Pink Peonies & Sparkly Gift Bags

Hello Girls, I hope you are well because if you are not you need to listen to me. I am the queen of going from super to rock bottom in one day! It took me over a year to pull myself out of the mess I was in, and I am still not free and clear, but will be soon, so watch out. And how did I do that you ask? One thing, and one thing only. God. Nothing else can explain how I survived the things that happened except for my faith in God. I can't go into the minutia of it all, but can tell you, and with 100% certainty that, God makes miracles happen -in your life. You tell Him what you need, and be sure to also ask Him to give you the ability to be at peace with what ever happens. Ask Him to remove the stress and worry and to lay peace on your heart. Then .....have complete faith that He WILL work miracles for you, yes YOU. IT WORKS! Angela Thomas says we are His baby girl. She is so darling and I want to be just like her. Whoa, makes me cry thinking about the miracles He has done for me and the many more He probably will need to do for me before I go to the narrow door. [insert rolling eyes smiley]

You see, you have to understand that He works through others. This is how all this miracle business works. He brings people into your life for a reason. Nothing is a coincidence, it's planned. HE plans it. We should know that He will use us in many ways throughout our lives to help others. We may not even be aware of it most of the time. It's a really cool thing.

I went to a very expensive consultant, then settled for a cheaper one. Things didn't work out, so I went to a third unsure what the outcome was going to be, in fact, I expected a terrible outcome, but I prayed very hard about it ...and begged...lol, I left the meeting elated. A huge weight lifted from my heart. God does not disappoint. This person was just doing her job, and had no idea God was working through her. I dunno, maybe she did. I'll ask her one day.

My point to all of this is that God helps us because he wants us to help others. To be mindful of others. We all have gifts, blessings, and special abilities. We should use these talents to help others. I'm not talking about saving the world, please. It's not complicated and you don't have to do community service. Simplicity, and common sense. Be gracious. God wants us to be His servants. What does that mean? It means ..be. Be in the world and share your wonderful self with people. Be happy, show people your lovely self, your sense of humor, and share the things you love!

My mom was so gracious and she was a good servant. She was a good friend to all her girlfriends. They loved her. She was generous, caring and gave sound advise. She thought about people in most everything she did. She put everyone else before her own needs. Literally. I miss her everyday. It's still hard to visit my dad because he hasn't changed one thing of hers since she died. So when I am in his house I envision her there, cooking or arranging her gorgeous pink peonies in vases.

This is a beautiful world filled with beautiful people, flowers, food and sparkly gift bags. So SHARE. lol. Bring a girlfriend a flower, or a gift bag with a cute girlie thing in it. Some of us just need more guidance than others. So listen, what does Martha say, "it's a good thing", right? I want that wall plaque that says; LIVE LOVE LAUGH, and hang it above the front door of my house. Do not enter unless you intent to live love and laugh because there is alot to be happy about, especially when we have each other.

365 Days Later & A Few More Girlfriends

Girls, I am so terrible for allowing an entire year to go by with not one post. Shame on me. Ebb and flow is the story of my life, though. When I'm hot, I AM HOT. When I'm not it's because I lost interest, or was all consumed in other things. happens to single moms, so please, give your single mom friends a break, okay? They don't have a man around to do 50% of the work around the house.

I just re-read the APR 2010 post and can't believe I wrote that. Coming out of a horrible horrible job back then, I obviously had an epiphany about treasuring relationships. In high school I had a job, and kept that job for 20 years. It had it's good and it's bad. The good part is all I will talk about and am thankful for those women who are back in my life after a 10 year hiatus. I needed that reunion very much. It felt like I was home again after being away for a long time. That same feeling came to me when I went to New Life Church with Susan last year. The feeling was, I belong here. :)

Anyway, since last year... oh my gosh....new job, lots of new friends, and way less money. Oh well. My Mary Kay income keeps me alive and in this economy, ladies....get a home business and pick a product women want. It is true, women will not go without makeup. When the light bill comes, and you're thinking...in utter disgust...$400? Just then God brings you a blessing. Cleanser, moisturizer and oh, I'll take that microdermabrasion set too. Cha ching. Every penny goes right to PSE. A necessary evil since I am no longer a woodcutter. But FTR, my dad taught us how to chop wood, so it's not that I can't.

Had some ups and downs the past year, but mostly downs. Car broke down, kids moved back home, etc. The storm has almost past and only a few more hurdles to go. My faith in God keeps me going, so I pray 24/7 and listen to podcasts while I work. Listening to ministries prevents me from being cynical. but I could be mistaking cynicism for menopause. I highly recommend listening to Wayne Taylor podcasts. He is the most wonderful man on the planet. I absolutely love his voice, his sense of humor, but mostly, the obvious love he exudes. If I were to place a voice to Jesus Christ, it would be Wayne Taylor.

So 365 days later, I cleansed my friends list. It's important for us to realize when people drain the energy from us. Like a vampire sucks the blood from his victim to survive, so do certain people do that to us. As Dr. Laura says, you have caller ID. USE IT, and I did. It's simply not healthy to waste your time on self-centered people. Your time is yours and you have important things to do. It's sad to lose them as friends, I rather liked them all, but I am not a trained psychiatrist, so I guess you could say I did them a favor as I am not qualified to advise the psychosis of others, and therefore was wasting their time as well. WINNER!

One gal has a serious case of PTSS. lol...it's not funny, I know, but dang...her facebook profile picture is a black square to reflect ...what? I'm dead to you? lol...so melodramatic. It's all about ME. Give me a break. You see what I mean? They don't call you to talk about the weather, the mall, Dr. Oz, although that may come up, the real topic is HER.
Another friend would call everyday and chat for hours about HER daily routine. How mundane, and droll, and selfish this all was to me. yet I sat there and listened, putting my life on hold. Knowing the financial stress I was enduring at the time, she continued to talk about her LeMer products, her Misook tops, and HER moissanite martini diamond stud earrings, her her her. Caller ID on. Another friend was just a jealous, conniving, backstabber. Here's where we need to either be blunt, or walk away. What do you do? I walked away and never looked back. Thanks for the decades of memories and I pray your hearts are filled with the Holy Spirit....one day soon.

On to healthy friendships and being in control of my own time. I was telling my dear friend Susan, I am not wired to destroy others. It is not in me to set out to intentionally hurt another person. It's scary and sad that so many people are.. .why? Do we need to know? My brother works with a woman who has Histrionic Personality Disorder. Good grief, wikipedia that. I bet you know 10 people with that. lol.

Girls, lets go have margaritas, clang our glasses, eat appetizers, laugh out loud, and thank God for our healthy friendships.

Peace be with you today.

Talk About Lipstick

Oh my gosh, do we need our girlfriends, or what? I don't know about you but, I have the most amazing friends. Life would not be good right now without their support. Mom's are the best sounding board we could ask for. She's the one who listens to all our problems and we can count on her for solid and sound advice because she knows us better than anyone and, of course, she loves us. But if your mom is in heaven like mine, then you need your girlfriends. WHY? Because girls are critical, little perfectionists, and judgemental snots, and despite the fact that those traits are irritating and annoying at times, it keep us on track. We love talking about each others issues, and although that sounds catty, talking about lifes little issues with our close friends keeps you in touch with reality, and it makes you think about your own situations. You should always strive for excellence, never mediocre. Don't settle.
We need our friends and family to keep us strong and grounded. Do you ever listen to Dr Laura? She is a very strong woman and one of her pet peaves is a weak woman. The hardest thing for me is to stand up for myself. I would just as soon walk away from you and never talk to you again than have to give you a piece of my mind. I'm just not the confrontational type, can't help it, and it's caused me many problems and heartaches. I do not recommend it. HAHA! The solution is to be strong and JUST SAY IT. Say what you have to say, spit the words out. I used to be like that when I was younger. Blurt crap out with no inhibitions. Somewhere along lifes path I decided it wasn't lady like, or that being opinionated was crass. Cinderella wasn't mouthy or sassy, she just did her job. She had inner peace. She had loving parents that lived in her memory, that's who she was and she knew it. Unlike her step sisters who shamlessly embarrased themselves at her expense.
Shameless behavior at the expense of others is about the worst trait anyone can have and us girls face people like that every day. Especially in the workplace. Many of my girlfriends have experienced horrid people in the workplace. Shocking stories of back stabbing and degrading attacks. I cannot stress to you enough to GET OUT. It's not worth it.
The saddest thing is watching our girlfriends being abused in their own sanctuary, their home, by their spouce, or their children. The best thing for these women is knowing their girlfriends are always available. You have to make yourself available to them. They need you. in some cases you may be their only lifeline. We can talk about this in depth some other time. I have lots to say in the matter. But what don't I have alot to say about? Don't answer that.

So girlfriends, start a girlfriend network. Start out simple like maybe meeting for a glass of wine at a fab restaurant and share an appetizer. Laugh, and gawk at each others jewelry and handbags. Compliemt each other, swap pictures. Talk about lipstick. ANYTHING!!!

luv u