too bad things are so tough nowadays.
I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet.
'It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone
to watch their kids so they can both work.

'I'm afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business.

'Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes..
I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to congress.

'The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather,
but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on.

'There is no sense going to Lincoln or Omaha anymore for a weekend,
it costs nearly $15.00 a night to stay in a hotel.

'No one can afford to be sick anymore,
at $35.00 a day in the hospital it's too rich for my blood.'

'If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it.'

This was another of those forwarded emails from friends and family that I thought was too good not to share. It was just a wee bit before my time, but still amazing to see the differences between then and now.

Pledge of Allegience

2008-11-03T10:34:00.005-05:00

This was in a bulletin going around and I wanted to share it here. I truly believe that our country has the values, the ethics, the morals still in her heart of hearts, and that we should bring them out so that all can see what a beautiful place America is.

God Bless America, today and every day.

Have you met Joe the Vet?

2008-10-31T16:18:00.003-04:00

I saw this video this morning for the first time. Hearing such a message from someone who's "been there" is quite powerful. Be sure to watch this man as he walks away.

Cats...nothing trivial about them...

2008-10-14T09:29:00.003-04:00

My friend, HermitJim gave us cat lovers a treat today in his blog...Cat Trivia!
But it is a funny coincidence that he chose that topic, this morning.

I have a cat that is a particular "baby" of mine...I was there when he was born two years ago and have been attached to him ever since. Well this baby decided to take advantage of my inattention when I came in from feeding the dogs this morning, and he escaped! Now, mind you, this is an INSIDE cat, not an inside/outside cat. And we live on top of a pretty good hill, overgrown and some wooded, so where does this little scamp go? As fast as he can?
Can you see the picture? The little round lady out running after the wayward Maine Coon Cat!
Down the big, dew laden hill in the early light of dawn to rescue the poor, defenseless kitty from the realm of the unknown...wild critters, neighbor dogs, and oooh, little hoppy things to chase, oh boy!
I did some quick "Please, Lord, Help Me's" and even quicker maneuvers down at the bottom of that hill. Finally, after wearing both of us out, I caught Rastus and bundled his wet, cold self up in my arms. Then I looked up. Up that hill. Oh. My. I love my cat, I love my cat...was the chant as I climbed slowly back up to the house.
Well, after that refreshing morning exercise, I went to have a cup of coffee with the Hermit. I will feel the reminder of this fine day tomorrow, I am sure.

Are you Branded?

2008-10-07T13:17:00.007-04:00

What is this "Branding" that we hear so much about these days? Being a country girl, my first thoughts go to the marking of livestock with a familiar symbol to show ownership. Then I thought about brand names of the products we use on a daily basis.

I suppose that internet branding is a bit of both. A product or service provided by a familiar source is more likely to get my attention than one shown to me by a source I know nothing about.

For the longest I had been reluctant to put up a real picture of myself on the internet, even knowing that it was important to "Branding" me. Then after a while I began to see the same faces in the different traffic exchanges that I surf, and I felt like I knew them, like maybe they were "friends", if you will.

Tim Linden, owner of StartXchange (Traffic Exchange) wants to know what my favorite post on his blog is. Besides the one where he shows all of us a picture of his new baby daughter, my favorite is the first one that he did with a video of himself talking about a conference he had just attended in DC. The reason it is my favorite is quite simply, because it allowed me to get to know Tim a little better. It made him more of a real person than just seeing photos did. So when Tim Linden, the owner of one of the longest running traffic exchanges online today, did that first video, it gave me an even better sense of what kind of person he is.

That's what branding is all about. Making yourself and/or your business known and more familiar to your audience. Building trust. Establishing yourself as a competent, reliable source for providing a service and/or product of value.

Yes, I think it is important to be "Branded".

Don't be grateful for what didn't happen!

2008-09-26T08:21:00.002-04:00

I am not the most eloquent of writers, but I do love
to read a good one.  That is my main reason for
posting some of the daily articles I receive.  Most
of them really don't need any comment from me to make
them readable. 
Here's one I got yesterday afternoon:


Shooting Yourself in the Foot

            "What you focus on is what grows"
                   - - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have you ever heard the old saying, "Big gates
swing on little hinges?" What it means, of course,
is that sometimes little things are what determine
the outcome of big things.

Obviously we want to get the big things AND the
little things all lined up together so we create
what we want in life.

Unfortunately there's one little idea that it's easy for
you to get wrong - with gratitude, and with affirmations,
and with visualizations. Then you wonder why "none
of this stuff works!" I made this mistake for years.

Want to know what that is? It's really simple. You
focus on what you DON"T want instead of what you
DO want. Then you wonder why you get more of what
you don't want.

If you have financial issues, do you focus on getting out
of debt? If you want a relationship do you focus on not
getting another one just like the last one? Are you
grateful for what didn't happen instead of what did
happen?

If you want consistency in your results, you'll need
to train yourself to always focus on what you want
and eliminate the negative framing of your desires.

You don't want to get out of debt, you want healthy
and prosperous finances. You don't want to avoid
another bad relationship, you want a loving, exciting,
joyful, spiritual relationship. You're grateful for a safe
trip, not for not having an accident. See what I mean?

Where you're focused, what the picture is that you
have in your mind, is what you're ordering from the
Universe. If you're not getting what you think you're
ordering, check to make sure you're not focused
on the negative by mistake.

And don't be grateful for what didn't happen!

Here's to having a lot to be grateful for,
Wes

PS - Remember to go to dailygratitude.com and
give us your comments.

Daily Gratitude Newsletter
Volume 4, Issue 16 - September 2008
Putting Gratitude To Work For You

Mind your Manners

2008-09-23T11:57:00.002-04:00

I have often wondered, as in the article that follows, where were the
parents of today's young adults when it was time to teach respect and
just plain, good manners?  Things like:  Thank you, excuse me, please,
or may I?

I think Mr. Burg makes a fine point...

* Manners Make Money
   by Bob Burg

Do good manners and showing proper respect make one money? Sure,
though not necessarily directly. What they do is provide a person
with one more avenue for adding value to a relationship and, it's
the adding of value to a relationship that helps one increase their
income.

If you're in a customer service position where you get paid the
same amount of money regardless of what a person buys, it's easy to
think the above does not apply. But it does, for two reasons:

#1 You are training yourself to act the proper way when you "can"
profit directly. And, as T. Harv Eker, author of the book, "Secrets
of the Millionaire Mind"  <http://www.amazon.com> writes, "How you
do anything is how you do everything!" Good habits are vital.
Repetition is key to forming good habits. 

#2 As Wallace D.Wattles teaches in his 1910 classic, "The Science
of Getting Rich" (to download for free visit
<http://www.ScienceOfGettingRich.net>), your goal is to become "too
big for your place." In other words, by providing so much value you
are putting yourself in a position for advancement . And it's often
amazing how - and in what form - that advancement comes. (Space
permitting, it would have been fun just to share some of those
kinds of stories). 

This brings me to an incident - actually a series of incidents  -
at a local market where I buy pre-cooked, healthy food. I love this
place. The food is great, the owners are nice, and everyone goes
out of their way to serve.

The one challenge is the young (between 18-25) men who take the
orders at one particular department have the habit of addressing
their customers with names like, "bud" or "man."

Other than that, they are nice young men but I don't agree with
their greeting. It's not right; it's not proper to address people
significantly older than you are by saying, "What can I get you,
bud?"

Of course, I could say nothing . . . but that wouldn't be me. I
don't feel it serves *them* to believe there is no consequence to
that kind of lack of respect. So, a couple of times, I gently (keep
in mind, it's how you do it - always with tact and kindness)
offered that they were welcome to call me "Bob." When they still
didn't "get it," I suggested that - at twice their age - I'm more
comfortable with being called "Bob" then I am being referred to as
"Bud."

A couple of them understood; a couple didn't. (Again, let me
emphasize, they meant nothing disrespectful; they simply didn't get
it. It didn't register with them. It was obvious from my
observation that they had absolutely no understanding of this
concept. Of course, this makes me wonder where their parents have
been for  . . . oh, I don't know, the last 20 years or so of their
lives, but that's another story.) 

One day, the manager - always a friendly and outgoing gentleman -
acknowledged how much I shop at the store and elicited my feedback.
I told him how impressed I was with the food and general service. I
then asked if I could share a thought with him, but without getting
anyone in hot water. He said "absolutely."

I then told him my concern and he agreed completely. I said, "Of
course, they are welcome to call me Bob. I'm an informal kind of
guy." He replied, "You know Bob, in our day, we used to have
another name for customers . . . either 'sir' or 'ma'am.'"

"I agree" I replied, but I think in this case it's enough just for
them to understand the "why."

He was fine with that and it's obvious that a staff meeting was
held shortly thereafter and that a new policy had been implemented.

Yesterday, however, a new young fellow was behind the counter. My
friendly demeanor changed to very neutral when he addressed me as,
"Hey man, what can I get you?"

"Feel free to call me Bob."

Apparently, he remembered what he was taught his first day on the
job and then referred to me as "sir."

Personally, I'm good with Bob. I think he's better off with sir. At
least until he forms the right habit. He seems like a really nice
kid and it thrills me to know that he is now putting himself into a
position of growth.

I hear politicians quite often use "The Children" as the excuse for
burdensome taxation. Perhaps one of the best things we can do for
"The Children" is to teach them some basic manners. They'll be
happier, healthier and wealthier, and will pass the same along to
*their* children.

Manners do count, and they make a difference in one's personal
effectiveness and long-term income. Yes, eventually, manners even
make money.


-----------------------------------------

Bob Burg  <http://www.burg.com> is co-author with John David Mann
of "The Go-Giver" (Portfolio). To check out the book and receive a
fr*e download of Chapter one, visit http://www.TheGoGiver.com. Burg
is also author of "Endless Referrals", "Winning Without
Intimidation" and "The Success Formula."

Hallelujah!!!!

2008-09-16T22:58:00.003-04:00

Just got some absotively, posilutely, fantabulous news...the Hermit made it thru IKE!!!

He still has no internet, but he and his roomies are okay...

I think this is an excellent time for blessings to be counted...

blondie just spoke with him about an hour ago. Can't wait to see his smiling face back here on the 'net.

Pardon me while I go do a little Happy Dance.......

PS I did not intend to leave out Jim's family in the above...no, far from it...they are definitely 'blessings to be counted'! I am very happy that all are well.

God Bless America

2008-09-11T15:13:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to say that I send my deepest condolences to those that lost loved ones on 9-11-01 and I still feel the emotions of that fateful day, here seven years later. I lost my sister on Sept. 6th, 2003, and a cousin whom I had lost touch with, died on Sept. 08, 2008. My birthday, and my son's birthday are this coming weekend. Needless to say, this is a very emotional time for my family. I just want to send out warm, peaceful vibes, if you will, to all that are affected by the events of this month of September.
God Speed to my friend, Jim King, in Houston and our family members in and around the area of Texas that is facing the Storm, Ike.

Above all, GOD BLESS US, EVERY ONE...

Cat
p.s. And, yes, I am smiling...that's what a peaceful, (although melancholy) heart can do...smile and be grateful for all the good that is abundant in my life...

My husband has a Dog

2008-08-28T15:43:00.003-04:00

I know. I'm a cat person and I live with an awesome dog person. A very generous and loving Dog Person. His dog is a Yellow Lab, 2 years old, and full of energy. And he loves my husband, dearly.

And he loves to roam. Herein lies the only problem I have with this beautiful creature. He simply will not stay on our property. 20+ acres he has to explore, and where does he want to be (when we are not outside watching his every move)? The neighbor's yard! On either side of us, it doesn't matter. And he knows as soon as he's 'caught' over there, he has to return to his pen. Yet, for some reason it is worth it to him to have five minutes over there and then spend several hours in the pen.

Neither my husband, nor I want to see this 'Yeller Duck Dawg' as we lovingly call him, penned up. At least not for hours on end...So we have purchased a radio controlled invisible fencing system. It will take while to get it set up, placing flags at the perimeter of his new 'free space', getting the settings just right, etc. Then will come the interesting part. During a two week period we are to teach this critter what those white flags mean. There will be a beep when he gets close to the boundary, and if he chooses to challenge it, he gets a bit of 'tingling' correction from his collar. We shall see.

My husband's dream of an old yeller dog laying by the fireplace, (or at our side on the porch) may depend on our ability to teach this dog a new trick...STAY HOME!!!

Two moons on 27 August 2008

2008-08-27T10:59:00.002-04:00

Greetings (Earthlings...lol),

27th August...

Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky in August.

It will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. This will happen on Aug. 27 when Mars comes within 34.65M miles of earth. Be Sure to watch the sky on Aug. 27 12:30 am . It will look like the earth has 2 moons.

The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287.

Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE TODAY will ever see it again

Note: Apparently this is a hoax that has been going around the internet for some time now...(why?)
I fell for it, my friends very diplomatically brought it to my attention, and I do appreciate it.
Here is the link sent to me by Jim (hermitjim):
I found this link that I thought you might like to
see...http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/space/081934/mars-as-big-as-the-moon/

Wanna See a Cupcake Table?

2008-08-22T08:15:00.005-04:00

This is the Bride's Cake table for my daughter's reception. The display table gave 150+ cupcakes the look of a wedding cake. I was so pleased to be able to borrow that table! It really made the whole display, in my opinion. The cupcakes were strawberry, funfetti, chocolate, white, and lemon.

This was the Groom's Cake table...yes it's camo! My son-in-law is an avid hunter. His table held about 50 chocolate iced, camo cupcakes. I air brushed shades of green and added chocolate sprinkles to give them that outdoor effect.

I have a wonderful assignment coming up

2008-08-20T16:53:00.003-04:00

This weekend, I am making a cake for a friend's parent's 60th Wedding Anniversary! It is not often (in fact this is my first), that one has an opportunity to create a cake for an occasion this special...a couple celebrating 60 years together!

I will be making royal icing roses for the next few days as they will be the border on both the full sheet (24" x 18") and the two tier (12" and 8" squares) stacked cakes. The roses are to be tipped in shades of lavender and violet. I think these cakes will be simple but elegant. My friend requested red velvet, french vanilla, and chocolate flavored cakes. I will probably do a cream cheese buttercream icing for the red velvet tier (12" sq.)

So, if I am not around, rest assured that I AM around...I'll just be in the kitchen creating roses, and cake, and icing, and smellin' up the house somethin' wonderful...lol

Serenity

2008-08-18T12:02:00.005-04:00

I receive Insight of the Day in my mailbox each morning and wanted to share this morning's edition...

Serenity

Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control. Its presence is an indication of ripened experience, and of a more than ordinary knowledge of the laws and operations of thought.

A person becomes calm in the measure that one understands themselves as a thought evolved being, for such knowledge necessitates the understanding of others as the result of thought, and as one develops a right understanding, and sees more and more clearly the internal relations of things by the action of cause and effect, one ceases to fuss and fume and worry and grieve, and remains poised, steadfast, serene.

The calm person, having learned how to govern themselves, knows how to adapt themselves to others; and they, in turn, reverence their spiritual strength, and feel that they can learn of them and rely upon them. The more tranquil a person becomes, the greater is their success, their influence, their power for good. Even the ordinary trader will find their business prosperity increase as one develops a greater self control and equanimity, for people will always prefer to deal with a person whose demeanor is strongly equable.

The strong, calm person is always loved and revered. They are like a shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a sheltering rock in a storm. Who does not love a tranquil heart, a sweet-tempered, balanced life? It does not matter whether it rains or shines, or what changes come to those possessing these blessings, for they are always sweet, serene, and calm. That exquisite poise of character which we call serenity is the last lesson of culture; it is the flowering of life, the fruitage of the soul. It is precious as wisdom, more to be desired than gold, than even fine gold. How insignificant mere money seeking looks in comparison with a serene life - a life that dwells in the ocean of truth, beneath the waves, beyond the reach of tempests, in the eternal calm!

How many people we know who sour their lives, who ruin all that is sweet and beautiful by explosive tempers, who destroy their poise of character, and make bad blood! It is a question whether the great majority of people do not ruin their lives and mar their happiness by lack of self-control flow few people we meet in life who are well-balanced, who have that exquisite poise which is characteristic of the finished character!

James Allen
1864-1912, Author

Sent to you as a courtesy of:

Trevan and Leslie Householder
http://www.ThoughtsAlive.com
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Ever heard of Guerilla Gardening?

2008-08-13T08:19:00.003-04:00

Being one that loves the beauty of any garden, I thought it was such an intriguing title that I had to check it out (click the title)... Turns out it is taking over a public or private spot in (usually) an urban area and planting a garden there! Along sidewalks, empty lots, medians, on ramps to the freeway...Food, foliage, or flowers, whatever will grow there.
At first I was just a bit appalled at the thought of someone coming onto "MY" property. But then I thought, if it's not being used and someone can make it beautiful and/or productive, why not? Of course, I live out in the country, so I personally have not experienced this. And yet, I can see the potential of sharing something positive in an area that may have negative vibes all around it.
So, if you see on the news one day, a happy little woman tending a garden in the traffic island of some city street...think of me and SMILE!

Was this YOUR Childhood in Black and White?

2008-07-21T15:39:00.011-04:00

This is another email that was sent to me today:

Childhood in Black and White.

You could hardly see for all the snow,
Spread the rabbit ears as far as they go.
Pull a chair up to the TV set,
'Good Night, David. Good Night, Chet.'

My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning.

My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter and I used to eat it raw sometimes, too.
Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in ice-pack coolers, but I can't remember getting e.coli.

Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of in the pool (how boring).

The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the PA system at school.

We all took gym (not PE) and risked permanent injury with a pair of high top Ked's (only worn in gym) instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors. I can't recall any injuries, but they must have happened because they tell us how much safer we are now.

Flunking gym was not an option, even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be much harder than gym.

Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem, and staying in detention after school l caught all sorts of negative attention.

We must have had horribly damaged psyches. What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat and everything.

I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself.

I just can't recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations.

Oh yeah. Where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed!

We played 'king of the hill' on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of Mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked.

Now it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.

We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either because if we did, we got our butt spanked there and then we got butt spanked again when we got home.

I recall Greg Agee from next door coming over and doing his tricks on the front step, just before he fell off. Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house. Instead, she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a neighborhood run amuck.

To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family. How could we possibly have known that?

We needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes? We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills that we didn't even notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac! How did we ever survive?

TO ALL OF US WHO SHARED THIS ERA, I WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING.

Author Unknown

Cat's note:
I did not write this, but for the most part, I COULD have. Life certainly changes from generation to generation, doesn't it?

Don't forget to smile like ya mean it...

Good to be 'Detached'?

2008-07-15T13:58:00.001-04:00

The Power of Detachment

By Robert Ringer

Detachment is an incredibly powerful tool that I wish I had understood much earlier in life. There are many things from which you can detach yourself, and one of the most important is the habit of judging people, actions, and circumstances as being right or wrong, good or bad.

As Deepak Chopra says in The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, when you are constantly classifying, labeling, and evaluating, you "create a lot of turbulence in your internal dialogue." The more internal bickering that takes place, the less time and room (in your mind) for constructive thinking.

Worry, irrelevant thoughts, and fears only add to this internal bickering. All of these are abstracts from which you should make a conscious effort to detach yourself. Even more important is the necessity to detach yourself from needing the approval of others. When you are attached to peer approval, you tend to make bad decisions.

Then there is the pain and discomfort of your present situation. The more you struggle against the unpleasant circumstances of the moment, the more time and energy you waste. It's okay to want things to get better down the road, but don't waste time and energy wishing things were different than they are right now.

Accepting your present situation means detaching yourself from the pain it is causing you. Philosophically, you should learn to accept pain as a normal part of life. Which means, paradoxically, that the best way to eliminate pain is to not try to eliminate it. The more you fight pain, the more it is likely to persist.

Above all, learn to detach yourself from specific results. Practice the art of being flexible. Understand that circumstances constantly change and that things rarely work out precisely as planned. The results you end up with may be much different from the results you were after, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will be less satisfying. If you are too attached to a specific result, it shuts down your creativity.

As with peer approval, when you are too attached to a specific result, you have a tendency to force decisions. And forced decisions are most often bad decisions.

The quickest and most certain way to achieve a goal is to mentally focus on what you want, and attach very strong feeling to wanting it. If you picture a result without attaching strong feelings to it, it's no more than a thought. And that's where the subtle connection between desire and letting go comes in.

Having strong feelings about wanting something in your life is a good thing. The stronger your feelings, the better. But, at the same time, you have to let go and allow it to come to you - perhaps in a different form than you expected.

If a specific objective becomes an obsession - if you believe that you can't be happy without achieving it - your feelings pass the point of diminishing returns and your focus becomes counterproductive.

All this does not mean that you should permanently resign yourself to the circumstances of your currently bad situation. Nor does it mean that you should give up your desire or intention for a specific result. What you should give up is your attachment to that result. Or, as Chopra puts it, you should "accept the present and intend the future."

When you become adept at detachment - from pain, from evaluating and classifying everything that crosses your path, from precise results - it gives you the time, energy, and mental clarity to focus on the single most important activity for overcoming an impossibly bad situation: exploiting opportunities.

What opportunities? The opportunities that are part and parcel of every "impossible" situation.

Based on personal experience, I am convinced that the greatest opportunities lie in the eye of the storm - at the very center of your worst problems.

Use your will to detach yourself from your impossible situation and, instead, spend your time cultivating the opportunities it has brought into your life - keeping in mind that such opportunities may be heavily camouflaged.

[Ed. Note: If you're ready for a treasure chest of proven ideas, strategies, and techniques that are guaranteed to dramatically improve your dealmaking skills - and, in the process, increase your income many times over - you won't want to miss out on Robert Ringer's best-selling dealmaking audio series, A Dealmaker's Dream.

And sign up for his Voice of Sanity e-letter here.]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

The Law of Compensation

2008-07-02T09:29:00.002-04:00

Law of Compensation

Crowd out all inferior thoughts by superior thoughts, evil thoughts by good thoughts, ugly thoughts by beautiful thoughts, distressing thoughts by pleasant thoughts, and you will begin to overcome the growth of all negative and confused states of wrong and discord. In other words, learn to think constructively of all persons, all things, all events, and all circumstances. Appraise them from the ideal point of view. As you do this you will gradually transform your whole existence for the better. These are the means whereby you may steadily promote your welfare and advancement.

As you train yourself to mentally look for the good, you will move towards the good; and, as you form higher and larger conceptions of the good, these elements will begin to find expression in your words, acts, character, person, talents, powers, attainments, and achievements; that is, all things in your life will commence to improve as the direct result of your improved thinking.

This process does not imply, however, that you are to ignore the wrongs of life, the empty places, and the undeveloped states of being; but that you are to think right through and beyond them towards the hidden good or the principle within that is ever seeking a higher and fuller expression. You will, therefore, cease to condemn and to criticize in a destructive manner; instead you will seek to bring out the good in yourself and in others, and to discover and develop the greater possibilities everywhere.

Raymond Holliwell
Sent to you as a courtesy of:

Trevan and Leslie Householder
http://www.ThoughtsAlive.com

"What you think of me is none of my business"

2008-06-24T22:41:00.002-04:00

That is one of my favorite sayings. It comes from a book by the same name from author and motivator, Shakti Gawan.
On the other hand, though, is being grateful for the opinions of others as a way to balance your inner self. Take the criticism and the compliments both and use them as tools in your personal growth. Read a little more about the gratitude side from Wes Hopper, below:

Other People's Opinions

"Favor and disgrace are equally problematic.
Favor lifts you up; disgrace knocks you down.
Either one depends on the opinions of others,
and causes you to depart from your center."
- - Tao Te Ching

I'm always amazed at how much real wisdom was known and written a long time ago. We get so involved in the newest technology and scientific discoveries that we tend to think that our generation must be really smart compared to those poor ignorant souls of the past.

Well, being smart and being wise are two very different things! There's a reason why many ancient teachings are called "wisdom traditions" and not "smart traditions." In my experience, smart can get you into a lot of trouble, wisdom can keep you out.

The quotation from the Tao Te Ching that I have above is over 2,600 years old, but its wisdom is timeless. One way in which we can have a very emotionally upsetting life is to allow ourself to depend on others for our self esteem.

I think that we all know that we can't let the negative comments of others get to us. We learn from experience to "shake it off" and go forward. But, as the Tao points out, we need to be just as unaffected by compliments as we are by criticism!

Why should that be? We all love compliments, right? But compliments can be addictive and actually make us more vulnerable to criticism, if we depend on them for positive reinforcement. Because, as the Tao says, we are depending on the opinion of others and departing from our center. Our self esteem should rise up out of the center of ourselves, in our confidence that we are doing our best, and that we're just fine.

Compliment addiction can also distract us from our purpose in life if we begin to do what we know will bring compliments rather than doing what we know is truly ours to do. Look at the lives of the people who have really accomplished something magnificent and you will see that they had to be indifferent to both criticism and compliments to pursue their dream. They stayed true to their center.

From a gratitude standpoint we can be equally grateful for compliments and criticism, seeing each as an input that we can examine and, if we choose, use as feedback to improve. But if we use either one to determine how we feel about ourselves, then we're in trouble.

Is there anything in your life that you're not doing because of potential criticism? Is there anything that you are doing that you'd rather not, but you don't want to give up the compliments? That's something to think about.

In gratitude,
Wes

PS - Remember to go to dailygratitude.com and give us your comments.
© 2008 Wes Hopper. All rights reserved.
Feel free to pass the above in its entirety to anyone you wish.

Do it every day

2008-06-13T12:14:00.002-04:00

Smile! Count your Blessings! Make someone happy! Send out "Good" Vibrations.

These are easy things to do every day. Not only every day, but all day...every time you think about it. Then it becomes a habit.

Here's a quote from Henry David Thoreau:

"As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a
single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a
deep physical path, we walk again and again.To make a deep mental
path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to
dominate our lives."

This positive thinking stuff has been around for a long time...

I personally prefer the positive to the negative and choose to have a happy outlook for every day. I enjoy many simple pleasures, and will continue to be thankful for each and every one...Every Day...All Day...

Made in China

2008-06-10T13:24:00.007-04:00

I just read this email from a relative. I get things like this all the time, and usually don't forward them on. The reason? I sometimes think that some of these emails are a bit radical, and maybe a little unfounded. And I also wonder how many email addresses get 'harvested' from these emails.

I wonder just how effective the internet world actually is in a situation like the boycott described. Could we actually make that big a difference? Is it worth the inconvenience of doing without what could amount to the majority of items we deem necessary in our daily lives? I have been paying a little more attention to where some of the 'stuff' I buy is coming from, and it is amazing how many things are 'made in China'.

Anyway, here is the email for your perusal:

Are we Americans as dumb as we appear --- or --- is it that we just do not think?

While the Chinese, knowingly and intentionally, export inferior and even toxic products and dangerous toys and goods to be sold in American markets, the media wrings its hands and criticizes the Bush Administration for perceived errors.

Yet 70% of Americans believe that the trading privileges afforded to the Chinese should be suspended.

Well, duh..why do you need the government to suspend trading privileges?

SIMPLY DO IT YOURSELF, AMERICA !!

Simply look on the bottom of every product you buy, and if it says 'Made in China ' or 'PRC' (and that now includes Hong Kong ), simply choose another product, or none at all. You will be amazed at how dependent you are on Chinese products, and you will be equally amazed at what you can do without. Who needs plastic eggs to celebrate Easter?

If you must have eggs, use real ones and benefit some American farmer. Easter is just an example, the point is.. do not wait for the government to act.

Just go ahead and assume control on your own.

THINK ABOUT THIS If 200 million Americans refuse to buy just $20 each of Chinese goods, that's a billion dollar trade imbalance resolved in our favor...fast!!

The downside? Some American businesses will feel a temporary pinch from having foreign stockpiles of inventory. Wahhhhhhhhhhhh

The solution ?

Let's give them fair warning and send our own message. Most of the people who have been reading about this matter are planning on implementing this on June 4, and continue it until July 4.

That is only one month of trading losses, but it will hit the Chinese for 1/12th of the total, or 8%, of their American exports. Then they will at least have to ask themselves if the benefits of their arrogance and lawlessness were worth it.

Remember, June 4 to July 4.

START NOW.

Send this to everybody you know.

Show them we are Americans and NOBODY can take us for granted.

If we can't live without cheap Chinese goods for one month out of our lives, WE DESERVE WHAT WE GET!

Pass it on, America

Attraction, Good or Bad

2008-06-02T17:02:00.002-04:00

I am a firm believer in this...
And I have to admit, I haven't always been aware of this concept. I have gone through some rough periods throughout my life, but the most recent one was where I actually put into practice this concept and am reaping the benefits on a daily basis...

Attraction

Have you ever spent time wondering why many good people continually attract negative situations into their lives while others seem to attract nothing but beautiful situations into theirs. This concept contains power, possibility, and promise if you will use it.

You are God's highest form of creation. You are a living breathing creative magnet. You have the ability to control what you attract into your life. There have always been small select groups of individuals who are aware of how to work in harmony with this natural law of the universe: The Law of Attraction.

This law clearly states you can only attract to you that which is in harmony with you. Everything in the universe vibrates. That is based on the Law of Vibration. That includes your mind and body. Look at your body through a microscope, it is a mass of energy that is moving and vibrating. Your mind controls the vibration you are in at any given moment. You control your mind by the thoughts you choose. No one can cause you to think something you do not want to think. This is where freedom comes in, this is also where the problem begins with most people. They permit what is happening around them to determine how they think. They have become the play-thing for outside forces.

Ninety percent of the population wish positive but think negative. Their negative thoughts puts them in a negative vibration which by law determines what is attracted into their lives. As a creative individual you will continually attract good things into your life by thinking positive thoughts and expecting the best life has to offer. You deserve it.

Sent to you as a courtesy of:
Trevan and Leslie Householder
http://www.ThoughtsAlive.com
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Here's what I constructed for a friend yesterday

2008-06-01T10:37:00.002-04:00

I love to "build" cakes...this one was a surprise for a friend's husband...he HATES john deere. Everything at the party was john deere green and yellow...lol.

This cake is a full sheet--24" x 18"--Big one!

SMILE!!!

2008-05-30T09:59:00.005-04:00

I had just finished reading my daily insight email which I am posting below, when I went on over to visit my friend, hermitjim's blog. It is amazing how things work together...

What I Know About Smiling

The other day, the birthday boy in my daughter's first grade class said to me, "You smile all the time." I hear this a lot. Basically, it's my nature, an emotional set point of sorts.

I remember, however, a more awkward time in my life when this wasn't yet true. In about 8th grade, I was paging through my American Girl magazine and came across an article about how to make more friends. I took notice, because although I did have friends, my best friend since age 3 was choosing to hang out with other girls (and boys) rather than me, and I was feeling rather blue. The only thing I remember about the article was that it mentioned smiling - "people would rather be with someone cheerful, so smile a lot."

It felt a little foreign at first, but I remember consciously practicing, smiling throughout the day. I didn't tell anyone about it, and aside from that few days of "working"on it, I didn't think much about it for nearly two years. It wasn't until I exchanged school pictures with a cute friend who signed the back of his senior picture for me and mentioned that he appreciated my (frequent) smile. I realized in that moment that I had internalized the advice in the article. Smiling had become my habit, a part of my personality.

My next experiment on smiling came my junior year in high school French class. My classmate and I were bored. We were tired of conjugating verbs and reading French literature, and somehow came up with the idea of smiling for the remaining 20 minutes of class. From this place of boredom, we set out with wide grins on our faces. We poked each other now and then when we thought the other was slacking. What I quickly learned was that this "fake" smile tricked me into believing it was real, and it started turning into a true smile. I could sense my spirits rising to meet that smile and could feel the happiness and joy bubbling inside of me. Smiling became easier for the remaining time we had left. It quickly escalated into laughter. Trying to stifle the laughter in order not to be noticed by Madame made us laugh even harder. Our cheeks were hurting and we were holding our stomachs, relieved and overjoyed to hear the bell ring. I may have learned more in that 20 minutes than I did the entire rest of the school year.

Years later my husband was reading Tony Robbins and trying out his suggestion of smiling in the mirror for 2 minutes to start your day. It was fun to watch his mood increase while grinning into the shiny glass in front of him. Remembering back to high school French class, I gladly joined in.

Fake it 'til you make it, and enjoy your day! C'est magnifique!

Jeanie Stewart

Jeanie is a writer and a smiler, living in Maui, Hawaii. You can reach her at: jeanieonmaui@gmail.com

Have a wonderful day!!! And S-M-I-L-E!!! Thanks, Jim! >^..^<

John McLean Wood comes home...

2008-05-27T11:29:00.002-04:00

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This says it all...

Welcome Home, Nephew!

Today I Will Make a Difference

2008-05-26T08:16:00.001-04:00

I have just gotten home from work and the following was in my inbox.

Today I Will Make A Difference

Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of their thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.

I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.

I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It's OK to stumble - I will get up. It's OK to fail - I will rise again. Today I will make a difference.

I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.

Today I will make a difference.

Max Lucado
From On The Anvil

I am very wealthy...

2008-05-24T20:19:00.002-04:00

I have untold riches...

I have a beautiful family, a brand new son-in-law (my first); a comfortable roof over my head; plenty to eat (mixed blessing...lol); a job I don't hate; friends all around me, both online and off; more things than I can even list!

I am so thankful for each and every one!

I am smiling...I hope you are, too!

This is what I did today...

2008-05-17T19:07:00.004-04:00

I was supposed to sleep today. I work tonite. I did not, however, sleep today...

I did this:

And, then I did this:

And then I took a nap.

So, how was your day???

I Like to Surf...

2008-05-10T12:23:00.006-04:00

I like to surf the net. I surf traffic exchanges, mostly. I have my websites added to the ones I surf so that I can accrue credits to advertise them on each exchange.

I surf with the sound turned off or down super low nowadays, because so many sites have auto-playing audio and /or video. I DO NOT like auto sound and video...I feel it invades my space...I cannot listen to music or anything else, for that matter, while I surf because, it inevitably is interrupted by someone's idea of new internet marketing.

Audio and video are great, in and of themselves...but when they are forced on me, I tend to run for the STOP button. If I want to watch or listen to video/audio, I would appreciate the choice to do so...the message that is being sent ends up being lost on me anyway, because I will usually disregard a site the next time I see it for the simple reason that they held no regard for me and my right to choose what I hear and see.

And there is one other aspect of auto-playing audio/video that annoys me...it slows down the page loading of websites considerably. I will click away from a page that is "forever" loading something in favor of one I can see quickly and easily.

There are many marketers on the internet that are pushing videos and audio right now...but I am not going to be one of them...You may see an occasional affiliate page with auto-something or other that I am advertising, merely because I haven't made a splash page for it, and if you think my advertising pages are 'old fashioned', that's fine by me.

I have a story to share...

2008-05-07T11:50:00.007-04:00

I am not a very good 'chatter'.

I say this, laughing at myself, because I was just over at another site surfing and chatting, and realized that I try to multi-task and may come off to some as rude. I get side-tracked easily. I don't mean to 'not answer'. And sometimes I even answer too much (?) and miss what the other person is saying.

I am making an effort to be more conscientious of my fellow chatters.

Now, after all that, I have something to say. I made a comment earlier today about being an Air Force brat part of the time I was growing up. Then it occurred to me that I have a story to share. It is about my father and a part of his Air Force career. He was lost at sea in a crash over the Bering Strait in 1969. There was nothing ever found of the plane. We knew very little about what had actually happened for so many years. Then came the internet...
A wonderful man named King Hawes created a website all about the program my father was involved in when he died. The story is fascinating. I urge you to visit it when you have some time to settle in and read for a while. My father's name was Robert Fox. Daddy's memorial page is 11, I believe. The link is: http://www.6srw.com/

You should also be able to click on the title of this post and go there.

Well, I think I'll go rattle around and see what I can get into...

Welcome Montage for Baby John McLean Wood

2008-04-25T13:41:00.003-04:00

My brother John's wife, Dell has a wonderful sister, Meredith, that created a montage of pics of the new "Prince".

You should be able to click on this posting's title and go there. I am new to this, so bear with me if it doesn't work...

Happy Earth Day for me....

2008-04-24T19:37:00.002-04:00

I am a brand new Aunt! My nephew, John McLean Wood was born on Earth Day, 2008.

You have to start somewhere

2008-04-21T20:24:00.000-04:00

Let's see, I am a 40-something female with a wonderful husband and three grown children. None of the kids are married yet, but we're workin on that.

I enjoy being online and have been for about 8 years now. I dabble in internet marketing. I have yet to really apply myself to actually make a living online...seems life keeps happening all around me and most times, that's more important than marketing.

Well, for now, I think I'll go and partake in the controlled chaos that is my home-life...lol