Are Christians REALLY Christian???

(Thanks JoAnn for sharing this!):


First they came for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one
left to speak up for me.

-Rev. Martin Niemoller, 1945


So, I have been listening to VCY America for years.  I love listening to the sermons "Grace to You" and "Back to the Bible".  And until recently, I have always enjoyed "Revive our Hearts" and "Truths that Transform".  While I was listening to "Revive" a couple weeks ago, I became extremely agitated over the interview with a mother and a daughter who wrote a book about what its like to grow up as a christian child.  During the interview, the mother stated, "As a parent, I made sure that I monitored every single person and child my children were friends with and dissuaded certain ones based on their backgrounds."  Ok, yes, any good mother does monitor and keep track of who her children are friends with, to protect them.  But when she stated that she told her daughter to limit her friendship with a young lady because her parents were divorced and the young lady's father was now engaged in a homosexual relationship, I became agitated.  Ok, as a parent of a young impressionable child, yes, a lifestyle different than your own isn't a good idea to expose your child to and most definitely, please do limit your child's time in that person's home.  BUT...  Now, here is where I have an issue.  If you are really a christian, and you truly are trying to teach your child about 'life', WHY would you forbid your child from bringing a friend to your home based on his or her parents living situations?  I, in particular, would most definitely INCLUDE said child in my home life to show them a 'different style home', so that said child was exposed to other living situations.  I thought that "christianity" meant tolerance; I thought it meant patience; I thought it meant teaching about God's Love for ALL his children.  I let it go.


Then, today, I am listening to "Truths that Transform" and I hear a blurb about "Gays" being truly "evil".  Ok, so now, this form of so-called "christianity" has gone TOO FAR!  I do not care if you are green, black, blue, gay, straight, a prostitute, a priest or a devil worshiper, but seriously???  There is absolutely NO reason to indiscriminately lump every single person into a singular act based on one person's take on a situation.  


IF you are going to call yourself a christian, then how about acting like one?  How about learning a little tolerance, patience and remembering that God's Love is for EVERYONE?  Unless, of course, you can point out in the bible exactly where it says "And God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever should believe in him shall have everlasting life - except for... (select groups, types of people, certain races, etc)"  IF you can show me the except for line that specifically states that...  then I take back what I said.


In the meantime, I shall pray for you... and hope you see the light!


Hugs!
Til Later!
Tracy

Tupperware - Best Value around!

As a Tupperware Consultant, I am often asked "Why is it so expensive?"  My short answer is "Because Tupperware is a LIFETIME investment!"

Let's say you are a family of four and you all take a lunch every day, from home for school or work.  And if your husband is anything like mine, he prefers TWO sandwiches.  (as did each of my boys!)  So, right there, you are making 5 sandwiches a day (or, you EACH are making your own lunch! ;) ) You are using an average of 1250 sandwich bags a year or roughly $100.  If you purchase Tupperware's sandwich keepers at $13.00 per set of 2, and get 3 sets, that's $36.00.  Notice I didn't say 'a year'?   Because that investment is for a LIFETIME!  And in the first year of use, you have saved $64.00!  And now that you aren't buying sandwich bags every year, just using your same containers, year after year...  You have an extra $100 to put into something else!

My other favorite items from Tupperware are Modular Mates.  These handy containers save $100s in groceries every year for me!  The Super Cereal Storer is a great one!  It keeps my cereal fresher for a LOT longer!  The baking set helps me save flour that I'd otherwise have to repurchase every baking season.  Plus, my least used items are brown sugar and powdered sugar, which both come in 1 lb bags.  (Unless you are a mega baker, you don't go through that much of either one at one time!)  Personally, I use about 1 cup of each, once a year.  Of course, if you bake like I do, that's a purchase of 'one bag a year' since in its original bag, it doesn't stay fresh until I need it again.  In the Modular Mate Oval 2, I can put 1 lb of each, use what I need and it stays FRESH until I need it again!  My brown sugar???  NO CLUMPING and NO hard bricks, just nice soft ready to use brown sugar!

My next favorite piece is my Insulated Tumbler.  I use it daily for water!  What I love most about this is that I can put ice in it every morning and my water stays nice and COLD throughout the day.  And if I tip it over, very little liquid spills out of it, only the small amount in the straw.

Would you like help learning how to save your family money?

Drop me an email and I can show you how to save money and earn your Tupperware for FREE!!!

And then it clicks!

I am like a lot of my friends and appreciate a GOOD DEAL!   What makes me appreciate a good deal even more is that I have a very limited income.  This morning, I am going through my emails and I happen upon the usual array of "Weight Watchers" advertising, sales at Barnes & Noble, Walmart special deals online only, etc.  And then the next one comes in the form of my daily digest from Flylady.  Flylady is an AWESOME system for getting you on track and doing things in a more organized manner. (Particularly if you are as easily sidetracked as I am, from time to time!)  Flylady Shop offers a LOT of awesome stuff to help make your life and home easier to deal with, organize and keep it clutter free.  And I am the first one to agree, America is built around making money where you can.  But seriously????  There are some 'tips' that should remain free.

Let's start with menu planning.  Once you have planned your menu for a full year, 52 weeks, 12 months of daily meals, YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY TO GET A MENU EACH WEEK!  Go back and utilize your menus from last year.  Its June, do you really think that anyone in your family is going to remember that you served the exact same things last June 20th?  And if you have been doing Flylady since 1999 the same as I have been (Yes that is 12 years) you have LOTS of options to choose from!  IF you really are out of ideas, drop me an email, I will share some ideas and 'tips' with you ABSOLUTELY FREE!

Exercise:  I watch the infomercials too!  I LOVE watching Billy Blank's Tae Bo workouts myself!  But let me point something out to you, ALL of the exercises shown in EVERY single infomercial, video, 'new format', have actually been around for YEARS!  Is your memory really that short that you have forgotten doing those exact same things during gym class back in 19--????  I know this is NOT unique to the state of WI, but we have this AWESOME interlibrary system that works wonders!  You look up the title of what you want (Books, music, videos, magazines, etc) put it in the request system, and wait for the library to call you up and say "Hey, your item is in!"  (I actually receive an email instead to help the library save on the cost of phone use too!)  And a couple of my friends pointed out, "But yeah, you can only borrow them for a week or two!"  HEY!  THAT IS A GREAT THING!!!  This way your workout doesn't get stale, you get to try something new every week or two, and you can figure out which workouts you really do like the best BEFORE you invest a ton of money on stuff you actually won't use more than once or twice.

One of my FAVORITE places in the entire world to hang out at is The Public Library.  What I love most about this place is that it provides me with the opportunity to get my entertaining reading, reference materials, exercise resources.  My last favorite part about the library? Education!!!  Any subject in the world that I am interested in, I can get from the library!  I can study up on it and decide if its something I am truly interested in enough to spend the money taking those classes.

Now, you are right, not every library system carries EVERYTHING we are always looking for.  That's when I suggest taking advantage of another system in our country:  Second Hand Stores.   Goodwill, St. Vincent DePauls, Once upon a Time, Second Time Around, Half Price Books (http://www.hpb.com/stores/), Play It Again, GameStop....  Those are a few of the 'chain' stores I frequent here in WI.  But check your local listings for second hand and thrift stores in your area.  (And yeah, certain items are probably NOT a good idea to take out of these shops such as appliances that could harbor 'bugs', pillows/mattresses that might have 'bed bugs')

If you don't see something listed here, by all means, drop me an email!  I am sure I have the resource available for you!

Til Later!

HUGS!

Tracy

All I am saying is....

That I am tired of people blowing smoke up my backside and telling me its for my own good.  So-called conservatives keep telling me that "I" am a liberal because I don't go along with all these back alley deals being made in Madison to SAVE the big corporations in WI.  You would be the same people who are also supporting buying products made in other countries.  I have friends that sell so MANY products made outside the US that its not funny!   Seriously???  You want to know what's wrong with this country?  Its that we RECEIVE and SELL more goods and services that are produced OUTSIDE of this country than we do products made in the great UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!  How many of you own a Keurig coffee maker?  Produced by a company called "Simatelex" that manufactures their product in Shenzhen, CHINA!   How many of you purchase the majority of your goods from Walmart, whose largest WORLDWIDE manufacturer of toys, clothing, etc are made in CHINA?  While everyone is busy reading labels on their food content to get the least processed foods for their diets, they are not paying attention to the fact that the beef they just purchased came from Argentina.  WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!  You are so busy whining about the fact that so called 'liberals' are running this country into the ground that you are SUPPORTING PRODUCTS THAT ARE NOT MANUFACTURED IN THIS COUNTRY, thus running the country into the ground even further!

UGH!  Get off your high horse and start paying BETTER attention to what's really going on here.  Small businesses, mom & pops, and "Made in the US" businesses are being DRIVEN OUT OF BUSINESS because you all are too damned busy fighting the WRONG FIGHT that you quit supporting "BUY US" and "BUY LOCAL" businesses.  You complain about the high costs of purchasing stuff, but at the same time, IT IS YOUR OWN FAULT!  You CHOSE to go to BIG BOX store to buy your goods and services because they were cheaper, that you quit looking at your products and services and finding out where they are made, and support companies that DO NOT PURCHASE local goods or made in the US goods any longer and are buying in bulk from Taiwan, China, and other countries just so you can save a buck and drive the local businesses expenses up.  Because you quit buying locally grown produce, meats, etc, you drove our grocery costs higher.  Because YOU are not telling your government to FIGHT HARDER for locally produced fuels and green energy, you are driving up the cost of our fuels by supporting companies who transport their oils and other fuels from OTHER COUNTRIES.  Because YOU are supporting the LARGE corporations, YOU are forcing jobs to be sent overseas and then calling ME names because YOU were too stupid to see that YOU cost your country to die out.

The problem with this country is there are too many people fighting for the rights of other countries and citizens not of this country that everyone quit fighting FOR this country.   You call me a liberal, you call me whatever the hell you want to call me, but my fundamental thoughts are Start fighting for your damned country people!  QUIT letting our government CONTINUE to support NON-US GOODS AND SERVICES to be sold within our borders! QUIT BUYING FOREIGN PRODUCED PRODUCTS!  START WATCHING MORE THAN YOUR LABELS ON FOOD CONTENT AND PAY ATTENTION TO WHERE THEY ARE COMING FROM!

Tell YOUR congress men and women "SUPPORT THE US AND SUPPORT OUR STATE" and ENCOURAGE TAX BREAKS FOR LOCAL COMPANIES OVER FOREIGN TRADE ENTITIES!  And if that is liberal, then I AM A LIBERAL!  I WANT OUR GOODS AND SERVICES TO CONTINUE TO BE LOCALLY PRODUCED, MANUFACTURED, AND PROVIDED!

And if you don't like it, you can kiss my MADE IN THE US BUTT!

Its all about the CHANGE

A few years ago, I made a change in my life that impacted my life forever; I opted to finishing raising my children alone.  For many people, that is a daunting task, particularly when faced with three teen-aged boys and a preteen girl.  What astounded me the most was not the task itself, but the feedback I got from people I had known for years!  For 15 years, I was in a relationship that troubled me a great deal.  We had the basics, but it seemed we struggled all the time.  Every couple of years, it felt like we had to start over from scratch, each and every time.  Moving to a new place, starting a new job, acclimating to a new area or surrounding.  It felt, at times, like a vicious circle I couldn't break out of or a carnival ride you just can't stop.  It wasn't an easy decision to end a 15 year relationship and it definitely was not an easy decision to let the kids decide where they wanted to live and grow up.

I spent the next 5 years working, reclaiming my life and discovering more about myself.  This is when I started getting feedback.  Friends from high school commented that they hadn't seen me this happy in years.  People I had previously worked with commented that I was looking younger and younger every day and seemed a whole new person.  Even my mother commented that I was easier to get along with and talk to more rationally about everything.  It didn't really click 'why' until I started rereading Anthony Robbins "Unlimited Power".  Its about making consistent changes daily, and keep making those changes until you get the results you want!

Hey, if you don't like what's going on in your life, ONLY YOU have the ability to change it and make it what YOU want it to be!  Its all about the CHANGE!  Make the changes YOU want!

Until later!
HUGS!

Tracy

Struggling

I have been struggling with a variety of things lately.  Being 'unemployed' is very depressing.  Every week, I file my unemployment claim, I go running around filling out applications and sending out resumes.  I peruse careerbuilder.com, Yahoo HOT jobs (which by the way, aren't always so 'hot'), and monster.com.  I get daily emails from various employment boards and newspapers for various jobs and still NOTHING!  Since I lost my job in January, I have submitted over 800 applications/resumes and had only '3' job interviews.

Then, it doesn't help that my car blew up, and we are at the present moment down to one car, which is tied to the schedule of the breadwinner in the family!  (Not complaining, just explaining! ;) )  And I hate to be the bearer of bad news to the car listers on Craigs List, but it is NOT a good runner if its missing key components that make it run (ie, motor, transmission, tires, drive shaft etc)  Bills, let's not discuss those....  hard to pay them with no cashflow!  ;)  And I also realize that the day to day life demands that I put on my husband are also not a big help to either of us, but they have to be taken care of.

As with all struggles, there is good that can come from it.  We have good health, for the most part.  (Hey, we are getting older, parts are going to wear out! ;) )  We have a home, we have our kids, we have each other and really, in the broad picture of things, we are not doing all that bad!  I take a moment every single day and thank God for the blessings he has given us!  We have great friends, we have internet, we have the basics we need, and if we were without a few things, we would still survive!  I am grateful for the life that God has given me and the opportunities that will come, in the future.  Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but they will come!  And even with the cashflow issues, I am rich beyond my wildest dreams in so many other areas!

Hugs!

Til Later!

Tracy

Remember our Troops and say prayers

Normally, I don't post about the television I watch.  In this case, I will make an exception.  Army Wives is in its 5th season and I have faithfully followed every episode.  Most of the time, the loss of life we see on the show is just from residual characters who have spent less than a couple of episodes on the show.  Last night, however, a character died that has been on the show every single season.  We have watched him grow from a graduating teen into an adult over the past 5 years.  At approximately 23 years of age, Jeremy Sherwood is roughly the same age as my own three sons.  The war is highlighted in the current season and has always been a poignant part of the show.  The show is about the struggles of Army life for the wives who are here at home, struggling every day, waiting to hear from their soldier, hoping they come home alive.  As the mom of a military soldier, I know the potential for loss and am grateful that my own son did come home from Afghanistan alive and unharmed.  The loss of Jeremy Sherwood from Army Wives will be felt for a long time.  I ask that everyone remember, while Army Wives is just a show, it is showing us another side of our current reality.   Remember the troops we still have in Iraq and Afghanistan and say prayers for their families and friends and hope that they don't have to suffer this kind of loss.

Support our Troops!  Bring them home ALIVE!

Til later,
HUGS!

Tracy