Show Your Patriotism With A Beautiful Flag Shirt

With the 4th of July coming up, many people are searching for something that is red, white and blue to wear to their Independence Day celebrations.   There is an extensive variety of 4th of July shirts available, but my own personal favorite is the flag shirt.  

Men, women and children all love to show their patriotism.  And nothing is more patriotic than the American Flag.  Whether the shirt has a flag alone, or paired with another American symbol (like an eagle or the Statue of Liberty), you can't go wrong!

I personally have several flag shirts, but I still want more.  There are just so many to choose from!  I especially like the ones that have a flag paired with an eagle.  

I love seeing all of the various patriotic shirts that people choose to wear on the 4th.  All of that American Pride is a sight to behold.  And nothing is cuter than a small child dressed up in red, white and blue!

Summer Camping

My childhood memories are full of family camping trips.  We spent our summers camping as much as we could.  We had a camper that mounted on to the back of my Dad's pickup truck and we often traveled in it.  Back then, it wasn't required to wear seatbelts.  And riding in the back of a pickup, or inside a mounted camper, was perfectly legal.  

Our camper had a big bed situated over the top of the truck cab.  There was a big window in the front and smaller ones on the sides.  My brothers, sisters and I would all pile up there, laying side by side, as we traveled so we could all see out the window.

There was a table and benches that also converted into a bed, as well as a small bunk that folded down above it.  Still, there was no where near enough beds to accommodate all of us, so we had tents as well.

We would often just set the tents up in our yard and sleep in them, or just sleep in the camper.  Dad would build a big campfire and we would roast hot dogs and marshmallows.  We even had outdoor party lights strung through the trees around our little campsite.  We had so much fun. 

For a few years, my parents kept a large lot at a particular campground that we liked.  Dad would park the camper there and leave it year round.  Then we would just jump in the cars and make the drive each time we wanted to go camping.  It was great.  There was both a swimming pool and a lake to swim in.  There was a big playground for us kids to play in and tons of trails for walking or riding bicycles.  We spent the majority of our summers there.

Eventually Dad traded the truck camper in for a motorhome.  My siblings had all moved out by this time, and it was just Mom, Dad and me.  We made several trips from Ohio to Arizona, or from Ohio to Tennessee, in that motorhome.  It was nice because it had everything we needed.  Water, bathroom, stove, refrigerator; even a TV and VCR combo.  I often watched movies as we drove down the freeway. 

But my favorite memories of camping were the times we camped out in our own backyard, or in my Aunt and Uncle's yard.  All of my siblings would bring their tents or campers and we would have one big campout.  We would cook on grills and spend the entire weekend out there.   Sometimes we would stay the entire week, with people only leaving long enough to go to work if they had to.

We enjoyed spending time together, playing yard darts, horseshoes or just regular cards.  I really miss those days.  

I'm hoping to give my kids some camping memories of their own.  We've never really had a chance to take them camping.  But we're planning to remedy that this summer.  So throughout the summer, watch for my posts on Camping and Outdoor Gear, as well as some family outdoor activites.         

Fingerlings Baby Unicorns Are Adorable

WowWee has given me two Fingerlings Baby Unicorns to review and I absolutely love them!  They are so cute.  The suggested retail price for them is $14.99 and you can find them on Amazon.

These Fingerlings Baby Unicorns love to hang on to your fingers.  They respond to sounds, motion and touch by making cute little noises, blinking their eyes and turning their heads.  You'll get different reactions by petting them, rocking them or hanging them upside down.  You can even rock them to sleep.  If you blow them a kiss, they will kiss you back.  Each Fingerlings Baby Unicorn has a rainbow colored mane and tail, and a tiny horseshoe on its rump.  They have over 40 animations and sound effects.  They come in different colors.  The battery is included so you can start playing with it immediately.  The Fingerlings Baby Unicorn is just one of many different Fingerlings available.  I suggest you pick up a few of these.  They are so cute, you are going to want more than one! 

Remembering My Daddy (Clarence Friend)

14 years ago today, April 26, 2005, was the worst day of my life...the day I lost my Daddy.  It started out as a really fun day.  My Dad, my Mom, my sister Sandy and I went into Marion because they all had prescriptions that needed picked up at the pharmacy.  Everyone was laughing and joking and having a great time.   We were planning to go out to eat at Ryan's (which was Dad's favorite place to eat) but we didn't make it that far. 

Trooper and Dad, Salt River Canyon, Arizona (They are together in Heaven)

I needed a car and Dad had heard about one that a friend of his had and he wanted to check it out for me.   So we went to look at it before going to eat.  And that's when the day turned bad. 

It happened so fast.  It's just a blur...me kneeling in front of him, holding his face in my hands, begging him to hold on and to just breathe.  Mom standing behind him with her arms wrapped around him, begging him to hold on.   Sandy standing out by the road waiting to flag down the ambulance because we didn't know the exact address of where we were, torn between wanting to be with him and needing to make sure the ambulance driver knew where to stop... 

Trooper and Dad in Glendale, Arizona

He fought so hard to stay with us, but his heart had been through so much that it was too weak to keep beating.  Mom and I knew he was gone...he took his last breath as the ambulance arrived.  The strongest man I ever knew, my hero, my Daddy...was gone.

Dad at a roadside rest stop somewhere between Ohio and Arizona...Probably Missouri

Not wanting to accept that he was gone, I asked the ambulance driver if Dad would be ok.  Choking back the tears and unable to look me in the eye, he replied, "We're trying."  You see, all of the EMTs knew my Dad.  They liked and respected him.  My sister Sharon was one of their dispatchers and they had all made many runs with Dad over the years.  And this guy didn't want to tell me that they were not going to be able to save him this time.  But I knew.  I knew when Dad took his last breath and that it was already too late when the EMTs reached him.  But still, they tried.

Mom and Dad, Salt River Canyon, Arizona

People say that it gets easier as time goes by.  But it doesn't.  The pain of losing him never goes away.  It gets a little easier to handle sometimes, a little easier to carry, but it is always there.  I still cry sometimes.  I'm crying now as I write this. 

I look at my husband and my kids and it makes me sad that my Dad never got to meet them...he never got to know them.   And he would love them all so much.   But I know he is watching over us all from Heaven.  

Dad

I will never stop missing him.  I would give anything for one more hug, one more kiss, one more time hearing him say "I love you Babe", one more time hearing him sing those silly songs that he loved to sing.  Just one more time seeing that ornery Daddy grin that we all loved so much.

Dad

I tell my husband and kids all of the little stories about Dad.  I tell them over and over again, trying to bring his memory to life for them.  His picture sits on the shelf where it can be seen all the time.  And I show them snapshots that I took of family vacations, holidays and get togethers.  They listen to my stories and they tell me all the time how they wish they could have known him.  The kids think it's funny that Dad's nickname was "Pig" and that I called him "Piglet".

Dad in Glendale, Arizona

I can see so much of my Dad in my kids.  They definitely inherited his orneriness.  Kirianna in particular has his ornery grin.  Julia and Ray inherited his beautiful blue eyes.

Dad, Salt River Canyon, Arizona

As traumatic as the experience was, I am very thankful that I was with Dad in his final moments.  I am thankful that I got to spend that final day with him. 

Dad, Salt River Canyon, Arizona

My Dad was a great man, loved by all who knew him.  He was strong, ornery, honest, a man of his word, a preacher, stubborn and had a heart of gold.  He would do anything he could to help someone out, whether he knew them or not.  He was a loving husband to my Mom and a wonderful, loving father to my 4 brothers, 4 sisters and me. 

Zippy and Dad in our front yard in Ohio...he was doing a rain dance with the rain stick I gave him

I know that he is resting peacefully now, he's no longer in pain.  But I wish he was still here.  I know it's selfish of me, but I can't help it.  I know he is watching over us.  But I want to feel his hugs again, kiss his cheek, hear his voice and his laugh again... 

Dad, Salt River Canyon, Arizona

He was the best father anyone could ever have. And I am very thankful, happy and proud that he was mine. I miss you and I love you Daddy.

Mom and Dad, Salt River Canyon, Arizona

Dad's headstone that was hand made by my brother Ray

How To Get More Clients

In this article we are going to talk about how to find more clients.  When you start a new business, it's usually easy to get clients in the beginning.  Depending on what type of business you have, selling that first product or doing that first service job can make you feel so successful.  And if you offer a good product or do a good job, you can expect those clients to talk about it with their friends and family.  And this, in turn, will bring more clients to your business.

    
Word of mouth goes a long way.  You tell your friends and family, they tell theirs, and so on.  If people like what they see and hear, they will seek you out when they want or need what you have to offer.  But what do you do when this stops working?  When your new clients from the word of mouth approach starts to taper off, and it will, you need to to find a new way to bring in new clients.  A successful business needs steady growth.  Which means it needs a steady supply of new clients.

You can rack your brain trying to come up with ways to generate new clients.  You can advertise on social media platforms, but should you use them all or just pick one?  You can resort to telemarketing and start calling random numbers with a "special" offer for your product or service.  But this type of a call just annoys people, and more often than not, the person you call will hang up before you have time to make your pitch.  

You can search through your contacts hoping to find some one who can help you.  You can make an advertisement to put on the radio, but sometimes television advertising is more effective.  You could just have an advertisement printed in the local newspaper, but I don't think that has enough reach these days.  There are so many possibilities, how do you know which one would be the best?  Maybe you should try them all.  
Here's an even better idea.  You could hire a consulting company to work with you.  This type of company can help you develop marketing strategies to help you grow your business.  But if you don't really understand how marketing works, how will you know if you are getting the best and most effective service?     

You should never blindly trust another person or company to tell you how to run your business.  You need to understand how everything works.  But college can be expensive, it's time consuming and it takes time to get a degree.  You need help now.  

That's why Consulting.com is a good choice.  They will teach you how to get more clients to grow your business.  You can take courses online and learn as you grow your business.  You need to understand that there are no quick fixes, but with the right strategy, your business will grow steadily over the next few years.  You just need someone to teach you how the whole process works so you will know how to develop the best strategy for your business growth.           

Overcoming Shyness

We all have something that we are self conscious about.  One of my biggest is my singing.  For as long as I can remember, I have loved to sing.  But I get so nervous if I sing in front of anyone.  People have always told me that they like to hear me sing.  They always say that I sound good.  But still, that nervousness remains.  

Growing up with eight older siblings instilled in me a wide range of musical tastes.  I grew up listening to music from different decades, and developed an appreciation and love for it all.  There are so many good songs out there.  I enjoy most genres, but my favorites are rock and country.  I also like gospel. 

As I grew, I discovered an aptitude for writing.  I write stories, poetry and songs.  My Mom says I started making up little songs and poems long before I learned to write.  

One day when I was about 8 years old, one of my brothers told me, "I bet you can't write a song."  So of course I just had to prove him wrong.  I had made up silly little songs before, but had never actually written them down on paper.  But when Richy dared me, I was determined.  And the simple act of writing it down on paper was the beginning of a life long hobby.  Yes, it was a simple and childish song...I was 8 years old, after all.  But it WAS a complete song.  I had the lyrics and the tune for it in my head.  I could sing it.  Unfortunately, I never mastered an instrument.  I wish I had learned piano or guitar.  But I could hear the music in my head.  That's all I needed to write.

Once I had written that first song, the ideas just kept coming.  When I write, I don't concentrate on any particular subject or idea.  I don't sit contemplating, trying to come up with words.  When I write, the words just kind of pop into my head.  If it's a poem, it's just words in my head.  But if it's a song, the words pop into my head line by line, with the tune included.  Sometimes it takes several days, even weeks to complete a song.  Other times, it just crashes into my head line after line until I have a complete song in my head.  

When I was little, I dreamed of growing up and becoming a singer.  That's what I would have told you if you had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.  As I got older, I held on to that desire, but I would get so nervous about singing in front of people.  Despite all the compliments people gave me when they heard me sing, I was still lacking in confidence.  So I shifted my "official" dream career choice to include my writing.

Then one year for Christmas my Dad got me a karaoke machine.  Every time I was home alone, I would record myself singing my favorite songs.  When I played those tapes for friends who had never heard me sing, they didn't believe it was me.  One friend even talked me into singing a few lines so she could compare.  But still, it was hard for me to sing in front of people.

In an attempt to overcome my shyness about singing, I forced myself to sing in church for a while.  I discovered that once I began singing, especially with a microphone in my hand, it became easier to do.  Despite the extreme nervousness that I felt, I could force myself to do it.   There's just something about a microphone that boosts my courage.

Even now, I still get nervous about my singing.  I have friends who have known me for years and yet they have absolutely no idea that I even like to sing.  But I know I can do it if I put my mind to it.  What I've learned is that to overcome shyness, the best way to do it is to just force yourself to ignore that nervous feeling and not let it stop you.  I know that it's easy to say, but hard to do...but push yourself into taking action.  Let yourself feel the shyness, but don't let it stop you from doing what you want to do.  

   

Happy Easter

Today was Easter, and like most kids, mine were excited to see what the Easter Bunny brought them.  As I watched them eating and sorting through their candy, my thoughts drifted back to Easter mornings from my childhood.  I also thought about the family dinners we had when I was a kid, and as an adult before we moved so far away from my family.

My own Easter Baskets as a kid were huge.  We got tons of candy.  And they always made sure that each of us got our favorites.  My basket was always filled with Smarties, Kraft caramels, Reese's Cups, Star Bursts, Milk Duds, Butterscotch Candies, Sixlets, Rollos and Hershey's Miniatures.  Of course there were other candies in there as well, but those were the staples.  

My Mom and Dad worked hard to provide for us, but with nine kids, it was hard for them.  We didn't always have a lot of money, but we always had plenty to eat and they made sure we had the things we needed.  Dad raised our own meat, we always had chickens, pigs and cows.  Mom and Dad grew a huge garden and Mom spent hours every summer canning all of the vegetables and making tomato juice, tomato sauce, pickles and sour kraut.  We had an apple tree, cherry trees, grape vines, and berry bushes.  And my Mom is and always has been an awesome cook.

I come from a large family, I am the youngest of nine.  My oldest sister was 17½ when I was born.  So just imagine our family dinners, especially as I got older.  By the time I reached my teens, most of my siblings had moved out and started their own families.  And they would all come to our house for holiday dinners.  Each family would bring two or three dishes to contribute to the meal.  So we would always have so much delicious food to eat. 

A typical holiday menu would consist of turkey, stuffing (that was cooked inside the turkey and was always best hot out of the oven...I still have to have a spoonful of stuffing when it first comes out of the oven!), ham, green beans, potato salad, cole slaw, corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, taco salad, weeping salad, deviled eggs and fresh baked bread and/or dinner rolls.  There was always more than that, but those are the dishes that stick out in my memory.  And that's just the main course foods.

We'd have appetizers of cheese, cheese balls, crackers, chip dip, chips, fresh veggies, fresh fruits and dips.  Then there were the desserts...

We would have cakes, cookies, brownies, pies (apple, pumpkin, cherry), jello with fruit cocktail in it, banana pudding, watergate salad and whatever other new desserts one of us had discovered.  It was amazing...

Now that we are living so far away from my family, we don't have the huge dinners of my childhood.  We usually get together with my Mother-in-law and Father-in-law for some delicious meals made either by us or by them, but it isn't like the holiday dinners at Mom and Dad's.  My children would be overwhelmed by the amount of food and the sheer number of people at one of those dinners.  That's why holidays always leave me feeling like something is missing.  And it makes me miss my family even more... 

Giveaway for The Young Explorers Adventure Climber Retail Value $199.99

We have been invited to share this giveaway from Reviewz & Newz and (the sponsor) Simplay3.  

Enter to win this awesome Young Explorers Adventure Climber!  Retail Value is $199.99!  The climber will be shipped to the winner by the sponsor which is Simplay3.  They are asking to collect the email addresses of the winners (but you can opt out of that if you choose) strictly for promotional email use.  They will only use the email addresses collected to send out promotional offers.  Reviewz & Newz and Westman Reviews are not responsible or liable for the shipment of the climber.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Feeling Homesick

I come from a very large family.  I have four older sisters and four older brothers.  Yes, I am the youngest of 9.  I have always had a very close relationship with all of my siblings.   

The Friend Family:  Standing From Left To Right:  Mary, Zippy, Roy, Richy, Ray, Michelle 
Sitting From Left To Right:  Dad, Mom, Sandy, Karen  
Not Pictured:  Sharon - She couldn't get off of work that day.  Karen and Sharon are identical twins.

They have been my role models and my best friends.  And we always spent a lot of time together with big family dinners, summer camp outs in the back yard, karaoke nights, outdoor summer barbecues, fishing trips and visits to the lake.  Even something as simple as going to the movies or sitting at one of our houses watching TV together.  But now I live far away from them.  And plane tickets for a family of 5 (my husband and I have three children) are just not financially possible for us right now.

I have actually not seen any of my siblings in 11 years.  And it has been 9 years since I last saw my Mom (we lost my Dad in 2005).  My oldest daughter was 9 months old when we moved away, and my other daughter and son were born here.  So they have never met their Aunts and Uncles.  And they don't really remember my Mom.  She last visited here in 2010.  My daughters were 1 year and 2½ years old then and my son wasn't born yet.  That makes me really sad because I love my Mom and all of my brothers and sisters so much.  So I tell the kids all about them and I show them pictures of each of them.  And they get to talk to them on the phone once in a while.  But it isn't the same as actually getting to know them in person.  

Moving was a bit of a shock for me.  I went from seeing at least one or two of my siblings every single day and spending time with them, to not seeing them at all.  And my Mom and I did everything together.  We spent time together every single day.

Holidays are the worst.  For my entire life prior to moving, we had huge family dinners on holidays.  And not just on holidays, we would often get together just because we wanted to.  Especially in the summer.  There was always so much good food at those dinners because each person brought two or three food dishes to share.  And there were so many people because everyone would bring their families.  We would spend the entire day talking, laughing and playing games.  And now it's just my little family of 5 and my husband's parents on holidays.  It always leaves me feeling like there is something missing.

My kids don't even realize how big our family actually is because they have never gotten to experience being around them.  But someday I hope we can change that.  I would love to take them to see the place I grew up and to let them experience those family get togethers.  But until that happens, I will have to settle for telling them all about how it used to be.  

That's what's on my mind today.  Feeling homesick.  I'm not missing the place so much as the people.  As my sister would say:  "I need my family fix" because I am in deep withdrawal from them!  
     

My no fail Hiccup cure

Does your child ever get hiccups that they can't get rid of no matter how hard they try?  When scaring them doesn't work, what should you do?  Some people hold their breath or breathe into a paper bag, but that has never worked for me.  But I have found something that works EVERY SINGLE TIME.  When my kids get hiccups, I give them a glass of water....and I pull on their ears.  Don't laugh.  It really does work.  I don't know how or why, but it does.

I learned about this online somewhere.  I don't remember what I was reading, but a woman was telling about her child having hiccups while traveling.  They were in an airport and a man asked for permission to touch her child's ears in order to cure the hiccups.  She gave permission and within seconds her child's hiccups were gone.  So I tried it the next time one of my kids got them and was really surprised when it worked!  It's the only method we use now.  When one of my kids gets them, they will come and ask me to pull on their ears.  lol

Here's how it is done:

Give your child a glass of water and tell them to drink it slowly and continuously.  While they drink, take hold of their earlobes and gently pull down and release repeatedly (about 6-10 times).  Then pause and see if the hiccups are gone.  If they are not, repeat.

I have always had it work on the first try.  I have even had success with this method without using water.  We were once out walking and didn't have any water with us when Julia got hiccups.  So I told her to just swallow over and over, like she was drinking.  While she did that, I pulled on her ears.  And it worked!  Somehow the swallowing action combines with the ear pulling and eliminates the hiccups.

I know it sounds funny and weird, but give it a try!  You'll be amazed at how effective this method really is.  Let me know if it works for you!   

The Mystery of the Disappearing Pens

I'm a Mom with three kids.  And my kids seem to think that if I have something, then they can take it whenever they want to.  For example, I can not for the life of me keep an ink pen.  I start off with tons of them and I keep them on my desk so I have one within reach when I'm on the computer.

 
But every time I reach for one, they are all gone.  Where do they all go?  The kids will come and ask to "borrow" one, and I answer, "you can borrow it, but BRING IT BACK."  But they never do.  And when I ask where it is, they always say "I don't know." 

The next thing I know, I'm down to three ink pens on my desk.  So I guard them like a hawk.  One of the kids will borrow one and I watch them to make sure they don't lose it.  I start asking them every two minutes, "Are you done with my pen yet?"  They invariably roll their eyes at me and swear on their cell phones that they will return it.  Then I take my eyes off of them for a second and POOF!  the ink pen is gone.  And no one knows where it went.  So now I'm down to two ink pens.  

So I tell myself that I need to be even more vigilant.  I can't let anymore of my ink pens disappear.  I tell myself that I won't let the kids borrow them anymore.  But they're kids, they like to draw, they like to write.  And it's good for them.  So I can't bring myself to say no when they ask to borrow one.  "MAKE SURE YOU BRING IT BACK!"  I tell them.  And, as usual, they promise.  I resume my eagle eyed surveillance of them.  Each time they put it down, I ask if they are done with it.  "No Mom.  I'm still using it."  is the answer I get.  So I sit and watch them.  And I swear, even with me staring right at them watching that ink pen, it STILL DISAPPEARS!  And now I am down to one ink pen.

  
So now I am being fanatically possessive of this one lonely ink pen on my desk.  One of the kids comes up and says, "Mom can I..."  "NO!"  I interrupt before they can even ask.  "I only have one pen left.  You can't have it."  

The thing is though, I have absolutely no idea what they do with all of my pens.  Are they eating them?  Where do they go?  I've checked the couch cushions, under the couch, under their beds, and there are no pens.  In fact, we just spent the weekend Spring cleaning.  We cleaned out closets and everything.  But we didn't find any ink pens.  I'm starting to think that there is a portal hole some where in my house that leads to another dimension.  

And guess what?  In the time it took me to write this little story, my last pen has disappeared.  It was right here beside me a second ago.  I didn't even see any of the kids reach over and take it...      

Choosing a Self Employed Loan

Bill likes to work on cars.  He's really good at it too.  His family and friends are always bringing their vehicles to him when they need something repaired.  So one day Bill gets the bright idea to open his own auto repair shop.  He has a little money saved up and has his own tools, so he thinks starting his own business will be easy.  

So Bill goes out and finds a nice building to house his business in.  He takes the money from his savings and buys it.  Then he discovers he needs to do some renovations.  He needs an area for his customers to wait while he's working on their cars.  There is no space like that in his new building. He needs to install lifts for the vehicles so he can safely and easily do work underneath them.  He needs to install air compressors for the air tools and the electrical wiring needs to be redone.

 
Bill checks the balance in savings account.  He can afford to do some of the needed renovations, but not all.  So what should he do?  Should he redo the wiring and skip the waiting area and lifts?  People might not want to leave their car with him if there is nowhere for them to wait while he does the simple repairs that do not take long.  And he really needs the lifts because simply using jacks is not as effective.  

Bill considers asking his brother Joe to become a partner and help with the expenses.  But that would mean that Bill would be giving away part of the control of the business.  He doesn't want a partner, even if it is his brother.  So he rejects that idea.  

Then he thinks about applying for a loan.  He's always seeing the ads for various banks offering loans.  In fact, there's a bank right across the street from his garage that advertises on TV all the time.  But what kind of loan should he apply for?  He could mortgage his house, but he doesn't like that idea at all.  And his credit rating isn't exactly perfect.

Then he sees an ad for The Associates Home Loan of Florida, Inc.  They are offering a different kind of loan.  It's called a self employed loan and it sounds very appealing to Bill.  He goes to their website and the first thing he sees is "5 Reasons Self Employed Loans Are For You."  

The first reason is that they don't ask for your Bank Statements.  Bill thinks that is nice because he doesn't like the idea of someone seeing all of his financial transactions.  They will still need to see your credit history and tax returns, but that doesn't feel as invasive as giving them a bank statement.

The other reasons listed are quick access to capital (which is needed), a variety of providers, credit building potential (even someone with less than perfect credit can get a self employed loan if they provide enough information showing they will be able to repay the loan...and repaying the loan will improve their credit) and retaining control of the business.  By getting a self employed loan, Bill won't have to take on a partner, and that will allow him to remain in full control of his business.  
After much thought and consideration, Bill applies for a self employed loan.  Once approved, he receives the money he needs to complete the renovations on his garage and starts his auto repair business.