Lola, over at Lola's Diner is wondering what people are doing in the wake of the recession.

One of her questions was: What do you try to do in your every day life to find joy and happiness?


I would say for me my mindset has been my biggest asset. I have always been a happy go lucky sort of person who just naturally believes everything will work out. And it does!

We have had our moments here. Ron is very worried about his job. In fact, if you read a few posts back, he lost his job for the second time in about a year and got it back a day or two later. But we are pretty certain that the doors will be closing for good soon.

Because Ron does not deal with stress as well as me, he's had a (um...) major bad attitude. That puts a strain on everyone in the household. I try to just keep thinking my happy thoughts and carrying on...

Like I said, I believe everything always works out. Ron is very well known around these parts- he is probably the best diesel mechanic in Central New York. When customers call the shop for service, 1/2 the time they ask for Ron directly. They know there will be no BS or stalling around. He is very customer service orientated. And he LOVES roadcalls- that's where he goes out and fixes the truck right where it broke down- the side of the NYS thruway, a parking lot, a loading dock, wherever. I think he could get a job tomorrow if he really wanted. He's just so used to where he's at. He's been there somewhere around 20 years.

As for myself...for many years in my adult life, I was a single mom. I know I can make it in tough times- I have before. I have my home business, and I have a ball playing around making money on the Internet. I can be home with the kids, and there's always opportunities available. It may be slow building up a sizeable income quickly with Internet ventures, but if you have several venues where you earn money, it can really add up. I occasionally teach journal writing classes at a local adult ed center. I have also run a home daycare in the past, so I can always take in babysitting kids if I need a few extra bucks.

Gosh, I feel like a Jack(ie) of all trades!

As far as saving money, we are ordering out a little less and trying to shop and cook more economically. I am constantly following people around shutting off lights.

We used to have 4 (yes, I said 4) vehicles on the road. We took two of them off the road. We sold my old Neon, which was a spare car in case we needed it, to my sons friend. Rons son drove our old van until it died, then that was taken off the road as well . As long as Ron is working at the shop, he has a company vehicle to drive. I have my Saturn and we have an old truck that we use for dump runs and for the boys to use.

I think the hardest thing is that we have adult children, 4 boys to be exact between 19-30. They are all having a tough time finding decent work. All that is available is temporary work. They move in and out so fast sometimes it makes my head spin! I never know how many will be at the supper table!

For anyone having a hard time feeling "happy" in this recession, try reading "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne.

Since I started reading that, I have an even more positive mindset, and already positive changes are happening in my career and my home life!

I refuse to give in..I am HAPPY! I am HAPPY! I am HAPPY...................

Thank the good Lord I work for myself! I swear, if I still had a J-O-B, I would have been fired yesterday for sure. Over the weekend, my daughter broke a tooth. Thank God it was a baby tooth! That entailed an unexpected trip to the dentist Monday! That's all fine and dandy, but she also had a doctor's appointment yesterday morning. Even if I had gone back to work afterwards( If I were so unfortunate to have a job), I wouldn't have been there the rest of the day. Around 2:30, my 16 year old son calls and asks me to please come, he & his girlfriend had just been in a car accident. Holy moley! He said they were ok except some burns and bruising from the airbags. The whole way there (about 15 minutes) my heart was in my throat (or so it felt). I could feel it beating & I was afraid I was having an anxiety attack. Thank the Lord, they are ok. Just writing about it is making my heart pump!

I have been SO busy. Alot of interest in our promotion. I have been hitting the streets hard with flyers. We have a new member bonus program launching soon, and it sounds great! I'm going out again today as long as the weather complies. I love doing flyers. I hop in the car and drive all over. I have a regular territory, and each week I advance out a little. I usually go shopping, go to bank, etc...while I'm out. Kill two birds with one stone and also I can deduct my mileage! That's like getting paid to shop!

One of my team members is in the army and is being deployed to Iraq! I feel so bad for him- he has a wife and kids! I'm really sorry too because he seemed like a nice fellow and I barely have gotten to know him! That's what I love about this company. The people you meet and work with, the friendships formed. We have single parents, retired doctors, teachers, you name it! It's almost like a huge extended family. And when our "Family reunions" a.k.a conferences come around, we don't have to ask a bosses permission to go. We just go! How great is that? I Love working at home in my own home based business!

Wow! I just got home from Houston last night! We had a blast. I got to meet all those wonderful people I have been working with (by phone) for the past year. Since I was promoted to Regional Sales Director just a few short days before the event, I got to go up on stage for some recognition & a picture with our wonderful team leaders. Others were onstage accepting awards for making 25, 50, $100,000 or more. This event just reinforced what I already knew-there is an alternative to the 40 hour a wk/40 year plan that must of us have come to associate with adulthood. Because most adults have lost all hope and are afraid to dream, we don't see the opportunities right in front of us. We continue going to a J-O-B everyday, making someone elses dream come true.

I really love working from home- I can do what I want, when I want. I can make as much money as I want, my future is in my hands, not a bosses. Because I am paid residually, I can take a month off, and will still have a paycheck waiting for me when I get home. Sometimes, there is a surprise and someone has self enrolled for benefits or work from home!

I have made a goal for myself- by the time next years event rolls around, I will be up on that stage as a National Sales Director making AT LEAST $100,000/yr. Watch out world, here I come!

Wow, between work, Girl Scouts & the holidays, I've been busy. On top of that, my Grandmother has been in and out of the hospital in a neighboring state, about 150 miles away. My business has been a blessing- I can just pack up my laptop, some postcards, my cell phone, etc...and go to Grandmas. The only glitch is my uncle (who live's there w/Gram) has dial up, and his computer is s-l-o-w. It's not only dial up slow, it's an old computer that has XP on it and doesn't have enough memory for that. My mom & I were trying to book our airline tickets to Houston for the event at the end of February. It took at least 10 minutes for it to warm up, then longer to get to the Internet, etc... My sister oftentimes works from home. She also visits my Grandmothers from another state. I was thinking of seeing if she wanted to go 1/2 on getting my uncle wireless Internet so we could go there whenever & not worry about tying up the phoneline & getting kicked off the internet and such. HMMMMM........

A couple of our goats also had babies. My pygmy had a little girl JUST after the new years, and a nubian had a girl last week. Last year we had 9 babies, but a few that I thought had been bred this year apparently weren't.

We have had pretty nice weather for this time of year. The dogs & I got out for a long walk a couple of times, and my daughter & I took a nice walk at Grandma's. She lives in Pennsylvania on a long, narrow, windy road. At one point, it was all open field and the mountains in the distance were barely visible through the mist. It was so beautiful.

Yesterday, there was light snow falling, and the dogs & I took a walk in the woods before I began work for the day. The snow was clinging to the branches, and covering the pond (which was barely frozen). It was so pretty & serene. The dogs had a blast rolling around, gnawing on each other!

Today I have to go get coal for the stove (great heat!) and do some other running around, so I guess my mornings work will be putting out flyers and such! Gotta go!