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Archive for the ‘Inspirations’ Category

When 24 Hours Is Not Enough

Posted in General Reflections, Inspirations, tagged , , , on November 2, 2009| 23 Comments »

Indecision

Do you ever feel as if there is not enough time in a day to get everything done that you want to do?

I’ll reword the question just slightly. 

Are there times when you feel that you cannot accomplish what you need to do?

I am there at times.  As hard as I try, I am there more frequently than I would like (or like to admit).

What about you? What do you do when the list is longer than a day, or perhaps longer than several days?

Do you make a list and prioritize?

Do you pray?

Do you walk away, take a break?

Do you say humorous things like, “Stick a fork in me, I’m done!”

What do I do? I make a list.  If I end up making a list that is fairly daunting in size, I hi-lite 3 items on that list.  If I accomplish those 3 crucial items that day, I accomplished what I set out to do.  It was obatainable, and it felt good. 

But it isn’t always that perfect or simple, is it?

What do you think? Before I say more…I am curious about your initial thoughts.  Who knows, you may change the discussion path completely!

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Creating Self-Sufficiency

Posted in Inspirations, tagged , , , on October 20, 2009| 12 Comments »

leaves4_copyI made an announcement a few days ago that I was going to work all weekend to free myself up for Monday (today) and Tuesday.  My statement ended with, “To free myself up for the blessings ahead.”

Eight words to describe the employment situation for many…jobs are not growing on trees these days. 

Unemployment statistics are released quarterly, monthly, etc…, but I know first-hand that the statistics do not nearly include all that are unemployed.  For example, they do not include those that cannot collect unemployment, those that are not eligible to apply for benefits.

My husband and I shut down a business right before the economy crashed.  He hit the books, studied, took classes, and passed tests, just to find that his new career path had hit an all-time low. 

But now we are fighting back, fighting back with our own fireballs. 

What we have been working on is a new business that will ensure my husband is up and working again.  His new skills will be put to use.  I am a firm believer that there is good in all bad.  Frustration and bitterness does not lead to good.  What does lead to good is determination…a listening ear and eyes (our own), to what we are really supposed to be doing in life. 

If I seem a bit distracted, I am.  Is it affecting the farm and Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps? No.  I am just a tad bit slower with email and comments on the blog this week. 

Life is a beautiful thing.  Sometimes we have to pull up the bootstraps and say, “I have had enough.  I am determined to make my life a good one!” Determination, sheer will-power!

And, yes, we can use all of the prayers, good wishes, and positive thoughts that you might want to send!

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The Calm In The Heart

Posted in Inspirations, tagged , , , on October 10, 2009| 15 Comments »

 

confetti

As many of us have experienced, my life has filled with troubles in recent years.

The husband remains unemployed, repairs are needed, and friends and family have lost their homes and financial stability.  The old body nudges me more often as well.  It says, “You are aging.”  To top it all off, I have been elected The Steadfast Smiling Rock, so it seems, for a number of  loved ones.  Are the burdens heavy? No.  They are not.

Something beautiful has happened.  No, the problems have not faded away.

I have changed.  I am stronger.

Picture a toy.  A plastic wand filled with water and sparkling colorful confetti.

When the water is still the confetti floats to the top.

When the wand is shaken vigorously, the confetti moves about.  The water sloshes, making it not so crystal clear.

I am like the wand.  When faced with a worry, the wand begins to tumble about.  The vision blurs.

Then the most beautiful thing happens.  I pray.  I feel peace.  I feel calm.

The water settles.  The sparkles rise.  And I feel the glimmer of hope floating on top, reflecting God’s love and strength.

Beautiful! Awesome!

I want to share my glimmer, my hope, and my strength.

With all of my love, Mary.

The 23rd Psalm

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever

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Trusting In Yourself

Posted in Inspirations, tagged , , on September 12, 2009| 14 Comments »

A person very dear to me said, “I just cannot do this.  I simply can not do it!” Yes, you can.

I admit, I was well into the middle part of my 40’s before I realized that all things are possible. 

Self-doubt is very defeating.  Dreams can be squashed by a little voice that whispers, “You might not be able to do this.”  Self-doubt causes us to shun our aspirations, our hopes, and our plans.  Self-doubt causes us to not make corrections in our lives that frees us to move forward.  We vigorously ignore and take detours because it appears much easier than facing a challenge.

So sad.  Such a waste of time and energy.

To the one that is struggling…call them brick walls, stumbling blocks, hurdles, whatever the term for challenges might be for you…if you never test the waters, if you never jump through the ring of fire (the vision that I use), you will likely not get where you want to be in life.  As grandmother used to say, “Nobody is going to hand that to you on a silver platter.”  You have to make it happen.

It is a fact, the more you accomplish, the stronger you get.  Stronger = more faith in yourself. 

I hope to not listen to the self-doubt voice ever again…but I am sure it will whisper something in my ear again soon.  I love the challenge, because it reminds me that I am human, and that I am weak.  But I also love it because it reminds me that I can freely do whatever good I know I can do!

 Morning Light 002

 

 

 

 

“Let’s check and see if I’m going

ahead

or backward,

or nowhere . . . .

-Gladis and Gordon DePress

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The Lylah Blog – Simple Home Living

Posted in Blogging, Inspirations, tagged , , on September 5, 2009| 5 Comments »

Color From The Flower Garden

Color From The Flower Garden

 

Today I am talking about a blog that inspires me, The Lylah Blog – Simple Home Living. 

I could not tweak my own words to suit the purpose, so here are Lylah’s own words, “The Lylah Blog is about encouraging women to apply the Simple Home Principles to become great wives, loving mothers and on purpose home makers who learn the value of creating sanctuary.”

In my own words, there are a lot of blessings in life, and Lylah is one of them!

In her post, Being an On Purpose Home Keeper, Lylah wrote:  See, I am in no way perfect. I have not arrived. I am in process. And, when I write what I know is true, what I know is Biblical, what I know works and what I know honors God – I get reminded. I get to be challenged all over again. I don’t know about you, but I need that. I need the kick in the pants – as I run this race . . . as God develops character (His) in me – for the sake of the Kingdom and That Day (2 Corinthians 5:7-11).

Inspiring!

In her post, A Farm on Every Floor, an article embracing vertical farming and gardening, Lylah captioned a photo with:  And, what would happen if we raised our kids on a farm? Think things might change?

Lylah surprised me in that post as well with a link to my own Annie’s Goat Hill blog. 

Thank you to her post, My Friend LaRue.  I finally have an idea how to display my grand-mothers colorful aprons! You need to go see!

Lylah authors more than one blog, her French inspired blog is:  La Maison Et La Jardin . I drool over that one!

I lived in France for a couple of years as a young child.  Now I have a few French-related blog posts in my drafts! My memory has been incredibly sparked! Life is good!

I think I met Lylah on Twitter.  At this point, I do not remember, and it does not matter. 

Blessings!

  

 

 

 

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Junior Diabetes Research Foundation – Carol Stout Fundraiser

Posted in Inspirations, tagged , on September 4, 2009| 7 Comments »

 

Carol Stout holds an annual fund raiser for JDRF (the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation), in the Metro St. Louis area.   

Carol recently contacted me, stating that she had received bars of my soap as gifts.  She said, “I love what you are doing, your product and your spirit.”  Thank you, Carol! You are a blessing in many lives, including mine!

Carol is the mother of a grown son who suffered from juvenile diabetes.  He had several rough years, including missing half of his high-school years and 6 serious hospital stays.  Carol said, “I had to do something and so along with family and friends organized a fund-raiser.” 

Personally, I have participated in a few fund-raisers in my life, passively for the most part, donating money.  Once I donated Samson for an evening cancer walk.  Yes, he walked around the track, helping people earn money for laps completed.  It was a huge event, and I was proud to offer my boxer boys’ assistance.   I will be very happy to assist with Carol’s event as well! Carol asked if I would like to donate some of my products to be used in her auction or raffle baskets.  I am delighted.  I say, AS GOOD AS DONE!

The real topic here is Carol, and her friends and family, and more specifically the fight to find a cure for diabetes.  Imagine, with help from people such as Carol and friends, if the cure for diabetes were finally found.  What if children (and adults) no longer had to fight the disease as they do, no longer having to struggle just to maintain a healthy lifestyle?

If there is anything you can do to help with this cause, in your own area (I am sure there are chapters available), please do so.  The link to the JDRF Metro Saint Louis blog is:  http://www.jdrfstl.org/ .  The blog post regarding Carol Stout’s efforts is:  http://www.jdrfstl.org/2008/07/29/nothing-trivial-about-this/ . 

Carol’s group of friends and family have been organizing this event for 6 years.  Over 250 people attend annually.  The event has raised around $47,000.00 for the Juvenile-Diabetes Foundation!

Carol, you are a blessing, to me, and to people around the globe, for your king sized efforts in the fight for juvenile diabetes research! We all thank you!!!

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Remember To Stop And Smell The Roses

Posted in Inspirations, tagged , , , on August 21, 2009| 6 Comments »

From My Rose Garden

From My Rose Garden

Stopping and smelling the roses isn’t all about the lovely rose scent coming from the plants in the garden. 

As I grew older I began to realize that beauty was not just what a person could see.  And the most important things in life were not material things.  What is most important is people. 

The phrase stop and smell the roses is referring to the act of slowing down, relaxing, and enjoying what is really of value in our lives.

Have you ever been so busy, so worried about “things,” or just so engrossed in a particular matter, that you forgot to pay attention to yourself or a loved one?  The misguided focus one day soon grows into a week, a week grows into a month, and quickly an entire season passes.  It is not a good feeling when the reality of the missed time and focus becomes clear.

Out of love, I am reminding you to stop and smell the roses, and out of love, I am going to schedule deliberate time to do the most important things in life!

Thank you to my friends, my family, all of the wonderful people in my life!

Have a beautiful weekend!

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Just Like The Rose, Blossom!

Posted in Inspirations, tagged , , , on June 24, 2009| 4 Comments »

Do you remember what happens when I feel compelled, overwhelmed with thoughts that I feel I need to share?
The thoughts go to the blog.
If there is one piece of advice that I cannot give enough of, it is: Take care of yourself. If you do not do it, do not expect anyone else to do it for you.
Does that sound rather harsh?
No.
I am not just referring to physically taking care of yourself, even though mental can greatly affect your physical health, and in turn your physical well-being can put a huge stress on your mental health. What I was specifically referring to was, nurture yourself.
Allow yourself to blossom.
This particular idea (not a new one) has been on my mind a lot recently. And today when I saw the beautiful rose blossom opening with it’s own brilliancy I saw the connection before my eyes.
Before the rose bud opened it looked normal. As it began to open I saw a bit of what appeared to be rust around the edges. Just like a person that is rusty at remembering to take care of themselves. The person that forgets, or does not realize, that the world is at their fingertips. And then the blossom opened with wonderful colors, and the more it opened, the more anticipation came with it for the future.
If you have a passion, act on it. If you have a talent, allow it to grow. If you love something, make sure it is in your life. Sometimes the smallest of things are the biggest of things in our own hearts.
I am going to go through a list of people that I have noticed blossoming (leaving names out, sorry peeps):
A lovely lady lost her home, but now has a nice apartment and a new car. She is secure in her job, yet she is not happy. Someone listened to her one day, she talked about “everything that she had lost.” So the listener bought her a hummingbird feeder for her patio. Within a few hours she saw her first hummingbird. She cried. She realized that she had not lost everything, she just needed to remember what she loves, and she needed to remember that what she loves does not go away, it stays in her heart (the tiniest of things). And today she continues to grow, realizing the small things in life. And she is pursuing so much. She is no longer shut in to the pain, the world has many possibilities.
A wonderful friend is going through a tough time. She is taking better care of herself because it makes her feel good. She has had her hair re-done, her apartment painted (in the colors that makes her feel happy), and she is pursuing her dreams as a soap artist. Yes, a talented artisan! Through all of her troubles, she can still make her own heart sing.
A great friend has lost a lot of weight. She did not feel all that well before she lost the weight. She could have laid on the couch, moped, cried, allowed depression to take over, but no, she began daily and deliberate exercise. Today she revels in her new size, her new (younger) looks, but best of all, she feels fantastic, and she is vibrant and glowing. Not gloating. She took care of herself. Nobody else could have done it for her. She should be proud!
A dear friend has decided to build on her special talents. She decided to take her beautiful wares and sell them, offer them to others, open a shop where she takes the products that she has lovingly crafted to the public, and somewhere in her heart she has the urge to share that sense of joy with everyone that crosses her path. It took courage, but she has done it…for herself!
Do not forget what you love, despite the busyness and disappointments in life, do not forget who you are. You are special, and you have your own needs. Fulfill those needs.
Blossom!

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A Bit of Introspection, Thoughts to Share

Posted in Inspirations, tagged , on June 5, 2009| 5 Comments »

I love to read. I do not spend a lot of money on books, but the library I do very much love!
I am not much of a television watcher. I can barely tell you one show from another except for those that my husband frequents (and then I probably would not remember the actors names, nor the name of the show). I do not sit long. I am more of a person that likes to stay busy, and I have never really thought about it until now!
Based on one of the books that I am reading, I took the Clifton StrengthsFinder test to identify my signature themes. At first, after a 30 minute test, I looked at my themes and thought, “how lame.” No…wrong…none of us are lame. We are all designed to meet a purpose in life. I strongly believe God made us the way that we are for reasons. We are to grow in our natural born abilities!
My strengths are (in this order): Learner, Achiever, Empathy, Responsibility, and Focus.
Hmmm…I thought about the Learner and could not figure out how that could be good. Oh yes it can! How do I know about making soap? I began collecting it and became interested in it when I was 8 years old. I taught myself to make soap. I read a lot of books and did a lot of studying. I never witnessed a video or a single person making soap. Self taught. I also taught myself to raise a herd of goats. Again, tons of reading and studying. Then I thought about the job that I retired from, taught myself the ins and outs of government student loan rules and regulations. I took that 4″ thick manual home a lot. And I loved trying to interpret it. I ended up teaching others, leading classes (even though I was a very shy person). It fit like a glove. Is that such a bad thing? Probably not. So…the moral of my story is, do not beat yourself up for what you are good at. Make it better!
We all have natural talents and we tend to not see them. We go from day to day and forget that we are special. No, I do not like to wag my tail. I am a private type of person, but I am passionate about talking with people.
Achiever…not a bad thing either. That explains why I feel I must accomplish something each day. I must do something that is worth my time. I can relax and rest, but I also must do at least one constructive thing. On the days when it feels like everything goes wrong, it is quite the battle for me. Then I stop and remember, I am human, and I laugh. Again, I feel there is a reason for everything. Perhaps a goofed up day is a signal that we need to rest!
Empathy…this does not mean that we know everything about everyone, it is a gift of instinct. I can easily sense what people are feeling, what they might need, or even what kind of day they are having. This is probably why I can easily talk to strangers, or chit chat on the dime. I do not try to be a mother hen, I just seem to easily understand.
Responsibility and Focus…again something that makes me tick. I have to have something to do that has meaning, and I love to focus in on something difficult until the job is done, and the job is done right. I catch myself planning out the steps…just how do I get to the end result?
I am not here today to talk about myself, I am here today to remind my friends that we all have special gifts. Perhaps we are not good at being a sales person (cold calls), or perhaps we are not an extrovert that needs a crowd around us, or perhaps we are not good at speaking in front of a crowd, but we all have special gifts and talents that we can focus on, appreciate, and grow in. We can brush up on our weaknesses a tad. But do not focus on what you cannot do, focus on the natural good in you, and run with it.
I go into my soap shop and I think about everything that I can accomplish. What can I create? Where have I gone in life (and I never focus on the negative past), and where do I want to go? That is what we are designed to do…do what we do best. I love hearing that others are happy with what I sell to them. It isn’t all about the money, it is more about them finding a product that they really are satisfied with.
Introspect? Perhaps…but more that I wanted to share with you! I feel inspired.

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Time For Yourself

Posted in Inspirations, tagged , , on May 3, 2009| 6 Comments »

As I cut the loaves of soap that I made yesterday into bars this morning my thoughts were on writing, sharing my thoughts with friends.

I am in the middle of making bottles, heating milk, but feeling compelled to “chat” first.

This is a busy time in many of our lives, and the “experts” say we will get even busier unless we deliberately make time for ourselves.

Some of us are older, some younger. But I personally remember a house with one phone. A phone that hung on the kitchen wall. And it had a dial, not buttons to push! That phone did not fit in a pocket, nor did anyone expect that phone to be answered every hour of the day, each day of the week. Nor did that phone have voice mail.

I personally love the connections that we have during this period of time, but sometimes we need to be disconnected. I really am not into catchy phrases, I pretty much march to my own drumbeat. One phrase that I truly did not understand was “me time.” What???? It sounded very self-centered to me. Well…now that I understand the phrase more I will attest full-hearted that we all need me time! Me time is time without the pulling of committments, down time without the phone, without the computer, time to just do the things that makes our heart smile.

Yesterday, for me, it was making soap and mowing the grass. I felt like a teenager! Those are wonderful days!

Do not get me wrong, I love my friends, I love the connections, and there are too many people to count that I have to hear from every day (in one shape of connection or another). I do not feel complete without the connection of those people, BUT, and that is a huge but, we all need time without a tug or a pull. That is me time, and we do all need it for our own mental health. And remember yourself as newer technology continues to slide your way. You can say no. You can shut it off from time to time. I believe effectiveness stems from a balance in life. Try to be all, do all, and you lose yourself as the human being with a lot of worth you are!

The soaps that I cut this morning (above) are: spa salt bar (citrus blend), summer melon (muskmelon green and white), and a stress relief type of scent (citrus, light patchouli and others) with a slight violet marble. More on the scents once cured!

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