Let the flood gates begin

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links within the post, I may receive a commission for your click and purchase. You do not have to make a purchase to enjoy this post, I only highlight products to help with the cost of running the blog, and I only post links to products relevant to the topic in that post and to companies I use and trust.”

Please Note:  I started writing this blogpost in pen and paper.  You know, the old-fashioned way of writing.  I got the idea from an episode from Star Trek: Voyager where one of my favorite captains, Captain Janeway was sick of technology, after dealing with species 842 and the Borg.  This was the episode that introduced Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine, a former Borg drone brought back by to her human self by The doctor, authorized by Captain Janeway.  Captain Janeway decided to take to writing her captain’s log by this method.  It is a practice that we should all do in the wake of this pandemic.  To me, even though you are seeing my post in digital form, it was a way of getting back to things in a natural way. 

Photo by Pixabay

This was the week when my city reopened for retail.  Today was the day I ventured out to a new norm of new rules (other than what was already in place).  As I drove, doing my errands of depositing money in my business checking account and going to a grocery store that carried a Starbucks kiosk, because the Starbucks down the street lied about being open, I was thinking, “was it all worth being quarantined for the past 2 ½ months?”  The only difference was Columbus, Ohio all of sudden looked like a Japanese prefecture, with mask-wearing people out and about in the 70° plus weather.  This is something that the Japanese and other Asians are used to doing, not Americans. 

Americans are used to having the freedom to do whatever we want to do, and how we want to do it.  If it puts us in jail, so be it.  When we get out, some of us will try it again until someone ignores us, then it becomes a norm.  If we have to protest, that is fine, it makes an interesting news story locally and/or nationally.

I am not sure how I feel about it.  

OK, let me explain….

Since this whole Covid-19 started, I have been squeamish about a few things and those are:

• What is my new norm?
• How is the country supposed to work now that there is the new little bug that can wipe us out, especially in places like the city where I live and places that I love, like the Caribbean and Walt Disney World.

What is my new norm?

I have been a quiet person all my life.  I get it from my mom.  So, I do not mind being isolated during this time period.  My only problem at first was wearing the mask and gloves, and I get it.  I had no problem putting them on, the problem comes because my hands are the same size as a child. There are people who cannot be around others because of their immune system and they are the elderly and the young.  I have 6 people I have to respect that.  My parents and aunt all have pre-existing conditions and they are elderly.  I have a niece who will be 3 months old next week, I have a friend who also has a pre-existing condition and a pastor who has a pre-existing condition.  I also have to watch it because I have high blood pressure and I am pre-diabetic. Depending on the doctor, I either have diabetics, or it can come at any time.  Either way, I have to watch my diet and my weight.  Thank you, Corona for giving me the sense of ignoring those two things.  I am much better at doing that now.

Also my new norm:  My business.  I could tell you that I have the easiest job I could ever have, but like most businesses, there is the struggle of getting gigs.  There is a struggle of getting money for this business.  I also could say that I like the stimulus package for small or even home businesses.  I do not have a small business, I have a home business, and as a home business owner, we often get lumped in with small businesses.  What Is a home business?  It is a business that is operated out of the home and if you do have any employees, it is usually an assistant.  Your revenue is lower than a small business.  A good year is when a person is able to earn $1,000 plus per month. 

Why offer help to small businesses if big businesses get approved?

Well, to be honest, the EIDLE and the PPP portion of the first stimulus package has done nothing for me and my business because of companies like Potbelly and The Lakers basketball team, who should not have been allowed to apply in the first place, nor their applications should never been approved.  Potbelly has returned the money and I believe so has The Lakers.  That still does not help P. Lynne Designs. I applied twice.  The first application was on Go Alice, while the second application was on the SBA.gov site. I have not heard back, and I doubt I will at this point.  I do not have any employees.  This is just to maintain the business of one, and for growth.  The government did not handle this process very well.  I chucked as “I am getting no help as usual” and went about my day. Update:  Last night, I was able to file for unemployment, a right that was not given to people like freelance writers and freelance graphic designers, which I am.  I pray and hope they approve it.

So let us go back to what I was talking about

THE RETAIL STORES

I do not mind the retail stores being open.  Personally, I will not be going in the very beginning.  Actually, I am having fun online ordering.  I do not have to worry about donning on a mask, fighting crowds, not finding what I want. In fact, I ordered a mystery Die cut bag from Tonic Studios at 3 am this morning.  That is how much fun I am having to order online.  Yes, I can always order online, then pick up at the store like Walmart. 

Amazon has been my store of the hour, and ever since I was told by my governor that even pickup was impossible in the craft stores in my state, I said “okay”, and started ordering online.   Ordering online is natural for me anyway, so it did not bother me that I could not go to any of my stores, except Ikea.  That is another story for another day.

I have been to two grocery stores since lockdown.  One was for last-minute stuff as I found out just today that the second store only allows me to do pickup ordering if the order was over $30.  The reason:  Cat food.  Well my nephew came through with the cat food, so now I do not have to buy that.

It is best if all stores keep in mind a level of safety.   My feeling is this since I do have pre-existing conditions, as well as my parents, I do not want to spread the super germs.  I am calling Corona that until we find a vaccination for it

My hardest hit yet, Walt Disney World

I am having the hardest time with a Disney Vacation.  Last May, I booked a stay for 12 at The Bay Lake Towers at The Contemporary Resort (its official name) for the time of December 15-20, 2019, with all the bells and whistles as this might be the last vacation with my parents, who are in their 80s. 

This was a well-meaning trip as two things went wrong from the start:  how to pay for a $30,627.00 trip that included a 3-bedroom villa, tickets to the parks, and a deluxe dining plan, and how to tell a Disney-hating father that we were going to the “land of the mouse” times 4 (The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and The Animal Kingdom theme parks).  It would not be a requirement for my parents to go into the parks unless they wanted to.  In years past (1998, 2004, and Disneyland in 2007 respectively), my father stayed at the resort or drove around the property, Orlando, and surrounding cities (Cape Canaveral, Kissimmee, and Tampa are close by).  This time, my mom, who loves the parks will join him if she wants to.  She is not too keen on using a riding scooter.

We were going to drive down instead of flying.  We were coming back home that Sunday so that my siblings and my nephew and niece can get back to work by that Monday before Christmas.  The kids (Nephews (age 12 and 9) and niece (11)) was being pulled out of school.  Ohio has a funny winter break schedule where they are out either the day before Christmas eve or a couple of days before Christmas.  Either way, it would have been fun.  I pulled the plug on that trip on October 15^th, one month before our last cancelation date of November 15^th.  I did not cry because I was going to call them the day after Christmas with a new date of December 12-19, 2020.

Well with Ms. ‘Rona on the prowl, and for the first time ever since Walt Disney opened Disneyland in 1955, all the parks were close, due her not wanting to play fair, I decided to see what Disney is going to do with the guidelines that they and the State of Florida government, as well as the federal government, was going to say about a reopening date.  For the moment, Disney reopened Shanghai Disneyland Monday, Disney Springs, Walt Disney World’s shopping area is reopening on May 20^th, and Walt Disney World is excepting bookings starting July 1 (it has been delayed from June 1^st). 

I do not want a vacation in 2020.  I feel like it is too soon to book a vacation and go in 2020.  So, I have decided to wait until December 15-19, 2021 to take the trip.  This all depends on two things:  the health of my parents and the health of our savings.  There is one more factor and I am not depending on whether I do or do not do for this vacation and that is to get another Disney Vacation Club membership.  This will affect how we pay for this trip.  Naturally, this membership is a timeshare, and I have spoken about timeshares before on this blog. That is a talk for my yet to be created a new blog, which will be Disney-related.  I took all the travel stuff off of my blog, Home Prep because it is not related.

Some good has come out of all this…

My stories are not all bad, in fact, some of them quite funny.

Last week, a friend had a birthday.  She announces it each year 6 days in advance.  This year was no different.  What I love about Facebook is the ability to have people donate to your favorite charity in loo of presents for your birthday.  I am going to do one, I am not sure where yet.  July 21 has not gotten here yet.

Anyway, her sister and mother thought that since Ms. ‘Rona decided to cancel my friend’s plans, a surprise drive-by birthday salute was in order.  Can I tell you that I do not know how to do one, LOL?

First, I told her mother that I was coming by via Facebook invite.  I have seen lineups, so I thought that I was going to meet at her mother’s house, and we would fall in line to go to my friend’s apartment.  After all, it was a surprise.  Since I am one of those people who would show up late to her own wedding if given a chance, I decided to arrive early so my friend’s mother cannot say that I was late.  So, I drove to the house at 4:46 and I did not see any cars.  “Good, I am the first one,” I thought, so I went the next street over to turn around.  Okay, next thing I knew, I saw my friend’s daughter, who is 3, then my friend.  I thought, “Oh, Crap”, and I drove off to my parent’s house who live around the corner.   This drive-by was at 5, so I killed some time at my parent’s house and went back over there.  It turned out to be an “individual” happy birthday, as my friend and her mother sat there while people drove by, wishing her a happy birthday.  It turned out great, and this goofy person now know the proper drive by, LOL.

Business Dealings….

I was able to get some things done for my business while on lockdown.  I was approved for an affiliate that I have been wanting since 2017.  You know how much I love Erin Condren products, so you will be seeing more affiliate links from that company.  As always, I only support companies that I love and believe in, and you are not obligated to make a purchase, but it would be nice for the support.  It is a way to put money back into my business.  Some of these companies with affiliates, like Erin Condren, Cricut, and Amazon may have links that will help you save money as well.  So in that case, if you need the product, it is good to help out a blog and save money at the same time. 

I am also working on some things that will help improve this blog, including the infamous blog move.

Even though I was down and out during this period of time, I am fine now and living a new norm.  For the moment, my state is wrapping being on lockdown.  This is the reason for this title.   Let the flood gates open!!! Well, I am over my limit.  Be well and safe.  Wear a mask, and I will talk to you later.

A Brand new blog, Maybe?

H

ello, my name is Patricia.  I am a single person with 2 nieces, 3 nephews,  and love for Disney. I aspire to work with any company that I (1) believe has most of the values that I cherish, and (2) I have had a good rapport with now and in the past.  These qualities fit Disney for me.  I am a little bit Disney crazy.

So, when I tell you that I am going to start my second blog about going to Disney when you only have nieces and nephews, you might think that I am a little crazy to do that.  My first blog closed, not by the web host's hand or Disney’s but mine. 

The first blog was named cutely, but long-winded “Travelling to the Mouse’s House”.  Yes, Travelling was spelled with two “Ls” in it because I could not decide if I was misspelling the word or trying to be funny about this spelling. 

What was it all about?

Photo by Pixabay

It was at first about the misadventures of an Ohio woman and her family trying to get to Disney World. When I was a child, I lived 2 hours from Disneyland in California, and I loved it when the family came to visit, and we would make that track up to Anaheim, and visit Mickey, Minnie, The princesses, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, You know the rest, and had a ball.  Then we moved to the East coast and New Jersey.  If you want some non-Disney fun, this was the place to do it.  Finally, when I was 12, we moved to Ohio, and I have been here since that time, and I have been to Disney World a couple of times.  I was also part of Disney Vacation Club, which was a treat in itself, but I had to let it go due to financial reasons.

So that is what the blog was all about.

If I were to start another blog….

…. It would be something like that.  A woman and her family trying to get to Disney World, but it would not stop there.  I would talk about Disney, my views on Disney, and I would even take you along on my Disney trips.

Finding a name.

If I were to start another blog about Disney, the first thing I would have is a name without the name Disney or any of its trademarks in it.   Disney frowns on that sort of stuff.  In fact, unless you are approved by a company, rather is a big company like Disney or Amazon, or a small home business like mine, P. Lynne Designs, you would have to get permission to use the name.  So, since I have a business, I am not going to bother about the step I have to take in order to have something like “Tricia’s Wonderful Disney Blog”, or “Tricia’s Mickey Trip”.  I will revile the name at the end of this blog post.

Finding a purpose.

If I were to find a purpose about this blog, it would be all things, Disney, right?  Yes, but I have to present it like, professional and stuff.  I cannot be selfish about this blog either.   I cannot talk about my family all the time, nor they would want me to either.  Since almost everyone at one point or another want to at least visit Disney World once, I have to make it that way.  So here is a rundown of some of the things I want to talk about:

• The parks
• The resorts
• The food
• The special events in the park
• Other theme parks.  Disney is not the only one with the theme parks in the Central Florida area.
• The merchandise.
• Disney Plus
• What’s showing in the Theater
• Disney Cruise Line.  You know they have one
• Disney Vacation Club.  Not too many people know about this, but it is a good investment if you visit Disney World Resorts often
• Other Disney Parks.

OK, that is a few of some of the things worth mentioning.  Of course, I can talk about any and all of them, and I will at some point.

I do not want to be a repeater.

One of the problems with my last blog about Disney was I live up north, while Disney World is down south, and I felt that since I was not going to the parks much, I was only repeating what was in the news.  Yes, I want to report them, especially since I do not live in the Central Florida area, but at what point do I want to sound like I grabbed the news from the internet and run with it.  I am determined not to let that get in my way again.

When you feel like you are in a place in your blog that sounds like you are repeating old news and things of the past, remember that not everyone is seeing it for the 1000^th time, report it like it is your audience’s first time hearing about it. In other words, put your spin on the news.   To give an example, unless you are not a Disney fan, everyone is going to report on the rise of ticket prices in the Disney parks.  Report that, but put your own spins, such as your summary, good or bad, talk about your budget as you plan your next trip as a Disney fan, or a parent with 2.5 kids and a dog who needs boarding. I have grown as a writer since my days as the owner of Travelling to the Mouse’s House.

Finding an audience.

One of my other problems is when you live as “an introvert with extrovert tendencies”, as my pastor says, is marketing this blog, and this should not be a problem, but it is.  The point is not to make it a problem.  Disney has its fans, and fans for not take lightly when you belittle their happy place.  No one does, when someone talks bad about that thing they love.

For me, that is no problem.  I will report the good, bad, and ugly about Disney, but I will exercise more on the side of good things.  I do not like hearing about the Walt Disney Company’s greediness, being expensive, and trying to monopolize the world.  Do you think that we as fans don’t know about it?  The difference between a fan and a hater is we are willing to look past the company’s faults and failures, and little ticks, while finding the good in that little tick.  In Disney’s case, it is that little tick that might mean a new ride, a new resort, or even better service.

As you explore whatever you are willing to devote your new blog too, help your reader become a forever friend of your blog.  You may have to report some bad news, such as your new crafting tool having some first-time flaws issues, your favorite Harley Motorcycle has a recall, a new rule that demonetizes your blog and takes away some of your devoted readers, but at the same time, report that   Overall, you want your reader to be informed of a profitable solution that does not cost them a lot of money for the fix.  After all, you are here to help, inform, and to educate.

workaround instruction how to call customer service, or that minor little discover you have made yourself that hopefully does not violate EULA (End User License Agreement).

Monetization

This is by far the hardest part of owning a blog, and although I am not an expert in this, I would like to educate and do research on how I can fund my blog.  This is what I am working on with the other three blogs, and I can say that it is not easy.  I will post a longer post on the monetization of blog posting, but there are the ways I am doing so:

            Affiliate Marketing- this is promoting business and its products.  The biggest affiliate is Amazon, but there are others, such as Sale-a-share, CJ Affiliate, Clickbank, and many others if you do not want to get into Amazon.  You can also go to a company to see if they have an affiliate program.   One example is I am a marketer of the Amazon Affiliate program, which has many facets, including being a seller.  I have a seller’s account.  Whenever you see this notation on a blog post,

“Disclaimer: P. Lynne Designs is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. “

Photo by Pixabay

On my blog post, it means that there is a product that I am promoting on that blog post.  It also means that I get a commission from your purchase, but you do not have to buy the product.  I have to by Amazon and the FTC that governs all affiliate programs, including Amazon’s. 

            Freelancing:  I am a freelancer is both writing and graphic work.  My specialties are Blog post, ghostwriting and regular document writing, and resume writing in the writing industry. Logo, stationery, cards (Both Business and Greeting Cards), invitations, and copywriting for Graphic Design.  This does not mean that I do not like a challenge.

The key is to learn how to set your own prices.  Setting them too high means no customers, but setting the prices too low also means no customers.  Set your ground rules, but offer something unique makes a returning customer, and they will bring new customers to you.

            Sponsorships and advertising:  I find that this is the oldest way to monetize your blog, and it is done by marketing another person’s product or concept. 

            Create a course:  People love to know how you made a buck or two, why not sell in the form of a course. You have something that is very valuable to the general public and plus it is a tried and true concept.  For example, I am always intrigued on the notion of getting to a million-dollar business while in my underwear.  This was the first course I bought in the early 2000s.  The concept is sound, and it was the same marketing concept I paid thousands of dollars for at the university I graduated from in 2003 (thank you Dr. Otte and Franklin University- I will be back for my master’s degree).   Anyway, I paid for this course, and I did not see any value in it because I had already learned it some months earlier, but that does not mean that another person who did not know this marketing concept could not benefit from this man’s teachings.

Today, I do not know how many emails I have gotten of people selling their concept of making a few extra monies for the bank account.  I also have taken 3 courses from a woman, named Renae Christine, who have some of the same principles as my former university, but the difference is she throws in a different teaching technique than any of my instructors did at the school.  There is also Freelance University, that I am attended right now, and it too teaches you how to freelance. 

The point is how to market the course and what to charge,

Selling a book or a product:  This my last point on the subject.   You can publish an e-book or a regular book, which is very easy if you go through sites like Amazon.  It used to take months to write down a concept, edit, and send it to a publisher. You can now email it or send it through Amazon’s vast website.  I briefly touched on products earlier.

So, to put it together:

To recap:

1. The concept of your blog
2. The approach or plan for the blog
3. You know your audience
4. You have the name of your blog, and
5. You know what topics you are going to cover.

Your blog is only halfway there.  If you are going to make some money with the blog, then you need to find ways to do that, and it varies from person to person. 

Let me know what you think about this concept of starting a new blog.  Is it something you are interested in the comments section.

Learning new things 1: Being a Dutiful Daughter

An aid getting meds
(c) 2017 P. Lynne Designs

In December 2016, I announced that I was slightly changing the scope of this blog while creating a new one to replace my now closed Simply Organized Crafts Blog.  At first, I thought about combining it with this one, but I love the topics I cover on this blog and I would not have it any other way.  So, a new blog is underway.  It is called Home’s Little Lessons and I cannot wait to get started.  I have one other blog that needs attending to, but I think I am just going to get rid of it, and put it in with Home’s Little Lessons.   The reason is I will be an every once in a while Independent Longaberger Home Consultant after June 1^st.  I will stay on to get the discount and post a sale or two every once in a while.  Now that Housekeeping is done (a word quoted by Pete Werner of Disney UnPlugged), on with today’s post.

The other thing that I announced in December was that in 2017, I wanted to learn new things about myself, my city, my state, and my country, to name a few.  I never knew it would come so quickly.  One of the reasons why there was not a post last week was the art of becoming what I like to call being a “Dutiful Daughter” and the art of, “Be careful what you wish for”.  It may come true.

What is a Dutiful Daughter?

A dutiful daughter is a woman who puts aside all the things that she wants to do for the sake of her parents.   It is sort of the same as when a woman has all the dreams and aspirations of living her dream but put it aside to become a stay at home mom only you are helping your elderly parents.  So, when a parent says “Jump”, you do not question them, except to say, “How high?” This may cause sleepiness nights, eating at odd times, and taking breaks at odd times.  You make yourself an afterthought. 

For instance, I am writing this post at 4 am, when I should be sleeping.  Why?  Let me give you the back story:

This virus/flu/whatever you may call it has taken a toll on everyone in the United States.  Experts say it is the worst strain yet.  I have not been hit by it yet, but both my parents have been hit by it, as well as my oldest nephew.  The worst that hit me is my allergies, and that is it.  The person hit the hardest was my mom.  It starts out as a simply little cold.  She went to the doctors for that.  Then a few days later, she went back, and they said it was Bronchitis.  On January 7^th, she was admitted to the hospital with Pneumonia.  She was so week, until she was unable to walk.  When she recovered from that, they transferred her to rehab, so she could gain strength back in her arms and legs.  The way she is recovering, we all keep telling her that they will evict her on Friday to finally come home, and she is ready to go home.

Between going back and forth to the house to make sure both mom and dad are ok, then back and forth to the hospital, and finally back and forth to the rehab place can take a toll on a person, especially if you are the only “child” that can do it.  My brother lives out of town, and my sister does not have a car, plus I am the eldest, and usually in an African American home, after the other parent, taking care of things falls on the eldest child.

Do I complain about it?  No, and besides that, I love both my parents.  My dad has been sleeping at the hospital, and then at the rehab place with mommy, so I have to take care of things when he cannot do them.  It is the least I can do, after all the things that they have done for me since I became an adult.  They are still doing it, such as my finances while I am trying to put together my business.  They do not have to do that for me.

So, that is what I mean by being a “dutiful daughter”.  My brother is coming this weekend to come visit mommy, and to help with things around the house, such as finally taking down the Christmas tree, and other things.  Nothing matches with son, and I am most certain that if he lived here, he would also give dad a break every once in a while.

So, this is my first lesson in learning new things.   It is not like I have helped out before.  There was the time mommy had surgery, so I had to learn how to wash on a fly.  I was in my early teens, when this happened.  Of course, I have always made sure that my parents were OK.  Dad is an old-fashioned man, meaning “men take can of man’s work, and women take care of women’s work” that sort of thing.  Dad learned how to use the washer this week.  Mommy always did it.  When she gets home, I will slow cook a pork roast to stretch out the week, and I will cook other things for them.  Dad’s idea of cooking is “what do you want me to buy?”  That will only happen a few times.  They do have someone come in to clean the house, plus my eldest nephew still lives there, and he also has been helping out.

Take away lesson for you:  The lesson I want you to see out of this is tri-folded.   (1) Make sure you learn all the basic of taking care of yourself before you graduate from high school.  You never know when you may need it.  The one thing I need to learn all over again is how to wash.  The current washer I have is a two-cycle washer.  I do not have all the bells and whistles that today’s washer have.   (2) Be kind to your parents, you never know when you may need them beyond the 0-18-year-old contract, or they may need you someday.  I am blessed that my parents have been married over 50 years, never once discussed the possibility of getting a separation or a divorce (although one time when I was 10 and heard them arguing, I was sure it was grounds for one (Overactive mind of a 10-year-old at work)), and my father never laid one hand on my mother in an abusive situation.  Love pats, yes, abusive, never. (3) Take care of yourself during a time of crisis.  My mother is constantly asking me if I am eating, and when I tell her the truth of the things I am not doing to help me be the best me, she gets mad at me, and tells me that I must do it.  This includes taking care of the things for my business.  Make sure you eat, sleep, and so forth.  You are not doing yourself and that person (rather it is a parent, spouse, or child) a favor if you are sick.

Have a great week.

Day 3: Trying something new and exciting for 2016

(c) 2016 P. Lynne Designs

On day 3 of the series I want to tackle my plans for trying something new for 2016.  We all want something out of the new year.  In fact, and my opinion, very few people want to stay where they are.  The average person is NOT resistant to change, if they are the ones who are making a change.  No one should be forced to make a change in their life, UNLESS the very thing they are doing is harming them in some way. 

A year ago, I had mentioned that I have stopped calling resolutions just that, and started calling them “goal setters”.  These are my goals for the new year.  My pastor had mentioned on New year’s eve that if you say “resolution”, you are bound to break them within the first few weeks of the new year.  Another thing is how are you going to “resolve” your situation?  For example, if you say in your resolution that you are going to be a better person than in 2015, I want to know how.  Just do it, and do not be quick to say, “I just broke my resolution already”, you just set yourself up to fail. 

So one of my “goals” for 2016 is to try something new that I did not try in 2015.  I have given this a lot a thought, and some of it is not cheap, maybe.  It all depends, but if I cannot do it this year, there is always 2017, 2018, heck 2020 if I let it go that long.  Hey, if I have to wait until 2035, I will, LOL.  No, I will not let it go on that long.  Besides that, that thing that I want to do this year may be obsolete by 2035, at least the 2016 version may be, plus I will be 71, yikes!  I hope I will be a rockin’ senior citizen.

Sorry, went off-topic, where was I?  Oh, yes the new things I want to try for 2016.  This is a round up so here we go: (Warning:  Affiliate Links ahead)

1.       Education.  I stopped going to school after I earning my bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2003.   I have always love learning since the age of 3, and I have not stopped really going to school since that time.  I learn in other ways now, through webinars, and online classes.  I want to go back to get my master’s in the same subject, but I want to gear it towards what I am doing now.  I never got that marketing job working for a marketing or ad agency, mainly because I had failed attempts in getting an internship at these agencies.  Their reasons were simple:  either they ran out of funds to pay me (they could had offered me a non-paying internship), or some other excuse.  After working in retail, my focus has changed, I am now an entrepreneur with a stationery company.  I also want to continue to take classes in what I am doing now.  For instance, I was looking at the Craftsy website, and I saw so many classes, but the one I saved to my wish list is one called, “Cards with Dimension: Lovely Layers, Textures, & Embellishments”.  I started layering my cards last year, and love them.  This class will really help with my cards, but I want more out of them.  So this is the class I chosen to start with.

2.       Being positive.  No, this is not something I am great at lately.  I am blessed, I am grateful, but I had a lot of stuff I have gone through in the past 12-24 months, and it is high time I let it go and move on. (See, Elsa is not the only one who can sing this song).   I am always the one who tries to look at a glass half full, but these months, I have looked at them half empty, because of the things I have gone through and witnessed.  I am not going to list them here, but you can look through my blog, and find the posts. Along those same lines, I am going to watch what I say in comments, especially if another negative person started the argument.  I was looking back at some of my comments I made on Disqus (I have an account), and I did not like what I said in some of the 54 comments I made in the past 4 years.  Granted some were warranted, but I should have worded the comments differently to show a more positive spin on the thoughts I was thinking of.  I did not curse, that is not my way, but they were degrading towards the negative person, and that is what they want.  That is why they did not answer me back with an even more degrading reply.  I even called someone a moron.  It is amazing what comes out of my mouth at 2 am. No more late night commentaries for me.

3.        Do what I say.  OK, this one is a little harder.  I have said in the past 12-24 months that this is the year I am going to get (Blank).  I have let my finances rule over what I am going after, and this is part of the negativity I have been fueling lately.  I want a new house, I want a newer car, and I want a newer musical keyboard.  The current home, even though I am blessed to be in it, I have been here for over 10 years, and this condo is not really private.  I will not go into details about my complaints since my newer neighbors moved in over a year ago.   The current car, love it, but the hatch is heavy.  Minor problem that I am living with.  Current musical keyboard is on its last leg, and I had it since 1999.  That is a long time for a keyboard. (yes, you can keep pianos until infinity if you need to, not so much for keyboards).  If you have goals for this stuff, go for it, but do not live beyond your means.  Me too.

So that is it for trying something new.  I will list other goals in future posts, so, be safe, be warm. It is briskly cold in Ohio.  (I want to go to Florida or the Bahamas, maybe California or Hawaii, but help!!!!)

It could not happen soon enough, but it is needed, badly

Hello-

I am so glad when things happen for a reason.  I do not know why, but sometimes it does.   I have not been getting the same warm reception I received with this blog that I received with my other two blogs, Tricia's Baskets and MDN Creates.   I realize that saving money is an acquired taste; you either do it, or go home.   It is up to the individual to decide if and when they want to do this task. Some do it gradually, like me, while others start at a maximum speed, and get it done while family and friends watch the change overnight in amazement.   For me, it comes with a price:

I have sprinkled too many topics in this blog.

I know what I have to say but I have to do this: I need to split up the family.   What do I mean?   I saying (and I am not doing a very good job in saying it) the topic that were meant for this blog, stays on this blog.   The other topics?  They are going to a new blog.   Two new blogs in three months wow.   Dare I say three new blogs?   OK, three it is.   Here is the breakdown of my blogs:

MDN Creates:  that is a given.  It has been in my life since January 2009, and I am loving every moment of it.   I can use a little bit more fans (Ok, a thousand or so, lol).  I am currently sitting at 172 followers from the last blog hop I have done.

Tricia's Baskets:  This too is a given.   I have been selling Longaberger for 10 years, dealing with everything from what the company has allowed me to say on this blog, to my own way of thinking of how to introduce to this company to some, and give my best to those who know the company.   I do need a fan base with this one (8 followers at last count).

My blessed life:  If course you know the struggles of getting this off the ground.   I have asked last week on Facebook for people to go to this blog, and give their honest option.   At first, I did not think anyone was paying attention, and then I got three responses.   The first person said that people do not pay blogs any attention no more, and I was wasting my time.   The second person said that they do agree with the response.  Yes, they are still my Facebook friends.   I value all opinions, rather I agree with it or not.  I may add to that response, “the blog market is oversaturated, but according to some experts I have been reading lately, they are like static sites, you just to find your niche, and give a reason why people should return to the blog each week.”  With that, I give you what a friend of mine said to me yesterday.  She basically told me that I had too many topics on this blog, and I happen to agree.   In one month (well two), I have hit you with a review on a show I watch, coupon deals, signups, referrals,  death of three iconic people (even though one of the write-ups was a snippet), how to shop, and how to plan a vacation.  The list goes on and on (trust me, I have the sheet to prove it), and now I am posting about changing the blog.  

Introductions are in order

The first blog will be called I’m Kicking and Screaming all the way to the Bank, with a subtitle, “…Laughing to keeping my dignity with family and friends.   Let’s face it folks, no one, and I mean no one likes to be told that they spend too much money on things that they need.   I am one of those people who cringe every time I hear someone like Suze Ormen (I think I have the spelling right) say, “If you have bills, you cannot afford to get xyz.”  Sometimes I feel like the woman wants us to sit around and do nothing but pay our debts.   There is a way to do both.  I do not know what it is yet, but I am learning.   I am learning from my own mistakes in life.   I feel like this; what is wrong with having fun, and still pay bills.  If you count utilities, you will always owe for a bill, but you can have a savings, even it is one or two cents a day.  Yes, I know it is hard, because I feel it.  After all, I still want an Ipad, and I still want to go on vacation.   I am trying to save for both, and I am trying different avenues to do it in.   Well that is all I have to say about KASATWTTB.  You will have to turn in and see.

My second blog is called, “Tripping on Disney Fun.”   It is based on my own personal journal of planning my family’s vacation.   I am the resident Disney fan in my family.  Yes, they like it, and they think it is way too expensive.   We are still going.  With the blog version, I am on a quest:  To show you how to make, not only Disney, but any trip fun and exciting, even one dayers.   I will have fun facts about Disney, The United States, and beyond. (Who knows I might still be living when they allow civilians to take the first moon flight, LOL).  We will see.

So what is going to be in this blog now that I have separated the family:   Inspiration and writing?  Inspirational writing.  Who knows?   I think God was trying to tell me something with my poll numbers.   I think He was saying, “Patricia you are not getting it.”  He’s right, I was not getting it.  So after I get back from my stamp club meeting (not that kind of stamp club, rubber stamping club), I am moving the articles to their prospective places, and I will see if that helps.   I will also have links to the side.  Until then I will see you.