Be Back Soon ....

I'm not around much this week ... blessed to be spending time with family for their spring breaks.  My grandchildren, who are normally 1200 miles apart, are all in town together and Grammy gets to see them all everyday.  So I'm enjoying every moment of snuggles, giggles, smooches and hugs ... and I'll be back next week.  Until then, I hope your week is as awesome as mine!!!

A Word (or Two) to the Wise

In business, when it's your name over the door, it doesn't mean you get to work half as much ... it means you get to work twice as much.

Choose your priorities wisely.

Most spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important. – Stephen Covey
 
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. 

Make a plan.  Execute the plan.  Be flexible enough to change the plan when necessary.

An ounce of application is worth a ton of abstraction. – Booker T. Washington   

If you work just for money, you’ll never make it, but if you love what you’re doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours. – Ray Kroc

Starting a business is hard work.  Maintaining a business is hard work.  If you're lazy, you'll find out if bankruptcy is hard work.

If you don't have a target, you can be sure you'll never hit it.

Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy. – Norman Schwarzkopf

The golden rule for every business man is this: “Put yourself in your customer’s place. – Orison Swett Marden

Leadership is doing what is right when no one is watching. – George Van Valkenburg

Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. 

Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games. – Babe Ruth  

To think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted. – George Kneller

In all realms of life it takes courage to stretch your limits, express your power, and fulfill your potential. – Suze Orman

Look well to this day. Yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow is only a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well therefore to this day. – Francis Gray

In business, I’ve discovered that my purpose is to do my best to my utmost ability every day. That’s my standard. I learned early in my life that I had high standards. – Donald Trump

Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right! – Henry Ford

To win without risk is to triumph without glory. – Pierre Corneille

Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business. – Zig Ziglar

Success is hard .. but failure is harder.      

My Irish Roots

Sunday we (at least we in America) will celebrate St Patricks Day – everyone will be Irish for the day!  Several years ago, I had the opportunity to do some research into my family roots and found a few Irish threads in my personal tapestry.

The vast majority of our Irish ancestors emigrated to America during the great Irish Potato Famine of the mid-1800s and most were Catholic.  My ancestors were neither.  They came much earlier ... in one case the family came in 1657 ... and all were Protestant.   My more recent migrants came from Ballymena, County Antrim in 1738.  Men from these family lines fought in the American Revolution and were among many families who became the foundation for our country.  My 4th great-grandmother’s brother was a lawyer in New York state and was an active abolitionist who helped to create the NY routes of the Underground Railroad. 

When we see the Irish portrayed in movies and tv, we most often see warm, friendly and spirited people who normally possess natural gifts of conversation, humor and art.   They are as ethereal as Celtic pipes but with strong sensible roots.  They are fighters who stand up for their beliefs and courageous in the face of daunting odds.  When I read the biographical information about my own ancestors, I see many of these traits, for it took these traits to pioneer a new land.

So on Sunday, I will celebrate my Irish heritage.  Not quite like others – I won’t be drinking green beer or reveling in a green party hat.  But I will enjoy the quiet memory of those who came before and left a heritage of strength, courage and integrity.  As it happens, it will be my Sunday to play piano at church, and in their honor, I think I’ll play this Irish hymn, which characterizes their lives:

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CMclLT_Hjg

Monday Mania -- in Aquamarine!!

It’s Monday Mania!  Aquamarine is the color of the month ..the birthstone for March ..and have I got a deal for you!  Get 25% off any aquamarine jewelry you order!  

This is how it works:  
Choose any style from my Etsy shop (look for the girl’s names for styles available in aquamarine)
Place the item in your cart (regardless of the color shown in the listing)
Write “aquamarine” in the notes section
Use coupon code MondayMania when you check out
 

It’s that simple!  This is a one day only special so make your selection quickly!  All items will be made to order and should be ready to ship by Thursday.  This offer is good until noon on Tuesday (eastern time in the US) and only available on aquamarine colored jewelry ... so don’t delay!  Oh, and if you’d like ball posts or leverbacks instead of French wires, please go to the Special Services section of my shop and add the desired alteration to your cart.