September 2019 – A Blog, A Magazine. It's JustsumInspiration!

Well, That Was Fun! – Is Summertime OFFICIALLY Over Already?…

Published on September 26, 2019October 1, 2019 by Roshonda B8 Comments

Hey, Y’all! I Love saying that – it makes me sound so southern, in which I truly am! Arkansas born and bred, I Ain’t shame of it…lol.

The State of Arkansas Home of the Razorbacks

Anywho, welllllll…. Has summer come to an end already? In a couple of months, we’re going to be shouting Happy New Year – 2020!! Like Literally, my co-worker tells me all the time that the year’s speediness is my fault because when February came in, I honestly was wishing that the month would go by SUPER fast. I had just found a new dig and I was ready to MOVEEEEEEEE, I talk about that in a series of blog posts – you can catch up here, here and HERE! Just in case you missed it.

However, it seems like ever since I asked God for the time to SPEED by so I can get on with my moving on and upward. I must’ve sparked something in the Universe and BLINK! Here we are in September, going into October NEXT WEEK!!! Oh Gosh, please Universe – make it STOP!

Oh Well, I don’t know if that will happen, but I can say that this summer while it went away quickly. I did get some things accomplished and that’s what I want to talk about.

Before you ask, No – I didn’t travel to any elaborate locations with some girlfriends and chilled. Although, that does sound nice and I would love to do that someday. Once I get enough girlfriends to take that trip that is…lol. I came into this year saying that I wanted to travel to Russia and Africa – well, that never happened and from the looks of things, it won’t at this point. BUTTTTT, while that won’t be happening, I got this sensation in me to start saying YESSSSS to quite a bit of things…I’ll get into that shortly.

In the meantime, I didn’t expect to come into this year with the hope of starting a business. It just happened and when it did, I was ALLLLLL in! I created the Website, The FB Business Page and even the IG page for it, next I began working on content. What was this BUSINESS going to be about, what did I want to talk about? I have to be honest – when I first started the FB page, it was ALL about me and my services and etc., somewhat…. You can say maybe 80% was about me and 20% was about business tips for what I like to call “The Business Parent” and etc. I like doing research – at least on things that I’m really interested in knowing more about and I found out that I was doing it ALL wrong, I should have been talking about other things 80% of the time and only displaying my services 20% of the time.

This is a tip for the new and/or seasoned business parents, especially if you have a business page and/or advertising your brand. Think about you less (20%) and what else you can offer your clients more of (80%). Is there anything they need to know? Because people hate when things are constantly being pushed on them in a “salesy” way…. I’m one of them!

You can thank me later for that…. lol

Soooooooo, outside of starting the bizness – what comes next? Of course, business photos!! I said I wanted to take some, but people were super expensive, and I knew the selfies weren’t going to keep cutting it. Thank God for social media, a friend of mine got some family pics done and the guy that did her family pics had a $20 for 15 min special going on, you already know what I did… Yep!! – I JUMPED ALL ON IT!! I mean, for 20 bucks, I couldn’t pass it up – and here are the results of that…

What you think! I thought he did a fantastic job and I’ve already used them in a couple of mockups to promote my biz – check this out…

Let this be a lesson, you can do ANYTHING with photos, especially when it comes to creating content for your business. Okay, soooo another venture I tried over the summer – well, sort after the summer. Is going REDDDDDD…. I always wanted to be a redhead, so much so until when my beautician years ago would perm my hair, I always asked for a red rinse to be put in. I loved it so much until I got the idea to just turn my WHOLE head red, can someone say..

It truly was, I should have let a professional do it. As a matter of fact, here’s another lesson. If your hair is “weak” and/or “thin” please don’t put color on top of it. The color is already strong and even stronger depending on the color you get. It’s a chemical that will strip your hair as it is and if your hair is already “On the Weak Side of the Road” – You ain’t gonna have no HAIR!

I don’t have a picture for it now but Day 1 my hair was good, by Day 5 my hair was GONE!

All my precious hair (what I did have) shed away, I finally had to get it all cut off. I vowed that I would NEVER use color again on my hair (because I loved color and loved trying different shades) The women on those color care boxes are not created equal and its no telling WHO, WHAT or HOW long it took them to get their hair to the desired color they wanted. Plus, I’m sure they had a professional stylist…

So, if I can’t color my hair – Why not get some hair with the color in it and VIOLA! Here are the results…

To say I love this, would definitely be an understatement but I LOVE IT!!! Do You Like It??

On top of that, I got some new glasses (A Pair by Karl Lagerfeld (left) & One by a brand entitled Colours (right) I had a dark blue pair by Colours, I love their glasses, their unique and they tend to fit my personality, wish they had a white pair. Love these babies!

Well, outside of celebrating my daughters 15^th birthday (Man time is flying) She’ll be out of school in TWO YEARS!! And she’s already talking about driving and getting a license and working and starting a baby and dog care business, in which I created a flyer and she’s been passing out all over our neighborhood and everywhere she goes outside of bugging me about taking her to swap shops to see if she could sell some clothing items, books, and other things. SMH, she’s a littlepreneur in the making – see below.

First comes driving and the next thing you know, we’ll be talking about a CAR! Can she go back to being a kindergartner? Geeshhhhhh!! But she’s my baby girl and I Love Her!!

Well, that was my summer and it was other stuff in between, like not having air conditioning for a FULL MONTH! But that’s another story for another time. Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to saying YES!!! Not to the Dress, at least not now – I’m praying though…. that’ll definitely be a BIG Blog Post to share!

Buttttt, I’m saying YES! before 2020 rolls in like “Gone With The Wind” to outings and doing more things. I realized outside of being in the house over the summer and taking care of bills, kids and starting up a smallbiz. I really don’t get out much…, like not ever – now that I think about it.

So, instead of starting off the year with a new year’s resolution of saying YES (Anyone see the movie “Yes, Man” by Jim Carrey? Now, I’m not nieve’ and realize that the events that happened to him in the movie, don’t quite happen in real life. I mean – that’s why they call it Hollywood, people. However, this journey is just to get out of my comfort zone a little and meet and/or do things, OUTSIDE of the house. It’s me not thinking about doing it but actually putting the thought to action! So, I thought I’d start the month of October doing so and when I do, I’m going to BLOG about it. Hey, I gotta keep myself accountable! Will you go on the Journey of YES with me?

Well, Folks that it! That was my summer in a nutshell – Now onto Fall and Pumpkins and Spice and Everything Nice and to me saying…

Happy Fall! See Ya Soon!

The Pain Of Closing EVERY Door

Published on September 19, 2019September 27, 2019 by Roshonda BLeave a comment

Featured Image: Courtesy of Bing

Hey, What’s Up! I know, I know – Long time no hear from, right? I miss you too!!…but hey, I’m all over the place everywhere else such as FB & Here >> my new business website! The only blog post that’ll be posted there are posts in regards to business for the “business parent” in which is my new name and tag for anyone who has a business or just starting a business. Your business is your BIG or little baby and you have to nurture, take care and even “defend” it just as you would a natural child.

So there’ll be tips for the Business Parents in which the subscribers will get as well as discounts, specials or news about any services offered. I might even do some webinar stuff down the road, so that’ll be a treat as well. Anywho, this post is NOT about the business, but an FYI, just in case I go M.I.A again – you’ll know where to find me (wink 😉

Sooooooo, how have you been? What’s been going on in your life since we last chatted. I’d love to hear about it, so please leave it in the comment section (I promise to bring the coffee and the tea 🙂 Well, it’s been a minute since I posted, outside of the book reviews in which I’ll be doing more of those, so be on the lookout. I’m grateful for Amy’s post, hopefully, you’ve been enjoying those while the cat’s been away. You know LIFE and yes, it’s capital for a reason. Is so CRAZYYYYY, that’s capital for a reason too. Just when you think everything and EVERYONE (another capital for good reason) is in the right place and everything’s a go and just when you’re about to switch that gear shift from “P” to “D”. You have to abort the mission and let someone out or put something back. They or it have to be axed from your good trip of up and onwards – FOR GOOD!

Let’s get right to the nitty-gritty, life has many open and closed doors. Some you’ll walk in and others you’ll walk out. Some you’ll open to new faces and others you’ll have to close on old faces. That’s been my summer. I’ve had to CLOSE some doors that pained me to close, doors that I thought was open for my good, but realized – it wasn’t for my good at all. Not to say that people or things were bad. It’s just that in life when God gets ready to move you to another level (and it’s very cliché what I’m about to say) he has to shut some doors in order to open some new ones, but what if the doors he’s trying to shut is being held open by a doorstop, that you put there… There are some doors that God will not close, you’ll have to close them on your own.

I didn’t realize that God was trying to tell ME to close those doors. As a matter of fact, he specifically said: “Close Every Door” that means that no door was to be opened, but every door had to be completely SHUT with no #doorstops to keep them slightly open. It’s almost like going down a dark hallway and feeling your way through. At least a cracked door offers a glimmer of light, so while the hallway may be dark – that glimmer helps you to see somewhat of where you’re going until you can get where you’re going. But God said close every door, so, therefore – NO LIGHT, NO SIGHT!

You see, God had been dealing with me and telling me to close these doors for quite some time, but instead of truly shutting them. I was placing doorstops in the doors so they wouldn’t shut completely. Most of it was out of comfortability with the person or thing. The other reason of hesitancy was because, for some reason, I always feel a need to explain why I’m doing a particular thing or acting a certain way, mainly because I don’t like people feeling ill about me and I despise hurting people’s feelings. I knew God had a reason but I felt if I didn’t talk to them or indulge that much, then that would be like the door being closed because I’m not giving them or it my full undivided attention.

Ever Been There, Done That? But those weren’t his instructions…

I’m a firm believer that MOST of us are truly in the same place we’ve been in for SOOOOO LONG because we have those door stops sitting in between doors that should actually be CLOSED! The bible says it’s the “small” foxes that destroy the vine. So, it’s not those huge things that we’re surely aware of, but those little itsy bitsy spider things that we don’t pay attention to, such as a doorstop.

There’s a great pain that comes with closing doors – I mean, it’s not meant to be easy. However, when God tells you or you get the feeling that you need to close a door on something or someone. I don’t know what unnecessary doors you have open in your life today but we have three more months until the end of the year. This year, right now – determine to close that door for once and for good.

It’s true, we all don’t know where that dark hall is going to take us and that’s the scary part, but we have to walk by FAITH and not by SIGHT. Sometimes, that’s what God is waiting for you to do, to walk by FAITH! – Faith opens the right doors and opportunities, sight keeps the wrong ones open. As much as it pained me, I closed ALL those doors – some closings pained me more than others. I was scared and yes, I cried but nothing is to be compared to the many doors, I’m walking in expectancy for God to OPEN!

What Doors Do You Need to Completely “CLOSE” today?

#NODOORSTOPS!
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P.S. I know I have A LOT of catching up to do with blog post reads from my fellow bloggers, I’m definitely going to be doing that, so please don’t think it strange if you get a lot of likes on something you wrote a month ago. I’m trying to play catch up! See ya Around 😉

Clementine

Published on September 5, 2019September 25, 2019 by amytemple98157 Comments

By Amy Temple

Featured Pic Credit: Bing/Bassett Hound

Every once in a while, someone comes into your life and leaves a lasting impression on you. Whether or not they are in your life for 20 minutes or 20 years, they completely change you.

I have met people who have done that just but the one who touched me the most was a Bassett Hound named Clementine.

Clementine came into my life on June 9, 1987. I was 9. The breeding family raising her decided to sell her when a complicated birth required Clementine to be spayed.

On the day we met, my father and I took her for a walk and already my protective instincts were kicking in. I knew I had to have her.

A few days later we did. Oh I was so excited!

I laid out a blanket complete with a treat and a doggie toy. She went for the treat…go figure!

Clementine was famous in our family for eating a whole loaves of bread and half a chocolate cake. The most interesting thing about these incidents was that she actually pulled back the plastic just like a real person would!!

However my mother and I will never forget having to rush her to the vet after she ate a whole bowl of Hershey Kisses, foil and all.

One thing you had to remember was not to bother her whenever she was sleeping or she would growl. We were reminded from time to time but Clementine rarely bit.

In general, Clementine was a very good dog, affectionate and playful. I came home from school sick and she laid on the couch with me, laying her chin on my knee. She always seemed to know when there was something wrong and tried to make things better.

Like any other animal owner, we considered Clementine a member of the family. There wasn’t anything we wouldn’t try to do for her.

Clementine was always doing the funniest things. While we were having supper one night, my father discovered she was sitting right beside him, just staring! I mean, she wasn’t even blinking!

There’s one incident that particularly stands out the most to me…

One day Clementine was sniffing behind the toilet and got stuck! It took a lot of pulling and grunting but eventually she was freed. In mid 1995, Clementine began having trouble breathing and developed a hacking cough.

After numerous tests it was revealed Clementine’s whole heart was enlarged.

She was on too much medication for kennels to keep her so our family didn’t see us too much but thankfully they understood.

Around Labor Day 1997, Clementine had a heart attack while out in the backyard. She managed to crawl back inside and died in front of the coffee table.

I remember how brave my father was that night. He called the family to announce Clementine’s death. He was so calm and strong on the phone but afterwards, Dad broke down.

Clementine’s death tore me apart as well. I must’ve cried every day for two weeks straight. I felt like half of me died right along with her. She was the only dog, I’d ever lost.

Pets are our very best friends and confidante’s, they’re our FAMILY. I miss Clementine and think of her often. She’ll forever be apart of my heart.

R.I.P Clementine ❤️

Do you have a pet that you loved and lost?

Share your story below, I’d love to hear about it!

Amy is a resident of Florida. Since 2006, she has been self-employed in the dog care field. In May 2017, she self-published a memoir titled “I Am Not Stupid” which is available through Amazon. She writes for seethegoodinfo, an inspirational website and the Learning Disabilities Association’s newsletter LD Source.