Do You Have A Favorite and Why?

One of the blogging challenges I enjoy each month is the Secret Subject Swap. In this challenge, another blogger picks a subject for you to write about in your own style. This month I was asked, "What is your favorite piece of jewelry and why?"












Considering that my husband and I have been in the jewelry business for over four decades, you would think it would be an easy question to answer.  But, it is not. Each piece of jewelry I have owned has been hand crafted and designed by my husband. He was as excited to give me the ring he created for me this past Christmas as he was to give me the ring he made for me in South Africa almost 50 years ago.  

I have always loved contemporary designs but when he has occasionally given me one that is a fancier design, I love it just as much.  

Here are some of the pieces he has made me over the years but my favorite has to be the first one he did -- weird as it looks, it meant so much to me all those years ago.

What Not to Do if Caught in a Dog Fight

I thoroughly enjoy each month's Fly on the Wall posts written by fellow bloggers who share what went on in their lives the past month.

One week, I was house and dog sitting for someone who has five dogs and a cat. Everything went well until the last day.  Two of the large male dogs live outside and around 4:30 one afternoon I heard a slight yelp.  I looked outside and saw them fighting.  It looked vicious.  In no way, was this anticipated nor was I prepared to deal with a fight.  I fully expected them to quit by the time I got outside but that did not happen.

I started screaming, grabbed a heavy plastic shovel in an attempt to separate their mouths.  They were ripping each other's face and ears off -- YES, literally.  I started kicking one of the males in the groin. It never occurred to me that they could turn their anger on me as I only wanted them to stop -- and be friends again.

I knew it would help if there was a hose to turn the water on them but couldn't find it.  I was crying, screaming and absolutely terrified.  One was bigger (Husky/wolf cross) and dominant but the mutt who was on his back actually caused more damage - serious damage.

Grabbing his collar I knew he could turn his attack on me

I was exhausted after 20 minutes and the blood was spurting wildly.  In terror, I called my husband and after I assured him I did everything I could do, he said all I could do was to let one of them kill the other if it went that far.  Then.....it was over.  The damage was extensive.  I called a neighbor who arrived in a few minutes and amazed that either one survived.  He cleaned them up as best he could knowing that the owner would be home that night to make any necessary decisions regarding veterinary care.

I chose not to post any pictures as they are too graphic.  When the owner returned home, she was thankful I was alive and well.  I felt terrible but there was nothing else I could have done.  Both of these dogs are gentle and loving -- who knows what triggered this fight?

I was away from home almost the entire month but had the opportunity to visit with my grandkids for a few days and will share in pictures here.

Ever wonder what a cow kiss felt like?

At what age do kids learn how to whistle?

One evening I kept hearing someone whistling and couldn't figure out where it was coming from as I was alone with the kids and my daughter.  Rochelle started laughing when she told me that Aubrie had been whistling since she was about six months old.

She would walk around the house, whistling a tune and it sounded like an old man.  When I asked Aubrie to whistle she started loud and clear.  I googled 'whistling' to find out what age most kids start and it is between five and seven years old.

When we went out for dinner, Aubrie loved sucking on lemons 

Hard to believe Brie Brie is ONE already

Every party needs dancing!

And then......there's cake

She was spellbound by the fish in the aquarium

If you had been in the middle of that dog fight, what would you have done?

I know you will enjoy these Fly on the Wall bloggers stories from their past month:

Baking In A Tornado

Menopausal Mother

Searching for Sanity

Eileen's Perpetually Busy

Go Mama O

Spatulas on Parade

Bookworm in the Kitchen

When I Grow Up

Type a message...

What Chance Do You Have of Surviving?

Your first line of defense against disease is NUTRITION - not medications!  Every time I see yet another television commercial promoting a drug, I get a little more nauseated by the lie that is being perpetrated on the general public.  This is especially disheartening when it involves our youth, a drug-induced generation.

If it is true that no drug can replace nutrients, then why are we so quick to swallow a pill when we have a cold or flu? Why don't we use natural methods to curb allergies?  Why don't we use nutrition to ward off disease and yes, even find a cure?

As I have written in a series of articles on the World's Biggest Con Job, we are sold a lie by Big Pharma that drugs can heal and/or restore.  Between the lack of education we are offered and our own fears, we buy that lie......hook, line and sinker.

In the mid-1970s I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and given less than two years to live. I knew next to nothing about nutrition, but I knew that if I had a hysterectomy or if I died without having the surgery the specialist said I must have......then WHAT CHANCE DID I HAVE -- of living?  Or having a baby?

You Are Going to Die - Now What?

When we hear the word 'cancer' something happens to us. It may feel like we got kicked in the stomach or our heart skips a beat. We react in fear whenever someone we care about receives that diagnosis.

That happened to me decades ago.  The doctor told me that the only possibility I would have of living more than a year would be to have a total hysterectomy.  Although I was very sick and struggling with a lot of pain and discomfort, I knew in my heart that I was born to be a mom and that couldn't happen if I didn't have the working parts.

As a young woman who had zero knowledge about cancer and no idea what I could possibly do to win this battle, I told my doctor "No, I won't accept that.  I am going to walk in here pregnant one day."

At that point, the doctor got extremely angry and almost spit at me when he shouted, "Then, lady, go home.....suffer....and die!"

How to Push Through a Painful Experience

When we go through any type of trauma in our lives, it affects us. How it affects us can be either a negative or positive experience. Hopefully, we can learn from the experience and apply what we learned if we ever go through a similar one again. But, that is often easier said than done, isn't it?

Sometimes we do not realize we have "been here before" until it's over. Pain works that way.  Pain is just that - PAIN.  When we are in the middle of it, it feels like a new experience.  Yet, it rarely is.

There are many types of pain that we experience in life.  There are times when we are blindsided and experience pain on a level we had not realized we were capable of handling.  When we look back at those experiences we often wonder how we made it through -- but we did.  And we are stronger for it.
Pain takes on many forms in your life.  Rejection, loss, physical or emotional trauma, abuse, divorce, the list goes on.

Making the World a Kinder Place Starts at Home

I bet there are many times in our lives when we would love to be a fly on the wall and know what goes on behind closed doors of our friends' homes.  This monthly blogging challenge gives us that opportunity each month and I thoroughly enjoy hearing my friends share their stories.

This past month, although busy as always, was rather uneventful.  I know that much of the country was hit with unusually severe snowstorms.  Living in the Pacific North West in an area that rarely sees snow, Mother Nature gave quite the performance.

In our area, we do not even have snow removal equipment. Normally, we don't need it. However, this year we broke all records for snowfall. It certainly was beautiful but our town, our highways, schools, businesses, banks, basically everything shut down for a few days.  

Here is a picture of the first day's snow and by the time it stopped snowing we had over three feet.  There were no tire tracks on our roads -- only footprints.  It was so beautiful.  

My daughter called me a week before the snowstorm as she and her little ones were struck with that terrible flu that put many people flat on their backs for more than a couple weeks. She would not have asked me to help her unless it was serious.  When she called at 5 A. M. on a Sunday morning, I knew it was serious.  

There were no flights available so I had to make the seven-hour car trip to find all three of them terribly sick.  I was so happy to have the time and the opportunity to be there and lend a hand.

One thing that will stick in my mind forever is watching my five-year-old grandson, who never got off the sofa for a week, be considerate and kind to his one-year-old sister when she wanted his attention.  He would gently tell her that big brother was too sick to play but that he loved her very much.  

When he needed a glass of water he would ask using his best manners - please and thank yous.  It's great to be proud of your kids and grand-kids, but when you see them behave in such a manner, it is button-busting. He had bouts of throwing up regularly, and yet he never whined or cried.  He apologized for doing it and was sorry Gramma and Mama had to clean it up.

Once again, my hat is off to his mama for raising thoughtful, kind and polite children. People, even strangers, often ask her what her secret is to having such courteous and mannerly kids.  

Getting up one morning, my daughter strongly suggested I head home as a storm was approaching.  I didn't believe her because we don't get snowstorms!  But I am certainly glad I listened because I made it home a few hours before the storm hit.

It was awesome to be housebound for almost a week.  I wrote articles, met deadlines, and got caught up with interviews and work I had to postpone the previous week while tending my family.  Crazy how things work out!

Hope you had a great month and I also hope you take a moment to check out some of the other stories here:

Baking In A Tornado                   

Menopausal Mother                     

Searching for Sanity                

Eileen’s Perpetually Busy            

Spatulas on Parade                   

A Little Piece of Peace                 

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy          

Cluttered Genius                 

Who Wants to Know How to Create a Great Profile Picture?

How important is your profile picture?   There are many people who post profile pictures that are not pictures of themselves at all. You may choose to do this for various reasons.  Some people may be more interested in sharing their brand instead of a photo of themselves.  Some may want to post a family picture (which tells a story about who they are).  Some may post a picture of their furry friend.

What I want to address here is what a potential client may see when they look at your profile picture. No matter how often we may say that we don't judge a book by the cover, it is human nature to do just that.

Be careful not to judge too quickly

If we see someone in tattered clothes staggering down the street, we may jump to the conclusion that he is a good-for-nothing drunk.  In reality, he may be someone who was in business and lost everything, even his family.  Most of us know someone like this and our heart goes out to them when we realize that, but for the grace of God, it could be me.

Or we may see an executive wearing expensive clothes, driving a new car and think they have it all together.  What we may not realize is that he could be one step away from losing it all.  We really never know unless we know them personally.  For a heart-warming shocking story that is an example of this, please check out what happened when I paid for a woman's coffee at the drive through window.  It was published in the recent release by Chicken Soup for the Soul, Random Acts of Kindness.
                                               
Even though we may try hard not to prejudge people before we speak to them, we are all a little guilty of it.

Back to profile pictures.  On my talk show, Never Ever Give Up Hope.  I interview guests who have remarkable stories of how they conquered overwhelming obstacles and achieved success.  When I choose a guest and ask them to send their picture to me for posting on my website, I want to be sure they reflect a positive image.  This is the first thing people see on the internet.  They see it before they hear a story or read a bio.  It must show confidence and strength.

Here are some tips I have given to my guests and certainly can be used wherever you post your profile picture.

1. The best profile picture is of your head and shoulders only -- not full body.  The closer the picture of your face, the better to show that you are genuine, honest and really do want to help others.

2. Look INTO the camera - not off in the distance or up in the air.  Give eye contact. Believe it or not, this is extremely important.












3.  Show good posture.  It is okay to lean into the camera a bit but do not overdo it. Don't try to look sexy.  It just doesn't work for a profile picture.










4.  Smile with teeth.  This is welcoming and
shows warmth.










5.  Wear dark-colored clothes with lighter accents.  Don't wear light colors that may blend you into the background. Don't wear big bulky jewelry as that is where the eye will be drawn to and your face will be secondary.

Profile pictures say a lot about us -- you know what 'they' say about first impressions.  Put your best face forward!

If you have a story you want to share with the world about your own experience of turning your hopelessness around, please contact me with the name of this post.  I'd love to have you on the show.

Have You Ever Been a Fly on the Wall?

2017!  It can't be!  Didn't we just turn the calendar into a new century?  How could that possibly be SEVENTEEN years ago?  So many people have shared that they are hoping for a better year as 2016 was a major struggle.  

I am sure you will agree with me how much more fun it is to give gifts at Christmas time than top open them.  I always do my Christmas shopping throughout the year and wrap them immediately. Often I forget what I wrapped by the time Christmas rolls around, which makes it even more fun.

I know my family loves to give me gifts as well so I keep a list during the year for them.  Once you reach a 'certain' age, you may become difficult to buy for because there is little you want that you don't already have.

But there was one thing that I have been asking for the past couple years and when I opened this gift I started to cry.  I absolutely loved it.  It was an oil painting by one of my favorite abstract artists - the only type of art that I truly enjoy.  I have hung it where I can see it every day and appreciate the love behind the gift.

What do you think?  Do you have any idea who the artist is?  Would love your input!

Making people happy at Christmas!

We made some awesome pieces for clients this Christmas.  Hubby has the unique ability to design around the client's personality and what they are visualizing in their mind's eye.  Here is just a sample

Family Ring

The pictures are from my phone and certainly don't do these pieces justice but this ring is what he made me and it is as rare as it can be.  After decades in the gemstone business, hubby has never seen another stone like this -- before or since he had it cut thirty years ago.  He had forgotten that he had it until a few months ago and designed a ring around it for me.  The center stone is a one-of-a-kind, totally natural, untreated Imperial Pink Topaz

One of our clients asked hubby to design a pendant to put into the center of her grandmother's pearls to make them more modern. This is what he came up with and it is exquisite.  A blue sapphire and diamond pendant in white gold. 

Christmas and pups

Certainly isn't Christmas without our little rescues -- they get sweeter all the time.







Charlie is saying goodbye to her babies.  Of all the dogs we have had, we have never had sweeter or softer pups.  They are unique in that they are so cuddly and content -- almost never cried and now they are gone.  They were also the biggest dogs we have ever had - Bernese and Great Pyrenees mix.  William certainly enjoyed his time with them and they will make great family dogs.  But H U G E TWENTY-pound pups!

They even started out BIG -- 

And here is your smile for the day:

Aubrie is 11 months old but she has figured out how to play hide and seek -- she INITIATES it. She will go into a dark room, behind the door and wait quietly until someone figures out she is not around.  When they find her she screams with delight and scares the pants off of us.

SPAGHETTI ANYONE?

I hope that 2017 is your best year yet and that your dreams and goals will be met.  Thank you for sharing my blog posts along with your encouraging words and smiles.

Let's be honest!  Wouldn't you love to know what goes on in some homes?  Wouldn't you enjoy being a fly on the wall and watch? Being part of this blogging community you can do just that! Each month it is such fun to get a glimpse of how other people live, how they handle stressful situations and even better, to laugh with them at the crazy antics of their partners, kids, and pets!  I hope you can check out some of my fellow blogger's posts this month as they give you a peek.

Baking In A Tornado                   

Searching for Sanity                 

Eileen’s Perpetually Busy            

Go Mama O                            

Spatulas on Parade                    

A Little Piece of Peace                 

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy                                           

Cluttered Genius