Melva Gifford

We are each capable of accomplishing a great number of things. We can accomplish certain things that others can’t because our success can be influenced by our unique view point, imagination and drive. One thing that can definitely limit our success is our negative self-talk.

I hope the following topic will be of use to youth ministries, family devotionals and family home evenings.

We can be our worse enemy when we tell ourselves we can’t accomplish something even before we try. As an author who has attended a lot of writing panels and seminars I hear the constant advice to not decide for an editor what a good story/book is. Submit it out anyway in case the editor likes it. If I reject a submission by simply never submitting it, then I’ve taken that decision away from the editor. The same can be said for other dreams. If you’re trying for a competition, don’t stop yourself from trying out as you may get it. Or even if we don’t win, we gain experience that may help us be better prepared for a future competition. The great figures of sports and business did not become successes overnight but they had many failures before achieving their victories.

It can be easy to just say we can’t do it and then stop trying.

Object lesson: long rubber band

A rubber band can represent our abilities. Flex the rubber band between your hands or fingers and see how flexible it is. Now tie a knot in the middle where there is now two halves to the rubber band. The flexibly is restricted by the knot. The knot represents our negative thoughts and self-esteem. Just as the knot limits the rubber band’s flexibility so our negative thoughts can limit our abilities.

Tie another knot and another until there are so many knots (negative thoughts) that we can’t do much with the rubber band at all. Each knot or action that we perform from our negative thoughts can’ limit our success.

Now untie one of the knots and see how much more ‘room’ we have in the rubber band. It can stretch further because of the additional freedom.  Removing our negative thoughts can give us a similar freedom.

Please feel free to alter this concept to any principal you want to share.

If you have ideas to add to this theme, please feel free to submit them to the comment section of this blog. Thanks.

Its great the different displays of creativity people have. While at Westercon, across the street was Fantasy con. At fantasy con I got introduce to a humor group called the Hillywood show. Here are some of their productions. Enjoy.

Two other internet group I like are the video guys and the piano guys.

But here are some productions by Hillwood. Enjoy:

Doctor Who Parody by The Hillywood Show® – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WBqHdI5Bdw

The Hunger Games Parody by The Hillywood Show … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNqX31FECik

Warm Bodies Parody by The Hillywood Show® – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd3UBZysWTw

Breaking Dawn Parody by The Hillywood Show® – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_zCqKTS5o0

Are there some productions yon like? Please share in toe comment section of this blog.

Bad: sizzors

Good: scissors

I keep putting Z’s in scissors. But when I think of this tool, I envision someone curving lines in the paper and the unneeded paper falling away and we have SSSSS left. Thus SciSSors. We’ll see if that will help me remember the word better.

Have an alternative vision? Please feel free to share.

I took notes during a finance seminar I attended last fall. Hope these ideas will be of interest.

–          A. New accounts. As soon as you get a free card. It will ping your score for 20 points.

–          B. Account seasoning. This refers to many cards that are obtained while Christmas shopping. people accept a credit card to get a discount on an item. When you cancel  that credit card that you only plan to use once it also will ping to score

–          C. The number of accounts of CC also influence score.

–          D. Number of late payments is the biggest driver on your score. Pay special attention to bills paid to the last two years of your account. A maxed out Credit card is when you owe up to 75% of your limit. If you have over 50% owed on the unit credit limit, it will start to make an impact on your score. Suggest you don’t go over 40% of your credit limit on each card to maintain a positive score.

–          At times of Identity theft, you accountable for $50.

–          Credit cards are safer than debit cards.

–          Credit bureaus will scan your rating at different times of the month. They take this random snapshot, not at the times that you pay your bill.

–          It is important for you to check your score. 92% of accounts have some wrong information.

–          Dispute inaccuracies on your record, wrong information will not be removed until you dispute it. If the score center does not get confirmation on the bad data and they have to drop it from the record. Use a certified letter to settle a dispute to the Bureau. The success ratio is higher. You may have to do it twice to make sure that executes correctly taken off. Some people report that when you have something disputed when they remove off a certain record of a certain company, they may wipe off the entire record of that company, including the good. Then you have to show proof of the past record in payments to get the good information back on the record. If you dispute alone or there may be a good chance they are no longer in business, and thus cannot counter your dispute.

–          Things should normally drop off after seven years, but sometimes they are not removed.

–          If you have late payments on your record, and is for business or longer in business. You can dispute the record and it can top off when the defunct company no longer responds.

–          If you have a dispute that is not getting removed, you can arrange for a lawyer to send a pre-drafted letter to have the dispute dropped and in that letter. You provided by paragraph of personal information. This letter cost about $5200. ( I hope this note is correct mg)

–          Store cards that have a visa on it, you might be only used outside the store that you got a for.

–          Car loans are bad on credit, while mortgages or home loans are good on credit.

–          It often takes two months for a mortgage to be transferred to another company which happens a lot. There are some reports that when the transfer is made and you pay a bill on your house. The companies are not properly communicate the payment to the new owner and the new company does not cash or checks. And then your house can go to foreclosure because of lack of payment.

–          Revolving credit. Building up credit is important. That is why sometimes someone will pay for something cash, but will first pay six months on an item, so that their credit improves.

–          Piggybacking. Is when you can add a child or family member on your account. This is a good way to get their credit history begun.

–          If the person that has bad credit shares a credit card with the person has good credit. It can help their score and not hurt the score of the good person.

–          Increasing credit limits. There are two types soft and hard. Period. A hard request is when the credit didn’t exist. Soft inquiry is for pre-existing credit cards. Capital one is the worst company for revolving credit while American Express is good. Zion is known to be a good bank.

–          Bankrate.com has credit card comparisons, so you can see who has the most benefits. This is where you can find cars that offer no pay for six months no interest six months.

–          Joke: Delta: don’t expect luggage to arrive.

Have something to add? Please do so in the comment section of the blog. thanks

This last weekend had the opportunity to attend Western con. In the writers and editors which took place in Salt Lake City, Utah this year. While there, I attended a panel on the advantages of using dark fairy tales to teach children. I feel that these notes would make a nice contribution toward my effective teaching blog. I hope these notes will be of interest. I think the same advantages of using dark fairy tales can also include some of the darker stories from the Scriptures. For they tell about the consequences of our actions.

I hope these ideas can be of use to youth ministries, family devotionals, family counselors and family home evenings. Some people may feel uncomfortable in using fantasy for teaching children so fairy tale of various cultures of the world may be preferred.

–          Children love dark fairy tales.

–          Know your child’s propensities, so that you don’t share something that is too far beyond their comfort zone.

–          Consider your child’s life experiences when selecting fairy tales.

–          Also consider time of day to read. For example, if you read. Stories late at night before your child goes to bed and he or she has a tendency to not go to sleep quickly, their mind might linger on the fairytale and that might scare them.

–          Check out book: Uses of Enchantment

Usefulness of fairytales

–                      Fairytales have the elements of children’s emotional traits. Choose a safe place to tell the fairytale, such as the home or school, etc.

–                      Children can learn how to make decisions from the decisions made by the characters of the story. They will also learn the consequences of those decisions.

–                      Children use play as an emotional outlet.

–                      Fairytales can provide a common language. Children are introduced to settings, problems, countries, languages and terms.

–                      Children learn critical thinking skills.

–                      Fairytale show a character that is caught in a dilemma.

–                      Melva’s idea: fairytales broaden a child imagination. That developed Imagination can be used in other problem solving skills. Separate from fairytales

If you have ideas to share this topic, please feel free to share it in the comment section this blog. If you also have some links on the web this wonderful fairytale five preschool free to share them so that everyone can benefit from your knowledge. Thank you.

While attending WesterCon this year in Salt Lake City I had a unique opportunity to look out across the city on the night of July 4^th and see multiple displays of fireworks taking place. I have always loved fireworks. It is nice to see three different sets lighting off simultaneously and 4-7 if my vision could attend the entire horizon. It was great to see fellow citizens celebrate the existing of the US. With all the challenges our country faces, particularly within the country, I am grateful to live here.

I appreciate the blessing in living in the United States and for the founding fathers and mothers who helped make it happen. Thank you Heavenly Father for your aid in helping US get created.

Bad: Constently

Good: constantly.

I keep wanting to put in an e. maybe one way to remember  the a is that a key trait to the success of ANTs is they are constANTly busy and consANTly contribute to the success of the nest, thus constANTly.

Have a better idea? Please share it in the comment section of this blog. Thanks

Last fall I attend a financial seminar. Here are some of my notes. I hope they can be of use.

–          Personal property. A. Drive around the neighborhood . B. Magazines such as thrifty nickel. C. Personal database. D. Newspaper.

–          Professional prospecting: a. Broker and agents. B. Websites such as loop that. C. Commercial sites. D. Bird dogs/feeders: companies that will collect information about the real estate market and sell it.

–          Networks: a. Inventory clubs, B. associations. C. Buyers networks, i.e. property and network.

–          ROI: means rate of return

–          PEN: is an outlet for people grouped together to manage real estate and income, etc. which may be in Utah

–          If liquidate retirement. Government can’t get it

–          How to improve your credit score:

–          Unless they share an account with their parent

–          There are three credit sources, expedient extra fax in Trans Am. You should pull all three tickets inaccurate view.

–          The average lender will evaluate all three levels of your score and get an average. The average is usually not calculated by the numbers of the three, but often is the middle number.

–          Free credit orchard credit is not displayed in the three scores. People will make it. This was called an advantage for which taps into other great information from additional sources that many vendors will use.

–          Determine what drives your credit:

–          Pulling your own credit will not impact your score. If you ask alone or to pull your credit. It will ping your score.

–          Since 2012, a bill was passed, the said that any unpaid medical bills under $100. People should not have the scores Pete and. That takes time for the government to implement such bills.

–          Having an account go to collections is a 75 point hit on your score.

Have something to add to the list, please do so in the comment section of this blog. Thanks