The Scent of Creativity

Just some ramblings from a mother of two teenagers...wife of over 17 yrs...and zoo keeper to over 13 fur babies!!!! I also run a business making homemade soaps, lotions, lip balms, candles & more!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Toxic Personalities

I was surfing the net this morning and found this great article on toxic personalities. I have had my life's share of toxic people. For the most part, I try to avoid those types, but some how they pull me back in. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Here are the worst of the toxic personalities out there and how to spot them:

1. Manipulative Mary: These individuals are experts at manipulation tactics. Is a matter of fact, you may not even realize you have been manipulated until it is too late. These individuals figure out what your 'buttons' are, and push them to get what they want.

* Why they are toxic: These people have a way of eating away at your belief system and self-esteem. They find ways to make you do things that you don't necessarily want to do and before you know it, you lose your sense of identity, your personal priorities and your ability to see the reality of the situation. The world all of a sudden becomes centered around their needs and their priorities.

2. Narcissistic Nancy: These people have an extreme sense of self-importance and believe that the world revolves around them. They are often not as sly as the Manipulative Marys of the world, but instead, tend to be a bit overt about getting their needs met. You often want to say to them "It isn't always about you."

* Why they are toxic: They are solely focused on their needs, leaving your needs in the dust. You are left disappointed and unfulfilled. Further, they zap your energy by getting you to focus so much on them, that you have nothing left for yourself.

3. Debbie Downers: These people can't appreciate the positive in life. If you tell them that it is a beautiful day, they will tell you about the impending dreary forecast. If you tell them you aced a mid-term, they'll tell you about how difficult the final is going to be.

* Why they are toxic: They take the joy out of everything. Your rosy outlook on life continues to get squashed with negativity. Before you know it, their negativity consumes you and you start looking at things with gray colored glasses yourself.

4. Judgmental Jims: When you see things as cute and quirky, they see things as strange and unattractive. If you find people's unique perspectives refreshing, they find them 'wrong'. If you like someone's eclectic taste, they find it 'disturbing' or 'bad'.

* Why they are toxic: Judgmental people are much like Debbie Downers. In a world where freedom rings, judgment is sooo over. If the world was a homogeneous place, life would be pretty boring. Spending a lot of time with these types can inadvertently convert you into a judgmental person as well.

5. Dream Killing Keiths: Every time you have an idea, these people tell you why you can't do it. As you achieve, they try to pull you down. As you dream, they are the first to tell you it is impossible.

* Why they are toxic: These people are stuck in what is instead of what could be. Further, these individuals eat away at your self-esteem and your belief in yourself. Progress and change can only occur from doing new things and innovating, dreaming the impossible and reaching for the stars.

6. Insincere Illissas: You never quite feel that these people are being sincere. You tell a funny story, they give you a polite laugh. You feel depressed and sad and they give you a 'there, there' type response. You tell them you are excited about something and you get a very ho-hum response.

* Why they are toxic: People who aren't sincere or genuine build relationships on superficial criteria. This breeds shallow, meaningless relationships. When you are really in need of a friend, they won't be there. When you really need constructive criticism, they would rather tell you that you are great the way you are. When you need support, they would rather see you fail or make a fool of yourself.

7. Disrespectful Dannys: These people will say or do things at the most inappropriate times and in the most inappropriate ways. In essence, they are more subtle, grown up bullies. Maybe this person is a friend who you confided in and uses your secret against you. Maybe it is a family member who puts their busy-body nose into your affairs when it is none of their business. Or maybe, it is a colleague who says demeaning things to you.

* Why they are toxic: These people have no sense of boundaries and don't respect your feelings or, for that matter, your privacy. These people will cause you to feel frustrated and disrespected.

8. Never Enough Nellies: You can never give enough to these people to make them happy. They take you for granted and have unrealistic expectations of you. They find ways to continually fault you and never take responsibility for anything themselves.

* Why they are toxic: You will spend so much time trying to please them, that you will end up losing yourself in the process. They will require all of your time and energy, leaving you worn out and your own needs sacrificed.

All of these personalities have several things in common. 1) the more these people get away with their behavior, the more they will continue. 2) Unfortunately, most of these people don't see that what they do is wrong and as a result, talking to them about it will fall on deaf ears, leaving you wondering if you are the crazy one. 3) Most of these people get worse with age, making their impact on you stronger with time.

Frankly, life is too short to spend your time dealing with toxicity. If you can, avoid spending mucho time with people who are indicative of these behaviors and you'll feel a lot happier. Have you encountered these personalities? What have you done? Any personalities you would add?

Saturday, May 23, 2009

You know you are from the Appalachia Mountains.....

You know you’re from the Appalachian Mountains if:
1. You’ve been referred to as a "young'un" by your elders.
2. Any 4-lane highway was an "interstate"
3. You know Pinto Beans as "Soup Beans"
4. Its pronounced "Appa-la-chan" not "Appa-laach-an"
5. You never had cable, and some of your relatives still don't.
6. You know all about the "snipe hunting" fiasco.
7. You've willingly eaten something one of your family members hunted, shot, gutted, and filled the freezer with.
8. You don't get grossed out by putting worm on a hook.
9. Some outsider made fun of your accent/dialect.
10. You went barefoot in the summer because it felt good, NOT because you were "poor."
11. You caught "crawdads" and "salamanders" around the nearby creek growing up.
12. You laughed your ass off at "The Andy Griffith Show"
13. You caught "June Bugs" in the summer and sometimes even tied a string to a leg and watched them fly around in circles..."
14. You never missed your high school football games.
15. You knew more about Lynyrd Skynyrd than half their relatives did.
16. Old cars and pickups are COOL!
17. During a natural disaster, such as a flood, families came together to help. They DIDN'T rely on government help.
18. You called her "Mamaw," NOT granny.
19. The electricity went off when it snowed too much, but you had a fireplace or Kerosene heater....
20. No matter how far away you were from the railroad tracks, sometimes you'd hear the distant sound of a train.....
21. You have at least one relative who worked in the coal mines.
22. A big city to you was Knoxville or Roanoke....
23. You know what Poke is.
24. You were taught how to properly handle a firearm before you completed elementary school.
25. You were taught to: "Treat others how THEY want to be treated." Not how "YOU WOULD like to be treated."
26. You said "Yes, sir" and "Yes, Ma'am" and knew better NOT to.
27. You said the pledge of allegiance and never thought about it hurting anyone else's feelings. The clause "Under God" was not a problem for you.
28. You remember Vacation Bible School...
29. Your Mom could sure make a HELL of a fried chicken supper!
30. You LOVED "The Dukes of Hazzard..." And most importantly......
31. I grew up in the Appalachian Mountains. I'm educated. I'm intelligent. STEREOTYPES SUCK!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Insomnia

UGH! I have been sick for a week. I'm feeling much better now, but a new problem has arisen. I have a horrible case of insomnia! I slept so much in the days I was sick, that now, I cannot sleep at night. I can sleep ALL day....but at night....forget it! I cannot seem to get myself back on track. The kids go back to school on Monday, so hopefully it will get all of us back on the right schedule.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. It was wonderful spending time with family that came in from Florida & North Carolina. My nephew, who attends NCSU and is studying to be a chemical engineer, managed to spend almost a week with us. We rarely get together since he is busy with college etc. I enjoyed his company tremendously. He just "chilled" and I did my usual baking, cleaning and relaxing. We spent an entire day pouring candles for gifts...and he did a fabulous job! I'm pretty sure his sisters were pleased with their gifts. We also enjoyed the new Cranium game. I swear, if you ever want to laugh your butt off, get a group of people together and play Cranium! We had a blast.

My sister Denise arrived on Wednesday morning. My niece Danielle & nephew Billy came too along with his girlfriend Jackie. I always enjoy the Florida crew. Her oldest daughter Tanya arrived on Christmas day. She is 6 months pregnant and looks simply gorgeous. She truly has that glow about her.

So, the holidays were spent with much family love & laughter. My kids got almost everything they asked for. And another year in the books.

Now....if only I could go to sleep........

Friday, December 12, 2008

I'm addicted....


Yep...these little demon eggs! They have taken over my life. I find myself searching day & night for these damn eggs!! I curse you facebook & the hatchlings app...I need my life back!

Its funny, at first I thought it was stupid. But now, I know the new ones are released on Monday around 7:30 pm...but sometimes, Brad (the creator of the app) messes with us & releases a new one every day. I have over 400 hatchling buddies now, and search their baskets day & night for the treasured eggs. Well, it could be worse...its not like i'm drinking or doing drugs. I am, afterall, sitting at my house on the computer looking in pretend baskets for colorful eggs. Yep, not a bad way to spend my days :-)

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

I blew it.....my diet that is....


These are EVIL! Pure evil!! Yes, I have had several...not one, but several of these today. You see, my daughter was selling them to raise money for prom (she is on the prom committee) so I HAD to purchase them. Now, I could have let everyone else eat them....but they were fresh....gooey glaze running down....UGH!!! I cannot resist fresh Krispy Kreme doughnuts! And OMG! They are loaded with fat & calories. It will take me a week to work off just one of these....and I had...well, the number is not important :-) I even ate one while watching the Biggest Loser!! Dear God, what is wrong with me?! I could hear Bob & Jillian screaming at me through the TV...put it down Jenny!!! Its done...and to be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed them. Now, they must be removed from this house so I can move forward. Ok...maybe just one or two with coffee in the morning?????? muhaaaaaaaaaa

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Just another typical Sunday....

I actually slept until 10:30 this morning! Yippee!! I normally get up around 7:15 to get the kids & hubby off to school/work. Even on the weekends, I get up early. But I was up late last night working on orders, and must have needed extra snoozing time.

So, as usual, I spoke to my favorite person in the world....my sister Denise. Words cannot express how much I love that woman! She always knows the right things to say. Even if its not what I want to hear, she sets me straight...she is my true North :-) Anyway, all that mushy crap out of the way. She is on a quest....to help the man she loves. He is having some heart trouble, and she wants to help him get healthy...and her too. I couldn't be prouder. They have both cut back on their smoking, and are trying to eat right....and also not drink as much. I'm beyond thrilled about all this, but especially the smoking. I need her around to take care of me when i'm old...we have plans! We are going to sit on the front porch, rocking in our rocking chairs & just enjoy each other. So, she needs to stay around for a long while. She is on the right track....Congrats sister!!!!! We have set a goal of losing 10 lbs by Christmas! The worst time in the world to diet is the holidays, but dammit, we are going to do it!!! No excuses....just do it! I need to get moving again. I was losing weight like crazy in the spring....and was well on my way. But, I went on vacation, came back & made excuses. So, my goal is to start walking again, and get the Wii fit back out. I have a long road ahead......but I didn't get this fat overnight!!! Wish me luck :-)

Oh, and Miami won again!!!! Woohooo!!!!!! My team is doing very well this year...and its about time. Racing is almost over. Next week is it. I haven't been much of a fan this year....its just not the same since Dale died.

Well, its 10:30 pm, and my kitchen needs cleaned. Thanks for reading!

Friday, November 7, 2008

Just when you thought you had seen it all...

I'm truly at a loss for words Crafts

Really? I mean, you really want to make crafts out of that? And, if all that wasn't bad enough, I found a tampon filled cat nip toy on Etsy this morning! Yes, it looked just like a tampon...blood on the tip & all! GAG!!