Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Keep Calm

I know this saying has been popping up everywhere with different endings, but it also seems to be God's word for me for 2012: CALM.

I have never really thought of a "word for the year" before, but have seen others doing it recently and wondered if maybe that was why I kept seeing and hearing the word "calm" in my life.  Perhaps I should focus on it and what it means to me.  Give it more purpose and meaning in my life this year.  So here goes!

Eze 16:42 is a verse that jumps out at me for harboring any negativity toward someone else.  For anyone that knows me and knows our family situation, you might have an idea of why this verse is hitting home ;)  God is cleaning out my heart as I type!

This past year, 2011, also brought a lot of chaos and stress to our family in terms of my husband finishing up paramedic school.  Thankfully, he graduated in December, but it was not without its hurdles.  We spent a lot of 2010 and pretty much all of 2011 in a state of "not calm".  Between his work, school and clinical schedule along with my work and mommy schedule, our house was a bit chaotic.  Oh, and we moved houses.  So that added to the "not calm". 

This year seems to be starting out on quite a different note.  God is really working on my anxiety level and urging me to keep calm.  This verse in Matt 8:26 shows me exactly what not being calm means - a lack of faith.  So here's to growing in my faith; to trusting the Lord to provide; to surrendering control; to a year of living in a state of CALM.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Made in the USA

I've been thinking about this for quite some time now.  In fact, I feel like I should have written this a long time ago.  For whatever reason, I just haven't, so it may be lengthy.  I apologize in advance and hope you'll hang in there to read it to the end.

I hope that I'm not the only one who has noticed how terribly reliant the USA is on other countries - for a LOT of stuff that we use every day.  Not only does this make us vulnerable as a country, but it also makes us weak.  And by "weak" I mean that is makes us rely on someone else's generosity, common sense, attitude, intelligence, business sense, fairness and kindness.  It means that America loses jobs and loses money to other countries, when we should be taking care of our own backyard.  

Do you know how many American jobs would be created if every American household replaced a foreign-made product with an American-made one?  10,000.  Yes, ten THOUSAND new jobs.  For spending less than $5 on something you buy anyway.

There are still plenty of Americans at work making consumer products. More than 11 million Americans get their paychecks from working in factories, and according to Moody's Economy.com, if every American spent an extra $3.33 on U.S. made goods every year, it would create nearly 10,000 new jobs.  (ABC World News)

Just as an example, the average US back-to-college shopper was expected to spend more than $800 this past season -- $46 billion total. If all of that was spent on American-made products, economists say, that could result in almost a half-million new jobs.  That's 500,000 NEW JOBS here in the USA!!!

With the loss of 5.5 million manufacturing jobs this decade, and the residual impact (for every one manufacturing job there are five others created - truck drivers, accountants, research & development, clerical, etc.), the US has seen a loss of over 30 million jobs.  This has had a huge impact on not only our economy and national security but also on the survival of our middle class.  Our economy cannot rely solely on service, health care and agriculture.  Government has not provided a solution and so it is time for consumers to take action before it’s too late. (www.americansworking.com) 

Yes, it takes time, effort and diligence to look for American-made products.  Yes, SOME of those products are more expensive than foreign-made products.  But on average, the savings outweigh the convenience.  As a whole, American-made products are the same price or cheaper than foreign-made AND they last longer.  I'm not just standing on a soapbox and ranting, I am truly passionate about this.  Our economy is slipping into a douple-dip recession.  Good, honest, hard-working people are losing or have lost their jobs after decades with the same company.  College graduates are more depressed about their future than any other recent graduating class has been in the past decade.  Cities are dying, homes are being lost and companies are downsizing.  I, for one, feel that I am privileged and blessed beyond belief to be living in America.  How could I NOT want to do my part to help keep it the greatest country?  

I'm not talking about replacing everything in your house.  But I am talking about taking a look at products you use every day and seeing if you can't replace it with something else the next time you run out.  And yes, I do realize that not everything can be replaced with something American-made, but you can try.  Shampoo, conditioner, facial moisturizer, toothpaste, toothbrushes, baby lotion (you'd be surprised!!!), soap, laundry detergents, clothing.  Little things really do make a big difference.  If you are able or are getting ready to replace something big like a TV or furniture, just take a look at American-made.  

You never know who needs to keep the job that you will be saving - your neighbor, your friend, your sister,  or your father.  I've included some links to make it a little easier to search for American-made.  PLEASE take a look and see how very easy it would be for you to make a difference in your very own backyard.

www.usaonly.us
www.etsy.com
www.americansworking.com
www.madehereinamerica.com
www.stillmadeinusa.com
www.buyamerican.com
www.toysmadeinamerica.com
www.sourcemap.org 
(database created by MIT to find out where your everyday products come from)


He’s got the red, white and blue flying high on the farm
Semper Fi tattooed on his left arm
Spent a little more in the store for a tag in the back that says ‘Made in the USA’ 
He won’t buy nothing that he can’t fix
With WD-40 and a Craftsman wrench
He ain’t prejudice
He’s just
Made in America
Toby Keith "Made in America"

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Gotta love local!!!

I'm on a local kick lately.  Buying local, shopping local, giving back locally.  So on that note, here's some handy dandy info on how you can keep it local too!

Farmer's Markets:


Local Authors:
From Asheville to Nashville - 3 local authors on a giveaway across 8 cities :)

Friday, March 4, 2011

1st Birthday

As I finish up the decorations, video and general stuff for baby girl's 1st birthday, I have to take a minute to publish that I am truly grateful that God chose me to be her mommy.  She is such a blessing and we are lucky to be given the responsibility of raising this precious little girl!!!

On a side note relating to her birthday attire:  Hang to Dry is giving away a year's worth of custom, personalized children's applique t shirts!  Send a friend request today!  http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002094841298&sk=wall

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Practicing Patience...

The song comes to mind, "God give me wisdom, God give me strength and the courage to simply stand still."  I can't remember who sings it or I would give them full credit, sorry!  I'm really in need of some wisdom, courage and strength tonight.  Dealing with people who just do not get it, and by it, I mean life.  Shouldn't we all, as God's creation, humans living on this planet together, try to respect each other and let the trivial things go?  I'm simply frustrated with a particular person's lack of reasoning and judgement - someone who can't seem to see the GOOD in other people and must always, always, always look for the negative and try to bring others down.  Shouldn't we try to lift each other up?  Isn't life hard enough without someone purposely trying to make it harder?  Just something to think about:  the next time you want to offer a negative word or criticize or just simply be mean to someone else and make things more complicated for them, please take a moment to STOP, THINK and PRAY.  Stop what you are about to say or do - think about how it will come across to the other person, or what you would perceive if you were in their shoes - pray about what your actions should be and how you should respond.  I, for one, am currently working on 'seventy times seven'...that's a LOT of times to turn the other cheek...."God give me wisdom, God give me strength and the courage to simply stand still."

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Stopping for snow

Last week's snow/ice storm here in Georgia gave me time to sit back, relax, reflect and enjoy my family.  I think it was God's way of making everyone hit the 'pause' button after the chaos and craziness of the busy holiday season. 

Yes, the snow made traffic bad.  Yes, we got hit by a sliding car (the ONLY other car on the road on Sunday night as it was snowing like mad) on our way to my in-laws with our baby girl and dog in the car.  Yes, the ice made the roads even worse.  Yes, my husband had to work two 24-hour+ shifts in the middle of all the madness.  Yes, schools were out and businesses were closed. 

BUT, wasn't it nice to feel like a kid again?  To enjoy the beautiful, pure white snow.  To listen to the quiet stillness that only snow can create.  To play with your kids, go sledding, build snowmen, throw snowballs, laugh, play, run.  To take time out from your busy schedule to get some things done that have been on your To-Do list for way.too.long. 

I personally am very thankful for the pause that we were given and feel that we were all blessed with some of the gorgeous work of our Heavenly Father during those few days.  I am also thankful for those, including my amazing husband, who work tirelessly as first responders, firefighters, police officer, and medical personnel to ensure our safety during treacherous conditions.  I am thankful that he came home from each shift unharmed and that my family was also unharmed in our car wreck.  I wouldn't trade a precious moment from last week.  So thankful for pure, white, peaceful snow and the memories that were made.