Garden Signs

I spent the last week and a half painting these signs in the hopes of making some extra money at Kicks on 66.  I had so much fun painting them, and found out that I really did get my mom's creative gene.

My mom has a lot right off of the old Route 66, so I decided I could save money, and set up my "booth" on my mom's lot.  What the heck - it's down the street from where the paying booths were located.

Well, Uncle Todd's truck died, and he needed my vehicle to go to work.  So, I needed a ride (besides money to help pay for the truck).  After several phone calls, my sister came through.  (Oh, and I was just calling to tell you I found a ride, but thanks anyway.) 

So, I had the signs, the spot and the ride.  Now I needed the stakes.  I suggested using some of the cedar sticks in the yard that UT cut up to make logs for his bird houses.  UT didn't want me to use them for stakes, so he told me to search my mom's garage for stakes.  My sister and I climbed through the mess - that somehow accumulated in the garage that I've sorted and cleaned a hundred times before (yes - you could actually park 2 cars in it after I'm done, each of the hundred times) - in search of stakes.  I found some, full of nails, but useable.

I stick them in my car along with a table, bird feeders, and trellises that somehow got in her garage, and set out for home.  I got a hammer and started pulling out the nails.  BTW, if I die from tetanus, I scratched myself with one of the nails. After some procrastination and complaining, UT said we couldn't use the stakes I had got from my mom's house and went to the yard to get the cedar sticks.  I got UT to put the stakes on the signs, as I stood by putting the screws on the screw gun, because that is my job when UT does anything for me.

Okay, stakes taken care of.  I took pictures, posted them on Facebook, with all pertinent info, packed them up, got together all the stuff to paint more signs, printed a sign, and priced all the signs, not with stickers but with paper and tapes because UT doesn't want to have to take them off when we put them in our yard.  Then it was off to bed.

Waking early because Maggie made me get up, I didn't feel that good.  UT thought maybe it wasn't a good idea to go, but I assured him it would pass (after some medicine).  Knowing my sister is always on time, I gathered all my stuff on the lawn, ready to throw in her car.  Half an hour later sitting on the front stairs, I realized that my sister had learned something from her sisters - the art of being late.

She showed up and, of course, the things that had to go in first, were on the bottom of my neatly stacked pile.  After stuffing everything into her car (I lied - I told her it would just be a few things), we set off for the lot.  On the way, we stopped at the bank so I could get change.  With money in my pocket, I proceeded to open the wrong car door, which was luckily locked, but the guy in the next car was laughing at me hysterically.

We get to the block that my mom's lot is on, and half way down the block, I asked my sister to stop so I could put my signs up (over my mom's for sale sign) that was at the corner.  In the wind and fighting with the tape, I finally got the sign up, only to be greeted by the biggest puppy I've ever seen.  Cute dog.

Well, we got to the lot, and unpacked her full car, trying to figure out if anyone would see me.  The lot where the booths were set up were already bustling with people.   We decided that maybe I should move closer to the corner.  Wanting to stay on my mom's property, we then carried all the stuff about 30 feet closer to the old Route 66.  Thank God my sister was with me because it probably would have taken me an hour to move it by myself.

She wished me luck and was on her way, and I waited for all the people to come and buy my signs.  And I waited, and I painted, and I waited, and I played a game, and I waited.  A truck went by, hit a puddle, spraying mud all over me and my signs, and I waited.  A red SUV pulled up, and I thought "my first customer".  The door opened, and out came UT.  I gave a sad face, and he melted, packed me up, and took me to get my favorite barbeque pork sandwich.

What did I learn?  Sometimes you have to spend a little money to make money.  I should have just gotten a booth.  And, no matter how much work you put into something, it doesn't always turn out the way you want it.  You think I should have learned this lesson by now.  (For those that know me, they get it.)  But, aren't my signs cute?  Hand painted and price right!

Gardening

I've always had a kid or two in my garden - helping to plant and then harvesting the fresh veggies.  My nieces and nephews are grown, and the next generation is old enough to carry on the tradition.   My nieces already are passing on the fun they had in my garden.  So, who wants to help and when?  Ask your moms to let me know.

Easy Recipe

My sister recently asked for my cole slaw recipe, so here it is:

Creamy Cabbage Slaw
6 cups or 1 medium cabbage, shredded
¼ cup green onion, sliced
1 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. vinegar
2 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. salt

Combine cabbage and onion.  Mix remaining ingredients together and stir into slaw.

Enjoy!
Aunt Janet

Children - Be Kind to Your Parents

Be kind to your parents

Though they don't deserve it. 

Remember that grown ups

Is a difficult stage of life

They're apt to be nervous

And over excited

Confused by their daily storm and strife. 

So keep in mind though it seems hard I know. 

Parents were children long ago. Incredible!! 

So treat them with patience and kind understanding. 

Despite of all the foolish things they do. 

Some day you might wake up and find you're a parent too.

Harold Rome

When I graduated from 8th grade, our school gave us all the fancy stationary for commemorating this special day. Being excited because it looked so elegant, I sent the invitations, name cards, and an 8th grade picture to everyone in my family. This included my dad. When I called him to see if he was coming, he told me that he was offended that I sent him an invitation to my graduation without calling him. Okay, does anyone else see how illogical this was? I called him.

When I graduated from high school, I again invited him to my graduation. I was to give a commencement speech, and I really wanted him to come and be proud of me. He said that he would make special arrangements for protection, and he would be there. (He was running for president of the railroad union.) I was so excited. I told all my friends that they could finally meet my dad.

Before graduation, I scanned the crowd, looking for my handsome father. After graduation, I again searched the crowd. When I saw my parents’ faces, I knew that he didn’t come. Here I was receiving the highest award that I’ve ever received and giving a speech that came from my heart, and he didn’t come. And for the first time, I saw the anger in my parents’ eyes, anger that they never visibly shown before. They never bad mouthed him. I was devastated and he got an earful that night in between hysterical sobs. Did it hurt him as much as me? I don’t think so.

I didn’t invite him to my college graduation, and funny thing is now I regret it.  An Oxymoron perhaps?

From then on, every time there was an important event in my life or in the paternal family, in order to prevent that severe pain, I had to pretend that he wasn’t coming. If he came, it was a pleasant surprise. It is a defense mechanism to deal with hurt that a parent causes - neglecting their child’s needs in favor of their own wishes, which in most situations are selfish.

Why am I telling you this? It is between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, and graduation time. It brings back memories for me, memories that I sincerely hope and pray no other child will feel. So, if you are a mother and father, remember what you do effects your child, not only now, but forever. Children are a gift from God. How would God want you to treat this gift? Even when we are going through tough times, it is so important to remember that these children are just children, with child-like feelings and emotions, and to ask yourself – how will this affect my child now and forever?

Children need the love of both parents.  They need to know that both parents love them.  Parents need to respect the other parent in order to teach respect to and for their child.  The child is an extension of both parents, aren't they, even the other parent?  Many unintentional selfish acts against the other parent are just a passing emotion or reaction for the parents, but are a forever hurt for the child.

Selling

I love that the companies I represent each contribute to charities and / or offer the customers a chance to contribute.  In May, Pampered Chef is offering their annual Help Whip Cancer® products.  Here is a link to see all of the wild products they are offering this year - ttp://www.pamperedchef.com/images/public/us/pdf/gs_11may.pdf.  If you would like to order any of these items, please go to  http://www.pamperedchef.biz/auntjanetskitchen to place an order.  Thanks!

Question

The key to wisdom is this -
constant and frequent questioning.

For by doubting, we are led to question;

and by questioning, we arrive at the truth.

Peter Abelard

As a child, I was encouraged to question.  There were no stupid questions, but, at times, the answers were evaded.  Not necessarily because my parents did not want to answer, but because sometimes there was no explanation, or there were multiple answers to one question.  A discussion would proceed, allowing us to think, debate, concede, and /or acknowledge the truth, if there was one.

By questioning, I gained knowledge, learning not to take anything as the truth until all the facts were gathered. 

In my current occupation, I had little technical education when I first started.  At the time I went to college, computers took up rooms, and we mostly communicated to the computers through punch cards.  I learned to number the punch cards because, as in my own experience, they come shooting out of the card reader, I could put them back together in the order they were suppose to be.  In fact, my degree has nothing to do with computers and my present occupation.

When I began my venture into a computer occupation, personal computers were few, and the internet was almost non-existent.  I learned how to solve problems by asking the right people, reviewing the manuals, reading books, and trying.  Yes, I did take a couple of classes, but it was the questions I asked that solved the problems I faced.

Questioning is a search for the truth.  I find others sometimes questioning the existence of God.  In my mind, they are on a search for the truth, and the Truth will come in its own time.  Each one of us have different experiences that led us to the Truth, for, without the questioning, is it really the Truth felt inside the heart, or just a vague understanding of what is?  Maybe my parents' urging to question is why my deep faith goes back so far, as a child with many questions.

Grandpa's Stories

Now, please remember that my dad was sometimes blunt, and had a great sense of humor.  He would say: "If you assume, you make an ass out of you and me."  Think, question, and never assume, because, what you believe to be the truth, may end up being false and lead you astray.

Money Making

Once again, the holiday is upon us.  If you do on-line shopping, please help a friend (me) and shop from my blog.  I make money when anyone goes to a store from my blog - not much, but pennies add up.  I'm going to try to update the links so that you can take advantage of the many sales going on now.  (Is it me, or does everyone think that they're advertising earlier this year?)

Aunt Janet's Famous Sayings

"Remember when..."  It was a time of complete devastation for my niece and nephew.  One arm around my small niece on one side, and the other around my little nephew on the other, I held them as they sobbed with all their heart.  Then, suddenly, my niece's hair became entangled in my dangling earring, and the sobbing stopped, and the laughing began.  We could not get her hair out of the earring.  When questioned if God is listening, I remind them by starting "Remember when..."  They remember, and, in their heart, they know only God could have turned their sorrow into laughter.

Learning by questioning,
Aunt Janet

I Did It!

It almost feels like make-believe. My first thought was, 'I did it! I finally did it!' I knew I could, but I finally did it.

Phil Mickelson

Today I feel a sense of accomplishment. I figured out something that I've been toying with for a couple of months. It's not perfect, but it's a start, and I did it!

I personally prefer to feel the rush of accomplishment when I reach that goal, solve that problem, or get past that obstacle. Some prefer the pat on the back, the standing ovation, and the acknowledgment from colleagues. It's a personal preference, but it feels so good when you finally get something.

Just remember, if no one is around, do a jig, give a holler, and pat yourself on the back. Be proud - you did it!

Money Making Tip

Okay, here is what I did. I am so excited. I created my own on-line store! It's called Aunt Janet's Attic. It's my on-line Tag Sale. Right now, I've posted never used scrapbooking items. You purchase the items right from the sight, and you can decide whether you want to pick it up or have it delivered. It will even calculate the shipping. You pay for the items through Paypal. Please take a minute to check out my items. Quantities are very limited (it's a tag sale), but it will let you know if it is out of stock. Just click on the Aunt Janet's Attic Sign above, and it will take you right to the site. I will put a link under My Ways to Make Money for future Blogs.

I'm going to test this site for 6 months. If I make money on it, it will continue. I have hope! If you like it, or see items that you think a friend would like, please tell them about my new site. Thanks!

Just keep trying,
Aunt Janet

This Too Shall Pass

This Too Shall Pass

If I can endure for this minute
Whatever is happening to me,
No matter how heavy my heart is
Or how dark the moment may be-

If I can remain calm and quiet
With all the world crashing about me,
Secure in the knowledge God loves me
When everyone else seems to doubt me-

If I can but keep on believing
What I know in my heart to be true,
That darkness will fade with the morning
And that this will pass away, too-

Then nothing in life can defeat me
For as long as this knowledge remains
I can suffer whatever is happening
For I know God will break all of the chains

That are binding me tight in the darkness
And trying to fill me with fear-
For there is no night without dawning
And I know that my morning is near.

...Helen Steiner Rice

I needed this poem today. Somedays I get overwhelmed with my debt and not paying what is due, and today is one of them. Time to Let Go and Let God - there is nothing else I can do. Please keep me in your prayers.

For those of you who were also touched by this poem, I pray that God gives you strength to endure.

Selling Stickers

I am selling each of the following stickers for 80 cents each, plus shipping. One of each - first come, first serve. If you would like any of these stickers, please email me at auntjanetjwlr@sbcglobal.net. (Don't laugh. 80 cents build up.)