FYI-Food Share Giveaway

Hello Everyone,I got a call last week from the State of Wisconsin Department of Human Services informing me that I was eligible for food share. I was quite surprised by the phone call. The State never calls anyone regarding food share or any other program. I did apply for food share awhile ago and had an appointment to go for an interview. However, I never made the appointment. I did go back online to schedule another appointment and I did not hear back from anyone until the phone call last week.

The social worker informed me that they pulled unemployment records and are calling individuals that are currently collecting unemployment and informing them of what is needed to obtain a Quest card for the food share benefit. I was told to submit a copy of my rent statement and my drivers license. The social worker also told me that a brochure was going to be mailed to me explaining about the food share program and other programs that were available. I, in turn, mailed the requested documentation.

This week I recieved the brochure and found that I qualified to apply for another program which I promptly did. If you or anyone you know is currently collecting unemployment, call the Department of Human Services in your state to find out if you qualify for food share or food stamps and/or any other programs. Stimulus funds have gone or are going to all of the states and Wisconsin has decided to use some of the stimulus money to help individuals sign up for state benefits. I have to admit that it was a very pleasant surprise and I hope this information helps somebody out. Have a great weekend.

Hump Day!- Attitude Is Everything

I ran across this story on www.upbeat.net. The story really made me think of how I view positive and negative situations. When finished reading, ask yourself, "Do I have the right attitude?" Enjoy the Story.

Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed Him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry Was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life." "Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes it is," Jerry said.

Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life." I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
- - -

Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body. I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live. "Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man. "

I knew I needed to take action." "What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!'

Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead." Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

Its A Living!-Check That Resume!

As most of you know, I have not had a regular job since April 2009, when my seasonal position at Jackson Hewitt ended. I have been quite busy with school, my blogs, Twitter, and soon will be busy with Ebay. So busy that my last job interview was in May and I did not get the job. I had my resume updated in January 2009 with the help of someone that works for Manpower. I knew that my resume was in good shape. Then yesterday all of that changed.

I took my resume into a lady that helps people with their resumes. I intended to leave my resume thinking it was fine. I did update the doggone thing in January for heavens sake. The lady took a look at my resume and started taking it apart, and telling me what was wrong with it. The lady said that my work experience was great and that I was considered an accomplished person. However, my resume did not reflect my accomplishments. In fact, the lady said my resume was incomplete. I could not believe what I heard.

Back in the dark ages, the ideal resume was one page long, listed either the last 3 jobs and/or the last five years of employment, and references were by request. In the age of enlightenment, the ideal resume is two pages long. The resume lists the name of the company, the type of company and accomplishments while employed at said company. Along with an objective, a qualification or skill summary is included on the resume. Lastly, interests, additional experience, and volunteer experiences complete a resume.

I have decided to update my resume again and I will take it back to be reviewed next month. If any of you out there are having a problem getting interviews, your resume might be the culprit. Look over your resume to see how up to date it really is. Finding someone who specializes in helping others with their resumes can help. Also, look at the latest resume books to see what type of resume is expected for your field. I hope this helps us land a decent job and make a living. Take care.

FYI-Beware of Fraud From Everywhere

I married my husband November 2008, in Lagos, Nigeria. Most people do not react when I mention that my husband is Nigerian. There are some, however, that will raise eyebrows and panic. The country of Nigeria and its peoples have a poor reputation on the world scene. In fact, Nigeria is currently blacklisted from services such as PayPal, outbound wiring of funds through Western Union, banking, shopping and marketing sites. Some people feel that all Nigerians are con artists and that Nigeria is a country that has gone to the dogs.

One day, a well meaning neighbor approached me, telling me that my then fiance was trying to rip me off. She told me that she went on the CIA website and she learned all sorts of things about how bad Nigeria and Nigerians are. "You should send no more money to him.", my neighbor said. I looked at the woman and said,"I have never sent any money to him." My neighbor then said, "But it is a scam. It is all a scam." I replied, "Then if it is a scam, I am the con artist." I further stated, "My fiance has found a way to send me money to pay my rent since I lost my job." My neighbor almost fainted when I told her that.

My neighbor apologized to me for what she said. "It's just with everything that has been on the news, Oprah, and everywhere about Nigeria, I got scared. If your finance is helping you like that then you have a man that cares." I smiled at my neighbor and said, "There is all of this talk about Nigeria this, and Nigeria that. No one focuses on any of the other scams that are out there. No one ever talks about the Russians. They have worse scams going than the Nigerians and no one ever talks about them."

I did a little checking on worldwide fraud. Nigerian fraud accounts for only 2.8% of total complaints filed for fraud. The number one fraud complaint was for non-delivery of goods and services 32.9%. I got that information from http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/internet_scam_statistics.htm. I admit that we all have to be educated and aware of scams that originate in our country and beyond. However, we all must have a balanced view of where the scams originate. It is shameful that the illegal actions of a few have sullied the reputation of a people that are hard-working, family oriented, intelligent, and resourceful.

I hope that this will help us all be aware and beware of fraud from EVERYWHERE. Have a great weekend!

Hump Day!-Irreplaceable Things-By Popular Request!

I orginally posted this experience in May 2009. There has been a request to rerun this post. Thank you for the request and I hope you all enjoy this experience.

In the late 1980's, I was living in the state of Georgia. One of the myriad of jobs I had while living there was a bagger at Kroger grocery store. One evening, I was escorting a customer and her 1 year old son to their vehicle to help unload groceries. We walked until we got to the woman's mini van. The woman had me stand with the full grocery cart while she put the toddler into his car seat. Somehow the woman's son broke loose and started running in the parking lot.

"Oh my god! The baby!", I yelled and took off after the little guy. As I was running after the toddler, I heard the woman yell, "My groceries!" Also, I looked up and saw a car approaching. I realized that the toddler was going to run in front of the car. At that moment, I had a jolt of what I call extreme clarity. I quickly picked up the pace of my running. While doing so, I focused on the toddler and I visualized myself reaching out to the child and grabbing him before the car got to us.

I kept reaching and reaching out to the toddler until he was in my hands. I quickly scooped up the child and pulled him to me just as the oncoming car drove by. I was so relieved to have that little guy in my arms unharmed. I turned and walked with the toddler in tow back to the car. I was so happy and proud with myself. I got back to the mini van and gave the woman her son.

"You let my groceries roll away!", the woman snapped at me. I was stunned at what the woman said. "I almost lost all of my groceries.", the woman stated. I looked at the woman and said, "Madame, we can replace your groceries, but we can not replace him.", pointing to the baby now in his car seat. I could see that what I said to the woman got through to her. The woman's eyes widened at the realization that she could have lost her son. The woman looked at me and humbly said, "Thank you". I loaded the groceries into the woman's minivan, and returned to the store to bag another customer's groceries. I never saw the woman again.

The point is obvious, however, let's review. Sometimes we as imperfect humans place more emphasis on things that are replaceable other than on things that are irreplaceable. I know in my heart that that woman loved her son and wanted the world for him. However, in a lapse of good judgement, the woman ran after a grocery cart filled with groceries while her son was running into an oncoming car. The woman was probably thinking about how much time, effort, and money she spent in the grocery store buying food and that it would be ruined if the grocery cart tipped over or something.

This is an excellent reminder for us in these turbulent times. There is nothing that can replace the irreplaceable things or people in our lives. It does not matter if we lose a job, or are fighting to hang on to the one we have. All we really have are God, our families, and ourselves. So let us start focusing more on the irreplaceable things in our lives instead of running after grocery carts. Thank you for supporting me and have a good Hump Day.

New Way Of Looking For Work

Here I am again. I am out of work, however, I am not panic stricken. I am at the point where I am numb. I can not feel anything about being out of work anymore. Being numb would be a bad thing under different circumstances. It is a great thing under these circumstances. Why get all upset? Does it help anything?

Heck no! Panicking, worrying, and crying will not do a thing except cause me to go crazy and become dehydrated. This time, I am looking at how I can work smarter and still make a decent living. I went back to school in December 2008 and I am currently pursuing a degree in Education at Ashford University. I started an EBay store in Sept 2008. I learned how to prepare income taxes. And I am blogging again.

In the past, my search for a new job consisted of pouring over the want ads in the local paper. Calling or sending letters to set up interviews, getting dressed up nice, and pretending that I was so into the company I applied with so I could get the job. I knew I was the winner of the "Best Pretender" when I got the job. I would repeat this process in intervals over my adulthood. Things changed, however, in September 2008.

The job I was working was through a temp service. I had put in my 90 days and the job was due to go permanent. I was let go on my 91st day. I put my everything into learning that job and doing everything I could in order to make sure the job went permanent. In fact, that job was the second job I lost in a year. I was on the previous job for almost 4 years. I remember going home after being told that I was being let go and crying.

I did not cry for long. I could not afford to cry for long. I had a wedding in Nigeria to go to.....MINE! I knew that I had to look for something to do, however, I was leaving the country on October 30th. I certainly could not go to a prospective employer and say, "I would love to take the job, however, I will be gone for two weeks....." I saw that scenario crashing and bursting into flames. I had an idea on how to at least keep some pocket change in my purse.

I had a purse that I wanted to sell and I remember that I could put it on EBay. I had a digital camera, the purse, and access to a computer. I posted my first ad on EBay in Sept 2008. I started with the purse and then expanded to include clothes in my closet and other clothing items I acquired. I also started running rummage sales at the building I lived at. I was able to buy groceries and take care my transportation expenses until it was time for me to go to Nigeria.

When I got back into the States, I continued with my EBay store. Then I ran into a lady that used to live in my building. I enrolled in Ashford University as a result of that meeting. Ashford has an Education program that can be done entirely online, even teaching hours. I checked the accreditation and the Better Business Bureau. Going back to school allowed me to apply, for financial aid, loans, and now scholarships. Now, I am going for my degree and paying my bills at the same time.

n January 2009, I went back to Jackson Hewitt and worked the tax season. This past season was my second season. For four months I was able to work full-time, and go to school. I stopped my EBay store during this time. I will be starting my EBay store back up this week. I will also be blogging and doing other things to take care of things and hold down the fort until my hubby comes home.

I have to admit that thinking about different ways of working and earning money is freeing. I plan to use this freedom wisely knowing that it is given to me. I did recently update my resume in order to keep all of my options open. However, I have not been on a job interview in months and I feel fine about it. I have been on different sites and have gotten ideas about work at home opportunities. There is so much out there to consider that was not available even 5 years ago.

I will be writing about myself, school, married life, what I do to pay bills, ideas on how you can pay your own bills, how to save money in these difficult times, and staying positive. I hope that you will enjoy my blog. I look forward to you reading and commenting on my blog. Also, I am open to constructive criticism. Thank you for allowing one more point of view. Take care.

Recently, I joined Twitter and Facebook. I Twittered with MC Hammer last night about his new show and that is really cool. Also, I am being followed by more and more people everyday. I will have my advertising up this week in the hopes of generating income from Twitter. I have a couple of projects in the works as well. I am really looking forward to what is ahead. Have a good Monday.

Posted by E. Anastasia at 09:49:46 Permanent Link Comments (0)

FYI-Summer Festivals USA!

I received an email this week informing me of the River Splash Festival this past weekend. The same email mentioned the Gathering Waters Festival this upcoming weekend. Both festivals are annual festivals in Milwaukee, WI. In two weeks, Summerfest (The Worlds Largest Music Festival) starts. That email reminded me of what I love about living in Milwaukee, the festivals. River Splash kicks off the festival season in Milwaukee while hundreds of other festivals take place all over the state of Wisconsin.

My favorite festival in Milwaukee so far is Bastille Days. It is a french themed festival celebrating french culture, food, and music. The festival is held in downtown Milwaukee each year. This year the festival will be July 10th-12th. The festival is within walking distance from where I live and I do not have to worry about parking. There is no charge to enter the festival and no one frowns on anyone bringing their own food and drink. So, if you want to simply walk around, watch people and listen to music while enjoying a homemade sandwich and a soda, this festival might be for you.

Bastille Days is usually the only festival I attend all summer and I treat myself. I buy food at the festival and the food is wonderful. I love the lobster tacos and the roasted corn. I usually buy a wine cooler, fresh lemonade, and water to drink. For a desert, I usually get the turtle cheesecake. I found out that there is a food stand that sells alligator sausage and I plan on trying that this year.

Performers from all over the country perform anything from mime to the tango. Musical acts perform different genres of music. In 2007, I had the pleasure of watching Paul Cebar and his band perform. After the performance, Mr Cebar greeted his fans, sold CD's, and gave out autographs. At the same festival, I met a group of people from Boston visiting Milwaukee for the first time. One of the people I spoke with said that they have nothing like this in Boston. The group from Boston said that they will definitely come back to Milwaukee to attend Bastille Days.

I almost forgot the vendors that come from all over the country selling anything from invisible dogs to garden globes. Most of the vendors wares are reasonably priced and quite a few of them come back year after year to Bastille Days. The festival is not too big and not too small. There is plenty of room for walking, talking, or dancing. And the street performers delight the crowds with their antics.

Lastly, Bastille Days attracts a more mature, settled, crowd and families. People are respectful of one another and want to simply enjoy the music, food, and each other. I like the intimate feel of the festival and being able to navigate myself around without feeling crowded. And there are plenty of places to sit and cool your heels while getting in some good people watching.

What if you are not from Wisconsin? There is hope for those of you if you are not from Wisconsin or do not or can not come to Wisconsin for any of its festivals. You can check in your area to see which festivals are coming. Newspapers are helpful and so are websites like, www.festivalusa.com, and www.greenfestivals.org. I hope that you all will find at least one festival to attend this summer. Get outside, enjoy some good music, eat some good food, and enjoy your friends and family. Have a good weekend.

Hump Day!-Ode to Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)

All you single ladies! All you single ladies! Put yo hands UP! Some of you know all of the words to Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) by Beyonce Knowles. The song is about a woman that experiences a breakup with her boyfriend, then the ex-boyfriend gets jealous upon seeing her talking to someone new. Hence the hook, "Don't get mad cause you see that he want it. If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it." I think the song is good and the video that accompanies the song is quite popular too. The song strikes a cord with me and that's why I like the song.

I experienced a breakup with my ex-fiance in 2007. I was dumped without given a reason why. Several months after the breakup my ex-fiance contacted me again. I was still not given a reason why I was dumped in the first place. My ex-fiance stopped contacting me again when I asked him point blank what he wanted from me. I wanted to move forward with my life and I wanted clarification as to whether that would be with or without him. I did not hear from him again until I checked my emails the day after I married my husband.

I politely responded to my ex-fiance stating that I was glad to hear from him. I was happy that he seemed to be okay. I went on to say that I got married the day before. I wished him success with his personal life. Then, I signed the email with my married name. My ex-fiance was gracious enough to email back congratulating me and my husband. I really blew his mind. I have not heard anything from him since. "If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it, oh, oh oh" is my motto.

I decided to put the original video on my blog along with some "inspired videos". Please watch, enjoy and remember whether you are male or female you are all deserving of true love, with a true heart, and never settle for less than that. Happy Hump Day!

Its A Living-Making Money With A Digital Camera

Make Money With A Digital Camera! There are many ads on the internet that say something similar. I clicked on such an ad to find out what the catch was. The page I clicked into, talked about how someone could make money with their digital camera. The ad went on to talk about how easy it is to make money just from making snapshots with a digital camera, no experience necessary, and that you can make as much money as you want. Here is the kicker, $39.95 gets you all the information needed to get started.

Actually, $39.95 does not sound bad. I have spent way more money on things that I never got the benefit from. I remember spending well over $500.00 to learn how to be a Real Estate Appraiser. Little did I know at the time how difficult it is for a newbie to catch a break. In fact, you either have to have a degree or know someone in order to get your foot in the door to appraise real estate. But I digress, I did not pay $39.95 for the information on making money with a digital camera. Instead, I went to You Tube and looked up some videos on how to make money with a digital camera. I will discuss in an upcoming post on how to use the internet to get how-to get information for free on just about anything.

For now, however, you know that You Tube is a good source to use for free information. I digress again, after sorting through fake how-to videos (fake meaning the video appears to offer free information, however, directs the user to a website address that charges for the information needed.), I found a legit how-to video on making money from a digital camera on jonoman12. Jonoman 12 briefly explained how to get into the business of taking pictures. Then, I was directed to a free website that offers tips on making money from a digital camera. The website is http://moneywithphotography.net/free-photography-email-course-one.html. You can register at no charge. You receive free tips on how to make money with a digital camera after confirming the registration. Altogether, you will receive 7 or 8 emails to get you started

I registered over the weekend and have started receiving emails. I am going over the emails now. I also registered with IStock http://www.istockphoto.com/. IStock is constantly looking for people to submit decent pictures for their non-royalty site. Photographers receive credit for each download per photo. Before becoming on IStock photographer or contributor as IStock says it, you have to apply and go through tutorials. There is a final quiz after completing the tutorials. Applicants are also required to submit through scanning and uploading, an ID such as a drivers licence or passport. Lastly, applicants must submit 3 photos(your best work). Afterwards, you are informed if you can be a contributor or not.

I decided to go through the process and see what happens. I am not working anyway and I think taking pictures for a living would be alot of fun. I can work when I want to work. The upside to this is that sites such as IStock offers photographers a chance to get their work to the masses and an opportunity to earn residual income on the pictures they submit. Most photographers that contribute to IStock make $300.00-$2,500.00 a month. Photographers that submit on more than one site such as Dreamstime, make more money. I will update this article in an upcoming blog. You will not get rich taking pictures on non-royalty sites with a digital camera, however, it is one way to make a living.

FYI-Coupon Website!

Hello All,
I was online this week looking up a website and stumbled upon another(a money saving site). I wanted to share this with you. We are all well aware of the economic climate in our country right now. Everyone is tightening up their belts and purse-strings. The site I stumbled upon is www.coupondispatch.com. I was surprised by this site. There are actual good deals and discounts on this site. You do not have to purchase any offers or even register to take advantage of the savings on this site. If you like, you can get on the email list for weekly updates.

I did run into a few vendors that do not offer much or anything in the way of saving money. However the vast majority of vendors offer anywhere from free shipping on orders to 80% off merchandise. Also, there are allot of buy 1, get 1 free offers as well. There is a tab that you can click on to find out which deals and/or coupons are expiring so you do not have to miss out on a good deal. Lastly, there are grocery coupons that you can print out as well to save on groceries. (Please also read FYI-What Is SHARE? to find out an additional way to save on groceries.) Well, that's it from the peanut gallery. Happy Friday and have a great weekend

Hump Day!-Living In 2009

A good friend emailed the following. Enjoy and Happy Hump Day!


YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2009 when....

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.

2.. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.

4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries..

7.. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.

8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.

10.. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )

12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.

13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.

14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.

15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list. AND NOW YOU'RE LAUGHING AT YOURSELF!Go on, forward this to your friends. You know you want to. :)

It's A Living-Laid Off? Need A Job?

Hello All,

I took some time off last week and now I am back. I have a very exciting article for you this week in It's A Living. I want to tell you about an exciting way to look for and possibly find a job in these difficult times. In the May 7, 2009 Employment Times, there is an article about this new exciting way to get the word out that you or someone you love are looking for a job. It is to wear a wristband. After you stop laughing I will tell you about it.




Finished laughing yet? Sure? Okay, here it goes. This idea was started by friends, Stephanie Aucion and Barbara Bourn. Stephanie lost an accounting position and had been out of work for several months. Barbara has a job in interior design sales, however, has seen her commissions go down. The two friends put their heads together to earn some money.The idea they came up with is the: Laid Off Need A Job wristband. Stephanie and Barbara originally ordered the wristbands and started giving them away. Now, they sell the bracelets online for $3.00 a piece



The idea is to order a wristband and wear it everywhere. Stephanie wore the wristband and was able to get a job, the job however, did not work out. The wristband may or may not work based on who you ask. However, wearing the bracelet can open up the door of communication and quite possibly a job. If you are interested in a wristband go to, http://www.laidoffneedajob.com/. Look for an upcoming article on making money from scratch. Happy job hunting.

Photo used by permission of laidoffneedajob.