Wednesday, March 9, 2022

You are enough

If you feel like you're not enough, tell the negative committee to sit down.  Talk to God, ask him to come into your heart, to help you, guide you, let you FEEL his love, his protection and let him guide you. Let Him hold you, hold your heart and carry you through the pain. Let Him be there for you to lean on.  

He loves you and He is always listening. He is working for your good.  He is in the good days, the bad days and in all days!  Trust Him, he knows you better than you know yourself, better than anyone knows you. He knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb, before you were a thought. HE created you!  HE KNOWS YOU...and YOU are worthy, YOU are beautiful, YOU are needed, YOU are wanted, YOU are enough, YOU are loved. YOU are smart, YOU are capable...go show the world your beautiful self and know that in all days, you are more than enough. 




Liquid collagen has become a lifesaver for my aching joints

You guys...I didn't know anything about collagen until I stumbled upon my probiotic last year! This company knows what they are doing! The formulas they have come up with, the science behind them, the benefits I (and so many others) are experiencing from them. My tennis elbow pain - gone, knee pain - gone, back pain - gone! So not only have I seem improvement with my skin, hair and nails - my joints!
Liquid trumps powder every day of the week and TWICE on Sunday!
Don't believe me? Give it a chance! My friend Melissa was feeling relief after TWO DAYS. I. KID. YOU. NOT!
Use my referral code to save $10 on your first order! Another perk of this amazing company! www.modere.com/7516719

Watch Asma Ishaq give answers to the most asked questions about this product, very interesting!







Wednesday, March 2, 2022

SQUEEZING back into my jeans!

You drop the pounds & shed some inches & you're feeling SO good!  You get to buy jeans that are a little smaller & admiring yourself in the mirror so excited about that reflection.  




But then the pizza, the nighttime snack binge watching that show & chicken alfredo, pretzels at wrestling matches, tootsie rolls at your desk...you know ALL THE THINGS that tempt you & you love to overeat.  Yep, you've SLOWLY started to outgrow some of those jeans.  

Now listen up sis!  It's time to measure out your snacks again & cut it out!  you didn't buy those jeans to outgrow them in 2 months!  Put the candy down & grab your measuring cups because it's time to reel it back in!  

I felt like Elizabeth from Eat Pray Love this morning as I was trying to get my jeans on.  


Have you seen this movie?  I recently watched (Thanks to Color Street for coming out with the Eat Prey Love sets they just came out with that took my mind there) & forgot how much I loved this movie!

This scene...HAHAHAHA


Liz: I’m in love. I’m having a relationship with my pizza. You look like you’re breaking up with your pizza. What’s the matter?
Sofi: I can’t.
Liz: What do you mean you can’t? This is Pizza Margherita in Napoli, it is imperative to eat and enjoy that pizza.
Sofi: I want to, but I’ve gained like ten pounds. I mean, I’ve got this. . .right here in my tummy, you know this. . .what’s it called? What’s the word for it?
Liz: A muffin top. I have one too.
Sofi: I unbuttoned my jeans like five minutes ago just looking at this.
Liz: Lemme ask you a question, in all the years you’ve ever undressed for a gentleman–
Sofi: —it hasn’t been that many.
Liz: Alright. Has he ever asked you to leave? Has he ever walked out, left?
Sofi: No.
Liz: Because he doesn’t care. He’s in a room with a naked girl. He’s won the lottery. I’m so tired of saying no and waking up in the morning and recalling every single thing I ate the day before. Counting every calorie I consumed so I know exactly how much self-loathing to take into the shower. I’m going for it. I have no interest in being obese; I’m just through with the guilt. So this is what I’m going to do, I’m going to finish this pizza and then we’re going to go watch the soccer game and tomorrow we’re going to go on a little date and buy ourselves some bigger jeans.


Thanks for this blogger for the post that I stumbled upon this morning when looking for the picture of Elizabeth trying to squeeze into her jeans!

I did it though & I am in my jeans!  Pre measured out my snacks too!  I have a goal to lose the 5 lbs this month that I put back on!  BAM...let's go!  Wanna know what supplements I'm using to help me & what I'm eating?  Follow me in my group on FB & hit me up for details on the supplements!  So much goodness...and I have a $10 off coupon for you!  Let's journey to feel good in our skin together!

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

This woman's goal...how many people can I help feel better?

So I've been in this direct sales/multi level marketing/at home parties gig since the '90's. I find a product & I fall in love and either I want the discount or...ok, so it's usually because I want the discount. Candles, scrapbooking supplies & rubber stamps, denim, nail polish strips, food mixes & spices, jewelry, warmers & wax bars etc...


HAHAHHA...truly though I love sharing what I love & that's why you sometimes will see me sharing what I don't even sell! I may not be making any money off something but I love it & I love helping others (you or the person selling) so I will talk about it, share pictures & reviews on things.

My Dad was in sales, as was my Mom & I really think maybe it was just pumped into my bloodstream when I was born! I've been told I am a natural born seller and as a Leasing Consultant, I was always being approached by people with opportunities to come work for them. Dave told me last year that I could sell ice to an eskimo. Plunder was the company where I really saw what I could do as a leader. I discovered that I loved helping other women & I was earning a good little extra bit of money on this inexpensive jewelry I had fallen so in love with & had several join my team and was even helping other women not on my team. I'm a one for all & all for one kinda girl! I feel like there's room for all of us to win & get to the top!

Last year my IBS seemed to be getting worse & I don't know what hit me or happened in my world, but I decided to try a probiotic from a company an online friend Carol had moved over too. So I get this probiotic in August 2021 & I start taking it. 7 days and I'm like no way...so after 14 days I went public on how much relief I was experiencing from my 30+ years of diarrhea and IBS (irritable bowel syndrom).

I found a few other products that I have fallen in love with, I still can't believe the joint & pain relief that I've found, energy, focus, help with weight...I never thought I'd be one taking supplements, but here I am. 49 and feeling better than ever before!

My friend Carol & I went back to the days of Plunder and we'd kept up the friendship through FB all these years. Watching each other's journey's. marriages, kids growing up etc...and it was when I was asking her about this new journey she was on & finding out about the company and the products, she told me about something new and different that this company offered their customers & I loved it! It gave me a chance to earn money towards product for myself & I wasn't even selling! I was SCREAMING from the rooftops about the success my gut & butt were having from this probiotic & 7 friends used my referral code and placed orders for themselves to try it out! I had $70 in product credit for myself! Talking with Carol, watching some videos, and hearing that I didn't have to build a team to make money, but could just sell & still make money, I decided to give it a go! I loved the products, I was paying to join but didn't have to do anything after that other than buy for myself and I loved sharing what I loved so why not.

My mindset with this company is so different than it's ever been before. I'm not here trying to rank up and just make the sales! I'm here to HELP PEOPLE. I genuinely love these products and am finding so much relief for myself. I am on a mission to spread these amazing products & get relief or build self confidence for others! I feel pretty, I feel younger, my IBS -D symptoms have gone away. I can focus better & have more energy!

I work my business from my phone most of the time. Social Marketing is what we're all about & the people in this company are amazing! It's not like some big competition where a team is keeping their images secret, but rather we even have a FB group where people create images and videos to share with other social marketers! I love the product, the people, the community that I have found here. And I love that I'm not doing parties, I'm not doing vendor events, I am keeping my time for me & my tribe, doing it my way.

This is the easiest little side hustle I've ever gotten myself into. It doesn't even truly feel like a little side hustle, because it doesn't feel like work. It's fun, I'm on social media anyways & have always been one to share what I love, give reviews & try to lead people to new to them things.

I'd love to chat with you & help you find the relief I've found! That's my goal each month - how many people can I introduce to a pain free, healthier lifestyle? Who can I help get their gut in check?  





Friday, February 18, 2022

The Visionary here, what's your creative type?


The Visionary 


  • Creative StrengthsFull of big ideas, ability to see potential and possibility everywhere
  • Untapped PotentialUsing your visions to fuel consistent daily action
  • Ideal CollaboratorThe Thinker

You live in a world of infinite possibilities, preferring to see things not as they are but as they could be. You know that life is limited only by the boundaries of your own beliefs, and you’re driven to push the limits of, well, everything.

Emotional, passion-driven, and full of ideas, the VISIONARY combines a vivid imagination with a desire for practical solutions. Your introspective and intuitive nature is balanced by a keen interest in the world around you and a desire to contribute to society.

Charismatic and expressive, you love sharing your ideas and visions with others and creating community around shared values and ideals. Your greatest gift? The ability to see the spark of potential in everything and everyone, and to inspire others to see it, too. You’re able to guide people toward an invisible horizon with a rare generosity of spirit and strength of conviction.

Don’t get stuck in the dreaming stage, VISIONARY. Your greatest challenge—and true power—lies in learning to take consistent daily action to create the future you envision.

Seek out the “voice of reason” of the THINKER type to help you take a grounded, rational approach to your creative work. The THINKER’s deep perception and probing intellect lend a powerful clarity that can bring your visions into sharper focus.     

 Take test here


 

Saturday, September 18, 2021

The life changing events that everything else is measured upon for time

I got some very sad news, life changing news on Thursday and have been in my head doing a lot of thinking since. 

There are moments in life that are life changing and you will say was that before before ____________ and after ______________ with some of those moments/events for the rest of your life.  Death is one of those as are births, marriage, adoption, graduation, moving out on your own or moving from one home to another, break ups, divorce…  Some of the events become less significant as time goes on, and you don’t mention them as often in stories, like I no longer use my first marriage in 2001 or the birth of my son in 2005 but I do use my divorce in 2012 and my current marriage or even when we began dating and the big life altering fight between my husband and his oldest son quite often.  That fight rocked our world and was a life altering event for us.

My cousin Gary and his wife Barb both got Covid and while she is on the mend, he stopped breathing Thursday morning, September 16, 2021 around 7:30 am.  And so now I’m back in my head to when my Dad passed away, when my (at the time) father in law passed away, and how this now is affecting those that were in Gary’s immediate family now as they are living in the immediate days of his passing. His wife, his sons, his parents and his brother have forever had their lives changed by this death.  It’s such a tremendous loss and the grief is unlike anything I’m sure they have endured before.  We have family in our lives that it hurts so when we lose, our parents, siblings, grandparents, spouse, child…each loss different and it affects us different ways. The grief changes but it never goes away.  I also think that when someone has lived a long life and we lose them in their later in life when you expect you would, it’s different than losing someone at 56 as my cousin was.  This was such a shock, and so there is no time to prepare yourself for the loss. I can’t help but feel the pain and loss that I think they are having and that I watched those having when we lost my father in law and my own father. 

This has also got me thinking more about Covid now too.  When my mom told me over the weekend that they had it, I thought immediately to my experience with it last December and was not too worried.  They were home and taking care of themselves and there was nothing major happening with them as so many that I’ve known personally who have had Covid and was my experience.  But this sadly was not the case for my cousin.

I know he was a Christian and is in heaven but I couldn’t really rejoice thinking of him seeing his 4 grandparents and Uncle Denny up in heaven because as I told my husband, it wasn’t his time!  He wasn’t supposed to die this young.  Dave said, but was it and it takes me back to thinking it was his time because nothing is in OUR TIME, it’s all in God’s time.  We don’t understand when we have a surprising loss like this, or even my Dad dying from lymphoma at age 51.  Why is that their time?  Why was life cut short?  For me, I look back at my Dad’s death & it led to where I am today.  My mom moved back to Kansas, and I followed, it led me to my now ex husband who gave me my son and led my Mom to where she is today in her 18 ½ year marriage. I would love to have my Dad back, but nothing would be as it is today and I can only imagine where I would be and trust that now as I’m ahead 27 years down the road, it was meant to happen the way it did and as my life has gone.

Having talked with so many people and hearing so many stories, Covid doesn’t care if you are healthy or not.  It’s going to react in YOUR body however it does and no one will have any idea until it’s doing it’s thing.  You can get it whether you’ve had the vaccine or not, it doesn’t seem to care on that either.  I refuse to live my life in fear and will continue to put all my trust in God. I will not bash you if you’ve not had it, I will not bash you if you’ve had it.  The choice is personal and we all have come to our decision based on our life experiences and that is OK.  I have realized in the last couple days though that to laugh at someone for being so scared and wearing two masks or wearing a face shield and a mask is not something that I should mock.  We ALL have our beliefs and no matter if that’s having faith or living in fear – we all have a right to that.  I choose faith > fear for me. 



Sunday, April 11, 2021

The pull is so great...the pull back to Plunder Design that is.  Third times a charm they say!  I was a Two Star leader & walked away that first time.  Give me all the amazing jewelry & let's fill up my jewelry box just a little more!  I love clothes & putting outfits together and topping them off with the perfect accessories.  Plunder pretty well has my back in that department every single day!  2015 found Plunder, started my journey in 2016 and here I am in 2021 continuing that story...Let's get this!   You can shop with me here.  #plunderdesign #directsales #jewelryjunkie #jewelryaddice #vintagejewelrychick #shopwithme #plunderdesignjewelry #affordable #giftideas






Sunday, July 28, 2019

Scentsy Bars vs. Jar candles


What is Scentsy?  Why is it a better alternative for making your home smell good!


1. Wax melts are safer than scented candles
A lot of scented candles available have harmful chemicals in them.  Elements such as lead, phthalates, and formaldehyde.  Those things are released into your air and left on your walls along with the black soot from the burning wick.
Scented candles can be toxic, Scentsy bars are not.
Scentsy warmers only warm the scent out of the wax, the wax remains in the warmer, thus there is no danger of chemicals being released into the home. Bars are made up of food-grade wax and fragrant oil.  The wax is just the carrier for the scent. The Bar melts and the scented oil releases fragrance into the air.
And let's not forget about the fact that with a candle you have an open flame going in your home. Probably resting either on a flammable surface or right next to one.  A candle flame is around 1000 degrees in temperature!  A Scentsy warmer melts wax to around 120 degrees.

2. Wax melts last longer than scented candles per ounce
That small Scentsy Bar is going to provide more fragrance time than a candle per ounce. A 16 ounce jar, which really only has 12 ounces of wax inside, could be expected to burn anywhere up to 84 hours. While a 3.2 ounce Scentsy Bar can produce amazing scent for up to 60 hours. Let's do a little math here, shall we?
Scentsy Bar: 60 hours / 3.2 oz = 18.75 hours fragrant time per ounce and a cost of $0.10 / hour
Jar Candle: 84 hours / 12 oz = 7 hours fragrant time per ounce and a cost of $0.30 / hour
You can reuse your Scentsy Bar wax melts. Yep, as long as your still smell fragrance you can pour your wax back into the Bar container. It will harden and be ready for use again when you are.  A candle is just one scent. You are stuck with that one scent until the candle is finished.
3. Wax melts offer more control over the scent than candles
Not everyone’s nose loves a whole lotta smell.  You can control the amount of scent released by using Scentsy over a jar candle.  With wax melts you can control the scent load in your space.  With a Scentsy bar you can pop in one cube and have a strong fragrance or you can cut it in half to reduce the intensity. You decide how much scent you want in the air of your home. With a jar candle, you get what you get. There's no dialing the strength up of down.
Maybe you haven't found your perfect, signature scent because it doesn't exist...yet. With wax melts you can combine fragrances to make your custom flavor. Mix up a couple scents and voila, you just mixed scents to your preference. There are a lot of Scentsy recipes to make completely new scents. Can’t do that with a jar candle now can you?
Are wax melts stronger than scented candles?
Scentsy bars are made of a proprietary, food-grade, wax that is very soft.  This soft wax blend was chosen for it's superior scent loading capabilities. A lot of fragrance oil is fitted into that little Scentsy Bar.  A jar candle is made of a much denser and harder wax blend.  Candle wax is only able to hold so much oil before the oil starts to seep out and pool; which can create a serious safety issue as the entire candle -not just the wick- becomes flammable.
4. Wax melts are cheaper than scented candles
Would you rather have a highly-fragrant Scentsy Bar for $6 or a good quality jar candle for $25?  We did a little math up above and found that, ounce per ounce, Scentsy wax is 66% less expensive and of a higher quality.  $0.10 per hour with Scentsy vs. $0.30 per hour with a jar candle.
Scentsy Bars and Warmers are safe, less expensive, have a high scent load, reusable, non-toxic, and customizable. You can leave your warmer going 24 hours / 7 days per week if you would like with absolutely no issues. It's UL - listed as a lamp, after all. Unless you want to risk burning your house down, you can’t you leave your candle burning all the 24/7.
Bonus benefit of using wax melts: Wax melts are environmentally friendly!
Scentsy Bars arrive to you in a compact, recyclable plastic "clam-shell."  These containers are thick enough to protect you wax melts, but thin enough to keep the plastic used to a minimum.  The wax slides cleanly out of the container with nothing left behind. Those clam shells can be tossed in the recycle bin, just like your disposable water bottle.
If you want to recycle that glass jar candle once you’re done, you’ll have to get all of the remaining unburned wax out first.  Using a knife to break up the hard wax.  Imagine going through the small opening & trying to chip away the hard wax. Good luck and don’t break the glass or you may cut yourself.   
Scentsy warmers are the best made warmers on the market. They come to you with a Lifetime Warranty against mechanical defect. When you take proper care of your warmer, you will have a warmer for life. Or until you see the next must-have warmer available.
Holly Dudley
Independent Scentsy Consultant

Saturday, April 13, 2019

I don't wanna be fat...

Yep, I said it!  
I DON'T WANT TO BE FAT.

I've gone up and down with my weight since I had my baby at 32 and I know I don't feel good in my skin when I've got this extra fat.  I don't feel attractive, or sexy and I don't want it.  
I hear my mom talking about not wanting that middle age woman belly & girlllll...I am right there with you!  And if you don't get it under control, it will take over!
Not having it.  I'm 46 but I don't have to be frumpy and fat.

I was doing great at 40 in & the best shape I'd been in and then I met Dave.  Slowly the pounds started creeping on. I got back to weight watchers, lost 17 pounds & was feeling great again!  Then fell off the wagon for most of 2018 & got back up a bit.  But I'm back at it as of January 1st & almost back to the full 17 pounds that I was down once again!  Feels so good to know I can do it & I don't have to be the frumpy middle aged mom.

It creeps on if you're not watching...OK, so driving through for fast food on lunch breaks really isn't creeping back on or you're not watching, but maybe it's more of a I didn't really care and let it happen.  HA!

July 2017 vs Oct 2017


December 2018 vs April 2019

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Life is messy

I've been praying hard for the past year and 4 months.  I've been praying for softening of hearts, for others to support the rebuilding of these relationships and encouraging forgiveness.
I reached out to my bonus daughter whom I had not seen since Halloween 2017 and things are going well.  I love this girl and have missed my relationship with her so much.  When I met my now husband in May 2013, I got to have these new relationships that I'd never had before.  I had 2 adult children that I became close too in addition to having a high school boy and a tween girl with my own 7 year old son.  It was so fun and those relationships built to when we got married in Oct 2014.  Ups and downs, as life is...a little more chaotic here though than I'd ever seen before.  
My husband comes from a very broken childhood.  Abusive, often left alone, felt very pushed to the side from the time his little brother was born as he was favored and it was made very obvious.  These are wounds that I really don't think will ever go away.  I see his attitude hardened from the way his mother treated him and sometimes that is projected onto how he talks about his children.  
Our duty as parents is to love without conditions.  Even when we are not so happy with decisions that are being made, we are to love our children and to make sure they know they are loved.  
I love these 4 kids and miss the two who have been gone for so long and the one who's relationship was so strained by this as well.  Young and impressionable, she should never have been made to feel like she too needed to abandon her relationship with her father.  We have to help nuture the relationship with our children and our divorced spouse.  Encourage that relationship.  It's a struggle sometimes, I won't lie!  I don't always see my ex husband/son's father being the Dad I want him to be for our son, but that's not for me to decide.  I just have to help my son know his Dad loves him & make sure to encourage him to have fun in the time when he is at his other home with his Dad and their family.