Political Issues and Upheavals Galore...not a Place in God's Kingdom!

Hello! So much going on in the world today. On the home front, I am trying my hardest to survive my daughter's Senior year of high school! So much to pay for! And so little time to do it in. Then there's college. That's why I haven't dedicated much time to blogging. Plus, my job as Ad Creator keeps me focused on other challenges.
Recently, there has been some trouble in the church I attend. A few years ago, several members left. Well, once again, members are leaving. And once again, they tried to ostracize the preacher. Why is there so much turmoil in churches today? Everyone wants to be a chief and not an Indian! No one knows their place anymore. I typically don't preach sermons, but since this is my blog, so be it. Today, I preach. I am called to do it. The Lord makes certain demands of his followers. Be faithful unto death, He says. I try so hard to do just as He commands. I definitely would never disrupt church services the way this one gentleman did! Here's how it all happened.
A group of people were looking for a church to "call home". You know what that means. To settle down in one place and be of one accord, be like-minded. Things were going along really good until the men had their business meeting and then problems arose. Certain men didn't like how things were done or they were confused as to why the bank statement was posted for all to see. Well, FYI, a church is tax-exempt. Therefore, the general public can view how that church or any other organization spends its money. Just an FYI. So then a few weeks later, it was suggested that since we are a small congregation that we sell the church and move to another location. Not happening. Give more to the Lord is my suggestion! I used to limit how much money I gave but not anymore. What else would I spend it on? New shoes, clothes, etc. The Lord needs it more.
Then one gentleman didn't like that we were posting how much "Budget" money we needed. He actually opposed that word and would prefer "Expenses". That was changed. Guess what? They were still dissatisfied. One man even got up and cried once talking about brotherly love, yet he accused another one of being hateful. It was just that the one man's tone was reflecting how adamant he was about not selling the church. He wasn't being hateful. Now everyone has a budget to live by. Even a local church! It's how the congregation pays the electric bill, water bill, phone bill, supplies, teacher aids, and yes, even a battery for a clock! Not much good that does cause half of the people attending can't get there on time.
Then came the big fiasco! One Wednesday evening while everyone was ready to worship and have Bible study, one gentleman arose and started demanding that the preacher be fired and leave! It caused me to have heart palpitations. I was so upset. The preacher and my dad (my dad being a founding member) had to defend the church. And they did. Needless to say, the crowd who gathered to disrupt services did it to no avail. The Lord reigns supreme! Christians fought off Satan and his evil works of darkness! No, I'm not a fanatic on a rampage here. Just love it when the Lord wins!
Whatever was not working for this group of people is still unclear. Now they are spouting lies, trying to undermine the work of the church, and even called a "supporting church" about the preacher and tried to stop his support. Is that Christian love? Makes me wonder all this time if someone was being a hypocrite. It really hurts me deep down that they left. But at the same time I feel they deceived me everytime I shook hands with them. How did they really feel about me? Oh well, the Lord knows the heart of man. Forgiveness is what I am learning to understand now. Just as the Lord says we must do.

The Land of No Return

Catchy title huh? That's what I thought. This new digital scrapbook program I have is totally awesome but I realized one thing. Photos can be changed to black and white if they are pixelated too badly. But then those photos taken with a new digital camera do not have very many problems when put into Smilebox.  Here are a few more of my creations using this awesome program.

Until next time, Happy Scrapping! Traditionally, or otherwise!

Digital Scrapbook Templates

Smilebox has got you covered on digital scrapbook templates. Here are just a few I have recently finished. This program is awesome. You can add music and send these to your friends, family, and loved ones so they can view your scrapbook! You can post layouts to your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media networks. Readily available for all to enjoy.
It's easy with Smilebox. Just upload photos from your computer and drag them into your chosen format. Then click to share! You can store your layout on a USB drive, the computer, or email it to your account for safe keeping. The possibilities are endless! So get diggy scrapping!

To all Avon Representatives

Way back sometime between the last of March and the beginning of April, I signed on as an Avon representative. Being your own boss and setting your own hours is hard work! It was easy getting signed up (only $10.00). As I sit in a booth at a local Shoney's restaurant trying to keep focused and paying attention to all the sales hype the district sales leader was telling me about, I was excited to be adding some much needed money to my personal budget. She gave me a few campaign books and even some free merchandise in a neat kit. I had several items to take home with me and look over. I even got my own Avon website! How cool is that? And with today's technology; cell phones, Facebook, social media outlets, business cards, labels, etc., I can really make my small business grow!
Like I stated earlier, being my own boss is hard work! That is if you want to make money. I took my kit home and sat down and looked over every piece diligently. Turns out, it was so amazing and thrilling that I was going to be my very own boss, set my own hours, have a big house, drive a nice car, etc. Sales hype techniques that are thrown into the brochures. Nice pictures of cars, boats, vacation spots,and large homes that you could fit a circus in. All this is designed to persuade you that anything you desire is possible by becoming an Avon representative. Mind you, some women and men have achieved a lot of success by being Avon representatives because they have that mindset and determination to succeed. So after looking over my materials, I diligently wrote my name, address, phone number, and email on the back of my campaign books and sent out text messages from my phone that I was now selling Avon and if anyone wanted to look through my books, he or she could. Then I hopped on the internet using Facebook and Twitter informing all my friends and contacts the same thing.
Slowly, I began to build my first clientele. It was amazing and fun! I was beginning to see the results. Hey, I had my first order within a matter of minutes of my post. I had five customers within two hours! By the time the first campaign order went in (on credit thanks to Avon), I had a total order of $500.00! I began receiving emails from my upline congratulating me on my first order. Then came training! Yes, Avon has an online training program where each representative can work at his or her own pace. At the end of each session, a certificate can be printed out and emailed to the district manager where a prize may be given. There are so many other ways to motivate representatives. Sales hype gimmicks galore! But it's all for the benefit of the representative and what he or she wants to achieve.For my benefit, I have taken a few of the courses. The instructors really motivate you and tell you all the wonderful things you never knew about yourself, what is possible to achieve in Avon, how one can rise above the position where they are now, achieve success, and determine how far you will go by the amount of work and effort you put into your business! Like I said earlier, being my own boss is hard work!
I was so excited when I placed the first campaign order with Avon! And it was a little nerve racking! Afraid of missing something a customer wanted, making a mistake on the website, not doing it right, etc. These all went through my mind! What if I messed up, missed something, or didn't even submit my order? Avon has you covered on that too. Customer service! There are so many ways to contact them.Then after submitted my order and getting confirmation, a few days later UPS delivered my campaign order. Then the issues began and I realized being my own boss was not going to be easy. Every campaign is different; back orders, cancelled items that do not need to be reordered, not the right price, etc. But hey, I am my own boss, right?
I continue to be an Avon representative because I love the products, the company and what it stands for, the issues and community involvement they sponsor, the many ways they help you grow your business while at the same time selling for a company that cares! My hat goes off to all Avon representatives and the efforts they are putting into their businesses. Growing community involvement into efforts such as breast cancer, domestic violence, and disasters anywhere. After all, shouldn't we all be involved in some way. So while I continue to grow my business using the techniques I learned from Avon instructors and other mentors, I know it's hard work! Getting together all the materials, distributing them to customers, filling orders, delivering orders, building web pages and constantly learning about new sales gimmicks and hypes to pass on to others, making budgets, buying samples to pass out to potential customers, continuing to add new customers on a daily and weekly basis, my hat goes off to all those who help me along the way. Being a business owner is hard work! Till next time...Happy Avoning!

Dare to be Fabulous

Digital scrapbooking has taken over! I still love to do traditional scrapbooking but Smilebox and other digital programs make it so much easier! Just add photos, digital embellishments, Voila! Here, my daughter Liz, and dear niece Paige ham it up for the camera. When you have small photos that seem insignificant for a traditional scrapbook layout, why not put them in a digital scrapbook format! The experts say not to scrapbook every photo; however, I say, Why NOT? Happy scrapping!

A Stich in Time

Ann Rinaldi's A Stich in Time is a good read! I found it heartwarming and very touching. As I am a crafter, I came across these books in the library the other day. The Chelmsford family finds itself torn into pieces after the War of Independence. Hannah finds herself at the forefront of her father's animosity and anger towards the British, his son and daughters, and the ones who love them the most. Isn't that the way life usually goes. The ones we are the hardest on are the ones we love the most. Oftentimes, we put too much pressure on someone to be perfect and that is what the father of this story does to his children. But Hannah is determined to put her family back together by piecing a quilt. Each block of the quilt is a fabric piece given by someone with whom Hannah finds trustworthy. Trust as we all know is something that must be earned. I am not a quilter but I love any kind of craft and this book helped me finish the afghan that I have been working so feverishly to finish the last month. It was donated to a chaity auction this morning. I hope it gives someone warmth and comfort and they enjoy it as much as I did making it. See my blog To Knit or Crochet for more on the afghan. Happy reading, blogging, and Whatever!

Good Books Make Good Reflections on My Life

I have just finished two of the most intriguing and mesmerizing books. The first one I have finished is India Coghill's Delilah. It is loosely based on the actual Biblical figures Samson and Delilah and tells the tale of how these two might possibly have met. It gives a wonderful viewpoint of how Samson may have fallen in love and what transpired for this young girl to bring about her lover's demise. Although Samson was married, as with many Biblical stories of love, these two must have known each other for quite some time for in the Bible it states that he loved her. Delilah pressured Samson for one simple question; What was responsible for making him so strong. Most women I know, me included, will put some pressure on a man! Please! Please! That drives me crazy to a point too. But, nonetheless, I am guilty of doing it to the point that I have gotten my way. I can see Delilah saying this to Samson over and over until he can't stand it anymore and gives in. Which is what brought him down and resulted in his death but not before he took the Phillistines with him on that fateful day.
This is a very good story and the author gives her take on how these two met, fell in love, and how their romance may have ended.The names Samson (Day) and Delilah (Night) have some significance in their love story. You've heard it said many times; they are as different as night and day. Very good story that I highly recommend reading.



The next story I read this past week was the true story of Jaycee Lee Dugard. This story touched my heart. With each sentence I read, I could reflect on my own life. I thought back to where I was each time she was enduring torture and torment for 18 years at the hands of a very sick, twisted couple. Her story was heart-wrenching and I thought of my own 16 year-old daughter and how devastated I would be if anything like what Jaycee went through happened to my Elizabeth. Unfortunately, this stuff happens in our world and society everyday. Thousands of children go missing and are exploited everyday. Jaycee's story is a hard and difficult journey for a young girl to recollect on but she does it with style and grace as can only be told by the one who endured it the way she does. Many times throughout the telling of her story, I thought to myself how could she not get away after she became stronger each day and became a young woman. I imagined that I would have fought back in some way but thats not true. I was a victim of domestic assault for almost four years and one does not easily leave that kind of abuse. The type of brainwashing you go through is something no one understands until they've gone through it themselves.
So if you find yourself bored, pick up a good book this week and read! Which reminds me, I've got others to read! Bye for now! Happy Reading! Happy Reflecting! Happy Scrapbooking!

April Fools Day and Other not so Important Days

Well, anything that could go wrong did go wrong on April Fools Day for me! I work part-time at a fitness center as a manager. We have some pretty sophisticated equipment for members and that includes a high-tech security system that allows them 24/7 entrance to the facility with just a simple touch to a keypad by placing their finger on the mechanism and allowing it to read their print. Then voila! Entrance! Easy enough, right? Well, you would think so as many times as I have done it myself. Not on April Fools Day!
At about quitting time, which is 5pm Central for me, a dozen little old ladies in their mid-60s or older came in to open memberships. They had decided they would begin working out. Afterall, they were "sisters". They had all attended church together for quite a few years and wanted to firm and tone up; to stay active in their senior years. We all know what thats like. If you stop moving, then old Arthur tends to set up. No one wants that!
After filling out the proper paperwork, getting identifications and payments, then it came time for fingerprinting. Once fingerprints are done and accepted on the computer, then its necessary to step outside and scan the finger on the keypad. Some worked, others did not. As is necessary, it is customary to enter fingerprints outside on the keypad if for some reason the system is not recognizing fingerprints. One at a time the ladies lined up and we went through the necessary steps to make fingerpints again. Then BAM! I am not sure what happened but something went terribly wrong.
After one nice lady insisted she had to be somewhere in ten minutes, it became chaotic. No one's fingerprints were working correctly because I had inadvertently deleted the SUPER passcode that went to the entire security system! Sometimes I have days where everything gets on my nerves and this was one of those days. The ladies were all excited about becoming members and now they could not even gain access to the building! Including me! Luckily there were others working out. Well, I could not get their attention to let us come back in. My daughter had decided to come with me on spur of the moment on this April Fools Day because of spring break and she was bored at home. She noticed we were having trouble on the monitor and came to our rescue. Needless to say, we were back inside the building and I called the owner and he came and fixed everything.
What is the point of all this? Everything happens for a reason, right? This blog is about what? Scrapbooking! Yes, its moments like this that stress us out but then we see the humor in it. As I have done. And its worth mentioning in a scrapbook layout which I intend to do. I have a career scrapbook that I have been working on for some time. I think its nice to remember things we like to think about and things we don't particulary want to remember. The good and the bad. There are some jobs I have had that I loved while others I simply liked or merely out and out hated. Well, to me, they're worth scrapbooking about. I figure when I'm no longer breathing and my daughter gets bored she can take a look at my scrapbooks from time to time and remember how I was. Afterall, isn't that the reason why we make scrapbooks. To capture moments of our lives for others. Any day is a good day to scrapbook. Even on our worst days!

New Day

They say in Tennessee, "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change." That is so true. Today was such a beautiful day with warm sunshine beaming down. Nice change from the dreary, cold days we have experienced for the past several months. But that could change once again. Afterall, I live in Tennessee. As I drove to work today, I took my time. Normally I drive the 65 mph or 70 mph speeds I am permitted to drive. But today, I drove the old-fashioned speed of 55 mph. The day was so nice I felt like slowing down for a change. It was delightful; such a joy. This was not a day for sitting inside working on scapbooks, knitting, or crocheting. It's not even a day for working on anything inside. Forget the indoor treadmill! Today is the day for walking and enjoying the outdoors. Those living in Tennessee can truly appreciate a day like today. Enjoy!

Domestic Violence

Well for the past three years, I must say my life has been hectic. Partly because I made it that way. This lovely lady met a fellow and romance bloomed. But be careful who you allow to come into your life. God sends His angels but Satan sends out his demons as well. This man should have been my best friend. Unfortunately, he was not. Yeah, I like to call him a friend. But he isn't a good one. His jealousy consumed him and ate him alive. It drained me of my self-esteem and almost my Spirit. I put off doing the things I loved doing because he didn't like them. Needless to say, I dropped my hobbies as well because to him they were a mere waste of one's time. I should have been solely focused on him and for a long time I was. I was madly in love for a long time-or so I thought. Love is not verbal and emotional abuse. Love is not domestic violence. And that's where this relationship went. I could be driving in my car (he lost his license to drive) and suddenly I would be bleeding or almost lose control of the car because he decided I needed "a good ole smacking". I was pushed, shoved, chased, stalked, phone harassed, smacked, punched, replaced three pairs of glasses, pulled off the bed, had my hair ripped from my scalp, kicked, had food crammed down my throat. All in the name of love. Like I stated earlier, I thought I was in love. In the beginning he told me I had a beautiful smile and I was a very pretty woman. He told me how much he loved me and how I was his "queen". Those days were short-lived. He had a gentle touch and would caress me constantly. We made love quite often. Those days came and went. We hung out with mostly his friends. They were mostly red-neck jerks who drank and smoke; did drugs. I didn't do any of those things. I was the "good girl". The one who was going to help him get his life on track. I was the one who survived over all the other girls he had in the past. Most of them never lasted with him over a couple of days or months. His alcohol consumed him and he let his chemical imbalance take over and hurt the ones who loved him the most. If it wasn't me taking his abuse, it was his siblings, his mother and step-father, aunts, cousins, neighbors, and even law enforcement. There are so many who have been hurt by him that they are too numerous to count or even mention in this blog post. When did the tide turn? When did the games begin? They were there in the beginning, I was just too naive or knew it was a bad relationship from the get-go. Suppose I was in denial. This bad boy and this good girl were doomed. No one, no matter how much they try can change another's habits or cure them. That's where I am now. I walked away from his alcohol and drug abuse. I walked away from domestic violence, the hurt and the pain. I begged him to get help for over three years. I begged God to intervene on his behalf, and I still do. I always told him I just wanted to live a normal life. His normal was spending every dime we made on alcohol and getting violent. If he wasn't drinking (which was very few days out of a month), he would want me to drive him around looking for weed or pills for other people. That's not my life. Those things for me are a mere waste of one's time. So one day, a few month's ago, I decided I was taking back control of my life. No longer am I the victim. I will always love him (I have for over twenty years). I hope to consider him a friend but only if he can stop placing blame on others and accept ownership of his abusiveness. I am a peacemaker, not a fighter. I am a lover, not a hater. I am a friend, not a foe. If you read this post and are being abused. Find the courage and the strength to leave before its too late. Don't let someone else dictate to you who you are. Many times I could have been seriously hurt. I never thought I would ever let someone abuse me the way I have been treated over the past three and a half years, but I allowed it to happen. Yes, police intervened on my behalf in the court system, but not behind closed doors. Get out before you are killed. You cannot cure the problem .

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