30-Day Blog Challenge---We're Off & Running!!

So, fellow bloggers, bloggettes, and blog-followers, this begins Day 1 of the 30-Day Blog Challenge!!  The timing really could not be better, for me anyway.  I just started my blog last week, and so far, I love it!  This challenge will not only keep me motivated, but will also help me to meet new people and learn new things!
If you are a blogger, or have ever thought of blogging, whether for personal reasons or as part of your marketing plan, check out this awesome opportunity!!


There has been lots of talk on what to blog about, and lucky for me (and hopefully my readers), I never seem to be at a loss for words.  I am one of those people who can strike a conversation with strangers in the grocery store, standing in line at Home Depot, or walking down the street.  The challenge for me, I think, will be to really define my focus, keep in line with my ultimate goals, and stay on track with my message.

I originally started this blog as a way to talk to other people out there who are looking for a way to make money from home.  Whether hoping to make enough money to pay bills, plan a dream vacation, or to earn a full-time salary, now really is a great time to start a home-based business!!  And the great thing is that anyone can do it!  No matter where you are, where you come from, or where you are going, we all have the opportunity to realize our dreams!!  The difficulties often lie in overcoming our doubts and fears.  My hope is to show people through my stories that these obstacles CAN be overcome...and that success IS attainable!  For Everyone!

How do I hope to accomplish this?  By sharing with others who I am, what I stand for, my fears, my hopes, my dreams, and both my failures and my successes.  And showing others how we can climb through the clouds to reach the sky!

So, while I will be talking about my business with Scent-Sations and why I think this is the greatest company, creating the best products, and offering the best compensation plan, for the best home business ever, and how being my own boss benefits not only me, but those around me as well...I will also talk about my life, offer some savvy shopping advice, why networking is important, aromatherapy info, and other topics that catch my eye, touch my heart, or make me laugh!!

See you Tomorrow for Day 2 / 30!!

"IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, 

YOU CAN ACHIEVE IT!"

-Walt Disney

DREAM LARGE!!

In My Next Life....

It's been a week since school let out, it's 100 degrees outside, I've had the flu (or something resembling the flu) for a better part of the week, I've been working to build my business, done a lot of networking events and such, and then.....


I woke up this morning to what looks like a war zone!  My house has literally "gone to the dogs!"  Ronda and I spent the evening here working, so I didn't clean the kitchen after dinner, the clean clothes are piled feet-high on the living room couch, there are blankets everywhere (despite the hot temperatures!!), the stairs have so much stuff piled on them that it's a miracle no one has plummeted to their death trying to navigate around all the clutter, and....well....I could go on, but I think you get the point!!  If the doorbell were to ring, I would not even let my closest friends inside!!

And amongst all this mess, I have animals--lots and lots of animals--laying around, seemingly oblivious to the chaos that surrounds them!! 

Tweak, our Hunter...she's always bringing me presents

like dead birds or lizard tails.  She's so thoughtful!!

 Montana--our resident crazy lady!  She has to take prozac cuz she always tries to kill Max, the cattle dog....when you see the pics of Max, it will probably make sense!

This is Baby, I used to really like this one.....until.......

 .......this.......now?  Well, let's just say I will like her more after I get her spayed!!

 Peaches....our old cat and reformed hunting champion!  Now he is only interested in 2 things--eating and sleeping, in no particular order!!

 Did you really think I was limited to dogs and cats???  These are two of our tortoises...Tank is the big guy.  He'll get to about 75 pounds.  And the little one is a baby sulcata.  He'll get even bigger than Tank!  

To their credit, they do not bark, meow, growl, bite, or bug!!

 Woah...almost forgot Hogan....God forbid, he's such a sensitive guy!!

 This is Max...don't let him fool you with this sleeping in the basket trick!!

 He's usually somewhere in the middle of the chaos!  Right now he and Jaxon are trying to figure out why there are still toys in the basket!

 Heck, we even have Monkeys that hang out in the trees!!

 But Wait!  Here is the Star of the Show...Jaxon!! 

 Jax and his toys!  He sleeps in his basket so no one will take his stuff!

 And another one of Jax just cuz he's the baby!!

I would like to state that this is far from ALL of our animals, but I just didn't want anyone to think I was exaggerating about having a zoo!!

Now back to my story about my disaster of a house!!!

Maybe the normal person would look at the mess surrounding them and their first thought would be to get up and start shoveling through it all....but my first thought???

IN MY NEXT LIFE, I WANNA COME BACK AS ONE OF MY PETS!!!

Do any of them look stressed?  Embarrassed about the state of their surroundings?  Worried about whether HAZMAT is going to come in and condemn their home?  No.....none of them seem to care.....or even notice!  They just go on about their day, sleeping, playing, eating....all of their needs & most of their wants are given to them.....and they don't even have to clean up after themselves, much less everyone else!!

So, I ask you.....


Do you think I'm crazy for wanting, in my next life, to be one of my pets?  Looks like a good life to me!

But for now, I guess I better clean...cuz they sure as hell aren't going to!

"They'll Grow Up Before You Know It!!" Words to live by...

I never really imagined what it would feel like when my first child would graduate from high school and move on from childhood to adulthood--until the reality of that hit this week when my daughter walked up to receive her diploma.  It was such a mix of emotions--part excitement, part joy, part sad--but beneath it all is pure pride that my child, the little baby that taught me what true love was, is growing up.

As she moves on with her life, discovering her passions, pursuing her dreams, walking through failure and triumph, I realize how grateful I am for who she is, and who she will become.  As with most 17-year old young adults, she flip-flops between what she wants to do with her life.  What her career path will be and where she will go to college.

Today, I am grateful for so many things.  For my husband, who is not my kids' biological father, but treats them as his own, and supports them in every way he can.  For my younger son, who is still discovering himself and his potential.  For my friends, who keep me moving forward.  For my parents, who have supported me through my own journey through motherhood...and who have laughed with me, and at me, as I struggle through life with teenagers....For God, whose love and guidance in my life, always shows me the way.....

And for the company I work with, who makes it possible for me to have a career that enables me to not only work from home around my own schedule, but to earn an incredible income as well.  With my business, I know I have the financial means to help my daughter get a jump-start on her life.  I can help her pay for college, allow her to work part-time so she can focus on her studies, and provide her with the tools she will need to succeed. 

For much of the kids' life, I was a single mom and worked hard to climb the corporate ladder to support my kids.  They spent time a lot of time in after-school programs while I worked long hours to make ends meet.  If only I had known then what I know now!!  Now, rather than working hard to make other people rich, I work shorter, smarter hours, to make myself "rich."  My "riches" today are not simply monetary.  They are the riches of a happy, fulfilling life.  I work from home, I work with friends, I work with my team, I work with the owners of my company, I work my way! 

Yes, today is a day that I can wake up, look at my almost-grown children, and be proud of my life.  I have taken control of my own financial future and am creating my own journey.  And by doing so, I am showing my children that they too, can reach for the moon and land amongst the stars!