Friday, August 19, 2011

A Very Materialistic Man Indeed

Good morning folks! It's going to be another scorcher out there today!
We finally finished Aiden's bedroom yesterday, all that's left is hanging the new doors for the entryway. He's such a happy camper! And just in time for first grade to start! Can't believe my oldest grandchild is starting first grade Monday! Abby's in Kindergarten, wow, where has the time flown? But I'm enjoying every single second of it! Thanks be to the "Big Guy" for allowing me to be a part of it all! And, only 9 weeks left until grandchild #8 comes into the world! Can't wait!
I gained a new wrinkle in my brain last night. Jerry and I were discussing money and numbers last night and somehow the conversation turned to who the most wealthy individual in the world was. The man I'm about to chat about is not the wealthiest man in the world, but he's extremely close. The country is Brunei, located on one of the Malaysian islands. It's a very small country. The sultan of this country, Hassanal Bolkiah basically has all the money in his country. For more info on Brunei, check Wikipedia or Google it. This man obviously is an extravagance hound. The palace he lives in, called Istana Nurul Iman has 1,888 rooms, 290 bathrooms,  and a floor area of 2,152,782 sq ft (200,000 m²), undisputedly the world's second largest palace after Beijing's Forbidden City (720,000 m²).  He has 531 Mercedes-Benzes, 367 Ferraris, 362 Bentleys, 185 BMWs, 177 Jaguars, 160 Porsches, 130 Rolls-Royces And 20 Lamborghinis, bringing the total number of his cars to 1,932. I just don't get it. Who needs all that? And why? This man could sell 2/3 of his cars and feed, house and clothe lots and lots of people in the world. And over 2 million square feet of living space? Really? Who needs that?  I was simply astounded at the fact that one man has that much and can actually be fine with the fact that there are tons of suffering humans in the world when he has the means to help. I realize his perspective is nowhere what mine is but goodness. That just seems ridiculous to me. Something I found interesting about him and Brunei: (taken from Wikipedia)  Despite his personal extravagance, he has attempted to share the country's oil wealth. In Brunei, mockingly dubbed the "Shellfare State", a reference to the significant influence of the Shell Oil Company,[4][5] Bruneians have free education and medical services. There are neither personal nor corporate taxes in Brunei. I found this to be an interesting fact. I am going to learn more about this country, just for my personal knowledge. I was just overwhelmed at what this man has and how much good he could do with it, if he was so inclined. 
I hope everyone has a great day, full of blessings and peace! Love to you all!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Make Everything You Do Count!

Good Sunday afternoon everyone! It's going to be another hot day but at least we had one day of reprieve!
I had a talk with my granddaughter today about wasting food this morning and it set me to thinking about how everything we do makes a difference of some kind. A negative action or word creates a negative scenario in some way and the same is true of a positive action or word. We have the power to create our own scenarios and the scenarios of others as well. My explanation to her was that it takes one person to start the chain reaction. If one person starts to conserve a bit of electricity and gives their idea to 10 others and one of the ten does the same thing, then they tell another 10.......and so on, and so on, and so on. I explained that one person started the great pyramid with one block. Then another put down a block, then another put down a block and after many years, the Great pyramid was built. But it all started with one block. Everything starts with one thought, idea and/or action. Both negative and positive. I experimented with this several times in restaurants. I would start staring at the ceiling, with an expression of genuine interest and after several minutes others were doing the same. I realized just how true the "domino" effect is. So, I started making it a point to smile at everyone I saw. And I noticed that the more I smiled first at people, the more they returned the smile! I hope that they started smiling at others because a smile may change the whole outlook of someone's day. We can lead by example, that's how great things are accomplished and I, for one, want to accomplish great things, even on a small scale great things! And I want them to be positive things that help others and make lives happier and more productive! The only way people will start to make the move towards more positive actions and outlooks is for one person to start and others to follow along. Be that person, be the one that starts a chain of wonderful, awesome things to happen between one another. Be the one that smiles, be the one that feeds a hungry person, be the one that helps an elderly person with something, be the one that holds the door open for another, be the one that says a kind word first, be the one that starts picking up litter in the park or walkway, be the one that starts an outreach for the hurting and needy, be the one that teaches something to someone, BE THE ONE!!!!!
I hope you all have a marvelous day and find a circumstance that needs your help and Be The One to make a positive change! Love to you all!

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Rain! Rain! Rain!

I awoke in the middle of the night to the beautiful sound of rain, falling gently, finally giving much needed moisture to the dying trees, bushes and grass! It was the most wonderful sound I'd heard in a long time! The smell of it was so comforting. I love rain! In addition, we've been given a reprieve from the heat for at least one day! This day reminds me of an autumn day, reminding me that the holidays are really just around the corner! My absolute favorite time of year! I love the fall, with the beautiful leaves, although I think there may not be so much changing since it's already brown, but that's alright. It's still a beautiful time of year.
Let's all take the time to do a kind deed today and every day and always remember: Humans are people too! Love to all!

Friday, August 12, 2011

TGIF!!!

Hello everyone, here's hoping everyone's having a great Friday!
Today is a high anxiety day for me and I finally figured out why. People everywhere are having so many difficulties and troubles and I think I'm reacting to it. So, I came home and took a few minutes to sit down and pray about the state of mind I was in and others as well. I had to make myself remember that worrying and fretting does absolutely no good. We can only do what we are able to do, everything else has to be left in the hands of the "Big Guy" upstairs! I started thinking about all my blessings and focusing on my projects I am working on. I have so many blessings. I have a wonderful family, 3 more grandchildren on the way, an awesome husband who loves me for who and what I am, no exceptions, and let me tell you, sometimes that cannot be easy! Lol! I have some awesome relationships that are strong and steadfast, I have learned to not live in the past, but to live each day and focus on making the future better. I am on my way to a healthier and thinner lifestyle that's really exciting me alot! I feel better now than I have for a while, I have goals and am doing everything I can to realize those goals. I am happier knowing that I cannot fix things, but I can help when and where I am needed and the changes I would like to see will either happen or they won't. I can live with both.
You see, I am making a choice today to either give in to the anxiety that wants to bring me down or I can focus on my blessings and make this an awesome, fantastic day! It's my choice, solely up to me, no one else can decide for me. So, my decision today is to share this decision with friends and hope that this will help someone else make the positive choice! I choose to live my life as an example. My mom always said I was a natural born leader so I choose to lead by example!
Have an awesome and beautiful day! Love to you all!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Make Today Count!

    Hi everybody! A short post today! As usual I'm hitting the ground running, as always!
    I just wanted to remind everyone to make this day count! Make it a point to smile at everyone, hold the door for someone or let that crazy driver get ahead of you and just smile at them anyway! It's not the action, it's our reaction that makes the difference! I'm reminding myself to do this as well. Those of you that know me know that I have very little tolerance for idiotic behaviour (got a bit of my Grandfather in me) but I try to make it a point to overcome that and REACT with a positive attitude. It's not always easy, it's very tough at times but we can do this! Just think what would happen if everyone made a concerted effort to REACT with a smile and a positive outlook! You may be saying I'm crazy and you may be partially correct (Lol!) but I do know I have the right idea! So, make today count and have a fantastic day everyone! Love to you all!

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Small Victories Make Big Victories!

    Good Sunday morning everyone! I'm about to do a workout but wanted to post today's blog first!
    I am very excited! My diet is going so well, I've lost enough to get into some shorts I couldn't wear 2 weeks ago and I feel great! My energy level is up, my enthusiasm is getting back to normal and my mood is so much better these days and all because I'm slowly winning the battle against "no willpower"! My outlook is changing every day. I feel more and more motivated to continue changing my lifestyle so I can live longer and be healthier. It's a hard struggle every single moment of every single day and some days I just don't want to be strong, however when I can start seeing and feeling positive results it makes the struggles seem a little less difficult to play through. "Change Your Mind & Change Your Life", my motto I came up with and have adopted as my new lifestyle mantra! Change starts in your mind and follows through in your body, your decisions, your actions and ultimately, your lifestyle.
    After my Mom passed away, I thought I would never get over it. Other things happened that further caused depression and I was convinced things would never change for me. But alas, I was wrong! I sought counseling, changed certain aspects of my personal life, learned a great deal about my own strength and gave thanks to God above for it every day! Eventually, BIG changes occurred. About 2 1/2 years ago, I hit another wall where my weight issue was concerned. I had lost down 166 lbs and made the decision to quit smoking. 3 months later, I gained back 50 lbs. I was so angry and depressed about that. I gave in and started smoking again and was right back where I started. Then, someone I did not know contacted me about a wonderful fitness product and home based business. After many months of research, I decided to get into it. I am so glad I did! Last Thursday I started my official 90 Day Challenge and I can already feel the difference!
    I encourage everyone who wants to make a lifestyle change to find the thing that will help you accomplish your goals! My goodness, it feels so good to eat right and make the lifestyle change that will make my life and those lives around me so much better!
    Well, off to do my workout! I hope you all have a beautiful day and remember, if you ever need encouragement, you know where I am! Love to you all!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

It's Just Too Hot!!!

   Today's post is simple. It's way too hot here. I want a blizzard and not one from Dairy Queen. A real blizzard with real snow and real cold air. That's all I have to say today. Love to you all!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Good Deed Challenge!

      I would like to make a challenge to all my facebook friends. On September 11, let's all send a card or package with homemade treats or other things they would need, to someone serving in the military. If you don't know anyone serving, let me know and I can help. Pass this on to your friends. Let's try to make this a nationwide mailing.
    This was posted by my friend on Facebook. Please consider doing this, it would be an awesome gift to the loyal troops fighting every day for our continued FREEDOM!!! Thanks in advance for your consideration! Love to you all!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Face Your Troubles With A Smile!

Hello all! Today's post will be short due to heavy organizing and cleaning going on in my house! I just wanted to remind my lovely friends and followers that smiling at your troubles is a great way to make them easier to deal with! Don't get caught up in allowing troubles to rule anything in your life. Work on a project or organize something or whatever you can do to chill and work through whatever's troubling you! It really does help! Make your troubles work for you! You can do it! Even if it seems huge, remember, there's always a solution!
Have a great day and smile! Love to you all!