All is well.
Boys are fantastic.
Business is hopping.

My mom gave me a plaque the other day which is perfect. It says:

My goal has not been to find my prince charming. Though for the first time in my life I do feel like a princess: cared for, respected, appreciated.

Every day my intention is to make the day the best possible, do what is right for others and have fun…..lots of fun.

5 yrs ago I was completely lost and destroyed. Looking at how far I have come is stunning and exciting to imagine what will be accomplished in the future.

If you are struggling in some way in your life,
you are just one action away from triumph.

Stay strong.
Believe in yourself.
Success is right before you.

What step have you taken to better your life?

Several lines of the movie caught my attention. I commend Dreamworks for making such a positive movie for the whole family to enjoy, and for throwing in great little messages.

One of my favorites:

Better yet as I battle the bad guys in my son’s Nintendo DS game dying over and over. Jacob says to me:

“Mom do you believe you will win?”
“Buddy, that is awesome. Yes I do.”

Bad guys were then destroyed swiftly.

Belief. Faith. Trust.
Whichever you choose, make the most of the day.

What is special to you right now?

Honestly…..How is your life?
Not the stuff you have.

Your life. Who you are.

Take away all the stuff surrounding you and take inventory of what cannot be purchased.

Stop reading the headlines and listening to the Top Story of the day on the news.

Start thinking about yourself and what you accomplished today to make your life better for yourself. For your family.
What did you do to challenge yourself?
Who did you make smile and laugh?
How are you helping others?

Stuff wise:
If you have a flat screen TV, XBox, Wii or Playstation3, you’re doing OK. (none of these are in our home)

If you have a computer, internet service, cell phone or Blackberry, I bet you’re ahead of where you were 5-10 years ago technology wise.

Look at the current price of a few common items in US$/gallon:
Pepsi/Coke $5.33
Minute Maid Orange juice $6.99
Propel Water $7.68
Monster Energy Drink $12.80
Blue Moon Beer $14.22
Starbuck Frappucino Iced Coffee $20.48
Evian Water $21.19
Robert Mondavi Chardonnay $28.16

Current International Gas Prices (US$/gal):
Australia $6.56
Japan $6.75
UK $8.79
France $8.80
Germany $8.88
Netherlands $9.90
Italy $8.96
Kuwait $2.39
Saudi Arabia $1.69
(well, I guess there’s no shipping costs to the last two)

Sure, we all want to pay a fair price for gas.
Compared to other nations, we are doing pretty good with gas prices.

Gas sold for about $0.31/gal in 1959
($2.18 for today’s inflation).
Now it’s about $4.15/gal = 90% increase

Oh, Coca Cola sold for $0.05/bottle in 1959
($0.35 for today’s inflation).
Today it’s $1.50/bottle = 328% increase

Hmmmm….no one is complaining about the price of Coke or Pepsi.
And energy drinks are flying off the shelf.

Bottled water … Remember, Coke and Pepsi start out as bottled water before the sugars and colorings are added. Bottled water is a cost savings to the corporations, though they charge the same for water as other products. Interesting.

You will not find me complaining about the economy or the gas prices.

I just can’t get involved in the negativity.

I’m an optimist and full of the belief that times are challenging, and you must rise and meet challenges.

How do you feel about today’s headlines?

Thank you Oakland County Friend of the Court!!

The work you do is difficult, “ugly” and thankless so very often. As frustrating as the system can be, I commend you for the service you provide.

I’m sure my boys would thank you too if they knew what had happened (I kept them oblivious to this drama). Jacob just wants to play soccer and Matthew enjoys scouting. Thank you for allowing them to continue.

Who do you want to thank for their difficult job?

Thank you Oakland County Friend of the Court!!

The work you do is difficult, “ugly” and thankless so very often. As frustrating as the system can be, I commend you for the service you provide.

I’m sure my boys would thank you too if they knew what had happened (I kept them oblivious to this drama). Jacob just wants to play soccer and Matthew enjoys scouting. Thank you for allowing them to continue.

Who do you want to thank for their difficult job?

Home improvement projects are something I love to do. Sometimes the project is chosen like painting a room or changing the landscaping. Other times, something happens that results in the project needing to be done like a leaking faucet or a broken ceiling fan.

My recent project has been lingering for about a year or so. The toilet on the main floor had a small leak and I replaced the bolts/washers thinking that would do the trick. Well, the bolts became gross, black and smelly due to the leak continuing over the past year. I thought I would try to replace the bolts/washers again for $5 rather than $200-300+ for a new toilet. Plus I had no idea how to replace a toilet.

Well, after spending an hour trying to get the last bolt free from the tank I let out a “Aaaahrrrgg! That’s it!” Jumped into my car and headed to Lowes for a new toilet. Walked right up to the plumbing person, Heidi (yeah a chick, how cool is that?), asked her to help me.

TIP: When in doubt, just ask for help.
It will save you time and hassle.

Heidi was awesome. She hooked me up with a complete toilet kit for $225. I was a bit nervous about installing it. I hate plumbing jobs because you can’t use duct tape or painter’s chalk to hide your oopsies.

A few things I learned:
1. Toilets are not as heavy as I thought.
2. Installation is so easy, under one hour from removal of old to flushing the new.
3. Don’t be itimidated by ANY challenge.

No. I am not adding plumbing services to my organizing services. Just because I can install a toilet, doesn’t mean I want to do it again. I still don’t like plumbing projects

Don’t think because you have never done something you can’t. Most tasks are NOT that difficult. The worst that will happen from your attempts is you won’t be able to do it and you’ll likely learn something along the way. Think about how great you will feel for giving it your best effort and completing it.

What home project did you tackle recently?

Home improvement projects are something I love to do. Sometimes the project is chosen like painting a room or changing the landscaping. Other times, something happens that results in the project needing to be done like a leaking faucet or a broken ceiling fan.

My recent project has been lingering for about a year or so. The toilet on the main floor had a small leak and I replaced the bolts/washers thinking that would do the trick. Well, the bolts became gross, black and smelly due to the leak continuing over the past year. I thought I would try to replace the bolts/washers again for $5 rather than $200-300+ for a new toilet. Plus I had no idea how to replace a toilet.

Well, after spending an hour trying to get the last bolt free from the tank I let out a “Aaaahrrrgg! That’s it!” Jumped into my car and headed to Lowes for a new toilet. Walked right up to the plumbing person, Heidi (yeah a chick, how cool is that?), asked her to help me.

TIP: When in doubt, just ask for help.
It will save you time and hassle.

Heidi was awesome. She hooked me up with a complete toilet kit for $225. I was a bit nervous about installing it. I hate plumbing jobs because you can’t use duct tape or painter’s chalk to hide your oopsies.

A few things I learned:
1. Toilets are not as heavy as I thought.
2. Installation is so easy, under one hour from removal of old to flushing the new.
3. Don’t be itimidated by ANY challenge.

No. I am not adding plumbing services to my organizing services. Just because I can install a toilet, doesn’t mean I want to do it again. I still don’t like plumbing projects

Don’t think because you have never done something you can’t. Most tasks are NOT that difficult. The worst that will happen from your attempts is you won’t be able to do it and you’ll likely learn something along the way. Think about how great you will feel for giving it your best effort and completing it.

What home project did you tackle recently?

My friend, Julie Higby, bought me a motorcycle!! (see this post for the story why)
She shot right up my favorite friends list. Julie wrote:

Angie,
I heard you decided against buying a motorcycle so thought I would
buy one for you. …. Stick this card up in your garage somewhere, at least you can brag you have a motorcycle at home.
Julie

How AWESOME is that?!
You bet my new motorcycle is going to be prestigiously placed in my garage. (that’s ‘gare-raj’ as Julie says, crazy Aussie)
Julie you ROCK!!

Women are amazing. You give so much of yourself, sacrificing your needs before others, compromising when you should not, triumphing against life’s challenges and pushing yourself to reach your dreams. The road you take is long, hard and at times lonely. In the end, you know to look around at where you came from, see what you have endured and you should be proud.

Take a moment and reflect upon what you are proud about yourself. This is not about what your kids/grandkids did.

This is about YOU.

Simple self pride.
It’s OK to dabble in this deadly sin.

“Everything in moderation,” is what I believe.

What three women are you proud of?
… ya need to go tell them.

My friend, Julie Higby, bought me a motorcycle!! (see this post for the story why)
She shot right up my favorite friends list. Julie wrote:

Angie,
I heard you decided against buying a motorcycle so thought I would
buy one for you. …. Stick this card up in your garage somewhere, at least you can brag you have a motorcycle at home.
Julie

How AWESOME is that?!
You bet my new motorcycle is going to be prestigiously placed in my garage. (that’s ‘gare-raj’ as Julie says, crazy Aussie)
Julie you ROCK!!

Women are amazing. You give so much of yourself, sacrificing your needs before others, compromising when you should not, triumphing against life’s challenges and pushing yourself to reach your dreams. The road you take is long, hard and at times lonely. In the end, you know to look around at where you came from, see what you have endured and you should be proud.

Take a moment and reflect upon what you are proud about yourself. This is not about what your kids/grandkids did.

This is about YOU.

Simple self pride.
It’s OK to dabble in this deadly sin.

“Everything in moderation,” is what I believe.

What three women are you proud of?
… ya need to go tell them.

My friend, Julie Higby, bought me a motorcycle!! (see this post for the story why)
She shot right up my favorite friends list. Julie wrote:

Angie,
I heard you decided against buying a motorcycle so thought I would
buy one for you. …. Stick this card up in your garage somewhere, at least you can brag you have a motorcycle at home.
Julie

How AWESOME is that?!
You bet my new motorcycle is going to be prestigiously placed in my garage. (that’s ‘gare-raj’ as Julie says, crazy Aussie)
Julie you ROCK!!

Women are amazing. You give so much of yourself, sacrificing your needs before others, compromising when you should not, triumphing against life’s challenges and pushing yourself to reach your dreams. The road you take is long, hard and at times lonely. In the end, you know to look around at where you came from, see what you have endured and you should be proud.

Take a moment and reflect upon what you are proud about yourself. This is not about what your kids/grandkids did.

This is about YOU.

Simple self pride.
It’s OK to dabble in this deadly sin.

“Everything in moderation,” is what I believe.

What three women are you proud of?
… ya need to go tell them.