a blog for women… I'm just sayin'

When TwitterMoms posed this question, I just had to blog about it! The economy stinks, the housing market (our source of income) is gone, my children are grown and moved out of the country, and our house is now upside down. With all of that negative information you are probably thinking, how can she possibly be better than ever?

Well I am better than ever because I have learned to look forward to the GOOD THINGS that WILL come to be and mull over only the GOOD THINGS that have happened.  Doing ones best, then leaving the rest to God has been a difficult task for me to accomplish. This year I will be fifty. I remember a time when not knowing when our next project would start caused me to loose sleep. I would think, we are going to run out of money, oh no. How will I pay the bills? Time has proven to me that worry will gain nothing. Difficult situations have made me a stronger person. In the meantime, I focus on things that bring a smile to my face, like blogging.

Dove teamed up with TwitterMoms to promote their newest gofresh™ REVIVE. Quoting from the post on TwitterMoms.com, “The folks at Dove® feel this has taken Dove® gofresh™ from good to great.” How ironic is that? They have the right idea; focus on things that are invigorating, refreshing, and yes reviving! Dove® gofresh™ is also sponsoring a Facebook photo contest so be sure to check that out as well. You might just win a spa weekend for two, bet that would make you smile!

When I think about my past, I now focus on the good things. I survived a motorcycle crash 20 + years ago that should have been fatal, raised my sons to be upstanding men, have a loving husband of 24 years. My extended family is always supportive and we keep in close contact with one another. There is plenty of room in the house that is up side down if someone needs a place to live. We have food, clothing, shelter, blogging, and each other… life is good and I am better than ever!

So tell us, what makes your life better than ever?

Check out Dove^® gofresh™ with NutriumMoisture™Dove^® Better Than Ever Facebook Contest

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Dove® gofresh™ blogging program, making me eligible to get a $25 gift card and some product. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

I remember when Rogaine was first being advertised about twenty years ago, several friends were very excited to test it out. Engaging in lengthy conversations on the subject with both men and women, I learned the emotions associated with balding are very similar to having a mild disability or disfigurement. That somehow sounds silly, I know.  The onset of balding is the time these emotions are strongest, from what I was told. The self-consciousness is even more pronounced with men and women who begin to loose hair at an earlier than normal age. It was really rather sad to hear how this hair loss affected their lives.

While Rogaine has been approved by the FDA and testing has proven it to promote hair growth, it does not reverse hereditary pattern baldness. What it does do is regrow hair for those who have other types of hereditary hair loss. Here are two excerpts from reputable sources concerning, Minoxidil, the active ingredient in Rogaine:

Medline - “Minoxidil is used to stimulate hair growth and to slow balding. It is most effective for people under 40 years of age whose hair loss is recent. Minoxidil has no effect on receding hairlines. It does not cure baldness; most new hair is lost within a few months after the drug is stopped.”

Mayo Clinic - If hair growth is going to occur with the use of minoxidil, it usually occurs after the medicine has been used for several months and lasts only as long as the medicine continues to be used. Hair loss will begin again within a few months after minoxidil treatment is stopped.

Notice that neither site claimed that Minoxidil didn’t work at all. I have to hand it to Rogaine; the product does grow hair in 85% of the men that use it as well as giving help, hope, and an alternative to many who would remain very self conscious, unhappy people. In my opinion, Rogaine would be the first topical hair rejuvenation solution to try rather than topical products like  shampoo for thinning hair.

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.

‘I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.’

The old woman smiled, ‘Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?’

‘That’s because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.

For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.

Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.’

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

You’ve just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

So, to all of my cracked pot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!

courtesy Red Scott Photography©

Fashion designers around the globe are embracing vibrant color trends this year.

Red Scott Photography©