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!