Putting something to good use...Social Media Accounts

Image via CrunchBase

This post is sort of aimed towards those who are in a home business type situation , especially Direct selling, but it is bit of advise to myself....I am finally putting LinkedIn to good use.
I have been sort of afraid of LinkedIn, maybe because it stays in Facebook and Twitter's shadow a lot, but when you really look into it, LinkedIn can become your new best friend.  No Really.  Also I have online habits.   What are online habits?   Well, there isn't a clear definition of a online habit, and I really do not think that is the proper term for it.  Call it my own personal term for what is known as what do you do the moment your fingers touch the keyboard and mouse.  Let me give you an example:
When I get online, the first thing I do is open up Outlook.  This is where the majority of my email lands when I retrieve it from the Roadrunner server.  Next, after the email filters into the variety of folders I set up, I read everything that is left in my main folder, going through the junk email that did not land in the junk email folder by a simple delete.  I do not read it.   Next I send all my scrapbooking supply mail to its folder, business ops to its folder, and so forth.  It is then I start the actual reading.  I take care of all Longaberger mails first, MDN Creates second, Blogs to Riches mail third.  Then I leave Outlook open.  Simple, right?  I take a break, and start in with my files (because I am trying to organize by the end of the year), I take "one bit at a time" as the book, "How to Eat an Elephant" says about how to handle projects.  I spend about 30 mins on the project. (In case you missed something, no I did not say how long I spend reading and sorting my emails.  I am working on it)
Next, I mess with Social Media.  So far, it has been just Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ spread throughout the day, and then I may throw in Pinterest and now LinkedIn in the evening.  Next, I will work on some cards, I have a Mini book that needs starting.  I will be honest, this is not everyday.  At the moment, I am asking for some help with a customer's party by asking for some orders, so I am doing a lot of writing with that, as well as other things.  There are some days where I may have something in the wash while I am working on business stuff.  There are also some days where I am working on home organizing.  It depends on how I plan my week. Overall, I am doing pretty good.  I just never thought about my LinkedIn account until just now, before I started writing in this blog. It would be nice to work with some businesses, so here I go again.
So my advise to you is what ever it is you are selling, make sure that all your friends and loved ones from all your social media accounts know what your products are, and what you are selling.  This is the lesson I am learning.  Do not be ashamed about it.  After all, if they can show 20 pictures of their newest tabby, you can show them at least one picture of your products, but let them do all the spamming.  Be the Pro in the family.

Be Blessed everyday.

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Happy Fall

Fall colours (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Whatever you call it, Fall or Autumn, it is here.  Summer 2012 is a thing of the past and in the history books. How did you survive?  I told you in my last post what I did for the summer, and so things (and truths) I learned during this time.   I learned:

1. Heat and hot flashes do not mix.
2. Heat rises to second floor and stays there even when you are asleep.  Best to keep the air on all night.
3. Save your own money so you do not have to share a hotel room with your parents.
4. Ipads and smartphones make the time go a lot quicker while riding in a car.
5. Military bases do not have WiFi, and will not have any in the near foreseeable future.  Best bring your own.
6. Stretch a lot before walking uphill.
7. Bring lots of money to Canada.
8. Pack like you are staying for a month.
9. Plan ahead and have a plan b,c, and d.
10. Did I mention Heat and hot flashes do not mix.

I love curling up with a blanket and a pillow and just read.  Fall is made for that type of thing.   Summer is too hot for it, and winter is too cold.  Spring does not do it at all for me.  It is not a curling up season.  I ready to shed off layers by then.

Leaves, I used to love to jump in a pile of leaves.  I think it is a kid thing.  It's soft and messy.  You can track in the leaves and make parents mad because you do not have to clean it up.  Now that I am the adult, it is no fun anymore.  Finally, Thanksgiving and harvest (I am not a big fan of Halloween), you get ready for the next to last holiday of the year,  and each year, the turkey steals the show.  I love my mom's dressing, and I do not make it as good as she does each year.  This year, I will have to ask her if I can make it, with her guiding me.  I know someday I will have to make it without her help.   

I love everything that the season brings to the table, and for Fall 2012, I hope it is a good season.

Be blessed everyday.

  

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Writing assignment:how I spend my summer vacation.

Today,I want to focus my post on you,my readers.  If you are a writer,you will enjoy this assignment.  You do not had to turn this in,but if you keep a journal,this is perfect for you to look back and reflt.  So my question for you is, "How did you spend your summer vacation?".

I will start...

One of the things I used to love about summer was getting out of school.  I loved school,but there was something about not getting up everyday for the next 2 1/2 months always sounded appealing to me.  So when I became an adult,I knew my vacations like this were over,that is until this year.  This the first time in a few years,my vacation was full.  Being a work at home person does have it's rewards. For my reward this year,I spend one week at a family reunion,and one week in Canada.  I did bring materials in case I had a prospect client for either my papercrafting business or my Longaberger business.  Hey you never know.  I went on a very wet boat called Maid of the Mist.  I relaxed in at a camp and woke up to gun shot ringing in the air.  Do not worry,it was only an army troop practicing shooting at a firing range,and the cabin was far away. I walked,played with Canadian money,met A Hershey's kiss mascot.  I met family members who I never seen before. Yes,my summer vacation was fun and exciting.  Next stop,a cruise and Disney for 2013.

Now that fall will arrive on Saturday,I had fun.  For two years,I wanted to leave my city,my state,and heck my country,because I was tired of looking at the same thing over and over again. It was not because I hated where I live.  Heck,this is Buckeye Country here in Ohio.  The only thing missing is something from Disney,but hey,I will live.  God has blessed me and family to move from McGuire AFB,New Jersey,to Columbus,Ohio in 1977, and I am grateful of that move,because 4 years in the place is all that this former 12 year old could stand,and I hated when we moved moved from Southern California when I was 8 years old.

Coming back from a vacation like mine, makes me appreciate where I live,and love it even more.  It also makes me appreciate why we gave the restrictions we have in the USA,such as random car searches at the border,or requiring a parent's permission to get a piercing while you are a minor. Our car was the subject of a random car search at the US/Canadian border ( the computer selected us,how special ),my 16 year old nephew researched online that he could get a piercing without his grandparent's permission.  It backed fired on him,though,because he ended up getting them re-pierced at the mall down the street where they live. Mom let him re-do it.  It was good summer,reconnected back with family,and having a good time.

So now it is your turn.  This my challenge to you.  Write about your summer vacation or your summer if you did not go anywhere.  Let me know you did it in the comments below.

Be blessed every day.

Follow-up on Dance Moms: Now it is Honey Boo Boo Child's Turn

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am appalled in the worst way and I will tell you why.  Back in about April 2012, I did my little review on Abby Lee Miller.  I will have to admit that I am still not that crazy about her methods of teaching her elite dance squad, but she gets results.  She has more awards than any dance group in the country, so she must be doing right.  These parents complain, they moan, and they....nah I am not going there.  This is a Christian based blog, and I am not going to start swearing here, every time I have a little tiff about something I have a slight disagreement with.  Dance Moms is very tame compared to this...WHAT IS A HONEY BOO-BOO?
I wanted to know this the moment I heard Whoopie Goldburg of The View mention it.   In case you too started scratching your head about this thing that has come to pass (sorry for the biblical reference), this is not a thing, but a little 6 year old girl from Toddlers and Tiaras.  Her real name is Alana Thompson, and she is a force to be reckon with.  She seems ok under normal circumstances, if you call putting your 6 year old in a beauty pageant normal, BUT once she starts drinking her go-go juice, you know what breaks loose.  This kid goes, and she goes, and goes some more.   She starts mumbling things, such as Honey Boo Boo Child (her nickname by the way), and starts tearing up stuff.  I started research via watching You Tube videos and this is a sad, sad thing to see.  Her mom even explains what it in the drink.  Alana helps her mom mix a cocktail of (get this...) Red Bull and Mountain Dew.   Someone please call children services on this woman.  This is not funny at all and TLC (The Learning Channel) condones it.  On top of that, the child is overweight.  I am not sure if this kid gets the proper nutritional values for someone her age.   The first video I watched of Honey Boo Boo Child (Alana) put me to tears.  This mother of hers is spending thousands of dollars on this kid's pageant, and does not save any of the winnings towards her college education.  she could use it towards a down payment on a house or fix up the one she currently has.  She does not see the need of Alana getting an education beyond high school.  True, many people do get good jobs after high school, but in reality, the job are usually the bare minimum.  Ok, I have gotten off the track a little bit.   Who knows, Alana may turn out to be a great, healthy adult.  
Shows like Alana's spin-off show, "Here comes Honey Boo Boo" should not be shown, because it is exploitation.  I have only seen a couple episodes of Toddlers and Tiaras (Eden Woods was on at the time), and I have not seen none of the Honey Boo Boo episodes (nor do I want to).  I know putting a child in a pageant is no worst than putting them in a dance class, letting them take music lessons, or sports, to name a few. But when you are not letting a child get the value out of even a music lesson, something is terribly wrong.  Is it any different than Dance Moms, 20 Kids and Counting, or even Kate plus Eight when the later two were on the air?  It depends on who you are and how you like your reality television.
Look, children have been on television since the very beginning, but the difference now is everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame and sorry to say this, but now their child's 15 minutes of fame as well.  I wanted to be a Mouseketeer and be part of the 1977 New Mickey Mouse Club (the one with Lisa Whelchel  of Facts of Life fame), but no such luck.  My parents would not let me audition (they were held in New York City).  I had mad dance skills back then.
It does not matter what you or I think of Miss Honey Boo Boo (AKA Alana), the household has some serious problems from what I have seen in videos, and it is worst then what Abby Lee Miller can do with her brassiness ways.  At least she gets results that carry on into adulthood.

Be Blessed Everyday.

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Trends, follow any?

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today, I want to speak to you about trends.  My question to you is do you follow any?  Please ponder this question for the moment.

First of all, I tried looking up the word, and there really isn't a clear cut definition of it, in my opinion.  Google (through the help of dictionary.com) says that a trend a "general direction in which something is developing or changing."  My definition of the word is simply, " whatever is popular or talked about as part of a conversation at the moment."
So for example, when I think of a trend, I immediately turn to fashion.  It is forever changing, and it is something that is talked about, especially among women.  When I was little, I saw bell bottoms (wide legged pants), hot pants (shorts), and the Maxi (dress).  They are in style today, so they are a circling fashion trend.  Also in trend for fall 2012 are gowns with draping necklines, red clothing, and black and white clothing (a carryover from 2011).
Technology is another changing trend.  I am old enough to remember when the personal computer came out.  I wanted one so bad, because I was curious, but they were not affordable back then either.  I remember when a cell phone was that device that only secret agents on the television use, and they were clunky as heck (they used them a lot on The Bionic Woman and Six Million Dollar Man).  Now I have an Ipad and a smartphone, and the phone is small enough to fit into my purse.  Now they are talking about an Ipad Mini coming out next month to compete with the Kindle Fire.  I just cannot keep up.
I went ahead to look up on Google what are some of the trends for today (September 13, 2012), and they are:

• Innocence of Muslims
• Cnet (I guess for their take of the IPhone 5 conference yesterday)
• Engadget (whatever the heck that is, I will have to look that up)
• Libya
• Sons of anarchy
• Chris Brown's Tattoo (really people, are we making a big deal of this.  I do not get it when there are innocent people getting slaughtered, and we are making some big deal over a celeb's tat.  Get a life people)
• Twin Towers-I remember what I was doing when this happened, and I am still sadden over this tragic day in American history.
• Justin TV -Did Justin Beiber decided to own a television station or what?
• SOA- Not sure what that is, but I guess it is good enough to be a trend by Google's standards.

So have you talked about any of this today? If so tell me about it.  If not, why not?  There are all sorts of  trends out there from Honey Boo Boo child (please, the mama needs help, so do not get me started, plus, I have my own views on why I do not like children getting into beauty contests) to being a foodie (I love claiming to be one).  So, again, I would love to hear your comments on trends.  What trends you cannot get enough of and what trends that you wish they would shut up about already? I love to hear back from you.

In the meanwhile, be blessed everyday.

When dealing with Debt Collectors...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Come with your game face on.  Today, I had to deal with something that I though I would never had to deal with again, a civil lawsuit.  I did not see it coming.  Well, that is not totally true.  Three weeks ago, I kept getting these advertisements in the mail from money hungry lawyers, disparately seeking my case.  I told my parents and asked, "what case?" They told me that these lawyers were probably looking for something that was not true, and I could not agree with them more.  After about a week of this, the ads stopped, and life as I knew it resumed, at least I thought of it that way.   I went to my mailbox today to find an ad (something entirely different) and a summons to appear in civil court on October 9 by unknown collection agency.  "What!!!" I thought, and I wanted to know why, so I called.  It seems that I owe some credit card company, who I never heard of (well I heard of them, I just thought I did not have a card with them), and I owed them $2,000, plus court fees, and something else.  The last payment this credit card company received was in 2010.  Ok, first of all, I could tell them right now that I never received a card, an account, or anything like that.  Wrong according to them. (Of course they are never wrong, after all, it is their word against yours).  I tried to reason with them, they would not budge.  I told them that I did not have that kind of money, they would not budge.  I tried settling with them with a reasonable amount (reasonable for me, but apparently not to them, they want the full amount).  I cried and they hung up on me.  Apparently, they can harass and intimidate you, but if you call them one bad word, suggest what they are saying is wrong, or give them the wrong amount that you can pay are grounds for them to hang up on you.  With me crying on this end, allowed said idiot supervisor to hang up on me, as he cannot deal with adults crying on the phone.

I called them back, after all, this is what I get on a daily basis from them when I do not answer the phone.   I got a nicer person, who is was willing to work with me.  I told her of my situation, and she was really pleasant to talk to.  We worked out a plan to where I can pay $50.55 a month until...2016.  the good news is if I start making more money, I can pay the extra money or the lump sum by giving them a call.   This is what I was hoping for with the first call.  No, this supervisor wanted a down payment of (get this)...$1200, then he would agree to $50 a month.   I was not declaring bankruptcy and I was not going to court over some stupid charge that I did not know I owe.
So what do you do when you are faced with something like this.   First of all, try to work with your credit card company.  They are the best source of working on a payment schedule.  Tell them of the situation.  Do not talk to a supervisor, they only want to do what is best for the company, NOT YOU and the company. If you must talk to a supervisor, thank the rep and hang up.  Call back again to talk to a different rep.  When it get so you have to deal with a debt collector, same scenario, different day.  I did not want to talk to a supervisor, the first rep did, and that is how I got one in the first place.   Supervisors are afraid of losing their job, because they if they are doing their best to keep the company from going under (like my little $50 payments would put them under).  Start the negotiation process.  Think about your other bills.  Worst case scenario is that you have to tell them about everything, and I did.  I am now on what they call a hardship case.  I will except that.  I hate that, but it must be done, but it better than sitting in a courtroom on October 9th, and you know how judges are.  They can make or break you.
So now that is done.  No more calls unless I make it to them, and it is something I have to live with for a while.  The lesson here is face your fears, and you never know, because God will work it out in your favor.  I actually said a little prayer while I was on the phone with the company a second time around, and in fact, God told me to call back when I was on with them the first time.  I am glad I did.  The bottom line is God will work in your favor if you let him.  You may not like it, but things could have been worst. (I would have preferred to wait a little longer, but something told me that October 9th  would come before before that time)

Be Blessed everyday.

This is my first post started from an IPad.

Image via CrunchBase

I can get use to this.  Hello,I am typing this as I sit here waiting for my sister to come out of the house. Technology has afforded this society to become mobile, I know this, this is nothing new.  What is new is the fact that I am doing it. (Ok, I am at home, now, switching to typing on the big kahuna desktop computer keyboard...)

Ok, that's better.  As I was saying...

People have a sense of wanting to be where the action is, whether is it typing outdoors in the sunlight (BTW the glare was not bad to me when I was typing on the Ipad), or typing in a coffee shop like Starbucks.  desktops like my Dell Inspiron 530 are made for those people who do not want to adapt, libraries, and workplaces.  Even these people and places are slowly adapting to the mobile society.  I will also admit, that my only mobile technology is my phone.  The IPad is a borrowed one, courtesy of my mom, who got it for her birthday.  I, on the other hand, am waiting, impatiently for the day that I will get one at least by Christmas, 2013, or the next lunar eclipse,  whichever one comes first.  My birthday has passed, and every time I get a little money, it has to go towards something more important than an Ipad.  After I get one, I will still have my Inspiron, which was 5 years old yesterday.  That's old in computer years. I will also have my smartphone.

Well that's it.  This article was mostly to see how well I can type on it, when I find a WIFI connection, outside of my own router, and I will have to say that I will enjoy it on a regular basis once I get it.  In the meantime, I am blessed to enjoy the borrowed one.

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