Check out Patty's Pretty Paper! 2005-11-04T13:22:59Z I had featured Patty's Pretty Paper for my November spotlight on my old website, here's why: Over the past few years I've noticed that Patty's business has flourished.She not only offers a quality product but now offers a valuable service for moms... She took her business to a new level when she decided to offer other moms to take part in her business by allowing them the opportunity to work from home selling her stationary products. It takes a lot of research and hard work to set up a legitimate consultant feature for any business; and Patty has certainly done her homework...She has a few consultants at the moment and I think now would be the best time to get in on her opportunity! If you don't want to go full force into selling; she also offers the option to become an affiliate for her company. Her hard work and determination has certainly paid off; and you can see this through her excellent line of quality products and her line of consultants. Check out her site today at: Patty's Pretty Paper.com Kudos to you Patty--you're an outstanding woman in business in our book! Until Next TimeErika Author: Erika
If It's Not Broke-Don't Fix It! 2005-11-04T17:04:58Z Well, as you may have noticed my website is gone...I changed my domain host and things went downhill from there.Not that either of my servers had poor service, they just didn't work well together. So, I will be adding content here on my blog that was posted on my website for you to enjoy.I may go ahead and rebuild my entire website at some point, but right now I'm just too exhausted at the mere thought of doing that all over again. I hope you'll continue to follow my blog to keep in touch. Thanks to all that offered help with the problems I was having with my website and I appreciate your visiting This Christian Wahm! God Bless,Erika Author: Erika
Say Hello to My Little Friend... 2005-11-04T13:27:20Z For the second article of my holiday series I'd like to discuss how to handle family stress... We all have them; we love them, but boy oh boy it's hard when they are difficult to entertain--stragglers. Yes, that's what I like to call those family members who are the first ones to the party and the very last ones to leave... I'm not sure if the word stragglers is proper English for article format; but that's what I like to call them. How do you handle family members who show up hours before they were invited and stay until the even the kids are too worn out to show off anymore? It can be a sticky situation; you've already tried the "boy I'm tired right out", as you yawn and look cross-eyed at your husband. Or the "okay kids, it's time to get your p.j's on and get ready for bed; it's been a very long day" routine. Your guests just don't seem to take the hint and pick right up on the conversation where they left off, "so anyways, I told her to just put the table cloth in the dryer on low and...blah, blah, blah." I've been in this situation numerous times and just recently figured out how to handle it with care... Say hello to my little friend Here's the weapon of choice--no, it's not a machine gun like Mr. Al Pacino used in Scarface; rather I like to use honesty! Erika, did you say honesty? Why yes I did! Simply get up from your seat and kindly tell your guests, "I don't mean to sound rude, but we're pretty tired from entertaining all day and I think it's time we all get ready to turn in for the night. We'll have to get together again soon and we're so glad you could make it today." Try it and see how great it is being honest! There's no need to be rude--don't wait until you get frustrated to speak up, just treat your guests as you would like to be treated. And if they do get their "shorts in a wad" I guess there's not much you can do about that. As long as you're kind and genuine you've done nothing wrong. Entertaining can be fun but draining at the same time--so make the most of the precious time you have to spend with family but don't let your family take advantage of your hospitality... Happy Holidays-- Erika Author: Erika
The Holidays Are Here! 2005-11-04T13:34:36Z The holiday season is well on its way... This November, I will be posting a series of articles to do with the holiday season. For my first segment, I'd like to talk about stress. Why do we stress during the holidays? Extra money is the prime reason for stress during the holidays-- Thanksgiving calls for a feast of Turkey and all the trimmings, shortly after Christmas your wallet lives in fear because of expensive gifts under the tree for your little ones, family and friends. What can you do if you only have just enough money to pay the bills and put food on the table? I have a few suggestions to solve your financial woes. Bake That's right--this year why not commit to taking a day to bake goodies for family, friends and neighbors? Get out your cook books and find a few different recipes and make them in bulk. You can find affordable holiday tins at your local discount store to put your baked goods into or if you have coffee tins saved up, decorate the outside of them and place your treats inside. This not only makes a yummy gift, but gives the recipient some love from your home to their own. Handmade Cards with Pictures If you cannot afford to get your annual family picture taken, put your digital camera to work! Have someone take a picture of you and the kids and upload it to your computer. Make Christmas cards with your picture on the outside--it's two gifts in one! If you don't care to make a card with a picture, go ahead and put your craft skills to work and let the kids help you make Christmas cards out of card stock, construction paper, glitter, or whatever suits your fancy! To save on postage, hand out the cards to family members when you gather for dinner on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Combine your pretty cards with the baked goods and you have a great gift to give! Don't Go Into Debt Instead of whipping out the plastic to fund gifts for your kids; set aside a savings account and put a little money away throughout the year. When it's time to go Christmas shopping, you'll have a way to pay for the gifts without getting into debt. Purchase gifts throughout the year when you find them on sale. As soon as you get the gifts home; wrap and affix a gift label. Don't Make Throw Away Purchases There are times when we don't know what to get someone and just pick up a cheap little do-dad to fill the gift bag or stocking. Where do cheap little do-dad's end up? Right in the garbage can by New Years! When you buy something for someone, make sure it's something they can use or would like to have. If you're stumped for a gift idea--food is always an option. Get them their favorite snack. Get things that are usable like: lotion, aftershave, lip balm, batteries, stationary, gourmet coffee, tea and things of that nature. Lastly, don't worry if you simply cannot afford to buy gifts for anyone other than your own children. If you must; explain to your extended family that times are tough and you can only afford to take care of your own children this year; and you cannot afford to buy gifts for each, individual family member. If they get upset--then they are entirely missing out on the reason for the season in the first place! Here's to a stress free holiday season. Until Next Time-- Erika Author: Erika
