In her book, Women Take Charge of Your Money, Carolyn Castleberry brings to the forefront how important it is for us to take charge of our finances, which in turn will give us the freedom to live without financial constraints and to see what God can acomplish through us.

Applying scripture throughout, Castleberry, gives practical suggestions on how to achieve financial success in order to be financially independent.

Money is a God given tool to be used not only to provide for our needs, but to invest in our future and the future of others.

“Nowhere does the Lord promise that we’ll all be millionaires; we will succeed only according to His will for our lives. That’s a sure thing.”

Ladies, it’s time to pay attention, to learn about finances, to learn about investing; managing money is something we’ll have to deal with for the rest of our lives.

The Financially Confident Woman is more than just a book of information on how you got into debt and how to get out. It’s about being prepared.

As we grow older, which we will unless Jesus comes or He comes and gets us, we need to be able to support ourselves and not be dependent on others.

The fact is, that most women outlive their husbands. Knowing about money and how to use it wisely will be to your advantage.

Savings, investing, planning for the future is vitally important.

I know older couples who have to rely on their grown children to help them financially due to poor/no planning. That’s a little scary to me.

Reading Mary Hunt’s book gets you thinking about how important, especially in the younger years, to plan for the unexpected and for the future.

We need a new approach in how we market our business. With the internet and all that entails, we can’t work it the old way. Attention spans are shorter, there are more options available, and everyone seems to be going at a faster pace.

Think about it, you can record a show, and fast forward through the commercials – there goes that advertising money! (The Super Bowl commercials are the only ones I look forward to watching.)

“If the New Marketing can be characterized by just one idea, it’s this: Ideas that spread through groups of people are far more powerful than ideas delivered at an individual.”

232 pages of pure, thought provoking, encouraging messages that will have you rethink your thinking!

Lost Horizon

The first Sunday of the month, the Fort Worth Library shows classic films for free.

This Sunday the choice was Lost Horizon, a black and white film made in 1937.  Ronald Colman and Jane Wyatt stared in this adventure-fantasy directed by Frank Capra.  It was nominated for 7 Oscars.

The British author, James Hilton, wrote the book in six weeks, but it took Capra  two years (and half of Columbia Pictures’ annual budget that year to bring it to the screen).  The Shangri-La set is considered to be the largest ever built in Hollywood history.

What was so cool about this film is the restoration that took place.  By the late 1960′s, the original film negative had detereiorated to the point of being practically unusable.  Restoration started in 1973 and took almost 10 years to complete.  The complete sound track was located and restored.  But there was 7 minutes of missing footage of the film, so still shots were used to fill that gap.  It made for an interesting addition to an already amazing film.

Best Marketing/Advertising for the V-22

On Tuesday, Democratic Presidental candidate, Sen. Barak Obama, flew to Amman, Jordan in a V-22 Osprey. Catch the article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram .

Another cover on the story is from The Swamp, Tribune’s Washington Bureau .

Here is a clip of a V-22 in action .

You can also own a piece of history. In my eBay store, Eclectic Vintage Collectibles is one of the V-22 pins given out to Bell Helicopter employees. This particular pin was given to my father-in-law before he retired. I’m not sure what year that was, but he passed away over 10 years ago.

Downtown Fort Worth – THE Place to Be!

Downtown Fort Worth, especially Sundance Square , is THE place to be. And to live in an apartment downtown, would be a dream come true.

I love the city-life. I was born in Chicago, but lived in Texas most of my life. California a couple of times. But I am a city-girl at heart. Love to walk in the city. Coffee shops, theatres, book stores, libraries, all kinds of shopping – just seems to suit my fancy. Especially if it’s within walking distance!

The last two eBay Lives! I attended, I rented condos; in the heart of Boston (Little Italy ) and Chicago (2 blocks from Millennium Park ). Needless to say, I was a happy camper!

Today there was an open house at The Neil P. at Burnett Park “Boutique Condominium”, “Downtown Landmark Living”, “The Landmark Address That Says You’ve Arrived”.

The views were spectacular! The building is an example of “modern sophistication meets stories past”. Built in 1921, it was considered the gateway to downtown Fort Worth.

With all the activities Fort Worth has to offer, living in an apartment downtown would be like having a playground right outside your door.

I had fun just checking out the place and walking around! Something to dream about…

Custom Made Aran Knit Fisherman’s Sweater

Aran knitting, also known as fisherman knitting, is a longtime tradition in Ireland. The knobby pattern stitches trap air spaces, making for a warm garment (equivalent to modern day thermal dynamics!).

The sweater in the picture was custom made in Bunratty, Ireland, at The Village Store. (You can check it out in my eBay store, “>Eclectic Vintage Collectibles .

The story goes that each family had a unique stitch pattern. The sweaters that were knitted for the fishermen, were designed so that in the event of a death, they could identify the body if they washed onto shore.

Irish Culture and Customs gives an excellent insight into traditions, folklore, and history regarding the Aran Islands, sweaters, and more.

Rare Collectible eBay Village

This ceramic eBay Village was reproduced as a Sand Castle by award-winning sculptors from Florida at eBay Live! in San Jose, 2005. There are a couple of photos in the listing of this item, one shows one of the sculptors at work, the other the finished sand castle.

You’ll see the great details captured in this masterpiece.

The festivities celebrating eBay’s 10th Anniversary were quite amazing! eBay Lives! are always fun to attend, the next one will be in Orlando, Florida in 2010 - maybe we’ll get to see the sculptors doing there magic!

I Can Use All the Help I Can Get!

Today was my first mentoring session with Business Education Specialist (and Certified Consultant) , Sharon Ware of Dandelion Consulting . Sharon is also a fellow OSI Rock Star , whom I met at eBay Live! in Chicago.

What helpful suggestions and information! This mentoring program that eBay provides is wonderful. It helped to alleviate the fear of the unknown! I feel I can start this new adventure with confidence. (Of course, Sharon is just an email/phone call away!)

Vintage items, especially clothing, is THE hottest style to buy.

With the “Let’s Go Green!” campaign, buying vintage, authentic vintage, not reproductions, is another way to help the environment.

Reuse, recycle, repurpose – you can do that with clothing. Fabrics can last a long time when cared for properly. So, you can wear something until you wear it out (definitely get your monies worth), give/sell to someone else so they can enjoy it, or mix and match/pair the items with different accessories to update the look.

Vintage clothing is unique in its own right. The styles have a different flavor from eras past. Being creative with how you mix and match items can definitely make a statement.

The Vintage Members Only Cafe Racer Jacket pictured, is a good example of how some items can make a return appearance.

Check out other items in my store , I’m listing more vintage jackets this week!