Monday, November 16, 2009

Tales of Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving: the act of giving thanks.




It is hard to believe that it is November and the Thanksgiving holiday is just around the corner. We always head to my sisters house in Oklahoma for this gluttony fest. She does Thanksgiving like my mom always did, more food than you could possibly eat and a warm feeling of family.

I am late posting my monthly tale because there has been so much happening around here. It seems like once your craft show season starts the days just turn into a blur of activity. I don't think I have fully grasped that it is almost Turkey Day. Halloween went by in a flash and now I am looking at Christmas decorations.

This is the time of year to look at all the things that each of us has in our lives that are blessings. This year has been full of them for me. Several months ago I read an article about a "Vision Board". This simple concept is to take pictures of things you want to happen in your life and place them together on a wall, a poster, your computer or anywhere else you would look at them frequently. You can make a vision board for a week, a month, a year or for your life. I thought about everything I wanted to happen in one year and wrote it down in a journal, then I thought of exact steps I could take to make those things a reality. I looked at that journal almost every day. I am a list maker and I truly enjoy checking off completed tasks, so this gave me incentive to get these things done.

Well I am happy to say that many of the things on that "Vision Board" are now reality and some of them will be ever continuing projects, but it does give you physical proof of things you can be Thankful for in your life. Many times people don't sit down and really look at all the little things that come together to make your life, but when you see it in words and pictures, when you see those wonderful little check marks next to completed tasks, it brings everything into focus.

Several of the things in my journal were about my family, building better and closer relationships with them all; other things were about my businesses. The family things will be ever changing and a work in progress, but the business things seem to be more tangible and easier to accomplish.


I have many things to count as blessings this year in my array of crafting businesses. First at My Spare Time Designs I have been blessed with another year of fantastic sales and the best customers anyone could ask for. Over the years I am happy to say I have turned customers into friends and these are the people I really work for. I have customers like Kim and her mother, who faithfully follow me to my yearly shows, and even read my blog! Kim bought the Santa door and her mom got this cute Santa's Toy Box.
I have a customer Deborah who had moved to Oklahoma and reconnected with us this year and what a pleasant surprise. I am truly blessed with great friends that support my crafting habit and seeing these people makes all the hard work worthwhile.

In my online business, Print Me Prim, we have enjoyed a very busy year, even with today's economy. But one of the biggest things to be thankful for is the purchase of the website, KraftOutlet.com. This is a wonderful site for the DIY crafter who needs to make business cards, tags, labels or just about anything to do with packaging your products. This blessing came to us right in the middle of craft season and boy was it hectic to have 4 large shows back to back, keep up with all the orders coming in on Print Me Prim and then add to that a whole new website. That is the main reason this post is late, just not enough hours in the day!




So hopefully you all will try the "Vision Board" for yourself and work this coming year on making your dreams come true. I know that sometimes life is trying and it is hard to see the blessings we are given, but gather together all the small stuff you are blessed with and then you will see the enormous things you are thankful for. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.


Talk to you next month,
 
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