Decorating Makes My Heart Happy

I am not a cold weather girl, 

(my parents have said I have salt water in my veins, and I think I do. 

I like it hot and the sun shining!)

The only exception to this is for the holiday season.  I love the holiday season!
I love everything about it.  (Even the cold!)

I so enjoy listening to Christmas carols and decorating our home.

And decorating for Christmas, bringing out all the special ornaments and things the boys have made over the years...this makes me as happy as a warm summer day! :)

I have added a few new decorations this year, of course ideas I got from Pinterest!!

From my side of the fence, I think every season should be as awesome as Christmas.  Then I'd never miss the beach.  (Who am I kidding, that's totally not true!)

Cathy

...off to finish up the decorating!

Traditions

So, as I was having a conversation about holiday traditions with a friend of mine the other day, she asked me if I was going to blog about what we do for Thanksgiving, and I thought, “Well, I guess I should.”

I mean, that’s kind of the point of a blog isn’t it?  Giving you all the cruicial details of my life and family and life habits and traditions and dinner menus and such. 

So as I sat down and thought through our family holiday traditions, I was really overwhelmed by how much I love my family.  I know this isn’t a surprise to any of you, and it’s certainly not a surprise to me, but sometimes I am just overcome with how blessed I am to have the family I have.

Really, it’s what I love so much about this time of year.  And of course we have traditions we cherish.  For starters, no Thanksgiving Day is complete without the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. I love the music and dancing.  It makes me stop and think about ALL I really have to be thankful for, and I realize once again how much the Lord has blessed me.

Then we almost always go to my oldest brother's home. My brother smokes a turkey and ham.  The girls, (my mom, sister in laws, and myself) make all the sides.  (of course we all have our certain ones that we ALWAYS make.) The men, silly boys, always ask for the same thing EVERY year...strawberry "salad" (which consists of jello, whipped topping, pretzels, and strawberries), deviled eggs, dressing, (yummy) spinach casserole, squash casserole, and sweet potato souffle.  These are the things we MUST have!  (Don' t even think of  subtracting something from the menu or the men will revolt!)

It seems our large family likes tradition, even when it’s with the food!

Another tradition we have is that we always draw names for Christmas, on Thanksgiving.   Once our family got so big, it was just easier to draw names, and it makes it more personal we have found over the years.

Of course there is the tradition of the lighting of the great Christmas tree in Atlanta. We don’t ever miss it! 

From my side of the fence, I have to say that I just love tradition, and I love the holidays! 

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours~

Cathy

 Shhh. I am adding something
 (don't worry, I am not removing one 
thing from the menu!) hor d'oeuvres, 
something I found on pinterest, http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/appetizers-and-snacks/jalapeno-bacon-and-cream-cheese-bites/ 

I am so excited about this!  I will let you know what kind of reviews my family gives!

Top Ten Ways to Grow Your Direct Sales Business

I know I've mentioned this before (okay probably many times) but I am a Thirty-One Director.  I am a part of a great company that produces an amazing product that everyone can use.  I love this picture because it's the day I was recognized as a "Director."  There's nothing like having your name in GIANT PRINT to motivate you to succeed!

Direct sales work is a home-based business.  I am my own boss.  I get to decide if I succeed or if I fail.  I am basically self-employed.

And let me tell you, it's not easy to be self-employed.  You have to be motivated every day to be "out there" selling your product, yourself, and your business. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to grow my business.  I want it to be all it can be, all it should be, and so I think about, read about, talk about how to grow a direct sales business all the time.

So between all this talking, reading and thinking, I came up with my "TOP TEN WAYS TO GROW YOUR DIRECT SALES BUSINESS."  I hope this helps you get you re-focused on your business and all the potential it has! It sure helped me to sit down and write these things down and start doing them!

MY TOP TEN

1. Make 7 phone calls a week related to new business.  In the case of Thirty-One Gifts, the company I work with, this means asking for new bookings. Remember, you will probably get about 1 yes for every 4-5 no's, so don't give up!  Because you won't get ANY yeses if you aren't asking!
2. Write down your weekly and monthly goals and put them somewhere you will see them EVERY DAY!  I create a "note" on my iphone, then screenshot it and save it as my wallpaper.  So literally every time I get on my phone, I see my goals.
3. Share the opportunity about your business with at least 4 people a month (this is for those of us that are trying to recruit people).
4. Showcase your products...purses and totes? CARRY THEM.  Jewelry? WEAR IT.  Make up? USE IT. Whatever you have, use it daily so people see and want it too!
5. Do a drawing via facebook or email once a month for a giveaway to all your hostesses and customers...it doesn't have to be something big. No matter what it is, people love to win something, anything!
6. Hand out 5 of your business cards EVERYDAY! Dry cleaner, restaurant, your child's school, doctor's office, you name it! You never know where that business card or even a business catalog may end up! :)
7. Offer to do a fundraiser for a local organization and giving back a portion of your profits! People always like to support their favorite cause and getting something in return is extra fun!
8. Don't allow other people to run your business...book parties on days that are convenient for you.  After all, you are your own boss for a reason, right?
9. Always, always, always send a handwritten thank you note the day after an event or party. Thank the hostess or customer for using you and supporting your business! People will always remember the business owner that had the "attitude of gratitude" and they will come back!
10. Have fun! Enjoy what you do! People are drawn to positive energy and positive people!

From my side of the fence, I love getting to do what I do.  I can't believe everyone doesn't own at least one Thirty-One tote because they really are that good.  I hope you feel that strongly about your product or business! Oh, and feel free to check out my business here: www.mythirtyone.com/catherinehenry

Let me know how these things work for your business, I would love to hear back from you!

Cathy

Thankful

I'm just thankful.

Thankful for God's grace and mercy in my life.

Thankful for second chances, and 3rd, and 4th.

Thankful for a husband who loves me the skinny me, the not-so-skinny me, the moody me and the almost always happy me.

Thankful my parents picked me, or rather that the Lord picked my parents for me. :)

Thankful God blessed me with children, sons, (whom I love to the moon and back and with all my heart).

Thankful for my brothers AND the amazing women they married (so now I have sisters)!

Thankful for my mother-in-law.  I really love her.

Thankful for cousins (one who is like a sister to me) aunts, uncles and grandparents.

Thankful for my friends.... God has blessed me with friends that "stick closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

if you are looking for a great book about grace, joy and a thankful heart, check this one out....
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voscamp

Today, I am overwhelmed with a thankful heart.

What are you thankful for? Post below and share with me.

Cathy

SURPRISE!

Other than the joy my husband brings me (just by being himself!) the joy of being a parent is the greatest thing. (Okay, there are lots of things that bring me great joy in my life, but seriously, being a parent ranks WAY up there in the top two!)

I enjoy so much about my sons, but watching them play the sports they love is incredible.  Right now it's basketball season, and that is our oldest son, D's, sport! He transferred this year to a new college, and with that comes some uncertainty about new coaches, new team mates, and playing time of course. I spend a lot of time praying for him, (not all related to sports, of course), but I have prayed and prayed for the Lord to keep him healthy and allow him to shine with the talents I know the Lord has given him! He has such passion for basketball!

Well, now that I have properly set up this story, I have a D. story for you. :)

On Friday of last week, we loaded up and headed 3 hours south to watch him on the road for his team's first game of the season. We were really excited as we traveled down the road, mostly from the anticipation of seeing D., but also knowing we were going to surprise him by being there for his first game! (His little brother even had on his new CCG t-shirt to show his support!) 

We got there right on time, and when D. turned around and saw us, he smiled from ear to ear! Surprise Success!

The joy of his surprise would have totally been enough for me, but he played amazingly well! He was the high scorer of the game with 13 points! (Humor me, it was a proud mom moment ok?!) 

And I may or may not have stood up after his third 3-pointer and yelled "That's my boy!" HA!

We were not able to make it to game #2, which was the next day, but we got the update as soon as it was over . . . 13 points and 7 rebounds!

I hope you enjoyed your surprise, D.  We LOVED surprising you!

"Lord, thank you for blessing this very un-athletic momma with two boys that take after their daddy and love athletics. Thank you for giving them the bodies and desires to pursue their dreams. Lord, please keep them safe from injury (and heal the injuries we already have...son #2 is almost out of a cast from a baseball injury, broken arm)."

From my side of the fence, I am blessed. I love watching my sons play sports and have fun! But mostly, I love being a mom. 

Cathy

He Makes Me Lie Down in Green Pastures

Being a stay at home wife and mother is hard work for many reasons.  That doesn't mean that working outside the home isn't hard, or maybe harder because you (moms, and maybe some dads) are working outside the home and also have to do all the things many stay at home moms do.  But it doesn't mean my job isn't hard.

I  am typically on the go doing something for someone every day.  I'm taxiing people, running errands for my husband or my kids or my family or my neighbors or my friends.  There is a common misconception among people that we stay at home moms have tons of time on our hands, so they are always asking us to do stuff  PLUS, I'm a doer and a server (and an enormous people pleasure), and I find it difficult to say no at times.

Plus, when you are a stay at home wife and mom, there are expectations about the cleanliness of your home and the quality of the meals you cook.  I mean, you're at home all day.  You should have a super clean house, no dirty clothes and a hot gourmet meal on the table, right?

Stay at home moms are supposed to either be homeschooling their kids or volunteering often at their kid's schools, providing snacks at all sporting events, running the booster club, and anything else that might come up related to their kids' interests.

We should be thin from all the time we have to workout.  We should be rested and ready (wink) for our husbands because of all the free time we have on our hands each day.

And we should have figured out how to have a 6 figure income (okay, well at least a 5 figure income) by some incredible stay at home job as well.

Right?

But just for the record, these are my expectations of myself.  I'm sure there are SOME people out there who might also have these expectations of we stay at home moms, but for the most part, I have the greatest expectations of myself.

I think it is because with a personality type like mine, I want to be sure I'm contributing, that I'm pulling my weight.  Honestly, it's why I started selling Thirty One.  And though I love the product (I DO!) and love what I'm doing for myself and for other families, I started doing it because I wanted to feel like I was contributing to my family.

But man, Satan can sure use all of that against me at times.  It's not that I want to be super mom.  I don't.  Or super wife (just ask Ray, HA!)  But I want to know that I am helping my family in every way I can. It's finding the balance that is difficult.

So I'm spending some time at the feet of Jesus asking Him to help me find balance, to give me direction, to show me my worth through His eyes.

From my side of the fence, maybe I'll sit here in the tall grass of His green pasture for a while.