End of August

Will, in less than 4 months, Christmas will be over.  I have B and B people for another 4 weeks and a quilt retreat in fours weeks.  This has been a very busy non-gardening summer. 
I was very sad today.  I had to miss a fishing trip.  I went to see what they caught.  Boy did they have a great day.

I went to an amazing wedding last weekend.  It was held in an airplane hanger.  They had the hanger door open and the guests looked out at Mount Alice.  It was a beautiful sunny day.  The wedding only took 15 minutes.  The reception was in a white tent and blue metal building.  The chandelier that hung in the building was amazing.   I just learned that it was handmade my the bride, her Mom and the wedding planner.  It was pretty classy for Seward.  It was fun seeing and talking with a lot Seward people that I don't get to see very often. 

http://images.shaklee.com/video/show.php?video=DifferenceLandmark

http://content.shaklee.com/shaklee/flash/show.php?video=First90Days

These are great videos.  Please watch and let me know what you think.

I really can connect with this letter.

This is a letter written by Dr, Jamie McManus

Cinch® Inspiration Tip: Managing Self Sabotage
Are you one of those people that despite your motivation and commitment some how you seem
to sabotage your own weight loss efforts? Well, you’re not alone. People do sabotage themselves
for a variety of conscious and unconscious reasons.
Maybe you do it because unconsciously you have a fear of failure. You’ve been on lots of diets
before with not much luck, so why should it be different this time? Because we have failed in the
past often makes us not want to even try again.
then there’s fear of the unknown – even though you want to lose those extra pounds you have
become comfortable in who you are. If you lose those pounds things could be different and
sometimes that’s scary. Sometimes its so scary we  unconsciously put up an invisible wall to
protect ourselves from the unknown.
What about fear of success? Sounds silly right? Well, the truth of the matter is you might actually
worry about what your life would be like if you were thinner, healthier and more attractive.
Here are some tips on how to better manage it:
• Make a list of all the reasons why you want to lose weight. Reinforcing these reasons
will make it clear why you don’t want to engage in self sabotage.
• Believe in yourself and your ability to over come self sabotage. Even if you have
self-doubts, keep telling yourself you can and you will. You may not believe it at first, but
your behavior has a way of catching up with positive self talk.
• Identify your self sabotaging behaviors and make a list. Read them over so the next
time you do one of them you will recognize it.
• Try making a commitment to yourself to stop one sabotaging behavior for one
week. Write it down and come up with a positive behavior to do in its place. Repeat this
process from week to week and your success will build upon itself.
• Note the new behaviors you do and how they make you feel. It’s important to
recognize how you feel when you engage in healthy behaviors that build your confidence.
• Get support from others. Sharing your experiences with others who have “been there
done that” can help a lot.
If self sabotage is a problem for you, don’t worry, it is conquerable. Just recognizing the fact
that you do this is a step in the right direction.

If you are interested in learning more about Shaklee's Cinch products, please contact me.

Happy August!  I don's know about you, but it does not look like those of us living in Seward will not be having much of a summer.  It is only 53 and raining.  It has rained just as much this summer as last.  So does that mean our winter will be the same as last winter?  I'm not sure I want to deal with over 170 inches of snow again this coming winter.

My spring flowers are just finished blooming.  I have one entire flower bed that has not had any flowers return. My garden vegetables look like is should be the end of May.  The only thing that is growing well are my potatoes in my buckets.  I'm hoping to get enough potatoes to have at least several meals. 
My biggest project for the summer has been killing alders.  They are fierce weed/trees.  I have trimmed a lot of them from the ditch by the road.  I have some great pine trees that need to breath and straighten up.  I've also whacked down most of the alders that are growing over the drain field.  It really looks great where I've whacked.  I hope that is stops raining long enough to get all the alders whacked.

I've found a great organic weed killer online.  The ingredients are items that might make you say HUMMMMMMM!!!  

1 oz. orange oil (I've found through Amazon.  It is garden strength not an essential oil )

2 squirts liquid hand soap

1/2 gal vinegar

1/2 gal water

I used a round-up pump sprayer that I bought brand new.

When I did my first batch, I used less water.  I was very impressed at how well it worked.  If you look at the plants, you'd think I'd have used round-up.  

Watch for my next blog on my B&B season and Shaklee.

What a summer!  The snow did not melt from my yard until June 15th, but on the 4th of July we had new snow up on the mountains.  My flowers and vegetables are not doing very well.  My flower beds are really struggling.  I think this is a great year to redo restructure and replant my beds.  Most of my perennials did not come back.  I don't think they liked all that snow.

This winter/spring there is going to be a Master Gardener class.  I can hardly wait.  I really want gardening to be a major part of my life.  I love playing/working in dirt.

Now for my B & B news.  My B & B has been fuller than I thought it would ever be.  I have met some amazing visitors to Alaska.  If I can keep the people coming, I might be able to retire from the state for a second time plus make my mortgage payments in a couple of months.  

This year I've have visitors from all over the United States, Canada, Germany, Spain, Italy, India, and Asia.  I have loved meeting all these people.  This is the real reason I love doing the B&B business. I have the gift of gab, plus meeting people is so very interesting.

Now for my tattle tailing.  My Shaklee business has not been doing very well.  I am in a rut.  I come home and sit in front of the computer or talk to B&B guests.  I'm not done any calling or parties to tell people about the wonderful products Shaklee has or the great business possibilities that Shaklee offers.
If you or someone you know are looking for a way to stay home and make lots of money, please contact me.  I'm looking for a business partner. 

Benefits of Building a Shaklee Business

When you build a Shaklee business, it's about more than earning extra money. It's about getting more of what you want out of life by creating the experiences that inspire you. Built into the Shaklee Dream Plan are rewards that help you to create those kinds of experiences. From trips and cars to electronics and recognition for your achievements, Shaklee can be your vehicle to create the life of your dreams.

Quarterly Incentives

Win Shaklee logo items, electronics, and other cool prizes!

Fabulous Trips

Earn fabulous trips to exotic Bora Bora, French Polynesia, and the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas as you build your business and reach higher Leadership ranks. Plus, earn other special rewards, like trips to San Francisco and the Napa Valley, a Hometown Celebration, and an invitation to a Leadership Conference at the Shaklee World Headquarters!

Monthly Car Payments

Earn from $225 up to $600 when you advance in rank and grow your business.

PLUS, we'll hand you the keys to your own Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid when you achieve our top Leadership rank.

Global Conference Recognition

Get the star treatment and on-stage recognition at the biggest event of the year—the 2011 Shaklee Global Conference in Washington, D.C.
"The first time I was recognized on stage at a Shaklee Global Conference, I was on cloud nine! I realized that Shaklee was real and I could do it. My fears of failure seemed to be less and less, and I knew this would be my life's work. I knew I could succeed." -- Kathy Aleman, New Master Coordinator, Florida.

It is now June 11th and there is still quite a pile of snow in the yard.  The fire pit is still full of snow.  I heard in May that Seward had over 170 inches of snow is Seward this past winter.  I hope that is not going to be a yearly habit.  That is way to much shoveling and plowing to deal with in the dark winter. 
Now that most of the snow if gone, I'd love to have the weather warm up so that my garden plants and flowers will start growing.

I can't believe what a great summer for the B&B it is turning out to be.  Guests started coming the middle of May and from June 11th through the 6th of July there are only two days open without guests.  If I can get July and August to be as full as June, I could quit my job and just do B&B.  This year there are having guests from Israel, Germany, Spain, India, Canada and of course the good old USA.

My Shaklee business is doing better, but not nearly as good as I would like it to be going.  I'm sad that I will not be attending the global conference in Vegas, but I have B&B guests that weekend.  If anyone or if you know of anyone that is interested in earning some extra money or getting healthy, please contact me.  Shaklee is an amazing company to be associated with..

 10 amazing healing plants you can find in your garden:  This is a great article.  I learned several very interesting and healthy tid-bits.  I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did.

http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/photos/10-amazing-healing-plants-you-can-find-in-your-garden/dan

 

My Oh My; what a winter Seward is having! There is more snow on the ground right now than there was all of last year. It is a good thing that I have a large yard, so the snowplow can push the snow out of the way. I still have room to turn around in the yard.  I have friends whose yards are like tunnels.  I'm hoping all the snow is melted by the first day of Summer.  This will give a really short growing season.

My Mom sent me a really interesting article about germs.  The one that caught me off guard was the section on your purse.  The article said that the bottom of your peruse is a breeding ground for bacteria.  Think of all the nasty places it's been-on the floor such as:  restrooms, resturants, cars, work, and may other places.  The solution is to clean the bottom of your purse with a wipe and hang them on the back of chairs or coat hooks to keep them off the floor.

The B&B season is starting out with a bang.  I already have more reservations for the coming season than I did all of last season.  I'm so looking forward to this year.  If you know of anyone coming to Seward this next summer, send them my way (alaskaglaciercreek.com) is my website. 

Shaklee is looking better and better every day.  I'm actually getting brave enough to talk to or call friends and family about the products and/or money making prossilbities with Shaklee.  My goal is to make enough money to get a new car and save enough money to build a green house.  If you know of anyone that wants the best nutritional green products on the market or make some extra money, please send them my way.

Early Snow

Can you believe this snow? We have about 10 inches on the ground. It has been here since Halloween night. I hope this does not mean that we are in for a long snow filled winter. I was hoping for a short mild winter that ends in March.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. I'm having a a few very special friends for a mid afternoon dinner. Has anyone ever had a smoked turkey. I'm actually doing two turkeys. 1 regular turkey and one smoked turkey. The only thing I don't look about Thanksgiving is that I have to work the next day. I could take the day off, but I'd rather save my leave for a really good day to take off.

The B & B is going better than ever. I already have two bookings for next year. I'm currently working on the website. The prices are a little less this next year in hopes that I will get more bookings.

Since the winter came so early, I did not get to plant my bulbs. I'm very disappointed, because I had over 150 bulbs to plant. Maybe I will be able to plant them in the spring. I did however, get to plant some garlic. A friend and I are doing an experiment on growing garlic in Seward. We planted some garlic in her greenhouse and some garlic outside in one of my flower boxes. I hope all the garlic grows. I just love to eat and cook with garlic.

I am very excited; this fall to be chosen for the Seward Wellness project. I have to journal all the food I eat, exercise I do and journal how I feel during this project. I have only been doing the project for a week and already I have lost 2 pounds. I have already turned my thinking about food and exercise.

Next weekend is going to be all the fun. I'm going to go quilting with all my wonderful quilting friends. I always have the best time at these retreats. My quilting retreats are one of my truly relaxing fun filled weekends that I will not miss for the world.