Holy cow! I came into the studio this morning with my planner all filled out for the week of everything I need to accomplish……only to open my email and discover I need to add many things to my to-do-list that popped up while I was away! I also need to do the drawing for the March give away!

I am feeling a little overwhelmed right now so please be patient with me while I get things in order. I will one day this week do the drawing for March and announce the new April give away, share vacation photos, etc. But I will be buried the next couple of days getting as many things done as humanly possible.

Hope you all had a blessed Easter! What an amazing spirit-filled time of year! 

Well, this is the last day……of vacation!!! We are enjoying our visit to Bernie Missouri visiting our family. The weather is amazing here. This is the first year there has been no rain and in the 80s our entire visit! Absolutely beautiful…….I told them we are taking this weather home with us tomorrow!  I will have some pictures to share when I return. I am behind on my picture taking because I forgot and left my CF card in my computer at home!

Although I am enjoying our visit,  I miss our eldest, Kyle and our puppy dogs. This is the first year in 19 years that Kyle couldn’t come with us because he couldn’t get the time off work. We have always brought our dogs with us too but we left them behind with Kyle.

TTFN!

(click on picture)

Our handsome son, Kyle, turned 19 today!! Kyle was my first-born and he was also the first grandchild for my Mother and Father so you can just imagine the excitement that filled our house when we brought Kyle home. He was the most mild-mannered baby, we spent hours laughing while he entertained us….and he still has that wonderful sense of humor. Kyle is a very talented guitarist / drummer and music is his passion. The above photos were taken a few years ago during his band’s photo shoot but I just had to share them because they show his playfulness. Oh, how we love you, Kyle!

punchneedle embroidery

Good almost afternoon y’all! Another new punchneedle design punched and ready to be made into a pattern! My goal is to have at least 6 new designs before the Columbus show in July. Two down and 4 to go! Another goal in my pattern business is to have my most popular designs translated into cross stitch patterns for the Baltimore show in September! I have a lot of work to do so off I go! Have a blessed day!

What an amazing and inspirational event! I attended my first Mary Kay career conference this past Friday and Saturday and came home recharged and ready to enrich women’s lives through the Mary Kay opportunity! What impressed me the most was that every speaker gave thanks to God for their Mary Kay career!!! They proudly professed that God is their business partner and all good comes from Him.  Where else in the world can you go to a business convention and hear testimonies such as this!!!! 

I want to share with you some snippets of advice that I wrote in my notes from some of the speakers. This is advice that is not only for Mary Kay consultants, but anyone can apply this inspirational advice to their own lives.

Oh, first, I must tell you……..I have never in my life seen more pink Cadillacs in one parking lot!!!! It was a sea of pink…very cool. Also, the National Sales Directors shared their success stories and I was blown away at how successful ANYONE can be in this business! Nicki Hill from Bay City, Michigan joined Mary Kay in 1998 and in 2000 was already a sales director. So far in her career she has earned 7 free cars (5 of them Cadillacs), a paid-in-full trip to Maui for two (plus $500 cash to spend on the trip), 4 diamond rings, 2 ipads, 2 flat screen tvs and many more prizes.

Sherril Steinman from Pigeon Michigan started her MK business in 1978. She had the good fortune of being trained by Mary Kay Ash herself!!! She even gave a facial to Mary Kay Ash in Paris one time! She has earned 4 million dollars in commissions over the past 35 years……with the highest monthly commission check being $22, 000! (Commissions are not from your own personal sales but a % of the sales your team members make) 

Kym Walker of Detroit Michigan started her MK business and in 5 months earned her first car and 3 months later became a sales director. She has earned over 2 million dollars in commissions and her highest monthly commission check was $26.000!

All three of these women had obstacles they had to overcome to be where they are today. Being a wife and mother….. working their full time jobs while building their MK careers. My very own director, Lynn Spencer started her MK career while working 40-50 hours/wk in the medical/health field, 5 young children, her and her husband and children all played baseball plus she and one of her kids where in a running program twice a week……oh and she also found time to volunteer at her church. She earned her first car within her first 5 months! Amazing!

OK, enough stories, I want share with you some quotes that will hopefully inspire you and help you through the rough spots in life:

* What you think about, you bring about.

* Don’t take advice from people unless they are where you want to be.

* Fix it or forget it! (Mary Kay Ash said this about your appearance, love it!)

* Find the good in everyone!

* Work smarter, not harder. (example: plan meals for the week on Sunday and make 3-4 meals at a time)

* Turn off the TV and other electronics, and instead read motivational books or watch DVDs.

* Get out of your comfort zone

* Begin with the end in mind (visualize yourself where you want to be)

* Don’t make excuses!

* POOR means Passing Over Opportunities Regularly

* Fake it til you feel it! (meaning if you don’t “feel” like doing something but have to do it anyway, put on a happy face, be joyful and the next thing you know you will feel happy and joyful)

* Pretend everyone you greet has a sign around their neck that reads “make me feel important”

* The golden rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated.

And the last one…….Kym Walker said during her speech……”if everyone in this hall wrote their obstacles/problems on a sticky note and then posted them up here on the wall behind me but after you posted yours, you had to take someone else’s post (obstacles/problems), you’d be searching to take back your own!!” This is so true…..when you think you have it rough, there is always someone else with bigger troubles than your own!

I hope these stories where an inspiration to you and I really hope the quotes will give you a boost when you are down. 

©Teresa Kogut

Woo-hoo! A new punchneedle done!! Actually the punching part of it was done a couple of weeks ago but it took me a while to find the time to “finish” it. The words on this one were difficult so when making the pattern, I will make the letters smaller and a little further apart so it will be easier to punch. Hope you like it! It is what we will all be doing shortly, if not already, watering the flowers!

©Teresa Kogut

I love this scripture verse…….”For the Spirit of God has made me, the breath of the Almighty keeps me alive.” Job 33:4

The color is a bit bright in this photo…..I took it in the direct sunlight……I should know better, right? Anyway, brand new and couldn’t wait to share it with you!!!  Have a wonderful Thursday!