The Longer I Live

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“Monday Motivation!”

The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.

~ Frank Lloyd Wright

Isn’t that the truth? I guess you just appreciate the little things when you get older.  I don’t know.  Seems to be that way for me.

I like to concentrate on the little things.  The little things is what life is all about.

“They say” – the  older you get, the more money you make, the more stuff you want?

I am actually the opposite. Downsize the “stuff”.

Instead of getting the big house, we decided to downsize. We don’t need the 3000 square foot home.  We actually downsized to about a 1000 square foot home.  A little too small.  We are building a new home and my husband originally wanted small, around 1200 square foot but we have decided on about 1500.  Storage room is a must.  No, not for stuff.  We need storage room for seasonal items, pantry type items, etc.

The big SUV?  Nope, don’t need that either.  Little Ford Taurus gets me back and forth to work the whole 2 miles.

We prefer to concentrate on family, friends, the warm sun, the green grass.  We would rather not have to stress over the big stuff and have to worry about how we are going to pay for all that stuff.

I like to concentrate on the little things.  The little things is what life is all about.

• Those pretty flowers,  that nice apple tree, fresh cut grass…

• And right now, even the fresh new fallen snow.

• A baby giggling, Kenny G’s saxophone, a little guy calling you Granny.

The older you become the more calm you become.   That is so true. You get to a point when you know it’s not worth it to sweat the small stuff.

Have you found that the longer you live the more beautiful life becomes?  What wisdom has life given you?

Toodles – Blog Happy!

Popularity: 35% [?]

Do You Believe In Santa Claus?

“Question of the Week? Vote in our Poll!”

Do you believe in Santa Claus?  Well today is supposedly the day.  The day Santa Claus brings you all the joy of the season.

I believe in Santa Claus.

Not the Santa Claus most people believe in.   Not the Santa Claus that comes down your chimney with toys and presents on that one day.

The Santa Claus that is the whole spirit of the season.  That’s the Santa Claus I believe in.

The Santa Claus that makes you want to do something really wonderful and unique for that special someone.  Santa Claus is not a person.  Not an old man in a red suit.

I believe in Santa Claus.  I love Santa Claus.  I miss Santa Claus.  I try to bring him around as much as possible.  It gets harder and harder every year.

The stores pile all the junk up to the ceiling.  They add extra rows.  They start BEFORE Halloween.  What are they thinking?  Ugggh, the commercialism.  Ruins everything.

Santa Claus is not for one day.  Santa Claus is a feeling.  He is excitement and joy and blessings and giving.  Santa Claus is love and sharing with friends and family.  That is the joy of the season.

You have heard the saying ‘ “it is better to give than to receive?”  (Have you ever noticed that all these “sayings” have so much truth?)  Think about it.  How do you feel when you receive?  How do you feel when you give?  So much better.

I love Santa Claus.

Do you believe in Santa Claus?

Toodles – Blog Happy!

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“No question is so difficult to answer as that to which the answer is obvious…”

~ George Bernard Shaw

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Popularity: 19% [?]

The Feed Reader Debate

“The Feed Reader Debate”

We had a lively discussion in the comment section of a previous post – RSS Reader or Website? The previous post pondered whether you read posts in a reader or whether you go directly to the website? Do you prefer to read the post in the reader? Some bloggers make that decision for you. Some offer only the title of their post in the reader while others will give you a little sneak preview with an excerpt. Of course there is always the option of the full post being available in the reader. This choice is set up by the blogger, not by the reader.

I thought we would further the discussion in another article after a little more research.  I decided I would examine all of the blogs in my reader.  I wanted to get a consensus as to which option is more widely used.

I have 100 blogs in my reader.  I know, how do I have time to do all that reading?  Well a majority of the blogs don’t post on a daily basis.  In my Google reader, the posts are sorted by the most recent update.  As you can see from the following graphic, the name of the blog is first, the title of the post, then the date or time.

I view the title and choose the most interesting ones first.  I have a few blogs that I visit whenever they update.   I click on the title and don’t necessarily even read the excerpt or any of the post.  I like to click straight through to the site.  I like to check out everyone’s site, see what they are doing different and join in the conversation.

Often, I make decisions for my blog based on my own preferences.  I prefer to go directly to the blog to read the posts.  Therefore, I list the excerpt for my post in the reader.  I don’t trust my talent that the title will be enough and I don’t want to list the whole post as I want my readers to come to my blog. I reviewed each blog in my reader and I was very surprised with the results of my research.

Title only ~ 1% of the blogs in my reader list the title only.  No surprise there.  You would have to be overly confident with yourself to list just the title.  The title is the only part bringing your reader to your blog.  For the record, I rarely click through to that site.

Excerpt ~ 11% of the blogs in my reader list just the excerpt of their post.  For the blogs that I read on a regular basis, I click through to the site regardless of the excerpt.  In fact, I don’t bother with the excerpt, I just click through to their blog.  I like to see what, if any, changes they are doing with their design or ads.  It is also a sense of community and I like to join in the discussion if possible.

Full Text ~ 88% of the blogs in my reader list the full text of their post.  To my surprise, an overwhelming number of blogs choose this option.  I have all types of blogs in my reader from beginner to the seasoned pro.  Choosing to use the full text went across the board.  Again, this is neither a benefit nor a deterrent to my routine of reading blogs. In the discussion on the original post ~ RSS Reader or Website? Tsunami and I exchanged a few comments  on this topic.

Tsunami and I were both of the same opinion in regards to using the excerpt.  My thinking is that I hope to use a creative title to get readers to click on my post in their reader then my second hope is that the excerpt is interesting enough to get the reader to click through to my site.  I want to encourage readers to go to the site to build community and hopefully create loyal readers.

I have since changed my opinion of how my post will be listed in a reader based on my research for two reasons.

The first reason is the overwhelming number of blogs that offer the full post.  88%?  That speaks volumes.  In my reader, 21% of the blogs I subscribe to are categorized (by me) as the “A” list.  ALL of them offer the full post.  With the combination of their years of experience and their thousands of readers, I try to follow their lead.

The second reason is the choice of clicking through to my blog should be the readers choice not mine.  The majority of the reason we all write is for people to read our brilliant words, right?  So shouldn’t that be a blogger’s main objective?  If the post is compelling enough, the reader will click through to your site. Wouldn’t it be nice if the reader had control over the option?  Give that option to your reader.

One other interesting “factoid” I discovered – only 17% of the blogs in my reader have ads in their posts.  I thought that was low.

Wow, this post was interesting to research and quite an eye opener.  I am glad we had this discussion on RSS Reader or Website?

What do you think?  Has this research changed your mind?  Do you have any thoughts to add?  Any arguments for or against this debate?  Keep the discussion open!

Toodles – Blog Happy!

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“Things should be made as simple as possible, but not any simpler…”

~ Albert Einstein

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Popularity: 39% [?]

How Do You Analyze Your Blog?

“How Do You Analyze Your Blog?”

I use two different analyzers. I like to check and balance my information and not rely on just one source.  The numbers are slightly different with each tool.  Fortunately, both of these tools are available at no cost.  You can pay for an upgrade with Site Meter if you so choose but the complimentary version works for me at this time.  Maybe when I am rich and famous I will upgrade.

Site Meter

Site Meter is web based service that provides you with detailed real time tracking and counter tools. You can easily check out who is visiting your site, how they found you, where they came from, which post or posts interest them and much more. It is really useful to see by details or referrals where your traffic is coming from.  If you are trying to build traffic through a few different social networks you can see how effective they are over time.

I can see from the  recent visitors section under entry pages where my visitors are coming from.  If one of my posts is “Stumbled” and someone clicks on the link to get to my site it is listed as the entry page.  Although each social network site has it’s own usefulness, they are not all the right choice for everyone.  Each one is unique to the user.  Based on the review of my statistics in Site Meter,  StumbleUpon seems to work best for me.

The graph above (unfortunately, not from my site) shows each day the number of visitors for the previous seven days.  You can also view a graph by the month or by the year.  Site Meter is a great resource for analyzing your visitors.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is the most popular and most used service out there.  Good ole’ Google.  They are the most popular in all of their services.  Huge associations like Google make me nervous.  They do as they darn well please.  I have found, absolutely no service!  I don’t know the answer to their lack of service problem is but I’m thinking “none” is not the answer.  Sure, they have forums, but so far, I haven’t had any success in getting an answer or any help for my feedburner problem.

Since this is not a Google bashing post I will move on to their wonderful analytical software. It features, custom reports, keyword and campaign comparison, custom dashboards, adword integration, site overlay,  and more.  Google tracks the number of visitors, whether they are unique or repeat visitors and how long they stay on your blog.  You can also see which page they clicked on to get to your site, where they found your site which again helps you decide which social network is most beneficial to you. Google Analytics shows what keywords people use to search for your site.  Some people strive for more search traffic.  You can use this tool to show what words or phrases people used in the search and how they landed on your page.

I like to use both tools to compare numbers.  Site Meter is real time and Google is yesterday’s numbers.  Believe it or not, Google has actually come up with blank numbers.  I think Google is great, but I think they have a lot of problems.  Maybe growing problems.  Often, a business has to choose between growing and growing out of control.  Being the biggest isn’t necessarily the best.

What do you use for analytical tools?  What features do you look for?  What numbers are most important to you or most useful to you?

Toodles – Blog Happy!

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“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes…”

~ Oscar Wilde

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Popularity: 40% [?]

Can You Predict The Future?

“Monday Motivation!”

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

~ Peter Drucker

You are the creator of your future.  Success does not just happen.

Success does not have time for guessing or wishful thinking.  Just creating.  Successful people don’t get where they are by just thinking they would like to be successful.  They know they are successful.  They know what to do and they know how to do it.

Certainly, the thought of success comes first.   Plenty of thoughts.  The plan emerges.  There is a goal.  The goal is the future.

Just thinking, just wishing and even just knowing what to do is not going to make it happen.  Knowledge is useless! Knowing what to do – in and of itself – is useless.  You need action.  You need a focused plan and you need a process.  A step by step action plan to accomplish your goal.

Do you sit around and wait for your future to happen?  Do you take what comes your way? Are you a dreamer or a doer?

Or are you the creator of your future?

Toodles – Blog Happy!

Popularity: 34% [?]

Yes, It IS All About Me!

“Yes, It IS All About Me!”

I just love to talk about myself. Yeah, me, me, me.  This might be a long post.

Ross from Will it change you “tagged” me with a task to divulge six secret random things about myself.  This might be for mature audiences only.  No, just kidding.

I’m not sure where this idea originated from so if you do, please leave the credit in the comments section.  Well you asked for it, well someone did, so here goes.

1. The girl in me (that was probably not politically correct).  I am a Wife, Mommy, Auntie, Daughter, Sister and Granny.  Granny is the best job ever.  People tell you how wonderful it is going to be and you think, yeah it will probably be fun.  You can’t appreciate a granny story unless you are a granny.  Unless you are a grandparent, your eyes will glaze over as soon as I say “you can’t believe the cute story I have about my grandbaby”.   But just like most life lessons, you really never know until you experience it yourself.
   
2. They call me…Jane Deere. You know it!  I love my John Deere utility tractor.  It is a mower, with a bucket, some forks, a back blade.  Oh yeah.   I do the majority of the mowing as my husband works crazy hours in the summer.  We have a couple of acres to mow so my 54” deck is real nice.  I have all the Jane Deere apparel.  And they are right, nothing runs like a deere.
   
3. Dudette – where’s my Harley? Yeah, where is it?  Okay, it’s not a Harley.  Actually, I do have a motorcyle but mine is a Rebel.   (he he he.)  Rebel – who me?   I just started riding a couple of years ago.  My midlife crisis adventure.  Better than an affair or divorce! My husband has a Yamaha. We have added all kinds of upgrades to our Yamaha. We have as much money into the accessories as we do in the bike. I have a method to this madness. When hubby gets a bigger bike, I get the Yamaha with it’s cool pipes and all.
   
4. Entrepreneur a/k/a Self-Made Millionaire! Okay, I am not a millionaire by any stretch of the imagination, but an entrepreneur for sure!  I have been self employed for most of my life.   A few years ago, (during a grief stricken period of my life) I sold my business.  Ouch.  I am now working for someone else.  Ouch again.  What a tough pill to swallow.  In any event, I will be a self-employed blogger in the very near future.
   
5. I’m a hard worker, not always a smart worker, but always a hard worker. I am not afraid to get dirty.  Too often, I have been caught taking the long way around.  To me, it doesn’t matter how it gets done as long as it gets done.  Don’t get me wrong, I prefer the shorter, easier way but if it has to take me a hour to do a five minute job, well so be it.  “At the end of the day” the job will be done.
6. I am a positive thinker. I try to see the good side of everything.  Even in traumas and dramas.  Most people don’t want to hear my “it could be worse” scenario.  But it almost always could be worse.  Or even when what you have is unbearable, truly someone else has it worse.  I could tell you stories that would make your hair curl.
   
7. I am as honest and loyal as the day is long. I am devoted to my husband.  We are committed to each other and to each other’s dreams and aspirations.  I have never felt such undying love and support from another person.  I know, sounds all corny and everything but I don’t care how it sounds.  My husband and I have a dream.  We actually share the dream.  It’s not more his than mine or more mine than his.  We want to build a log home. Yeah, we know, we have simple dreams. Did I mention we want to do this without the baggage of a mortgage? We are clearing and preparing a lot and have been working  on it for a couple of years.  Beware, more corny coming up.  This property is completely “heaven on earth”.  I finally know what it means when people say life is what you make it.  I can’t explain it, but I don’t feel more safe or happy or at peace, I guess then when I am digging or raking or pulling stumps.  I know.  People just can’t understand.  I am tired of trying to explain it to some people.  Yes, I really would rather buy an implement for my John Deere than go on vacation or buy new clothes or anything else.
   

My husband had me throw that last one in.  I told him the rule was six not seven.   I am sure some of this is too much information and it was more fun than I anticipated.  So my next part is to tag six people.  The rules are as follows:

THE RULES:

1. LINK TO THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU
2. POST THE RULES ON YOUR BLOG
3. WRITE SIX RANDOM THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF
4. TAG SIX PEOPLE AT THE END OF YOUR POST AND LINK TO THEM
5. LET EACH PERSON KNOW THEY ARE TAGGED AND LEAVE A COMMENT ON THEIR BLOG
6. LET THE TAGGER KNOW WHEN YOUR ENTRY IS UP
7. DON’T BREAK THE CHAIN (not actually a rule)

Ok, so here’s who I’ve picked.   My apologies if any of them have already been tagged.  You have to be fast in this blogosphere.  No rest for the wicked!

* George Angus from TumbleMoose Writing Productions
* Rachel Holmgren from Average Gal
* Ciara from Web Design Servers
* Valerie aka Natural from Thinking Out Loud Blog
*Deborah from Debo Hobo dot com
*Manage your life now

Toodles – Blog Happy!

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“About all you can do in life is be who you are.

Most will love you for what you can do for them,

and some won’t like you at all.”

-  Rita Mae Brown

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Popularity: 17% [?]

Pop ups?

“Question of the Week? Vote in our Poll!”

Pop ups?  What do you think?  Obtrusive and annoying or helpful and interesting?

We all have our opinion.  Mine?  I totally find them annoying.

At the same time, some of the big boys use them?  What is that all about?  I admire the big boys.  I follow them.  I watch their every move.  At the risk of actually BEING them, I try to implement some of their techniques on my own blog.  But, pop ups? I just can’t.  They are soo irritating!

But.  If the big boys are doing it, then it must work?  I don’t know.  Even if it does work, do I want to use pop ups on my blog?  I just can’t.  Just because it works doesn’t make it right or good.  Nope, don’t like them.

I run and operate my blog like my brick and mortar business.  I run it as if I am a customer.  So if I don’t like it I don’t use it.  Might be right, might be wrong.  In any event, that is the way I work.

So what do you think?  Pop ups?  Sure, why not?  or Absolutely not!

Toodles – Blog Happy!

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“No question is so difficult to answer as that to which the answer is obvious…”

~ George Bernard Shaw

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I can’t get my poll plugin to work (upgrade? compatible? don’t know yet).
Make sure you leave your vote in the comment section!

UPDATE, I figured it out.  Actually I found a way around the insert feature, entered manually…

Popularity: 27% [?]

Blogging Success According To My Favorite Guru!

How in the world did I land in the blogosphere you ask?  Well, funny you should ask.

I was searching the internet for “how to make a living online”, not the fast buck but the career type venture.  I tried one scam after another for a year or so.  Ahh, the scam artists paints a pretty picture.  After being stung a few times, I  became a little more cautious.  I scrutinized every detail of every claim!

I landed on some sales page that discussed blogging.  I survived raising three daughters who were all teenagers at the same time.  I will investigate most stories.  I understood blogging a little.  But, this character wanted to sell me some secret that would allow me to gain entry into the blogosphere.

Of course I googled his name.  Surprise, yet another scam!  I was getting very discouraged.  Why do 9 out of 10 (more like 99 out of 100) ventures all have to be scams?  Forget this internet business stuff.  I’ll think of something else.  After all, I am an entrepreneur at heart.

I researched blogging a little further…

I went to the website of Darren Rowse – ProBlogger and I was bit by the blogger bug.  I got it and I got it bad.  I never looked back.

I was so excited, I worked on my site for hours every day into the wee hours of the morning.  Yup, I was going to make some serious money.  Now you know.  I started blogging for the money.  I am not afraid of hard work so I knew I could do this.  I bought my copy of ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income.

As many of you are aware, I am at the 6 month point of my blogging “career”.  This is one of the checkpoints in my business plan.  At 6 months, I evaluated the progress of my goals to date.  Am I where I want to be, where I thought I would be?  Do I need to re-evaluate the plan and adjust?

Being that I had very little knowledge about blogging, my business plan was somewhat vague.  I know how to run a business and how to write a business plan but blogging is a little different then what I am used to.  After 6 months I do have a much better grasp on the reality of blogging.

I originally thought that all I had to do was write a few good posts, put up some ads and wala – I’m in the money.  Doesn’t quite work that way.  I am happy to report that I am not in the blogging business for the money.  It is simply a love affair.  Don’t get me wrong, I still want to make money at blogging but that is secondary.

I am in the process of revising my business plan.  I went to my favoirte Guru for some advice.  I asked Darren Rowse the following questions:

• Do you think a blogger can make a living with just AdSense type ads?

Yes – it’s possible. It really depends upon the type of blog that you start as to what type of monetization works best. Some work great with AdSense, others do better with affiliate programs, others better with direct ad sales. The key is to experiment and see what works best.

• Do you think a blogger can make a living with just one blog?

Again – it’s possible and many bloggers do it – but not all do. Some bloggers take the approach of building a few smaller blogs rather than one big one.

• What do you consider the top 5 picks of Social Media?

Depends a lot on the type of blog you start. The key is to find out where your readers (or potential readers) hang out in social media and join them there. For me that’s been Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn and Digg mainly.

• If you could only pick one avenue or company for monetizing your blog, what would it be?

Really tough question. I’ve made more with AdSense than any other ad network but it depends upon the blog. It’s a good starting point and can work well but in the long term on a successful blog direct ad sales will probably work better.

• What do you consider the one thing that contributes to your success?

Staying at it for the long haul. Posting something every day for 6 years has not been easy but it’s paid off.

I had questions from the answers too but that will have to wait another day.  The one big message I received from this interview is – patience.  You need patience and time to nurture your blog.  6 months is not a significant amount of time to invest in a blog.

You need to test your advertising plan just like any other business.  You don’t necessarily know what works until you try it.  What works for you might not work for me.  It also takes time and patience to build your social network.  Again, the same advice applies to the typical brick and mortar business.  Thank you Darren, for your wisdom and advice.

Is Darren’s advice an eye-opener for you?  Are you more motivated now knowing that success is possible?

Toodles – Blog Happy!

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“I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and
an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen…”

- Frank Lloyd Wright

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Popularity: 56% [?]

Who Reads A Blog On A Cell Phone?

“Who Reads A Blog On A Cell Phone?”

Do people actually read blogs on a cell phone?? I don’t know about you, but my cell phone is barely big enough to read text messages. I cannot imagine reading a whole post on a cell phone.  Come on – I must be missing something!  I actually don’t have internet access with my cell phone.  Well, if I do, I don’t know it.  I know, technically challenged.  Well to the blogosphere I am technically challenged but to my family and people in my little world I am an esteemed computer geek!

So what could be so important that you would read a post on your phone?  Is there really anything  that interesting or compelling?

Probably 10 years from now you will read a post on BloggerNewbie promoting – “Extra, extra, read all about it, get your next BloggerNewbie post on your cellphone today!”

Some people think if the cell phone rings they have to answer it. When I work outside clearing our property, mowing lawns, trimming around everyone of our 100 trees, I always have my cell phone.  This type of activity is my therapy.  Usually there is no one around, I have my loud equipment and large tools.  So why the cell phone in my serene environment of nature?  Well I do have some dangerous equipment I work with so the phone is for “just in case”.  I never answer it during my nature therapy.

Caller ID?  he he.  I know way too many people who can’t stand an unknown number on their phone.  Or if there is a phone number they don’t recognize, they call it.  If you can’t leave a message, then whatever you want (and yeah, most likely you want something) can’t be that important, or you will call back.

I’ve had friends or family members tell me they called, they must have shown up on my caller id, why didn’t I call them back?  Because you didn’t leave a message.  And, this is so and so, call me back, is not a message.

Are we getting just a little too connected?  Do you think access to information 24/7 is a little too much?  I feel inundated now.  I have enough stress without bringing more with me.  If posts are available on your cell phone do you or would you read them that way?

Toodles – Blog Happy!

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“If it is true that there is always more than one way of construing a text,
it is not true that all interpretations are equal…”

- Paul Ricoeur

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Popularity: 30% [?]

Monday Motivation

“Monday Motivation!”

“Life is ten percent what happens to you
and ninety percent how you respond to it.”
Lou Holtz

Hmm, that quote made me think.  That is so true and really resonates with me, especially over the last 5 yrs or so.

My family has always been the core of my strength.  No matter what and I mean what, any of us do, any of us say, we are always there for each other, yes no matter what.  My family is unique in this way.  Unlike any family I have ever known.

My mom raised all eight of us (poor soul) by herself.  No parents, no siblings, and you got it – no spouse.  She taught us a few things for sure.

One - Your family will always be your family.  Friends will come and go, but your family will always be your family.  Your friends may run at the first sign of need, but your family – they will always be there.

Two - You have to work.  You don’t feel well, dinner still needs to be prepared, so what.  You are tired, the driveway still needs to be shoveled, so what.  You will live.  There are just some things you have to do.  Too many people are counting on you.  Get your “stuff” done, then rest.

Three – You have five minutes to feel sorry for yourself.  Get over it.  Yesterday is gone.  Nothing you can do about it.  Can’t change it.  There are no do overs and no excuses.  Excuses won’t get you anywhere.   The important thing is – “What are you going to do now?  What is your plan for the next step?  How are you going to fix it or move forward?”

With the security of family as your base, there is nothing you can’t accomplish.  If work is just a natural part of your personality then you expect nothing less of yourself.  And the feel sorry for yourself part – I always wanted more but she just wouldn’t let me.  No time for that.  You aren’t going to be productive with self-pity.  I smile when I think about that sometimes.  She still does it today.  She just won’t let me whine about anything.  Probably why my nickname is Mary Sunshine.

So yes, Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.

Thank you Mom for that wisdom and that attitude.  It has brought me this far in life, through a few traumas and dramas and has even pushed me out of bed a few times.

Do you have the “Can do” attitude?  Do you spend too much time blaming others or other things for life’s dealings? Do you believe in the attitude making all the difference?

Toodles – Blog Happy!

Popularity: 26% [?]

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