Rebekah Speaks

As promised, the drawing took place today for the free scarf from Trades of Hope sponsored by . The winner is none other than Bob Hostetler of Indiana. Tamara Walston Congrats, Bob. I'm sure you will look lovely with scarf draped artfully around that fine, thin neck of yours. Just kidding. I would imagine your wife will LOVE it!

Over the years, I have enjoyed home parties. You know the kind: a bunch of women gather, a representative lays out her wares (everything from kitchen tools to jewelery, to makeup and skin care products that promise a glowing, beautiful face), and the attendees pick, choose, and fill out order forms. I've been both a rep and a hostess. Back in the late 70's I made sewed crafty items and held my own little in-home selling parties. Years later, I sold for The Pampered Chef (TM) since I loved the products. But alas, I gave up because I didn't feel right about asking already financially-strapped folks to buy what they could probably live without. Yeah. I'm not much of a saleswoman. Borrowed from www.mytradesofhope.com/tamarawalston But every one in a while, a business idea comes along that grabs my attention. I found that in 'Trades of Hope.' Until about a month or two ago, I had never heard of this group. But then I came across a friend's post, Tamara Wal...

If you're anything like me, I cringe just a little bit come May and June. Not that I'm a scrooge or wish not to be appropriately ecstatic at high school and college graduations. The dilemma is simply logistical: How can I give a gift that doesn't seem too, well, cheap? (Not much chance at giving a seemingly over-the-top gift, like a car or enough money that fills a bank account.) But there was one particular graduation announcement that required double-time thinking. What to do? What to do? Cheyenne is my niece. She is bright and beautiful and just had a college diploma handed to her in May. But she did it the hard way. Cheyenne brought a little girl into the world a year ago tomorrow. Most would have thrown in the towel. But not Cheyenne. She beat the odds, staying in school, parenting exceptionally, and already has the first course of her masters degree completed. My hat is off to her! I spent a lot of time thinking about my gift to her. Of course, I was a day late...