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I did it! I Threw a Surprise Birthday Party!

Jan23

"I Did It…" By, Nancy Alexander

I Really Did Surprise My Husband for His Birthday!…

Yes, I did it!  I am not good a keeping secrets, and I am certainly not good at the necessary, "little white lies" which surround a surprise birthday party!  On my hubby's 60th birthday, there were many things going on that kept me from throwing him the surprise birthday party I had always wanted to have for him.  But, I made up for it, and took advantage of it!  We called it a 60th Birthday Party (plus 1) LOL!!

 

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 And guess what?  It worked!  Wow the details just about killed me.  I pulled out everything from the past; pictures, articles, family stuff as soon as Steve would leave for work every day, and then have everything hidden somewhere at home when he arrived back at the end of the day!  I think that was the hardest part!  Oh, and deciding who to invite….there could have been many, many more!  We were having it in a restaurant where the seating was somewhat limited, and in addition to my somewhat limited funds, I had to work very hard on the list.


If you like, you can look at the pictures in the "Smilebox" above to see pictures from our party.  My husband LOVED it — it made him feel VERY special, and really let him know how many friends who knew and loved him which was the reason for this most important event!


 

How God Has Used Me

Oct22

"How God Has Used Me" By, Nancy Alexander

Gratitude Because God IS Using "Little Ole Me"…

I feel a feeling of gratitude today because God is using me, yes…."little ole me".  I don't mean to sound surprised, and I don't mean to boast — but me?? — I have always trusted God as my savior – my Lord – involved in and orchestrating everything in my life… I grew up in what I considered an unhappy home… no abuse or anything drastic like you hear so much of these days .. just unhappy, and feeling unloved.  (I do know different now, but didn't then and couldn't understand as a child.) 

But, well, finally – now things are different!  The signs from God's leading in my and my husband's lives are bold, attention-getting, crying your eyes out, screaming to the top of your lungs, singing praises to the Lord… kinds of signs and "holy touches"! 

Me…Nancy…Nancy Alexander from Anderson, South Carolina (a middle-sized Southern town of not much significance) — who has never gone far away from home except for a few trips to Washington, DC, when my uncle was alive, or the wonderful cruise my husband surprised me with for our 25th anniversary — the Nancy who got really sick at 28 years old when she had two little boys to take care of, who had dreams of being a GREAT Mom — a beautiful, sexy, encouraging wife to a husband who adored, cherished, and looked upon none other — one who would make a difference in this world one day by touching lives, leading others to my Lord and Savior by being the sort of Christian that others admire — traveling through and praising God for this beautiful world that we live in (or) just being the "Matriarch" of our little family — being looked up to — honored — loved — overwhelmed with the hugs and kisses and "Mom, I Love You" stuff… this was what my dreams were made of and what I wanted more than anything else in this world!

I have found that God definitely has plans for us, and that He certainly answers prayer.  I know that my prayers have been answered, but God and I have had to engage in many breakdowns, talks and tears (mine), about the fact that he didn't answer my prayers and pleadings in my time, but in His — 30 to 35 years later.  (And, by the way…it took that same son, Matt, just recently to remind me that even though it has been sooo many years…God HAS answered my prayers!)  I now can and do Praise His Name for His faithfulness, steadfastness, and love because these answers to my hopes, dreams, and pleadings have been much more than I could have ever imagined.

Yes, His time is certainly NOT our time and His dreams for us and for me personally came at His "right time".  These dreams which are being answered now in my life, totally and completely take my breath away, with faith in God…dreams eventually are answered.  These answers are maybe not the answers we expect, but can be beyond our own imaginings.  I would not be the person I am today without the many years of being pruned by God; without going through the many impossible situations with health issues, family and life.  I tried so hard for so many years; I thought I would never be freed.  But… I now know that I would not be blessed with the experience I now possess with which I can help others I come across in this world (and notice… I did say world!) – without the many years of God's hard work in my life.

Don't worry, I'm not going to go through my entire life's story here, but I just want to tell you about a tiny little book:  "The Prayer of Jabez", given to me by my son Matt in 1990, and how it made such an impact in my life.  I knew I was in trouble and had known for some time… life was a "chore", life was not what I had dreamed, expected, and wanted it to be — my life was broken and filled with pain and hurt; I even knew that if I lived long enough, I would probably end up in a wheelchair.  I had come close to giving up so many times, but didn't have the courage or strength to even do that. 

Anyway, this tiny little book with the sweet inscription in the front from my son, Matt, led me to read it that day.  It is such a tiny book that it can be read in one day — but the words, and the meanings of those words have taken me many years to learn how they apply to my life.  This short prayer; "The Prayer of Jabez" has been prayed by me every single day of my life since I received it in 1990 — and on some days of turmoil and stress — more than once.

I began many years ago praying this prayer for me – myself first – to be healed; then, later on I changed the names, and prayed for Steve, my husband, and second my sons, Matt and Andy.  So every single night I pray this prayer four times.  As I lay my head down on my pillow, I began these prayers.  I could not sleep unless I did.  I used to pray them silently, until I realized that Satan cannot hear our thoughts, only our spoken words…so I started praying them aloud — I wanted him to know the strength of my trust in God.

The Prayer as I have prayed it:  "And Jabez called upon the God of Israel; Oh that You would bless me indeed.  That You would enlarge my territory, and that your hand would be with me; and you would keep me from evil so that I might not cause pain."

(or) 1 Chronicles 4:10
"Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that Thou would bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast (territory), and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou would keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!"  And God granted him that which he requested." 

I knew these were powerful words.  I read the book several times, but when I would get to two specific phrases each time, I would find myself thinking… (how in the world would this ever apply to me…?).  That didn't stop me, though, and I kept right on praying.

The first phrase that I just could not understand was "That You would enlarge my territory", and the second was "And keep me from evil so that I might not cause pain".  God has now revealed to me exactly what each of these phrases means.  Each statement has changed my life in such amazing ways;  both for the good – but one involving anticipation and excitement, and the other – well, let's just say the other caused a great deal of pain.  But just for now, I want to talk about the first one — the one which brought unbelievable hope, praises, joy and excitement to my mundane life.

Each time I would stop and think.  Here I am… a woman with a finally diagnosed disease of fibromyalgia — and eventually celiac disease.  How in the world could God enlarge my territory?  For a while I could hardly ride in a car for 30 minutes.  A few times through the years when fibromyalgia released its terrible grip on my body and my soul for a short while, I could go a few places;  like Atlanta on several buying trips for a business I kept holding onto; or…there was that one time when I was able to go on a cruise that my husband surprised me with; and a couple of times through the years when I was able to make the 5 hour trip to Myrtle beach.

But, "enlarge my territory"!?…

Well, this is where I certainly did God an injustice!  I did not trust Him like His word commands us to do.  But, can you see how I would question; how could He enlarge "my" territory when I can hardly ride in the car for more than 30 minutes…I couldn't even go up a flight of stairs.  I could never visit all of the states in the United states as many people do (and I would love to do), and I certainly could not (even if the funds were available), fly to other countries.  To me, for many years, that was what "enlarge my territory" meant – to be able to spread the word of God far and wide to all the ends of the earth. 

Then, a couple of years ago, I picked up this little book again.  It had been lying on my bedside table for years just for the comfort it gave me to see it there.  As I picked up this book and started reading again, I flipped over to the chapter where it was talking about expanding my territory.  As I flipped through the pages, reading quickly, my heart started to flutter a little – I felt something in the pit of my stomach….I HAD BEEN WRONG!  Here they were talking about this applying to our everyday lives.  To people we come in contact with everyday. To businesses which needed God's help to grow and expand…but in His direction only. 

So, that night as I began to pray, I began to envision in my mind that – YES – God can expand my territory.  To my friends, my neighbors, and my business selling wreaths on eBay and the Internet.  Then, every night thereafter, I had those thoughts in my mind as I spoke the words aloud – instead of the negative and distrustful thoughts and words of doubt clouded with a little hope that had always hung around in the back of my mind. 

And now where do I begin?  How do I tell you the miraculous ways that God has enlarged my territory?  Well, my business is flourishing, but not in the way you might think — in monitory terms — although I have started to finally make a little money instead of just having a fun hobby that I excelled in and cost us a fortune!  Oh, but God is so good, his dreams for us are more incredible than ours could ever be!

My husband, Steve and I have just written a book for and about my business.  It is a book on how to do what I do — how to start an Internet business when you know nothing about the Internet — and yes… a list of every supplier that I buy from, and what I buy from each.  This is something that NO business owner EVER DOES!!  These suppliers and vendors are searched out and tested for many years.  In writing and selling this book, I am creating my own competition!

DO YOU SEE???? DO YOU SEE the point I am trying to get across here?  God's plan for me was not to become a successful Internet Entrepreneur merely making and selling wreaths.  His plan was not for me to just become a success filming how-to videos on wreath design (although that's a part of my life and business). 

HIS plan for me was to reach ladies (far and wide — "expanding my territory"), ladies who are and were just like me.  They are trapped in bodies that are weak and sick.  They have fibromyalgia or other health issues which have gone undiagnosed for many, many years….just like mine.  No one understands, maybe they have not found a Doctor yet who even believes they are "truly" sick.  They need hope, they need joy…they need a reason to get out of bed every morning…they need God's help and inspiration. 

I am so humbled… I am so overwhelmed… I am so overjoyed that God is using "me" to help these women!  In the last 11 days that my book has been for sale, we have sold over 50 copies!  I am receiving so many emails, it is not humanly possible to answer them all, from women all over the world who are desperate.  They are where I was so many years ago!  God is leading me to help them in ways that I cannot yet begin to fathom!  I could let this totally consume me, but I have peace and trust in God now that I know what "He" is doing, and is doing so well!  I am only along for the ride – along with my faithful, loving husband, and a renewed marriage – and we are open to do whatever God's will is for us!  We finally KNOW FOR SURE that "His will" cannot be matched by any earthly designs.

So…. "enlarge my territory"!?…      

Okay…. get this…. in the last two weeks, I have had people on my website from over "Thirty-Five" countries!  I have several "big" Internet Marketers" waiting for me to set my book up for Affiliate Sales so that they can sell it.  They believe in me…and my gift — my talent and they say my story has touched them deeply! 

 

So…don't tell me that God cannot enlarge your territory because he did just that to me — Nancy Alexander — from Anderson, South Carolina!

Thank You God…That I am Tired

Oct11

"Thank You God" By, Nancy Alexander

That I Am Tired…

Where Do I Start? I'll start where every good thing in our lives comes from — God.

 

Knowing that I can and do get up every single morning and put on the "full armor of God" fills me with such security and confidence.  It ensures that I can have a day filled with Happiness and Joy which come from God's grace.  Now, that doesn't mean that I don't have bad days, I DO!  That doesn't mean that I don't slip back into the past very often and have to battle with "the evil one", I DO!  That does not mean that I don't slide down that "slippery slope" quite often that Beth Moore describes in her Bible Studies, because I DO!



It does mean that I have a Father who loves me beyond words…He is always there in my life holding out a hand to pull me out and rescue me…He is always there to soothe my broken heart…He is always there pouring blessings and miracles upon me that I certainly do not now, nor ever will deserve.



He had to choose between his "two loves" when he sent his son onto this earth!  How could a Father choose between His two loves:  one – flesh of His own flesh, and the other – His children created by Him to love and worship Him, and that He could also love and cherish in return.



I am speechless…I am in awe…that He chose His son to feel our pain and give His life so that there could be an open pathway flowing between us and our Father every single second of every single day for the rest of our lives.



God has worked such miracles in my family that there are way too many to list, and way too many to go into.  But I will say that during these last two years, He has made His presence known to us in such a way that leaves me amazed!



My husband, Steve, and I have just completed an exciting project together which was totally inspired by God — there is no other explanation.  We found that we could work side by side at our computers, electronically sharing and writing on the same pages at once.  With my strengths multiplying his weaknesses, and Steve's strengths doing the same for mine…well, that is something so wonderful we were blessed to share!  We enjoyed these (literally hundreds) of hours together and finished with an e-Book, a project that we never would have guessed could come to fruition.  And, we ended up with ideas to write at least 10 more books!



You see, God's hand was with us in this from the very beginning!  He sent people into our lives at just the right time when they were needed:  Jim Cockrum from www.SilentJim.com (an Internet Entrepreneur), who is so well known because of his honest and knowledgeable style — and who also charges $700 an hour just for a phone consultation; Linda Joseph from www.WebTechEnterprises.com (our coach), a very smart entrepreneur in her own right, a patient God-loving woman, who has handled so much of the technical "stuff" we didn't know how to do, or have the time to learn; and John Ritskowitz from www.marketing-medic.com (an amazing copywriter whom we were so blessed to be able to work with).  And, no, we could not afford these wonderfully brilliant people God sent into our paths, but He figured out a way!



Today was the "launch" date for this new book: "Secret Vendor List", where I totally and completely reveal ALL of my secrets and suppliers I worked 25 years to obtain.  In the wholesale/retail world, this is just NOT done!  Each retailer researches, studies, walks the halls in the large National Markets looking for the best suppliers with the best prices.  You know…the ones you can really trust!  Those are so hard to find these days!  I have felt led by God for some time with a soft spot in my heart for my customers…there is an attachment with them which I cannot explain…some really need help and that help just may be me.  So many of them are at places in their lives right now where I was for many years, and that is not a very pleasant or happy place to be.



Through our work (together, side-by-side) on this 200 page book, plus two more smaller e-Books, Steve and I have been working into the wee hours of the morning, and then jumping out of bed with a start the next morning to complete this amazing task.  Last night was one of those late nights, and this morning…well, another early morning.  So much to be done; newsletters to write; web pages to be redone; older e-Books to be revised and rewritten, auto-responders to be set up, and so much more!



Now…the joys…and amazement come as I am watching the "stats" as people come to my website and my blog from all over the world – 20 different countries so far!  I am answering emails about sales and downloads…I just feel so humbled that God reached down into our broken lives two years ago and changed them in such amazing ways! He has a plan for us.  He has a path for us…and we will certainly, blindly follow Him on this path for the rest of our lives knowing more Joy and Happiness awaits us than we can begin to imagine!



This is why I can thank God that I am tired! 

Life is Wonderfully Exciting and Busy

Sep14

"Life is Wonderfully Exciting" By, Nancy Alexander

The Alexander Family has  New Addition!..

I must start this post with a picture of our newest addition to the Alexander family!  Wyatt Thomas Alexander was born August 7th!  He is so precious and absolutely PERFECT!  This makes our fourth.  I have always heard that being a grandparent just cannot compare with anything else — well, they were right!  Our four "grands" are the JOY of our lives!  We thank God for them every single day!  In the picture below, Ava Grace wants to unwrap Wyatt to check him out.  She thinks he is one of her baby dolls!  So SWEET!

I am very frantic, rushed, excited, and busy today.  But I thought this day was worth taking a few minutes to post in Nancy's Ramblings.  I'm sure most of you know by now that Steve and I are putting the finishing touches on my *SECRET* Vendor's Supplier list. 

 

"The FIRST Secret List of Floral Design Suppliers — EVER PUBLISHED!" 

 

We have worked more hours that we ever believed was possible.  We have had detours which stopped this process cold!  But we have had many miracles which have rejuvenated our lives, our hearts, and our work.  The last few months have been full of excitement, JOY, and work.  This eBook has taken on a mind of its own.  It has grown to be wonderfully exciting and is so full of pertinent information that my customers will just not believe it when they finally get their hands on it.  I can hardly believe how God has inspired us in so many ways.

We have talked to suppliers and gathered together information that I have collected over the last 25 years.  Each day I remember more and more exciting things that I want you to know that I did not know when starting my own business.  This information about going to market, about purchasing from wholesale suppliers without letting them know that you are a "newbe" to the business, will help you so very much!  Oh, how I wish I had been able to purchase a list like this one when I first started!!

I truly DO NOT believe there is a list out there right now like this one for sale, ANYWHERE!!  I want my customers and friends to have all the information in one place that I had to dig, scrape and search for in the many years I was operating a business.

Okay, enough about the book! Except, we should be finished by this weekend – for those of you who have been waiting and waiting and waiting!  I do promise you it will DEFINITELY be worth the wait!  Now… Many other exciting happenings are going on at Ladybug Wreaths…

 

I have an advertisement coming out in Country Sampler magazine.  It has already been mailed to subscribers and will be online at http://www.countrysampler.com by this weekend.  It will hit the newsstands starting October 1st!  I will have a huge wreath featured in a room scene along with information about purchasing and ordering wreaths on the opposite page.  Also featured are my instructional wreath-making videos.  So, take a look if you get a chance.  If you don't subscribe to the magazine, you can purchase one after October 1st, or you can go online to view their newest edition. 

This is VERY exciting for me as Country Sampler has 350,000 to 400,000 subscribers, plus 1,000,000 readers!  WOW, that literally takes my breath away!

Grateful For Our Many Blessings

Jan9

I am very grateful to be able to begin a New Year with so many blessings of my wonderful family; Steve, our sons, daughters-in-law, and our precious grandchildren!  There are many wonderful things going on in our lives and in my business.

 

 

Some days are hard still feeling my fibromyalgia pain, so I look to the Lord on these days…And yes it is there: 
God is so amazing!  Here are a few words which calm my soul…
"When ye pray, believe"  (Mark 11:24).  When there is a matter that requires definite prayer,
Pray till you believe God, until with unfeigned lips you can thank Him for the answer.
"For we which have believed do enter into rest" (Heb. 4:3).  
The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.  Meuller  
Faith is not a sense, nor sight, nor reason, but a taking God at His word.   Evans   

 

 


You will never learn faith in comfortable surroundings.  God gives us the promises in a quiet hour;  God seals our covenants with great and gracious words, then He steps back and wants to see how much we believe; then He lets the tempter come, and the test seems to contradict all that He has spoken.  It is then that faith wins its crown.  That is the time to look up through the storm, and among the trembling, frightened seamen cry, "I believe God that is shall be even as it was told me."  


This new year brings so many things that I am also very grateful for.   Matt and Sara sold the house they moved out of in September, moving into a newly purchased house right before Ava was born.  They rushed the move so they would not have to bring home a new baby and then have to go to the trouble of showing a house, and move afterward.  Well, this was right before the economy took a more severe turn for the worse, leaving this young family having to pay two house payments for the last five months. 


So, Thank You Lord, that their house has sold, and they can begin to get finances in order again (which, of course they will – I only wish we were as smart with our money in our twenties and early thirties). I am also grateful that Stephanie, Andy's wife, is now doing fine since she was robbed at the bank where she is head teller.  This was a terrifying experience for her, but she handled it just like she was trained to do.No one knew they were being robbed until after the robber left.  This crazy man went on to rob three other banks in the area, but I saw on the news tonight where he was caught. 


Thank you Lord! I am very grateful that "Nana", my husband's Mother is back at home and recovering from dislocating both shoulders.  This has been a hard journey for her.  She is such a strong woman of faith and of body. I only hope I can be half as strong as she when I am 85 years old. I am grateful that we can begin the new year with bright eyed anticipation looking forward to all that God has in store for us.  I just know that there are amazing blessings in our horizon.

 


I am also grateful that I went on my "fibro" diet when I did almost three years ago.  I truly believe that had I not taken matters into my own hands and studied and followed my Doctor's suggestions that I would probably be in a wheel chair by now.  My fibromyalgia was so severe that I could hardly function – as a matter of fact, I couldn't!  Now, I can run my own eBay store and website, and am an Internet Marketing Consultant!  Yes, I know – a big title – but that just means I can set up websites, blogs, and mailing list tracking, and adwords to help other businesses with their dreams!  God is so Good! 

 

As a matter of fact, last week while my sweet husband was out for the Holidays, I set up a blog site for him.   He has been a poet for years, and of course, I think has done a wonderful job with each and every poem.  He now has a site where he can post and share them.  He writes about real-life situations which involve our friends and family.  Each and every one is touching, and humorous.  Hop on over and read some,   http://www.silverfoxprose.com   I'm sure you'll enjoy them too!