We were considering getting a used PT Cruiser and tricking it out to our own specifications with custom paint, wire wheels and the whole nine yards. Looking at the used car ads we thought that this was pretty much a done deal.
The next day we were out and about driving on the Loop 101 in Arizona when we spotted a cool looking VW Beetle. Now, we never really considered getting a “Bug” but just for the hell of it, we stopped by the VW dealer near our house just to take a look and maybe pick up a brochure or two. We had our dog Teddi with us and didn’t plan on staying very long.
We were offered a test drive but didn’t really expect much from the little “Bug”. Putting the pedal to the metal the little thing really took off with impressive acceleration thanks to the turbo charged 4 cylinder engine. The braking wasn’t too shabby either.
We usually drive a big Ford F-150 truck so, this was a pretty big change to say the least. But it took only a day to fall in love with this car. Kinda like gettin’ a new puppy.
I still love the room and heft of my big Ford truck but the “Bug” is so much fun to drive around town. It has a pretty good sound system and nice little touches that I wouldn’t have expected from such a small car. Kathy has pretty much taken over ownership, but I steal it away every chance I get.
If you have been on the web or any social media lately, you might have seen this posting. I was gonna list a whole bunch of inspirational quotes and sayings, but I felt these 10 things to be so compelling and worth re-posting that I will let them stand alone.
It all sounds like common sense. But I know these things are much easier said than done. If you’ve read this before, read it again. If you’ve never seen this I hope you will be inspired to take a look at yourself. And unless you’re perfect, fix what needs fixin’.
Read this over your morning coffee or whatever a few times a week. Couldn’t hurt!
10 Things You Need to Stop Doing to be Happier
1. Stop complaining.
Nobody wants to be around someone who complains all the time. Yet we all do it. Instead of finding a reason to complain, look for the solution if you’re facing a problem. Look for something positive in your life. There’s always something positive to find in our life if we shift our focus.
2. Stop Judging.
Stop judging other people’s lives and focus on perfecting your own life. We spend so much time gossiping rather than working on perfecting ourselves. Focus on your own life, and how you’re going to perfect it.
3. Stop avoiding your fear.
Fear is an obnoxious thing—it slows you down from finding a career you love, a romantic relationship and pursuing your dreams. Do something that makes you uncomfortable every day, in small steps, and it will dramatically alter the course of your life.
4. Stop being so hard on yourself.
The biggest enemy that you face is the one inside you—this enemy criticizes, condemns, and complains. Don’t let these unconscious patterns run your life. Come to terms with these patterns. The biggest enemy you ever have to face is the one inside of you.
5. Stop being negative.
If you focus on being negative it’s going to show up everywhere in your life. It will show up in your work, personal relationships and everything else. Shift your focus away from being so negative all the time. Find things that make you come alive!
6. Stop caring about what other people think of you.
Every great artist, musician, or political leader ignored what people thought of them. Other people’s opinions of you are none of your business. What people think of you should not drown out your own inner voice and inspirations.
7. Stop worrying about the small stuff.
Think about all the unnecessary worries that go through your mind all day. We worry about why someone is not returning our emails, texts, phone calls. We worry about everything and anything. Focus on what you can do at the present moment and not about how you can worry about the outcome.
8. Stop needing to be right all the time.
Stop needing to be right all the time, this can lead to so many unnecessary arguments. Instead of needing to be right, start working on being more open to other people’s opinions. Start asking more questions and become more interested in other people’s points of view. It may open a whole new dimension of life.
9. Stop blaming others.
We constantly blame everyone for all types of different things. Quit blamingother people for your circumstances. If you want to change something go out and do it! Don’t blame someone for your present day situations.
And now the big one!
10. Stop living in the past or the future.
So much of our attention is focused on past experiences or on how things will be in the future. Focus your mind on the present moment. We would be so much happier if we placed our attention on the present.
Spring is just around the corner and, as always, it signals a season of renewal. I am sure everyone is looking forward to the pleasant weather ahead.
In this month’s issue we thought we would try something new. Discoveries will highlight some information and websites that you might find helpful and Useful Gadgets and Other Stuff will highlight products and services that we tried and found to be outstanding.
We hope you enjoy this month’s blog. If there is anything you would like to contribute, please email us at: [email protected]
If you or anyone you know has ever lost a non-human family member, you know what a heart wrenching experience this event can be. Recently, we lost Katie, our 14 year old Bichon Frise. In some of the many Facebook condolences we received, The Rainbow Bridge was mentioned.
Now, I had never heard of this before so I decided to look into it. Turns out it is a wonderful web based memorial site to honor your lost family member and find some comfort in the grieving process.
In our business we tend to print quite a few documents in both black and color. Lately, ink costs have been getting out of hand, about $100 per month. For our small business this is a lot. So, we decided to look at some alternatives. We looked at laser printers and found that the color reproduction just wasn’t as good as an ink jet. In doing some research we stumbled upon theEpson Eco Tank printer.
This is an ink jet printer that uses ink tanks instead of ink cartridges. One fill up will produce about 11,000 black prints and 8,500 color prints. This sounded pretty unbelievable.
Doing the math, we figured out that it would take about 50 ink cartridges to equal the output of one tank fill up. This calculation showed a savings of 70-80%.
The initial investment is a little steep depending on the retailer. We found the retail cost to be in the mid to upper $400 range. If your print volume is about 300 pages per month, the initial investment should amortize in about 9-10 months and you still won’t need to buy ink for another couple of years.
This printer has complete wireless capability and you can print from your phone, tablet and computer.
I liked this printer so much that I contacted the company that represents Epson printers. They hired me to represent the product in various retail stores.
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”-Pablo Picasso
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”-Dr. Seuss
“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us.”-Alexander Graham Bell
To all our friends and subscribers we wish you a very happy 2016. May the new year be filled with happiness and prosperity for you and yours based on your notion of the meaning.
For our first blog of the New Year we decided to re-post some of our favorite articles and postings from 2015. If you are a new subscriber you may be reading some of these postings for the first time. If you’ve been with us for awhile, thanks for giving them a second read.
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn’t it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn’t know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I’m going with male.
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.
From Around The Web
Just sayin’
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don’t.
A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.
Lost In Translation
Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following in an American campaign: “Nothing Sucks like an Electrolux.”
Pepsi’s “Come Alive With the Pepsi Generation” translated into “Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back From the Grave” in Chinese.
An American T-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish market which promoted the Pope’s visit. Instead of “I saw the Pope”(el Papa), the shirts read “I Saw the Potato” (la papa).
Aloha, I’m Kathy. If you’re new to watercolor, it’s important to know that using the right tools is essential for good results. So, let’s jump right in.
Brushes
A good watercolor brush’s job is to hold and release water (and of course, the paint).
There are so many different types of watercolor brushes (see links below), but for the beginner, I am making suggestions based on the easiest and quickest way to get started.
Shape
Again, there are many different shapes of watercolor brushes, the most common starter brushes are rounds and flats.
Rounds Rounds are the most common shape used by watercolorists because they are very versatile. The round, pointed shape allows you to paint small details as well as broader strokes and washes.
Flats Flat brushes are useful for painting washes and strong, straight strokes
Hair
You should know that there are two basic hair types. Natural hair and synthetic.
Natural The hair in natural hair brushes comes from a variety of animals: sable, squirrel, ox, goat, etc. No animals are destroyed for the purpose of brush making.
Natural Hair brushes have superior paint-holding ability because of the tiny, microscopic “scales” along the shaft of the hair. Shorter-length hair is more readily available, making the longer lengths more expensive. Natural hair may be used alone (pure) or blended with other hairs or synthetic filaments to achieve a combination of performance and price.
Synthetic Synthetic brushes are man-made of either nylon or polyester filaments. The advantages of synthetics include:
They are less prone to damage from solvents and paints
They are easier to keep clean than animal hair
They are less prone to breakage and are durable on many different surfaces
The key points are that natural brushes hold a lot more paint and water but tend to become worn with use. The synthetic brushes are usually less expensive, tend to hold their shape longer, but do not hold as much paint or distribute it as evenly as natural hairs.
My suggestion would be to start with a few round brushes for the detail work and a couple of flat brushes for the washes.
Rounds-8, 10, 12, 20
Flats-1/2 inch, 1 inch
Quality is important, and since the natural hair brushes are the most expensive you can look for some of the very good synthetic blends that are available.
In case you never met them, let me introduce you to Katie and Teddi. They are the sun and the moon with distinct personalities and boundless spirits.
Katie
Katie is almost 14 years old, a pure bred Bichon Frise and has been with us since she was an 8 week old puppy.
Teddi
Teddi is a mixed breed, probably a Maltese and a Poodle. Teddi has been with us since September 2012, He is 8 years old.
Katie is determined. If she were a salesperson she would bug you until the close. She never quits and rarely complains. Her strength is amazing given her 20 lbs.
Teddi is a gentle soul who has had many homes. He was taken from a shelter, frightened and apparently abused. When his adopted owner could no longer care for him he ended up with my mother who nursed him back to health and happiness. He then came home with us. He visited with my mother until the very end .
At first, Katie didn’t take too kindly to Teddi. But, they are now inseparable and do everything together. They have become fixtures in our little village development.
There are some lessons to be learned from our pets:
Don’t be too quick to judge but, still trust your instincts
Love and kindness can heal just about anything
Good food leads to good health
Never give up
Play as much as you can
You get as much love as you give
And remember, it’s not how cute your pets are that counts but, how happy they make you
