1. November 2008 by Cricket.

Happy Autumn and November to all!

It seems harder and harder to find the ideas and issues (and time!) for each monthly newsletter.  This month, I’m taking some advice of the season… A season of giving.  So, this month, we’ll explore gratitude, benevolence and … well, giving in general.

Have you ever heard of the old adage that “what you send out into the world comes back to you tenfold“?  Or, something close to that.  What does that mean to us?  When you show kindness and empathy to everyone you meet, and that will come back to you multiplied.  It seems increasingly harder and harder to do, given the state we’re in with finances and Wall Street, rising costs of every imaginable commodity, less “brotherhood” in general and our thought of ”if you don’t look out for yourself, who will?”  

Simply start with being thankful.  I’m talking about being thankful for your family and friends, your home, your health and your ability to roll with the changes.  Grab a piece of paper and a pen and jot down every single thing you have to be thankful for… Yes, everything.  No matter how small it may seem.  For me, this is easy.  My kids, my husband, my home, our jobs, our health, our friends, our sense of humor (Yes, that is extremely important too!) and our ability to take what comes and deal with it - even though it may be complicated or frustrating.   There are many other things, of course, that I won’t mention here, but suffice to say, even the spaghetti on the dinner table or shoes on our feet are reasons to be thankful. 

Next.  Do good deeds.  When you see someone struggling to open a door with arms loaded, go out of your way to help them.  In stores, we’re always rushed.  Take a second and allow the other person to continue in or past the aisle you’re in.  Smile!   Direct your kindness to everyone - especially those that need it - not just those you feel comfortable around.  November’s issue of BH&G has a small article that describes what one woman and her son did in their neighborhood.  They stuck notes into their neighbor’s mailboxes (under the cloak of darkness) that said “Thank you for making our community such a wonderful place to live and raise children!  Have a great day!”  The mother went on blind faith feeling that she had done a good deed, and in turn, taught her son the value of being kind for no reason.  She came to realize that the antidote for her bad day, was doing a good deed.

Lastly.  Remember that list I told you to jot down?  Well, try making a separate list about your spouse or partner, even your kids.  When times become tiring at any moment, pull that list out and read it again.  It will help to soften any bumps along the way.

Remember, Thanksgiving is one day that is set aside each year for being thankful.  Why not put a little bit of thankfulness and gratitude into every day?  Studies have shown that it will promote good mental and physical health.  If that’s not a good enough reason in this stressful time in our lives, then I don’t know what is. 

Don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, November 4th.  I urge (and beg!) all of you to make the effort.  It takes but 10 or 15 minutes of your day.  It’s a crucial time for our Country and voting is our right and duty as citizens of the USA.

Make it a GREAT week!

Christine “Cricket” Beers ~ www.40dollardream.com ~ www.CricksWicks.com ~ www.CricketBeers.com ~ Athens, PA

Posted in Other Stuff, Business News | No Comments »

28. October 2008 by Cricket.

Helllooooo everyone!  Wow!  It sure has been a long time since I’ve posted to this blog.  Busy busy busy! 

I received a promotion from at my full time J.O.B. in the title insurance industry here in Upstate New York and since then, I’ve been whacked out!  Between festivals with my candles, signing up with Cookie Lee Jewelry as a part time demonstrator, my kids and their various sporting events, work, and … who am I kidding … HOUSE CHORES, I’m frazzled!

I’ve been pulling my hair out deciding what to write about.  Well, I’ve decided not to write about anything in particular.  I’ve decided to just LET IT FLOW.  So, stand back and hang on!

This election and this economy are killing me!  I’m so tired of reading about John McCain and his brunette VP choice.  I’m yawning at the thought of reading about Obama’s economy plans and his policies of “change”.  We all know that no matter what these clowns promise, they never completely fulfill our requirements.  If you’re a large corporation that has billions of dollars, you mightget your wishes fulfilled.  But beyond that…. forget it.  It’s a crap shoot.  I’m toying with the idea of voting for Ralph Nadar, just because I can.

I’m being paged…. I’ll have to continue this later.  Grrrr!!

 Ok, I’m back. 

I have thoughts creeping into my brain every time I sit down to write a post in this blog.  Why am I being so stale?  Why am I not letting my hair down when I write this blog as opposed to other blogs I’ve written?  I guess I’m too worried about what people may think of me.  Go figure, because I’ve never worried about that before.  It’s always after the fact that I worry.  I blow off steam at my kid while I’m dropping him off at school.  I worry what the faculty will think of me when he opens the door to jump out during my tantrum.  I worry what the person behind me in the parking lot thinks when they realize I have to pull into the space again in order to straighten the damn truck bed up to back out.  I worry what my co-workers think of me when I’ve had just about enough stress, thank you very much, and start sighing loudly or throwing my stapler against the door.  I worry what clients think of me when they see the comics posted on my filing cabinets in my office. 

When I write about just any old thing, am I really being true to my readers?  To myself?

Nope.

I love politics, but not enough to write an entire blog about them.  I love my candle business, but not enough to devote an entire blog to it.  I love my kids and my hubby, and even my dogs most of the time, but I cannot write about that every single time I sit down behind this screen.  I should write about my emotions… but I’m afraid what you will think!  Emotions, however, are something that I’m good at analyzing.  I can analyze feelings one day, come back in a week and see how I’ve managed to bounce back. 

I suppose that because I’m utilizing the blog to help promote my home business, I need to keep it clean and curse free!  But, it’s so not like me to be a little miss goody two shoes.  My friends will definitely agree with that statement.

So dear readers, let me know if you find my futures posts despicable, boring or on the fence.  I plan to let my hair down from here on out.  No more being politically correct.  This time, it’s all about being ME. 

Posted in Other Stuff, Rants and Vents | No Comments »

9. September 2008 by Cricket.

This weekend brings our Gettysburg trip with my mother and Aunt.  We are staying in a haunted inn, taking a few ghost tours and visiting the Jennie Wade house at midnight for a little experience with a medium.  I’m excited, hubby is excited and the kids are excite.  However, I believe that my mom is the most excited!  She doesn’t really travel too much, so long weekend jaunts with her here and there once a year are always fun.

On a business note, our company has just release some brand spanking new Mia Bella products including a new designer candle, new hand wash, new scented melts , three new bakery style pies and a new fragrant car freshener.  Visit my online store to get yours today!

Remember, I do give discounts for anything that I have in stock.  Feel free to email me to see what specials I’m offering next.  My email address is cricketbeers@40dollardream.com.  The holidays are fast approaching!  I also offer two-fer prices on jar candles.  Right now buy one Mia Bella jar candle for $17, or get two for $30.  Satisfaction is guaranteed! 

Have a great week everyone!

Posted in Business News | No Comments »

25. August 2008 by Cricket.

After attending a very elegant wedding on Saturday, and an all day marathon of school shopping in Binghamton, NY yesterday, I finally found 30 minutes to catch up on my Newsweek magazine.  Normally I read nearly everything from cover to cover skipping over the movies and music ratings.  However, last night, I had barely enough time to read the comments on prior issues, much less cover to cover.

One article that really gripped me was this one.   In a current economy that appears to be tanking at an alarming rate, certain Ivy league colleges are cutting back on tuition for the working middle class.  As the article states, Harvard and Yale are dropping rates for those at the $60,000 to $120,000 annual salary range.  What does this mean?  Your intelligent, hard working student can now be accepted into one of these elite colleges and you won’t have to take out a 3rd mortgage!  And, if that’s not good news enough, Stanford University (California)  has eliminated tuition for everyone under $60,000 in annual salary and has “ensure[d] that all tuition charges are covered with need-based scholarship, federal and state grants, and/or outside scholarship funds” for those in the $100,000 range. 

This, of course, doesn’t help the local Universities and Colleges that are struggling to maintain attendance at their schools.  In fact, it has pushed them into a corner because they cannot give the same discounts as the more wealthy, ivy league schools.  Some directors of the local universities and colleges feel that you should borrow money for an education. 

I feel that a student should have some type of responsibility to his/her education.  If Mom and Dad put out tens of thousands of dollars, whether to an Ivy league school or to the local university, the student doesn’t have any of his own skin to bear.  Mom and Dad are out all that money if the student bombs or parties all semester long.  If the student has some of his own skin (money, loans, aid, effort) he’s more apt to stick it out and be serious about his education, and thus, his career.

If a parent must finance all or part of a child’s education, let’s look at this scenario.  Harvard tuition for $100,000 salary cap is at about $6100 per year.  $6100 x 4 is about $24,400.  (This, of course, doesn’t include books, housing, etc.  But, remember we’re anticipating the student to bear some of this financial burden as well.)  Not knowing what the current interest rate is on student/parent education loans, we’ll just amortize based on the principal.  Incidentally this amount is MUCH LESS than many new cars!  For a 60 month term, your payments would be about $406.  For many, this amount is attainable.  For others, perhaps not. 

Here’s the good news.  With our business, you can make this amount each month by having a home business selling our gourmet eco-friendly candles.  That’s a no hype, no badgering kind of enticement.  This amount (and more) is within easy reach.  If you’re serious, determined, have or want to build leadership qualities, love candles, are relatively computer literate and would like more income, we will teach you how to promote our natural, soy & vegetable based products.  Contact me today to receive more information .

Fall is approaching and Autumn is the best season to begin our business!  Festivals, holiday shows, family gatherings and school functions are some of the easiest ways to pocket that extra income you’re looking for!

Make it a GREAT week! ~ Cricket Beers

Posted in Family Time, Business News | No Comments »

18. August 2008 by Cricket.

To say that I’m so proud of our American Olympic Team is an understatement!  Michael Phelps alone broke records like crazy, but there are others in Beijing that deserve a lot of credit too.  Our ladies gymnastic team for starters.  I could list all the medals here and recap all of the participants’ highs and lows with each category, but I’m definitely not a critic, nor am I an expert on these types of things. 

One category in particular I am baffled by is diving!  I have no idea how a narrator can watch a dive, and then immediately know what the judges will deduct for this or that, or that toes were or weren’t pointed, or that the splash was too big.  It’s all over in a matter of miliseconds!  And, then when the slow motion is run, we find that the commentator was exactly right.  I’m in awe of these people.  To me, each dive looks superb!  And, Guo Jingjing from China is so good, that even if she’d slip off the diving board and fall into the water on her head, I believe the judges would have given her at least an 8.0 or 8.5!

You may not know it, but it’s all teamwork and individual determination.  Michael Phelps, by his own admission, eats, sleeps and swims every day.  Others have been training nearly every day for the past 4 years to get where they are.  It’s a burning desire to be more than average.  To be more than the guy next door.  To prove to yourself that you can do anything.

It’s the same way with our business.  You can easily make just a couple hundred bucks extra each month (which isn’t too shabby by any means!) or you can put your nose to the grindstone and hold weekly parties, participate in festivals, place products at different businesses or with friends and family, lead a team, sell online… the list is endless.  This level of income of course requires some determination and desire for success but it’s easily done with our company.  In fact, its easier than you might think.  :) 

We have no quotas.  We have no districts.  We have no mandatory inventory requirements.  We have no sponsors yelling over our shoulders to SELL!  RECRUIT!  SELL!  RECRUIT!  What we have is a proven, tried and true business plan that you can implement to start off your own business on the right foot.  After all, it’s your business.  Run it your way!  And, by utilizing our training and coaching, you could be replacing your current J.O.B. income and making MORE within 3 to 4 years!    No, I’m not kidding. 

Do you have the desire?  The determination?  The urge to be more than average?

If so, I’d love to have you become a part of my team!  Contact me through www.40dollardream.com or email me at cricketbeers@40dollardream.com and let’s talk. 

Candles are a $3 billion dollar industry right now.  Why wouldn’t you want to become a part of that?  A product that needs no hype or sales pitch.  And these candles are made with natural veggie and soy waxes, cotton wicks and are virtually soot free.  No waxy buildup and burn clean.  See for yourself at www.CricksWicks.com

Posted in Other Stuff, Business News | No Comments »

5. August 2008 by Cricket.

My first appearance at the Sayre Historical Society’s Arts in the Park, Sayre, PA was a huge success!  I met a LOT of awesome people, sold a bunch of candles, gave away two prizes, gave free scent samples, company information and business information!  This was a relatively small show for our area.  There were only about 25 vendors and for such a small show I was surprised that I had $400 in sales.

I sold 16 oz jar candles for $15 each or two for $28 and that was the magic number for this area.  That’s what I enjoy about Scent-Sations… I can set my prices for the area I’m in and still make money!  Woo Hoo!

I was especially happy to call my grand prize winner and congratulate her for winning.  Before I explained that she’d won, she went on an on about the candle she had purchased from me, how she loved it, it smelled so good, etc.  THEN I told her she won the grand prize!  She was overjoyed as was I. 

My grand prize consisted of a 16 oz scented candle (I used Orange Creamsicle), 6 votives (I used baby powder), a car freshener (Apple) and a votive holder that I picked up at Wal-Mart for about 60 cents.  My second prize was an Apple Pie  candle that dazzled everyone with it’s scent and novelty.

Next stop… Dansville, NY for the Balloon Festival!  I need to add more inventory and go for an autumn theme. 

Have a great week everyone!

Posted in Business News | No Comments »

25. July 2008 by Cricket.

Did you read about the woman who was being foreclosed in Massachusetts and faxed a letter to her mortgage company indicating that by the time the sale was completed at 5:00 pm that day, she would be dead?

Here’s the article in case you missed it:  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/23/national/main4287473.shtml

I don’t care what the problem is, ANYTHING can be resolved with time and effort, however, once you choose the permanent solution of suicide, nothing can be resolved and, in fact, things only get worse for those you leave behind.

If you lose your home through foreclosure, then you have the opportunity to start fresh.  Find a rental unit that’s cheaper than what you were currently paying for on a mortgage and set aside some extra cash each month.  If you have to file bankruptcy, then do so.  It’s only money.  At some point in nearly everyone’s lives, money becomes a problem.  If you lose your job, have a serious health issue, etc., what else is there besides having a money problem?  In this economy, I think if you didn’t have money problems of some sort you are the exception instead of the rule.

I know that during a time of crisis, sometimes the only way out seems to be suicide.  But before you go through with something so permanent and drastic, STOP.  Think about the family and friends you leave behind.  In my opinion, many times you’ll leave them more worse for wear than if you just work through the problems together.  In times of personal crisis, you NEED to seek out the advice of others.  Whether it’s friends, family or anonymous groups online.  I can assure you that when you begin to talk about a problem, it becomes less of a burden and more of a “I will find a solution”.  I can also assure you that if you share with those family and friends that you’re having thoughts of suicide, they’ll reiterate over and over that suicide isn’t the answer to a problem.  It’s a problem all over again.  Never will anyone advise you to do something so drastic… so, don’t even consider it.  In fact, it’s not even an option.

Money is just that:  money.  It’s something to trade with and can be earned or lost in the blink of an eye.  If you’re having a financial crisis and need help, turn to your local credit counselling office, (start here with this site)  seek out online financial groups for advice, talk to your lender, seek the advice of a bankruptcy attorney (bankruptcy consultation is free) and heed their advice.  The absolute worst thing to do is to do NOTHING.   

Give your situation some time to resolve itself.  That being said, don’t bury your head in the sand and hope for things to miraculousy go away.  They won’t.  You must put forth an effort for the problems to be solved and in the end, you’ll be a better, stronger person for doing so.  I promise. 

Posted in Other Stuff, Rants and Vents | No Comments »

22. July 2008 by Cricket.

Thankfully for most of us, our email application offers a spam or junk mail filter that automatically screens for unwanted mail.  How this works:  Each individual email is run through filters, graded and chucked into the spam folder if the email meets certain criteria such as numerous HTML links, images, voluminous “to” addresses, etc.   However, I’ve located several important emails in bothy my junk mail folder at home and at work.  Emails that have come from corporate headquarters are sometimes eaten by the filters and tossed into this junk folder.  Why?  I have no idea, but I can’t compete with a PC processor!

I belong to several groups and have a long, long list of friends, family and candle contacts in my email address books.  I’ve found that lately some of my newsletters or personal email have wound up in the recepient’s junk folders, when clearly that isn’t my intention.  I’m not a spammer nor do I harvest email addresses.  In fact, when I submit my newsletter for testing to my yahoo address, I have found it stowed away in the junk folder.  This irritates me so I’ll have to find a way to remove images, html links and the like in order for it to arrive sparkling (and still interesting!)  in the recepient’s inbox.

Bottom line:  CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDERS on a daily or semi-daily basis.  You never know what important emails you’re missing!  Be sure to add your favorite senders to the “safe” list or mark them as “not spam” if they’ve been located in your spam folders. 

And, enjoy the rest of your week.  ;)  

Posted in Other Stuff, Business News | No Comments »

8. July 2008 by CricketBeers.

Did you spend your holiday weekend soaking up the sun?  Watching fireworks?  Spending quality time with your family?

 We did all that and then some.  The local fireworks were exceptional this year - which is kind of odd due to the state of the economy.  I hope that next year’s will be as good or better than this year.

We leave for Sandusky, OH on Monday!  We’re spending the first two nights at Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky.  It promises to be a great time, although the cost is a bit more than I would have liked to spend.  Great Wolf Lodge is an indoor water park and with reservations, the tickets to the park(s) are free.  So, even though it is a bit more expensive than say, Hershey, at least we’re all in under the same roof and don’t have to venture off too far for a good time.

 The next two evenings will be spent at Econo Lodge, Sandusky while we tackle Cedar Point.  If you’ve been living under a rock for the past 10 years, you probably don’t know that Cedar Point is a HUGE (and I mean HUGE!) amusement park featuring some of the world’s best roller coasters.  In fact, it’s claim to fame is the fact that it hosts some of the world’s biggest roller coasters. 

Although I’m not extremely excited about visiting Cedar Point, I’m sure the family is excited.  Heck, at this point a week in the woods surviving on nuts and berries is a helluva lot more appealing that staying at home or working!

Happy wishes to all!

Posted in Vacation Destinations, Family Time | No Comments »

26. June 2008 by Cricket.

I’ve been lax in writing lately.  But, I wanted to take a moment to describe my day as a vendor at the Owego Strawberry Festival.  A LOT of people turned out for this and the strawberry shortcake was excellent!

There were only two candle vendors - myself and a vendor specializing in hand made candles.  Everyone loved the scent of the Sweet Orange and Chili Pepper candle that I had burning!  They were a little blown back by the name.  I mean, let’s face it, “Sweet Orange and Chili Pepper” isn’t as decadent of a name as the fragrance suggests. 

I gave out a lot of information:  business cards, catalogs, brochures, etc.  And sold a fair amount of product!  Many people were hooked on the melts and the votives, while others purchased the cinnamon buns or the jars.  I marked down the jar candles to $14, which enabled me to still make a bit of a profit, while getting my product out the door.

I’ve applied to the Sayre Historical Society’s Arts in the Park  (Aug 2 and 3) as well as the Dansville NY Balloon Festival  over Labor day weekend.   I plan to set up differently, have a buy one get one 1/2 price sale as well as a free candle drawing registration.  I also plan to yak at people passing by the booth.  Besides, these are really great products and I plan to give anyone a money back guarantee if not satisfied.  Why wouldn’t they like to register?

July, 2008 Candle of the Month scent is ASIAN PLUM!  Mmmm!  So authentic!  A sophisticated, yet fun, floral and fruity blend of exotic scents!  It’s the perfect blend of fruit, florals and vanilla.  Yum!

 Be sure to read our June, 2008 company newsletter.  Lots and lots of information about our business can be found here.

Have a fantastic week everyone!  ~ Cricket Beers ~ cricketbeers@40dollardream.com

Posted in Business News | No Comments »