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Grateful Monday – 11/27/2011

28 Nov

I love my grandchildren, they are a special joy and blessing to me. I was able to have Thanksgiving on Sunday with 3 of the 6, and with my dad. My son’s family would have come, but their car broke down, and they couldn’t make it. But it was so much fun to hang out with the ones who could make it and listen to their conversations and join in. I really am blessed to have my 3 children and their 6 children as my grandbabies. It was a lot of fun to be together. My Dad is always so much fun, and the grandbabies of course love him as much as he loves them! We had a wonderful afternoon together!

I keep running through things in my mind. I had a very tough week last week, so that made my time with my family even nicer. I’m so happy I have my goals list and my life plan in place and growing now. It has made the rough patch I’m in a little easier to deal with. Changes are in the air again and I want to believe I am prepared for them. The new job is good so far, still just getting broken in to my new routine. I have come up with an idea for helping myself with my business too which I will share with you over the next 3 days. So, a very productive weekend with lots of fun family time thrown in! Here are a few points of gratitude to add to my running list:

1. I’m grateful for the holidays and the time we plan to spend with family.

2. I’m thankful for grandsons who like to write sweet notes.

3. Grateful my granddaughters wanted to make cards for their Poppa. He was so proud of his turkey cards!

4. I’m happy for the new job, and the opportunity I will have with an extra day off to pursue a couple of other ideas.

5. Change. I will be grateful for it, but it also frightens me sometimes. I’m a creature of habit, and eventually the new routine will be natural. But for now it’s still new.

6. For reassurance from God a couple of days ago that I’m on the right track.

7. Grateful that I was also reminded that God’s love and comfort are real and available to me, if I want it.

8. Grateful that my grandkids jumped right in to make cards for me to send to the Red Cross for service people (Holiday Mail for Heroes).

9. I won a blog award, and I am really grateful for the encouragement it gave me.

10. I’m grateful for my readers and bloggy friends. That means you!

Hope you are having a grateful Monday, and that you have a great week! Talk to you tomorrow, Angela

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Posted in gratitude, lists

A Few Traits of Successful People

23 Nov

Have you ever wondered why some people just seem blessed from birth, while others struggle to survive? I have as well, and during a recent meeting I picked up a few traits that successful people have in common from the discussion. The guest speaker had gathered her information from several different sources, and found most of these traits on everyone’s list. As you are reading, look for areas you are accomplished in as well as areas you could work on. I was surprised by a few of these as well, maybe you will be too.

1. Successful people are positive people.

2. They aren’t critical of others, don’t sit around pointing out how others have failed.

3. They don’t get a reputation for talking behind people’s backs. Now isn’t THAT refreshing!

4. They don’t complain. They are doers.

5. They smile a lot and build relationships, help others solve their problems.

6. Successful people aren’t finger-pointers. If there is a problem, they look for the solution instead of the blame. They don’t worry about who’s fault it was to begin with, instead they begin to work out the problem and give the responsible party the opportunity to see it isn’t as big a deal as it could be, and they will usually jump in and become part of the solution. Sometimes things just go wrong too, no one is to blame, many times though people can get so caught up in trying to blame someone they never get the problem solved.

7. Successful people are responsible people.

8. They are excited about opportunities. “You miss EVERY shot you don’t take.” Wayne Gretzky I may have missed a few, but I’m taking a new shot right now!

9. Successful people can apologize. They take responsibility for their mistakes and actually say, “I’m sorry, what can I do to fix the situation?”

10. They are slow to make decisions, but quick to tweak if a problem occurs.

11. Successful people believe in the power of networking and they do it regularly.

12. They are optimistic and persistent, can be very focused and not easily distracted. Look! There’s a squirrel!

13. They do less things, but they do them well.

14. Open minded, looking for new ideas while maintaining current responsibilities.

15. They embrace change. I really need to work on this one.

16. Successful people take advantage of advances in technology. I’m trying to figure Twitter out, really I am!

17. They forgive themselves for mistakes. That’s a trait we can all work on I’m sure.

18. They take their supplements. No really, they do. They look for ways to improve their performance, energy and attention span.

19. They learn to avoid energy drainers, whether it’s certain people, situations or activities. If it slows their enthusiasm down, they learn to delegate these things to others.

20. To be successful we need to learn to be kind to ourselves when we are falling behind. Kicking ourselves around because we didn’t do everything perfectly is counter productive to true accomplishment.

21. Successful people learn to listen to their own body. When it tells them they are tired, they schedule a break or make time to rest.

22. Successful people also honor their core values. Learn what these are for you and avoid situations that compromise those values.

23. Women don’t take up enough space. Successful women learn how to stand out in the crowd, being true to themselves and their beliefs. It’s not easy in today’s world of constant compromise, but work towards being the one that can enjoy leading, and do it well and with integrity. Men should do this as well, but there are many more successful men in this world to date than successful women. We can do it! Stay true to yourself!

24. Following that point, women talk differently than men and use different body language as well when communicating. Aggressive personalities may see the common head nod a woman gives in communication as acquiescence, when we just think that we are agreeing with a point. Women, if you are in the business world, hold yourself tall and strong, believe in yourself and find others that believe in you as well, to help encourage you to continue standing tall and strong even on the bad days.

25. Successful people don’t fidget. They are confident, and walk with that air. They don’t act superior, just confident. There is a difference.

So, which of these traits do you see in yourself, and which would you like to grow in? I’ve mentioned a couple I need to work on as we went along with the list, please share your challenges with me in the comments. I would love to hear from you! Now get out there and have a successful week! Thanks, Angela

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Posted in lists, overcoming

Fun Fact Friday 11/18/2011

18 Nov

It’s Friday! Time to check out some odd-ball news, quotes I like, a few strange facts and some things that might make you pause and go “hmmmmm.”

Karl Slover (L), Margaret Pellegrini (C) and Meinhardt Raabe (R)

Picture Credit: Yahoo News

Another Munchkin leaves for Oz: ‘Wizard of Oz’ Munchkin Karl Slover dies at 93. The 4-foot-5 actor died of cardiopulmonary arrest Tuesday afternoon in a central Georgia hospital. According to friends, as recently as last weekend, Slover appeared at events in the suburban Chicago area.

Karl Slover, born Karl Kosiczky on September 21, 1918, was 21 years old when he auditioned for the “Wizard Of Oz” movie, and in the process met the other 123 little people with whom he worked through a grueling two month production schedule. “Standing four feet four inches tall, I was the smallest Munchkin,” recalls Karl. “I couldn’t even reach the doorknob.” He is best known for being the first trumpeter in the film but he also was one of the Munchkin soldiers, the only sleepy head boy in the nest of Munchkin eggs, and, one of the singers who led Dorothy down the yellow brick road. He had four parts total. After completing the “Wizard of Oz” he joined the “Original World Famous Singers Midget Show” and sang and danced across America. He also appeared in several movies. His advice to having a long life–”Just do the best you can. Enjoy what you have. Enjoy where you live. Most of all, remember what Judy Garland said in the movie, There’s no place like home.”
Source: IMDb Mini Biography By: John E. Blazier

Another great article about Mr. Slover can be found here at Yahoo News.

Fact Finders

It took less than 6 months to film the beloved 1939 movie version of ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Filming began on October 13, 1938. It ended on March 16, 1939.

Many of the Wicked Witch of the West’s scenes were either trimmed or deleted entirely, as Margaret Hamilton’s performance was thought too frightening for audiences.

During the haunted forest scene, several actors playing the Winged Monkeys were injured when the piano wires suspending them snapped, dropping them several feet to the floor of the sound stage.

The horse of a different color in Emerald City palace was colored with Jell-O crystals. The relevant scenes had to be shot quickly, before the horses used started to lick it off.

The Wizard of Oz ranked #1 on the American Film Institute’s list of the 10 greatest films in the genre “Fantasy” in June 2008.

A personal fact for me, this is my all time favorite film.

Quotables

Wizard of Oz: Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

Scarecrow: I haven’t got a brain… only straw.
Dorothy: How can you talk if you haven’t got a brain?
Scarecrow: I don’t know… But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking… don’t they?
Dorothy: Yes, I guess you’re right.

Cowardly Lion: I do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks. I do! I do! I do! I do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks. I do! I do! I do! I do!

Wizard of Oz: to the Tin Man: A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others.

A Humorous Note to end with:

Judy Garland won a pint-sized Oscar Juvenile Award at the 1939′s Academy Awards. She referred to it as the Munchkin Award.

Acknowledgements: http://www.imdb.com/

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Posted in humor, lists, memories

Grateful Mondays 11/14/2011

14 Nov

Well, last week it wasn’t the change in seasons I was sharing, it was some of the current struggles I am experiencing and what I was hoping for. This week I have already had some positive changes come my way. God’s goodness is very real! I am changing jobs next week, and yes, this is a positive thing. I’ve really needed a change, and everything opened up for me on Wednesday. Yay! I am still planning on making some vision boards with the girls, and moving forward with a couple of personal business ideas: alterations and maybe some sewn creations as well as continuing with Juice Plus. So the new job will be a great place to start my new beginning.

The recent loss of my friends and family members has made me keenly aware of my own mortality. I have always felt like God has a plan for me. A favorite verse of my friend Kathy’s was Jeremiah 29:11- “I have it all planned out – plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” Maybe I’ll pull a Cowardly Lion line from the Wizard of Oz: “I do believe! I do believe! I do believe! I do, I do….I do believe…!” Here are the things I am grateful for this week:

1 Family: it was youngest Daughter’s birthday yesterday, I am so grateful for my children and my family.

2. Friends that are loving and caring, standing with you when you have problems and concerns. Thanks for checking on me, listening to me and encouraging me through all of this.

3. New beginnings. New job starts 11/21.

4. Other birthday’s for friends this month, time to get out the cards and let them know how much I love them.

5. Celebrating the birthday of grandkids too! My sons youngest son turned 8 last week. It’s amazing how fast the grands are growing.

6. Fall colors! Fall is a beautiful season.

7. I am grateful for my readers. Today I would like to mention Marissa of Me, You and Creamed Corn. I love getting to know you all, and Marissa your encouraging words always touch my heart and bring a smile. If any of you have a chance pop over and say hello.

8. I am very grateful for special moments with the grands. The youngest grandaughter popped into my room a couple of days ago and caught me working on some dolls I hope to make and give them for Christmas. I have a face of one finished, and she grabbed it and said: “I love dis!” It took a little coaxing to get it away from her. Already knowing she will love it really made my day.

9. I’m so grateful for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Two wonderful holidays to celebrate all the things we are grateful for and to celebrate with those we love! It’s gonna be so much fun!

10. I am looking forward to the future I am hoping for. I hope you are too.

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Posted in gratitude, Holidays, lists

Fun Fact Friday 11/11/11 Binary Edition

11 Nov

It’s Friday! Time to check out some odd-ball news, quotes I like, a few strange facts and some things that might make you pause and go “hmmmmm.” Today is last binary day we will have until 1/1/2100. So let’s celebrate the wonderful world of binary numbers and history while we’re still here! We will also be investigating the number 11.

The answer is: there is no 4 in binary.

Binary Dates and Facts in the News:

The Great Blue Norther of 11/11/11 (November 11th 1911) was the biggest cold snap in U.S. history. Many cities broke record highs early that afternoon. By nightfall, cities were dealing with single-digit temperatures on the Fahrenheit scale. This is the only day in many midwest cities’ weather bureau jurisdictions where the record highs and lows were broken for the same day. An example: The temperature in Oklahoma City stood at 83 °F in the afternoon, until a cold front arrived, dropping the mercury to 17 °F in before midnight.

Other events of 11/11/1911 -

Kaiser Wilhelm II rebuked the Crown Prince for openly siding with the opposition to Germany’s policy on Morocco, and sent the Prince to Danzig.
The German battleship SMS Kaiserin was launched at Kiel.
A tornado struck Janesville, Wisconsin, killing 20 residents
The French film Zigomar premiered in Japan, and became an unexpected hit, particularly among kids who had never seen violence portrayed on stage. When Japanese producers began making their own Zigomar action thrillers, “scores of juvenile offenders were produced”, and Japan’s Home Ministry responded with strict censorship.

10/10/1911 – The Wuchang Uprising starts the Xinhai Revolution that leads to the founding of the Republic of China.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 (11/11/1918), an armistice was signed that ended World War I The anniversary of this day is still celebrated as Veterans Day in the United States. It is also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world.

The Apollo 11 mission was the first manned mission to land on the Moon.

Sun spots are dark spots on the surface of the sun. Sunspot activity increases and decreases on an 11-year cycle. The next sunspot cycle is expected to occur by late 2011 reaching it’s peak in activity in 2012. Sunspots have intense magnetic fields which are associated with magnetic storms on earth. Radio reception on earth is also affected by the sun spot cycle. The Sun’s magnetic poles will remain as they are now, with the north magnetic pole pointing through the Sun’s southern hemisphere, until the year 2012 when they will reverse again. This transition happens at the peak of every 11-year sunspot cycle — like clockwork.

The millennium’s last total solar eclipse occurred on August 11, 1999. It was the most-viewed total solar eclipse in human history. The track of this eclipse began in the Atlantic a few hundred miles east of Boston, MA, swept northeast across the ocean reaching totality in Cornell England at11:11 a.m. It swept across Europe to the Black Sea, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and India, ending in the Bay of Bengal.

On August 18, 1999 (one week after the total solar eclipse), a poweful and rare configuration known to astrologers as a “Grand Cross” is formed in the heavens. A Grand Cross alignment occurs when four planets, or sets of planets, line up opposite one other in fixed signs of the Zodiac (Aquarius, Leo, Taurus and Scorpio) forming a cross, with Earth at the intersecting point. Many believe that this event was references in the Biblical Book of Revelation as the Four Beasts of the Apocalypse. There was a weaker version of this configuration on January 11, 1910.

Binary Quotes

Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two. Buddha

I see the player piano as the grandfather of the computer, the ancestor of the entire nightmare we live in, the birth of the binary world where there is no option other than yes or no and where there is no refuge. William Gaddis

“I’ll miss 10:10 on 10-10-10 but I’m sure it will be amazing for people sitting by the clock watching it all happen.” –Blogger Kelly Oxford

Uncle Owen: “What I really need is a droid who understands the binary language of moisture vaporators.”
C-3PO: “Vaporators? Sir, my first job was programing binary load lifters very similar to your vaporators in most respects.”
(from Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope)

Think About It

Some definitions of the number 11:

1. 11 as a number stands for revelation.

2. 10 being the number of ordinal perfection, 11 is perfect organization plus one, or one extra. One more than required, an extra measure, something more than only what is required.

3. 11 brings the gift of spiritual inheritance, is gifted as the “Light-Bearer”. Strengthened by the love of peace, gentleness, sensitivity and insight. Greatest facility is the awareness of Universal relationship, 11 represents The PeaceMaker

4. The binary number 11 is 3 in decimal.

5. To represent 11 in binary it is 1011.

Humor

There are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don’t. (10 in binary is 2 in decimal.)

I tend to think of myself as “binary-curious”.
Binary clock

This just goes to prove that mathematicians shouldn’t make jokes, as I was telling Pythagoras only yesterday.

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Posted in History, humor, lists

My Updated Plan

09 Nov

Edit! 11/10/11 Hot news! We have a winner in my coupon giveaway, it is Sasha W! So check your email and get back to me pronto! Thanks!

Back in July I shared my ongoing life plan in this post. If you didn’t read it way back then, you may want to check it out first to have all the info about what I’m hoping to accomplish with this list. There are a few things that I have completed, for other items on the list I have updated the expected completion date. There are a few new things added as well. The coach that helped me, Alan Melton, suggested a list of 101 goals for my life.

1. Review my plan with accountability partners quarterly Quarterly

2. Read and share my values and vision with someone weekly or more Ongoing

3. Visit Hatcher Garden for stress reduction Ongoing

4. Eat my veggies (5 alive- 5 servings of raw fruits and/or veggies a day) Ongoing

5. Keep meeting new people through Chamber, PNC, etc Monthly ongoing

6. Reduce “white death”- white sugar, white flour, bleached foods

7. Join a church for support group Ongoing

8. Keep meeting new people Ongoing

9. Read Philippians 4:8 frequently: “…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

10. Try recipes I have been collecting in a notebook Monthly

11. Get passport together December 2011

12. Get Callenetics recorded to DVD July 2011

13. Begin regular self development for career and income. Audio, books, seminars ongoing

14. Transfer my “vacation mentality” into weekly/daily breaks ongoing

15. Find ways to be a servant leader ongoing

16. Clean and straighten all my bookshelves December 2011

17. Read lots of positive thinking books and listen to tapes ongoing

18. Consider using positive affirmations July 2011

19. Redesign my sewing area (Yay! My first list accomplishment) July 2011

20. Take regular vacations to the beach May 2012

21. Begin exercise program- walking in morning (while praying)? Nov 2011

22. Develop daily/regular blog posts Oct 2011

23. Clean/reorganize dresser area Dec 2011

24. Develop Juice Plus business: set income goal for business Dec 2011

25. Develop a business plan for Juice Plus Jan 2012

26. Learn how deep the earnings go with Juice Plus and set the other people under me up with new people. Jan 2011

27. Share my plan with five other people: Boyfriend, 4 others Sept 2011

28. Learn how to tweet Nov 2011

29. Sell my stuff on Etsy Dec 2011

30. Make curtains and tablecloth for Boyfriend Feb 2012

31. Recover chairs for Boyfriend Feb 2012

32. Daily blog entries/Facebook/Twitter /Linkedin Dec 2011

33. Check out TweetDeck to enter a post once to multiple social media Dec 2011

34. Set up Linkedin acct for blog Dec 2011

35. Make Raggedy Ann dolls for my grands Dec 2011

36. Make decision(s) about career(s) Dec 2011

37. Develop other sources of income: blogging, business ventures Dec 2011

38. Investigate teaching classes on the types of sewing I know how to do Dec 2011

39. Follow through with business plan for sewing business Dec 2011

40. Create my mission statement Jan 2012

41. Design a garden for my yard. Jan 2012

42. Write a blog that makes money. Jan 2012

43. Finish this list. Feb 2012

44. Make my own clothes again. Feb 2012

45. Finish organizing my closet – tear it apart and redo it. Mar 2012

46. See the Statue of Liberty May 2012

47. Get in shape and retain it June 2012

48. Lose 30 pounds June 2012

49. Develop 30 hour workweek July 2012

50. Fly in a hot air balloon Aug 2012

51. Skydive Aug 2012

52. Refresh French Aug 2012

53. Go hang gliding Sept 2012

54. Learn Spanish Jan 2013

55. Learn to swing dance Jan 2013

56. Learn Free motion sewing techniques Mar 2013

57. Publish a book Sept 2013

58. Visit Alaska 2013

59. See Northern Lights. 2013

60. Meet the girl and her family I am supporting through Compassion in Guatemala 2013

61. Develop $75,000 in total income from businesses and salary Dec 2013

62. Pay off my Discover debt. Dec 2013

63. Save $100,000 Dec 2014

64. Begin paying extra (Discover payment) on home mortgage Jan 2015

65. Buy a Harley Davidson Soft Tail Deuce Dec 2015

66. Buy 1 brand new Mustang. Dec 2015

67. Visit the Australian Outback 2016

68. Visit Hawaii 2016

69. Make 2 baby quilts Jan 2012

70. Develop new pages for the blog: hops, link ups, deals, yardsale ? Jan 2012

71. To start ministry that helps people own their homes Dec 2016

72. See the Grand Canyon. May 2017

73. Travel to outer space, experience weightlessness 2019 or as soon as it’s publicly available

74. Pay off my mortgage Dec 2021

75. Retire at Folly Beach. Dec 2021

That’s my list of goals to date. As I said, I am still working on it. I will continue to update as I create new items too.

The following are a list of the things I have accomplished in my life in the last 5 years. I will be adding to it as things on the goal list are completed.

Accomplishments

Divorce (if you knew my situation you would understand why this is an accomplishment. )

Started new career

Bought a house

Grown closer to family

New circle of friends

Many missions trips

Paid off VISA Card and I no longer use this card

Hired a business coach to develop life plan

Took vacation in 2011

Sewing area organized July 2011 #19

Creating regular blog posts as of Aug 2011 #22

Shared my plan with more than 5 people, and continue to share it Sept 2011 #26

Have Callenetics on DVD Oct 2011 #12

Learned how to Tweet, Nov 2011 #27

Daily entries on Facebook and Twitter, regular blog posts, Nov 2011 #31

Again, this is being shared for 2 reasons. First, to help me be accountable to the things I would like to accomplish. Secondly, to hopefully encourage some of you to try this for yourself. It is very similar to what some people call a bucket list. If you start your own, please let me know and I will be glad to share a link of your ideas and plans as well. In the meantime, excuse me please. I’ve got work to do. Thanks, Angela

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Posted in lists, My Plan

Grateful Mondays 11/7/2011

07 Nov

Pitch Your Tent In The Land Of Hope

Today I want to share a little about where I am spiritually. God is always a part of my life, even though I’m not a blogger that writes only about the things He is doing for me. I’m not called to that, I’m called to this variety of things you have seen and read. But today, I wanna share a little of my current struggles and belief issues.

All around us, God’s goodness is on display. The question is do we see it? The scripture talks about how God was in the midst of people, but they didn’t recognize Him. Too many times, God is working in our lives, showing us favor, protecting us, sending us good things, but we don’t recognize His goodness. For example, if you’re in a crowded parking lot and a car backs out so you can get a front row space, that’s the goodness of God. If you’re going through a difficult time and a friend stops by out of the blue and cheers you up, that’s the goodness of God. David said I have pitched my tent in the land of Hope. What are you hoping for today? Do you need to see goodness and love, favor and hope? Where have you pitched your tent, what are you believing for today, trusting God to help you with today?

Listening to an old message from Joel Osteen I realized I have not pitched my tent in the land of Hope at all right now, more like the land of being overwhelmed. I wish I had a better job, a better situation at work, my own business, to be able to create the things I see in my head. But I’ve all but given up hope. . . and I didn’t even realize it until I was hanging on to the message being shared. I had almost let go, but this message showed up just in time to help me hold on. A little more of God’s goodness in my life maybe? I think so.

God wants to bring the things I’m hoping for to pass, I need to add my faith to the situation so I can believe these dreams can be reality. Positive thinking and books like the Secret have many of the same principles at work in them. I just don’t have to do it all alone like I’ve been feeling.We really do draw things to us by our belief. Sometimes bad or hard stuff happens that we aren’t hoping or believing for, that is also a part of life. But what am I consciously doing to believe for the changes in my life I want to happen? TD Jakes use to say to “Get ready! Get ready! Get ready!” Another verse just came to mind that talks about having your lamps ready and full of oil instead of needing to run out into the darkness to fill them. It’s time for me to fill my lamp, but what will that mean for me?

Maybe making a vision board would help me, having what I would like to see happen in my life in front of me so I can pray over it, believe for it, hope for it. I think that is part of what God wants me to do to activate my belief that these things can happen. Besides, it’s fun to get out old magazines and cut pictures out and create a scene, kinda like a collage of my future life. I’m sure my granddaughters would like to help me too. We can make boards for them too.

I will also be sharing my updated “Plan” in a few days that I was working on back in July. I’ve been updating it, and think it’s time to share it again. That’s another thing I can do to help feed the hope in me. So, what am I grateful for today?

1 & 2.Struggles and God’s goodness: I’m grateful for struggles, so I can see God’s goodness show up and work them out with me.

3. Recognizing God in my life.

4. Parking spaces

5. Precious friends

6. Realizing I can move my tent.

7. Having hope to pitch that tent in.

8. Being reminded my dreams can become a reality.

9. Something good is going to happen to me, that’s trust.

10. For ministers like Joel Osteen and TD Jakes.

11. I am grateful for the ability to “fill my lamp” and move from depression to hope.

12. Fun things to do to encourage myself like the vision board, and the granddaughters to eventually work with to create them.

13. Hope.

Who do you listen to, watch or read for encouragement? I would to have you share in a comment. HOPING you have a great week too! Talk to you soon, Angela

Acknowledgements: Tent Picture: http://www.etsy.com/blo more...

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Posted in gratitude, lists

Fun Fact Friday 11/4/2011

04 Nov

It’s Friday! Time to check out some odd-ball news, quotes I like, a few strange facts and some things that might make you pause and go “hmmmmm.” Also a quick reminder to go to Wednesday’s post to enter our current giveaway, one easy entry per person.

Image From Nasa/Reuters

Strange News: Yahoo News – Planet Like ‘Star Wars’ Tatooine Discovered Orbiting 2 Suns: When Tatooine was depicted on film in the Star Wars films, many scientists doubted that such planets could really exist. Now there’s proof.

“It’s possible that there’s a real Tatooine out there,” said John Knoll, visual effects supervisor at the special-effects firm Industrial Light and Magic, which was behind the “Star Wars” films. “Kepler 16b is unambiguous and dramatic proof that planets really do form around binaries.” The new discovery is expanding the bounds of what scientists, as well as filmakers, can conceive, he said. “Again and again we see that the science is stranger and cooler than fiction,” Knoll said during a NASA press conference. “The very existence of these discoveries gives us cause to dream bigger, to question our assumptions.”

The planet, dubbed Kepler-16(AB)-b, passes in front of both stars in view of the satellite, regularly dimming their light. Each star also eclipses its companion as they orbit each other. Altogether, these motions allow scientists to precisely calculate the masses, radii and trajectories of all three bodies. Worlds that orbit around two stars, known as circumbinary planets, had been hinted at before. Stars in pairs both orbit around a point in space called barycenter, and researchers at times saw these orbits were slightly off, suggesting the presence of a planet tugging at both stars. However, Kepler-16(AB)-b is the first planet that scientists have detected directly passing in front of, or transiting, its stars, temporarily dimming their light.

Since the movements of this world and its two stars are all virtually confined to the same plane, the researchers suggest they all formed from the same disk of dust and gas. Planets that were captured from other star systems might be expected to orbit at a range of angles. “Now that we know how to detect circumbinary planets, I think we are going to find a lot more rapidly,” Doyle told SPACE.com. The scientists detailed their findings in the Sept. 16 issue of the journal Science.

: Image from the Huffington Post

LONDON (Reuters) – Gary the Kit Katfish Goes On a Diet: An exotic Asian fish fed exclusively on Kit Kat chocolate wafers his entire life has been put on a fruit-based diet by his new owners at London’s Sea Life Aquarium. “Gary” the giant gourami, a species of freshwater fish native to parts of South East Asia where it is farmed for food, is 40 cm long (16 inches) and tips the scales at 4 kg (9 lb). The fish’s refusal to eat mystified staff at the aquarium until they discovered that its previous owners fed it entirely on Kit Kats, the chocolate confection made by Swiss-based global food company Nestle.

“I have never heard of a fish being fed chocolate, let alone being brought up entirely on the stuff,” Rebecca Carter, Gary’s handler said in a statement on Sea Life’s website. “Gouramis usually eat a diet of fruit but Gary doesn’t appear to have suffered any ill effects from his chocolate addiction. However, we would not recommend feeding fish confectionery of any kind!” Aquarists had to stuff crumbled Kit Kat pieces into grapes and pieces of banana to wean the fish off chocolate and onto a more conventional diet.

Gary is just one of a number of fish that have been taken in by the aquarium after their owners were no longer able to care for them. Staff have even been dubbed one display the “tankbusters,” as it houses several fish that grew too large for their owners. “Many people don’t do the right research when they buy fish and end up unable to care for them,” said Carter. “Catfish are a good example and we have a number here that outgrew their homes. We’d urge people to think before they buy. We’re delighted we could find a home for Gary but the fact is we simply do not have the space to accommodate the vast number of re-homing requests we receive.”

It’s probably a good thing Gary was not relocated here. In the south, most fish that size end up as dinner, not as pets.

Fact Finders, Fishie Facts -

There are over 25,000 identified species of fish on the earth.

It is estimated that there may still be over 15,000 fish species that have not yet been identified.

There are more species of fish than all the species of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals combined.

40% of all fish species inhabit fresh water, yet less than .01% of the earth’s water is fresh water.

The spotted climbing perch is able to absorb oxygen from the air and will crawl overland using its strong pectoral fins.

Some fish like sharks don’t posses an air bladder to help keep them afloat and must either swim continually or rest on the bottom.

Quotables:

Space is the breath of art. Frank Lloyd Wright

For the wise man looks into space and he knows there is no limited dimensions. Lao Tzu

One of my all time favorite quotes: That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind. Neil A. Armstrong, Commander Apollo 11, as he stepped off the LM ‘Eagle’ and onto the Moon in the Sea of Tranquility, 20 July 1969

It is good to renew one’s wonder….. Space travel has again made children of us all. Ray Bradbury

To set foot on the soil of the asteroids, to lift by hand a rock from the Moon, to observe Mars from a distance of several tens of kilometers, to land on its satellite or even on its surface, what can be more fantastic? From the moment of using rocket devices a new great era will begin in astronomy: the epoch of the more intensive study of the firmament. – Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky, Father of Russian Astronautics, 1896

Think About It…

Did you know that if you put Saturn in water it would float?

How fast were you going? We are moving through space at the rate of 530km a second….zoom zoom zoom.

If you weigh 100 lbs, your weight on the Sun would be 2707 lbs. (multiply your actual weight by 27). I may use the sun as my next weight gain excuse.

Did you know that moons are also called satellites?

The Sun rotates every 25-36 earth days.

Humor:

What swims in the sea, carries a machine gun, and makes you an offer you can’t refuse ? The Codfather

What does a Romulan frog use for camoflage?…A croaking device

What is the best way to communicate with a fish? Drop it a line!

What is the difference between a catfish and a lawyer?
One is a bottom-dwelling, scum-sucking scavenger and the other is a fish!

Fishing rule #1: The least experienced fisherman always catches the biggest fish.
Fishing rule #2: The worse your line is tangled, the better is the fishing around you.
Fishing rule #3: Fishing will do a lot for a man but it won’t make him truthful.

Acknowledgements: http://news.yahoo.com http://www.spa more...

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Grateful Mondays 10/31/2011

31 Oct

Prezzies!

I was talking to a friend over the weekend, and admitted to her that I fight to put this list together most of the time. It isn’t that I don’t have things I’m grateful for, or that I can’t admit it. It’s just very hard for me to intentionally write this list out, I have a lot of crap that seems to happen regularly. In the last few weeks I’ve lost family members and friends, I truly believe each one of them is now in Heaven, but the grief process is real too. Unfortunately other hard things are going on in my life, and as I’m sure you all know there is no pause button for us to hit to slow things down for awhile. I work very hard to remember that gratitude is a gift, a gift from us to God saying thank you and a gift from God to us of things to be grateful for. I hope those of you who are joining in with Ann Voskamp at Holy Experience to write these lists are not having the battle I seem to be, but if you are in this battle, don’t stop now. You don’t want to make camp in a hard place, keep moving! And just like me, keep writing out these lists so we can always be grateful. So, here is my latest edition.

Halloween preparations! The grandkids are so excited, and we worked very hard to let them play dress up and have fun. The picture of the jack-o-lantern from my Friday post was the one that the 7 year old did, almost all by herself. She and all 4 of her cousins made them at her aunt and uncle’s house a couple of weeks ago. It’s been so warm here that jack didn’t last through ’til Halloween, but we do have a few good pictures of him. It was all around fun!

Tuesday ended up being a very special if sad day. A very dear friend passed away last weekend, and I was able to finally spend some time with his wife and share in some of her shock at what had happened. We were able to share some wonderful memories, and I’m sure there will be much more of that to come at his memorial service today. I am extremely grateful for both of these friends, they have always been tried and true friends. No matter how long it is in between our visits, we ALWAYS pick up on the same page we left off on. They have been wonderful loving and encouraging friends since the first day we met. Eeyore, we will always love you and remember you. You showed us all what it meant to be a loving man of God and a true friend.

Wednesday was a business day I was grateful for. I am part of a networking group, and we had a wonderful meeting with lots of visitors. The room was buzzing as we were all trying to get to know everyone, and as far as I know everyone enjoyed it. It was just one of those days that for me, everything came together. I think having so many new visitors perked us all up, and one of our members always does a showcase. Nicole Martin of Raspberry Moon Skin Therapy did ours this time, and everyone enjoyed her talk. She did a fabulous job. As I said, all in all it was a great meeting, and really helped me have a better week.

Friday I was able to see my friend Roxana, who is home for a few weeks. She and her family have been living overseas. We use to talk nearly every day, with the time difference and distance we don’t get to do that right now. But we certainly made up for it Friday! . At least I did. I’m pretty sure I did the most talking, but having her there was so much fun! And she brought me the nice prezzies in the picture above. Wonderful chocolate, which she knows I adore, and even some lovely elephant coasters and a business card box. There was also a few pieces of the softest cotton that didn’t make it into the picture she found somewhere for me. I can’t wait to turn that into something! So lots and lots to be grateful for here.

Saturday I was spoiled. Boyfriend and I both had massages and I also got to have my ears candled. I have been sick with odd things, mostly sinusy type stuff, the last few weeks. I didn’t realize it, but my hearing was affected by all that gunk in my head as well as my vision. After the candling (2 for the right ear thank you very much!) I immediately knew my hearing was improved, and as we were walking out of the spa I realized I was seeing much more clearly than when I walked in. The funny thing was until both of these things improved I hadn’t realized I was having a problem with them. Thanks, Donna Beseda, for helping me.

On the way home we saw several gorgeous trees in their fall foliage. It’s not a full blown color fest here yet, but lots of trees are changing color. Here are a few of the pictures I took….

Saving the best for last.

God has blessed me, and I am grateful. I have wonderful friends and some great experiences to share because of that. Hope you are able to think of things you are grateful for too. There’s a saying on Pinterest that I like: Dear God: I wanna take a minute, not to ask for anything from You, but simply to say, “Thank You!” for all that I have. Thank You God. Thank you dear reader and friend, I appreciate you all so much! Have a wonderful grateful week! Angela

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Posted in gratitude, lists

Fun Fact Friday 10/28/2011 Halloween Edition

28 Oct

It’s Friday! It is almost Halloween!

Oh, Great Pumpkin, where are you? -Linus

Halloween is a fun holiday that attracts young and old alike. All over the world, more countries are adopting this Celtic turned American holiday not for any religious connections but for the sheer fun of dressing up and cutting loose for one night. And don’t forget the candy! Trick or treat, anyone?

Spooky News:

A jack-o’-lantern is typically a carved pumpkin. It is associated chiefly with the holiday of Halloween and was named after the phenomenon of strange light flickering over peat bogs, called ignis fatuus which means jack-o’-lantern. Many of us have carved these natural wonders and inserted a candle to give them the eerie glow we all know so well. However pumpkins were not the original source used for carving the jack-o’-lantern.

In Celtic times, turnips and gourds were carved for jack-o-lanterns. I guess their turnips grew bigger than the ones I use to harvest at home. Mine were never large enough to carve or hold a candle. The purpose of these Celtic carvings was to welcome deceased loved ones by placing them on porches and in windows. These turnips and gourds were also thought to act as a protectant against evil spirits. Burning lumps of coal were used inside as the light source, in years following to be replaced with candles.

Now we carve them and enjoy the fun of having an activity that kids and adults alike can enjoy and that will last at least a few days, depending on how warm the temperatures outside are. Designs run the gamut from the very simple and sweet to scary and creepy to completely complex. Another couple of interesting little pumpkin tidbits: they are a fruit, not a vegetable and Boston, Massachusetts, holds the record for the most Jack O’Lanterns lit at once: 30,128.

In 1964 Helen Pfeil, a Greenlawn, NY housewife was arrested for handing out arsenic-laced ant poison buttons as part of a self evident Halloween joke. Annoyed that many of the trick-or-treaters were ‘too old’ to be asking for the free candy, she made up packages of inedible ‘treats’ to give to the teenagers. The packages contained dog biscuits, steel wool pads and the ant buttons, which were clearly marked “Poison” with a skull and crossbones. She also took the precaution of telling the teenagers that the packages were a joke when she handed them out. There is no record of anyone being harmed by her actions, however since the potential for harm was there she was charged with endangering children and eventually received a suspended sentence after pleading guilty. I have yet to find any documented evidence on the internet that any of the other poisoned candy problems we have heard about have happened anywhere, but parents are always warned to be extra cautious with whom they let their children take candy from. I don’t think I would have been too happy if someone had given one of my teenagers ant poison for trick-or treat either.

Fact Finders:

Signs of a werewolf are a unibrow, hairy palms, and a long middle finger. I try to wax my eyebrows regularly.

Vampires are mythical beings who defy death by sucking the blood of humans. They conceal themselves by day now as despot bosses.

In 1962, The Count Dracula Society was founded by Dr. Donald A. Reed. To this day, there are vampire clubs and societies with people claiming to be real vampires. I vant to suck your blood…..

There really are vampire bats, but they’re not from Transylvania. They live in Central and South America and feed on the blood of cattle, horses and birds.

The common little brown bat of North America has the longest life span for a mammal its size, with a life span averaging 32 years.

Quotables:

Pixie, kobold, elf, and sprite,
All are on their rounds tonight;
In the wan moon’s silver ray,
Thrives their helter-skelter play. ~Joel Benton

There is nothing that gives more assurance than a mask. ~Colette

Hobgoblins know the proper way to dance:
Arms akimbo, loopy legs askew,
Leaping into darkness with delight,
Lusting for the ecstasy of fright,
Open to the charm of horrors new.~Nicholas Gordon

Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story. ~Mason Cooley

A gypsy fire is on the hearth,
Sign of the carnival of mirth;
Through the dun fields and from the glade
Flash merry folk in masquerade,
For this is Hallowe’en! ~Author Unknown

Think About It…

The tradition of wearing masks on Halloween comes from Welsh and Celtic traditions that claim the dead visit the living on October 31st. The masks were intended to keep the spirits of the dead from recognizing the living.

If you see a spider on Halloween, it is said to be the spirit of a loved one watching over you. I’m not a big spider fan, so this little thought would never cross my mind whether it was Halloween or not. Spiders are creepy.

Halloween is the third biggest party day of the year behind New Year’s Eve and Super Bowl Sunday.

In 2010, 72.2% of those surveyed by the National Retail Federation handed out candy, 46.3% carved a pumpkin, 20.8% visited a haunted house, and 11.5% dressed up their pets.

Of the $6 billion in costume sales for 2009, 62% of those sales were for adult costumes. I was Alice In Wonderland that year.

Humor:

Boo!

I’ll bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween.

Charlie Brown is the one person I identify with. C.B. is such a loser. He wasn’t even the star of his own Halloween special. ~Chris Rock

A grandmother pretends she doesn’t know who you are on Halloween. ~Erma Bombeck

There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin. ~Linus Van Pelt

PS: I am also a happy sponsor for the huge giveaway being held over at Randomosity for the fan page Toot Your Own Horn reaching 7000 likers. Click the link here to hop on over and enter! If you win my prize you will receive a one month supply of Juice Plus whole food concentrate. You can get more information on this wonderful product at my website, AngelaFitchJuicePlus . Thanks, have a great weekend! Angela

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Posted in Holidays, lists