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Archive for the ‘Success Tips’ Category

The Adventures of a Gypsy

Posted in Family, Musings, Success Tips on March 10, 2011| 2 Comments »

The other day I found this envelope in my mailbox. It was from my Daddy. (I’d stop right here and tell you how much I love Priority Mail envelopes, but I’ll save that for another day).

For his birthday in December, I begged and pleaded and whined with anyone who would listen to share stories, photos and memories  of my dad and assembled it all into a book for him. I think he liked it… at least a little bit. So that inspired him to start writing down his memories. He’s been keeping me faithfully updated every week on his progress. When I spoke with him Sunday, he said he was mailing me his “mess” to take a look at. So when the envelope arrived the other day, I certainly wasn’t expecting his memories to be all typed and categorized.

He decided to call his story “The Adventures of a Gypsy.” When he and my mom were young and crazy and newly married, they moved something like 17 times in 13 years. I’m glad I wasn’t around for all that excitement. My brothers and sister got in on all that fun. By the time I  arrived in the picture, they had firmly sunk their roots into the family farm where they lived for almost a decade before I was born, and still live today. The only move that has been made in the last 40 years was when they built a new house on the place and moved from the old farm house into the new one.

I have to tell you, when I sat down and started reading Daddy’s memories, I was surprised by all the stories I don’t remember ever hearing. He did a great job of providing details, dates, names, and he even added in pictures with descriptions. I can’t tell you how much it means to me to have these memories, especially with Daddy’s handwritten notes. What little bit of a sense of humor I have, came from him and he was on a roll with his stories. I was laughing so hard, Captain Cavedweller stuck his nose out of his man cave to see what all the ruckus was about, then sat and laughed along with me.

Stories and memories are priceless. Truly they are. Especially when they come with photos like the one above attached. Goodness only knows what they were up to, but my dad would be the character on the right.

If you’ve thought about writing down your memories for your kids or grandkids, stop thinking about it and do it. They won’t care if you hand write them, type them, record them or put them on video. The important thing is to preserve them in some form.

I’m so glad my Daddy did.

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Tips for Brides #1

Posted in Entertaining Ideas, Success Tips, tagged , on February 15, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Ok, if you are a soon-to-be-bride, get yourself down to the closest store and pilfer through all the clearance Valentine candy and goodies.

Seriously!

Depending on your wedding color and theme, there is a variety of great stuff you can pick up at a huge discount.

Like fun napkins…

 

Or how about kisses. These are so pretty wrapped in pink and silver.

 

You can even find things like… well, um, chocolate lips, wrapped in hot pink foil.

So you might want to steer away from these if you have any desire at all for your wedding to be elegant. But then if you are looking for fun and whimsical, these would definitely fit the bill!

The point of all this is that you can find some fantastic candy and fun items  at unbelievable prices. Use candy for guest favors, sprinkling on tables at the reception, whatever strikes your fancy. The candy can be frozen until your wedding date, which makes it even better.

Happy Shopping!

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Setting SMART Goals instead of Resolutions

Posted in Holidays, Success Tips, tagged , , , on December 30, 2010| 2 Comments »

If your New Year’s Resolutions last just as long as the holiday fudge holds out, you might want to rethink your approach in 2011. Most people make resolutions that are not based on something realistic or achievable. Say, for example, your time is very limited and fully scheduled. It would not be realistic to resolve to take up playing a new instrument and set aside two hours a day for practice.

Instead of making resolutions, why not set a few goals?

SMART goals are a good way to move from thinking about doing something to getting it done. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely.

To get a specific goal, ask yourself the who, what, where, when and why questions. Who is involved? What do I want to accomplish? Where will this take place? When will it take place? Why do I want this to happen?

A goal that is measurable is one that can be tracked by progress.  When you measure progress, track results and meet deadlines, it spurs you on toward greater accomplishment. Ask yourself questions like “How many?” “How much?”  “How will I know the goal is accomplished?”

Attainable goals help you identify what is most important to you. Once you do that, you can figure out step by step how to make it happen. You will develop the attitude, skill and ability to reach that goal.  This part of goal setting requires planning. You need to think out each step of action you need to take to make the goal happen and the time frame in which you’d like to see the results. Even goals that are a stretch (ones that get you beyond your comfort zone) are attainable when you grow to reach them. If your goal is get out the door on time in the morning, what specific steps can you take to make sure it happens?

To be realistic, a goal must represent an end result you are willing and able to achieve . You can have a stretch goal that is up there in the stars and still have it be realistic. You are the only one who can decide how lofty your goal should be. Just make sure it represents progress. Some of the highest goals accomplished didn’t seem that difficult because they were a labor of love or evolved from a deep passion. If you honest-to-goodness believe your goal can be accomplished, then it is probably realistic. You can also determine if a goal is realistic by looking at past accomplishments or determining what conditions or factors need to exist for the goal to be realized.

A goal is timely when it is tied to a time frame and has a sense of urgency. The steps leading to the accomplishment of your goal will also be time-based.

So let’s look at a goal. You might set a goal  that states   “I will lose weight this year!”

While that is a good start, when you make it SMART you make it doable and provide the basis to hold yourself accountable.  “I will lose 50 pounds by 5 p.m. Dec. 20, 2011.” Anyone could show up at 5 p.m. Dec. 20, 2011 and see if you have lost the weight.

This is where you will also create your action steps. You might write down something like:

” To achieve this goal I will …

• Exercise for 45 minutes Monday through Friday between 6 and 7 a.m.

• Eat balanced meals with plenty of fruits and vegetables, consuming no more than 1,600 calories a day.

• Drink 64 ounces of water every day.

• Check in weekly with Susie and Jane to h0ld me accountable to my goals.

…”

You get the idea.

When you share this goal with at least two other people, it will hold you accountable and help keep you on track.

The last part of the goal is setting a reward for yourself when you achieve it. Put it in writing and hold yourself to it. What realistic thing would you award yourself for meeting the goal? A pedicure? A new outfit? A spa day? Think of something that will give you some inspiration to keep going when you feel yourself dragging.

I’d love to hear what goals you are working on for 2011.

May it be your best year ever!

Happy New Year’s!

She Who Needs to Get Crackin’ on her own Goals for 2011

 

 

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Start A Holiday Idea Folder

Posted in Christmas, Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Holidays, Success Tips, tagged , , on December 27, 2010| 1 Comment »

Well, if you are like me, you are in a state somewhere between joy over the wonderful Christmas celebrated Saturday and sadness that it is over for another year.

To get yourself over the post holiday doldrums, find a fun project to work on.

One that is perfect to start this week is a Holiday Idea folder. I like to use red file folders and hide them at the back of my filing cabinet. Believe me, no one ever looks in there!

Things you can put in your folder (or binder) include gift ideas, decorating ideas, recipes you’d like to try. Then add to the folder all year. If you are a hyper-organized kind of person, you might want to have several folders  or divided sections in your binder with titles like “Gifts,” “Decor,” “Recipes,” “Traditions.”

As you browse through magazines and catalogs, pull out the pages that capture your interest and add to your supply. If you are pulling out gift ideas, make sure you label them somehow or come October when you get out your files, you’ll have a bunch of pages and no idea what you intended to purchase for whom (not that I’ve ever done that before).

Now is the perfect time to get cracking on this project because the ideas are all fresh in your head. As you gathered with family and friends during the weekend, you probably had several ideas for “perfect gifts,” tasted a few recipes you’d like to add to your own collection for next year and thought of at least two fantastic decorating ideas or fun things that might make great future traditions.

Capture all that info now and you’ll be so glad you did!

Happy Holiday Entertaining!

Shanna

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