Encouragement and a Smile…

 

 

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  Do you know why you are on this earth and what you should be doing?  I finally understand what my purpose is in this world.  As a Christian, I am suppose to share the gospel and encourage people to give their life to Christ.  I believe that and I do my part to share the gospel.  Women contribute a great deal of wealth, information, education and support to our society, families and careers, but we are not so good when it comes to nurturing our relationships with one another.  

The last week or so I have participated in online conversations about women and our relationships with one another and ways we can heal.  I know we can do it because of all the wonderful women I have met online since I started blogging almost 5 months ago.  I don’t have all the answers, but I know that it is my responsibility to be supportive, loving, and have something positive that will help at least one woman heal.  If that happens, then I’ve done my job and will receive favor in God’s eyes.  I have to remain humble while I share with you all, but I would love to see women heal to the point that our relationships with one another will not be an issue anymore.  If we could just work on current relationships that are damaged, or reconnect with someone from our past, we are doing our part.  

I’m not saying that we all have to be BFF’s, only a few people make that category if any.   Trust me, I know there are some relationships we can’t fix or heal.   In those situations, let’s do what I always say, forgive them and/or the situation and keep it moving.  I’m simply suggesting that we try being more courteous with one another, smile at each other and just say something that will make another person’s day.  You never know, you may just be that ray of hope a person needs to turn their life around.  We are nurturers, we love our families, give our husbands and children our all until there is nothing left to give to ourselves (I stopped doing that one).  I make time for myself now, and I’m a happier woman because of it.   When we are out in our social circles, let’s think about the woman that seems a little uncomfortable because no one is talking to her.  You don’t know what is going on in her life, but reaching out to her will let her know that you cared enough to approach her.  That one greeting may resonate with her for years to come.

I did a little shopping today and put my suggestions to test.  I saw one woman in the grocery store who was 62 years young, and she looked marvelous!  She had on some white cropped jeans, a bright pink blouse and some striped, cork heeled wedge shoes, with a bright pink purse!  Her hair was white, cut short and she had on some rocking glasses!  I told her how wonderful she looked, and she told me that I made her day and she refuses to be an old grandma!  She also told me she has 6 grown children and 10 grandchildren.  I wanted to take her picture so bad, but didn’t want to scare her away!  I did tell her I was going to write about her in my blog.   I also saw a woman who had on some nice jewelry, and I complimented her on it, and I’m going by her store this week!  See what happens when you take a moment to speak to someone?  Every woman I made eye contact with I spoke to, and all with a positive reaction. 

Maybe I’m encouraging you in some way, if so then take that encouragement and run with it.  I just want to see women have better relationships with one another.  What we see on TV has gotten out of control.  My purpose is to spread stories that uplift, encourage, make you laugh and think.  Some stories will be about me, my family, other people and situations.  That is my purpose, part of my journey.  I love music, and I think this video is perfect.  Have a good week, and smile at someone!  Take care!

 


 



 

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Entrepreneur Spotlight ~ Sara Blakely

Part of uplifting women is to share our stories.  I’ve decided to start sharing stories of women who have made a difference for us, whether it’s a business woman, a corporation run by a woman, or someone not famous, but who has had an affect on women.  Who better to start off with than Sara Blakely.   I know you all have heard of her and read her story, very inspiring, great motivation and what a success!  I am one of her customers, I have a serious collection of Spanx products, from the heavy duty to the lighter version.  I am faithful Sara, I even subscribe to her video channel on YouTube.  I absolutely love Spanx! 

Sara has the work ethic that is necessary to make her the success she is today, and I honor and feature you as the first woman who makes a difference on my blog.  You know I love the fact that is is over 40, although she made her billions before she turned 40.  Women over 40, don’t give up your dreams, whatever they are.  When she was searching for a patent attorney, she wanted a female, but couldn’t find one in the state of Georgia.   That didn’t stop her, she kept on working and pushing to get a patent on her product.  Then the boost from Oprah?   That’s exactly how we should support one another when we are trying to establish ourselves in the business community.  

I remember purchasing Spanx before she was featured on Oprah.  I purchased the Assets by Sara Blakely in Target, when my budget wasn’t quite at the Spanx level.  Of course I was too delighted when Lane Bryant finally started selling them.  It didn’t matter how much they cost, because they helped me look better in anything I wore.  I am a woman with hips, I’m 2 sizes bigger in in the hip area, so Spanx was a great product for me.  The Spanx makes my appearance very neat and they are comfortable.  Now it does take a minute to get them up sometimes, but once they are on it’s wonderful!  

Our hats are off to you Sara, thank you for being an inspiration to all women who work hard to get their business started, it’s not easy but worth it once you turn the corner and get that  entrepreneur spirit running.  

 


 

Picture credits Forbes.com and Spanx.com

 

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Seven Things I Must Do Before I Turn 50

Well the countdown for me is here!  I will be 50 in a little over two months, and I still have things I want to do before that great day comes on July 3rd.  Don’t forget to mark your calendars, would love the birthday wishes.  Some of them are pretty serious, but most are just some fun little things I want to do before my birthday. 

1. Schedule my mammogram and pap, gotta take care of myself.

2. Get my eyes checked and get new glasses!  Being on the computer all day is beginning to take it’s toll on my eyes.

3. Get a new header for my blog, that is currently in the works.  I am so excited!

4.  Organization…whew, I need help!  Really, I just need to sit down and put a schedule together for blogging and working on my new business.  I’m currently working on that one right now.

5. Introduce my new business as a Independent Distributor for Soul Purpose and Youngevity.  I have tried so many direct selling business opportunities.  This is the first time I will be able to dedicate the time to my business and make it my primary source of income.  More to come on that very soon.

6. Purchase me a very cute ensemble to wear on my special day.  This includes outfit, shoes, jewelry.  Gonna probably go to Nordstrom Rack for this, love that place but you know that by now.

7. Find something to do on my birthday!  This usually isn’t a problem since my birthday is during the holiday.  I went to a concert last year and the Mr and I had a ball!  

The last 10 years have been all over the place!  I’ve accepted Jesus Christ as my savior,  lost my parents, divorced, became a single mother, met a man that shows me what the definition of love truly means, resigned from a job that I thought I would never leave, moving from Kansas City to St Louis and back to Kansas City this summer.  Wonder what the next 10 years will be like?  Can’t wait!  Now you know why I call my life a journey?  

 


 

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Random Thoughts….

We were on our way to church yesterday morning, and I was in the mirror doing the last minute check on my makeup and hair.  It was there, the mustache!  I noticed it when I was putting on my makeup but I ignored it because it was getting late and we needed to go.  That little mirror in the car with the light, that sucker helped me to see it real clear, with my glasses of course.  I can’t believe with everything else associated with menopause, that I have to worry about facial hair now!  It was enough that I had to borrow the Mr’s shaving equipment to get rid of it.   The funny thing is, I’m not taking any hormones!  Can you imagine what I would have if I was taking hormones.  You know the Mr got a chuckle out of it, let me say it the way it happened…he was cracking up.  I looked at him like it wasn’t that funny.  I’m surprised he didn’t call me the Bearded Lady.  He knew better than that one.

My oldest daughter wants a job, but she hates taking direction and instruction at home…

My youngest daughter plays outside and rides her bike everyday….I wish I had her energy.

I want t help women build better relationships with one another.  I will do my part to encourage, motive and lift any woman I encounter.  

I took a step today that I’m very proud of.  I will share it with you in a few weeks.  NO FEAR!  I have allowed fear to hold me back, but not anymore.  I’m more confident now than I’ve ever been.  I want this not just for me, but for my daughters as well.

I love my life…

 


   

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Mother’s Day 2012 Giveaway

Here at Cafe Mocha Reflections I am excited to collaborate with A Family Village to celebrate YOU or your Mom.  I have teamed up 26 of our closest friends to bring you a fun cash giveaway!

 
 
  

One lucky winner will win $250 to be deposited directly into their PayPal account!  Sounds like fun, wouldn’t you say?  The giveaway is sponsored by 26 businesses and blogs ~ and you will love getting the chance to check them out.

To enter, you are REQUIRED to simply follow each of the steps using the Rafflecopter form below! Also, go check out the fabulous business owners and bloggers involved in this event.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

Giveaway starts 4/22/12 at 12:0 am EST and ends 5/13/12 at 12:01am EST. Good Luck!

We Love our Readers, You deserve to win $250!

The cash giveaway is open to all worldwide (paid in US dollars) and will be paid directly into your PayPal account.  

This giveaway is brought to you by:

Austin Couponing 

Family Volley

Embracing Life, Love & Art

Danielle Elwood Dot Com

Foodie Gems

Mentor Leadership Team

Sadie: The Paper Crown Princess

Keep It Complicated

R We There Yet Mom?

A String of Pearls

Kids Kitchen

Domestic Disturbia

365 Things To Do In Bastrop, TX

A Star In My Own Universe

Little Boo Creations

TrackerSphere

Whit’s World

Pagette Callender Photography

Food Good, Laundry Bad

With Just A Bit of Magic

cafe mocha reflections

Young Work AT Home Moms

Market Mommy

Non Mom

Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge

HubRunner

Good luck and we appreciate your support!

 

 

 

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What Ever Happened To Common Courtesy?

I was working today and assisting my customer with their request.  She mentioned to me that she had been in the hospital.  I, being the trained Customer Service professional that I am, expressed concerned and asked how she was doing.  She answered my question and I continued with her request.  When I finished helping her and ended our conversation, I heard her say to whomever she was talking to that I was more concerned with her being in the hospital than helping her.  She was snide and kept commenting until the line was cleared.  Really lady?  Haven’t you ever heard of common courtesy?  

It made me think about how we are in such a hurry with our busy lives that we don’t take the time to be courteous to one another.  If you work in any type of business that comes in direct contact with people, then I feel your pain.  I observe people all the time in a hurry, or just plain old mean for no reason.   I know most of us don’t intend or try to be rude to one another, but sometimes we need to slow down and acknowledge one another.  

It happens with church members too.  I don’t know a lot of people personally at my new church, but I do recognize faces.  I see them all the time when I’m out shopping, associate ministers, ushers, choir members, etc.  Don’t get me wrong, I know you can catch a person at a bad time, but I have seen several church members be completely rude to people and don’t recognize their surroundings.  The pastor at my church in Kansas City used to tell us this all the time in leadership meetings.  I was the president of the choir, and as a leader in the church, I was always conscience of my surroundings and how I conducted myself in public.  I was a mature, middle aged woman so I knew how to act when I was out.  I would see people all the time and they would tell me they belonged to the church and saw me singing in the choir.  I was always approachable, and took the time to hold a brief conversation with that person.

Am I Miss Social all the time?  Of course not, but I do try my best to be courteous to my fellow neighbor.  When I’m out walking in the mornings, I speak to everyone that I pass.  If you have a cute dog, I’ll stop and pet your dog.  Sorry, don’t do cats.  Let’s try to be nice to each other, be courteous and show a little respect.  Take care.

 


 




 

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Midweek Motivation

Hey everyone, hope you all are having a good week so far.  It’s amazing what you can do if you believe in yourself.  I had that, “what if” belief in myself, but fear kept me from enjoying life completely.  I had to change that and let go of fear, it was holding me back in so many ways.

I am pushing myself beyond my comfort zone and when that ugly feeling of fear enters my thoughts and spirit, I quickly remove those thoughts and reaffirm beliefs in myself and my goals.  In Psalm 34:4 David sought God to deliver him from fear, and that is what we must do when we allow fear to enter our mind and soul.  Ask God to remove fear from your spirit and mind set.   No more fear and small thinking for this girl!    I also used to think that because I’m turning 50 this year, that my choices were limited because of my age.  Isn’t that crazy?   We must stop allowing fear and feelings of being inadequate stop us from achieving our goals.  

Currently, I do customer service work from home.  It helps out with the household, little extra here and there.  I have done customer service work for a very long time, and it’s time to take my skills and experience to the next level.  I’m not afraid, just ready to challenge myself.  I’ll keep you all posted on my plans very soon.  

My health is also on my agenda.   I’m exercising 3-4 days a week, walking and Zumba on Wii.  I downloaded an app to my iPhone that helps me track my steps and the distance I walk.  I have been walking 3 miles and over 4400 steps and I didn’t realize it!  That’s why I’m so tired when I finish!  My diet is doing pretty good, I try to make sure I keep fresh food, fruits, veggies, nuts and water in my daily regiment.   Being transparent is a way for me to be honest with myself.  I share to keep me on top of my game.  Enjoy the rest of your day.

 


 



 

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My Budget Challenge

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  It was the typical one for me, a little work, grocery shopping and trying to set the budget.  This was a shopping budget that included restocking, we were almost out of everything.  That can get costly, I try to keep things we need in stock, you know…toiletries, laundry needs, paper towels & toilet paper.  I buy all those things in bulk, so that means we made a trip to Sam’s Club this weekend.  I have a love/hate relationship with Sam’s Club.  I love it because of buying in bulk and it is cheaper to me, but hate it because when we get to the register, we spend anywhere from $150 – $300 every time we go.  I just shake my head, because the Mr. is like a kid in Toys R Us when we go to Sam’s Club.  He literally throws everything he needs or wants in the basket.  Then looks at me and says, what did we buy for $200?  Really??  How about all those things you just had to have?  His thinking is we need it, so we may as well get it.  He doesn’t believe in doing without or buying discount, brand X as he calls it.   He says he works hard and he will get what we need and most of what we all want.  I support that and make adjustments on the budget in other ways.  

Photo courtesy Google

 

Now we are good on everything for a while.   I don’t like running out of anything and it will stop all those little trips to the grocery store around the corner that charges more for everything.  Sometimes living by a budget is a challenge, but it’s necessary right now because of plans we have in the making.  More on that in a few months.  I am pretty much in charge of the money, I do okay, could do better.  I have to cut back on things like shopping every payday and eating out.  We manage to pay the bills and keep the house going, that is the goal.  We eat out on payday, shop when the girls have a need which as most of you that have children know is almost every week.  My youngest needs clothing and shoes right now because she is growing out of everything, even things I purchased three months ago.   I can’t keep up with her sometimes, she’ll come home and say something is too little.    My current budget includes my big plans, summer school, clothing and activities.  Whew, I need another gig!  Have a blessed day everyone!

 

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Is The Fashion & Beauty Industry Our Friend?

Do you feel that the fashion and beauty industry targets middle aged women?  When you watch TV, read magazines or the local newspaper do you see commercials and advertisements including women our age?   Just depends, huh?  I subscribe to More magazine, they do a good job with advertisers that cater to women of a certain age.  They have their share of look young/good/pretty advertisements as well, like Botox, it’s a three page advertisement in there!  I won’t complain, because I absolutely love this magazine.  They figured out what we want, need and like.  The articles and content are an enjoyable read as well.  We have a platform and voice,  because middle aged women spend a lot of money on clothing and makeup, but we aren’t featured in mainstream media.

 

M.A.C. Cosmetics chose 90 year old Iris Apfel to promote their January collection, Cover Girl’s model is Ellen Degeneres.  Meryl Streep is the oldest woman to be on the cover of Vogue.  Reports are saying that baby boomers have the money, and the companies are starting to see that we are a great target audience now.  That is definitely an improvement, but we have to continue to make sure they recognize us and represent us in their advertisements.

 

 

The fashion industry in my opinion could do better, mainstream that is.  I consider myself a fashion forward woman, trying to keep up with trends, without being too trendy.  You can always find little boutiques and shops online.  Let’s not add if you happen to be full figured, that’s another issue all together.  I found a website in my quest for fashions for women over 40, 40 + Style, she has a style that I can appreciate and features some very nice clothing on her website.  Check it out, I love sharing my findings, classic and very stylish. Of course I love Nordstrom Rack, Marshalls, Macy’s, Chico’s, those are my personal choices.  

I really like this vest, it’s fun, casual and age appropriate.  It’s sad to see when women wear clothing when you can clearly see it’s not age appropriate.  Don’t get me wrong, wear what you want, I just wish we own up to our maturity and not try to fit it, but get noticed by our beauty, then notice our fabulous outfit.  What do you all think?  Are we represented in advertising for fashion and makeup?  Have a great weekend everyone, and remember to stand out in a crowd.  We are beautiful.

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Inner City Blues

The skit on Saturday Night Live this past weekend about East St Louis, IL has created interesting conversations this week.  The mayor, Alvin Parks is upset, doesn’t like East St Louis being referred to as a “hell hole”.   He admitted that East St Louis has an image problem, he didn’t lie about that one.   This city has had that reputation for a long time.   It’s easy to speak ill of the city and the plight of the people in East St Louis, but this is the story of the inner city.   From my research and conversations with The Mr, East St Louis is it’s own enemy, bad politics, night life and crime.  The mayor is fighting to allow the city to keep the sale of late night liquor, when they need to find jobs and ways to bring the city out of the “hell hole”.  The city government needs an overhaul.

Looking at the responses from Facebook let me know that people who have never lived in the inner city, ghetto or whatever you chose to call it have no idea what it’s like to live that way and they actually believe people want to stay or live that way forever.  They make the rudest remarks, without a solution and hit below the belt.  I love living here in St Louis, and what I know about the history I learned from research, local news and The Mr.  He was born and raised here, so he knows the city well.   Last year, on one of many visits to his old neighborhood, we saw abandoned buildings, open land where businesses and homes have been torn down or new homes in an area where there is nothing around it, no grocery store, church, corner store or anything.  They have the same problem in  Kansas City, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, Atlanta and any other major city in this country where disadvantage or poor people live.   Everyone knows that the inner city isn’t the only place where poor people live, just always seems to be the target.

I grew up in the inner city, went to high school in the city, even went to a historically black university.  I am very proud of where I come from because I came from a home where my parents loved me.  Was it perfect?  No, but it was love and a sense of family in that home. My parents took pride in their home, so did our neighbors.  Let’s not give up on these neighborhoods, they are our past and the future of the people that currently live there.  Jobs are needed, crime is high, and the state and federal government must do better.  There are still lives in East St Louis, IL.  Let’s not forget people that live in our inner cities working and struggling to provide for and take care of their families.

 Don’t forget to make sure your voter registration information is correct, address, name change if you recently married, or register to vote please.  This is where we make the difference, I’m a believer in that.  Marvin Gaye didn’t know the affect of this song, or maybe he did.  Have a good day everyone

 

Whitney


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