Things they are a changin

I survived this day.  And now, it's at the end, I am finally able to sit my feeble ass down, and I am thank to God Almighty that I lived through the insanity that i saw today.  Some days are just full of goodness, you know, like the cool breeze blowing on your face after a long hot summer.  As simple as a child wanting to go to the park, to swing, ride on the slide, or just sit on a merry go round, or just taking my little dog for a walk.  But today, I saw my granddaughters full of glee as they ate donuts while their mother was in the doctor's office, walk into the library where the hope of their future was calling out to them and they couldn't decide which book to get, and then going through an attic of old stuff preparing for a garage sale, because the stuff i keep is just too old. 
What happened after that, i cannot even speak about, but I am yet alive, therefore, i can still say, I am happy within because despite the sever arthritis that caused my kids to become people i don't even know, or want to know, i live, and as long as there is breath in my body I will give all power to Him who believes in me more than I believe in myself. 
So, I do well, and since it's over, done, the end of this day, I sit and relax, and remember the trip to the library with little people who'll one day become big people, who'll hope and dream, and maybe even make magic happen, I thank God, I Live to 'Write', and I write to live.

Afterall, these are the moments worth living, and with that in mind, I bid you Good night!

It's Sunday Again,

This morning, Father,
I awoke, but knowing that we had no coffee I just went to the corner supermarket and purchased some coffee.  In addition, I purchased Amaretto cream; which i walked all the way over to the milk section thinking that I would find coffee mixes there.  Wrong.  They were on the same isle as the coffees!
It's still pretty quiet when I get up in the morning, so I am most relaxed, getting the body moving very slowly, and the same with the gray matter in my head, just moving slowly. 
I can hear the nuts hit the ground this morning, since there is a walnut tree right outside my back yard.
Last week, Friday, I paid for someone to take down the two trees in my life than have shaded our house for more than 12 (twelve) years.  The evergreen use to house woodpeckers, but i think when the new beetle moved in, the woodpeckers left, and i don't hear them any more.
The tree stood the tallest in the front yard, and every time you gazed upon it, you could feel the majesty.  You could tell that there was something grand there.

I'll miss you evergreen of the front yard.  And the little poor looking crab apple tree.  Who plants a fruit bearing tree in the front yard?  There was a peach tree out there right in front of the curb; you can just imagine what happened to it when the fruit fell to the street below it, and the cars ran over them.  Who would do that?

I've lived in this house for more than twelve years now, and I have learned that until you actually take special time to pay special attention to your house, you really don't have an investment.

I did the credit card thing so long, i bankrupted us.  And guess what?  No one came along to bail us out.  We had to budget, live less extravagantly, buy only the things we really needed, and spend more time as a family.  I've learned that those were the times we remember most in this life.  We put puzzles together, we create good food, and we eat together now frequently.  I like that a lot.  Especially when my children cook, and take the time to prepare a meal.  That's something money can't buy.

Our front yard is now a clean slate to create.  Being the creative person that i am I pray to Father, through Jesus Christ my Lord, to make something grand.

Living to Write, and Writing to live, this is my something special.

Make Money from Home

I went to the library today!  What a wonderful place to be.  All the books you could ever think of reading, and all the people happy, because people who read are generally happier.  Even better than that, I checked out books pertaining to "Home Businesses", and such related topics.  It's like everything that I've been thinking, someone was smart enough to write it all down, and categorize it.  Scams, real opportunities, and the like is really a matter of perspective.  But one thing I saw, I cannot help but repeat, Please forgive me if You wrote this, but; if you can earn minimum wage doing data input outside the home, why would you believe that you can make over 1400.00 dollars a day doing it part time from home?  That hit the mark for me.  Why do you think you can earn money mystery shopping, when the pay comes in the form of $10.00 or a reimbursement of your purchase, which has a ceiling?  How do you think that you can make money enough to earn a beautiful house, sporty car, and lying on a beach with a portable computer, when you don't ever get to find out what the job is?

I thought to myself, I could have written each and every article that I read today.  And I only read through the 1st 5 chapters.

I've seen it in the news, earn money from home, blah blah blah, I bought the course; it cost me $150.00 off my visa card, and the most I did was give my opinion on products I didn't even use.  Maybe now it's different, but that road I will not go back down.

Been there, done that.  Now, I blog.  Notice what goes on in the world and write it down.

Today I paid $2.50 for a dozen eggs.  It's time for me to purchase a chicken.  I bought a loaf of bread for more than $1.25, can I also bake my own bread?  Of course.  Will it be enlightening?  You bet.  Can I also raise a pig or a cow in my back yard?  Probably not, but becoming a vegetarian is not in my future.

The very good question is... What am I good at, and can I see myself doing it?

Am I prepared to work at home for real doing something I love rather than watching the idiot box all day?

Is it possible to manage my time, and proactively seek out my fortune?

These are all the best questions that require deep insight to know what I am going to spend the rest of my days doing.  Maybe, like my son, I have my whole life ahead of me, and rather than consider my entire life a failure because I didn't accomplish my goals, I could continue to try and not give up until I succeed.  That would sure make for a better ride through this thing called life than lying down, and wallowing in self pity.

I am going to continue to put forth my best foot, but another important point I want to make before I go... Unless I stand up for something, I will fall for anything.  Time for me to be the best that I can be, and that means making My Something Better.

I have never finished a puzzle and missed pieces, much less finished one that had so much black in it, but since my granddaughters have moved in with me, I am undone, but not failed.  I still Love that puzzle, Henry Lee Battle.  Thank You for that!

Pat Matheny

Have you seen him in concert? I haven't but I have listened to his traveling music for years. I don't want to date myself, but when I take a road trip, I play his music. His inspiration towards a better day will always be a part of my life.
Last night, a young friend took me and my daughter out, and when we were at the Jazz Lab in Edmond Oklahoma, I cannot tell you how wonderful it was just to be out there, Praising God through Christ in Rap, and without drink or drugs. I have to say that I was inspired, and enlightened. How do they say it? Music covers up all the dirt that drags us down in life. Well, that happened to me last night.
If you know anything about me, you know that I am continually trying to make something better out of life that money cannot buy. But it is going to take some money for me to get to the Pat Matheny jazz exhibition on September 28, 2011. And because of my handicap, I don't work a full time job, and right now, I am puzzling. The picture you see is the last puzzle that I put together. It took me more than a month to finish this puzzle. And when I got to the finish I found that I didn't have all the correct pieces, and in fact, I was missing a piece, but, because of the difficulty and beauty of this puzzle I will not take it apart. I love her. It's called, "Time Well Spent" by Henry Lee Battle, and I have written SunsOut to let them know my delima, but imperfect as she is, she's no different from me.
I believe through living we learn and grow, and many times we get bruised and battered, and finally if we live long enough, we become better people.

This blog is all over the place, but my hope is that you will see me, and help me through donations. $1.00 is not too much. because I want to see Pat Matheny in concert. Part of becoming and making something better is being able to accept help from others. I have always been the kind of person that counted on me and me alone. But with 4 grandchildren, all living with me, and a son and daughter still living at home, I need help. And if you see fit, I have an account with paypal. My entire name is Aleasha Jefferson. And I would appreciate anything you can send so that I can attend that concert. Thank You in advance for your generosity, and love.
May God bless you and keep you.

The Art of Puzzle Making

This was the first puzzle that I made this year. It was like a stroke of genius, all of a sudden I got this bright idea, to go to Wal-Mart and purchase a puzzle, because I didn’t really have anything else to do, and when you don’t have anything to do, you have to do something. I hadn’t finished a puzzle in a while; so I decided to make a puzzle. We have been having some very hot days. I mean, it’s been so hot outside that I had to do something indoors. So, while sitting around, unable to knit, and just having way too much energy, a puzzle seemed a good outlet, while not being so stressful. While out shopping, I went through the game department to find a puzzle, and I found 2. A beautiful Disney puzzle for Faith, my granddaughter; Snow White and the seven dwarfs, and I found the one above that I worked.
I felt enlightened; I also felt I had a purpose. I immediately began working it, and when you work a puzzle, the best way to begin is to separate the border flat edged pieces from the rest. Whether it’s 300 pieces or 2000 pieces, it’s always easiest to separate the border pieces, from the rest. At the same time, while separating the border pieces, I separate the various colors, like red, green, blue, white, or yellow, and place them each color in separate piles on my canvas. After separating the pieces, I bag the colors in small sandwich bags, according to color, and leave only the border pieces on the matt.
This is when it becomes fun. After having all the colors separated, I begin putting the border together. And once the border is complete, I rest. Whether it’s a day or two or three days before I get back to putting the rest of it together, I sleep well knowing that I have completed the border, and because I chose a puzzle that I want to see completed, I feel confident. I feel like I accomplished something, and truthfully, I did.
Because of the prices of groceries, or the cost of my monthly bills vs. the money that comes into our household, or whatever stress is bothering me, I spend time working through my issues while finding the pieces of a very unique puzzle. I do this so often now, I have managed to slow down the clock, and while I put a puzzle together, the time stops. The only sounds I hear are the gracious voices inside my head, praying for my family, praying for my friends, praying for our President, prayers righteously so, for our country. I cannot fathom the ramblings of commercial television. I cannot be inquisitive about the clothing that’s called fashion, and I especially cannot fathom the rate of interest on an automobile purchase. I enjoy hearing the tick tock of the clock. I love listening to children playing, and imagining what I would do were I to hit the lotto, but realistically, the chances of hitting the lotto which could very possibly range in an area of 18 million to 1… who has time to think and calculate those numbers?... but 1000 pieces in a puzzle, that’s calculable. Each time I find a place for a piece of my work, that number is decreased by one. And the odds of me being successful are better with each piece that I place on the matt. That’s like money in the bank, when you don’t go out with the credit card to purchase something that you thought would make you happy, you don’t spend your money because you hear the call of the commercial. You hold on to the life that is expressed in each moment, be religiously Thankful for each breath. Were you to be God, you’d say that time is halted. And while working the puzzle, the only thing in relation to time is the breath you make during the day in exaltation. It’s a process that our predecessors endeared, hence, they created the very idea of the puzzle. Recently I read that it was around 1930 that the cutting of puzzle pieces was made convenient by complex machinery, prior to that time, people actually cut puzzles by hand. Can you imagine?
So, while it seems a complex hobby, a relative improbability, even a frightening obsession, from the time you choose which puzzles you would like to see complete it becomes a challenge, pitting mind against matter. Laying caution to the wind and doing something that will allow your reality a bit of “peace of mind”.
So, go on out there, choose a puzzle, and work it like you have a renewed hope in your own mind. Be courageous and piece by piece, believe that you can, and you will.
I am going now, on to the next puzzle.

Life

It's been awhile since my last entry, and since life didn't stop with my last entry, it's time for me to enter my "something better!". This past month or so, I have reignited my love for puzzle making. I so enjoy a good puzzle. It's probably not something that I share with everyone, except family members; I don't exactly share that hobby. I have told everyone how I feel about knitting, I probably have even admitted my love for digital photography, but puzzle making?... no!
Initially, I started at Walmart, back in the game department, I found a puzzle that really peaked my interest. A beautiful puzzle of stamps from around the world. I got it home, and couldn't wait to get started. It took about a week, but at the end of that week, I felt like such a "Victor"! I'd accomplished a beautiful piece of art. My inners were thrilled, accomplished, and I felt a self worth that can only be described as "I am a puzzle genius!" That's how I felt after completing my first puzzle. So, I went back to WalMart to find another puzzle, but the choices there were limited, so I used the internet to find out where puzzles were sold other than WalMart. And I found, "seriouspuzzles.com"... Go there! You will not be disappointed. Whether you are looking for a mind bender, or a tool to inspire your young person, you will surely find what you seek. Out of all the sites I found online, I would rate seriouspuzzles.com as the best! 5 Stars being the best!
So, immediately I found a puzzle of my favorite kind; a knitting puzzle. I have a basket that looks a lot like the one that I was ordering. Immediately, I had to have it, and seriouspuzzles.com wasted no time, sending me the puzzle. I received it no more than 5 (five) days later. Immediately, I was on my way... after completing the borders I realized that this wasn't going to be as easy as the previous puzzle. I had a little fear, would I be able to accomplish my goal? Was I smart enough?
Well, today, just an hour or so ago, I completed my puzzle, entitled Knitter's Delight. I feel like I just ran a marathon. I feel as though I won something. And I did. My brain is still sharp, and I still have the ability of using all my wits. Yeah, today, I truly made "Something Better!"

TIME