Community/Friendships~The loss art 5 of 5

This is the last installment of this series.

I wanted to add a conclusion on, outgrowing friendships.

 As stated, friendships and community is important, but what about the people that the Lord places in our lives, only for a season.

One person I talked with, said that, there is simply no need for community any more because we have all the connection that we can possibly want on-line. This, and we have cell phones, and texting now. We are so plugged in, that we do not have that “inner desire” for human contact, and face to face community.
Hmmm, I slept on that one, and it really does make a whole lot of sense.
 Listening to the average person who has, and partakes in all these things….I can see where one would feel completely exhausted by the time they hit the sack.

Apparently, some folks wake up by the sound of their cell phone ringing, no, not the alarm, but phone call ringing at the crack of dawn…

GOOD MORNING!!

They hop in the shower, come out to find that they missed 3 calls and a couple of text messages. They return them on their way to school, or work.
During their work, they have an open window of social networks open. They run outside, or in the bathroom for a quick phone call. They leave work, or school.. a friend wants to have coffee..but there is just no time.

They go through a drive through to order up dinner, returning 2 more missed cell phone calls, trying to text one back at the red light.

Come home, listen to the kids talk about their day….walk over to the PC, or better yet, head in their bedroom with their laptop, check email, which is soooooo old fashion now adays! lol Log onto a social network, read about the lives and headers of their 100+ friends. Send out a few wall posts, glance over their personal messages that they have received during the day, but there is no time to answer them or reply to them because the little window on the social networking site keeps popping up with numerous friends wanting to chat.

Wanna Chat?

Then.. just as you are considering to write a blog, you hear that dreadful sound..what is that sound???? Oh, it is the HOME PHONE!! OMGOSH, why is that old thing bothering me?

Doesn’t whoever is trying to call me, have my email, or better yet, aren’t they one of my friends on my social network?

What is a girl to do?
Well, for me…I UNPLUGGED! I needed a time to just do one thing, and one thing only. Lately, that one thing has been blogging, as I try to deprogram everything else.

This started plugging away at me a couple months ago.  I started thinking about my friends. How is it that I have about 6 IRL friends, and over 20 on-line, whom I never met?

I do not want IRL opportunities to pass me by any longer.

Shaking head no!

When you come to this realization, that you talk more to people whom you have never met, then the community all around you..then there is a slight problem.
Maybe some people are loving these new distant friendships..but not me.

The next issues, regarding community and friendships, that were brought up in a recent discussion were..

Is it possible to outgrow a friendship?

My answer is YES!

Being a believer, I do believe that the Lord places “seasonal friendships” in our paths.

Whether it be, a confidaunt’ that you desperately need at a particular time in your life, or a seasonal friend that is more of a guardian angel…

These friendships are real, and they do happen..but they also cease…
But what about friends that you just out grow, one person asked me…

 
1.~What about the co-worker that you  always had lunch with?  Maybe she  quits and you really have nothing in common with her anymore, but she is still calling you to get together for lunch?

OR,

2. What about the co-worker that got pregnant and quit her job to be a full time mommy. Maybe you are forever single, and feel as if you have no common interest anymore..
What do you do?

 

You get the picture…

 
For  me, if a friendship is a seasonal one, it will just dissolve naturally. (And YES, I think seasonal friendships are VERY hard to handle!)

I find, in most situations, You will never have to tell someone that the friendship was seasonal..  That would be awkard. Right?

It will just happen, organically.

 

Other reasons why some friendships may cease, may be, but not limited too:

1. You just do not have anything at all in common anymore.

 2. Your friend moves away.

3. Your co-worker left the job. 

4.  You just need a break from the drama…

But all in all…For every door that closes…a new one is sure to open!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For every door that closes, a new one opens...

Advertisement

Community~ The Loss Art~Part 4 of 5

Regarding today’s “lack of” community/friendship. I have found there are 3 groups of people. We all fall into one of these groups it appears.

1. Don’t Bother Me, and I won’t bother you!

This group of people like their privacy. They generally move out to the county or mountains, for this reason alone.

They have a few close friends from child-hood, or maybe college, that they managed to keep in touch with through snail mail through-out the years, and now since technology has  taken  over the world, they do speak slightly more often, as the puter, and cell, will forever remain close by. Or will it? And if it doesn’t, what then?

 They will remain friends till death due them part. This is all they need!  Do not ask them to get together during the week for coffee or tea, and forget about that danish or bagel! And most definitely, do not invite them over your house for a BBQ on the weekends.

~As they are too busy with work & life, and if they are Christians, then they  also have church obligations to attend too. Throw in the children if they have any, and when none of these things are shouting out for their attention..they just want to be left alone in the privacy of their home, with no intruders knocking on the door, or pestering them to come over.

Intruders? Is that what people have been belittled down too? Whether you are a believer or not, what about Loving your neighbor?  What about Hospitality? Are those Loss Arts too?

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:2

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 1 Peter 4:9

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Romans 12:13

 

I know that everyone does not naturally have the gift of Hospitality, and I fully realize that just because the bible says something, does not mean that we need to do it by our “own” means. That would be impossible to try to accomplish by ourself, and if we did, we would surely become a legalist faster then ever.

If this is the case tough, what is it about Christ that we are not getting, that is allowing us to shun everyone that is not in our click, and never invite others into our lives? Sure, we have all been hurt, some more then others, but is this reason enough to give up and throw in the towel on humanity? Evidently, most folks seem to think so.

NEXT:

2. If your family, that is fine, come on over..If I have known you for a veryyyyyy long time, and you are like-minded, come on over. Other wise, LEAVE ME ALONE!  But…God Bless you, and Have a nice day too!

These folks are so wrapped up in their own cocoons, that they will hate you, but you’d never know it, because they will agree with you, that you need to hook up real soon, but you never actually do.

 They will bless, and curse you, with their charming words of mannerism.  This gives a whole new meaning to; “Out of the mouth, the heart speaks”

Next:

3. ~The Needys~ People who only contact you when they NEED something from you. Haven’t we all had one, or more of these type of friends?  You don’t hear from them for weeks and months on end. But you eventually get that call out of the blue….NOT to find out how things are…but ONLY to ask  you for something. They do not “really” want to know how you have been, it is just their good manners to ask. If you have the gift of discernment, you know what I am talking about here. You can feel it!

 These type of people need to learn to love people, and use things, instead of using people, and loving things. 

Lastly:

4. OK, so maybe their are 4 groups of people..

People who are simply looking for fellowship. Fellowship that is TRUE, and REAL,  is not judge-mental,controlling, or religious. People who will NOT  place their religion, ABOVE relationships. People that will just accept you as you are, and love you regardless. People that will grow with you, not against you.

Doesn’t that sound GREAT?

 

So, are you a number 1,2,3 or 4?

 

Cat-Poo Coffee, and Coffee in General

 

Y’all know I *Heart* my coffee just as much as the next girl. I even prefer expensive coffee , and am called a coffee snob. Yes, I  go to Starbucks  and Brew Nerds is my favorite place to relax  with a good Brew. They also have a great place outside for the kids to play, and a beautiful water fountain.

Back home I only drank Dunkin Donuts coffee.  I think that was the only place to go where we lived. They had Starbucks, but it was really far. So every Sunday, we’d go out for a treat before church and get our Dunkin Donuts coffees. :o)

I will drink the cheap stuff,  if that is all there is…Folgers,Maxwell House,Clock’full of beans, or is that nuts, and the alike.

 Afterall, it is just as much “the company” in which you share the coffee with. I tell ya, I have had some nasty coffee in my day, but with good company sipping it along with ya, it taste like liquid Gold! Perhaps this falls under the social aspect of it. Sharing coffee with a friend, just feels right.

My family has been though 8 coffee makers in the past decade. We  currently are using the Hamilton Beach coffee maker, which looks like this. There is a more expensive model then this one that has a coffee filter, and grinder built in. We use to have that model before we got this one, which can be bought on sale for as little as $30.00

We ALSO have a cheap back up, which is a simple French Press.  You never know if a storm is going to make your power go out. You do not want to find yourself without a fresh cup of brew!  

  My husband is yearning for a coffee house-coffee maker.

 I just can not see spending several hundred dollers on one though. I suppose, if I did the math on how much we spend a year on coffee out, we might as well splurge and buy one. It might be seen as an investment. Of course, I’d pull my hair out if it ever broke!

Moving right along….

We went to Starbucks the other night and two coffees came to $6.65. This was actually cheap, because normally it is just under ten dollars for the two. We get the largest size they offer.

I got a simple  ice coffee, and hubby got a basic Caffe Latte, which he wasn’t crazy about.  I ran in, and was trying to be frugal. As frugal as one could be at Starbucks.

So what if we had a pricy coffee maker at home??  Would this mean we would never treat ourselves to a brew while out and about? I just do not think so. It is fun to go out and have a little treat. While other go to the movies, out to dinner,etc. We go out for coffee!

So where else do we get coffee from?

There is  a Gas station called Sheetz that has a coffee card which is kind of nice. It allows you to get .50 cents off every 2 coffees, and the 10th one is free.  We try to utalize this several time a month too.

Coffee can be a real cheap habit, if you only make it at home and do not have to have cream, raw sugar, etc. OR, it could be  a pricy habit.

The most expensive coffee going right now is over three hundred dollars a POUND! Ringing in at $30 bucks a cup..is the new cat-poo coffee.  Otherwise known as….Kopi Luwak. An animal called a Palm Civet eats the coffee berries and then poops then out. They are then hand sifted and turned into the world’s most expensive coffee. People say that if you like a good Columbian coffee, then this would be the coffee for you. It is said to be Bold, and Robust, with a slight Earthy taste.

 

Would I be daring enough to try this pricy brew?  Probably not.  I will keep my coffee snobbery solely to my bean of choice…The Kona Bean. To me, there is nothing better then Hawaiian Kona Coffee. It is very smooth, and really wakes ya up!

So there you have it… Are you a Coffee Snob? If so, which is your coffee of choice?

Here is the youtube video about the cat poo coffee.

Ahhh, how cute is this Kitty?

I use to beg my mom for one of these when growing up. My mom was a super crazy cat lady, as most of you know. I have blogged about this before. And really, I just wanted to add to the mayhem, but she always said NO! I do not know if it was because these sweet lil’guys cost a grand each, maybe that was it. *Grin*

They are called a Sphynx, for those of you who do not know. They have no fur, so therefore, you do not ever need to groom them, or worry about fleas.

There is something about them that just makes me want to tickle their little wrinkles of skin!!! LOL  The 3rd picture might be seen as a little freaky, but just think..with a little hoop earring in his ear-he would be cute as a button!!

Mine is better than yours!

 

Some of you may not be able to relate to what I am about to share with you. If you are a SAHM, who home-schools her children, is rather old school in your ways…You will know exactly what I am talking about..and may even be able to relate to some degree..

It has been a while since this has happened..A few months at best..

What is it, might you ask?

 

It is…

My kids are better than your kids…
My husband is smarter & more holier than your husband….
My church is better than your church…
My education is better than your education…
My cooking is better than your cooking…
My sewing is better than your sewing…
My homestead is better than your homestead..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The list can actually go on and on..You hopefully can get the idea here, and being the optimistic person that I am truly trying to be..I will assume that these group of ladies, have no idea the game that they play with one another.

That said, tonight was no exception, and being the human that I am…I fell prey to the game once more! DANG!! How I hate this game, and never set out to play it, but end up taking the bait & sinker, each and every time.

~I ran into a lady-friend at the libray tonight. She was a member of a church that I use to belong to. She’s Quiverful,home-schools,home births, KJV only…the whole shabang!

The conversation started off good, How have you been, yada, yada, yada…What church do you belong too nowadays? Are you still homeschooling? How many MORE children have you birthed since I last saw you? You know, The Basic interrogation!

Then, without warning…While in the library bathroom no less, in the stalls…The first statement arrived…

 
Her:I do not know what I’d do without my oldest daughter to help me run things.She is a Gem!
Me: Yeah, I know what you mean.
Her: My daughter can run a whole household, and knows so much.
Me: Yeah, I know what you mean.
Her: My daughter helps out with the little ones so much!! She’s going to make a fine wife and mother.
Me:Yeah, so does my oldest daughter…She helps out a whole lot too.
Her: Yes indeed, She can manage her own and knows how to get it all done!
Me: Yep, so can my oldest. I try to tell her every day, how wonderful &  helpful she is to me. A true blessing from above!
Her: Silence
~We finished up in there with ROUND ONE..and headed for the parking lot while all the kids played.

ROUND 2
Her:You really should visit our church. This new church really tells it like it is, no frills preaching. It is a Holiness Pentecostal. We are glad to be out of that  Baptist church.

Me: That’s nice, but we have no plans to ever go back to a mainstream church, and given that we home-school, it only makes sense to home church too..but not in a service sort of way. For us, it’s about Relationships, NOT Religion.

Her: Yeah, well we had a revival last week that would have knocked your socks off.
Me: That’s nice.
Her:Our preacher went to the vintage schooling. He’s very biblical in his teaching.Knows Gods word inside and out.
Me:I am sure he does. That’s  nice that you have found a place that you enjoy so much.
Her:Our preacher knows the bible better then anyone, well, except maybe my husband. My husband was raised in church, from knee high!
Me: Yeah, My husband knows his bible real well too. He went to bible school back home.
Her: Bible school? My husband is ordained. He can be a preacher himself if he wanted too.
Me: That’s great!
Her: Not only that, BOTH my husbands parents are preachers!!!
Me: Both? Does this mean they both go to different churches?
Her: Well yes, they both know the bible real well, but I am well aware that women have no business preaching Gods word, or teaching for that matter. I mean teaching  the men folk!
Me:Yeah, of course “ALL have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God” All, means everyone! Even the preachers…as I am sure you realize..

Her: We are all sinners.
Me: yep!
 

ROUND 3

Her: Do you do anything crafty?
Me: Yes, I enjoy scrap-booking &  beading.
Her:No, I mean Crafty, like making your own soaps and stuff.
Me: OH, yes, I know how to make my own soaps. I also make my own laundry detergent, dish soap, and toothpaste!
Her:Oh yeah, well I know how to sew, I even know how to make PUFFY SLEEVES!!!!!
Me: WOW! Puffy sleeves?
Her: Yes, I know how to make those there puffy sleeves.
Her: I just wish I had more time to sew. I am very busy all day homeschooling, and when my husband comes home, he needs me.There is just no time to relax.
Me: Oh, Does your husband have a 9-5 job?
Her:No, he works from 6am to 6pm. He is a very hard working man!
Me: Wow, that does not leave too much family time I suppose.
Her:Oh, don’t hear me wrong, My husband does family devotions 7 days a week with all of our kids! Wakes’em up at the crack of dawn BEFORE work, and then again at 1am!

Me: 1am? Like in the night time??
Her: Yes, 1am. He is a man of God after all, and we start at 8pm, but my man can preach the word, and my kids know it!!!
Me: WOW! That is allot of bible time.
Her:Oh? Maybe you would like to join us, now that I know where you live, you are so close!
Me: Join you? Like at 1am you mean?
Her: Oh no, My husband leads a 3 hour service from our home Friday evenings. Many people come over, you can come too!
Me:Lets exchange emails
Her: Emails? The computer is so worldly. My husband does not allow the Internet to be inside the home.

Her:Let me have your cell phone number, I’ll call you.
Me:Oh, I do not have a cell phone, never have, never will! They are wayyyyy to worldly!! *Insert laugh out loud*
Her: *laughing at me laughing* Your too funny, but seriously, what is your cell number?

Me: Seriously, I do not have one..They are wayyyyy too worldly!!
Her: Oh, OK! Ummmmm….*period of silence*
Me: You know I am just kidding right? I don’t have a cell, but here is my land-line number. My husband has a cell though. I am just teasing you. I think it is funny that we all pick and choose what things are worldly, and what things are not.

Her: Oh, OK..Yes, your right about that. My husband is just very conservative. A wonderful man of God! I see nothing wrong with lots of things. I mean, I know we are not suppose to cut our hair, wear pants, or have piercings & tattoos..But some things I’m ok with, but because my husband is the head over me, I must obey him. You get what I am saying?
Me: Yes, I know exactly what you are saying.
Her: OK then, I can’t believe we have been talking in the parking lot for the past 2 hours…We will have to hook up, my kids could really use the fellowship, and your kids are very well mannered and behaved.
Me: Thank you, so are yours…*Then my son runs over crying, telling me that one of HER kids punched him*
Me:OH MY! *hugging my son*
Her:Get over here Missy! Go tell him you are very sorry for hitting him, and make sure you hug him!!! And after your done, get your rear back over here, for a good lickin!!
Me:Oh, I am sure it will be OK.
Her:I have no idea why she keeps hitting everyone! *Then she gives the little girl 3 good swats on her bare leg!*
Me:*silently thinking*…Ummmm, yeah, wonder why your kid keeps hitting?*

ROUND 4
Her:So anyways, Do you do any canning?
Me: Some, it is not my favorite thing to do, I prefer dehydrating stuff.

Her: Oh, I freeze sooooo much food. We do allot of stock piling too. We need to be prepared!
Me:Yep, us too. The day is coming..
Her: I am very wise with my husbands earnings…I know how to be thrifty too!
Me: That’s nice, good for you!!
Her: OK, so we need to get going, see you soon….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me:WAIT!! I forgot to ask ya…..

Her: What is it dear??
Me:DO YOU GRIND YOUR OWN WHEAT????

Her: As in flour?
Me: “Yes, of course! As in Flour..Do you grind your own Wheat berries?
Her:No, can’t ever say I have ever dun that before…
Me: Well I do!!!!!!!!! And I make fresh baked bread EVERY DAY!
Her:Oh, wow!  & Waves good-bye….I’ll call you so we can chat some more..Good seeing you!!!
 Her Husband: Did she just say she grinds her own wheat, as in flour?? YOU SHOULD BE DOING THAT!!

ME:*silently thinking*
SO THERE!!!! I grind my own wheat, and you do not!!!
Ha-Ha!!!

 

WHY?? Why must I cave in, and play this  game?

One of these days I tell ya…I am gonna be above it!!!!
ABOVE IT!!!!!

PS- But really lady, don’t ya know, that if ya don’t grind your own wheat..your nuttin!!
~Kidding of course~ Well, 1/2 kidding! :o)~~
 

So there you have it…For some insane reason, we are lured into game playing! I hate game playing so much. I just want to take people at face value, but I have got suckered into playing these games that I never signed up for!

I often wonder if guys play them too, maybe  without even realizing it. I mean…let us play this out a bit..just to see how it may sound…..*G*

 

Guy #1-Yep, just got myself a new pick-up!

Guy#2-Don’t say

Guy#1-Yep, got myself a 2010 Ford Lariat!!! Completly loaded!

Guy#2-Yeah, I am gettin ready to get myself a new boat for the fishing trip.

Guy#1-Yeah, Got myself a new boat just last month. Forgot to mention.. It is a Z520 Comanche!!!

Guy#2-Wow! Bet that’s a beauty! We will have to take her out sometime!

Guy#1-Sure, we can do that. Been busy trying to get things going at home. Getting ready to build a coop today!

Guy#2-Yeah, I remember those days. Glad I have 3 coops that I don’t have to worry about any time soon. Been Blessed, Very blessed!!!

Guy#1-Figured can’t be too hard, afterall-I built the wife a house!!!

Guy#2-Don’t say-had no idea that you built ur little house!

Guy#1-Yeah, Built the house, garage, the 2 outbuildings, and the shed!!!!Just need to get a coop up and running! Hate having so much DEPT’ though!

Guy#2-Yeah!

Guy#1-SO what have you been up too?

Guy#2-Just workin out some things. It was good running into you.

Guy#1-Yeah, same here-Need to go get started on that coop!

Guy#2-Dude wait!!

Guy#1-Yeah?

Guy#2-Forgot to give you my card…. Just bought a development over on 5th street. getting ready to open my own bussiness (DEPT FREE). Will be nice to not have to work for anyone anymore. Got myself 30 contracts already lined up!  Maybe some day, you’ll have something to call your own too!  Have a Good one!!!

Guy#1-*feeling rather hopeless all of the sudden*

Heading to Home Depo for the materials for the coop–whipping out his 1 of 8 credit cards!! Hoping to have enough funds to get all that is needed….

I don’t know if this would, or if it does happen. I have heard men brag about what guns they have, how much they spent for them, etc….so maybe it happens with everyone, regardless…

 

 

And you know-it starts young–

Disclaimer:Please don’t take any offence over this blog entry. It was merely for fun, and for a good Laugh!

Community~The Loss Art Part 3 of 5

Part 3 of 5

 I just got some more thoughts from someone else… on why community does not exist any more.
1.~Visiting with neighbors was killed by two inventions: the air conditioner and the garage. (This is not my opinion, it was just shared with me.) I am willing to entertain this idea though.

 Before AC, people sat on their porches. Before the invention of attached garages, you would be on your porch in the evening, and actually speak to your neighbor parking his car in the driveway next door. Just a simple hey neighbor..How have you been? These little conversations can really make the difference in somebodies life. I mean, what if that neighbor was coming home to commit sucide. And don’t think~ Yeah right! Because I have known several people IRL who have been that lonely and have contemplated taking their life. We need to reach out to EVERYONE! Love them!! Truely & Honestly!

After AC, people started staying inside to watch TV in their AC comfort, and with attached garages, even if you were still sitting on your front porch your neighbor would never know. He’d just drive into the garage/house, put down the door, and never see you at all. :o(

(If this stuff is not important to you, it should be. People should be important to us. The most important actually….)

~God Loves People more then Anything~

Top 10 Fiber Foods

Top 10 Fiber Foods

Most people do not get enough Fiber in their daily diet.. Recently my SIL was admitted in the hospital due to severe pains. She found out that she has an extreamly low Fiber count. There is a name for it, but it has escaped me at the moment.

 We should aim for about 30 grams a day, more if you want to lose weight..Kids should aim for 14 grams. Most people only get around 7 grams, if that! For people who get colon cancer, they were not getting enough fiber, and since Colon cancer is even more popular nowadays with women then breast cancer. I think it is pretty important to make sure we get our daily intake. You want to keep your colon clean inside. Fiber will do just that. It is like a pressure washer for your colon. Sure, you can take those fiber pills, or the powdered stuff that you mix with water, but that stuff all has “other” UNhealthy ingrediants in it, besides the fiber. So, if at all possible, it is best to go straight to the God Given source. As fiber works its way through your digestive system, it grabs fats and carries them all the way through to the colon, where  fat & fiber cling together,then water is extracted, and it is all eliminated from the body in one clean sweep.
Here is a list of the top ten foods to include in your diet to be sure that you are getting what you need. Both Men, and women.

1. Beans!!! One cup of black beans,OR Garbanzo beans have 14 grams of fiber. Soy Beans have 24 grams of fiber PER cup! WOW! Pinto beans have 12 grams of fiber per cup, and Kidney beans have 8 grams of fiber per cup.1/2 cup lentils have 8 grams.

2. Bran muffins!!! You get 4 grams of fiber per muffin. If it is a jumbo muffin, you get 8 grams!

3. Peas!!! 1/2 cup has 9 grams of fiber.

4. Corn on the cob!!! 5 grams of fiber per ear.

5. Berries!!! A cup of strawberries- 3 grams of fiber. Raspberries have 4 grams per cup.

6.Potatoes!!! 5 grams per medium potato. Serve a jumbo size potatoe for a meal, and you have 10 grams. But, be sure to eat the skin, because that is where the fiber is..

7.Figs!!! 3 dried figs equal 10 1/2 grams of fiber, while 5 dried prunes only have 5 grams of fiber for the same amount of fruit.

8. Broccoli!!! 3/4 of a cup of broccoli has 7 grams of fiber. 

9.Oats!!! 7 grams of fiber in 3/4 cup serving.

10.Apples!!! One medium apple has 4 grams of fiber. A small banana has 3 grams.

10 Crazy ideas that made them Millions

I was reading a MSN news report today that focused on the 10 most money making millions with crazy ideas. It was so neat to read about some of these things. Here is the list.

1.CROCS-was invented in the late 1990s by three pals from Boulder, Colo. On a sailing trip in Florida, the trio became intrigued by the commercial possibilities of a comfortable spa shoe. They eventually acquired the shoe’s maker, a Quebec company called Foam Creations, to secure the rights to the foam resin called Croslite, responsible for shoe’s squishy, form-fitting sole. Crocs executives wisely played up the shoe’s ugly factor in ad campaigns. Annual sales reached $350 million by 2006, the year the company went public. (Yes, all 7 of us have Crocs. I buy them at the Crocs website when they have their sales.) My husband even has a pair of their rain boots.

2.Pet Rock-Invented by Gary Dahl who was  38 years old at the time (I clearly remember the day my mother took my brother and I to get our glow in the dark Pet Rocks. They were 2.99 each on sale. They were brite blue! lol)

3.DOT.COM-Invented by Tony Hsieh, who sold it to Amazon for $888 million dollars

(This obviously was a brillant invention. Between my husband and I, we have a dozen DOT.com websites that we host.)

4.FarmVille– game was  developed by the  Zynga Game Network. There are 80 million registered users. (I will not say too much about Farmville, As I have already blogged about it a couple weeks ago on my FaceBook, Nay or Yay Post.) I read that it has made several couple file for divorce in the past year though. That speaks volumes.

5.Zappos– is a billion-dollar company with customer service characteristic of a mom-and-pop shop. Shoe buyers respond favorably to the company’s no-hassle return policy and its offering of hard-to-find styles and sizes. But what really sets Zappos apart is that it has figured out how to insert human contact into the normally chilly void of Internet shopping.

(I have never heard of this company before today. Sounds good though.)

6.Twitter-that is worth One Billion right now. 750 Tweets go out per second around the world.  There are 100 million registered users at the moment. Who has the most Tweet follows? Ashton Kutcher! (I do Twitter several times a week.) I could live without it though.

7. Roomba– a robotic vacuum cleaner sold by its creator, iRobot (IRBT), that automatically navigates a living space and its obstacles while sucking up dirt and debris from the floor. (I remember when this came out. I would see the informercial on TV and think how crazy this was. My question is–does this do a good job? If anyone reading has one, Please share! )

8.Virtual Products– Real money is being spent on nonexistent goods!! $90 on average , per person was spent.. Global revenue from all virtual-goods transactions last year(2009) was estimated at $10 billion. This company was created by Second Life. (WOW! This may be the craziest of them all. Buying things that you do not actually own. I do know people who buy virtual pets. They claim it is easier then having the read deal…Hmmmm? lol)

9.Amazon.com-In 1994, when a financial analyst named Jeff Bezos hatched the idea of selling stuff over the Internet, the idea of building a store in cyberspace was fairly radical. Time magazine named Bezos its Person of the Year in 1999, five years after he founded Amazon.com Amazon has 65 million users each month! (I do not think it will be going anywhere soon. I use Amazon several times a year. I buy books, sometimes food.

10.FedEX-were sown in 1965 in a report written for an economics class by Yale University student Fred Smith. Smith outlined an overnight air-freight system for time-sensitive shipments such as medicines, computer parts and electronics. Smith later said he couldn’t recall the grade given to his paper, but he guessed it was his “usual gentlemanly C” (.pdf file). Regardless of the impression it made on his professor, Smith said that he knew the idea was profound. Smith launched his overnight delivery service in 1973 with just seven packages for the first night’s run. The young executive looked for cash anywhere he could find it, at one point high-tailing it to Las Vegas to play the blackjack tables and wiring his $27,000 in winnings to FedEx so it could meet a payroll. (I have only used FedEX twice in my life, thus far.)

So there you have it. I think the craziest one, is the virtual products. Then the Roomba Vacuume comes in as a close second. Anyone else?

The Tibbe Line

For many, hanging clothes outside to dry is a real pain in the rear. They are heavy in that basket, trying to muti-task with clothes pins becomes a drag…Bringing them in, before that rain store is iffy….But no more!!!

Have you seen the Tibbe Line yet? It is super easy, and it fits right over your clothes line. Hanging 21 items in just 3 feet of space. You can even use it inside your house, or on an RV. You can hang everything up on the hangers before you even go outside. If there is a store coming, not a problem!! They are already on hangers and you can just take them down quickly.

This is so neat!

Community~The Lost Art~ Part 2

I left off discussing real friendships…real community among individuals, and why it has s ceased…Or has it?

 

Today’s  media exposes us  to more of the  happenings of our country and world around us, and Just because we didn’t hear all the juicy details in the 50’s, didn’t mean it didn’t exist, because it certainly did, maybe more so even. It goes right back to the Old Testament. Nothing really has changed much, except that we have the media today, exposing us to every ones dirty laundry 24/7. Is it beneficial though? That is another question.

SO- Due to the fact I was not born anywhere around the 1950’s.  I decided to ask my mom a few personal questions about her own memories as a child. (she was born in 1950) She verified that this community of the “Jane Cleaver” life, was indeed, an illusion. She lived in a pretty populated neighborhood and had many friends. She could not recall any “Leave It to Beaver” type families.

That said,

I was a bit shattered to have found out some really dark details about the life my Grandmother (my moms mother) lived, which was a far cry from the illusion of  Jane Cleavers life. Bad things happened in ladies life, but no one cared. It was not discussed or talked about with anyone. You just delt with it.

 
I suppose shows like, Leave it to Beaver, Father knows Best, and Patty Duke.. were to keep ladies chugging along their tormented lives, and somehow  forcing them to “try harder”.

One might see the similarities in today’s reality TV programs, such as “The Duggers”, or “Born to Breed” and similar such programs that Glamorize extra-Large Families.

But are these type of shows a Reality? Or, are they just more Media ploys to keep the extra large families chugging along?

That is the Question….