As always, I've been very busy.  Too busy to come in here and post and I need to get better at it; I know, I keep saying that.  I need to make it a point of coming in here every day and posting new material.  With cooking, cleaning (somewhat), homeschooling, and taking care of 4 pets, a hubby that travels a lot for his work and a kid in college, it is a wonder I have time to bathe.  I do.  Bathe. I promise.


I've had a lot of interest in my lockets.  These are not name-brand, nor is it a party plan of any kind.  I just found someone that supplies them and I sell them to my customers.  I'm posting a picture here so you guys can see as I've had several people show interest in ordering them.  These lockets come with the first charm and I am selling them for $25.  Shipping to anywhere in the lower 48 states is $2.95.  Charms are $3 each additional one.  I will post a picture of what I do have on hand, here.  They are constantly changing so if you see something you like, get it while it is still available.  Charms can be shipped for $1.95 if purchased separately and I can ship out as many as 10 for that price.  Please email me here with any questions or with your order.  I will then send you an invoice via Paypal and you can pay it with Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover.  You can also use your debit card and you don't have to worry about anything as I will not have access to your credit card/bank info.   

Charms available are here.

A few days ago, I made one of my husband's favorite desserts.  He loves peach cobbler and he loves capirotada, I don't know which one he likes best but the latter one, he will eat a 9x13 baking dish full of it in just a matter of 3 to 4 days.  Yes, the name sounds weird but it is a family tradition of many years handed down from my grandmother to my mother and now me.  Hopefully, someday, my daughter will make this for her husband/kids/friends.  Capirotada is a bread pudding of sorts, that's the best way I can describe it. 

I don't really have a recipe for it as I pretty much just eyeball the amounts of each ingredient and make it that way.  It is a simple dish that includes bananas, raisins, bread, cinnamon, cheese and piloncillo/brown sugar but it does taste good.  I make it every year for Easter.  While I make it, the house smells wonderful with all the aroma of the ingredients - especially the cinnamon, wafting from the kitchen.  I enjoy making it but what I really enjoy is watching others enjoy eating it.

Do what you love, the money WILL follow

Now more than ever, people are wanting to find a way out of the rat race and be able to make a living on their own time. So many are thinking that if they could only make enough money doing something they love to be able to stay home and take care of their family.  As many of you know, I make sterling silver jewelry.  I have been doing that for years before I quit my job at JP Morgan. I have to admit that when the economy started going to pot, I was hesitant about continuing with what I loved to do. So many of my friends told me that with the economy being so bad and people losing their jobs, they didn't think it was a good idea for me to continue selling "luxury" items.  That people would not buy things they didn't really "need" but would instead spend their money on the basics - the necessities.  I heard this so many times that I almost started to doubt myself and believe what I was hearing.  I did, for a short while, cut back on showing my pieces.  It was not until I was asked if I still did jewelry that a friend told me to set up my website and keep doing it because people were asking her where she got the pieces of jewelry she had gotten from me.  I did do blog as you can see it here. I am glad I did.  There are many people that still have disposable income.  I've learned not to judge others' financial situation based on what a handful may think.  

If there is something that you really enjoy doing, I say go for it.  You won't ever find out until you actually get out there and do it.  What have you got to lose?  I know of a gentleman that saw a need for people that display candles and wax warmers at home shows and he started making little display boxes for them.  He posted his 'craft' on Facebook and was soon inundated with orders from the women in direct sales that needed the product he had to offer.  In less than two weeks' time, he had a website up, orders were coming in and now he has all the work he can handle.  I'm not saying this will happen with you but everybody has different ideas and talents.  What are yours?  Put them to work and you will be surprised how many people out there will pay for what you know how to do/make.  

I hope you all have a wonderful and successful weekend.  

Living your dreams

Lately, there has been an influx of email, Facebook posts and texts from people I know that are wanting and needing to make extra money to help out with their living expenses.  Some have been looking for work for a few weeks, others a few months and yet many others have been laid off for more than a year and can't seem to find a job.

With that being said, I usually give them a few ideas about non-traditional jobs they can do that will bring in some cash immediately, especially for those that are in dire straits and need to pay their rent/mortgage/car payment or they will lose these vital and very basic necessities.

Since I left my job voluntarily over 6 years ago, I've seen, mentored, and trained a slew of people that really wanted to do something about their financial situation.  I don't mean to say that all of those that have asked for guidance/advice don't want to do something; just that they don't do it, for whatever reason.

Just this past Friday, I had a young mother tell me she has got to find a job to help out her young husband with paying their bills.  He's a soldier and was deployed to Afghanistan but had to take an early leave to be with her as she has been ill and in a lot of pain and cannot take care of their 1 yr old son by herself.

She stated she had landed a job last fall at Victoria's Secret but when they saw she could not lift heavy boxes or stand for long periods of time, due to her illness, they told her it would be best for her to find another job.  I mentioned to her that she could write her own paycheck.  How much does a clerk make at one of those stores?  Not very much, I'm sure.  I explained to her that she could make either $8 or even $10/hour at one of those stores or she could write her own paycheck.

When I explained to her that she could do direct sales, the girl asked me what that was!  It just goes to show that there are so many people out there that have not an inkling of the possibilities and the great rewards that can be had when they give direct sales the chance to provide them the freedom of building an empire that is directly in proportion to how smart you work.

How much do you think YOU are worth?  Are you willing to put forth the effort that will give you financial freedom?  Are you going to make the excuse that there are too many people doing Avon already, or Mary Kay, or Pampered Chef or Scentsy or Stampin' Up or whatever else you enjoy doing?  You need to stop that mentality and stop it now!  If you don't stop it, you will always be sitting there looking for the next $8/hr gig.  With inflation being the way it is, that won't get you very far.  Just stating facts here.  You can if you really want it.

On the other hand, there are those like myself that just want to do something that will be fun and rewarding and get them out of the house for a little while and the extra money is just the icing on the cake.  In reality, people like me don't really have the burning desire, I don't believe, like those that really need the money to pay their bills.  Why do I say this?  Simply because I know that whether I do a jewelry party or a skincare party or even a simple basket party with wickless candles, I know that my bills are still paid (thank you God for providing my husband a good job). It is the way to work smarter not harder.

You don't have to know how to sell, nobody is born knowing how to sell.  There is no need to think that you have to be a hard sell, I dislike pushy sales people just as much as the next person.  You do have to love the product/service you provide.  When you get your mindset in the right place, you will succeed.  In direct sales, you - the seller - are providing a service that the public needs, they are not doing you a favor by placing an order for product that they want/need.  Once you get that thought right in your head, you will excel at whatever you wish to do.  It doesn't just apply to direct sales, it applies to any service you wish to provide, eg house cleaning, babysitting, sewing, cooking meals; whatever you desire to do.

People that have a very important WHY are the people that will more than likely be most successful at direct sales.  They will have the drive because they want to put food on the table and pay for their shelter and vehicle.  If they really want to work hard, they have a choice to line the pockets of corporate executives by working for a company or they can instead choose to build their own business and add the results of their hard work to their own personal bank account instead.

So you see, you do have a choice.  Living your dreams is within your reach, if you really want it.  The ball is in your court.  Let me know if I can help.  Blessings to all and may you all be living your dreams real soon!

I've been working on my jewelry website lately and although it is a tedious task, I think it will be of much joy for me when it is finally finished and everything is pictured, uploaded and priced.  I've had so many people interested in buying my pieces that I had no choice but to give my customers what they want.  It makes it easier doing the transactions for all parties involved. 

Our moving back home has been pushed farther and farther out each time, it seems. Not giving up on that either, it just may take a little bit longer than planned.  It's all good, I am on God's time, not mine.  I truly believe there is a reason for everything and God knows what He is doing better than I know what I am doing.  

It is getting closer to graduation time for my son who is no longer a teenager.  I thought surely that college would bring him out of his shell a little more but that does not seem to be the case.  He's still quiet, still studying and staying in his room like he has in the past.  He's driving a little more and it's scaring me a whole lot more.  I pray for him constantly and I know God hears my prayers.  It's still scary to drive out there...the city is a big place and there are a lot of really careless drivers out there.  He has a good head on his shoulders, however, and I think he has learned well from me.  He's probably tired of hearing me tell him to be careful each time he walks out the door with the car keys.  Oh, well, that's what a mom is for.

New Year, new goals

Well, here we are, it is now 2012 and it has been a while since I've blogged on here.  Life tends to get in the way of my love for writing. Busy-ness, family and all that encompasses a quick-paced lifestyle.  I don't like it.  I want to move out to the country and away from the hustle and bustle that is city living.  I've prayed about it and although I know God hears my prayers, I know -- and accept-- full well that it is on His time and not mine that my plans and dreams will come to fruition.  I'm not a very patient person mind you and I made the silly mistake of praying for patience many years ago.  God answered, he sent me a daughter with ADD...if anything will teach you patience, having a child with learning differences will give you a healthy dose of learning opportunity.  LOL!  God does have a sense of humor.

I promise this year, I will be better at keeping this old blog up-to-date.  There are so many things I want to write about it's just not easy to keep up with all the goings on in my life and the things I wish to do on my hard-to-come-by spare time.  I've also been cooking a lot more lately, so I will also be sharing cooking tips and recipes.  Now, if I can only slow down a bit.  It will be okay.  This year will be a greatly blessed year for all.  I am praying a lot too.

This country is in a mess and it needs our prayers, as do our government leaders.  Only God has the answers and if only His people would seek Him and turn from their wicked ways...He will answer and be quick to heal our land, our hearts and our people.  May God continue to bless each and every one of you and may His mercy follow you all the days of your lives.  See you around!