The Redhead Riter - Witty, Intelligent & Addictive: Rockin' Friend

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Rockin' Friends Woo Us To Your Blog

What Is The Meaning Of Woo Us To Your Blog?

First, let me give you the definition of the word woo:

:to solicit or entreat especially with importunity.
:to invite by one's own action;
:to seek to persuade (a person, group, etc.), as to do something; solicit.

Therefore, this post includes an opportunity for you to invite, solicit or persuade everyone to visit your blog. The means by which you do that is by simply dropping the URL of your blog/website into the Linky at the end of the post. You will also get to have a photo attached to catch the attention of people who read this post.

Easy?

Yep! Definitely very easy to do!

Now, the time we have all been anxiously awaiting...This is the weekly post where I spotlight my Rockin' Friends who are the Top Nine active participants and loyal followers in my community where you will find THE BEST people in the world! If you want to be mentioned here next week, then all it takes is to come in and start chatting with everyone in my community.

Top 9 Rockin' Friends

With a big, heartfelt thank you for their participation and friendship, here are the Rockin' Friends this week in order of most participation.

Katlupe at Homesteading On The Internet

Joan at A Bad Marriage Is Fattening

Carol at A Creative Harbor

Meg at Mergie

PJ at PJ's Prayer Line

Teresa at Teresa Wilkinson The Storyteller

Paula at This American Life

Kristi at Child Sensitive Communication Grid

Jen at Making Our Life Matter

I'm so glad that I've been able to become friends with these wonderful people who are so active in my community. I encourage you to add their blogs to your blogroll, but also come over and chat with us in my community.

For everyone mentioned in the top nine this week, feel free to grab the Rockin' Friend badge below and thank you for your participation!!

Until next week...Kiss your family, hug your friends and don't forget to be the friend you would like to have around.

Woo Us To Your Blog

As always, attached is the weekly Linky to enter either the main URL to your site or add each post you publish throughout the week. You don't have to do anything special, just drop your link in and get a little extra exposure to your site.

Fire, Ice, Passion And Indifference - Robert Frost Was A Master Poet

My favorite author is an American poet who died the same month and year that I was born. He was honored frequently during his lifetime and even received four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. I even love his name because it makes me think of the cold winter months and the hope of snow.

Who is it?

It is none other than Robert Frost.

Fire and Ice
by Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

This poem brings to mind the question that continues to be discussed just as it was in times of old. Will the world end in fire or ice? With a very crisp and short discussion, the speaker in the poem decides that either one will do the trick.

However this poem also speaks of love's desire compared to hate. So if you think of the poem as the "world" being a "relationship" then it puts a little different meaning on it.

A relationship based on "fire" or "passion" without a foundation of love can quickly become consumed/end when the "thrill" is gone. The end result is the same for a bond that is cold as "ice" and filled with indifference or "hate". Obviously, having a successful relationship requires a balance of emotions and actions.

So take a quick reassessment: Do you have your "love" on "ice" too often?

Rockin' Friends Spotlight of the Week

With a big, heartfelt thank you for their participation and friendship, here are the Rockin' Friends this week in order of most participation.

Katlupe at Homesteading On The Internet

Joan at A Bad Marriage Is Fattening

Byn at Bean's Monkey Business

Aleta at Aleta's Arty Facts

MommyStayHome at Work At Home

Kristi at Child Sensitive Communication Grid

Carol at A Creative Harbor

Bev at eBlebco.com

Meg at Mergie

Until next week...Kiss your family, hug your friends and don't forget to be the friend you would like to have around.

Woo Us To Your Blog

Creating Memories - A Memory To Last Forever

"Sweet is the memory of past labor."~ Greek Proverb

Monetary value is not the important factor when I receive a gift. Actually, the thing that makes a gift stand out with me is the sentimental value of the item. That means the gift either was personally selected for me with care or it was lovingly created with me in mind.

This decorated box is actually a jewelry box that is lined with velvet.

Not only is it sprayed with gold, but it is decorated with items such as buttons, acorns, ribbons, pearls, fabric bows and pasta.

Yes, I said pasta.

Pasta is the medium children often use when decorating things they create for their mother's for such occasions as Mother's Day or other holidays.

This homemade jewelry box is one of my most valuable possessions.

"God gave us memory so that
we might have roses in December."~ James Matthew Barrie (1860-1937)

Every time I see this little box, I think about the loving hands that took the time to create it for me. It brings to mind not just one memory, but many memories.

Why are memories important especially if they are little, non-consequential memories?

Being alone with our memories can inspire and comfort us. They can also bring happiness to others when we take the time to share them. The reason that I started blogging was to have a way to share my thoughts with my daughter, so that I could record our separate and joined memories.

With each year that passes, Alyssa is slowly becoming her own person which means that it won't be long before she is completely leading her own life. The memories that we have made together will mean even more to us when our lives are not as entwined.

That is why this jewelry box means so much to me. After the jewelry box had been completely finished and before it was given to me, Alyssa signed her name on the under side of the lid. However, Alyssa wasn't the only person that was involved in creating this gift for me many years ago.

My sweet niece, Brittany, also helped in the creative task.

Both of the girls were assisted by my mother in making this gift for me.

So I have a gift that was created just for me by three of the people I love the most in this world. I know that their loving hands fretted over the details of the gift and thought about me through the process.

They took the time to create a gift for me because they love me and that warms my heart day after day.

Memories should also be written down somewhere like a diary, journal or even a blog. That will ensure that the precious moment in time is remembered forever especially as the details in our minds begin to slip into fuzziness.

Take the time to make and record your memories. Some day, they may inspire and comfort the people who love you.

"The best memory is
not so firm as faded ink."~ Chinese Proverb

Rockin' Friends Spotlight of the Week

With a big, heartfelt thank you for their participation and friendship, here are the Rockin' Friends this week in order of most participation.

Paula at The Wandering Hearth

Katlupe at Homesteading On The Internet

Bev at eBlebco.com

Kristi at Child Sensitive Communication Grid

Shari at Faith Filled Food For Moms and Grandmothers

Amber at Amber May Be...

Meg at Mergie

Lisa at Its Own Sweet Will.neebeep.com

Robin at Soggy Bottoms Baby Duds

Until next week...Kiss your family, hug your friends and don't forget to be the friend you would like to have around.

Woo Us To Your Blog

"Let It Snow" Is The Wish In My Heart

It isn't that I'm rubbing the lamp of a genie, but it feels like that sometimes.

You see, I have a friend named Joan and we talk about hopes, dreams and goals often. She understands what I've been through, where I am now and where I want to be in the future. However, during every conversation, Joan starts to sound like a broken record when she talks about manifesting my dreams. I can hear her now...

"All you have to do is visualize your dream(s) a couple of times a day - when you wake up in the morning and the last thing at night. Then make sure you use positive affirmations in the present tense. Just say, 'I'm so happy and grateful now that ___________' and believe it and experience how it feels!"

That's when I want to say, "blah, blah, blah," but I listen and soak in what she's saying because deep inside I know that a positive attitude begets positive results.

There are many goals and dreams that I am visualizing every day. Since I talk to myself in my head all the time, I actually put Joan's advice into action. Please don't tell her or I won't ever hear the end of it.

A few of my dreams include:

a little house away from the city in the mountains

six pack abs by my 2013 birthday in January

someone who will fall in love, marry, and give me passionate kisses each day for the rest of our lives, of course, that will give me a reason to wear fancy lingerie (wink)
snow

Yeah, you read that right...snow.

I love snow.

I'm a cold weather, flannel wearing, snuggling-cuddling type of person and snow fits in perfectly with all those things. Let's try putting some of Joan's manifesting to work.

I'm so happy and grateful now that it is snowing. (rolling eyes)

I'm so happy and grateful now that I can hear the crunch of the snow under my boots.

I'm so happy and grateful now that the snow is covering everything. (rolling eyes)

I'm so happy and grateful now that the snow has fallen and I have my camera charged so that I can take a lot of pictures.

I'm so happy and grateful now that while it is snowing, the temperatures are low enough to use the patio like a refrigerator for my water bottles. Yes, that is my drink of choice since I've lost weight and am now working on my abs.

I'm so happy and grateful now that the snow is so deep it goes over the top of my boots and melts on my socks. (rolling eyes)

I'm so happy and grateful now that I can make snow cream.

It amazes me that Joan is so steadfast in drilling into my head that I can have and be anything I ever dreamed of having and being. She is equally committed at convincing me that if I do my manifestation, all these things will come true for me -- even though Joan hasn't manifested anything to come true for herself yet!

So let’s try this manifesting thing and cover everything all at once…

I'm so happy and grateful now that I have a little house in the snow where I run around in fancy lingerie to the delight of my loving husband who gives me passionate kisses and enjoys my six pack abs thoroughly every day.

Blah, blah, blah...

The reality is that it is not snowing, I'm not in the somewhat secluded little house and I’m now going to take my flannel covered, untoned abs into the kitchen, get a bowl of fudge covered ice cream, crawl into the bed alone and kiss the dog good night.

So much for manifesting.

Rockin' Friends Spotlight of the Week

With a big, heartfelt thank you for their participation and friendship, here are the Rockin' Friends this week in order of most participation.

Joan at Rich Beyond My Wildest Dreams

Katlupe at Homesteading On The Internet

Bev at eBlebco.com

PJ at PJ's Prayer Line

Aleta at Aleta's Arty Facts

Paula at The Wandering Hearth

Carol at ArtMuseDog

Meg at Mergie

Amber at Amber May Be...

Until next week...Kiss your family, hug your friends and don't forget to be the friend you would like to have around.

Woo Us To Your Blog

My Online Friends Have Made The Difference

When I started this whole blogging thing, I had no idea I would ever make "friends" on the internet. Actually, considering how private a person I am, it is rather shocking that I have shared so much of myself and my life with the whole world. It has, however, been and is a wonderful experience.

Over the weekend, my community gave me a "surprise" online birthday party. My birthday is actually January 17th, but it is always easiest to chat on the weekend and so we laughed and chatted for two hours. It was fun and I immensely enjoyed their company. They are a wonderful group of people that are there for each other and me.

On my birthday, I will actually have a Twitter birthday chat with the hashtag of #TRR. I've never had a Twitter party, so I guess it will be fun to see how it all pans out. Hopefully you will help make it a success! No matter what, it will be my birthday, so it should be a fun and new experience. It might even give me something to blog about! Fathom that one!

There are many people online that I talk with every day. My "friends" are growing and yet, it is nice to still have the personal touch of chatting with them on Twitter, Facebook and in my community.

During my darkest days, I remember the kind words of encouragement that you gave me. I clung to your words of hope. I didn't believe them at the time, but I wanted desperately for you to be right. You know what? You were right because I am about to celebrate another birthday which means that I made it to a better place.

I want to thank you all for reading my blog and for those that make comments, I truly appreciate the effort you make to jot down your remarks. I appreciate all the Facebook comments and Twitter mentions and shout outs which have not only helped my blog readership to grow, but also has connected me with some really intelligent and super nice people.

Since Tuesday is my birthday and my foot is actually feeling better, I am once again excited about attaining my six pack abs for my next birthday. I already forewarned my family that I will be bearing my tummy for them to oooh and aaah over. Hopefully they won't be blinded by the glow-in-the-dark skin. (wink).

On a serious note, let me say, sincerely and with my most heartfelt emotions, thank you for everything.

Sorry. I just couldn't resist the kitty picture! I couldn't stay serious for too long!

Rockin' Friends Spotlight of the Week

With a big, heartfelt thank you for their participation and friendship, here are the Rockin' Friends this week in order of most participation.

Joan at A Bad Marriage Is Fattening

Aleta at Aleta's Arty Facts

Katlupe at Homesteading On The Internet

Pam (no blog)

Meg at Mergie

Kathy at Birth Touch

PJ at PJ's Prayer Line

Paula at The Wandering Hearth

Marlene at Marlene's Many Hats

Until next week...Kiss your family, hug your friends and don't forget to be the friend you would like to have around.

Woo Us To Your Blog

The Seed - Friendship And Honesty

When I sit down to type a blog post, sometimes I have no idea what I will publish. Tonight was one of those times, however, I am filled with great gratitude for kind people who have become my friends. When my eyes "leek" and I'm in a "pickle," they are there to lend a hand, speak encouraging words and support my dreams. I appreciate their honesty, genuine concern and that they help to fill my life with laughter to "squash" the loneliness.

The seeds of wisdom and friendship that they planted in my life have taken "root" and continue to grow, flourish and has "bean" helping to make me a better person. "Peas" "lettuce" all take this "sage" advice: Become the world's most thoughtful friend because as Betty Ford said, "You can make it, but it's easier if you don't have to do it alone."

The Seed

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. "The young executives were Shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED.. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues. Instead he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil. He desperately wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach. It was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.

Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed and Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone except for Jim to sit down. He looked at Jim and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!"

Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.

"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.

Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead which means that it was not possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"

The moral of the story:

* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends
* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness
* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective
* If you plant hard work, you will reap success
* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation

So, be careful what you plant now because it will determine what you will reap later.

Rockin' Friends Spotlight of the Week

With a big, heartfelt thank you for their participation and friendship, here are the Rockin' Friends this week in order of most participation.

Aleta at Aleta's Arty Facts

Katlupe at Homesteading On The Internet

Kristi at Child Sensitive Communication Grid

Joan at A Bad Marriage Is Fattening

Paula at The Wandering Hearth

Meg at Mergie

PJ at PJ's Prayer Line

Pam (no blog)

Mama Penguin at Keeper Of The Penguins

Until next week...Kiss your family, hug your friends and don't forget to be the friend you would like to have around.

Woo Us To Your Blog

Ride Like The Wind - Stopping Is Optional

"It is splendid to feel the wind blowing in my face
and the springy motion of my iron steed.
The rapid rush through the air gives me a
delicious sense of strength and buoyancy,
and the exercise makes my pulse dance and my heart sing."~Helen Keller

A day.

No matter who you are, where you live or when you live, a day is the same amount of time for everyone. You can look at it as you "only" have twenty-four hours in a day or you can have the perspective that twenty-four hours seem to stretch endlessly into the future.

It is all just a matter of perspective.

How you act upon that perspective is your attitude.

As life moves from day to day, our perspective and attitude can and will change slightly or even dramatically, but time never stops. The hours won't pause. The day will not linger.

Of course, there have been days in my life that I wish I could just skip and some that I wished would never end. The unhappy moments we want to speedily skip and that is just human nature. Since we all know that those unpleasant times will happen, can we prepare for them?

That depends upon many things, but mainly it is based upon your perspective and attitude. It is the "Is the cup half empty or half full?" thing. Another factor in this progression is based upon our own determination to succeed by making it through the unhappy times with dignity and a sense of accomplishment.

Attitude. Perspective. Determination.

Those three words are really big.

As a young child I had a bicycle with a banana seat. As I recall, the bike was gold with a huge white, plastic basket adorned with various bright, plastic flowers. I also had different colored straws on the spokes of the wheels that went click, click, click as I rode.

Practically every day, I rode my bicycle for hours, up and down the street and around the cul-de-sac that was within the view of my home.

Since my sister was four years younger, I usually rode my bike alone. Sometimes I imagined that I was soaring across the country and at other times I was simply the lady that drove the school bus. No matter where my imagination took me, I was totally in the moment.

Day after day, I would pedal my bike completely absorbed in my imagination.

Riding.

Pausing.

Pedaling slowly.

Stopping.

Pedaling fast.

Imagining.

The wind blowing in my face was calming and freed me from my current condition of being just a child, riding a banana bicycle up and down the street in front of her home. At any given moment I could have driven past the stop sign at the end of our street, but not once was I ever tempted to do it. After Mom gave me the rules and told me how far I was allowed to ride, I never thought twice about it. The rule was set and I lived by it and thrived within my own imagination.

Thinking back now, I realize that I never even had the urge to venture further. I was completely content with the world my mother allowed me to experience alone on my bicycle. Eventually, however, I did grow up and my world had to encompass much more than just the street in front of my home.

It is scary riding past the stop sign.

Every day we all have the opportunity to sit alone on our bicycle and ride like the wind through our lives. At times, that is a good plan of action and although stopping is optional, it is a good practice.

In order to see where you have been and where you are going, you must remember the past, contemplate, recognize the present and plan for the future. That requires moments of peace and stillness which can only happen by stopping. The life that looms ahead into the darkness can and will be whatever you make it. Do you really want it to be based on decisions that you haphazardly made while soaring through other activities?

I doubt it.

I am still pretty much sitting alone on my bicycle riding up and down the street. Lately I haven't ventured very far past the stop sign. Seventy-five percent of the time I think I am completely stopped, staring at the sky or examining the pebbles on the road. Thankfully, I finally accept that stopping at this point of my life is necessary and actually enjoyable. Soon, I will pedal past the stop sign and ride like the wind.

The important thing to remember is that you and I have the choice to ride or stop when and where we need or want to do so. In order to keep life in perspective, it is necessary to tweak the attitude and focus our attention with enhanced determination.

Eventually that familiar voice will say, "Dinner is ready! Time to come home!" and the ride will be over. What other people said, how many material possessions we collected or how much fun we experienced really won't matter. What is important?

You know the answer to that question.

Love. That emotion that blooms in our hearts and directs our actions.

Yes, it is all based on loving each other as much as we can possibly love each other.

Hopefully while you are riding like the wind today, you will stop and show your love for those people that really matter in your life. That's what I'm going to do right now because my daughter has the flu and is asking for crackers. Yep, it is going to be a fun day!

Rockin' Friends Spotlight of the Week