Ten Minutes!

I hate being at the mercy of power.  When the power goes out... I freak out that all my ice cream is going to melt.  Yes... without question... this is my main concern.  Everything else I can live without.

I prefer reading books to television.  Everyone has cell phones which are unaffected by a power outage.  Even if you have to charge your phone... there are portable power chargers.  Just like my daughters calculator for school which is solar powered... they have now an iPhone Solar Charger!  It's crazy the technology we have!  I go to bed when it's dark.  I wake up when the sun comes up.  I don't blow dry or curl or straighten my hair.  You can heat water with solar energy.  Truly... my use for power is to keep my ice cream deliciously cold.

At times though... the power is only out for a brief period of time... but who knows whether this is the time it will only be out a few minutes... or is this the time that it will be out for a day?  The risk is far to great... so I find myself eating all the ice cream approximately 10 minutes from when the power goes out.  Yes this is the amount of strain I can handle at the thought of losing all my ice cream... ten minutes!  I can go days waiting for a cancer diagnosis... but melt my ice cream?  Ten minutes!

This is a sponsored post for Goal Zero, however, all the points and views are my own.

Another Thing That Makes Me Smile

I love the hands, feet, faces, tongues and lips of kids.  They tell a story.  And it's almost always a fun story.

Faces tell all.  My youngest got into everything.  I think she figured there were six others I had to keep my eye on, so I might miss what she was getting into.  Honestly, I may have missed some... but not this one.  I came into the kitchen and found cherry pie filling on the handle of the fridge.  After further inspection, it was also on the cabinet, the light switch, and down the hall.  It stopped at the bathroom door.  Upon opening the door, there sat my little mischief maker licking her fingers that she quickly hid behind her back.  As she smiled and exclaimed that "I didn't do anything!" a cherry fell from her pie filling smeared face!

I love the black bottoms of kids feet that tell me they have had a wonderful day exploring the outdoors on a nice summer days.  I love hands of my kids on Easter Sunday.  Try as I did to dress them in the perfect Easter outfits, their purple, blue and green hands were a dead give away that we had died eggs the day before.

And one summer we got an ice shaver complete with snowcone  supplies.  We impatiently waited for our block of ice to melt.  It seemed like it was days.  We careful filled each paper cone with ice and then drenched it with flavored syrup.  Tongues and lips told the tale of who had grape, tigers blood, or cherry.

And now the fun carries on as my children are grown and I have grandchildren.  A blue Dum Dum sucker for the oldest and showing her in a mirror that her tongue is as blue as blue can be.  And face of my youngest granddaughter with Cheerios stuck to her cheeks and chin.  These are the things that make me smile.

This is a sponsored post for Snappy Popcorn, however, all the points and views are my own.

A Fresh Financial Start

Let's face it... your creditors do not want you to know about bankruptcy.  Why would they?  They want to squeeze every last cent from you.  It is certainly not to their advantage for you to file for bankruptcy, but for many many people, bankruptcy is the right option for taking control of your debt.  It also gives you a fresh financial start.

A fresh financial start is one of the greatest benefits of filing for bankruptcy.  It will take time for you to build your credit again, but it can happen.  I can give you two examples from friends who have filed.  One filed and everything was great... until around three months afterwards.  Suddenly, the realization came that a few of the previous creditors were not included.  So now with a bankruptcy, there is still a few of the debts still following his credit history.  The other, filed and it has now been seven years, the bankruptcy is off their credit report and during those seven years, they gained and worked on building their credit.  The difference between the two?  The first filed on their own.  The second... used a bankruptcy lawyer.

Without question, you need an attorney for such a drastic measure as filing for bankruptcy.  You will need to find a local bankruptcy attorney as laws differ from state to state.  A bankruptcy attorney california has learned the requirements for the state of California whereas, a Texas bankruptcy attorney will have learned the intricacies of his/her state.

It's absolutely imperative to cover all the details so you really can begin a fresh financial start.

This is a sponsored post for Borowitz and Clark, however, all the points and views are my own.

Attorney or On Your Own

Time moves slowly when you have the restrictions of bankruptcy.  There is the initial painful blemish on your credit.  Depending on the type of bankruptcy filed, this will last a number of years.  It is made public record where anyone can access it for a small fee.  Assets will be sold.  Of course, some assets will be protected.  There will be payments mandated by the courts.  And of course there is the stigma attached with bankruptcy.  After all of this the most important aspect of bankruptcy is to do it correctly.  If you are going to take this hit that affects you both financially, and personally, you better make sure you do it right.  And this will most successfully be done by a bankruptcy attorney.


There are many many facets to filing for bankruptcy.  It simply must be done by someone who has made bankruptcy their specialty.  There is a tremendous amount of detail and this detail varies among states.  A bankruptcy attorney new orleans will have different criteria to follow that a bankruptcy attorney in los angeles.


It will cost money, but trust me when I say, it is money well spent.  I have personally seen the effects of filing on your own in order to save money.  It is one of those ironic things where you have to file for bankruptcy because you are broke, but in order to file, you need money to hire an attorney.  The end result is profoundly different and subsequently has a far superior outcome when you have the assistance of an attorney.

This is a sponsored post for Kirkpatrick and Associates, however, all the points and views are my own.

Find A Good One

In my work, I spend a lot of time collecting.  Customers make purchases and fail to pay for these purchases. Call me crazy but it seems to me if you can not pay for a purchase... you don't go out and make another purchase.  This is what always surprises me.


I guess you could say that if you were reselling goods, maybe you didn't sell the first purchase with a high enough profit margin?  Maybe product went bad or you were unable to find someone to buy?  After a possible scenario such as these, then maybe you tell yourself that you will purchase more product and sell it at a high enough profit to be able to pay both not only this purchase but the one before.  But if this doesn't work, surely, you would think, you would not make still another purchase.


Unfortunately, I see it often.  Purchase after purchase with no ability to pay.  The problem is that most businesses will give a person 30 days to make payment.  So you don't know they are not paying until they may have made many many purchases during that 30 day window.


This is where it comes time to get aggressive in collecting.  And if your customer is out of state, all I can say, is thank goodness for process servers.  Process servers deliver or "serve" legal documents to a defendant or person involved in a court case.  Fortunately, they are located all over the country.  For example, if your trying to collect from a person on the west coast, then you can call a California process server.  And if papers aren't served properly, the court is not able to rule on a case relating to an individual if they were not legally made aware of it.  So find a good one is all I can say.

This is a sponsored post for ABC Legal, however, all the points and views are my own.

Do It Right

Bankruptcy is never a choice one wants to make but when you can not pay your debts... it's an option you sometimes have to consider.  Collectors calling you at all hours demanding payment gets old very fast and becomes quite stressful.  It is far better to take action such as a financial planner or voluntarily petition to become bankrupt rather than a creditor to come after you and garnish wagers, or a file tax lien, etc...

I would first try a financial planner who can help you get a settlement or make an arrangement.  It may seem hopeless... but a financial planner is a good first avenue toward relieving yourself of debt.  If this doesn't work out... an attorney who specializes in bankruptcy will be your next course of action.

There are attorneys who handle bankruptcy on top of their other work load, but I would recommend a lawyer who deals with bankruptcy exclusively.  Law Offices of John T Orcutt is an example of a practice whose sole operation is one of bankruptcy.

You want the process to go quickly... and most important... without errors.  I mean after all, if you are going to do something as significant as filing for bankruptcy... then by all means... do it right.

This is a sponsored post for John T Orcutt, however, all the points and views are my own.

Faith

Some of the best people I know have struggled with the pain of drug addiction.  People who find themselves in bad situations and introduced to drugs.  This, in combination with a physical propensity to addictive habits is a horrible combination.  I can not begin to imagine the fear, pain, sadness, worry, that filled their lives.  The closest I can come to is when there is something... anything wrong with my children and it becomes this weight on your shoulders that never goes away.  It is a constant 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is only relieved when the problem is solved.  Parents are helpless in so many ways and it is only through faith that we can sustain it.  These people I know... had this faith.

People will use words like "belief" or "hope" when they speak of faith.  Faith is an act of trust or reliance.  There are many people who can not have faith because it is not scientific.  It is not concrete.  Faith has no reasoning to it.  There is no data defining faith and it's abilities, but without question, I know it works.  And my friends knew it would work too.

They approached the trouble with addiction with faith.  They carefully sought out and reviewed several drug rehabilitation facilities.  After spending vast amounts of money to go through rehab, only to have them fall back into addiction... their faith... continued.

It occurred to them that if faith kept them going, then of course, faith could work in their rehab.  They had been raised in a faith filled and religious atmosphere.  It was in them.  Soon their search for a rehab program was tweaked to find a Christian Drug Treatment plan.  Without question, this made the difference.  Rehab combined with a religious faith brought them all back home.  I admire and respect and love these friends and the closeness that came from a tremendous struggle and a difficult recovery.  I am happy to say that they are enjoying... truly loving their lives without that weight on their shoulders.

This is a sponsored post for Pacific Hill, however, all the points and views are my own.

The Outcome

Recently, there have been some rather high profile bankruptcy cases in the news.  This has spurred several articles regarding the fees bankruptcy attorneys are, so called, "demanding".  To be sure the fees vary throughout the country.  Obviously and oakland bankruptcy will be considerably lower cost than perhaps one in NYC.  This is also assuming that each bankruptcy is of the same complexity.  All lin all, there are many things to consider when you are shocked by the fees of a bankruptcy attorney.

First, consider that lawyers, in general are paid an astonishing hourly rate, but so do doctors, and other professions requiring such an extensive education.  And would you not want... in both areas... an educated and skilled professional?  And is it not true that an oncologist would warrant a higher fee than an family practice physician?

Some naively believe they could file the bankruptcy themselves... that it is so simple.  Filing for bankruptcy requires an immense skill set.  A bankruptcy lawyer has to know both litigation and transactional skills, besides the obvious need to know bankrupty law inside and out.  There is state law, federal bankruptcy law which makes this field a highly technical practice.

If you had cancer, would you go to a family doctor?  And do we see articles implying that the oncologist is feeding off of a persons misfortune in contracting cancer?  Filing for bankruptcy, if necessary, needs to be handle correctly.  You already will suffer consequences because of having to file in the first place.

If you need to file for bankruptcy, you want it done right.  After going through all that is necessary and suffering the stigma and negative hits to your credit, at least a lawyer will make sure that it is done successfully.  Much like the loss of strength, loss of health, loss of hair will be hard for the cancer patient... but worth it with a successful outcome

This is a sponsored post for Lincoln Law, however, all the points and views are my own.

Travel Green

I love to travel.  I don't think there is a single person out there who hasn't played the game "If I had a million dollars what would I do?"  After sharing it with family and friends, without question, my number one choice would be travel!

I love meeting people of different races.  I love trying different foods.  I love getting absorbed into other cultures.  And I absolutely love seeing beautiful and unusual places.  I am a very visual person and pictures are wonderful, but without a doubt, the very next thought after seeing a picture, is I want to be there.

Pretty soon the wonderful, beautiful, and extraordinary places will be gone due to people not taking care of the environment and ironically travel can hurt the very places we want to go.

First of all, reduce the number of plane rides.  Non stop is a better way to travel and it is better for the environment.  If your a road trip warrior, consider hypermiling.  Yes, hypermiling.  Hypermiling is techniques used to reduce your gas consumption such as using your cruise control, slowly accelerating, and leaving space between you and the driver in front of you so you don't have to break as frequently.

Become a locavore.  I love this because it is the very reason why I want to travel.  A locavore is someone who eats what is available locally.  I'm all about this!  Canoli's in Italy, croissants and cheese in France, chocolate in Switzerland or Belgium... yes... it is good to eat locally!

There are so many, many other things.  Quit buying bottled water!  We all need to quit buying bottled water! Bring your own portable power... in other words use solar energy!  Imagine charging your phone while lying on the beach!  Recycle EVERYTHING!  Heck even my e reader is green.  No more having to cut down trees to create paper for books, right?

If we can travel green... then those very places we want to see will still be around for when we can afford to get there.  Right?

This is a sponsored post for Goal Zero, however, all the points and views are my own.

Update and Duplicate

My phone has been bugging me.  Every time I turn it on it tells me that there are updates.  It wants me to say OK and then it will perform an update on aps and whatever else.  I don't understand it completely, but when I say OK.. it is definitely not OK.  I find that what I had gotten used to, as far as being able to access the things I need on my phone, are gone and it has become a brand new phone all over again.

My kids will tell you that when it comes to my phone, I am not a the most tech saavy phone user.  In fact, they count themselves blessed if I answer the crazy thing!  My texting is at a remedial level, and changing or adjusting anything in my phone, such as the volume, the ring tone, the wallpaper, etc... is so far beyond my grasp that it is pointless for me to have such a complicated piece of equipment.  Give me back the phone at home.  The phone connected to a wall.  The phone that you can not take everywhere.  The phone that when you are tired of stretching the curly cord to things you want to eat, see, or touch... you can hang up and be done with it.

But again last week began the updates message showed up on my phone.  I have avoided the inevitable and it finally happened today.  I got sick and tired of the update and clicked OK.  And then worst of my fears... I had forgotten not only about the update... but the duplicate.

When your phone updates it also updates your contacts which gives you all your contacts back... again.  With every update becomes hundreds of duplicates and it makes me crazy.  When I pull up my contacts I have double of everyone and now I will spend the rest of my afternoon not only getting rid of the duplicates but also trying to figure out the way to do it... all over again.

This is a sponsored post for Ring Lead, however, all the points and views are my own.

Email

My Dad loves his computer.  I recently talked him into upgrading to a larger screen, faster internet, etc... and he is really loving his computer.  He doesn't get caught up in chat rooms, or social networks, but he absolutely enjoys the humorous jokes, poems, songs and video clips that are either emailed to him or he finds.  He and my Mom get so completely involved by the hidden camera on the bald eagles nest that I think they know each little eaglet by name.  And I would need an entire separate blog just to delve into the numerous emails regarding the latest presidential candidate and his rather strong opposition to one of the candidates.  I am happy that they find such enjoyment, but... and this is a small insignificant, yet troublesome, but... they spread their enjoyment throughout every email contact.

You know how this happens, and I think everyone has an email contact that likes to forward literally every single thing that they come across.  I can log on to check my email and find that I've got 30 emails.  As I open my inbox sure there are the few spam emails, a few from companies I have done business with, and then the other 25 are from my Dad.  OK... I'm exaggerating, but still, the vast majority are his good intentions of keeping me informed, keeping me laughing, or making sure I vote for the right candidate.

My fear is that if there is something he really needs to tell me... something truly important... I'm going to ignore as I have to ignore many of his emails because I simply do not have the time to explore, savor, and enjoy all of them.  But I have a plan.

In a more recent blog I mentioned the effects of email marketing and how it gets me every single time.  There is even a website, Mad Mimi html email dedicated to this very purpose of marketing via peoples email.  From now on, if my Dad wants to make sure I (and his grandchildren who are also haunted by his emails) he should make the subject read:  Half Off AirFare to NYC!  We have family in NYC that we miss dearly and I would swear that each and every one of us would open that email!  My only worry is that then he would start  to put that message in all of his emails that he is sure we have to see!

This is a sponsored post for Mad Mimi, however, all the points and views are my own.

Staying Focused

My daughter and I both have the pleasure of being able to work from home.  And when her husband is out of town, she brings my granddaughter and stays with me.  It is fabulous.  Not only do I get my granddaughter  here, but I also get to work side by side with my daughter.  She works on the laptop and I work on my home computer.

This last time, we were both working, well at least I thought we both were, until I heard her say "You have to see this!  Look how cute!"  Sure enough, it was quite possibly the most adorable outfit for her little girl that I have ever seen.  She bought it right then and there.  We continued working until I exclaimed "Wow... airfares have dropped!"  We looked and pondered and decided on a trip to see my parents in Vegas.  Again... we continued to work and really felt like we were getting things done... and then my daughter was "Oh my gosh!  I totally want to do this in the kitchen."  It was a darling decorating tip for in your kitchen.  The finally straw was when I said "They have the pina colada cupcake in this month!"  Yeah... we were gone to lunch.

Years ago... there were not such distractions.  Sure we've come a long way with technology, but maybe a little too far.  All I can say is that with local marketing being flashed before your eyes every few minutes of the day... it is hard to stay focused.

This is a sponsored post for OrangeSoda, however, all the points and views are my own.

I'm A Server

When my children are around... I couldn't be happier.  Well... OK... I admit that when one is missing or unable to be with all us... I could be happier if they were here.  I love to do things for my kids.  It's true.  It sounds very oh so 1950's but my favorite times are when all my children and their families are here and we live in the kitchen and I am serving them all kinds of wonderful food.  I'm a server.


I have some technically saavy children who replied that I'm a "dedicated" server.  I guess I am.  I've been doing it since 1982 when my first was born.

We are all cramped in our little house and practically on top of each other in the kitchen.  I love having the crock pot going for a wonderful home made dinner.  I love making cookies while we play games.  Then of course, we all settle down to watch a movie which naturally brings popcorn and ice cream.  I love how we all fall asleep all over the place.  And then there's the inevitable where each wakes up and with sleepy eyes, and groggy minds, try and find a pillow and blanket.  You always know who was last to make the move to a bed.  They have a wadded up piece of clothing for a pillow and two or three small throws as their blanket.  And the best is in the morning.  I love making pancakes, or omelets and the smell brings them all back to me in the kitchen.  They stagger in one at a time into the kitchen, rubbing their eyes, looking for breakfast.

In this computer dominated world, I've learned that there are xeon dedicated servers.  The difference between this just a dedicated server is that xeon dedicated servers are the cream of the crop.  They run cooler and at lower voltages and are spec'd for 24/7 continuous usage.  I think I qualify!  You have to keep a cool head with seven children, four new spouses, and two grandchildren.  And any Mom's know that we are "spec'd for 24/7 continuous usage".

This is a sponsored post for Hivelocity, however, all the points and views are my own.

A "Know It All"

The term "Know It All" has been used in the past as a term for who obnoxiously displays that he/she knows everything about any topic or situation.  If you take out the word "obnoxiouxly", the term would be one to acquire in the workplace.

Today when jobs are scarce and cut backs are making jobs difficult to hold on to, being a "Know It All" can be most helpful.

I have a daughter who graduated in theatre arts.  She made sure she covered a wide array of skills while getting her education including, but not limited to, wig making, costume design, make up and hair design, set building, puppetry, drawing, and these are only the ones I can remember.  She found her dream job and landed it before graduation.  I know the fact that she could be put anywhere, could do just about anything was key in her gaining the position, and I know they will keep her through their slow season just so can they can hang on to her.

If you "Know It All" (well, there's actually no one who really know it ALL) but it makes you invaluable.  With companies cutting back, why cut someone who has the skills and knowledge to do what you used to require three people to do?

I always tell my kids to learn it all.  My son who works in at a steel company was offered the possibility of learning welding.  Sure, he's probably not going to make welding his profession, but why not learn it?  Then he can be an asset in more than just one area of the companies needs.

If you are offered an opportunity to learn more, do it.  Many companies offer learn on your own types of programs, such as Premiere pro training where you can learn more about photo shop and other areas of expertise.  Become a "Know It All" and become invaluable... indispensable.

This is a sponsored post for The Training Farm, however, all the points and views are my own.

The Perfect Diamond

The perfect diamond is different for every woman.  I have five daughters, four of whom are married.  That last daughter will get married over my dead body, but that's another blog.  I have been blessed with wonderful sons in laws.  In fact, I don't like calling them "in laws".  They are sons, and loved like sons.  Each is perfectly suited for my daughters and their engagement rings suit them as well.

The oldest is emotional and sentimental.  Her ring is my mother's ring.  It is beautiful and reflects my mother in every way.  The diamond is truly perfect for her.  Not too big, but very nice.  Very nice.  It was the easiest thing in the world giving that ring to her future husband to propose with.  He adores her... and this includes her occasional high maintenance moments, and her occasional emotional melt downs.  He is patient and loving, and I can see in her eyes how she adores him.

The second daughter surprised me when she stated that she wanted a huge ring.  I had no idea.  Please don't misunderstand.  She is not pretentious in any way.  She just liked the diamond looking big.  Her husband is another perfect match.  He is happy to oblige her shopping... to a degree.  He knows how to reign her when necessary... but all with love.  She happily agrees because he is everything to her.

The third daughter's engagement was also wonderful and very planned out.  Her husband is a romantic (not to say that the others aren't) and he thoughtfully picked out a ring.  He must have went through diamond sellers, loose diamond brokers, etc... because he wanted it to be perfect.  The proposal was perfect, and so is the ring.  For a girl who never got real excited about any of her dates, this boy was a find.  He had her all "gaga" and she never was "gaga" about anyone.  He can hold his own with this daughter who is strong willed in one breath and so caring in the next.  He brings out the best in her and she does the same with him.

And the fourth, who I had difficulty letting go at such a young age, has a ring that also suits her to the tee.  She is my artist and her husband loves and appreciates this gift she possesses.  Her ring is antique, almost renaissance like.  It is beautiful.  I take back all my apprehensions.  Her husband is crazy about her, he is a wonderful addition to our family, and she is completely taken with him.

I have been blessed beyond measure when it comes to my children getting married.  I have never thought of the old adage that I "have lost a daughter."  I have "gained" sons.

This is a sponsored post for Atlanta Diamond Broker, however, all the points and views are my own.

A Busy Morning

OK I admit it.  I'm a sucker for email marketing.  This realization came to me this morning as I read my email.

First there was the email from GAP letting me know that for TODAY ONLY there was a 40% discount on EVERYTHING!  Yes... this grabbed my attention.  And yes... I went to the website.  And yes... I found adorable things for my two granddaughters.  I'm such a Grandma.

Then as I recovered from my shopping spree online, I continued with my email.  See's Candies, only my favorite candy in the whole wide world, shows me their summer candy collection and offers $5 off.  I am happy to say that I did not visit their website.  I went straight to the store so I wouldn't have to wait for my delicious temptation to be shipped.

And there was the one from Southwest Airlines filling me in on travel specials.  I'm not going to say much about this except that I will be visiting my daughter in New York in a short few months.

I love to blog and most of you know that I blog for different companies.  As I slowly worked my way down through each email, I noticed, I received an email to blog about Mad Mimi html email.  Yes.  You guessed it.  A company that takes email marketing to a grand new level.

Supporting email marketing?  I don't need to blog.  My morning is ample evidence that this type of marketing works.

This is a sponsored post for Mad Mimi, however, all the points and views are my own.

You'll Can Never Go Down The Drain

Without question, the best years of my life have been the years with kids, and now the added bonus of grandkids.  Every stage is fun.  I truly love them all.  I have two daughters going thru the time where they only have one child.  They each have daughters and they are their best little buddies.  I remember when I had just one and everyday brought laughter.  Kids are great at helping you rediscover the world.  Every sight and every sound is complete awe.  And I love how they teach the awe to the next brother or sister.

We lived in California, and consequently did a lot of freeway driving.  Everytime... everytime... we took an off ramp where we circled around and then under the freeway brought absolute delight to my first.  "Wheee!"  And the "Wheee!" just got louder with each additional child as my first taught them the fun and excitement of the circular off ramp.

Halloween is always a favorite.  You can actually see their little minds clicking away at the thought of "All I have to do is say Trick or Treat and I get a candy!".  And I love how the oldest has to explain the sad truth to the younger ones... "It doesn't work everyday.  I tried.  It only works on Halloween."

But bath time was the greatest.  The splashing!  The bubbles!  The toys!  And calling the plumber to remove said toys.  And then one day I made the mistake of unplugging the bath while my oldest was still in the tub.  She panicked!  She leaped out of the water as if a sea monster was after her!  Turns out she was sure she would go down the drain.  I looked at her.  I looked at the drain.  Right away I knew a scientist or mathematician she was not.  Obviously, she did not understand size and ratios.  She eventually realized that she was safe but still took the loving precaution of warning her siblings that "you can never go down the drain"... to where I heard her younger sister reply "but what about the sharks?"

This is a sponsored post for Rotorooter, however, all the points and views
are my own.