Archive for the Category ◊ Inspirational ◊

Goodbye to Molly the World Famous Barn Owl

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People in fifty different countries around the world bid Carlos and Donna Royal goodbye last night. They have done a most excellent job of hosting The Owl Box in San Marcos, California since February 2010. It was truly an amazing experience to watch Molly and McGee (the parent owls) mate, hatch and nurture four owlets. There were six eggs, however one egg broke and one never hatched. We were able to watch this process from day one. Molly was a very nurturing mother and McGee was a good provider. Did you know that owls can swallow a rat or rabbit whole? The owlets grew too quickly and it was not long before they were leaving the box. Now they have all left the box and can be seen residing in a nearby palm tree. Research shows that barn owls will reside within a five mile radius of where they were born. It was very difficult to say farewell.

My daughter introduced me to Molly’s adventure on the Sportsman’s Paradise website. Molly the Barn Owl became one of the top sites viewed on UStream and she even has her own “room” there. By the time it was all said and done there were over 14 million views.

Carlos and Donna have dealt with all of the technical paraphernalia in their dining room, entertaining the news media people, national television for the Morning Show and virtually taking this experience worldwide. Carlos is retired but probably worked harder than he ever has. He scheduled time via Skype for classroom discussions across the country. The children learned a great deal about barn owls. If Carlos did not know the answer the first time around, he would do his research and knew the answer the next time it was asked. In fact, we all have learned a great deal about barn owls. They are beautiful caring creatures.

Carlos has been on duty 24/7 making sure that the cameras were adjusted properly and everything was working properly. He provided viewers with night vision cameras and day time cameras. There have been times when the owls have landed on the cameras sending what we saw askew necessitating Carlos climbing a ladder in the early morning hours in his pajamas making the necessary adjustments so we could all have a “bird’s eye view”!

Most people left their Molly webpage up and throughout the day and evening you would hear Carlos’ voice as he would bring up up to date on the latest developments with the owls and activities. I will certainly miss that.

Carlos definitely went above and beyond what most people in his position would have done. When people in the chat room were concerned that the owlets might fall out of the box, he built and added on a little porch type attachment. And then he added a platform that the owlets were able to fly to close by the owl house and play.

Austin, Carlos and Donna’s grandson, was a big help with setting up the technical aspects. He is still working on putting all the videos and photos that have been taken (and believe me there are a lot) for people to purchase copies of.

Eric Blehm, a renowned author and personal friend of the Royal’s is currently finishing up writing a book, “Molly the Owl” detailing the entire experience. The book is illustrated by Christopher Adams. John Atkinson has kept us rolling in laughter by creating ecomics of Molly, McGee, the owlets, Carlos and Donna. We all grew to love these owls. You can read more about Molly the Barn Own of San Marcos, California and see photos at http://mollysbox.wordpress.com/blog/. On this site you can actually see a photo of the actual owl house which sat 15 feet above the ground.

Besides being able to purchase the book, “Molly the Owl”, ecomics, and fine illustrations, we have also been able to purchase many other items of memorabilia. A portion of all of the sales will go to barn owl habitats in the area.

Carlos and Dona put their vacation on hold to share this experience with the world. We are all hoping that there will be another episode in the future. The night before we said goodbye, Molly and McGee were seen in the owl box “bonding”! Who knows there may be new little owls in the near future. We are all hoping this will be the case. There are many people who are currently suffering owl withdrawal!

In closing, on behalf of many people, I want to thank Carlos and Dona for opening up their home to all of us for these past four months. Also, much appreciation goes out to Austin, Eric, Chris and John. Thank you all for making this all possible. I can honestly say, “Gee that was fun, and I was part of it!”

Happy, safe travels Carlos and Donna!

Judy Conway

Email: judyconwaymarketing@gmail.com
http://homebusinessinatlanta.com
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Category: Birds, Children, family, home, Inspirational, Mother Nature | Tags: Austin, barn owls, Carlos and Donna Royal, Christopher Adams, ecomics, Eric Blehn, John Atkinson, Judy Conway, Max, Molly the World Famous Barn Owl, Pattison, Skype, UStream, Wesley | 4 Comments

Your Past Goodbyes Can Add Meaning to Your Future Hellos!

Author: Judy Conway

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We all have been faced with having to say goodbye. Saying goodbye usually produces great heartache. I hope this post will help you reflect on your past goodbyes and help them add meaning to your future hellos.

I was born in Nyack, New York. I only lived there for approximately 6 weeks. My dad was an operating engineer for Esso, working in Aruba. So I spent the first 5 years of my life living on the “non-tourist” end of the island. When we left for another job assignment I can remember saying goodbye to all my friends. I especially remember saying goodbye to Billy, the black goat in our Kindergarten class!

As we grow older our goodbyes get harder. With the nature of my dad’s employment I spent 17 years of my life traveling worldwide. I attended many schools, and said goodbye to many friends. Looking back, it was an education in itself being able to travel worldwide, but it also meant that I missed out on the normal growing up functions of life. Longtime childhood friends, school activities, such as a prom, and your high school friendships rank on the top of the list. I became a pro at saying “goodbye.” I truly believe that leaving so many friends is the reason I place such importance on relationships.

I recently received a notice about the death of one of my high school classmates. He had lost his battle with cancer. This prompted me to reflect on my life and thus wanting to share my feelings with others.

Goodbyes are an integral part of our lives. We all go through changing jobs and saying goodbye to people we have worked with and grown close to. My relationships with people are very important to me. I can remember one job in particular. I worked for SMRT, Inc. in Portland, Maine. On my last day I managed to sob my way around 42 desks saying goodbye. These people still hold a warm place in my heart. This was my most gratifying, favorite job, other than being a mom!

Being a mom of two girls who loved animals, as do I, I have said many goodbyes to parakeets, dogs, cats, fish, rabbits and the list goes on. I am one of those people who gets extremely attached to a pet so these were hard times. I had a dog, Benson, I got as a puppy right after I was divorced who was a true, loyal friend. He was always there to listen to the hard times I was going through. After twelve years he became very ill, lost control of his bodily functions and was going blind. I could not see him suffer any more so I had to have him put to sleep. That was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I still to this day get teary-eyed when I think of him and that was 18 years ago.

It is a devastating goodbye that we say to our parents when they die. When our close friends pass away it is very hard. I feel when we lose these people we suffer more from our loss. These special people have gone on to a better place!

Two more hard goodbyes to express are those at the time of a divorce (or an intimate relationship), and also when your children grow up and get married and you say your goodbyes and wish them well in their new lives. That is a bitter sweet goodbye because as parents it is our goal to raise our children to be independent and be able to leave home to start on their own journey.

Yes goodbyes are difficult. Hopefully, we learn something from each one of these losses (or changes in our lives). As with my dad, he was the one who truly taught me the meaning of love. I lost him when I was only 22 years old. That left an enormous void in my life. He never got to see, know and impart his wisdom to my children. These losses have helped me grow stronger in my life.

Because of my goodbyes I look at the new people that come into my life in a whole new light. I wonder why I have met them, what I can learn from them, and how can I make a difference in their lives? I always ask, “Why has God brought this person to me?” when I meet someone new. Nothing happens by accident. I look forward to where this new relationship will take me. I want to add value to the time spent with people in my life. I want to leave a loving legacy behind me. I do not want to live my life thinking about what I could have, would have or should have done!

Life goes by much too quickly. Never miss the opportunity to tell someone how much you care for them. Never miss the opportunity to help another person. Live your life making a difference in other people’s lives. Remember to live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and leave the rest to God.

I wish you a life full of opportunities to share your love with others!

Judy Conway

Email: judyconwaymarketing@gmail.com
http://beadazzledejewelrycreations.com
http://homebusinessinatlanta.com
http://fullservicemarketingtools.com
Skype ID: judy.conway

Category: Children, Christian, family, home, Inspirational, Uncategorized | Tags: animals, death, divorce, family, home, Inc, Intimate relationship, Judy Conway, legacy, love, opportunities, Saying goodbye, Skype, SMRT | Leave a Comment

Remember Your Mother on Mother’s Day!

Author: Judy Conway

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: Image via Wikipedia

Mother’s Day is quickly approaching. I hope that you will take the opportunity to remember your mother on Mother’s Day for all that she has done.

This year it is observed on May 9th. I would like to offer some recognition to mothers and state some facts about how Mother’s Day was started.

Mother’s Day is celebrated to express our appreciation for our mothers. Although it falls on a different day each year, it is always on the second Sunday of May.
Research shows that the Greeks were the first to celebrate Mother’s Day. With the spread of Christianity throughout Europe it became a celebration to honor the “Mother Church”. Then England in the 1600’s started celebrating “Mothering Sunday” on the fourth Sunday of lent to honor mothers in England.

In 1872 the United States, through the devotion of Julia Ward Howe began celebrating a day honoring peace and motherhood. The idea did not catch on until 1907 with a campaign by Anna Jarvis for national Mother’s Day. Unlike the endeavors by Julia Ward Howe this was now celebrated in almost every state. In 1914 there was a Presidential Proclamation by Woodrow Wilson stating that the second Sunday in May would be celebrated as Mother’s Day.

Originally Mother’s Day was spent going to church and writing letters expressing sentiments to mothers. Throughout the years this has evolved to include cards, presents, flowers and dinner. Mother’s Day now ranks as the second highest gift-giving holiday in the United States. Many restaurants have their busiest day on Mother’s Day. Many cards and e-cards are sent. In addition it is the busiest day for long distance calls. Sons and daughters take this opportunity to call and express their love and gratitude to their mothers.

On this day other countries, such as Denmark, Belgium, Australia, Turkey, Italy and Finland, also celebrate Mother’s Day. Other countries honor their mothers but do so on different dates.

A quote by Anna Jarvis, “Mother’s Day is in honor of the best Mother who ever lived – the Mother of your Heart.”

Mothers (and mothers-in-law) have various meanings to us all and are the basics of many jokes. No matter how good, bad, loving or not so attentive you think of your mother we do owe much to our mothers for bringing us into this world. We would not be who we are without our mothers.

Think of all a mother does. She sits by your bedside when you are sick. She is always there to listen to your problems, share in your excitement, teach you good manners, keeps your clothes clean and ready to wear. The list goes on and on. I was a single mother and I know personally there were many days there were not enough hours in the day to get all I had to do accomplished. My two daughters were the glue that held my life together. I was truly honored to be their mother.

I would like to share a story I came across many years ago. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

“The Meanest Mother”

I had the meanest mother in the whole world. While other kids ate
candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal, eggs or toast. When others
had cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich. As you can
guess, my supper was different than the other kids’ also.
But at least, I wasn’t alone in my sufferings. My sister and two
brothers had the same mean mother as I did.
My mother insisted upon knowing where we were at all times. You’d
think we were on a chain gang. She had to know who our friends were and
where we were going. She insisted if we said we’d be gone an hour, that
we be gone one hour or less–not one hour and one minute. I am nearly
ashamed to admit it, but she actually struck us. Not once, but each
time we had a mind of our own and did as we pleased. That poor belt was
used more on our seats than it was to hold up Daddy’s pants. Can you
imagine someone actually hitting a child just because he disobeyed? Now
you can begin to see how mean she really was.
We had to wear clean clothes and take a bath. The other kids always
wore their clothes for days. We reached the height of insults because
she made our clothes herself, just to save money. Why, oh why, did we
have to have a mother who made us feel different from our friends?
The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by nine each night
and up at eight the next morning. We couldn’t sleep till noon like our
friends. So while they slept-my mother actually had the nerve to break
the child-labor law. She made us work. We had to wash dishes, make
beds, learn to cook and all sorts of cruel things. I believe she laid
awake at night thinking up mean things to do to us.
She always insisted upon us telling the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth, even if it killed us and it nearly did.
By the time we were teen-agers, she was much wiser, and our life
became even more unbearable. None of this tooting the horn of a car for
us to come running. She embarrassed us to no end by making our dates
and friends come to the door to get us. If I spent the night with a
girlfriend, can you imagine she checked on me to see if I were really
there. I never had the chance to elope to Mexico. That is if I’d had a
boyfriend to elope with. I forgot to mention, while my friends were
dating at the mature age of 12 and 13, my old fashioned mother refused
to let me date until the age of 15 and 16. Fifteen, that is, if you
dated only to go to a school function. And that was maybe twice a year.

Through the years, things didn’t improve a bit. We could not lie
in bed, “sick” like our friends did, and miss school. If our friends
had a toe ache, a hang nail or serious ailment, they could stay home
from school. Our marks in school had to be up to par. Our friends’
report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for
failing. My mother being as different as she was, would settle for
nothing less than ugly black marks.
As the years rolled by, first one and then the other of us was put
to shame. We were graduated from high school.   With our mother behind
us, talking, hitting and demanding respect, none of us was allowed the
pleasure of being a drop-out.
My mother was a complete failure as a mother. Out of four
children, a couple of us attained some higher education. None of us
have ever been arrested, divorced or beaten his mate.   Each of my
brothers served his time in the service of this country. And whom do we
have to blame for the terrible way we turned out? You’re right, our
mean mother. Look at the things we missed. We never got to march in a
protest parade, nor to take part in a riot, burn draft cards, and a
million and one other things that our friends did.
She forced us to grow up into God-fearing, educated, honest adults.
Using this as a background, I am trying to raise my three
children. I stand a little taller and I am filled with pride when my
children call me mean.
Because, you see, I thank God, He gave me the meanest   mother in
the whole world.

written by Bobbie Pingaro (1967)

In remembering my mother (she passed away in 1997) I do not remember someone who expressed great love or concern. Nonetheless, I remember her as my mother and thank her for all she did for me. Do not look at the negative things you remember or think of your mother or your growing up years. Take those things and turn them into positive aspects in your life. You can still embrace your mother with love. It is your choice how you want to deal with those memories. Because of my mother I have become the person I am. I value the importance of loving my children and grandchildren and finding beauty, excitement and blessings in every day of my life.

I hope that you will take the opportunity to reach out to your mother on Mother’s Day. There will, unfortunately, come a day when she will not feel your touch, nor will you feel her touch. Be sure to remember your mother on Mother’s Day!

I wish a very happy Mother’s Day to mothers everywhere. Thanks for all you do!

Judy Conway

Email: judyconwaymarketing@gmail.com
http://joinjudyconway.com/bestdealsonline
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Category: Children, Christian, family, holidays, home, Inspirational | Tags: Anna Jarvis, Children, England, family, grandchildren, holidays, home, Julia Ward Howe, mother, Mothering Sunday, Mothers Day, Parenting, The Meanest Mother, Woodrow Wilson | Leave a Comment

Are You A Bird Watcher?

Author: Judy Conway

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Camera #1 – Live Bald Eagle Nest Cam, Santa Catalina Island, Ca
Live Videos by Ustream

Camera #2 – West End Bald Eagle nest on Santa Catalina Island, California. What a view!
Live video by Ustream

Live Eagle Nest Duke Farms, Hillsborough NJ
Streaming Video by Ustream.TV

Lately, I have gotten involved in the world of watching birds through the amazing work and efforts of people installing video cams in various locations allowing me, and many others to drop by and watch the amazing action of Mother Nature in progress. From the building of a nest, or moving into a prefabricated owl house, to mating, and getting the “dwellings” ready to welcome the family, right through to the hatching of the eggs and watching the growth of the little ones …. It has been a really enjoyable experience.

It is truly amazing to see the amount of people who sit in front of their computers watching these birds, especially the viewers of Molly the Barn Owl (my previous post). I work at home online and keep a window running in the background so I can keep up to date on the latest happenings.

I must admit I recently starting watching the Eagles on Santa Catalina Island, CA. I love to see and hear the ocean in the background. The two baby eaglets have hatched and mom and dad are doing an awesome job! The eagles are great as both mom and dad contribute to the work of the little ones. The dad, #81, Justice flies off to bring back fish. Nothing like fresh Sushi! Mom, #82, Liberty welcomes the food and they both feed the babies. (The eagles have identifying numbers on their wings. Liberty is marked on both sides – #82) Justice even takes turns sitting on the nest and keeping the babies warm. I love to listen to them calling to each other when one is off on a flight.

Then there is another bald eagle nest at Duke’s Farm in Hillsborough, NJ. This is a totally different atmosphere from Santa Catalina, CA. These are fun to watch. This is quite an elaborate nest. Today, as I am writing this post, it is a tad bit windy and the nest is swaying.

There are many other animal web cams you can watch on http://www.sportsmansparadiseonline.com. You will find anything from Bald Eagles, to Molly the World Famous Barn Owl, a new Cardinal nest, to a very comical Grey Squirrel and African animals. This is a great site.

This is truly a great experience for adults, adults that are house bound or bed ridden, and children to see these activities first hand. Although Molly eating her tantalizing meals of mice, rats and rabbits can sometimes make me a little nauseous, this is truly a great education.

With regard to education, Carlos Royal the owner of Molly’s Owl House, is a very gifted speaker and comes on often with updates. He even has a widespread audience with school classrooms and homeschoolers. He holds an information update and then a question and answer session with these groups. What a blessing Carlos is, and I want to thank him personally for all he does to contribute to broadening our knowledge on barn owls. Molly, McGee(daddy owl) and the four little owlets (Max, Pattison, Austin and Wesley) are very fortunate to have found Carlos’ owl house.

I have included the web cam feed for the Bald Eagles above. I hope that you enjoy watching all of these birds as much as I do.
If you are not already a bird watcher, I think you will become one soon!

Judy Conway

Email: judyconwaymarketing@gmail.com
http://homebusinessinatlanta.com
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Skype ID: judy.conway

What Does Sacrifice Mean to You?

Author: Judy Conway

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: Image via Wikipedia

What does the word “sacrifice” conjure up in your mind? What Does Sacrifice Mean to You?

To our military personnel sacrifice is giving up their personal lives to fight for our country. It means leaving spouses, children, family members and friends, and sometimes it means never coming back. That is truly an enormous sacrifice.

The spouses of these individuals are faced with the burdens of maintaining a household and the needs of their children single handed. Although my husband did not go into the military, I was divorced and left to be a single mother for two beautiful daughters. I know first-hand what this entails. It is not an easy task.

It seems recently there has been a lot of mention on TV programs about World War II and those that lost their lives. Mention has been made of all of the medals they won and what heroes they are. But what a void remains in our hearts for those that never returned home.

I was barely born during World War II, but I do remember the Viet Nam War. I remember holding my breath as my husband’s draft number came within two of the cut off. Our daughters were just babies. I lived in fear of losing him.

We do not even have to relate the sacrifice to war. How many people serving our communities as police officers, firemen/women have lost their lives to save the lives of others? Sacrifice is a daily part of our lives.

Another sacrifice that was brought to my mind was those who lost their lives under the cruel rule of Adolph Hitler. Lisa Kudrow was on the TV show, “Who Do You Think You Are”, and traced her ancestors. She learned the fate of those who were stripped of their clothing, executed and pushed into the pit of destruction. Imagine if you were a child who had escaped and were watching this from a distance. The horror of seeing your parents or family members lose their lives in this fashion is incomprehensible for sure. There was a joyful discovery in locating her father’s family members who are still alive. This brought tears of joy to my heart.

We are faced with various degrees of sacrifice in our lives. With the economy the way it is many families have been faced with losing their homes, cars and other possessions just to have money enough to buy food and feed their children.

Single mothers go without food themselves so that they children will have food to eat. Homeless people go without shelter, food, clothing never losing sight of the hope of finding assistance.

As parents we sacrifice our desires to fulfill the needs and wants of our children. These are joyful sacrifices, as far as I am concerned. We are truly blessed to have these children, if only for a short time.

With Easter approaching my thoughts and heart are awakened thinking about the supreme sacrifice that God made for us. Sending his son Jesus to show us the way and then Jesus’ supreme sacrifice of dying on the cross to save us from our sins. I am sure you will agree that Jesus’ sacrifice can never be duplicated. I am forever grateful for Jesus and the cross at Calvary.

As a final thought, I recently heard it said that the greatest gift of love is not what someone is willing to give, but what they are willing to give up …. This is a true sacrifice.

I hope that your sacrifices will be few and your lives absent of want and filled with His many blessings. Ultimately, I hope you will never have to ask, “What Does Sacrifice Mean to Me.”

Judy Conway
Email: judyconwaymarketing@gmail.com
http://fullservicemarketingtools.com
http://homebusinessinatlanta.com
Skype ID: judy.conway

Category: Children, Christian, family, home, Inspirational | Tags: Adolph Hitler, calvary, Children, cross, families, food, friends, God, History, homeless, Jesus, Judy Conway, Lisa Kudrow, militarypersonnel, parents, Police officer, sacrifice, shelter, spouses, Viet Nam War, Who Do You Think You Are?, World War II | Leave a Comment

Lots of Digital Communication But Are You Listening or Being Heard?

Author: Judy Conway

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: Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Have you ever noticed in our world of tweets, emails, and texting (just to mention a few modes of communication used nowadays) that there are a lot of people chatting, but are they really being heard? Are we really listening to each other?

We receive Twitter messages in our email, but do we really have communication with the person who initiated the message? How many times do we just hit “delete” and move onto the next message in our inbox. The same thing applies to messages we receive from Facebook that someone either wants us to confirm their friendship or comment on one of our posts. Do we always respond?

Then there are actual email messages. First thing in the morning before scurrying to begin a busy day we sit down to check our inbox. We tend to scan messages we have received, maybe answer one or two of high importance and make a mental note to respond to those which remain. Before we know it the day has ended, we are ready to eat dinner and spend a relaxing evening with our family and then it is off to bed. The “respond to later” group grows daily. Often times they just get deleted once too much time has elapsed. Here we find a break in the chain of communication.

We are definitely living in an age of advanced communication technology. We have computers for our Tweets and Facebook posts, IPhones, BlackBerrys and plain cell phones. Can you remember when we did not have a cell phone?

With the use of blue tooth it took me a while not to respond to a person standing next to me in a store when the spoke. I now know that they are speaking with someone on their cell phone.

If you take your kids to the park to spend “quality” time with them and you get a call, or a text message how long is it before you forget why you are there? How long is it before your children just decide that they are not being heard? You are busy with a digital conversation. The face-to-face communication with your child has run amuck.

A cell phone is great when we need to take care of an emergency at work and put a solution into the works. However, how many times are you out to dinner with your spouse, or family and they are looking forward to your being part of the occasion, and you get that dreaded call demanding your full attention. Communication at your table comes to a standstill! They are talking, but you are not listening.

We are living in a culture that demands constant connectivity with no respect to what we are personally doing. You could be having dinner out, or at home, sleeping or in the shower and our hand held devices have no mercy. We snap to attention.

Whatever happened to our face-to-face communication? I have a very dear friend who made a very wise comment to me. He told me that he did not send emails, or read them. “Emails do not tell me how you are really feeling,” he said. How true is that? Granted we can express our thoughts in an email, and even put a certain tone in what we are saying, but where is the personal interaction we used to enjoy?

Another misuse of emails or texting, in my opinion, is when a person goes on a rant about something they are displeased with and without truly considering their words they put how they feel out there and do not really care about the person on the other end reading it. Unfortunately, as much as the world is a much smaller place and people are able to stay in contact more readily with digital capabilities, our personal consideration of others can get lost. Once those words are out there the damage is done, you cannot take them back.

Obviously, I am part of the digital world of communication. I appreciate your reading my article. I also personally realize, from the expression on a child’s face, or even on an adult’s face, the importance of being listened to and truly heard.

In closing, I am hoping that this might prompt some thoughts on sharing your voice, your true personal face-to-face communication and actually listening to a person to hear what they are trying to say. We need to step back and realize that conversation, as we once knew it, is on the decline. We also need to recognize how conversation is changing and try to keep somewhat a balance in our communication.

Happy Tweeting, Texting and Chit Chatting. Make sure that when all is said and done you have been truly listening and heard what has been said!

Judy Conway
Email: judyconwaymarketing@gmail.com
Skype ID: judy.conway
http://homebusinessinatlanta.com
http://fullservicemarketingtools.com

Fan Engagement: Sports Social Media Done Right (slideshare.net)

Category: Children, family, health, home, Inspirational, Social Skills, Technology, Uncategorized | Tags: Communication, e-mail, face-to-face, Facebook, hearing, Ipod, Judy Conway. tweeting, listening, Mobile device, Mobile phone, personal conversation, Text messaging, Twitter | Leave a Comment

We Never Achieve Excellence By Accident!

Author: Judy Conway

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: Image by foxspain via Flickr

A very wise person once anonymously wrote, “Excellence is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, skillful execution and the vision to see obstacles.” This statement can serve to stimulate our thoughts. A job well done does not come about out of the blue. Planning and effort have been initiated to achieve the end results.

If we are going on a vacation, the first thing we usually do is plan where we are going, what we will take with us and what exciting things we will do once we get where we are going. I find it unsettling that we put more effort and thought into planning a vacation than we do in planning our lives and future!

How often do we live our lives without a specific destination in mind? This can start at an early age. We graduate high school or college with no concrete plans for a career. This spills over into other areas of our lives. We meet that special someone and we decide to get married. Have we considered the possibility of children? What impact will children have on our careers? How many people just charge ahead without giving any thought to finances, education, and spiritual activities? These things all require planning an intelligent direction with a sincere effort for skillful execution. If we live our lives by just passing through these various phases we probably will not accomplish our goals and dreams.

Most people admit that they could live better lives achieving their full potential if they would do planning.

How often do we find ourselves wandering aimlessly around only performing a less than adequate job because we did not really plan the route to our destination. We might not be inspired by what we are doing. If we intentionally plan our future we will be more apt to fulfill our aspirations.

Our everyday skills of being a successful parent, a good spouse, employee or overall person will take focusing on those items. We will achieve skillful execution of the various aspects of our life by disciplined practice and planning. Writing down goals and tracking our progress can be very beneficial.

Napoleon Hill, in his timeless classic, “Think and Grow Rich,” recommends and promotes the “mastermind” group theory. He describes the mastermind group as any group of like-minded people assembled for the attainment of a worthwhile goal.

Directors are much like a mastermind group giving guidance and direction essential to achieve success in a corporation. This mastermind group concentrates on an “intelligent direction.” If you are finding it difficult to execute your vision, you need to seek counsel with like-minded people to guide you in reaching your destination.

We can learn to make lemonade when we are given lemons. It takes a visionary to see an obstacle as an opportunity. Hardships serve to build our character and help us become stronger, more focused individuals.

It is our choice whether we want to live lives of mediocrity or excellence. Planning, high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, skillful execution and the vision to see obstacles will be the tools that will bring us excellence!

I wish you a life of excellence!

Judy Conway
http://homebusinessinatlanta.com
http://fullservicemarketingtools.com
Email: judyconwaymarketing@gmail.com
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Category: Children, Christian, family, Helpful Hints, home, Inspirational, Uncategorized | Tags: Excellence, mastermind, Napoleon Hill, planning, Think and Grow Rich | Leave a Comment

Low Carb Solution for Hot Cereal!

Author: Judy Conway

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: Image by Jill – Glossy Veneer via Flickr

Here is a solution for hot cereal for this cold weather we are experiencing.

I love a hot bowl of oatmeal on cold mornings. We seem to have an over abundance of those mornings lately. One big problem I find is regular oatmeal is not allowed on a low carb eating program. (5 grams of carbs, or less) This morning I set out to look for a solution to my dilemma!

I am on the Metabolism Miracle program and woke up craving a bowl of hot cereal. I got out my book, and low and behold, I found recipe for “A Taste of Hot Cereal”. This is listed as a no carb count. I am posting the recipe below for anyone who misses oatmeal as much as I do!

A Taste of Hot “Cereal”

1/4 cup finely chopped almonds (I used prepackaged sliced almonds)
1/4 cup finely chopped Brazil nuts (I substituted walnut halves)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoon butter
1/4 cup light cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 packet Splenda
Pinch of salt

In a food processor, finely process the almonds, Brazil nuts (or walnuts) and sesame seeds.
Place the nut mixture in a microwave-safe cereal bowl.
Add the butter, light cream, cinnamon, Splenda, and salt (if desired) and mix well.
Microwave on high for 30 seconds, or until the butter is melted.

Stir, close your eyes and think “hot cereal.” I was really pleasantly surprised and hope you will be too.

As an update on my progress on the Metabolism Miracle program … December was not a good month to start a new eating program. Faced with 4 birthdays, a Christmas gathering with some dear friends, Christmas and New Year’s, I must admit towards the end I strayed from what I should have been eating.

I want to encourage everyone who has set out to lose weight and either following this program or any other for that matter, do not give up. I have had a hard time getting back to basics but am determined to succeed. Sad to say this past week was the first week I was able to “totally” be true to what I should be doing. In any event, I have not gained back any of the weight I lost (15 pounds) and have lost another two or three. So I encourage you all when you have times where you slip away from your eating program, DO NOT GIVE UP!! The weight did not suddenly appear on your body overnight and contrary to what we would like to see, it is not going to melt away overnight.

I hope that you enjoy this “Hot Cereal recipe. I have tried recipes on other programs in the past and even my pets would not eat what I had prepared. The Metabolism Miracle book has quite a few recipes in it and everyone that I have tried so far have been very tasty. Even my grandchildren have said they thought they tasted good

I encourage you to keep up the good work. We can do this!!

Judy Conway
Email: judyconwaymarketing@gmail.com
Skype ID: judy.conway
http://fullservicemarketingtools.com
http://homebusinessinatlanta.com

Category: health, Helpful Hints, home, Inspirational, Metabolism B | Tags: Almond, Brazil nut, diet, hot cereal, Judy Conway, low carb, Metabolism B, Oatmeal, Porridge, Sesame, Splenda, walnuts, weight loss | 2 Comments

In the Absence of Money We Can Pray for Haiti!

Author: Judy Conway

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: Image via Wikipedia

Primarily our blogging efforts are for creating traffic to our websites, sharing personal notes, and overall social activities. There are those times when I use mine to share what is on my heart. This is one of those times.

I know that the world is aware of the total devastation that the country of Haiti has suffered as a result of the recent earthquake. Without actually being there it is truly difficult to imagine what those people are feeling.

Just think what it would be like to all of a sudden have your world, your possessions (few as they are in Haiti), your children, your parents, family members, food, water, limbs, etc. ripped from under you. Just the thought of this horrific occurrence brings tears to my heart.

I realize that with our economy the way it is, some of us are having difficulty meeting our expenses and would find it hard to give for the relief cause for Haiti. I was in the grocery store the other day and they asked me if I wanted to “round up” my bill for the Haiti Relief program. I said yes, of course. I looked at the register screen and was sad to see it was only four cents. But even that meager amount, when coupled with other people’s four cents will add up and make a difference. I am retired and on social security and find it a challenge to make ends meet. This brought to my mind the story in the Bible of the widow’s mite. (Mark 12:41-44) God will honor your giving, no matter how small it may be. He knows what is in our hearts.

The Haitian people need everything. Perhaps a look in your closet will reveal clothes that you are no longer using. Maybe your children have grown out of some of their clothes. There are organizations that are collecting clothing items to send to Haiti. Whatever you can give, I know will be appreciated.

The enormous lack of all things in Haiti is something that has been going on for many years and will continue in the future. This earthquake has only intensified the situation. They will need our help for many months to come.

I personally know of people whose family members have been killed in this earthquake, while other family members are still among the missing.

If we have come to the bottom of our pockets and what we can financially contribute to Haiti there is still something that we can do. We can make intercessory prayer on behalf of these people. We can cry out to God for them to have the courage they need to go through these times, peace and understanding for the loses, especially for little children that have lost their parents and home and now find themselves living in the street with no food or water, and the list goes on. We can pray that God will provide people to make great sacrifices and go to Haiti to help. We need to keep all those people who have gone to Haiti to provide their services in our prayers as well. Whatever is on your heart can be given to God.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please join with me in remembering Haiti in your prayers.

Blessings,

Judy Conway

Email: judyconwaymarketing@gmail.com

Skype ID: judy.conway

Category: Children, Christian, Haiti, Inspirational, Prayer, Uncategorized | Tags: Business and Economy, Children, clothing, devastation, Earthquake, family, food, Haiti, intercessory prayer, pray, Religion and Spirituality, sacrific, water | Leave a Comment

We Can Learn From the Younger Generation!

Author: Judy Conway

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: Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I was reminded this week, that it is not always the adults that are the motivators and leaders! We can, in fact, learn from our younger generation.
How often do we encounter a situation that we just can not seem to resolve. No matter what we do we find ourselves without a solution. More than likely most of us would give up If we do not come up readily with an answer. How long do we struggle before giving up? How often do we give the problem to someone else to resolve?

I watched my grandson the other day struggling to overcome his lack of knowledge with PowerPoint. He just turned ten. He asked me if I knew how to do animation in PowerPoint. I had to admit that I only knew the very basics when it comes to PowerPoint.
He did not accept that answer. He was not going to be defeated. He has taught himself how to draw cartoons in PowerPoint and he was determined to get these characters moving. When I was leaving to come home Sunday evening he was sitting at the table with his dad working on finding an answer to his dilemma.

In speaking to his mom the next morning I learned that he still had not come up with the answer. I told her to tell him I would research it during the course of the day. It was shortly after lunch when he called to tell me not to worry about the animation project. He had figured it out.

This brought to mind the saying about “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you will feed him for life.” I am so very proud of my grandson. Both he and his sister have been brought up to ask questions and learn where to find the answers. Through his determination he had read through information and learned how to do animation.

I got to thinking. If we, as adults, could be that tenacious we could find the answers we need to become successful. We give up too soon. The answer is often times just around the corner.

I offer this post as an encouragement to us all to keep looking for the answers. If we are consistent and persevere we can become victorious.

Happy Tenacity!

Blessings,

Judy Conway
Email: judyconwaymarketing@gmail.com
http://homebusinessinatlanta
http://jconway.gogvo.com
Skype ID: judy.conway

Category: Children, Inspirational, Uncategorized | Tags: Animation, Child, encouragement, Microsoft PowerPoint, victorious | 2 Comments

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