Happy Fall everyone

Well, Saturday was the first day of fall (Autumn for some of you formal folks), and it is time for all things, harvest, Halloween, and the last holiday, Thanksgiving.

I will not say that I enjoyed my summer, nor do I hate it either.  My summer was so-so.  I cannot say anything about my summer at all, except this.

First of all, my July 4^th was wonderful yet hateful at the same time.  The way I planned my summer was to lay low from June 21^st to July 18^th, travel to Orlando, Florida for all things family reunion and Disney, ending the rest of the summer in this “catch up on my business and revamp where I can” type of summer until the first of September 1^st.   Instead, my parents did not want to travel to Florida, I had not saved for Florida, and neither did my brother, sister, and nephew.  I did not get to see my city’s Red, White, and Boom celebration because my parents and I were in their hometown of Tuscaloosa and Moundville, Alabama.  Mom did well coming and going, but the hotel was not the most promising.  In fact, we ended up changing hotels in the middle of the week.

The first hotel was a hot mess dot com.  We arrived at a less than quality Howard Johnson, at 4808 Skyland Blvd E, Tuscaloosa, AL 35405.  They were in the middle of a room renovation, switching out television sets, peeling walls, worst breakfast in the history of me having the worst breakfast, bad handicap bathrooms (mom needed one) I ever seen, and I have been in some bad hotels.  We stayed there until about Tuesday of that week.  Next hotel was actually a better deal with a nice room, a couch, handicap bathroom on point (except I missed my bathtub) and had to stay in the room with the parents.  The first one, I had my own room. This room was spacious for three of us.  The only things I hated about that room in addition to the shower deal, I was catching an allergy/cold that lasted all summer (last week I finally am starting to feel like myself again) and dad snoring on some nights (He had the c-pap machine, but he did not use it, what was that all about?)

The 4^th was spent at one of my uncles’ house, and he threw down with the food.  We had ribs, chicken, brats, corn on the cob, spaghetti with meat sauce, greens, desert, baked beans, and watermelon. There was Potato salad, macaroni salad, and a few other things that I could not remember.  We visited my aunt in Bessemer, AL, and I had TCBY for dessert one night (that company decided to close up in Central Ohio, it was one of my favorite places to eat Froyo.)   

I took off for August.  I prepared to write posts, but I did not publish anything.  Look for those to come at the end of the month.  I did not vlog anything or create anything. I was preparing for this month, but this month, I did not much either.  So, it is now the time to get back to work full time.

Pigeon Forge, TN (Copyright
2015 P.Lynne Designs

Fall in love with a forever changing blog….

New in this blog:

Starting October 1^st, I will break this blog into segments.  I have been meaning to do this, but as I was not sure how to do it, especially with it being in Blogger format.  I have been researching other blogs and found that everyone was able to break off their subjects into different segments.  One reason is for an organization and the other is, so I know what keywords to put for my readers to be able to find a post.  The segments are:

-          Motivational Mondays- Encouragement from writing your first post to anything that has to do with you and writing your masterpiece.  The first piece of this newly minted day is on Humility.  Look for it next Monday.

-          Tip Tuesday- Enough said, but it has to do with tips on writing, except on journaling.  I will save those for ….

-          Write it Down Wednesdays- (honestly, there are no days of the week that goes with journaling).  I addressed this one of my posts.  I recently started a series on journaling.  I had so much fun tackling this subject until I want to write about it at least once a week. 

-          Throw Back Thursdays- This is a post that I can update or a subject that I previously posted about and give it a new twist.  No, this is not another chance for me to attack Abby Lee Miller (I wish her well in her cancer treatments), but this is for posts that promote motivation, writing and other stuff related to the current status of my blog.

-          Facebook Fridays – Well, it is for more than just Facebook, it is for all of the social media, at least the big six (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and YouTube). I did a series a couple years ago on social media as I know it, and I recently wrote about Facebook as an updated version of that series.  Again, like the journaling series, I had fun writing it until I want to write on the subject for a while.

-          I will skip Saturday and Sunday, which would be a good time for me to do a Social Media Saturday or Sunday, but I want to spend time with family and friends and to regroup from the week. 

That is it for now.  As for Fall…

·         Embrace all of what fall brings. 

·         This is bonfire weather, pass the popcorn and apple cider while you read a book under a cozy blanket weather. 

·         Leaves are falling, and kids are ready to jump into a pile of them. 

·         Time to find that costume for the end of October.

·         And finally, have a bountiful feast consist of turkey, stuffing, Green Bean Casserole, and Pumpkin or Sweet Potato Pie. Do not forget to give back to those who have to do without.

Be grateful the little things.  Again, Happy Fall/Autumn.  Be safe, warm, and God Bless.

Protect yourself from Unwanted Viewers

It is important to protect yourself
and your family and still produce good, quality videos
.  Photo by Bromium

This is third in a series of vlogging, which is something I have been meaning to update from the last time I wrote about this topic.  If you had not had a chance to view them, I have written about videos you should be doing to get the most views on your channel if you have on or plan on starting one for 2018.  Today, I want to talk about how to protect you and your family once the viewers start watching your video channel.  I talk about YouTube mainly, but this applies to any platform out there: Facebook Live (and a new feature, Facebook Watch), Instagram and IGTV, Twitter, and many others.

Going Viral

It is important to know when your video is a one-hit wonder or when it goes viral, which I will go into more in just a bit.  Truth be told, not every video you make is going to get to that point, where the moment someone mentions your name, you are elevated to that of a Justin Bieber, a Kardashian, or even a Logan Paul.

Going viral is the newest thing for getting views, but not everyone has what it takes to go there.  When you do, it is a good sensation when a viewer recognizes you, and according to most of the YouTubers I have mentioned in my last post, most viewers are sweet, and they only wanted to thank you for brightening up their day or giving them the information, they needed for a problem that needed to be solved.  Going viral is the video that people talk about at the office (did you see that video where…).  It can be politically charged, cute, or thought-provoking.  It starts with something in the video that is out of the ordinary.  I will get to more on that subject in a different post.  Know this: once you have that video that gets people talking, be prepared to go into protection mode.    

Why give this advice?

My channel has only 158 viewers, so I have not gotten to that point where a viewer recognizes me.  So, why am I giving you this advice?  Perhaps, I may be talking you into creating a channel of your own, or you may want to see what’s out there for you.  I am not in your head, but I could be.  Safety may be one of your concerns, and if that is the case, keep reading.  Call it a preventive measure.

Addressing the situation

One of the most common things between me and popular YouTubers out there is location.  We do not give out our real addresses. We give general locations of where we are, such as a city and state.  Nothing else.  It is for our own protection.  You may have noticed that even in my blog posts, and I mention my city, I say Central Ohio, that’s it.  No city.  It is the same with my videos.  Yes, I am in the phone book, and at one time, I had an unlisted number, until I became a business person.  Now, I have a phone number that rings into the same line as my home phone, and I use my cell phone as well.  I currently do, only because of a couple of things I need it for.  One day, I will switch to just my mobile phone.

The reason I protect myself is I do not want to wake up in the middle of the night and finding someone standing over me or come home to an empty house. 

If you do not mind viewers sending you mail, set up a PO box to receive that mail, especially if you are in the phone book.  The PO box also protects you from having threats sent to your mailbox.  Set your phone number to private if you have a landline phone or do not give out your number at all.

Traveling

I never post pictures, videos, and blog post while on vacation.  (Although I accidentally posted family pictures on my IG (Instagram) account the evening of July 4^th, I did not give the location of what city I was in). Again, for safety reasons, plus this is a good opportunity for being “Off the Grid” for a day or a week to enjoy yourself, and not let your social media accounts dictate how you want to spend your vacation or a shopping trip.  When you go shopping that is for you and only you, enjoy the moment.  Your viewers will understand.

Take the time after your trip to edit, refine, and post as though you are on the trip now.  In videos and posts before your trip, do. not mention when you are going, unless you want a person to visit the same place.  I do not mind, but I also post after the fact too.  Same goes if you do travel videos.

Family

This is tricky because there are some rules that you can set while at the same time, you can also protect your children as well.

Since I do not have children of my own, but I do have nieces and nephews.  One particular situation that comes to mind is the year after I started my YouTube channel.  I did not know what I want to create at the time, but I found my sister’s children doing something very fascinating.  My nephew was 2 and my niece was 1 at the time (they are now 11 and almost 10), and I was making a video of me interacting with them, especially my niece, who had gotten to the point of walking pretty good.  She toddled over to me, and said, “Ta Da”, which was her favorite word to say. (And the only thing I could understand her to say at the time.)

Anyway, after that, I uploaded it, errors and all.  My sister saw the video and was furious with me.  She was screaming to the point of telling me that she did not want their father, her ex-boyfriend, to see the video. I screamed back, “my camera, my channel, and I will post what I want.”  This was in 2009 when YouTube did not give a care in the world about what the guidelines for this sort of stuff, as long as you post it. (Translation: Before Google bought it).

I reluctantly took it down, and I thought that it was a missed opportunity for me to get views on it, but not so fast.  Did I get permission?  Just because they were my niece and nephew, that does not give me the right to make a video. They were family, but not my children.  You have to ask these two questions: 1. Do you want/or can your children be in the video/picture? If the answer is no, move on.  Do not ask why and do not beg them to give permission.   2. Can I post this on YouTube/Vimeo/Facebook Live/IGTV with you in it?  If the answer is again, no, edit the scene and take the person out.  Do not blur their face.

Last name protection

A couple of family video channels I watch do not give out their last name for their own safety, but it is easy to find them on Google.  I did a little experiment and looked up their YouTube channel name, and Google had the full information, including the last name.  I will not give the channel name and who I looked up since they do not want it revealed.

When I introduce myself on my channel, I only give my first name, but I do not give out anything else, such as my marital status, age, and as mentioned earlier, my location.  I really do not care if you find out my last name or not.  It is listed as part of me being a business owner, and it is needed for legal purposes.  I am very proud of my last name.

I am not going to tell you one way or another on giving out your last name.  If you want protection, that is for the PO box address. 

Speaking of that, if you do show packages you receive on camera, you may want your address to stay anonymous. Use a sharpie or some other black marker or tape to cover up the address.  It is a good idea to cover up the sender’s address as well.

So, these are the tips I and other YouTubers use in order to be safe when making videos. I hope you keep these tips in mind when you create your first video.  I have sprinkled little takeaway moments throughout the piece, so, there are none in this portion of the post.  Remember, be safe no matter what you do in life.  Do not let anyone stop your dreams or your joy.  You got this. God Bless You and your family.  

More Videos to Increase Viewership

Photo and Title by P.Lynne Designs

In part 1 last month, I covered different types of videos that are popular on YouTube RIGHT NOW.  These videos include The Haul and unboxing shopping videos, food videos (cooking and Muckbong), and ASMR (sound stimulating).  These are the videos that seem to get the most viewership, and allows the creator to see 100, 1000, or even 100,000 viewers and subscribers.  Remember, the more viewers and subs you have, more likely you will see revenue in the form of money, sponsorship, and free product to trying and to review.  If you have not read the post, you can start here.

If you have read it, I will give you the rest of the list. So here we go.

Come with me Videos

By Videezy

These are the “this is what is in “X” store”, the “I came in here to buy “this” product, but here is what else they have”, and the popular, “what’s new in my store” video.  Now, I have a disclaimer to this type of video.  Most store chains do not like videos being shot in their stores by customer, unless you get permission. Let me explain what “getting permission” means to the average employee, “Call our corporate office”.  I am sorry, but when you are planning out a video, calling corporate is the last thing on your mind.  When you are first starting out, the best thing to do is shop in a specific location all the time.  The employees will see you coming, and you can begin talking to them casually and gaining trust.  Eventually, they will come around, and you can explain your business, or do like Romana of Cherish Treasures did and know someone who works for these stores.

Here are some the reasons they do not like them.  For one, they are afraid that you are the competition trying to find out store secrets.  Another is something called IP placement.  IP stands for Intellectual Property.  In other words, our old friend copyright.  I have several posts on this, so I do not have to explain how careful you have to be when roaming around the store with a video camera.  The last thing is the safety of their customers.  My advice to you if you decide to take on the come with me video is go during a time of day when there is less people or during a time when employees are most likely to be busy with another customer.  They also have security roaming around.  Stick to only your purchases.  And lastly, have fun and do not stress about it if an employee ask you to put the camera away.  Also, taping on your phone helps, it makes you look like you are viewing your messages.

Daily videos

By Suspicious Observers  

These are the videos where you can document your day.  Some people do straight talk about what happened during the course of their day while others will show it.  This type of video are for people who start off with their lifestyle video channel (crafts, food, etc…) then when they gain viewers, the creator will launch channel with everyday living.  Sometimes, the creator will start off with daily vlogs, then launch their niche channel, and gain a whole new set of viewers.

Family videos

By Twitter

These videos are a hybrid of the daily videos, only it involves a whole family.  I watch quite a few of these, like Holden It Down, who talks about hair, adopting her kids (she has 2, Elizabeth and Edgar), and family life.   I have mentioned these families before:

• Cullen and Katie Husband and Wife (Cullen and Katie) who has 2 additional channels, Katie on the Flip Side, and a podcast channel, Don’t Tell Mom, and have 2 children, Macey Gaines and Brooks, and dogs, Adabelle and Emma; Cats Whitaker forgot the other cat’s name.
• JK Today, featuring Katie’s Brother-in-law and Sister, Jay and Kelley, and their three kids, Madelyn, Bennett, and Emily, dog Socca, and cat Snuggles.
• GabeBabeTV , Husband and wife (Gabrielle and Chad Sr.) with their children, Ceej (Chad Jr) and Reagan), dog, Oscar,  who have 4 additional channels; The Gabe Fix, Chad Life, Ceej Life, and Let’s Make Out- A Podcast channel.
• Britt’s Space (formally The Nive Nulls)- formerly married mom (Brittany) of 3 (Audrianna, Kiland, and Maddox).
• Samika Vlogs – Husband and wife (Sam and Jennika) with 3 children (Noah, Penelope (PJ), and Ezra).
• LaVigne Life - Husband and wife (Jerry Jr. and Dee) who has 8 additional channels, including 2 channels featuring their kids, Jerry III and Jorden.
• Daily Davidsons Husband and wife (TJ and Tiffany) with 4 children; Jaden, Chance, Carter, and soon to be born baby girl.
• AprilJustinTV - Husband and Wife (April and Justin) with 2 sons, Liam and Jacob (Jake), two other channels; Cooking with April and AprilAthena7
• Naptural85 -  Husband and wife (Whitney and Felipe) with 2 children, Olivia and Theo, cat, Chubs, has 1 other channel, Whitney White.

Yes, I watch them a lot.

Takeaway Moment:

You can have a lot of fun with these videos without making them boring.  Unlike the others, where you can show something new and different each time you put a video.  All of these videos, except a couple have gotten their viewers first, then branched off to their different channels.  For example, Gabe Flower-Rader of GabebabeTV and The Gabe Fix talks about fashion, her favorites products of the month, and recently started talking about her progress with her latest pregnancy and birth of their baby girl, Reagan Elizabeth (her and Chad also have a son named Chad Jr. (Ceej)).  The point is to always to switch it up, so your audience will not get bored, unsub, and move on. One other tip: remember to edit.  Some viewers do not like it when you have an extra long video (the average with all these family videos is around 10-15 minutes in length).  More specialized videos can go a little longer.

I hope you take a look at all these channels and show them some love.  This post is not sponsored by any of these channels and the ones mentioned part 1.  I love watching them and seeing the children grow, which some I have been watching since some of these children were babies, so I feel like I am part of their family.  I have never met any of these families in person.

In my next post, I will talk about how I and these YouTubers protect ourselves from people showing up on their front porch.  Until then, be safe, and God Bless You.

Get into These new Videos to Increase Views

Note: In this post, I have links that you can click on to watch the different types of videos, as well as affiliate links.  I receive no credit for the videos I show, but I appreciate it that you give them some love by subscribing to these channels. For the affiliate links, I do get a small percentage of any purchases made.  Thank you.

This picture was taken from the Carnival Dream
By P.Lynne Designs
copyright 2018 

You created a new YouTube channel.  Congratulations.  You have everything set up to upload your first YouTube video.  5 months into your new channel, you run out of ideas, and you are not exactly sure of what is the most

popular video on your subject.  Stay tuned, I am going to show you what types of videos you can make without pulling your hair, and ready to shut down your channel.

ASMR

I just watched an ASMR.  What is an ASMR?  It is a new type of video (at least new to me), where you stimulate the senses.

ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. It is supposed to be like pins and needles to your body.  It starts from your scalp and it is supposed to stimulate all the way down your spine through the help of a microphone and simulating that feeling.  Laura Lemurex-ASMR and GentleWhisper (named Maria) are some of the top people who know how to stimulate you in all the right places (If you are into that sort of thing).  The one I just watched was Laura’s and this included stroking, brushing of the makeup brush, and scratching her nails on one of those big microphones you use for voiceovers.  I have also watched (rather listened to) one of Maria’s videos.  I cannot say that I am a fan of this type of video, especially one that involves scratching one’s nails on a microphone that is amplified to heights unknown only to that of a 747 plane, but maybe I will learn to appreciate the effort.  I like the whispering one better, but if this is still a trend when I hit 70, will my old ears be able to hear it, LOL? Do not expect neither one to come to my channel anytime soon.

Other types of popular videos

This has given me some thought into researching other types of videos that has come to the forefront of the YouTube community.  What are the other videos that are out there? They are:

Muckbong

Muckbang, or however you spell it and pronounce it, is the art of buying a bunch of already prepared food and have a smash party with it.  I have watched several, and even attempted one, except I did my version, a single food, but I did not post it.  Why?  Because I have seen several of these videos, and they had several types of food from the same place or one type of food from several different places, and frankly, I do not like mine. I will erase it from the hard drive.  It is basically gluttony at its finest, and they say it is a sin, but I have committed several since the age of 0 days, and the Good Lord God has not struck me down yet, so I am good.  Not sure if my doctor will have the same reaction as God, but I will tape it again with different food, and maybe I will invite someone to share this Muckbong with. Stay tuned.

Cooking

This goes with Muckbong.  If you do not want to buy the food, maybe you can cook some food, and have a Muckbong with it (hmm, a Leftover Muckbong sounds interesting).  No, just kidding.  What I really mean is make your favorite dish on camera.  My favorites are Tasty, Food Wishes and Laura Vitale.  Basically, if you want to make it like that, it is simple:  find a dish (Laura sometimes does her family dishes and American favorites), get your ingredients, prep the ingredients (so people will not have wait while you are slicing and dicing), and make your dish.  You can also show cooking with your 4-year-old.

Reviews

I have a fondness for reviews, rather they are gadget, travel, a restaurant, or shopping.  I love them all.  I love them so much that I make them myself.  I have not made many, but I made enough to know what a person would like to see.  There are usually in the form of sponsored videos, but most are made because the person has bought a new product, and they want to let the world know of their thoughts on said product or service.  Reviews are now used as a means to decide on what brand to buy.  The consumer knows that they want to upgrade their RAM on heir computer for example, and what I went through yesterday, but they are not sure what will give them the best performance.  You do not want to bring a computer back for any reason.

Unboxing Videos

And

Haul Videos

I grouped these two together because they are basically the same thing.  You are showing what you got from your favorite store or what the subscription box services sent you.  I do the haul videos, not because I want to show you that I have enough money to buy it, for these are some needs and a few wants.  OK, mostly wants.  If you are in the hunt for the item that I bought, you will know where I got it from. 

Another form of this is called an unboxing video.  This is mainly for those who on the fence about a service, like Blue Apron, Graze, or The Planner Society, which were the subscription box services I used in the past and reviewed on camera.  Loved all three.  On these videos, I am here to point out to you the products in the subscription, price, and coupon code to get a free box to start your own subscription. 

Both the hauls and the unboxing are 100% bought with my own money, which does not make them sponsored videos.  I do it because as I said, I am an influencer, and if I like it, I will tell my viewers.

How-to Videos

Tutorials, or tuts, as I call them.  The “show me how to make this project” videos.  I do “this is what I made” videos because I do not have the right setup to leave the phone on the tripod and use both hands.  I have a tripod to hold my phone, but I have not found the right angle for it to look down over the project.  I have found a DIY video to show me how to make one from PVC pipes that cost under $5, but at this point, by the time I find the time to buy the materials and put it together, a brand new one from Amazon can arrive on my doorstep in under two hours, but I am trying to resist the temptation of buying one.

Basically, it is the same as the cooking videos, you grab the materials, enough to make two, one you made off-camera, and one deconstructed and ready to make on-camera.  Have them ready, at least most of the prep work done, and instruct your audience to make anything from a cabinet to greeting cards to a Dollar Tree-inspired flower arrangement.

Screencast Videos

These are nothing more than “tuts” on your computer.  You are showing your computer screen.  This can also be a gaming video.  You are showing your viewer how to do a step in software or showing viewers how to get through a game like Fortnite.  This is how I learned how to create graphic designs in Photoshop or get game hints from SimCity BuildIt. 

Traveling

I recently made a short video of my cruise in January.  I was not proud of it, it was through Google from my pictures.  I do not recommend this method at all.  There was an unflattering picture of my friend in her swimsuit that I had to take out, and it added a video that was supposed to be a standalone video, but I left it in there because I was too lazy.  Anyway, as I said in my posts back in January I had fun, but I will do my editing in the manner I see fit from now on.

A couple of tips:  only do highlights, unless there is a show or place you want to viewer to see if they go on this same trip and do not upload the video while there, It gives in to unwanted pest (thieves) to your home.  They are always lurking on social media waiting for someone to slip up.  You can edit your video while on vacation, but upload when you get home, plus you do not want roaming charges on a 5-20-minute video in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

 Whatever, wherever you go on your travels, make it an interesting video.  Show the fun side, scaling back on the serious side of your trip.

Final thoughts and takeaways: 

I am in awe of the many types of videos you can make and have a different one each time you upload.  You can even combine two types into one video, like an ASMR with a Muckbang video or a “come with me” shopping video with a haul attached at the end.  The trick here is to be consistent and make it interesting to the viewer will want to come back.  Marketing your video through your social media also helps.  If a viewer loves your channel, they will bring others.

Other types of videos I missed that are popular are the daily vlog, family vlogs, and “Come With Me” videos.  Daily vlogs are just that, a chronological account where you pick up the camera and talk about your day.  A variant of the daily vlog is a family daily vlog where you show your family daily activities.  “Come with Me” videos are videos where you vlog in a store and show new products.  The trick to this video is to only show the product, record on your phone, not a regular camera where the staff can see it.  Some companies do not like it.  If you do get caught, simply explain what you are doing, and you are not video tapping their customers or their employees, which is a clear violation of a person’s privacy.  I will explain more about these videos in my next post. 

Coming up:  I will talk about the daily, family, and “Come with Me” type videos in more detail.

Until then, be safe, have fun, and God bless.

Summer Saturday: Poetry

Happy Saturday Morning, everyone!

One of the African Dancers performing at my family
Reunion banquet last Saturday
(c) 2017 P.Lynne Designs

I know it is late, I have not posted in a while (August post coming soon, I promise).  I am not excusing the lack of posts, except it is summer.  OK, so it has been a couple of weeks since I posted anything, but again, it is summer. 

I have been to my family reunion last weekend, and if you follow me on Instagram (www.instagram.com/tricia721  same username as my Twitter account), I have posted a couple of pictures there.  Me and my family went back to Alabama, where both of my parents are from (remember, I am a Northern Baby, born here in Columbus).  My father had surgery but insisted on going. (Do you have men in your family like this?  All I can say is Uggh!!) My brother drove there and back.  My nephew, is at the typical age of 6, going on 7 at the end of the month (who actually is 17-year-old in a child’s body, LOL), was good.  Never complained, except a couple of times was a real trooper, being the only kid in the van.  We rented the van, a Chrysler Suburban, rides like a dream, and I had the pleasure of having the whole third row to myself.  My only wish was that I was put on the driver’s list of people driving (having only driven an SUV once). 

We stayed with my aunt in Madison, AL, 2 nights, the hotel the rest of the nights.  I am not going to tell you all of my adventures of last weekend.  Next stop…The Islands.

Why am I posting?  A Poem

This is a short post tonight.  I was trying to find something to write about.  Tip:  sometimes you have to let inspiration take control. 

I do not write poetry.  I probably can if I let inspiration take control of the situation and I am not patient on some things.  So tonight, I was reading a Facebook post, and a friend of mine found this poem about being a black woman.  I read most of it, and I thought, “where has this poem been all my life?”

It talks about what’s wrong with being a black woman.   I have often thought why I have to make an excuse for being born a black woman.  We are often the low person on the totem pole for benefits, pay, and other things.  People always think that when I am upset, I am going to beat a person up.  I am upset, how do you think I am going to react to something that was done against me?  I had an incident that blew up in someone’s face. 

I was getting off from work in December 2006.  It was the holiday season, and I am tired from working (my hours were from 3 PM-8 PM).  I was working at Archiver’s which was a scrapbooking/crafting store.  I walked to my car, and at the same time, two ladies were walking towards their car.  I had a tote bag with me and had put it on the passenger side of my car.   The driver of the other car looked at me and screamed, “you parked too close and you better not hit my car with that door”, or something to that effect.  I told her that I did not hit her car, and I was rushing to get to the driver’s side of my car.  She thought that I was rushing to hit her.  I was not paying attention to her at all.  She had threatened to call security on me.  Her friend tried to calm her down.  I was only trying to get away from her.  Now, I had a hard day, and I had parked the car in that spot 3 hours before I went into work, so I was in the mall area from 12 NN.  I had not moved my car, and I do remember that her car was not parked there before. So, in essence, she was in the wrong, but since she saw I was African American, she thought that maybe she would provoke me, to make a scene, which did not work in her favor.  Maybe she too had a bad day, not getting what she wanted from the stores she shopped at?  Who knows, all I know is I wanted to get home, decompress, and get ready for the night.  I found myself 5 minutes later, sitting on the side of the freeway, crying because this woman decided to pick on me and my spirit.  A freeway officer pulled up behind me and asked me if I was OK.  I told her “no”, and explained to her what happened in the parking garage.  She talked to me for a minute, and that was the best 2-minute conversation I had with a police officer.  She told me to take my time to compose myself before going back on the highway.  I stopped by my parent’s house before going home.   After leaving my parent’s house, I went home, took a hot bath, and forgot about the day.

I should never have to explain myself to anyone who is in the wrong.  I know that now and should never have said anything to that woman who was leaving with her friend.  I thank God that I kept my temper in check and security never came to her supposed rescue.

The Poem is called “What If I’m a Black Woman”.  It was written originally around 1996 and the author is unknown, but I imagine that is was a black woman who wrote it.  Enjoy reading it, and I will talk to you later.

What If I Am a Black Woman?

Is it a disease? Well, if it is, I sure hope its catching
Because they need to pour it into a bottle,
label it, and sprinkle it All over the people
men and women who Ever loved or cried,
worked or died for any one of us.

So...What if I am a Black woman?
Is it a crime? Arrest me!
Because I'm strong, but I'm gentle,
I'm smart, but I'm learning,
I'm loving, but I'm hateful.
And I like to work because
I like to eat and feed and clothe
and house Me, mine
and yours and everybody's,
Like I've been doing for the past 300 years.

What if I am a Black woman?
Is it insane? Commit me!!
Because I want Happiness, not tears;
Truths not lies; Pleasure not pain;
Sunshine not rain; A man not a child!

What if I am a Black woman? Is it a sin?
Pray for me! And pray for you too,
If you don't like women of color
because we are... Midnight Black,
Chestnut Brown, Honey Bronzed,
Chocolate Covered, Cocoa Dipped,
Big Lipped, Big Breasted, and BEAUTIFUL
all at the same time!

So what if I am a Black Woman?
Does it bother you that much because
I want a man who wants me...
Loves me and trusts me, and respects me
And gives me everything because
I give him everything back, PLUS!!

What if I am a Black woman? I've got rights,
same as you! I have worked for them,
died for them, played and laid for them,
On every plantation from Alabama to Boston and Back!

What if I am a Black woman?
I love me, and I want you to love me too,
But I am as I've always been,
Near you, close to you, beside you,
strong giving, loving,

For over 300 years, Your Black woman...Love me!

Now, enjoy a video I took of this group who performed for us last Saturday:

Announcement: Traveling Plans

Getting away from it all without tearing your hair out
(c) 2016 P.Lynne Designs

Warning:  it may contain affiliate links

It has now come to my attention that you cannot go on the annual family vacation because someone decided that they needed to do everything on their vacation.  This option usually costs an arm, a leg, their home, and their first-born child.  Aww, the sacrifices we make as a family these days to make vacation living a fun adventure.

I am here to tell you that you do not have to do that type of sacrifice.  Not at all, my friend. I want to tell you a little secret.

BUT FIRST ….

A little announcement ….

I started this project when I had 5 blogs and on the verge of creating what is now forming into P. Lynne Designs. I had to quit because I was burning out.  I have been inching to get back to it, and that announcement is I am going to re-write my Disney Vacation book.  You never saw it because of that burnout.  I was adding too much, and I will be starting over again from the very beginning.  I never truly planned out this book, and that is the second reason why I quit writing it.  I never really planned on how much I was going to write.  I can discuss all of that later.  For right now, I want to get back started.  

OK, enough of that, back to the secret that is a vacation…

The secret to a good vacation is planning.  Notice I did not say the perfect vacation.  If you are a Christian, you know that only God is perfect.  Planning helps out a lot.  Planning keeps you sane and focused of the task at hand, and the plan is to have fun.  Planning for a vacation also helps you:

• ·         Know how much money to spend
• ·         What places in that area you want to see
• ·         Where you want to eat

And so on ….

Here are the areas you need to concentrate when planning

• 1.      Where do you want to go?
• 2.      Time off (both parents and children)
• 3.      Budget.
• 4.      Where you are going to live for the next few days
• 5.      Eating
• 6.      Activities
• 7.      Transportation
• 8.      Packing

Now I could go on about this, but for now, I will make it brief.

The first part is where.  I will use Disney Parks as an example.  Let’s go with that for now.  You have dreamed of Disney, your family loves Disney. 

There are 6 different regions that hold a Disney Park Resort:  2 in the United States, 1 in Japan, 2 in China, and 1 in France. So, which one do you and your family want to visit?

For most people, it is obvious, go to the one in your country.  This is a little bit tricky if you live in either the United States or China, where there are two sets of resort parks to choose from.  Well, technically 3 if you are also close to Tokyo Disney.  OK, you decided to go to Disney World. 

Time Off

Once you decided where to go, the next question is when are you going?  This depends on your job and your children’s schedule.  The job is a no brainer.  If you are new in your position or company, wait a year before going.  Why?  Consider this:  There are people who have been there longer than you and have more experience than you.  Your company may operate on the “Low man on the totem pole” method (AKA Seniority) or the “earned time off” Method (AKA PTO).  In either case, it is best to wait a year to ask for any time off, so skip the vacation.  If you have been there for a while, you know by now when you can ask for time off, and when you cannot.  The tricky part is when you have kids in school.

School systems have gotten smarter since my last day in the 12^th grade.  I might say “dumber” since my last day, depending on where you live, and how much the school is willing to turn you into children services for a 5-day vacation to the “Mouse’s Florida Home”. As an aunt of 5 (3 of which are currently school-age children, 1 grown, and a great-nephew of age 2), I am in constant watch of the changes within the Columbus and Dayton Ohio school systems.   They are not as bad as some of these school districts across the U.S. and in other countries.  One school system in the UK can impose a fine on a parent if you pull your child out of school for anything but an illness.  Another school district in Oklahoma, U.S. can turn a parent into children services if a child has several unexcused absences (equal to that of a week-long vacation).  If this sounds like your school system, my suggestion is to do the typical Summer Vacation/Spring Break/Winter Break routine.  It works out in the end and no one gets arrested, fined, or working out visitation rights with children services.  Apparently, schools do not see an educational value in Disney.   

What is your budget? 

You can decide what your budget is this way:  What is your income and how much you are willing to save.  Disney has several options to work with every type of budget.  Figure how much you are willing to spend on transportation, living arrangements, food, and activities.  One website mentions a method called “Pre-trip costs”.  They also said to allow for spurges, such as foods you never tried before, activities you never done before (I am thinking about trying a zipline course on my cruise in September, even though I am afraid of heights, LOL), and so on.  If you allow these things, you feel less guilty when you overspend because it is already figured in the budget.

How are you getting there?

 Plane, car, train, or bus.  Teleportation is not yet available, and it probably will not be available in my lifetime, although I am not sure I want my atoms scattered throughout the cosmos for two seconds (thinking Star Trek thoughts, LOL).  Anyway, since the last one is not available, you have to do a bit of snooping around for this part of your planning.  What is the best price?  How much will it cost you to get there and around?  Again, it should be in the budget part of your planning.  For example, from where I live, I can fly for 4 hours at the current rate of $484 (April 19, 2017) and returning April 25, 2017, which is the typical Disney Trip.  (there is also a cheap trip of $107 I found in Google search).  I can drive, which using my car (a 2008 Dodge Caliber), I need to get an oil change (it is screeching that right now), and gas is now $2.13 at the station where I live and in Orlando, Florida, it is $2.10 ($.03 difference, wow).  My car is a gas guzzler, so I might opt for renting one.  The average cost of an SUV per day is $44 (for now).  Trains run about $1,200 for the round trip, and buses run about $141 for the trip to Orlando from where I live.  Let’s rent a car.

Where to stay?

Now where are you going to stay?  Disney World has two options:  On-site, Off-site.   This is the typical case for most theme parks today.  The advantage between the two is when you stay on-site, there are a lot of things to do outside of the actual park itself, many of the amenities are free.  Your transportation is free, activities are free at the resort (some, not all).  The problem with Disney is there are so many resorts (which there are 23 of them), and they are divided between value, moderate, and deluxe.  If you are the type of family that does not have that much money in the budget, always on the go, and you use the rooms as a stopping and sleeping point, maybe it is best to have a value resort.  Deluxe resorts are high-end resorts and close the parks.  Some may have eat-in kitchens, and you have lots of money to blow (splurge on). 

Off-site (or Off property) are your Hotel 6, Holiday Inn Express, Sheraton, or even there are some places where you can rent a home for a week (Airbnb is considered).  These places are your home.  You do not have housekeeping to come and make your bed, make cute little animals.  It is like you are living in your own home.   Some properties even have their own pool at each home.  You do need to leave the place where you found it.  I have a link to the advantages and disadvantages of staying off and on site above.

I am going to stop there because this post is growing as I type.  I know I have a lot of Disney World references in this post, and this is not sponsored by them at all.  As I have explained many times that I am still a big kid at heart, and I love Disney.  Your favorite vacation spot may be a cruise, Las Vegas, Spain, Italy, or even Africa.  It may be a quiet romantic getaway for 2 without the kids, or girl friend’s “get away from it all trip.”  Whatever the trip, the budget, and the time spend away from “normal life”, make it a good one by planning, budgeting, and “enjoying the moments” while there.  The world is not going to cave in a week, and you deserve it.

A Christmas Wish you heart makes

It all Started with a Mouse
(C) 2016  P. Lynne Designs

Welcome to Christmas week.  I love Christmas and all that it brings.  The presents, the love of family, get-togethers, food, sweets, but most all, the importance of the birth of Christ.  I love the decorations, but again, I must remember that this is Jesus’ birthday.

I know that some Christian purists and theologians will say, “but Christ was not really born on this day.”  No, we do not know ACTUALLY when He was born, but Christmas give us an idea of what day he was born.  Now, when choosing a Christmas story to believe in, to me, it is the biblical one.  Besides that, it is better than to believe in a story about some immortal fat elf, who breaks into people’s homes to leave a present, and spies on you the other 364 days of the year.  I am sorry folks, that is a home invasion.  On top of that, do you really have to leave him cookies and milk, and snacks for the reindeer? 

Now, I do not want to ruin it for the little ones, so, I do respect the guy who needs to be a spokesperson for Jenny Craig.  When kids do ask me about Santa, I tell them about him, and I do tell them about Jesus’ birthday.  No, I have not traumatically ruined the lives of my niece, nephews, and other children around me.  I have had some years to think about this whole Santa thing. 

What do I mean by “A Christmas wish your heart makes”?  I am talking about taking a trip to Disney World.

Like I said, I love looking at decorations, and I have gone to Disney World at Christmastime.  The parks in 1998 were not that crowded, and Disney was not making the big promotion thing like they do now.  Disney’s Animal Kingdom was just a few months old, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios was called Disney’s MGM Studios.  Disney Springs was called Downtown Disney, and my family and I stayed off property.

We went back in 2004 during the spring break, and it was wonderful, but I longed to get back there during Christmastime.  I was a member of the Disney Vacation Club, which is a wonderful way to stay on the property of Disney.  I do recommend it if you take annual trips to Disney.  I do have to warn you; it is like a timeshare, you have all the perks of a timeshare, but it is so worth it if you do visit Disney multiple times of the year if you can afford it.  In 2006, I had to give it up, because of a financial crisis, but I will tell you that it does not show up on my credit report.  I have plans to get the membership again.

I have been trying to get back to Disney World for Christmas since 2009, but many things have come up in my life over the years.  I am shooting for 2017 this time and it may be the first time without my parents.  Dad has never been big on Disney, in fact, he hates it.  I never knew that concept until we took the trip in 2004.  What we don’t do for our kids.  He tolerated Disneyland when we lived in California, and he thought that we would only ask a handful of times when we moved to Ohio.  Little did he know that he would have a child that loved all things, Disney. 

Mom is a lot better about Disney.  Mom’s now has walking issues, and she is afraid that she would not make it through a week of walking around Disney World, even though if need be, we get her an electric chair to ride in.  She did great in 2004, but she was younger and her legs were stronger.  

As for the rest of the family, except for my ankle issues, me, my brother and his family, along with my sister and her family can do this alone, if my parents do not come.  I want to make it a Disney Cruise/resorts type of trip.   I will have to see and talk to them about it.  One of the things about myself that I need to work on is to be assertive when I ask of something from my family.

One of the events I would like to visit in 2017 is the Disney Social Media Mom’s event.  I doubt if the Disney officials would see this post, but that is one of the goals if that could be pulled off.  I believe it’s in March or April, but I am also not sure how many page views I need on this blog to even get an invite.  I have never been to an event of Disney’s and I heard that when they have one, it will blow you away. 

Well, this is short, and again it is Christmas Week.   If I do not post again and I hope I do so before Sunday, you have a wonderful Merry Christmas. (New Year’s will come up sometime next week)

Are things tumultuous or calm right now in your life? Why do you think the energy is balanced this way?

Calm or tumultuous?
(c) 2015 p.Lynne Designs

I am not starting my March writings in the right way.  I wanted to welcome you in the only way I could, which is to have a big flashy sign that read, “Welcome to March”.  But instead, you go this writing prompt, LOL.

Ok, enough, I am in a silly mood. Welcome to March, and at BlogHer, my favorite place to find writing prompts when the mind is stuck.  This month’s theme is about “Energy”.  Tuesday’s topic has asked me if things in my life are “Tumultuous” or “Calm”?  The second part is why do I think it is that way.

At first, I had to think about that word, “tumultuous”, but it is a word that I personally do not use in my vocabulary (I need more big words in my life).  It simply means, “crazy”, “chaos”, or “screwy”.  I can say this my life is not calm.  I wish it was.  I wish my life right now is at a place where I am not up at 4:30 am writing posts because I cannot sleep.  My mind is racing, and thinking.  Here is the reason why I feel that way (that is the second part of this question)

I am have tossed myself in many directions in the past 4 years.  I have been questioning things like my faith, my life, my business, and my finances.  I have been questioning other things such as “How did I get to 50 so fast?”  “Why don’t I have a house by now?” “Why am I delaying adoption (now turned into foster care)?  “What up with my creativity lately?” “What am I afraid of when it comes to finding the right man in my life to date and marry?”  These are all the questions I have of myself.  I feel like people such as friends and family are passing me by.  I know what I want in life, but sometimes I am so confused.  I do want to succeed. 

I want to be that mom to a child whose birth mom abandoned.  Not necessary a pre-teen or a teen.  I know, I can hear people now asking me, “why not an older child?”  one of my aunts at Thanksgiving asked me that question.  I never got a chance to have a child in the formative years, and I just want to be able to teach this kid, not that I cannot teach an older child.  It is just that an older child has been trained to think a certain way, and any damage done to the child is hard to undo.  I have watched my foster sister go through that.  She was 6 when she came into my family’s lives, and I can say that she is a damaged person at 27 with 2 kids.  I try to help when I can. So do my parents, who she still calls mom and dad.

I want to be the best for God.  That means help others when I can and understanding what He wants from me, which is to obey what his word says in the bible.  He wants me to be happy.  He wants us all who believe to be happy.  I feel like sometimes I have overwhelmed myself, and that is when I have to step back a minute.  I have business, family, church, and my own person life to deal with, so my life is full, but not full enough.  I have room for other people (such as a baby and a mate) (Ohh, mate sound so Klingon-ish like). 

Yes, my life at the moment is not calm, and I doubt in the next 20 or so years it will be (especially if I am going to be 71 by the time this kid graduates).  And if any wants to know, yes I am asking for a child between 0-12 years of age.  I have my options since I am dealing with nephews and a niece ages 1,5, 7, 8, and 20.

Health Problems and how the average extended family approaches it. Humor

This is another humor post today.  It is how health is approached by my family.  I want to first say, do not kill the messenger.   I am one person, who like most, is dealing with day to day ups and downs.  Lately, there have been a lot of downs in my life, but it is getting better.  I am in no way a comedian. Nor do I want to be.  They have a place in our world.  Some have a little bit more raunchier material than others, but that is how they see their world, and they welcome anyone, who happens to be in it, if only for an hour.  It helps them let off a little steam.  Well, this is my steam releaser, and I promise to return to my regular posts soon.  It also helps that we poke a little fun at ourselves every once in a while, without hurting one another.  

I have been diagnosed with a couple of things that could be life changing for me.  Before I get to that, I want to explain my backstory (remember:  everyone has a backstory).  When I was born, and I explained it in another post, I have a cataract in right eye.  My parents and I were told when I was age 9, that it could not be removed.  I was legally blind (not blonde, but blind) in that eye.  What that simply meant was I may qualify for the dog assistance program or not (depending on how my left eye cooperated).  My left eye works great, and sees for both my eyes.  I can tell the difference between light and dark, and I know shapes.  I just cannot read or drive with right eye.  I am also missing a long bone in one arm, and have a partial long bone in the other.  This produces short arms.  I would look up the medical term for that, but I could not pronounce it, even if I tried. I had surgery when I was 8 to straighten my left arm.   I do not worry, because between the two, I am like any other fully functional adult. 

I also have Eczema, which was diagnosed at 8 months.  I have now been flare-up free for 3 years.  A rough patch of dry skin every once in a while, but nothing like a dose of ointment to take care of that.  That is nothing to prepare me for a few more things.   I have high blood pressure.  I was diagnosed two months before my Disney World trip in 2004.  There are meds involved, but it is nothing compare to what I call “the ambush” by family, especially my father’s side.  After all, it is in the DNA   

First of all, they welcomed me to the “High Blood Pressure” club, if there is ever such a club.  To me, it sounded more like a celebration of some sick sort of a dream.  All of a sudden, I was getting offers (especially from my dotting father), such as “what meds are you on?”, and my personal fav, “You know you are not supposed to sprinkle salt on that”.  I know I had already cut my salt intake by half before the diagnoses, but they kept on picking and nagging.  (Way to go, familia) I thought to myself, as I wanted to say to the elders (both living and dead), “Thank you for the DNA”, it was bad enough that I inherited the short arm thing (I had two aunts born with the condition, I was the first to survive it), now this.  My father, who had HBP since he was 17, still does the sprinkle (of the salt that is).  I had taught myself long before this to “taste before sprinkling”….

….Two weeks ago, I was told that I was “pre-diabetic”.  I do not know what that means.   Either I am diabetic or I am not.  Please make up your mind.   I had a crap in my foot, my right foot, which would not go away.  Now I am already prone to injuries due to being a dancer.  Ladies (and a few good gentlemen), you are never a former dancer.  Once you are a dancer, you are always a dancer.  You are just not active in that field anymore (or maybe you are and hate to admit it).  Usually my left ankle will swell.  I found out through physical therapy that I had torn a tendon in my foot, and it never healed properly.  It probably happened during the “stubborn” period in my life.  That point where the foot feels fine, and I can continue doing Jetés or rise fully “en pointe” with no problem, when there was actually a problem.  Anyway, back to the situation.

The pain was to the point, where I had to do an emergency appointment with my doctor.  I could not drive, so my father had to pick me up.  My mother was already there, because she had an appointment with same doctor.  I could not walk in, so my father had to get a wheelchair, so I hobble over to the chair, and a nurse wheeled me in.  After a look over, my doctor wanted a blood test, so I had to be wheeled by my mother over to “The Vampire” to take some blood.   Once done, I was given a muscle relaxer prescription, and off we went.  A few days later, my doctor sent an email, stating she was watching my thyroid, and “NO SWEETS”, because my sugar levels were a little high.   I was only good for one week on the “no sweets” thing.

Question:  How do you tell a lover of all things chocolate no sweets?  I cannot quit cold turkey.  I have only told my mother, because my father or the rest of the aunts and uncles (on both sides) cannot handle that, and I cannot take another “Ambush” like what happened in 2004. 

I have already decided to lose the weight (yes, I am big boned, LOL), but short.  I do not feel short, just call it, “I can hit the ground from a standing position faster than taller person.” Stools are my friends, because taller people do not understand my plight, and they never will.  They sometimes feel annoyed when I ask, say the grocery store manager, if they can just put my favorite foods on a lower shelf.  I can reach things on the next to last shelf, and they must think, as they chuckle to themselves, they have the last laugh of the day, as I stand on the bottom to get an item.  Hey, I even laugh, because I do not have the sense of getting one of them to get an item for me.  But anyway….I drink smoothies without sugar (the stuff at McDonalds is not healthy, just tasty).  I put spinach or kale for the iron, avocado, blueberries, strawberries, banana for the sweet portion, and watermelon.  Sometimes I switch it up.   I do sweets once a month, sushi twice a month (big seafood eater), and I hardly cook with butter (even though it is in the fridge.)  I even joined a gym.  So I am getting there.

So when you feel “ambushed” about your current or future health situation, remember that some else in your life will hold your family’s attention soon enough, like your taste in men. 

Take time for family 2: Appreciation Togetherness

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is part 2 of my Fourth of July weekend. 

When I wrote part 1, I was in my aunt’s home office.   I really was ready to stretch out my wings of this world of the internet, marrying my smartphone hotspot connection with my IPad, and “Old School” won by a landslide.  Rule #1:  When they say that a 2 year old smartphone with bad reviews can connect you anywhere to the world in a matter of seconds with your tablet or laptop, run far, far, away.   I am on the family plan at Verizon, and dad thinks I can replace the phone next month, Hooray!!!   My aunt has Wi-Fi, but could not remember the password.   I thought that it might be her phone number.   Not likely so.

Anyway, Thursday was typical 4^th of July festivities (food and fireworks), except for one thing and that is rule #2:  please remember when you have a child under the age of 4, most of the time, they not like the loud noise.   My cousin at the age of 11 lit the fireworks after dinner, and watching them on the back patio was wonderful, except my nephew did not like the noise.   That is something I will have to consider when we head to Disney World in December.   He will be 3 years old by December 1^st, but for now, at age 2, he was hold his little ears closed.   It was just the 7 of us this time, in December it will be hopefully 10 of us.

Friday was getting together with older relatives day.   We visited my mother’s cousin, who lives 2 hours from my aunt, and they are in their 80s.  As much as it may pain you to listen to them, learn about your family’s history as much as you can.   That is rule #3.  They have so much to offer and it does not matter if you have heard about what your parent and cousin “What’s Their Name Again” did in Junior high, it gives you a sense of heritage and how far the family has grown since that time.

Saturday, we visited my grandparent’s gravesites.  They are buried next to each other, and even though I do not like to talk about death, it is a part of life.   You know there has been a lot of talk lately about Paula Deen’s upbringing, and how she justified everything she did up until her firing from Food TV Network. This ties into my grandparents’ burial.  They are buried in Alabama, the Deep South.   South of Mason-Dixon Line.   Paula is from Georgia, another part of the Deep South.   The cemetery next to the cemetery that my grandparents are in, is nicely kept, grass mowed (probably 5 times a day), flowers on every gravesite, while the area where my grandparents are hardly has seen a lawn mower in a few weeks, and there are very few flowers at the gravesites.  My mom stepped in an ant bed.  One side is the White side and the side where my grandparents are is the African American side.   The city and the county (called Moundville (city) and Hale (county)) refuse to take down the fence that separates the two, and this is 2013.   This is why I do not have no love for the south, Alabama or Georgia, but I do have respect for the remaining relatives who decide to live there.  After that, we went to a get together at my youngest uncle’s house, and we sat, talked, ate, while the children played outside.  Rule #4:  Appreciate the past, no matter how bad it was, just appreciate it, and move on.

Part 3 is coming up in a few… this is the end of part 2.  Be blessed