Beauty for Ashes

Remember last week’s post?  I wrote that any time I was invited and thought about attending a service it seemed that the universe was plotting against me?  Saturday was nothing new.  I’d been invited to a ladies’ retreat that ran from nine until three.  I woke up after nine, but I needed the rest, so I wasn’t really worried about the extra sleep.  I had a list of things to get done before I went, and that ended up taking longer because I sat around with coffee too long.  After a quick shower, though, I was on my way.  I figured I’d arrive during the lunch break since it seemed like a logical time to avoid interrupting.  Before heading to the church, I took out the trash and stopped at the store for some necessities.

While in the store, I ran into someone, and we started chatting.  Time escaped, as it does, and I noted it was after one while I was in the checkout line.  I drove up the block to the church anyway and pulled into a parking space right in front of the door.  That rarely happens, and I took note of it.  It was, again, chilly, but I dragged my carcass out of the car anyway.

The pastor’s mother-in-law was the guest speaker, and her message was from the book of Isaiah.  She noted the multiples of three in his message.  I’d never realized that before.  At the end of the meeting, we ladies were given a rose for ourselves and a rose to share.  I brought mine home to my Bela.  They serve as a lovely reminder that all women are beautiful.

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Valentine’s Day

It’s really just another regular day.  Why wait until February 14th to show love and friendship?  Wait!  I remember—so the stores can sell flowers and gifts!  For businesses, it’s one more special day of sales.  It’s a bit like living like a devil all week and heading to church on Sunday.  You’re not fooling anyone!  There’s surely nothing wrong with buying a loved one flowers or a card, but one day a year means little compared to the other 364 days.

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When I had a valentine, we showed each other love every day.  It happened with the little things.  A kiss at breakfast, a phone call on break and chatting over coffee before bed.  We had love and respect every day.  How many couples can say that?

Sometimes I hear a woman refer to her partner in a derogatory way.  My take on that?  Well, honey, you chose to be with him!  I remember once in the store, this lady was nearly screaming at her husband in the baby aisle.  My man and I exchanged an incredulous look when we heard that.  The look we shared said it all.  We’d never treat each other that way because we had a foundation of friendship and respect underneath the love we shared.

Why not show your valentine love every day?  You don’t need a special day set aside for love and friendship.  You may be wondering why I add “friendship” to the mix.  In Mexico, Valentine’s Day is referred to as the Day of Love and Friendship (amor y amistad).  Adding friendship is better than forced affection and desperation for lack of a valentine, right?

Entrepreneurs

Every time I look on social media, I see new advertisements designed to sell me something.  That’s fine because I’m smart enough to decide between “need” and “want.”  I also understand that people have to make a living, and many times one full-time job isn’t enough.  That’s when I started noticing the businesses in my town.  I wonder if it’s a phenomenon in larger places or if it’s something unique to my town of (more or less) five hundred residents.  It could be that jobs are not very plentiful in smaller towns like mine, so people have to be creative and make their own jobs.

One lady designs and sells T-shirts; another advertises nail wrap parties.  Then there are small-town entrepreneurs selling Tupperware, Mary Kay (which I love), Avon, cleaning products, candles, natural oils and health supplements.  Another personal favorite of mine—Thirty-One Gifts.  One enterprising woman has finally opened an Etsy shop to market her hand-made scarves.  I’m surrounded by businesswomen.  I might even be able to count myself as one of them.

My main sideline is placing foreign exchange students, but now I’m exploring selling photos on iStock.  There are other options as well if I look.  I could write articles for magazines or newspapers (which I have done in the past), or I could even bake cupcakes.  🙂  No matter what business, the main thing is to advertise and make contacts.  After all, it’s not only about selling; it’s about building a personal brand and a reputation people recognize and respect.  Maybe we small-town businesswomen can help each other as we build our personal brands.  Why not?  Let’s grow those networks!

In the meantime, if you are remotely near “my area” and need any of the aforementioned products, please let me know!  I can sure put you in contact with a friend!

https://www.jamberry.com/us/en/

https://www.etsy.com/

http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/

http://www.marykay.com/

http://www.tupperware.com/

http://www.istockphoto.com/

http://www.academicyear.org/

The Spirit is Willing…

…but the flesh is weak.  Believe me because I know all about it!

I was invited to Sunday’s service because of a special guest from Chile.  The invite was days before, so I had time to decide and plan.  I set Sunday’s alarm for 8:30 so I’d have plenty of time if I wanted to go to Sunday school at ten or the service at eleven.  I got up, had coffee, checked email and everything else online.

I was undecided about going to church until almost 9:30, but then I managed to take my shower and get dressed.  You know how it goes—every reason NOT to go crops up in a matter of minutes.  The wind was vicious and cold.  I hate to walk into a meeting that’s already in progress.  I don’t know what to wear.  I’m tired.  I could read a book instead.  I took all of those excuses as a sign I probably should just go.  I warmed up the car and drove to the church.

I pulled in at about 10:40.  I knew it was class time, so I waited for ten minutes.  The wind was still nasty, and I was still cold, but I dragged myself out of the car anyway.

I finally got the sanctuary door open and was welcomed inside.  They had coffee and bread set up for everyone.  Jim was an interesting speaker who spoke about Chile and the work his ministry does there.  They focus on children being raised by single moms or grannies.  He takes food to the homes if needed and tells them about the love of Jesus.  Since Chile is a Spanish-speaking country, I expected to chat with him in Spanish later, and I did.  He also shared that he had encountered a deaf child, so the team members were learning sign language.  My friends know I speak Spanish and have studied sign language as well.

Teams are welcome to come and help with construction and more.  That might be our next trip.

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Like a Boss

 

You know how it is, right?  Sometimes the money doesn’t stretch quite far enough, and the month has just begun.  Am I the only one that feels this pain?  I don’t think so!  But sometimes a miracle takes place, and I walk out of the grocery store like a boss….

When I grocery shop, I usually send up a quick prayer for good sales and wisdom to shop well with what I have available.  Today I paid on my grocery store account—all I could afford—then I rolled my buggy around the store looking for deals.  My local store has a bargain bin for things that might be a day or two out of date, but the food is still good.  I found quite a few useful items in there.  I also hit some awesome sales!  I walked out of the store like a boss with plenty.  My freezer is full, and I have food to cook.  Now the next issue is how to plan meals to make it all last as long as possible.  I better get to planning!

I Could…

 

I woke up to the message that school was canceled for today due to snow and icky weather conditions.  “Icky” is the technical term used here.  I appreciate the snow day, but, due to indecision, I typically waste the gifted time.  I could clean house, of course, but there are so many other options—fun ones.  (I hate cleaning the house!)  I already fed the critters and made us hamburgers.

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I could work on a quilt, finish knitting a scarf that’s been in the works for months, count my many blessings, drink more coffee, read a book, waste time on the computer :), write more, dance around the living room, fold laundry or maybe even go play in the snow.  So many choices.  Sometimes there are too many choices, and I end up doing nothing.  Can I get an amen?

I’m going to give today’s schedule a bit more thought—and get a fresh cup of coffee.  I’ve already counted my blessings, but it wouldn’t hurt to do it again.  Cleaning the house is out of the running since it’s the least appealing option.  Playing in the snow sounds fun, but then I consider that I’d have to shower and get dressed before going out.  (Yes, I would.)  I’m fairly sure I’ll get the laundry done soon as well.  Dancing around the living room probably won’t happen…I’d feel too silly, but I might play with the pups!  I guess the important thing is to get off of the computer and get moving in whatever direction I choose, right?  I’m out of here!

 

 

Stigma or Strength?

This post consists of my opinions only.  The statements are all based upon my own experiences and feelings.  If you are offended, I’m sorry.

Way back many years ago, I was forced by circumstances to use food stamps and HUD to keep a roof over my child’s head.  I was a young mom, and my ex refused to pay child support.  I hadn’t yet gone to college, so my job possibilities were limited.  To make things worse, I had made another bad partner choice.  I felt like I was stuck in a hole.  Was any of it my fault?  Yes, but I wanted more out of life.  In the beginning, I just wasn’t sure how to get it.  My self esteem was in the toilet, but I new there had to be a way out.

I remember the days before SNAP cards resembled credit cards.  I had to count out the actual food stamps with people in the line behind me trying not to pay attention.  It was mortifying.  For me, that humiliation and stigma served as a push stepping stones out of the hole.  I wanted to be able to support myself and not be embarrassed buying food.

I had to meet with a case worker on a regular basis to keep getting services, so I learned how to get into the community college.  When I expressed an interest in college, my partner said he’d “just have to leave” if I enrolled because I’d find a replacement for him.  (It wasn’t a bad idea, actually!)  I was confused because a true partner should be in favor of improving the family’s economy, right?  I applied to the college and filled out a mountain of forms including the FAFSA for grants and loans.  If not for the PELL and SEOG grants and child care services, I wouldn’t have graduated and transferred to the university.  As for my partner at the time, I called his bluff.  After wasting years of my life with him, I had had enough.  He had to go.  College was about me being able to earn a decent wage to support my daughter.  He was wasting my resources—food, money, energy.  He contributed nothing, so I learned how to eliminate people who were unwilling to contribute to my well being.  It was a hard lesson, but I learned it well.

I finally graduated with a BA, and then I proudly went to work.  I do not know what the current statistics are concerning recipients of public assistance getting out of the hole, but I have the feeling that many don’t make it out.  There are many reasons for this, and laws have changed since I was a recipient.  I sympathize with people who want a better life and are willing to fight for it.  It’s not easy.  In my case, the stigma of using food stamps made me strong enough to get my education and do better.

 

 

Bejewled Booty

Since our local dog groomer will be out of commission for February, I scheduled a bath for my little terrier mix, Boxita.  (Her name is pronounced “Boshita.”)  I took her in Saturday because she had dreadlocks forming on her head, and she smelled icky.  She’s the sweetest dog ever, and she doesn’t fuss about much, but she does not like riding in the car.  Once she gets to Cindy’s, she’s mostly fine with whatever happens.  Cindy adores all her dogs and treats them like the darlings they are.

I went to get my baby in the afternoon.  Cindy always puts a cute little bandana around her neck, so that was all I was expecting.  When Boxi came careening out of the grooming room, she had a little Valentine heart on her back.  Adorableness overload!  I tried to get a clear picture of the full effect, but Boxi wanted to run and play when we got home.

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Flashback!

 

I look fondly back on our trip to San Diego.  Ysabela and I had a great time.  I was surprised at how dog friendly the whole city is.  Hotels and other businesses set out bowls of fresh water to quench the thirst of promenading pooches.  Our hotel (Hotel Z) even provided dog bone treats.

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Hotel Z–dog friendly!

We definitely enjoyed the shopping as well.  I got to see things that we do not have in our small rural town.  I love Frida Kahlo, and I was wishing I had more “fun money” with me.

I would love to have a few more days in San Diego, and I’m sure Bela would agree.

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