Adding a little TLC...

Think of things you do for others that you blend in a little TLC and show them how much you care.

My husband never buys me anything.  I have only received flowers twice in the 29 years we have been married.  But the other day he had some change left over from what he had for gas and fishing stuff.  When he took me to work he left without telling me where he was heading and when he got back he had bought me a couple of donuts.  And they were cherry and maple.  That is what I buy when I get donuts for myself.  I had no idea he paid attention to what flavor of donuts I eat.  That was TLC. 

 A few years ago I gave my hubby 200 dollars for a shotgun. He hunts every year.  I had saved it up so he could get another shotgun.  I had lost his other one in the pawn shop.  Anyway, he showed me his gun and then told me to hold out my hand.  I thought he was going to give me the change he had left from purchasing his new gun.  But it was a wedding ring set.  I had lost my old set at the pawn shop.  He bought a cheaper gun and got me the wedding set because he knew I really missed wearing my old set.  He is normally very selfish and that time he added TLC to my TLC I had given him.

Another time I had noticed that two of my knickknacks on a very high shelf were crooked due to someone walking too hard by them I suppose.  Well, I thought to myself that I would get a chair and climb up and straighten them up.  But I got sidetracked.  A couple of days later I went to straighten them up and it had already been done.  My hubby did it without me asking him to.  That was TLC.

My granddaughter knows I have real dry skin on my legs and one day while I was watching tv with her she got up for no apparent reason and came back with some lotion.  She said she wanted to put it on my legs for me.  It was very relaxing.  She took it even farther and gave me a soothing foot massage.  She was only four at the time, but that was TLC.

My son is incarcerated.  I have been visiting him since October of last year every Saturday.  We have to visit with a glass between us and on a phone to talk to one another.  The other day when he was leaving he blew me a kiss and there were other inmates and jailers watching.  That was an act of TLC for sure. 

My pastor's wife gave me a reusable grocery bad for an Easter present.  Now that may not be what one would consider TLC, but she knows how much I love bags and she gave it to me before I had a chance to ask where she got it so I could get myself one.  The bag was one of those cheapy fifty cent ones, but getting it as a gift was priceless.

Those are some examples of adding a little TLC.  Do you cut your child's meat to help him/her eat easier?  Do you make the pancakes in shapes or people instead of just round circles?  Do you send cards for no reason?  Do you find little trinkets at yard sales for other people?  Do you put smiles on people's faces unconditionally?  Do you fix extra food so you can take some to a shut in?  Do you share your garden with your neighbor? Write of ways you add TLC or others have added TLC to your life.  These are little memories that make you feel good and have good memories.

Try to list at least ten ways TLC has been added to your life and when you feel down and depressed for some reason, refer back to your list and let the smiles be renewed all over again.

Opening your own business

I found the perfect plot of land to build my business on. 

No, I am not opening my own business.  I am broke and can't borrow any amount of money for five years since I filed bankruptcy.  But, I dream.  I am always thinking of different businesses I would love to open.  So, here is the prompt I have been working on.  If someone offered to give you enough money to open your own business and you did not have to repay it no matter the amount it takes to open your very own business, what type of business would it be?

Is this something you have thought about for a long time but not able to get the funding to open it?  No matter what the cost you finally have been given the opportunity to start your that business you have been dreaming of for a long time.  Write about you decision of the type of business you have decided to open up.  Write all about the things you must do to be able to make the dream come true.  Tell us about the reason you chose this type of business.

I want to open a thrift store  and a book store with new and used books and have a tea and coffee joint where you can use your laptop and have wireless available. I want to call the thrift store Nu2U.  And the tea and coffee joint will have more desks around the room instead of tables so journaling can be done and homework can be done or conferences or meetings can take place.  And the book store will be a treasure hunt for the book lover. 

Just my dream...

The First Letter of Your Name

I do an activity with the families at my school that involves them finding pictures, clippings from magazines, etc that begin with the first letter of their child's name.  They glue to a sheet of construction paper and then we use their specially made paper as a learning tool.  The lessons learned from this particular activity is letter recognition, letter sounds, environmental print, counting, and math concepts.  I also use it as a way of engaging conversation so I can access the child's communication/listening skills.  It is a great social/emotional tool.  They do the activity with their parents and that is called quality time.  It is a very simple activity and doesn't cost very much and we get so much out of it.  I even make me one each time so the children can see things that start with M and it becomes important to them if teacher has to do homework too.

Well, while doing this activity this year it hit me how it could be used in our journaling.  If you are one who decorates your covers this activity is perfect for you to personalize your journal.  Find things in magazines to cut out that begin with the first letter of your name and glue them to the cover of your journal.  Cover them with clear packaging tape to secure them and keep them from coming off.  This will be a different way to make your journal stand out from the rest you have done.

If you do not want to do it as a cover idea, then place them randomly throughout your journal pages to decorate them.  Or you could use the clippings as a way of signing off for the day.  And you could use the clippings as a prompt to write something about it relating to you or your name as an entry for the day. 

You could use the time spent looking for the pictures as a way have quality time with your own children or grandchildren.  They could help you find the perfect things to cut out. 

And I also cut out different Ms in different fonts and colors and sizes and used them on my paper.
I have used magazine clippings for many things in my journals.  I can't throw a magazine away until I have harvested out every possible picture, saying, poem, quote, letter, etc to use in my journal or my buddy journal or traveling journal.  Many prompts have come from the simplest thing from a magazine. 

Have fun and share of the fun you had doing this activity.  God bless your life, Marshel