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April is National Stress Awareness Month.  In an attempt to raise awareness (who wants awareness RAISED to their stresses?  odd.) I have come up with ways to de-stress.  Please note:  The following ideas will have the best results when done in broad daylight with onlookers:

• Air guitar.  You gotta break bad on it.  Be sure you do this during the most highly inappropriate time.  Possibly while on the phone with a potential client.  However you do it, just be sure there are other people watching you.
• It has been proven that eating something “crunchy” helps to alleviate stress.  I recommend ice cubes during an employee meeting.  If it rids your stress, surely it will help the others.  Why not share the love?
• It has also been said that dancing and exercise help lift adrenaline thus releasing endorphin to lift the mood.  The most appropriate time to do this is on your lunch break.  Preferably while in the drive-thru.  Simply step out of your car and shake it like a polaroid picture.  Shake it. 
• Clean house in the nude while singing “Free Falling”.  Stressed while paying bills?  Stand up and strip.  It really is that simple.
• Eat suckers all day long and go around sticking your tongue out at complete strangers.  Ask, “what color is my tongue?”
• Buy multiple packs of bubble gum.  Have an office bubble blowing contest?  Give whoever wins, a pack of gum.  Then, proceed to hold your hand out and gather all of the chewed gum from your coworkers.  Roll it into a giant gum ball and place it neatly under your bosses desk.
• Wrap yourself in bubble wrap, legs together and then jump down the street.

What are things you do to alleviate stress?

Happy Stress Awareness Month!

Before you get your panties in a wad, hear me out.  I know you’ve spent thousands of dollars on that education.  Maybe that education even paid off by padding your pockets in excess of the student loans.  That’s great.  But, that’s not always the case. 

Growing up, college was simply what you did after graduating high school.  The parents that would say, “you don’t need college” were the ones on welfare or they were hippies.  So, many kids went straight from high school to college, just like good little boys and girls.  The thing is, they graduated after spending $40,000.00 on an education and then they searched for jobs only to find they could get a higher paying one at Home Depot.

Now then, while I strongly admire a person who can go through with college and get their degree and put it into practice, I simply do not think that a college degree is necessary, now.  Well, not like it was back then.  At least, not in my book.  Not to mention, $40,000.00 for student loans and a degree, for many, isn’t feasible.

How many billionaires do you know that got rich off of a college education?  I’m going to guess you can name them all on one hand, because, the majority of the ones who are up there got there off of common sense and a good idea.

The funny part about acting is that you take a normal person and they have to become a character.  They take a room full of actors/actresses and they weed out the ones who do the least impressionable audition and then narrow it down to the one person who can best redesign their real them for the new them on paper.

When scripts are written for us, we often find ourselves reading off a script that wasn’t designed for us.  It’s easy to say that the best actors and actresses can conform to play any role.  In saying that, however, you have to also assume that you are never getting a decent glimpse of the true person behind the character on display.

Take for example, Reese Witherspoon.  For the most part, Reese plays “sweetheart” roles.  In real life, I imagine she is probably mostly sweet with just a bit of butt kick to her.

In real life, when we are thrown into a position that doesn’t suit us or isn’t what we want for ourselves we are left doing a poor imitation because our hearts do not feel enough passion for the position.

Everyday, we get up and we write our own script.  We do hair and makeup; dress ourselves to best suit the character we choose to be.  What character shall I be today?

Walter was a worker.  Walter worked too much.  Walter was a pleaser but Walter worked too much.  Walter wasn’t able to work too much and please enough.  Walter died a lonely man with money in the bank.

I was raised to work hard.  I was told that I was to work hard and that my spouse should also work hard.  My mother slaved her entire life away.  She missed out on much of my growing up and also on my children.  A shame, because, all she had to do was slow down.

Slow down.

Don’t let life get away from you!

I understand we are in a recession!!  I know that families are struggling and so many should just be happy they have a job.  But, in the midst of all the work you do, don’t forget to “just be happy” you have a family!

We live in a world where more is better.  The latest thing is also the most expensive and most likely to be replaced in recent months.  We are filled with this foolishness that we must keep up with a fast paced world.  A world that is fast paced only because we are making it that way.  We stress ourselves with hustle and bustle and forget to slow down and appreciate the things around us.

That I-phone will do you no good in the grave. 

I’m just sayin’.

You may have no less than 13 shrubs; 2 trees.  The garage is not allowed to face the road, it must instead be facing the side or back of the home.  Your driveway should have only cars in it.  All boats, flat bed trailers, and campers must be left behind the home.  Trash cans should never be visible from the road, except on trash day.  The front of the house must be all brick; no siding.  And, if you so choose to have a fence, it must be seperated every 10 feet by brick columns, it can be no less than 4 ft and no more than 7ft in height, and it is not to pass the back corner of the home.  Fences are not allowed in the front of the property.

…OH, and no clotheslines, at all. 

Neighborhood rules.  Is it just me?  I mean, I understand the necessity of having some sense of organization but who are they to tell me I can’t fence in my front yard for Fido, or, that I can’t line dry my clothes?  I can’t help but ponder the reasoning behind paying $75,000 for a piece of property that I don’t own, but maintain, according to someone elses ideas.

The moment your guard is down.  The moment you forgot to bring back the trash cans and Jimmy’s bicycle, you’ve got the city beating down your door giving you 10 days to bring back the cans and hide that bicycle!?

What are your opinions on neighborhood rules?

I have an addiction.  An addiction to all things vintage.  I get this image in my head of fabrics and jewelry and shoes and purses and….well, I find myself swimming in a sea of thoughts and fabric.  I am currently selling vintage jewelry, brooches, and the sort on Etsy.com. 

I’ve always been an Ebay girl until I discovered Etsy.  I love how they are for vintage and handmade items only.  I plan to start posting my handmade items and how tos as I begin making and posting them.

What is your niche when it comes to arts and crafts?

A few months back, I had my house painted. In the process, the painters managed to get paint on my white shower curtain. I kept the curtain thinking I may eventually use it as a drop cloth.

However, I decided the other day to purchase fabric paint and let my kids have at it. It now hangs in my bathroom. Here’s some pics I took during the process…

I used regular fabric paints w/sparkles, sponge brushes, and little fingers.  Enjoy!