The gift I am most grateful for was the FIRST gift of Christmas.
#sharethegift
The First Gift of Christmas
#sharethegift
Tag: Gratitude
#sharethegift
Persistence Pays Off!
“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” ~Henry David Thoreau
After 22 years as a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, I finally earned my FIRST Incentive Trip: The Getaway to Washington, D.C.!
This is a goal I have set many times and though I have fallen short until now, I don’t count any of those attempts as failures because there are so many things I learned as I attempted to achieve it. I’d like to share a few of the things I learned along the way, but am still in the process of perfecting:
1. God first, family next. Work comes after the first two. It’s easy to get your priorities skewed when you set a goal for your business. This I know personally. But I have never regretted an instance when I had to set aside my business goals to serve my Heavenly Father and my family first. It is vital to keep an eternal perspective.
2. Every time you attempt a goal, your failures teach you more than your successes. How often do we give up after we try a few times and can’t do something? It’s tempting to say, “I just can’t do it.” Did you know it’s believed that Thomas Edison tried thousands of times to invent the lightbulb before he succeeded? He’s credited as saying, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.“
3. Try and try again. Yep. It’s worth it.
4. Be grateful to those who help you. There is no way I could have earned this reward alone! My husband was incredibly supportive and continued to believe I could do this even though I’ve tried 20 times. My children have been so very patient, too (Thanks K, K, B & K!!). And my wonderful customers and hostesses are not simply people I sell to ~ they are my friends and my creative inspiration. Thank you for your loyalty and for supporting my business. I appreciate you so much!
Hidden Message Slider Card
On my walk this morning as I was cheerfully stomping through some fallen leaves, this card came into my mind…and it actually turned out better than I had imagined!
How about a video tutorial? Okay, even if it did just take me two hours and I still haven’t showered…
I’m always THANKFUL for comments to know if you like what I’m sharing 🙂 and even MORE grateful for your Online Orders and will send you a card to tell you how grateful I am (as long as you don’t select “No Contact” when you place your order…I have to be able to see your address to send you a card, right?)
Employees, Envelopes, Autumn & Miracles
When there is a holiday at the beginning of the month, I seem to start off slower than usual! It was a lovely Labor Day, and it got me thinking about workers that often go unthanked…so here’s a shout out to a few of the people who keep things running smoothly so my life is easier: To those who work in Utilities (including waste management, keeping us clean) THANK YOU! People who keep my lights and internet working, WAHOO! And those unsung heroes that plant, weed and harvest so I can eat, YOU ROCK! Seriously, my life would suck without you (hmmm..that could make a great song…)
On to September Stampin’ New & Noteworthy!
And here is the “Best Of” Autumn stamp set available now:
You may have heard that our beloved CEO and co-founder of Stampin’ Up! Shelli Gardner was in an accident last week. I am so grateful that it wasn’t worse and that she is on the road to recovery! Her husband has “hacked” into her blog and you can follow the story HERE (starting on August 31, 2013)
It always amazes me how small miracles add up and reveal the arm of the Lord in our lives. As a whole SU! community, we are appreciative that her life has been spared and pray for her speedy healing.
Extending My Birthday Celebration
Yes, my birthday was in July (thanks for asking) but I just like celebrating for an extra long time. Even though I’ve commemorated 46 of them, it never gets old 🙂
Let me show you some of the cool things my friends made me for my birthday! Handcrafted gifts are always the best, so I’m sharing their talents here.
Created by (top left, clockwise): Laura Hill, Sherrill Graff, Pam Clyde, Anne Beddo
Card creators(l to r): Sue Stratton, Angie Baldwin, Pam Clyde, Beth Martin, Jenn Seaver, Sherrill Graff
I was truly spoiled on my birthday and these are just a few of the handmade items…Thank you to everyone who remembered me on my birthday. You made it so very special!
Gather and Gobble
Hooray for Turkey Day! While I’ll be going out to eat this Thanksgiving, I still wanted to share this idea for saving your spot at the table: This cute little gobbler uses the SU! Treat Cups (116802) and a few different punches to hold a tasty treat: Pull the slider and out they come so you can re-use it year after year!
I gave a talk in church a few weeks ago on Gratitude and the question I asked at the beginning of the talk was this:
I’ve been trying to be more specific in my prayers for those things I take for granted: Being able to breathe and smell, a hot water heater, contact lenses, chapstick, the internet, scissors, my local library, public school, etc. etc. The list is long, but think about what you are doing right now and what blessing you aren’t even considering that allows you to do it? If you had to gather or hunt for your food every meal, you wouldn’t be sitting here reading my blog! Gather to Gobble AND give Gratitude to God this Thanksgiving!
Creative Juice by Loni 