I Have No Idea Who She Was…

I heard God whisper tonight.

Tonight I went with my TN family to New Hope Baptist Church in Hermitage to hear this motley crew of teenagers and young adults in a concert/ worship service.

Worship leaders for the Youth Groups at Thompson Station Church (including Caleb and Ashlynne, my oldest nephew and niece)

It was a sweet evening of worship as 4 bands from three different churches in the Nashville area who all lead worship for the youth groups at their respective churches led in song.

But while the music was great, the message that came from the pew two rows ahead of me spoke even louder to my heart.

I don’t know her name or her circumstances.  I can only imagine.

From the looks of things, she appeared to be about my age and it looked like she probably had cancer.  She was wearing a hat and had obviously thinning and/or very little hair.  She was dressed as warmly as she possibly could.  It was a chilly night, but not as frigid as her attire made it appear.  She walked with a walker and had to sit during most of the 90 minute service.

But God whispered to my while I watched her.

She worshipped freely, hands in the air and face lifted toward heaven.  Watching her interact with her friends and those seated around her, it was obvious that she was loved and cared for by those around her.  By all appearances, she had every reason to be down.  It looked like she is in the fight of her life just to stay alive, and yet she was worshipping and rejoicing and enjoying the evening.

I was tired.  It’s been a very long (but good) week and I was just tired.  So tired that I sat down on the couch for 15 minutes before I needed to leave to meet the family and fell asleep and was late getting to our meeting point.

But I’m healthy enough to be able to BE as busy as I have been lately.  I don’t walk with a walker or have to wear stocking caps and super warm clothes on a mildly cool day in order to stay reasonably warm.  People don’t look at me and immediately think, “Wow, poor thing, she’s really sick,” like I thought when I saw her.

I have no idea who she was.

I have no idea what was wrong.

I have no idea how sick she REALLY was.

But I do know that God used her to speak to me.

And for that, once again, I am eternally grateful.

I am so very blessed.

What about you?

Advertisements

Don’t Forget!!

Hey everyone!

At the risk of nagging, I just wanted to post a reminder that the cutoff for helping with my challenge to give myself a raise ends on Monday.  I’m sure you know this already, but trying to get a new business off of the ground and generate enough income to live off of at the same time is, shall we just say a MAJOR challenge.  EVERY little bit helps and your help in this would mean a WHOLE lot to me right now.

Hopefully, those who KNOW me know that I’m not one to appreciate cheaply made products.  I’m ALL about saving a buck, but I would rather spend a little extra to get quality.  All that to say the Clever Container products are GOOD stuff.  If you’re in the area, I have sample items and I’ll be at the Fall Festival at Chick fil A on Hwy 31 in Franklin tomorrow from 9-2 with “stuff” you can look at, touch and feel, so if you’re “on the fence”, please either stop by or shoot me a message and we’ll get together ASAP so I can show you a sampling.

Once again, ANYONE can order.  Just follow the link at the very end of this post to my personal website where you can place a secure order using a debit or credit card.  Your product will be shipped to your very own front door within the week.  How’s THAT for service??

It would also mean a whole lot to me if you would pass the website and our info on to any friends or family that you think might be interested.

Our main reason for being at the Fall Festival tomorrow is to promote our Super Coupon Clippers business, so once again if you’d like more info, please stop by.

Oh, and while you’re at it, EAT MORE CHICKEN!!!  (The cows at CFA would be so proud…)  😉

For more info on what I’m talking about in this post, CLICK ON THIS LINK.

Thanks!

I hope you have a great Saturday, whether I see you in Franklin or not!!

CLICK ON THIS LINK to go to my Clever Container website to see the full catalog, shop and place your order.

Thanks again!  I do NOT take for granted the fact that you care enough to read these blog posts!

What a Sense of Accomplishment!!

I have lived in my home now for almost four years and I’m ashamed to say that I still have areas that I am appalled to look at!  When I lost my job and found out that I would have some paid time at home, I determined to get that taken care of!  Well, as those of you who are “stay at home” wives know, that’s a WHOLE lot easier said than done (even without a family to distract me)!

HOWEVER, I finally finished some MAJOR headway today, so I thought I’d share!

Now that I’m working from home, the “office” became my priority.  I knew it HAD to become functional.  I have limited desk space, so I needed to clear it and the area around it and go from there.  After thinking about how to best accomplish that for a while, I realized that STORAGE was my biggest challenge in that room.  It “doubles” as an extra guest room if my parents and anyone else is staying here, which happens from time to time when my “out-of-town” brother or one of the kids wants to spend the night while my parents are here, so while the room is HUGE for an office, when you combine the two, it creates quite the dilemma.

SO, I started looking and I found this solution:

TADA!!! JetMax "Craft Organizer" System

I put it in the closet and left enough room to hang clothes as needed so guests would have that option.  I absolutely LOVE the options that I chose and I’m excited to see how it works…I THINK it’s going to be ideal AND I still have empty drawers and slots for books, files, etc!  (I’m sure those will fill up soon – you know how that goes!)

And here’s 75% of the rest of the office.  (In the interest of full disclosure, there is still one corner piled HIGH with boxes of items for a yard sale and files that I need to shred, but the shredder is first on my list with my Staples Rewards that should be coming in November.  Yard Sale items will be boxed up and moved to the garage ASAP!!)

Here was the cubby/ “open” area before.  You’ll see why there are quotation marks around open when you look at this picture…NOT so open!  😉

The Cubby and what is SUPPOSED to be open flooring!

And then AFTER:

MUCH better, don't you think? That's my doll house that my grandpa made for me and there's an area there with books and toys for when my "little guests" come over!

And then there was that closet!  Here’s the “before” picture.  Originally all of those boxes that need to be shredded were also in there, but I didn’t think to take these pictures until after I had already moved them and wasn’t ABOUT to move them just for the sake of taking a picture…

This area was doing me absolutely no good before!

And again, after:

THIS picture makes me happy just to look at it! Is that weird?

And finally, my desk area before:

See why I was stressed?????

And after:

It's not perfect, and there's big pile of 5 boxes of paper for my notary job in the corner that will come and go, but oh my goodness! SO much better!!!!

This has now REALLY given me the itch to get the rest of the house shaped up!  Company’s coming at Thanksgiving.

Think I can get it done???

Off We Go!

This post is going to be a “mish-mash” but this is the easiest way to update friends and family, so here goes:

It’s been an exciting weekend!

– I got my notary stamp, got the printer for my Notary/Loan Closings job working and just finished printing off the paperwork for my first loan closing tomorrow evening.  It’s a relief to have what should be fairly reliable income coming in.  OK, who am I kidding?  ANY semi-regular income is great news at my house!  🙂

– We got our first order today for a Coupon Organizer Binder for Super Coupon Clippers!  Again, ANY income is great!

– We now officially have FOUR coupon parties scheduled for Super Coupon Clippers and are starting to run into scheduling conflicts and hostesses who are having to wait.  FRUSTRATING for them, but WONDERFUL news for us!  😉  Interest is building and excitement is building and we can’t WAIT to see where this goes.

– We’re working on a website…so stay tuned for that!

– We’re also working on options for those who want to be able to take advantage of a class but are NOT in the Middle TN area.  That seems to be coming together and we hope to have that capability settled within the next week!  PLEASE be sure to let me know if you want more info!

– And whether you’re interested in the parties and the products or not, if you use coupons at all we have an opportunity for you to give back to our military families in appreciation for all that they do and give up for us.  We want to offer opportunities for you to GIVE as well as benefit! Here’s the first: Military bases will allow the soldier’s families to use expired coupons in the commissaries (their version of “Walmart or Super Target”!) DON’T throw away your expired coupons! We will offer a drop-off point for you to bring your expired coupons to be shipped. Interested? Please comment below or send me an email or Facebook message and we’ll send you more information. NO internet printable coupons, only the ones from inserts or magazines or that you get in the mail or by other means, just NOT printed from the internet. I hope MANY of you will join us. What an easy way to give back to those who have given so much for us!!!

– And finally, we’re making GREAT progress on the challenge to sell $500 on our Clever Container site before Oct. 31st.  If you would like to help (and by the way, these would make GREAT gifts), see this post and use the link there to go to my site:  I Feel a Little Bit Like Dorothy

Thanks so much for caring enough to read to the very end of this post. I know you REALLY care if you’re reading this sentence…  🙂  Thank you for your prayers, your encouragement and now your support!

 

 

 

I Feel a Little Bit Like Dorothy…

It is 1:15 AM and I should be in bed, but I’ve got so much floating through this little head of mine that I’m having a little bit of trouble “powering down” tonight!

I went with friends to see “Wicked” (the musical that is “the story BEHIND ‘The Wizard of Oz’ “) last night and today I really kind of feel like Dorothy, caught up in the whirlwind of all that is going on around me.

LOTS of REALLY good stuff is happening:

Just today I scheduled two Super Coupon Clippers Parties and have at LEAST 3 more waiting to confirm!  One of those is teaching some REALLY young mommas to provide for their new babies as inexpensively as possible and another is working with a group of homeschool moms.  This is EXACTLY what I was hoping would happen!  Meeting with my first small group earlier this week helped confirm in my heart that God is going to bless me by allowing me to SEE the difference that what I’m doing is making in the lives of those that I touch and THAT gives me a sense of fulfillment like I’ve had in very few situations (and probably NO work situations!) before.  To say that I’m grateful is a gross understatement…

I got my first couple of orders for my Clever Container business.  It puts me closer to my goal of selling $500 by the 31st so that you can help give me a raise!  I’ve decided to offer a drawing for free product to anyone placing orders of $25 or more or booking a Super Coupon Clippers Party if we make the goal of $500 by October 31st.  For more info on THAT, use the link on the right hand side of this page for our Super Coupon Clippers page on Facebook or leave a comment below and I’ll send you the info!  To see the catalog and/or place an order, click on this link:  Clever Container.  Book a party, call, email me, or leave a comment below.  I’d LOVE to get you scheduled.

We’ve had enough demand and people asking about it that we’re looking into online/conference call/travel possibilities for bringing Super Coupon Clippers Parties to areas outside of the Middle TN area.  Again, if you’re interested in learning more about that possibility, comment below, send me an email or contact me on the Super Coupon Clippers Facebook page.

I got word today that my notary commission number has been issued and I can start working for the Mobile Loan Closing company in THAT part-time job just as soon as we get the paperwork back from the state.  My stamp should be here tomorrow.  My equipment should be set up by Saturday and I’m “tagging along” on a closing tomorrow as my “final review” before I start.  The guys at PDQ Notary, the company that I’m working for, are absolutely chomping at the bit to get me going.  That makes me VERY hopeful that there will be good income coming from that opportunity also VERY soon, if the state of TN will just cooperate!  😉

And then in the “busy”ness of all of that, I spent some sweet time talking to one of the most precious people in my life this evening.

Pizza with Grandma, November 2010

I absolutely adore my sweet Grandma.  Ruby Holtz has been one of the best examples I could ever have asked for of loving people.  She has loved on some pretty “rough” people over the years.  NO ONE who has eaten at my Grandma’s table walked away hungry unless they CHOSE to!  She was one of the best cooks ever – at least in my opinion.  She loved through serving, and now she is grieving the loss of that ability.  It is so hard to see her slowly slipping away from us.  I’ve not been as faithful as I should be about calling her, but EVERY time I hang up the phone I am reminded of how blessed I am to have experienced the joy of having her to look up to (which is really funny, because she stood all of 4 foot 11 at her very tallest!)  Even my friends who have never met her in person know what it means to have a “Ruby Freda” moment at the table.  I truly thank the Lord for her!  LOVE her!

ALL of these things remind me of how very blessed I am.  I have a heritage to be proud of and HOPE to look forward to!  What about you?  

PS:  And NOW I think I can sleep!  Thanks for indulging me as I “power down”!

A Door that Won’t Open…

God uses so many different ways to encourage us.  I guess He knows how easily swayed we can be by what is going on around us and uses as many was as He can to love on us!

Last week, I sent the following email to my former co-workers at Ken Davis Productions:

Hi all!

Just wanted to fill you all in on what I’m up to!  You may have already seen some of my blog posts, but here is the latest announcing the business venture that my friend Peggy and I are entering into:  http://wp.me/p1Mf6Y-2J   

I also start the Mobile Loan Closing business as a Notary as soon as Williamson County “does their thing”.

Not really sure where the “booking thing” is going at this point.  (In here was some info that I’m deleting to “protect those involved” 🙂 )  I’m waiting to see how my other endeavors go before deciding how hard to push with diving back into the “booking world”.  Those doors just don’t seem to be “flying open” as I had hoped.  

Maybe God has different plans!  I’m trying to be patient as I wait and see!

Hope you all are well.  I miss you!

Thanks,

Carol

In response to that email, I got this one from Ken.  Ken is the Christian Comedian and motivational speaker that I worked with for almost 6 years.

Carol, 

Thanks for the update.  Remember the elevator story and keep looking behind you, a door can open at any time.  When things slow down here I hope we can connect and give you a proper send off.  You know, fire works, gold watch, etc, etc. 

Ken

Rather than try to inadequately fill in the details of that story, here is a link to it.  This will take you less than 2 mins to listen to.  It’s worth it, I promise:  The Elevator Story

What a wonderful reminder!  There are doors that I was SURE were God’s plan for me that don’t appear to be opening.  There are OTHERS that seem so far “out there” that seem to be FLYING open.  Truthfully, the hard part is knowing which door handles to turn…  🙂

In the meantime, I’m really just along for the ride.  But then again, that’s really ALWAYS true, isn’t it?

I am so grateful to have those in my life who are willing to pour advice like this into me!  I do not take for granted the fact that I am super blessed in that area.

I just did my first Super Coupon Clippers event yesterday.  It went GREAT and the ladies had very nice things to say!  Mary, my hostess, was so excited when I left and it was so much fun to see each one of the ladies have some of those “AH-HA” moments.  They are all experienced in using coupons, but they each walked away having learned something that they said they were SURE would make a significant impact in their budgets.  THAT is what I hope to continue to hear as we move forward.  I’m excited.  Can you tell?

As I’ve mentioned before, a part of Super Coupon Clippers will be the products that we sell as representatives for an organizational company called Clever Container.  I just got some information this afternoon that I’m excited about, but which also threw me for a bit of a loop.  I KNOW that people are going to LOVE these products and I was VERY impressed by the sample kit I received.  These are some GREAT, QUALITY products that I am proud to make available to you.

Here is the info that I posted on Facebook this afternoon:

I just found out that I can give myself a raise in what I earn by selling Clever Container products if I sell at least $600 by October 31st. There are three ways you can help: 1-Look through and place an order on my website at the link below ASAP, 2- you can host a catalog or in-home party that closes before the 31st OR 3-host a Super Coupon Clippers party before October 31st (I’ll bring the catalog and samples to any SCC party!) THANK YOU in advance! Any income helps, but giving myself a raise as I START a new opportunity helps even more! 🙂  

OH, AND please pass this link on to anyone you know who might be interested! You can order on the site and have everything delivered to your front door within a week, so ANYONE can help! Thanks again!

This threw me for a loop because it is so close to the end of the month and I have a very full couple of weeks as we wrap up the month WITHOUT throwing in a couple of Clever Container parties.  I am REALLY hoping to concentrate more on Super Coupon Clippers and selling Clever Container materials at THOSE, but I am more than willing to do Clever Container parties by themselves if the interest is there!

Here is the link:  Clever Container

And just FYI, here is the October Customer Special, good through Oct. 31st:

October 2011 Clever Container Customer Special

Whether you order or not, I would LOVE to get your input on the products that you see in the catalog!  Which is your favorite?  Are there items you would like to have on a “wish list” for gift ideas for family and friends?  Please comment below, email me or send me a private Facebook message.  I’m anxious to hear from you!

Remember, ANY purchase helps me pay my bills!  😉

Thanks so much for caring enough to read these ramblings and any help you can give is appreciated more than you’ll ever know!  

Drinking from a Fire Hose!

Isn’t it just like God to take us from what feels like a desert situation to a time that takes our mind off of us and opens us up for blessings?

This has been one of those weeks.

We announced the start of Super Coupon Clippers last week here:  http://wp.me/p1Mf6Y-2J and then started running.  We still need to finalize some details like a logo and hostess information and the workbook that will be distributed after someone has attended the parties, but we have most of what we are planning to do set and ready to go!  My first consultation and run-through of the material is scheduled for Monday of next week and we have a possible large group (Homeschool Co-op) presentation within the next two weeks, our first party scheduled for the 25th and several other tentative ones that we hope to finalize dates for very soon.  ALL of that has happened within the past three days.

I helped my friend Brian (BB Angelo) Monday night through Wed. Evening at a Children’s Pastors Conference hosted by Lifeway and at the Lifeway Headquarters in Nashville.  We were there in hopes of making some good contacts so that he can get some bookings, but if you know me very well, you know that I LOVE doing conferences and helping at tables!  To make matters even sweeter at this one, I got to see some extra-poignant ministry take place.  Not only did we make new friends and what appear to be some GREAT contacts, but I had the privilege of listening and watching as Brian and one of the “B”Attitudes sang a couple of songs to some new deaf friends and signed as they sang.

They shared with us later that they had been searching for some very specific things at this conference and had been pretty disappointed until they came across several things on Wed. morning.  They had been there since Monday, and didn’t even NOTICE Brian’s booth until Wed. morning.  When they  mentioned that, we all laughed, because he is a Children’s Evangelist who wears wings as a part of his costume…a little hard to miss!

BB and Hannah signing and singing to our new deaf friends and ministers at the Lifeway Children's Pastors Conference

Hannah and BB sang and signed two songs for them, and then they came back later and they spent more time visiting and singing together.  THEN the deaf couple and their two friends who were there as interpreters and companions with them signed along with Hannah and Brian on one more.  Tears were shed several times by both those participating and those watching as we saw ministry, TRUE MINISTRY unfold around us.  Look at the joy on the face of the lady in the burgundy shirt in this picture:

Her face says it all!

She was overjoyed to be able to participate for one of the first times during the conference.  And it was in the exhibit hall.  And Jesus whispered to me, “THIS is why you’re here!”  One of the other vendors came up to me and whispered in my ear, “Look, ALL three of those ladies are crying.”  I swallowed EXTRA hard and whispered back, “So am I!”  I am blessed to have had that opportunity in the midst of the “busy”ness.

My notary commission was approved on Monday night.  I went and signed the paperwork yesterday and now we continue to wait for approval from the state so that my stamp can be ordered and I can start the new part-time job that I have closing refi loans for people.  HOPEFULLY that will all happen within the next 2-3 weeks!

The kit for my new Clever Container “side” of the Super Coupon Clippers business came in on Wednesday and I’ve had just enough time to open the box and look at everything, but it’s still all piled in the middle of my living room floor as I type.  There some REALLY neat items in the kit that I got and I look forward to seeing more of the items in the catalog soon.  Be sure to look at the available items using the link above.  You can order from the website and have delivery to your front door in less than a week OR you can have a party in your home if you’re here in my area OR the catalog will be available at all of our Super Coupon Clippers parties, consultations and seminars.

AND Amy and I decided to sell some of the clothes that we aren’t wearing anymore, so because we don’t have enough going on already (: we are having a sale at her house to pass them on.

So, I am typing this post on Amy’s couch hanging with the kids while we wait for business at our clothing sale.  I am STILL trying to catch up on missed sleep from earlier this week and will be up EARLY tomorrow morning to finish up the clothes sales with a yard sale tomorrow morning, but I am grateful for the opportunities that I have had this week.

Again and again, I am being reminded that My Father cares for me and is the one who provides for me!  I am so very grateful!

I am BLESSED!  How has He blessed YOU this week?