Christmas in the Words of Linus

The Day of Christmas.

Advent : Basic Definition

Christmas Eve

More to come.

Ronie Kendig and her Rapid Fire Action an author review.

I am so hooked on books by .Ronie Kendig. She has a gift of showing how God takes our weakness to make us strong.  What I like most is the second chances that her characters always get even when they don’t deserve it.   She shows how God will heal our deepest hurts and how if we let  God move our life can be good again.  Her gift for research shows in the incredible amount of accurate minute detail. 
  I have been honored to be able to read the galleys to some of her books.  What I don’t like is when I have to wait for the next one to come out. 
Her book series are a tapestry that work together to show how people can work together  for a common goal where forgiveness and grace are found.
In Discarded Heroes she has woven together men that have served our country and no longer have a place. They are provided a place to serve and find healing.  She created a team and a family.  
In the n A Breed Apart

She has  created determined women on a mission  to save the world with a dog.  Not just any dog but a war dog.  The first in the series is Trinity which introduces us to the A Breed Apart family.
The second book Talon  takes Aspen Courtland, who was introduced in Trinity the Wardog Talon suffers from PTSD.  The journey in this book takes you on a healing journey.  Leaving you with a intro to the story of Beowulf starring Timbrel. and her dog Beowulf
 .. At the time of the publishing of this review Beowulf  has not been published and cannot share. but I have read it and all I can say is WOW. 

Pics from 2013

Remembering 50th Anniversary of JFK Assassination

I could not have said it better.

Advent Pre-Season

It is Advent time.  I am a little late in posting but I have been celebrating all along.  It was hard to find just the right guide to go by.  Growing up Baptist I just thought the advent was someting the Catholic did.  I found the idea of celebrating with candles and bible verses each night together with family very exciting.
I googled advent calendar.  What I found were a bunch of things that when you open a window you got chocolate or some kind of toy each day for twenty five days. I finally found something to go by with one bible verse each day.  I used that but somehow that just wasnt enough,  it left me longing to celebrate more of Jesus.  His birthday is more than one small verse.  He deserves more than a small thought.  I am now using the verses in the previous post.  I wonder if that longing is anything like Isreal felt as they longed for The Messiah. I want to seize every moment to celebrate Him.  I think next years goals as focus will be to celebrate who he is intentionally with every act, ok more on that later.  Back to what I was telling you about.  Celebrating The advent with the candles representing hope peace love and the Holy Spirit is my beginning.

Webinar for Facebook

Hi Lara! Over at the "Amy Porterfield Headquarters" (well, actually my little home office) we've become content creation machines - creating some fantastic articles and podcasts to help you focus on your business growth. 

Here are 3 quick "mini-guides" to help you expand your impact, see bigger results and make more money. 

#1: Start a Podcast 
Click here to check out this new "idea-sparking" article, The Power of Podcasting: How to Grow Your Email List, Build Immense Trust and Leverage the Heck Out of Your Brand.

#2: Create Videos That Attract More Customers 
Click here to listen to my latest podcast, Proven Video Marketing Strategies for Any Marketing Budget: Interview with James Wedmore. (This one includes the coolest, easy to implement list building strategy you don't want to miss. And so many peoplehave said it's their FAVORITE episode of all time!) 

#3: See Bigger Results with Your Facebook Ads 
Click here if you want to get bigger results with your Facebook Ads. My latest blog post, 7 Tips to Create Facebook Ads That Convert, is sure to supercharge your ad results! 

We've got something for everyone, so take your pick with any of the value-packed articles above :-) I hope you have a WONDERFUL week, Lara! 

ALL my best, 
Amy 

PS: In April I'll be doing a brand-new, free webinar to help you get BIGGER results with Facebook (more engagement, leads andsales). If you want to be one of the first to know about my specialtraining, Click Here and I'll be sure to send you an email with all the info :-) 

Never Forget

Yesterday was September 11th. This last year has flown by.  I was sitting right where I am right now.  I did not cry as much this time.  I had to hold it together because I was going to the JOB NETWORK.  Fox news made a comment on how there werent as many reporters at the Memorial Service in Washington. I will never forget.  I will most likely cry every year because of the sorrow of the day.  The disater that caused the USA to bind together. It was a terrorist attack plain and simple.
We need to pray for our leaders as they seek to make a peaceful answer to The issues in Syria. We need to pray no matter our opinion of the Individual leaders. If you have read The Book of the Revelation you will see clearly what is happening.
Visual Reminder
The longest 7 minutes ever.

Tea Time 2 months late.

It is the beginning of fall here in Texas. The high today was only 90. In June I started to share with you different ways of making tea to celebrate national tea month, as an experiment.  I love many different types of tea.  I put basil and strawberries in a pitcher.  I like it better in lemonade but It was still good. I made three different kinds of tea.  
Bri is off to school and there are many changes coming and I cant wait to tell you about them as they happen. For this season in my life I like to get the already made Mango Tea from Market Street. If we eat there, I put the ice in first.  I put about an inch of their sweet tea in the the bottom and fill the rest up with the Mango.  When I leave I fill it up again the same amount w/o ice.  I tried buying and making it myself but it just doesnt taste the same.  That is my favorit kind of tea.  Tonight I have some mango tea that I made Keith Urban style.  Think na na na  na na na.  Well Keith Urban fans will understand. 

Pumpkin Season

September12
It is pumpkin time.  Even if it is in the 80s outside it is September. In early August Pumpkin was 75 cents a can. When I went to the store today it was 1.50. I should have stocked up.  So far this year I have made pumpkin muffins twice.  I made pumpkin fluff, so easy and well loved by all. Both recipes were on Pinterest.  I have a recipe for pumpkin pancakes I will be making when my aunt and cousin are here. They have the best recipes on Pinterst.  I think it is a conspiracy

Awesome view.  

August Adventures

Musings - Christine Caine

Musings - Christine Caine

Wedding Novels, Icing and Galeveston.

 I picked up this book yesterday and now my house is dirty, my eyes are red from trying to finish it before bed, and I had to take a nap after I finished this afternoon.  I have only read a few of Janice Thompson books. My first was Fools rush in. Part of the Charm of these books is the fact they are on Galveston Island. The people that come do not want to leave and the ones that leave love to come back. It seems to be a running them in some of her characters. Reading one of her books is like sitting down with a friend over coffee, and hearing their story. The sense of family in her books are strong and  second chances she brings to the forefront of her books, we all need. In this book Janice shows how we struggle with our own self-doubts and how God sees us as beautiful. I love the way God showed up at the talent show. It reminds me that God can take the most imperfect and 'not the way I planned moments' to change lives.  'For I know the Plans for you" In all honesty my house was already dirty, I was thinking about cleaning it. I picked up this book and the feeling past. Now where are my eye drops. Click here to follow her blog and learn more about her and her books. Oh I didnt mention that it is one of her wedding books and the heroine Scarlet is a baker. Who doesn't love a good wedding and an Italian Cream Cake.

Tea Time Day 1

                                          

Tea  Time June 20

Tea Challenge Day 1.  Being a southern girl who loves tea, I  did not have far to start my challenge.  Can we even call it a challenge? I put my tea kettle on to boil and pulled down my tea pot and my tea.

When the whistle blew on my water, I poured the steaming hot water over  the three family sized tea bags.  I set it aside to steep while I worked a little social media  magic for my boss. Time to make my tea.  I picked a few pieces of mint from my mint plant on my back porch. It and basil are the only herbs I cant kill. I fill my mason jar full of ice (just kidding about the jar).  The pinched up mint on top of the ice.  I pour my richly steeped tea over the mint and ice.  I take the smashed up raspberries that I mixed with agave, and poured them over the tea.  
It is already 85 outside so I take it out on to my back porch.  I take my first sip ahhh that is so good.  It is full of ice which makes it the perfect thing to be drinking as the heat rises. 
Here it is The end of August.  I tried many different teas.  In this season of my life my favorite tea is Mango Tea from Market Street.  First you put about one inch of Sweet Tea in the bottom and the rest Mango tea.  I did not have to make it cut the lemon or wash the pitcher. 

My Unusual Journey of Grief

April 11, Three weeks ago my Granny Brewer went home to be with Jesus.  She was ninety-five years old.  I have so many memories of her in my growing up years. She was so funny and she talked alot.  Many of my physical features are from her.  She had the most beautiful white hair that was always fixed just so... I remember traveling in the mountains with her and Papaw. I remember Sunday lunch at her house after chruch. Her green beans were awesome.  When she taught me how to make them I found out why there were so awesome.  She made the best banana pudding. Her merengue was always just right.  Yes back in those days they still put merengue on the pudding.  Her cherry o cream cheese pies.  Were to die for. She was most remembered for her Pound Cake.  Everyone loved her pound cake.  She told everyone you should always have one in the freezer. You just never knew when someone might need one.  

She has been in an Assisted living for several years now.  The first one she moved into was awesome.  I told her if she didn't want to stay there I would.  Over the last two years each time we visited I really believed that it was going to be the last time I saw her.  I called her once in a while at night when I knew she would be in her room.  She didnt want to stay on the phone that long at one time and she probably didn't even remember I called the next day, but for that moment we each enjoyed talking to each other and she knew I loved her and I had not forgotten about her. Last August 2012. We went home to Tennessee and we stopped and stayed a few days in Manchester to visit.  We had a little birthday party for her even tho her birthday wasn't until October.   For the last two years each time I left I thought it would be the last time I saw her.  Until this August.  I am really struggling with her passing.  I have never been one really struggle over it.  I am always sad and grieve but for some reason this time is different.  I realized earlier I still refer to her in the present tense.  I have done that several times since we returned from Manchester.  She had been very ill off and on Since thanksgiving.  I knew she wasnt doing well.  I did not know she was on hospice until we went for the funeral. It just does not seem real to me.  I felt like I had said goodbye several times but this time I dont feel that way.  

They dont make people like her any more.  Times arent like they were then I think I will stop here for toningt I am not sure when I will post this it may take some time.  I think I want to write about some of the things she may have seen during her lifetime.  

June : National Tea Month

One thing I love.  A large glass of sweet iced tea.  Sometimes the things we love most are not all that good for for you.  My granny made a quart of ice tea everyday.  She used 4 tea bags and two cups of sugar.  Then came the most important thing:

Without Lemon I did not drink it.  The sugar had to be mixed while tea was just steeped.  If the restaurant did not have sweet tea, I just drank coke.  Like all things in life things change.  I learned to like unsweet tea with lemon.  I had to, 3 out of 5 people in my family developed type 2 diabetes.  

For the rest of the month I will try a tea in a different way each day.  Tea has many restorative value and I will give the recipe here. if you have a favorite let me know. I find it ironic that spell check does not recognize the word unsweet.  It wants to change it to unsweetened.  So there you have a southern belle that loves her tea.

Stealing the Preacher

Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer is the first book I have had the pleasure of reading by her.  The story of a fathers love for his child is very heartwarming, especially since he is an outlaw Make that former outlaw.  The characters’ are very experienced in plan Bs of life.  The daughter wants to breathe life into the church. The father reforms from being an outlaw for the love of his deceased wife.  Everybody is experiencing an interrupted life.  We all need life interruptions.  They are what make life exciting.  The whole premise of the book is hilarious.  It also has some heartbreaking moments with the little boy across the way.

Getting Paid to do What You love

May 10th 2013
Since moving to Texas nothing has gone as planned.  Of course my life seldom does.  I have spent most of my life this way.  We all have seasons of life and it has been a while since I have experienced a bad one.  On here I have tried to be cheerful and motivating.  In those small moments I really felt that way.  I tend to try to be positive   I usually don't write a review for a book that I don't like, unless seriously provoked. Such as a book I read (part of).  The book was listed in the Christian genre about a preacher.  It turned into a very steamy novel. I wrote a review on Amazon to watch out it was not what it represented.  
That was a rabbit trail wasn't it. I have my I hate days. I hate Texas. I hate this. I hate that, blah blah blah. I look around and see all the blessings I have and I need to pray for forgiveness for not counting my blessings and not focus on what is honorable and what is noble for those are the wellsprings of life.
God is faithful.  Just when I start to run out of money something comes along.  Would I like a job where I went in everyday and made a steady pay check with insurance etc, sure.  I have talked about my love of social media and now I am paid to tweet and monitor a Facebook page.  My official title is Social Media Community Manager.  I am also working on the SEO for the company.  I guess if you put the hours togehter and divided it by what he is paying me I am making approximatly 2 dollars an hour. I will however get the bonus for each person that found us on a Social Media site. After time that will add up.  I will putting together some thing to create community among the other angels and creating a reach into the community. So needless to say I am getting paid to do what I love. 

Once again I have been adventuring and have neglected you. So here I am to tell you about something very exciting. You know the phrase 'Find what you love then figure out a way to get paid for it".  Well I have done it.  I am now the Social Media Community Manager for Visiting Angels. That means I manage the social media pages. Finding relevent content is harder than I thought it would be.  You have to find relevant and lots of it.
OOO I just looked to see what he had paid me.  I liked his math.
The JobNetwork is going well and my next post will be A book Review on two awesome Ronie Kendig books.  Check out this FB page and tell me what you think  .Visiting Angels of Lewisville
and twitter @DFW_VisitAng . These are my up and running parts. I conquering Google plus page.  I will get back with you when It is ready for a post.

spirit. and. truth.: A requiem

spirit. and. truth.: A requiem

April 6, 2013
I have so many adventures to share.  I will start with a warm fuzzy.  I have this friend that I worked with at Books-A-Million. I just love her to pieces In some ways we are so different  She now lives about as far north as you can get. I live as far south as you can get.  She loves the snow. I love it hot. I like snow too; in pictures  Pictures of snow are gorgeous.  She is a morning person.  I mean a real morning person like as in 4 am morning person.  What they say is friends that have differences make better friends.
We are alike in some ways. Yet in those same ways we are different.  I love to tangle she is VERY good at it and mine are well I don't know what mine are except I enjoy them.  We love to read. She likes Stephen King and I do not. Yet we both love Harry Potter and would love to work at the Ministry of Magic. We  are now on an adventure togehter.  We are doing the C25k. I am not grooving but I am moving. We will talk more about that Adventure later as it is not a warm fuzzy moment other than we are bonding through it and keeps us close as though we live next door to each other.  Did I mention that we love Harry Potter. OOH I have so much more to say but I have a soccer game to get to.  I could go on and on.  Check back with you later.  Swish and Flick I have to get dress.

Oh My!!!

Harry Potter Mania

Bri and I watched this movie last night.  I had never noticed it but she did.
 

Katherine Lowry Logan's Notes from Tabor Lane: How To Write a Book Review on Amazon

Katherine Lowry Logan's Notes from Tabor Lane: How To Write a Book Review on Amazon

Trew Wuv, True Love, as told by The story of Westly from the Princess Bride.

The Cast from The Princess Bride
Trew Wuv.
It must be this movie, This is the cast today. It must be true love or why would anybody bother with this picture.  It  came out 20 yrs ago.  Thousands of people quote  this movie spontaneously  all the time.  Why is the movie so popular.  I think it is like in the beginning when grandpa "are you kidding me there is ... of course I cant remember the quote right this minute. I could go get my 20th anniversary video out and look it up. Mostly likely if you are bothering to read this post you know exactly what I am talking      

Let splain, no let me sum up
Picture downloaded from Pinterest.

                                                                        quote it you likely will recognize one when you hear it.
It is a great love story and speaks to men and women alike. For Men sword fighting, pirates, outsmarting other men.  and  Andre the Giant. Have fun storming the castle. Need I say  more.
Women love the whole love story.  Westly is awesome because he love her and wants to provide for her so off he goes.  When the are in the fire swamp he sees the danger and tries to aleave her worries. Men, do not seek to aleve a woman's worries by lieing like he does about the ROUS. I understand the gesture.  Women want someone to look out for them, to protect them from the evils of the world.  I mean he comes back from being mostly dead to save her. Who wouldn't want that
What is favorite part of the movie? When was the first time you saw it? How many times have you seen it?

Tax Benefits | Federal Student Aid

Tax Benefits | Federal Student Aid

SCHOLASTIC ART AND WRITING AWARDS

SCHOLASTIC ART AND WRITING AWARDS

Texas Wild Flowers

One of the best things about Texas are the wildflowers. Each month from March on seems to have a different flower blooming here in Frisco. These are the Bluebonnets.  They have large areas all over this area, where many families have there pictures taken.  I plan on visiting as many Bluebonnet trails as possible in 2013. Texas theme Go Big or go home even applies to this flower.  The Bluebonnet is the state flower, 5 different versions. 2012 season began in Febuary so there was a longer season.  It is always best to check local listings for an up to date progress. Let me know if you would like to talk wildflowers.

Christmas Traditions.

Only a few days left.  I love this time of year.  I remember  when I was little each night before going to bed we would sit in front of the Christmas tree with all the lights off, just the tree lights like the angels that sang to announce His birth.  Traditions have been,  in the last few years, Celebrating the Birth of Jesus.
 I love baking.  I love shopping.  I love visiting with family. My favorite thing is to make is the cake.  It is not just any cake it is HIS Cake.
 Now that I live in Texas I want to create new traditions but I don't want to make them just for the sack of making them.  I haven't connected closely with alot of people that aren't busy with there own stuff.  I want to make new traditions here so that I can look to the future of a life here in Texas.

update: Christmas has come and gone.  It was wonderful.  They had a Christmas choir at church.  Bri and I were blessed to be a part of that.  It helped to connect with people.  Everyone was really engaged with each other and Christmas dinner.  It snowed here in Texas and did not snow in Tennessee.  So things are looking up. Well the community part of life is.  I like pictures of snow.  This is December 26th out my front door. I am one that makes the hot chocolate while everyone else is sledding.  Oh wait it is Texas they don't have many places to sled. The hot chocolate was good.
c
                The Birthday cake I made did not look like this at all.  The icing slid of off half of the cake.  Depends on how you look at it.  We had a good excuse to scoop up the icing.  Everyone loved it.  My brother does not like peppermint so made  little cupcake just for him.  With regular icing.  I ran off and left it at the house.  Quess what I found out? You got it.  He does not like red velvet cake

For the rest of below article click on this link

http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2011/02/21/5-reasons-why-your-online-presence-will-replace-your-resume-in-10-years

from Forbes 

Dan Schawbel, Contributor

I Interview Celebrities, Entrepreneurs and Authors

5 Reasons Why Your Online Presence Will Replace Your Resume in 10 years

 

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Image by Getty Images via @daylife

We’re seeing more and more recruiters use the web as a place to search for talent and conduct employment background searches. This trend is set to increase year over year and I’ve been predicting that an “online presence search” will become as common as a drug test since 2007. Your online presence should consist of your own website at yourfullname.com (a domain can be purchased at GoDaddy.com using promo code FAN3). This website is the core of your online presence and if you optimize it effectively, it will rank number one for your name in major search engines such as Google. Also, your online presence should contain social network profiles, with vanity URL’s, on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter at a minimum. I would also get listed on sites, such as Spokeo.com, and obtain your Google profile.

By claiming your web presence, you’re protected from other people, with the same name, claiming it before you. You also gain control over how you’re perceived online, and thus what employers find out about you when they conduct their search. A recent study by OfficeTeam shows that more than one-third of companies feel that resumes will be replaced by profiles on social networks. My prediction is that in the next ten years, resumes will be less common, and your online presence will become what your resume is today, at all types and sizes of companies.

5 reasons why your online presence will replace your resume:

1. Social networking use is skyrocketing while email is plummeting

More and more people are using social networks to send and receive messages. About 90% of U.S. Internet users visit a social networking site each month, reports Comscore. Usage of Web-based email has fallen 8%, with the biggest decline among 12 to 17 year-olds, with an almost 60% drop. Although, you may think of this as a generational trend, the highest growing demographic on Facebook is 35+, and LinkedIn caters primarily to that demographic, too. Employers are reviewing your profiles to see what kind of person you are outside of work, who you’re connected to, and how you present yourself. Each gives clues to how well you can fit into the corporate culture. When employees don’t fit in the culture, there is turnover, and it costs the organization thousands of dollars.

2. You can’t find jobs traditionally anymore

In order to get a job, you have to be creative, attract jobs to your website, and network constantly. Applying to job postings, in newspapers and online, won’t get you anywhere and is becoming completely ineffective. Susan Adams, of Forbes.com, shared a survey by webjob.com of recently employed job seekers found that 23% of those surveyed found their job through ads. By building your online presence, employers can find you and thus you have more opportunities. If you don’t have an online presence, you won’t appear to be relevant and you will be passed over for more savvy applicants that have visibility. You need to be creative in your job search by developing your own product, eBook, viral video, or personal advertisement. Finally, you need to treat your life as one giant networking event, and meet as many people in your field as you can.

3. People are managing their careers as entrepreneurs

In the career field, the term “Careerpreneur” describes a professional who manages their career like an entrepreneur, always searching for the next big opportunity. My colleague, Scott Gerber, author of “Never Get a Real Job” says it best: “you need to create a job to keep a job.” A survey of 1,623 Gen Yers, conducted by Buzz Marketing Group, Scott’s Young Entrepreneur Council, and presented by LegalZoom, finds that more than 35% of Gen-Y’ers have jobs have started their own businesses on the side in order to supplement their income. This shows that the younger generation understands that there’s no job security and that they can build companies to offset their low wages. Another study revealed that 84% of employees plan to look for new jobs in 2011 (up from 60% a year ago). It’s too easy to get laid off now, which is why you need to build your online presence before you need it, and constantly look for the new opportunity that will further your personal brand.

Democratic officials: Fiscal 'cliff' deal reached - KPTV - FOX 12

Democratic officials: Fiscal 'cliff' deal reached - KPTV - FOX 12