Politics as Usual?

Just a few thoughts: politics...

There is a distinctly different flavor to the political pie of today.
I remember when Reagan was elected President way back when --- I thought, 'Oh, now we are electing actors for President?!' Turns out, he may have been one of the best in modern history.

So many candidates of the recent past have compared themselves to JFK..... wishful thinking.

But the campaigns now are just plain nasty. Trump is nasty. He seems to fit all the criteria for a narcissistic diagnosis, but then so many politicians do. Nobody in Washington DC gets along with Cruz, and Marco Rubio seems to think he can administer Trump's own medicine to him -- and it just isn't working.
Donald Trump is Donald Trump. Marco Rubio is not. And he shouldn't try to administer foul jokes - it says more about him than it says about his opponent. Disappointing.

The two decent candidates rate in the single digits in all the polls. Does that prove dirty politics is politics as usual? No such thing as a clean campaign being effective? Too bad.

Maybe.

Mr. Trump has many descriptions that could accurately label him. Do we want labels? Well, maybe we need them. The party system creates a natural competition, but it has gone way too far. So far, that a single word, either Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative elicits immediate hate and disapproval without further consideration. Lazy judgment.

I think Trump may be thought of as the antidote to the apologies, the concessions, the deals, use of executive order, and a loose interpretation of the Constitution that characterize the current administration. And he may do the same thing, only instead of having class like Mr. Obama, he will resemble a bulldozer. He makes a lot of noise. And the sound of his engine is not of the Washington machine, which may be the draw for him. But then neither Carson nor Kasich are of the Washington ilk... so that theory may be null and void.

I remember when Democrats chided the Republicans for their criticism of Bill Clinton. They said what a man does in his private life is none of our business. They quoted Europeans who tsk tsk the silly American and their Puritanical values, saying they should wake up, grow up. But the man who would would dishonor his own personal vows, who would lie, who would betray his spouse employs values that generate past his immediate family. The Clintons are known as liars. And that has proved to be not so advantageous to the country.

Small Business Saturday Tips from Small Business Owners

November 10, 2014

Now entering its fifth year, Small Business Saturday (November 29) encourages people to support local businesses during the busiest shopping season of the year. It’s estimated that in 2013 people spent $5.7 billion at small businesses on Small Business Saturday.

Here are some tried and true tips for Small Business Owners:

1. Form a community

Work with other local businesses to make the event community-wide, rather than store-wide.

a.) Create a local “shop small” community to meet and collaborate with other small business owners in the area. 

b.) Cross-promote each business’s messages with the larger “shop small” message.

Encourage small business to think of the day as a neighborhood event.

2. Tell your story

Brick and mortar shopping connects people to businesses in a personal way. To connect your community to your business before they even step foot into your store, start a Small Business Saturday campaign that tells stories about your business.

3. Offer an experience

Several businesses we spoke with had plans to make Small Business Saturday a special day in their stores. a.) Bring in a local artist to show off your work, or serve appetizers and host giveaways in the store. Offer a discount to people that visit on Small Business Saturday. Take advantage of coupons or sales promotions (See Puzzle game)

b.) Add signs encouraging customers to take pictures at popular areas in your shop and connect with the store on Facebook and Instagram. Great advertising!

4. Get the word out

a.) Reach out to customers via email, newsletters and Facebook Page posts and ads, using age, region and gender targeting. You can even send handwritten notes and place phone calls inviting the best customers to come into the store.

b.) Give people directions to your business right on their phones.

5. Say thank you

There’s nothing as valuable as a face-to-face conversation with a customer, so thank yours for their support. You can take that one step further and hand out gift bags with cookies or some other small gift to thank their customers for visiting, but no matter how you choose to say thank you, be sure you do.

A Great Marketing Idea

I love this idea!
 
Receive one piece of the puzzle with any purchase (or for each $10 spent, for example) made from PolkaDotPatty. 

1.Then bring your puzzle pieces back in to us anytime from Date-to-date. 
2. A duplicate puzzle will be shown on display, but with one piece missing. 
3. If you have that missing piece, you will be the winner of an item, specialty, made-to-order, or something
     already chosen. Maybe a Gift Certificate or a Wish Item.
4. Collect as many pieces as you would like. 
5. Keep in mind, there are only 500 pieces, so stop by and start collecting today!

Get 2 puzzles, make one and use the other pieces, plus the winning piece to give at purchase time.

Don't Judge Me!

The phrase "don't judge me" more often than not simply means that the "judged" want affirmation. About whatever they do, about what they believe, and whatever they say.

If you disagree, you are judging.
If you do not adhere to a certain belief system, you are judging.
If you suggest a more convenient way to do something, you are judging.
If you make it plain that your preference is an opposing one, you are, again, guilty of judging.

And yet....
If you don't immediately recognize pain, effort, or if you don't acknowledge each and every triumph, then you don't care. You have "abandoned" that person.

But, I say, you have taught me that whatever you do is not subject to my approval or disapproval, so I kinda just stay away. I know you are interested only in my complete acceptance of whatever you do, you only acknowledge praise. And to me, that is fake, that is partial, that is selective. Ego.

I may neither approve nor disapprove, but what I have are my own opinions. I am a complete package.

So, dear judged, it is not all about you.

Someone once said: You wouldn't be quite so concerned about what other people thought if you only knew how little they thought about you.

http://www.tabberone.com

It is not illegal to use commercial patterns to sell your own creations!

Eggbert, the Easter Egg

Eggbert, the Easter egg
Was a pretty little Easter egg.
Cutest thing you ever saw
In the window of a big department store.

All day the children came,
Noses pressed against the window pane.
Spoke to Eggbert, but alas,
Eggbert cried because he couldn't answer back.

Then all at once
The clouds rolled by
To let the sun shine through.
Believe it or not,
It got so hot,
That Eggbert split in two!

Out popped a baby chick,
A teeny, weeny, little baby chick.
And all the children heard him say:
Eggbert wishes you a Happy Easter Day!

*I sang this to my little siblings for many years. Daddy brought home the 78 LP, sung by Rosemary Clooney.

It's Not Just Decoration

Fruit in the centerpiece bowl on my table is real, you may eat it.

Stoneware pitchers on the shelf are often used for milk, iced tea, juice, margaritas...

Pretty tea cups and tea pots get rotated for little impromptu tea parties.

The rooster-shaped bottle really has olive oil in it for cooking.

Hand-stitched quilts arranged artfully over a chair or couch is just as pretty to cuddle with.

Cookies filling up the jar look great, but you may eat them; I'll make more.

The cute collection of rolling pins are used regularly to roll out sugar cookie dough.

Bathroom towels tied with ribbons are more than just decor, they are towels.

Pretty crystal goblets make any drink taste better, I think.

Just please don't use my vintage hand-embroidered linen napkins to dab your lipstick!