Graduating on Time!

Guest post of the week by Moises Henderson

Who would have thought I would actually graduate on time? If you had known me in high school you would be surprised I even got into a four-year university and here I am on the Dean's list about to graduate with dual degrees. I really buckle down after that first year in college when I was on academic probation, and I'm really proud to say that come the student I've always wanted to be. I got high speed internet service at home to help me keep up with my studies and I've spent a minimum of 10 hours a week in the library outside of classes just making sure I was studying enough. I've never been that great at tests which is why I struggled for so long that now that I actually learned material instead of trying to stumble my way through I'm a much better student than before. Honestly, I just can't wait to get out in the real world and start making a difference with this education I've acquired over the last few years.

I found another giveaway!!!

There isn’t much time left so if you want a chance to win 25 dollar gift certificate to ErinCondren.com and buy your someone special somethin’ special, visit Life According to Crystal and enter. Be sure and follow the rules or your entries don’t count. I’m entering myself so good luck to y’all!!

My continuing obsession....

Did I mention how much I love pens??

OMG!!!

I guess I got it from my Mom because she ALWAYS had a multitude of pens at her disposal. Now I’m the same way! Tonight I took my daughter over to Wally World (Walmart) to get some Twizzlers for a project they have to do in class tomorrow. Since I’m plotting to soon have an Erin Condren Life Planner, I decided I would buy some special pens just for my future planner! Silly? Nah, just being hopeful. Besides, if I don’t win, I have some really cool new pens and pencils. I guess I’ve become quite the PaperMate fan with all the recent purchases J .

1- flair markers, ink joy pens, mechanical pencils & a pencil pouch

I also got a cute pencil pouch so they won’t be all over the place. Then I heard a VistaPrint commercial on the Wally world overhead system. They mentioned all the cool holiday gifts they have in addition to making business cards. Who woulda thought? That got me to thinking about Valentine’s Day and then I bought a box of cards for Cali’s class, and two for my hubby. I hope he likes ‘em!

My Latest Obsession

Erin Condren Life Planners!!!

Candy Lace in Multi design

Since I was a little girl I've loved loved loved loved organizing. I always made lists and took notes and I loved anything to do with an office. I was that kid you could take to any appointment. Adults thought I was well behaved, but I was really just enthralled with all the lingo and the paper manipulation. Back in those days the closest things to computers were calculators and typewriters (typewriters....what are those :-D). Now that I'm all grown up and smack in this digital era, I am still obsessed with organizing. I love planners and I own many of them from basic to really expensive, and I have both paper and electronic planners. As much as I try to go digital I still find myself going back to paper. I can't get the gratification of physically checking a box or crossing an item off a list on something electronic. It just doesn't work. So I've been on the hunt for a new planner and stumbled across these Erin Condren Life Planners. I've watched lots of videos and read countless reviews and have decided......(drum roll) I MUST HAVE ONE!!! I've spent I don't know how long on her website and created my perfect planner. I haven't ordered because right now, I just can't swing $50 bucks on a planner when it could go towards something bigger. So.....I stumbled upon this blog called Live in my Heart and she's giving a away a 50 dollar voucher!!! Check it out here at Live in my Heart.. 

I figure if I'm gonna get one I'll probably have to win it so I entered. Good luck!!

It's February now....

Just two more days til my baby girl's 11th birthday......and 13 days to what would have been my mom's 68th birthday. I miss her so much. It hasn't been a year since she passed and I still want to call her and just shoot the shit and hear her goofy laugh. I can still remember what she sounds like. I have some pictures and a few things of hers. I think about her everyday. When I wake up she is the first thing I think about and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep. Its more like pass out. I haven't slept well since she died and its taking a toll on me. I'm forgetful and sometimes hard to live with. I never used to be like that. I want to visit momma's grave again. The last time I was there was my birthday and her vulture brothers and sisters didn't even put a marker on her grave after they pilfered her estate and stole everything. I hope there's something there when I go back.

I'm taking Cali shopping for her birthday if the weather isn't bad tomorrow. Otherwise we'll go on Superbowl Sunday which falls on her day this year. She's so excited. I hope I can pull myself outta this funk before then or I won't be much fun for her. I really need something to look forward to.

20 days in......

Well its 20 days into the new year. I am so glad 2011 it's said and done. It went down as the most topsy turvy year of my life. My Mother died in April. I was blacksheeped by my family afterward. They even tried to kill me and my husband at the funeral home during the planning meeting. An uncle stabbed my husband while an aunt sliced my arm open. Six of my seven uncles jumped my husband but my baby ain't no punk. Every last one of them knew they'd been in a brawl with my man. They came with canes and left with lumps and limps. Even at the funeral the bastards tried to act like nothing happened. I told them to get the fuck away from us.....right in the church! They locked me out of my mother's house and stole the car she left me. They took everything in the house too. My wedding dress was there and I was saving it for my daughter. Pictures that I'll never get to see again. Toys I can't give to my kids and their kids cause they were stolen from me. I still struggle with all that I went thru last year. I still grieve for my mom. I've only been to her grave once since we buried her. Never ever have I spent a birthday without being with my mom. When my 40th rolled around last year I went to her grave. I spent about an hour looking for her because those assholes never marked her grave! It broke my heart. After all they did to keep me away from what my mother intended her only child to have, they didn't even mark her grave. They'll all burn in hell for what they've done. Now that I think about it, they started paying after they assaulted us. As a matter of fact, that very day the rains and winds came. Memphis got hit with floods and tornados like it hadn't seen in 100 years. Every neighborhood that got hit hard by tornado or flood or both were places that a relative lived. Some places were untouched. Not very many, but I come from a huge family and they are spread out over Memphis. Everywhere they live there was destruction. The rain lasted for days and days. The Mississippi River flooded and they were calling it the 100 year flood. Unbelievable? Look it up. If I didn't live it I wouldn't believe it either. Check my facts. I live about 150 away from Memphis so I watched it all on the news. It hardly rained where I live.

Thanx Mommy.

The rest of 2011 came and went, thank God, and now I wearily tread the days of 2012. I try to stay strong. Some days are harder than others but I manage with my wonderful husband and awesome kids. I know I'm luckier than most and get on my knees and thank my Lord for that.....no doubt. I know he never gives us more than we handle but damn! Sometimes its just too much and we need a little break ya know? The break I'm allowing myself is to just take it one day at a time and I'll be fine. Gotta keep my sanity right? Right?

Enjoying a show my kids can't

Guest post written by Mary Henderson

I'm very active in monitoring what my kids are watching on TV. I remember that growing up I would watch some things that weren't age appropriate. But then again, I doubt that any of that stuff was nearly as bad as some things on TV now. That doesn't mean that I can't enjoy them though. One of my favorite shows I won't let my kids watch but I enjoy is It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
It seems like the time between last season and the current season was so long, so I've been using my Sacramento wireless internet to look up all kinds of hints and spoilers as to what I could expect from it this season.
This Sunny new season looks pretty promising. Mac has quite the story line with his weight gain. You also have to love Frank and Charlie. I started watching because of Danny Devito, so I love keeping up with his character. I loved in the first episode that they took Charlie out on a blind date and he pretended to be some millionaire from Texas.

Guest post

m a salon owner, but a lot of my business comes from doing hair in locations that I've never been to before. For example, when a bride gets married, she will often hire me and my staff to come to her hotel room and do everyone's hair. This is a lot of fun for us, but we have to take all of our tools with us, including our global Internet connection (click here for details). I like to be able to look up different hairstyles to show the girls at a moments notice, it is nice to be able to check my e-mail for other client’s communication while I'm on a break at work. I hate being out of touch and I consider it very unprofessional to not be available to my clients, so I definitely think mobile Internet is a worthwhile expense for my business. I strive to be the best stylist in this city and I think my professionalism goes a long way towards earning me that title among my clients and peers.

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The New Year is here......

I'm almost afraid to ask what's next. After the disaster that was 2010, I'm just glad it's over and i pray for a better year. I also realize a lot of that is in my hands too.

I've decided to forego the traditional resolution setting and go for goal setting instead. I know that's it's basically the same thing, but my approach will be different. I have the specific goal of creating an income for my family. This economy isn't getting any better like our retarded government would like for us to believe. Nobody is hiring anyone that hasn't worked in over 2 years. I haven't worked in over 3 and Congress doesn't give a shit about me or the other 99ers so that leaves me no choice but to create my own income.

What am i gonna do?

That remains to be seen. Right now my focus is doing well in school and taking care of my family.

Well, this is one thing i can check off my todo list. With some willpower I'll keep up my blogging and see where that takes me.

Merry New Year!!!

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Don't sit on your hands.....act now!!!

That's what I'd like to tell Congress when it comes to a new bill that was introduced August 4th of this year. It's been more than a month and there's been no significant movement on it.

CONGRESS!! DON'T SIT ON YOUR HANDS ANYMORE!!!

There are millions of long-term unemployed people out there (myself included) that have run completely out of benefits, but still unable to secure employment. Can you imagine how depressing it is to be by from a 22-year old McDonald's manager that they won't hire you because you're too experienced, or they'll say they know you'll leave the minute you find something better? Very! It angers me to no end when I read about some conservative Republican that more unemployment would be like welfare or it would stop the receivers from looking for jobs. That's so untrue!! I, for one, have continued to look for employment. I miss working! I can't stand feeling like I'm not contributing to my family's way of life. Unemployment insurance is NOT welfare.....it's insurance! I've worked since I was 16 years old. I've paid into my state's unemployment fund for more than 30 years and I deserve access to those funds to help take care of my family and other financial obligations while I look for a job. Nobody is "handing" me the money, it's MY money! We've had to trade down from our dream car to a shadow of what it was. We've moved from a huge, modern and gorgeous townhouse to duplex 1/3 the size. We've had to turn to charitable organizations for Christmas for our kids. I'm now on anti-depressant medication because I've been so low that I couldn't get out of bed. When I was receiving unemployment it made things a lot easier, but it was still hard. My unemployment is only half what my salary was. It's been so long since my unemployment ended, getting it back now would almost feel like winning the lottery! 

All I'm hoping for is that Congress doesn't make us, the millions of long-term unemployed, wait like you did last year around this time. It was torture watching and listening to you all argue and speculate and even lie to stall and punish us. Please don't put us through that again. Unemployment compensation is still a necessity for us. It's a desperately needed lifeline. The holiday's are looming again. Remember, we're the ones that put you in the positions you're in now. We still have the power to keep you there. If you truly care about us, Americans, pass S.3706 Americans want to work act now!!