Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Cake Ideas 101 - New Site Up and Running!

Well, I have been expending my energy lately on my new site for cake decorators and wanna be's. It is up and running! I just want to take the opportunity to invite you to come on over and take a look at what I have to offer in content, products, offers, soon-to-be monthly contests, and a free monthly newsletter. Be sure to come back often to check on the new stuff. Signing up for the newsletter will also enable me to contact you with new content and the contest information. Here is the link: http://www.CakeIdeas101.com . Don't forget to leave me a comment on any of the pages while you are in there looking around about the site and even offer suggestions. I'm here to assist you with your cake decorating aspirations!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Spanking - Is It Okay?

A couple of months ago, my husband had to work on a Sunday morning, so my dad gave the sermon. I had taken notes, and I found those again today during services in my notebook. My dad first read an article entitled, “I Had the Worst Mother in the World,” and he then tied it in with the teachings of the Bible. In this article, this woman was saying she had the worst mother because growing up she was not allowed to do some of the things other kids did. She was not allowed to wear some of the same things as others. She gave a long list of things that at the time she felt she was deprived of. But as she got older, she realized she had been blessed with the most loving and caring mother in the world who wanted her to grow into a descent and upstanding person.

One of the things this woman went in to detail on was the fact that she was not only corrected while growing up, but she was actually spanked. Oh, my goodness! Wouldn’t Dr. Spock have had a coronary? Spanked! This woman turned out a very good person, and it didn’t hurt her precious psyche one little bit. I could so relate to what this woman was saying because I too was spanked while growing up. And did it hurt me? No, just my bottom and my feelings were hurting at the time.

There is a huge difference between a beating and a spanking. I see so many kids nowadays that need a good spanking. Once in a while I see a kid in the store throwing a fit and then I see the parent marching them outside. I’m thinking at least they are taking care of it, but why have to take it out to the car? When I was growing up, I knew I would just get swatted right there in the store in front of witnesses if I acted that way. That humiliation in itself was enough to make me behave when we were shopping. Now if some people see you spank your child they turn you in to the authorities for abuse. That is just unreal to me. I think there is a terrible injustice on society here if we want to make our children behave and can get in trouble for that. Maybe there wouldn’t be so many convicts out there if they had had the correction in the home while they were growing up.

What is the purpose of spanking? Well, it is definitely an attention getter. It also teaches humility and it steers kids toward better behavior. In no way do I condone beating, which is done with excess time and force to various parts of the body. However, a spanking is directed at the bottom, which is padded for a reason. And a good swat or two is all it generally takes to get that attention or rectify a situation.

Many people can quote the saying of, “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” They say it comes from the Bible. The concept is close, but the words are actually, “He who spares his rod hates his son. But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.” Proverbs 13:24 NKJV.

I am not going to preach here, but rather leave some food for thought by giving some scriptures that can be researched to see what the Bible says about correction. The Book tells how God corrects his people and compares it with how earthly fathers should correct their children.
· Proverbs 1:8
· Proverbs 3:11,12
· Proverbs 10:1
· Proverbs 13:24
· Proverbs 15:20
· Proverbs 17:25
· Proverbs 19:18, 26
· Proverbs 22:6, 15
· Proverbs 23:13, 14
· Proverbs 29:15, 17
· Ephesians 6:1-4
· Hebrews 12:5-11

Author: Linda Dougherty

Monday, September 29, 2008

Preventing Cancer

I recently read an article entitled “Cancer-Proof Your Body” in the Family Circle magazine that had some very good advice. It gave six tips that you can implement into your daily life to help fight off this disease before it strikes you. As a recap, this is what they had to say.

1. One of the most important things you can do to say cancer free is to remain lean throughout your life. The article said that except for pregnancy, any weight gain after age 18 is mostly fat! If you strive for your high school weight and were overweight at that time, you would want to get under that weight. Excess body fat produces unhealthy hormone levels and releases inflammatory proteins into the bloodstream that can influence cell growth, upping the risk of cancer in several bodily organs. It is particularly dangerous to gain weight after menopause. And for every 11 pounds added on, risk of breast cancer increases by about ten percent. To monitor your calories, pay close attention to those in what you drink. A major contributor to weight gain is sugary sodas and juice flavored drinks. The brain doesn’t monitor the full feeling with liquids like it does bulky foods, so it is easy to consume too many calories in drinks.

2. Try to get the whole family eating healthy foods. When filling your plate, 2/3 of it should be plant-based and 1/3 red meat, chicken or fish. Dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, Swiss chard, bok choy and romaine lettuce are great choices. Other good suggestions are broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, garlic, fresh fruits, and whole grains. You can eat more of these (and their cancer-fighting nutrients) without gaining weight because they are low in calorie density.

3. Drink more milk! The calcium and Vitamin D in this liquid not only helps ward off bone-thinning osteoporosis, but it helps reduce risk of all cancers by a whopping 60 percent. A daily 800IU dose of Vitamin D and 1200 mg of calcium is recommended for women age 19 to 50. That increases to 1,000IU of Vitamin D and 1,500 mg of calcium per day for women age 51 to 70. An 8 ounce glass of milk is typically fortified with 100IU of Vitamin D.

4. Cancer risks rise with the consumption of processed meats such as ham, bacon, sausage, bratwurst, pastrami, salami, hot dogs, and pepperoni. When meat is smoked, cured, salted, or when nitrates are added, carcinogens can form. Limit red meat like beef, pork, and lamb to 18 ounces per week. Better options are fish and chicken. It is best to roast, bake, or crock pot any type of meat. A chemical can form on the surface of the meat that may pose a cancer risk to that which is fried, grilled, barbequed, or broiled and cooked to 400 degrees or more, or over a direct flame.

5. Strengthen the immune system, lower body fat, and regulate hormone levels by staying active. Maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of several kinds of cancer with regular exercise. An increase in physical activity is needed around age 40 or you will inevitably gain weight. If an exercise program doesn’t appeal to you, at least take a daily walk.

6. Limit alcohol to one daily drink, or preferably don’t drink at all. A study found that women who drank one glass of wine every day increased their risk of breast cancer by 9 percent. Alcohol not only increases breast cancer risk, but also mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver and colon cancer. And the more you drink, the greater the risk. Alcohol has a negative influence on hormone levels. It acts as a solvent which enhances the penetration of carcinogens into cells, which might fuel the cancer process.

This article had some very useful information we should all try to apply to our lives to help ward off cancer since it is continually on the rise.

Author: Linda Dougherty

Thursday, September 4, 2008

My Horses's Ailment Remedied

A couple of weeks ago, my horse Sonny, a palomino quarter horse, came down sick. He was lying on the ground just rolling and rolling and would not eat. And of course the lot was muddy, so he was a mess! My son discovered what his problem was. Sonny had reached across the fence to the neighboring horse’s pen and had been munching on a board on her shed. So he was obviously suffering from a belly ache and was in pain. Sonny was given a shot for the pain and we hoped he would improve during the night. Unfortunately he was worse by morning. It had rained almost two inches in the wee hours, so with all his rolling around he was covered with about an inch thick mud. Of course he would not stay in the dry shed to roll! If it was not for his shape, you would not have known he was a horse! He was cleaned up and taken to the barn and put in a pen where it was dry and no boards to chew on.

We called the vet and I met him in a short while. He gave Sonny two shots for pain. He decided it was best to get some soapy water down him. That was a real experience! I pretty much laid on his neck – he was stretched out on the ground. The vet and his assistant inserted a clear tube down his nostril. It finally got to a certain point where Sonny swallowed the tube and it could be gently pushed on in to his stomach. The assistant used some kind of pump then to get the soapy water solution (probably a special solution the vet uses instead of Dawn dish soap) pumped into his belly.

There was nothing more that could really be done for him at the time but to just let the solution do its work. So I went back home – and kept praying nothing would happen to my horse. When I walked into the barn later that afternoon, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Sonny was up and eating, and when he saw me he whinnied and came quickly to the gate to greet me. He wasn’t acting like the same horse I had left earlier in the day. Then I discovered why – the soapy water did the trick! There were two fresh piles in his pen. Upon examining them, you could see what looked like sawdust or ground up board. No wonder he was now acting frisky! Within the evening hours there were several more fresh piles and he was like his old self. So obviously Sonny had been suffering from belly ache and constipation.

I have recently been reading some self-help books. Sonny’s constipation problem made me think of a phrase called “Constipation of the Brain.” When reading these books lately, this concept has come back to me. In dealing with people with my online businesses, I know there are many people out there who are suffering that ailment. I admit even I have been guilty of it. We suffer from preconceived ideas and tend to resist change in all aspects of our lives. People tend to live in the past with regrets and in the future with “what ifs” rather than focusing on “now” or “in the moment.” You cannot change the past and you cannot predict the future, but you can change your future by controlling how you live in the moment.

Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.

http://www.internettowealth.com/

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Great-Grandparents

With a new addition to the family recently, I became a great-aunt on my side of the family for the first time. This made the third great-grandchild for my parents though. I have two grandchildren, but this was my brother's first grandchild. I got to thinking about that. First my parents were 'grand'parents. According to the dictionary, 'grand' means magnificent. When you check out the word 'great', it means important. I don't know if it's just me, but 'magnificent' sounds of greater magnitude than 'important'. So what does that mean? If you are a grandparent you are of greater magnitude than when the next generation arrives and you are then reduced to just being great as a great-grandparent? Is that the way of phasing out the older generation? You are built up to be made grand, and as time goes on, you slowly lose value and status. Oh, but then they try to make you feel better with the next generation and say you are a great-great-grandparent! Now isn't that a little bit of play on words? Are two greats equal to a grand? Maybe if you live to be that old, or even to the point of being a great-great-great grandparent, people realize just what a treasure you are!

Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.

http://www.internettowealth.com/

Painting and Shingling

My family owns a construction business which is worked part-time along side my husband’s full time job at the shingle factory. These construction jobs have to be coordinated with his full time job in order to do them in his off time hours or days off. We have our three sons who help us if they are not working, at college, or have other plans. We also have a fourth son who lives 75 miles from us who is doing construction in his town such as we are.

Several of us on the crew have come to the conclusion that there are a couple of specialties that we just are not really fond of doing. They are also jobs that people cannot seem to find anyone else to do, so I guess we are just suckers. The first is painting. We did this a few months ago for two days when it was over 100 degrees. At certain times of the day, depending on which side of the house you were on, there was absolutely no shade you could get in to paint. To make matters worse, there was not even a breeze. More recent than that, we did the second thing we are not really fond of – shingling the roof. Not only is that really hard work, but it is so hot on the roof!

I honestly don’t know if it was hotter when painting or roofing, but the humidity just compounded the problem. The boys think it is pretty cool when they get hot on the job just to throw off their shirts and keep at it. I tell them that is totally not fair, and they just give me a big grin. I stand there with the sweat running in places it shouldn’t, so I walk over to the water jug and get a cup of cold water and pour it down the front and back of my shirt. It is amazing how that will cool you off, plus the wet shirt gives an air conditioned effect for quite some time.
We have had a very productive summer - with construction jobs still lined up that will take us well up into winter to complete. We were not at all upset to have had only one big painting and one big shingling job this year. I like helping with our family construction business, but when it is too hot or so cold you have to bundle up till you can hardly move, I would much rather be at home working my online business any day! I really appreciate my air conditioner and furnace at certain times of the year.


Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.

http://www.internettowealth.com/

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

School Consolidation

Commencement exercises in May of 2008 marked the last graduating class from Eastern Heights in Agra, KS. Our youngest son was among the 15 classmates who participated in that momentous celebration. Our oldest son started kindergarten at Eastern Heights in 1989. Within a few years, concerns were being expressed about how much longer we could keep our school doors open. Naturally, the reaction was to rebel against the idea of consolidating with another school. Discussions were held with school and community members upon several different occasions. A vote was even held amongst the students who decided to keep the doors open till the end. As each school year passed, parents and kids wondered if the next year would be the last for the Eastern Heights Mustangs. In 2007, after years of fearing the inevitable, the announcement was made that the graduation class of 2008 would be the last for our school. We breathed a big sigh of relief to know that even our youngest son would graduate as a Mustang.

As with any school consolidation, various opinions were expressed. Many people were please that we had another smaller neighboring town five miles away that we could join with. Others were not fond of it due to past school rivalry and fear of how that would affect crossing county lines to consolidate. And the other little handful of people didn’t care one way or the other – mostly due to the fact they had no kids in school any more. And maybe the fear is just because of change. Change is one thing we all have to deal with in our lives even if we don’t necessarily want to. I’ve even become accustomed to dealing with change in working my online business.

Once the books were closed with “The End” for the Eastern Heights Mustangs and the Kensington Goldbugs, a new book opened starting with “In the beginning” for the Thunder Ridge Longhorns, both communities were accepting the whole consolidation idea. Work had been going on all summer to get the new school colors of silver and blue and the longhorn mascot on display so that the students and faculty could start the new school year with a sense of pride and joy in their newly consolidated school.

Of course, there are some of the kids from the former Eastern Heights district that they and/or their parents opted to attend school at the neighboring town in the opposite direction. This is totally their personal choice. However, I am proud of the ones who have chosen to attend our new school district. They are showing that even if our two towns are small, we are mighty – just as in the saying ‘United We Stand!’

Yes, there were a few tear-jerking moments during the last graduation ceremony in saying goodbye to our school. But as the guest speaker recapped the years of Eastern Heights with memories, it is as he said, “Once a Mustang, Always a Mustang!” A part of my heart will always be a Mustang because it was the system that put all four of our kids through school. But at the same time, I am finding a place in my heart for the Longhorns because they now represent our community school. Even though we don’t have any kids attending school there, maybe we will some day have grandkids that will. So in the meantime…..Go Longhorns!!!

Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.

http://www.InternetToWealth.com