More CRAZY Talk!

After the last post about the water bubbler (Click here to read) , I had to share one other term we use here in Wisconsin that just completely throws people for a loop.   TYME Machine.  Yes, pronounced like time machine. 

A tyme machine is an ATM.  TYME stands for Take Your Money Everywhere, and has been here in Wisconsin since the 1970’s. 



Tyme Machine's logo

I will never forget when my family and I went to Detroit, MI about 14 years ago.  We were checking into the hotel and my sister asked the receptionist, “Do you all have a tyme machine close by?” Obviously, the receptionist thought my sister had just asked her if there was a time machine (going back in time) nearby.   So of course the lady gave my sister the craziest look, with a frown on her face and shook her head no.  I was only 17 years old at the time, but I knew that most people didn’t know what the heck that was.  So after the receptionist looked at my sister like she was crazy, I just politely told her we’re looking for an ATM.  Immediately, her whole demeanor changed and she politely said, “Oh, there’s a bank right across the street”. 

I could just imagine her telling all of her coworkers that evening that some crazy lady asked where she could find a “time machine”.  LOL!

I just thought I’d share that with you.  Feel free to share any regional dialect that you use, as well.

What the Heck Is a Bubbler!

We Wisconsinites have some strange names for things.  We’ll often say things and think what we’re saying is completely normal until we visit another state (or someone from a different state visits us) and someone looks at us like we’re crazy, and asks us what the heck we’re talking about!

One of those strange names we have is “Bubbler”.  For those of you who don’t know, that’s what we Wisconsin folks call drinking fountains. 

I was speaking to a gentleman yesterday who is originally from the east coast.  He said that when he first moved here to Wisconsin, he was asking someone for directions and was told, “Just go right around the corner, past the bubbler”.  He said he immediately was confused and asked the person, “I’m sorry, what is that?”  I told him that I think Wisconsin is probably the only state in the USA that uses that term, and then he briefly educated me on why Wisconsinites call it that.  He informed me that it was right here in Wisconsin that the very first drinking fountain was made and since the water bubbled, they called it a bubbler.  I was shocked that I didn’t know this (and to think, a foreigner had to tell me, LOL!), so today I had to do some digging and I was amazed at what I found out.

The very first drinking fountain was made in 1889 in Kohler, WI.  I’m sure you’ve heard of the Kohler Company.  Yep…that’s them!  Kohler actually trademarked the name “Bubbler” for the fountain.  Once other people (in other states) started making fountains, they named them other things and then eventually they just became known around the country as drinking fountains.  That was a great history lesson for me (did I mention I LOVE history?).  Now I know the actual history behind us calling a fountain a “Bubbler”.  It’s nice to know it was actually a trademarked name and we don’t just call it that for the heck of it, LOL. There are still some of Kohler’s original bubblers today, in Madison, WI.

Here’s a picture of one:

 

Picture from Wikipedia



So, I would love to know if you or anyone else you know uses the term “Bubbler”.   If not, what do you call drinking fountains where you’re from?

Daily Gratitude

I am grateful for my skills and talents.

Saturday Spotlight

I was contemplating if I was going to do a spotlight on this particular blog or not because unfortunately, the blog's owner, Mia decided to no longer continue posting on the blog.  She just made this announcement this week (after I had already decided she was going to be this week’s spotlight).  Fortunately she has decided to keep the blog up, therefore I decided to stick with her as this week's spotlight since it is such a wonderful, inspirational blog.

 Aspiring Homemaker was the very first blog I started following.  When Mia first started this blog she was just a teenager (I started reading about a year or 2 after she started it).   Her blog was basically a way for her to express her (and her family’s) new transition.  They had just purchased, fixed up then moved to a little cottage out in the country in Georgia.  She also talked about her experience of being homeschooled and how she was originally in the public school system, but her mother pulled her (and her sister) out to be homeschooled because she felt like public school was having a negative effect on her.  Mia started to love being homeschooled and then later started helping with the homeschooling of her younger siblings.

This blog is always so inspiring, refreshing and delightful to read.  Mia grew up right before her readers’ eyes and is now a young adult.  Therefore, I can certainly understand how she’s moving on to a new chapter in life and no longer feels the need to continue her blog.  We (her readers) hope she reconsiders, of course. 

I urge you to check out Mia’s blog.  She has posts dating all the way back to 2008, therefore there is plenty for you to read!  She has a TON of wonderful recipes, inspirational and spiritual posts.  I believe anyone who goes to her blog, leaves feeling better than they did when they arrived.

Check her out at aspiring-homemaker.blogspot.com

Weekly Inspiration

What You Might Have Been and What You Can Be

I don't have a lot of time today, so this week's motivation will be fairly short and straight to the point.

This week, I want to stick with the achieving your goals theme.  A wonderful quote from George Eliot is, "It's never too late to be what you might have been".

I strongly believe that it's never too late.  If you've had a dream all of your life, never think that it's too late or that you're too old to achieve it.  I tell people everyday that as long as you're alive and there is still breath in your body...you still have time!

If the dream is still with you, then it is still possible;  If you still have the desire for it, then it's still important and if you want it badly enough, you can get it!

Have a blessed day.

Daily Gratitude

I am grateful for a renewed sense of purpose.

Daily Gratitude

I am grateful for God's presence in my life

Saturday Spotlight

I am going to try to write a post every week about blogs I enjoy reading.  Each week I will shine a “spotlight” on a different blog.  This week, for my very first "Saturday Spotlight" I would like to write about Jill’s blog at “Blessings of a Stay at Home Mom”. 

That was one of the very first blogs I started following when I started this blog and I continue to read it regularly.  I am also lucky to have Jill as a follower of my blog, as well. 

The reason I like Jill’s blog is because it is very positive (I’m sure you can tell I like positivity).  In addition, she is very transparent with her readers and openly shares her experiences of being a wife and mother.  It is very obvious just how much she loves her family…including her pets! J

She blogs about things such as new recipes, her ups and downs, and her very proud mommy moments.  She also has a lot of fun photos of the family.  I won’t even mention her husband’s jingle bell pants for Christmas! LOL

You can find her blog at blessingsofastayathomemom.blogspot.com

Weekly Inspiration

Why You Shouldn't Give Up

When I used to watch “the View” a few years ago (I don’t watch anymore), I can remember the ladies discussing achieving goals, giving up on goals, etc.  One thing that Joy Behar said still sticks in my mind.  She asked (I’m paraphrasing), “But what about the people who keep aiming for a goal all of their lives but never achieve it?  Shouldn’t some of those people have given up?  How long should you keep trying before you finally realize it’s not going to happen and try something else?”  Again, as I mentioned, I can’t remember her exact words but that was basically what she asked, in a nutshell. I can’t remember what anyone’s response was to Joy’s question that day, but I can remember what my response was and still is today.

For anyone who has ever wondered if they should give up on a goal after it hasn’t happened for a while, my answer is simply, “Don’t give up on your goal, just change your strategy”.  Or in other words, don’t avoid your destination, just change your route!  For example; if you are going to the store but the route you take has a road block, you wouldn’t keep trying to go down that same road because you would never get there.  Either two things will happen.  You will either find an alternative route to get you to that store, or you will simply go to another store to purchase the exact same thing. 

The same thing happens with goals.  You either go in a different direction when you see the current one isn’t working.  Or you change (not give up on) your goal.  Never be afraid of change or get stuck on plans.  Sometimes God has things in store for us that are way bigger than anything we could possibly dream of on our own.  We all know of people who had a goal that took a while to achieve but when they finally did achieve it, it was completely different than what they had imagined. However, it brought them so much more satisfaction than their “original” goal ever could have.   A great example is Oprah.  She just wanted to be a successful journalist but we all see what happened with her! 

So when should you give up on your goals?  NEVER!  Anything you can believe, you can achieve.  I’m going to say it again…..Never give up!

Daily Gratitude

I am grateful for being in a good mood today.

Daily Gratitude

Today I am grateful for feeling well rested, instead of drowsy like usual.

Daily Gratitude

I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow each day

Weekly Inspiration

Are You Lucky?

For the last decade or so, I have always had my own opinion of what I think luck really is.  My motto has always been, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity”. 

Sadly, I hear people complain all the time about how unlucky they are and how it seems like other people they know just always seem to be so “lucky”. 

From observing over the years, I’ve noticed that most “lucky” people are very good at recognizing opportunities when they see them.  In addition, they usually know what they want and have prepared for it in some way (the degree of preparation varies, of course).   Therefore, it may seem like things just happen for them automatically and they’re just lucky, but that is hardly ever the case.  

Some of you may be reading this saying, “This can’t be true.  I prepare and prepare, and work my butt off but I never get what I want!”  Well, remember what I said about recognizing opportunities?  A lot of people know exactly what they want in life and spend their whole lives working toward their goals, yet they never achieve their goals.  This is largely because many opportunities have come their way but they unfortunately were not aware.  Please do not assume that there are no opportunities coming your way. Opportunities come all the time you just need to be able to recognize them and know that sometimes they are hidden or may not look like it on the surface (because things just couldn’t be easy, of course!).

If you feel like opportunities never come your way, I have a few suggestions to help you change your outlook.  My first suggestion is to immediately STOP thinking that opportunities never come your way!  If you constantly tell yourself this, then you’re already setting yourself up for failure.  You’re not going to actively look for something (opportunities) that you don’t believe will ever come.  My next suggestion is to start paying very close attention to everything that happens in your life (every new person you meet, new information you receive, articles you read, things that randomly catch your attention, etc.).   A lot of times you are coming across these things or people for a reason.  God uses many different ways to get through to us and you never know when he’s at work!

In addition to not recognizing opportunities, there are also some people who let fear get in their way.   They may very well recognize an opportunity but never act on it because of their fear (I’ve struggled with this one in the past!).  Getting over fear, whether it is fear of failure or fear of success, can be difficult but it can definitely be done.  (I did it!)

Fear is just basically a lack of faith.  Once you realize that nothing “just happens” and that everything happens for a reason, it will be a lot easier to get over your fears.  You will know that there is no need to fear the disappointment of trying something and failing, and there is no need to fear the drastic life changes that come with success.  Once you have complete faith, you will know that what happens in your life (good or bad), happens for a reason and it is the journey you must take to reach your goals.

I know this was a long post, but I hope reading this has motivated you. 

Now go and be LUCKY!

Daily Gratitude

Today, I am Grateful for my health.

Daily Gratitude

Today I am grateful for those in my life whom I love

Daily Gratitiude

I mentioned on my last post that I was going to be starting some segments for my blog. As you've probably noticed, this is my very first one.

I decided for my very first segment, I would focus on gratitude.  I think a lot of times when we're going through things in life, we tend to focus on the things that are going wrong or the things that we don't have.  Instead, we should focus more on the things that are going right and the things that we do have.  Therefore, I have started this daily gratitude segment as a way for me to think of something I'm grateful for every single day.  Hopefully these posts will inspire you to do the same.

Today, I am grateful that I am alive and well!

I'm Baaaack!

Hello all,

I know it's been FOREVER since my last post (1 year and a half, to be exact!), however, I have been extremely busy and preoccupied! Some of you know that I was originally working from home full time when I first started this blog.  However, since then, I have moved twice and started working outside of the home again full time. In addition to that, I have still been working on "revamping" my business, so needless to say... I've been exhausted!

There has also been a lot of other exciting things going on in the last year or so, but I won't mention anything yet and spoil the surprise!

I should be posting on a regular basis now that things have slowed down a bit.  I will also go back to working from home full-time pretty soon, so I will definitely be posting very frequently then.

I have a lot of new things planned for this blog, which includes daily, weekly and monthly segments. 

Thank you soooo much for those of you who have stuck around during my hiatus.  I promise I will not take another year to post again!