2020 Changed Everything!

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Live Like a Winner

The expression “hind-site is 2020” has a new meaning. It used to mean looking back gives us clarity. We have often used the phrase I have twenty-twenty vision meaning perfect vision. I am not sure that the events that took place in the year 2020 has given clarity to everyone. To many it has revealed many dark things that used to be below the surface and now have been brought to the light for all to see. But to others I feel that the events which began March of 2020 and still continue to this day have fogged up the minds of the sheople those who have always accepted the “status quo” and trust the authorities and the talking heads on the idiot box who are quickly becoming irrelevant as their lies are being exposed. But I am not going to dig deep into that. If you know, you know and if you don’t you don’t know. The responsibility to know is yours and I have no designs to be your teacher.

The events of 2020 turned nearly everything upside down. We all have our stories. I have a few but I will focus on just one of my stories at this time. Prior to the year 2020 I had a very successful teaching career (Art Teacher of 17 years), a successful Etsy Shop with a thriving international business, plus a Facebook and Twitter account. Without making a long story I will just say that my openly political views on Facebook made me into a target as if I had a mark on my head. I was first banned from Twitter, then Etsy destroyed my business (which I will explain more in a little bit) and then I was forced off of Facebook via direct harassment inside my Private Messaging Box after a certain event of which I attended in January of 2021. Yes, FB opened my DM box to their trolls to openly send me nasty, hateful, hurtful messages from people who were not on my friend list. It used to be that those type of messages were directed to an “Others” folder and I needn’t be bothered by them but after I posted an album of photos from the controversial event FB did everything they could to drive me away from their platform. I could not block them. I had already been considering leaving the platform anyway because being there had become so frustrating with all of the censorship, and flagging of posts FB deemed as “Partly false” or “mostly false” or “disinformation” My friends who enjoyed my posts begged me to stay saying I had taught them so much. Many of them depended on me to actually inform them of the TRUTH the REAL NEWS. I guess Facebook deemed me as trouble. Perhaps I was being effective in my communication so I and many others like me had been deemed “needed to be stopped.” They banned some and drove the rest of us away.

So in January of 2021 I pulled away from Social Media all of it but Instagram where I post mostly my creative projects and almost nothing political. Yes, I know Facebook owns Instagram so they know who I am but I hardly think my posts there are a threat to them so they leave me alone. Oh, they probably suppress my posts just like YouTube does because as I have already told you “there is a mark on my head” because I do not swallow the “status quo.” I refuse to comply. I believe in being honest and truthful and that position has cost me dearly.

It was a nice break actually to pull away from social media. My creative pursuits keeps me busy enough without that distraction. I also realized that in removing myself from the task of feeding information, informing my friends of what is really going on was a burden lifted off my shoulder. It is not my job to be your teacher. As adults you are responsible for educating yourself and need not be spoon-fed. And if you don’t know what is really happening it is your fault. The TRUTH is available and accessible to those who seek for it.

Seven months into the Plandemic Etsy shut down my most successful selling product. I was busy at my sewing machine full-time shipping out multiple packages daily. I mailed packages to 45 different U.S. states and to 5 other countries. I began making this product (pictured above) in April even donating the first 450 to “the cause” I wanted to create a great product meeting the need. Along the way I was researching materials, filters, and the Cvd plaque (the C word we cannot speak of lest we be punished) to understand more of how to make a more effective product. I invested about $1,000.00 purchasing materials and shipping supplies. As time passed and my understanding grew I realized that perhaps this products was not good and only adding to the situation not actually benefiting people. I saw another need and created a product (pictured below) similar but different to meet the growing demand for it. I had the perfect ad, a great photo, and a truthful but sarcastic description. It even had humor in it. Business picked up and they were selling like hot cakes. A guy from California called me to make some for his entire girls ball team. It was a rush order because they had a game scheduled. I met his deadline. My product had great reviews and people were so thankful for them. In August I had my biggest month ever over $3,000 in sales all made with my sewing machine.

But there were some Karen’s who didn’t like my product. At least four of those Karens sent me a message through Etsy complaining, and attacking me personally telling me to take down the product. They were among the brainwashed fools who trust the authorities and everything being spewed out as fact when it was not. The truth is creeping out now. Who goes to businesses and makes complaints on a product you never purchased. Nobody is twisting your arm to buy them so why go to the effort to make a complaint? Then finally one of them reported my product to Etsy and my ad was removed stating “disinformation” No, it was absolutely truthful. I was fully transparent and was not pulling the wool over anyone’s eyes. My customers were so happy for the product. I searched Etsy to discover that lots of people were selling something similar and their ads were still up. Why am I be singled out, punished? My Etsy account was linked with my Facebook Business account. All of these conveniences are really your enemy when you cross their line. Etsy left me no recourse to defend my position at all. They took her report and killed my ad just like that in an instant. I had no defense. I had been realizing that Etsy was a WOKE company. I read their emails with all their talk about “inclusiveness” and “earth friendly green” gobbledygook. So I set all my product to expire when it was time to renew them and come the next January I shut down my shop where I used to sell my Art, Beach signs, baskets, and so much more.

All I had left was my YouTube channel but I made a parody video, which I thought was clever and funny mocking the insane things that are pushed on us. After that video YouTube also crushed me. I guess I hit all the points. My YouTube channel is NOT even a political channel. It is mostly an Arts & Crafts channel with some DIY home repairs and chickens. There was a time before 2020 that I was getting 30,000 to 40,000 views a month. Those numbers dropped to half after this video (above) was posted. I am a political target just because I have an independent thought. They are out to destroy me because I resist their “talking points.”

One of my 21,000+ subscribers commented “Oh a new video, I haven’t seen a Debra Carmona video in a while.” Really? I had been posting a video every week for well over a year. Are you telling me that YouTube is even hiding me from my own subscribers? I know they no longer suggest my videos to people and less people are finding my videos in a Google search. Some of my videos used to be on the top of Google Search engines. So I have to work harder. Now I post two videos every week but my numbers are still falling. I search for similar content from other channels and see that they get hundreds of thousands of views if not millions of views but I am lucky to get 100 for very similar content. Everything has changed for me. I feel like I am swimming uphill. But will it change me? NO!! I will NOT conform. I remain steadfast to stand only for what is right, good, and honest. I cannot lie nor be deceptive. My hope is that things will change, that justice will be served, evil will be cast down, censorship will stop, the fake news will become real again, free speech will be restored, and the internet will be more fair again. So in the meantime I will continue to just do me and press on like the turtle. My success as a YouTube Content Creator may be slow growing but it will catch on one day in the near future.

If you have reached this far and have any understanding and want to support me go visit my channel and watch a few, leave me a good comment, and give it a thumbs up, and perhaps share one you like. All of that will help my channel to grow and help me reach a broader audience.www.youtube.com/debracarmona

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Let’s Get Real About Ageism

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Live Like a Winner
I am a 58 year old woman and proud of my age

I read this post in a Facebook group called “Silver Strand Society” which sparked a few thought of my own that I would like to share. She wrote:

“Traditionally, women’s power has been heavily tied to maintaining youthful appearances, not skills and accomplishments.

Do women want to look younger because they don’t believe they can have power based on their skills and accomplishments due to sexism, lost opportunities due to raising families and supporting a man’s career, or for other reasons?

What if women could be as powerful as men without investing so much time and emotion into attempts to look younger?

What if women could develop personal and professional power to provide well for themselves and live the lives they want to live–without appearing to be younger and more beautiful than their peers?

What if raw sex appeal didn’t have anything to do with the average woman’s power over her own life?

Is this dynamic part of why so many women are terrified at the thought that others see them as “older” or as having wrinkles or, for those still dying, “gray-haired?”

Is the promotion of the obsession with youthful appearance a means of suppressing women, or is it just a way to make a lot of money because that obsession already exists?”

Below is Debra Carmon’s response to the above thoughts and questions:

My response:

I guess I am one of the lucky ones or rather I should say very blessed.

My identity has not nor ever was suppressed by supporting my husbands career. I saw things very differently. He by his work was supporting me in my main career, that of motherhood. I gladly, enthusiastically accepted my role as motherhood of six children as my main career because there is nothing more important than raising the future generation, my greatest contribution to society. You only get one chance at it so why blow it. Our society is in the mess it is because far too many women have forsaken their God given roles.

There is no greater power than that of influencing the future generation. Influence is where we women have always had great power unless we forsake our own families. We do not have to forsake family and pursue careers to be powerful. I was blessed enough to be able to stay at home and spent 30 years devoted to teaching and training my children through 19 years of homeschooling. I have no regrets.

Now that my children are all gone from home living productive lives and raising their own families I am free to continue my pursuits, hobbies, and personal business. This is my time to shine and my husband fully supports me in pursuing those things. I run a debt free personal business that is very closely connected to my creative hobbies.

When I transitioned to my natural hair color I also went through a process of accepting my coming of age. I rather think I look better today with that decision than I did when I was trying to hold onto my youth. Truth is over time our skin also goes through changes and that dark fake hair color did not look well on my fair skin. It washed out my face making me hate my own reflection in the mirror. Now that I am fully transitioned to my natural hair I love my skin better. I actually look like I have more skin color against the white hair so I feel better about myself.

As far as sex appeal goes I have men from all avenues trying to seek me daily via Facebook, Google+, YouTube, Instagram, and yes even Pinterest of all places. And I am not exaggerating either. Nor do I seek such attention. I never post sexually enticing photos of myself. I am always modestly dressed and never try to draw attention to my body. I also never post those silly kissy face poses that you see silly girls and women post. Those online advances are simply a side amusement/annoyance because I ignore DECLINE/DELETE all those daily advances. I find it amazing that a woman of age 58 is still getting advances from men.

I am admired for my example of a mother who raised some fine children and my talents and the works of my hands by both men and women. But most of those male seekers are just looking at a pretty face and the color of my hair and my age does not seem to matter at all to them. They don’t even read my profile info to see if I am even available. On Instagram I get so many requests from men who want to communicate with me that I had to take up space on my profile to write this “Artist, Teacher, Sign Painter, YouTuber, DIY kind of woman. I am here to share my creative talents not to seek a boyfriend. I am happily married.” because they NEVER even read it. Word to the men out there: Just because a woman is online does not mean she is hot to trot and seeking male companionship.

Ladies don’t be afraid of aging, getting wrinkles, or your hair color turning gray. All that is a natural process that comes with time and experience so embrace it and accept you for who you are. Be proud of who you are and where you have come from. Age is just an significant number. It is the content of ones character that really matters. Be authentically YOU!

Follow my on Instagram to see the Creative works of my hands https://www.instagram.com/debracarmona

Visit my Rumble channel where I teach the Art of Pine Needle Basketry https://rumble.com/c/CarmonaArts

Check out my popular YouTube Channel (Over 3 Million views) to see more of the things I do such as: Do-It-Yourself home repairs, gardening, raising chickens, and learn how to knit, crochet, make cute sock bunnies, and make baskets from my video tutorials. There is so much more on my channel. My YouTube channel is as varied as my interests are. https://www.youtube.com/user/dbrcarmona

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The Love of a Dog

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Live Like a Winner

There is something special about a dog’s love for his master. It is like no other love on earth. In a way it makes me think of the love of God. Don’t get me wrong in no way am I degrading God to a dog. Quite the contrary. How my dog loved me reminds me of the great love of God for his children.

Rusty came to us a puppy. The young boy at church had a sign that read FREE PUPPIES. After church I had to see the puppies I mean who can resists cute little kittens or puppies? The puppies were dropped off at their home one morning along with their mother. They were unwanted. The family decided to keep the mother but sought to find for homes for the two abandoned puppies. They were half breeds not your top of the line thoroughbreds.

I asked if I could hold one of the two puppies. When he looked up at me with that wrinkled brow and his ears bent so and his eyes met mine I could not resist. I had to take him home with me. He was so scared, shivering on the floorboard of my car as we drove home from church that day. I already had another dog at home who was quite spoiled. My husband wasn’t happy about me bringing home another animal so he told me Rusty has to stay outside. That lasted until winter got cold and I could not leave him outside. My darling husband reluctantly let it be so because he loves me and lets me have it my way most of the time. Rusty turned out to be a very good dog even though he was just a mongrel crossbreed. I believe there was some Lab in him as he was a good natured quiet dog. He didn’t have any bad habits like messing in the house or excessive barking as many small dogs do. Being a puppy though he did chew off plugs from the chords of a couple of power tools which my husband had to rewire.

My faithful companion

As most dogs are Rusty was loyal to the family that adopted him. He enjoyed running with the children when they played outside or laying at my feet contented to just be near me. When the children grew up he didn’t get as much exercise as my life became busier with my work and new responsibilities. He followed me everywhere when I worked in the garden, tended the chickens, or checked the mail. He understood the words, “Go for a ride” and he got so excited whenever I took him with me to go pay a bill or make a deposit. Window tellers would offer him doggie treats when they saw him with me. He was so good to take places as he was friendly and never barked at anyone. I even took him to Lowes and people stopped to pet him because he was a well behaved friendly dog. Sometimes I took him to Wendy’s to buy him his own hamburger once in a while. He quickly caught on that drive up windows is where he gets special treats.

He loved going for rides

He also understood the words “Go for a walk” which he was always eager to do but I confess I did not walk him as often as I should have because I was just too busy. Still he was content to lay on the floor at my feet while I painted, prepared lessons, worked a craft, or typed away at my computer. He was there for me. He loved me unconditionally even when I did not have time to devote to him. When I came home from teaching for several hours he always met me at the front door with a wagging tail. If he were outside when I returned home he would run up to my car and lead the car the full length of the driveway as my personal escort.

Rusty was an excellent guard dog. His goal was to protect me and he became aggressive if ever any strange men came around our property. Though he has never bitten anyone he sure put up a convincing show of force when any suspicious man came near me or on our property. The UPS driver was scared of him and did not like to get out of his vehicle. The mailman would honk his horn for us to come get our packages. For some unknown reason Rusty did not like tractor trailer trucks, delivery vehicles, mailmen, Federal Express, school buses, or pickup trucks. He did have one bad habit and that was chasing them down the road when they passed our house. Good thing we don’t live on a busy street. One time he did get caught by a truck driver and was injured. I thought his hind leg was broken but it was just ligaments. With care, medication, and time he healed from that but was not cured from his chasing vehicles so I tried to keep him in most of the time. It was comforting to have a dog on nights my husband was at work because I knew if anyone came a round Rusty would let me know. I felt safe knowing he was there to sound the alarm if ever an unknown predator came around.

One time when I was home alone and I was walking down the ramp from our house my ankle turned because my heel slipped sideways in my shoe and I fell down hard. I could not get up immediately as I was in a great deal of pain. I did not have my phone on me because I am not in the habit of carrying it around especially if I am just stepping outside for a few minutes. I laid face down on the ground moaning, waiting for the pain to subside with my faithful dog standing by my side. After a few moments I attempted to get up. Rusty saw that I was struggling and he literally put his body weight under me to help me get up off the ground. His love for me was a selfless love. All he ever wanted was to serve me, care for me, and protect me. Is that not a picture of the love of God?

Begging for my attention

Not only that but my dog, Rusty forgave me when I neglected him, didn’t have time for him, or was too busy to even be aware of his presence. Still he remained loyal and true. He never once stopped loving me. Humans are not even half this good. We humans hold grudges, bitterness or anger when we think we have been mistreated, ignored, or unloved but a dog never does. They just keep right on loving us anyway even when we don’t deserve it and that is how a dogs love is like the love of God. Having a loyal dog is the closest thing on earth to understanding what the love of God is like. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38 – 39 “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:12 – 13

Remembering my departed friend by Debra Carmona

Visit my YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/dbrcarmona

Visit my Etsy Shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/CarmonaArts

Follow me on Instagram to keep up with my artistic Creations https://www.instagram.com/debracarmona/

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The Differences in Men and Real Men

Posted on February 12, 2011 by Live Like a Winner

My Husband Hits the Target

Who would you want to change your tire the clean well dressed white shirt collar worker who sells pharmaceuticals for a living or the scruffy blue-collar laborer with his dirty hands? What a striking contrast between these two different types of men. My daughter and I were returning from our Monday morning art classes when we felt something unusual about the way the SUV was handling pulling off to one side, then we realized it was lopsided. I told her to pull over on the side of the road so we could check the tires. Sure enough we had a flat tire. We were on a busy street in front of nearby a hotel parking lot so I suggested we pull in there so we could change the tire. I had fully expected to change the tire myself. I know how to do it but the funny thing is I’ve rarely had to change a tire all by myself  because every time a man has stepped up and volunteered to do the job for me. I know how to check the oil, the tire pressure, brake fluid, and other fluids in the car. I have changed the oil and filter in a vehicle at least three times in my life including the transmission oil pan and gasket. Being the lady that I am I could not refuse to allow a man to be the gentlemen in assisting a ‘damsel in distress although I am far from helpless. But today’s event was interesting as two men came to my aid.

The first gentlemen to my rescue happened to have just checked out of his hotel room sitting in his car on the cell phone as he watched us remove the jack from the back of the vehicle and start working on loosening the spare tire from underneath. He was wearing gray dress pants, white neatly pressed shirt and a tie with clean white soft hands. The white knight in shining amour was talking to his mother on the cell phone while giving us minimal instruction. Yes, I said instruction. He was afraid to get his hands dirty as every time he touched something he looked at his hands, wanted to wipe them on his pants and said, “My mother will kill me.” then refrained himself. After a short while he stepped back to his car to fetch a tissue to wipe his hands.  When he finally got off the phone he attempted to help us some showing us how little he knew about changing tires. Even I knew that you should loosen the lug bolts before the tire is lifted off the ground or otherwise the tire would spin as you tried to loosen them. As my daughter and I traded off turns pumping the jack the gentlemen would test it by shoving the flat end of the lug-nut wrench under the tire to see if it was high enough. Then he would coach us, just a little bit more as we pumped the jack. Here we were on our knees on the pavement with him standing there with the wrench in his hand coaching us. I will have to say that exercise was felt in my leg muscles the next day. I didn’t know changing a tire could be such an exercise.

The second gentlemen was a blue-collar worker driving a beat up old van no  doubt carrying his tools for his business wearing the typical blue work shirt with matching pants that were soiled, adorning a baseball cap, and dirty hands. The man showed up when my daughter was taking her turn pumping this cheap jack that came with the vehicle. It was a pain to use because  you have to remove and reposition the crank after each turn because you could not make a full circle turn. I doubt very much the blue-collar worker had business dealings in the hotel but more than likely spotted us from the street and pulled in to help us. We had just got the tire up off the ground when the Mr. Clean attempted to loosen the lug nuts. Naturally the tire started to spin being freed from the ground. This is when the blue-collar worker stepped in to take over. He quickly pumped the jack to knock down the weight of the vehicle enough to loosen the bolts. From this point on we ladies stood by to watch this knowledgeable and able man with his dirty hands finish the job for us.  I guess he didn’t like seeing us ladies on the ground in our skirts, and the other gentlemen not willing to get in and really be of assistance as he could have done. That is probably why he stopped in the first place seeing this  spectacle. Mr. Clean seeing things were under control went back into the Hotel to wash his hands.

I suppose it is in most men to want to be a hero in the eyes of women. They want to show their strength or just naturally want to help the weaker vessel. Perhaps their respect for two women who look like women are deserving of their attentions. They didn’t want us to spoil our knees, soil our hands, and dirty our dresses. I can appreciate a man who is not afraid to do the dirty work, or the physically demanding work to spare us but I am capable of doing many things without the help of a man. The truth is most of us women can and will do the job if there isn’t a man around who will do the job that is necessary. I feel honored when a man treats me with such respect so I will not deny him the opportunity to rise to the occasion. It is not just good for me but also good for his own ego. Just because we can do it does not mean we have to. I can admire a man who puts forth the greatest effort to tackle the toughest things, stand against the enemy, stand strong against opposition, willing to put himself at risk for the good of others. That is a real man. I have little respect those mamby-pamby kind of guys who are so weak and feeble-minded that they cannot tackle the smallest of challenges or opposition. I fear that our great country is filled with them. Where are the real men anymore? If men do not stand up then women will rise to the occasion and are doing so in record numbers in business and in politics. When men fail to lead women can do the job but our country would be best served with strong leadership by real men. Real women want real men.

I am thankful for both men that came to help me but my admiration goes to the honest hard-working blue-collar worker who understands and knows the meaning of hard work.  He probably gave up part of his lunch break to aid me. But the pill pusher who is not willing to get a little grease on his hands is of little use to me. I couldn’t help but wonder if he is part of big pharmacy and the convoluted scheme to control ‘we the people’ with this monstrosity of the Obama Health Care Plan. If anything is going to change in America it will come from the backs of honest American workers where the rubber meets the road be it men or women. Yes, I would prefer it be the men so I don’t have to change the tire but if you don’t I will.    ~ Debra Carmona

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Adversity is for Growth

Posted on November 13, 2010 by Live Like a Winner

Most people choose to take the path of least resistance but in so doing many great lessons of life are missed. Each difficulty, is an opportunity for great growth. Mary Kay of Mary Kay Cosmetics always said, “We fail forward to success.” Some of my greatest lessons in life were learned during tough times. Things grow better in the valley than they do on the mountain tops and so it is with our lives.

mother and daughterThe most difficult period of my time as a mother, was during Desert Storm when my husband was sent into the war while I was home with four little boys and expecting child number five which would be my first daughter. I was not allowed to know exactly where in the middle east my husband would be stationed and what his duties would be. We made the decision to go ahead and get pregnant before he left because I wanted to try out my new found knowledge in how to make a girl. We had no way of knowing how dangerous my husband’s job would be or if he would return from the war.  We had already mastered making sons. I had spent months in research and study to figure out why I kept coming up boys and what was needed to make a daughter. My thoughts were that this might be my last opportunity to make that happen.  So, as you can imagine that was a very emotional time for me. As I think back on that trying time and what it was like to have four little boys to manage all by myself, the words that come to my mind are noise and mess makers. The boys bedtime was my favorite part of the day.  It was during those challenging months that I developed some organizational skills to try and keep order to my household. I was forced to find solutions to the chaos. Those solutions would last for many years afterwards. I established a color coding system where each child was assigned a particular color. Their toothbrush, cup, ball cap and several other personal items were colored coded for each child. I put color dividers into their closets so they would know where to put their clothes. Their assigned colored cup was most useful because it meant I would only have four cups to wash at the end of the day instead of twenty. The boys were taught how to help with laundry, sorting, loading washer and dryer, folding, and putting away clothes. I learned to make my own homemade ready made dry pancake mix in large quantities. I drew up detailed instructions with illustrations so the oldest could learn how to make pancakes in the morning. In the years to follow the color coding system was expanded to camping gear: sleeping bags, backpacks, and duffel bags to carry their clothes. It worked well because everyone learned who had what color. Little did I know their assigned color would later be adopted as their favorite color. This system simplified my life and helped to train the children to be helpers. I learned more about organizing a household during those months than any other period of my role as a mom.

Home Sweet HomeThe first time we attempted to buy our first home we were turned down  because of our poor use of credit cards and department stores charge accounts. That wall forced us to realize the value of a good credit score. We made the mistake of seeking a quick solution in getting financial counseling not knowing that would be on our record for the next seven years. Did it help us? No. It only further postponed us from buying  a house until many years later. We let someone else take care of what we could have done ourselves. Sure the bills were paid off over a period of three years but our credit score was not improved.

When I became stressed with the creditors calling and hounding us for a payment I sought out ways to prevent their methods of pressuring me. In my search for solutions I discovered my rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act so I could fight back and regain control of my life. I learned how to stop those calls even when I was behind on payments. I learned how to manage the debts. I learned valuable lessons on the ugly side of credit debt that would form my new attitude against obtaining credit.  I learned how creditors operate and learned how to deal with them.  I learned how to renegotiate the amount of the debt and settle accounts for less than the total balance but the biggest thing I gained was learning why having credit debt is just not worth it. It adds unnecessary, debt, stress, and wasteful expense.  Those tough challenges have been ingrained into my very nature the need to stay away from credit debt altogether. I have learned to live by cash and it is far less stressful. We learned to live with the principle that if we don’t have the cash to pay for it then we do not buy it. Sometimes that has meant Christmases with no gifts but that also has been good for the children to experience. We teach by example. I refuse to run up credit debt to pile gifts under a tree because society says that is how it is done. My children have learned that Christmas is not about receiving gifts, that the true meaning of Christmas is about the Christ who gave himself for us. Were our Christmases any less joyful? No, quite the opposite. My children have learned to appreciate the value of family, good food, warm house, comfortable bed and sweet fellowship. They don’t make lists of “I want . . . ” They don’t have the “give me disease.” They have learned to be thankful for the simple things.

Even when we think we’ve learned all the lessons we could learn on a subject there is always one more valuable lesson to learn.  When we had finally conquered the debt thing, and brought up the credit score over time and it seemed like everything was falling into place, the unexpected happened, my husband lost his good paying job. He was out of work for four months.  And the job that would follow was no where near what he had lost. It took some time to build back up again. Times like that cause you to do some rethinking of choices and financial decisions. When you realize that there is no security in a job and how quickly the rug can be pulled out from under you. You worry about losing the house that you have invested so much time and money into. When you are faced with the situation of possibly losing your home and haven’t the ability to provide medical care for your family it forces you to search for better answers. When the economy starts falling all around you it forces you to search for other means of providing for you and your family. You begin to realize the need for a backup plan just incase the unexpected happens. When you realize the comfortable living provided by a good job is not good enough nor secure enough to provide for the health, wealth, and welfare of your family it’s time to look for other means. It sends you on another quest of discovery. Seek and ye shall find. I think it is good for us to get knocked out of our comfort zone every once in while to shake us up and get us moving.

I am so enjoying this phase of my life. I am learning things that I never knew existed before. Why hadn’t I sought them out before? The reason is because I was too comfortable. I am on a new journey in my life with new doors before me so full of possibilities. I am armed with new knowledge and solutions to protect my family and pave the way for a better future.  So, I can honestly say that I am thankful for the hard knocks that life sends our way. We learn from them and grow the most during them. As the good book says, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:2 – 4

I am overcoming the adversities life throws at me. The best is yet to come and I am enjoying the ride. ~ Debra Carmona

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The Dog’s Life Is Not For Me!

Posted on November 3, 2010 by Live Like a Winner

My dog, Lady, who thinks she is human.

Do you live the dog’s life? Dogs are the most loyal of all creatures. They worship their owners, blindly follow them around, put themselves in great risk to protect their owner even to their own harm. They love, follow, and adore you even if you forget to spend time with it, talk to it, or give it any exercise. They are always just waiting for their next meal and they live to follow you around the house. The biggest frustration they have in life is that they are always on the wrong side of the door. Makes me think of all the empty-headed Obama followers waiting for the next hand out, not realizing that their man really does not care about them. They know nothing about the important issues and what position to take except what the liberal media tells them to think. They do not realize that all these social giveaway programs only trap them into further dependence instead of personal liberty.

We can learn lessons even from our pets. I’ve had my dog for about 8 years now. When she was new to me as a puppy I used to spend more time with her than I do now. Sometimes I am so busy I hardly notice her except when I’m eating and want to throw a few scraps at her. She usually gets the left overs of the things I either chose to not eat or just don’t have room for, sometimes that is pre-chewed food but she don’t mind. When I am eating she’s always there. In fact she is almost always where ever I am whether that’s at my desk on the computer or sitting in the living room with my laptop. She’ll be quietly napping somewhere near me. If I should jump up from the chair suddenly she also jumps up to go where ever she thinks I am headed. If I move towards the door she is easer to go outside with me. She cannot stand to be in the house when I am outside or vise versa. There are probably days when I may not even speak a word to her or even throw her any scraps but that does not dampen her loyalty to me. Sometimes I am annoyed by her shadowing me around all the time. She’s so close to me always that I often trip over her. She races me upstairs once she’s figured out that is where I am headed. I get mad at her and yell at her but that never seems to dampen her attentions to me. Every day I am her focus. I guess I should appreciate her devotion towards me.

I wonder if Obama or other liberal talking puppets care as much about the populace as they pretend to? I highly doubt it because the current trends of this administration seem to paint successful business owners as somehow evil because they are making money. If they really wanted to promote real job growth they would not put so many tax burdens  and bureaucratic red tape on companies and businesses that offer employment. Instead the liberals like to paint themselves as compassionate for offering free handouts to help the so-called “helpless.” Often times true growth comes out of struggle. Why should we make it so easy for a person to collect a paycheck, free food, and medical services when they have not worked for it. The policies of our government to give handouts to the so-called “poor” does not help and empower the individual. It only creates a mere existence such as my lazy dog waiting for the next handout. All we are breeding in this country is a generation of lazy people seeking something for nothing while breaking the backs of the good hard-working entrepreneurs of this country.

I for one am tired of this trend to strip the backbone of the income earners out of their well deserved living to give away to the ungrateful crowd of dogs that don’t even know what side of the door they want to be on. They are about as useful as my dog who is satisfied with scraps, and handouts.

Now if your reading this your probably patting yourself on the back by now thinking I’m not living the dog’s life. I work for a living, have a good job, provide for my family. Oh, sure your not the scoundrel mutts that comb the neighborhood digging in other people’s garbage but there are other breeds of dogs. Some are more refined, the purebreds that live in the house that even think that they are human. My dog, Lady acts like she thinks she is privileged. She knows her place is in the comfort of my house whereas the guard dog’s place is outside.

DSC00366Sometimes I appreciate more the outside dog because he offers me protection with his barking and fierce approach to strangers that wander into my yard. He provides a useful service to me. I am proud that he frightens even grown men from getting out of their vehicles.  Lady sometimes think she has a right to get up on my bed or on the leather sofas so I have to remind her where her place is. Her place is on the floor. I did buy her a nice cushioned doggie bed to encourage her to stay off my fine furniture. It does not matter how human she thinks she is, she is still a dog.  May I submit to you that most Americans have bought a bill of goods thinking we are ok. We are living the right way because we have a good job, a comfortable living which includes a large mortgage, auto loans, some credit debt and a long list of other bills which we pay on regularly basis each month. We rarely miss a payment. We’re the tax payers, the backbone of society, the responsible ones not the rift raft that sponges off society. But is that really good enough? Are you living from pay check to paycheck, month to month with very little savings set aside to offset the rising costs of inflation and unexpected expenses? Is your ultimate vacation just a dream that you hope for but can never do? Well, if that describes you than your only two steps above the lowly dogs life. Your among the purebreds that only think they are human.  The whole banking system encompassing the credit scoring system, how loans and credit debt are handled are what keeps you trapped into the dog’s life. Any debt is slavery including a home mortgage. The debtor is a servant to the lender. You work to pay others. Wouldn’t it be nice to work just to pay yourself? I have decided that the dog’s life is not for me.

I am learning how to take my little successful business and make it an even bigger success using the power of the internet. I am determined to remove myself and my family out of the status quo. I no longer accept business as usual and have no confidence in politicians to make things any better.

We are in a better position today because we own our home. No more mortgage! We had to make some sacrifices to get there but it was worth it. Through my creative talents and with the help of the internet I have my own thriving personal business which affords me the extras life offers.

The politicians usually get caught up in the game of “Let’s Make a Deal.” We cannot sit around waiting for them to make things better. We need to take matters into our own hands and make our own success. And if the politicians will get out of our way with all their cumbersome regulations we can be a success. I choose to live like a winner. ~ Debra Carmona

Visit my Etsy Shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/CarmonaArts

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Is the American Dream Worth It?

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Live Like a Winner

Every American longs to own their own home. It’s the American dream right? For many years home ownership was a great investment. Owning a home meant you had assets, financial worth, and borrowing power. It was easy to get equity loans for whatever purpose if you needed to do some remodeling or just pay off some debts.  The value of homes steadily continued to rise from year to year until the housing crash October 2008. Now many find their mortgages upside down, their homes are worth less than what they owe. More homeowners are going default in record numbers on their mortgage loans and the government is stepping in to help with new programs to rescue the home owner.

Now considering the economic uncertainty all around us you have to ask yourself is home ownership worth it anymore? A debt contract for 15 to 30 years. By the time the house is paid for you’ve paid the original selling price of the home almost three times over. More and more its seems like a home mortgage is just a trap. In years past the American family was very mobile, selling the home and moving to another city or state for a job transfer but now home sales have slowed and it’s increasingly more difficult to make such a big change. I even profited in selling a house a few years back that had risen in value in just five short years during the boom time and made a $25,000 profit which helped make the move to another state so easy. Now my current home is valued $20,000.00 less than it was valued at just two years ago. If I had to move now I would not likely make any profit at all.

Before this housing crash my thinking was that owning property was better than gold and maybe it is only if you own it outright. We have all watched the home values increase for so long, I fully expected it should continue so when we received a large inheritance we invested $50,000.00 into upgrading and remodeling our home. My thinking was that this was an investment and we will get that back someday. It will pay for itself. Surely my home will rise in value because of the upgrades we did. Only I never expected my husband to lose his job so soon after our money was almost spent. We were on the verge of doing a refinance when the bad news came. We were desperate to lower our monthly mortgage payment. But without a job the chances of refinancing came to an end. We had enough money to carry us for three months without failing to keep up with our debt obligations. It was four months before he found work. The new job was half the pay of the original job so difficult times were to follow. All the work in keeping up with the bills in raising our credit score was to no avail. All it takes is one mistake, one late payment to knock down that score. Negative information stays on your credit report for seven years. So much for progress. We are all reduced to a number on a piece of paper our credit score. Does that really show our real value? Banks won’t talk to you to negotiate if your credit score isn’t high enough. The dilemna cased me to do some deep thinking about the system. How unfair it all seems.  It’s as though it was all designed to keep us eternally in debt, struggling to make ends meet. We were so close to reaching our goal and just like that everything changed.

It did not seem to matter all the months we had paid our bills on time, that we don’t rack up credit debt, that we paid off one mortgage in the past, and paid off old bills, that we live on a cash basis for everything except for autos and a home mortgage. We pay our taxes and we educated our children at home not using tax payer money but funded our homeschooling program ourselves. We were not on any federal program receiving benefits for medical, food, or housing. And we did this for a large family of six children for over 25 years. We were self-sufficient, a burden to nobody. How could we not be seen as responsible trust worthy, non-risky people? My conclusion is the system is corrupt, meant to tie our hands, prevent us from progress, to make us all become dependents on the banking system that is controlled by the U.S. government.

How can one rise and be freed from this corrupt system? The answer, become debt free, going back to the old Biblical principle “Owe no man, anything.” If you have no home mortgage, auto loans, or credit debt you will be debt free, you will have extra money for whatever causes or needs arise. If you owe nothing, it does not matter what your credit score is. Think about it a credit score is for the purpose of borrowing money, accumulating more debt.  “The debtor is a servant to the lender”, another Biblical principle. So if you owe anyone anything, you are merely a slave with a number. Your number is your credit score, your value to the banking institutions. If more people would free themselves from bank debt we could cut out the banking institutions power over us. If you have no need to borrow money, you don’t need to worry about your credit score. If you have no debt you will be living a truly free life.

These reflections sent me on a quest to do that very thing, become debt free. I am building a multifaceted online business. My number one goal is to free myself from the burden of the home mortgage. My plan it to pay off my house in less than seven years. I want no part of the corrupt financial system that ties my hands behind my back. I refuse to surrender my freedom and power to the powers that be. I am worth far more than what my credit score may say.

Live like a winner

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Appeasement or War?

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Live Like a Winner

All together again for Christmas

From several isles away you hear a child screaming. It’s not a child in pain but more of a demanding tone almost angry sounding. It seems to go on nonstop for several long minutes wearing your own emotions as it continues.  You have probably seen a scene such as this while shopping in public places more than once. Just recently it happened again. I was becoming annoyed and wondered at the adult how they were handling the situation so I headed towards the screaming child who looked about the age of three. His gaze was intently on the young woman who seemed to be deaf to his complaint or demands. She appeared to be on the cell phone but how could she hear anything and wouldn’t she be the least bit embarrassed by this defiant child? I wonder if she was only pretending to be on the phone “to busy to notice or care.” But how could she carry on a conversation with such noise in her ears. There were no tears in the child’s eyes. It was an obvious forced cry. The young teen girl standing near seemed to be embarrassed by the spectacle this child was creating. Even she was noticing the disgusted faces of all the onlookers at this pitiful scene. I looked around into the faces of those in view of this site. The looks on their faces were as if wondering, “When are you going to deal with this child?” I’m sure they were as annoyed as I was listening to this child pitch a fit. The screaming child, and the non involved adult was annoying me so much I was tempted to approach and rebuke either the child or the woman whom I will not dignify by calling her a mother because it was too obvious that she knew nothing about mothering. My frustration and disgust on the situation may not have guided me to be kind and gracious which would only have started a shouting match between that negligent woman and myself so I bit my lip and went on. What has happened to our society when a grown adult can not handle a three-year old child?

I am no Dr. Spock or a self-proclaimed expert but I have raised six children, five of them boys and my children never pitched a fit like that in any store or public place. We never allowed that type of behavior to go without correction. If they even started to whine they were dealt with instantly. I can remember times when I needed to take them to the bathroom for some much-needed correction but most often they were dealt with at home. And never did they get any reward by crying for it. I’ve seen too many ignorant parents appease their child by giving the child the object they were screaming for just to quiet the brat to spare themselves the embarrassment of their inability to handle the child’s misbehavior.  This seems too familiar with the way liberal politicians wants to deal with the radical Islamic terrorists. Appeasement, giving in to their demands so they learn that they can scream and holler and threaten us into giving them what they want. Does it solve the problem? No, it only exasperate it. The problems become more compounded. By giving the child what he demands we are teaching him how to be manipulators, whiners, and self-centered beings. Bad behavior should never be rewarded with good. Is the object in raising children to keep the peace? If you think so then you better not have children because your cute little babies will grow into the terrible twos which become the testy teenagers and if never brought under submission will become societies terrorists and you will have a broken heart. They will have no respect for you, they will spit in your face, and disdain all authority. Wait that seems to describe the average young person in America today. As Willy Wonka says, “Whose to blame, when your child is a brat? The father and the mother.”

Methods of appeasement only continue the wrong selfish behavior. Peace is found on the other side of war. Just ask yourself the question. Do you honestly think that giving the demanding little brat what he’s screaming for will prevent him from doing the same act again for another desired object? If you have any common sense at all you know it won’t. So how can we think it to be any different in dealing with terrorists? As a parent I chose to oppose the wrong behavior, and stand strong against it. I might not have been loved immediately, nor was their best friend but I did gain their respect and obedience in the end. My rules remained constant and firm. We do not tolerate lying, stealing, willful disobedience or hurting anyone intentionally for any reason no matter what they have done to you. My children were taught to respect all authorities because they are watchers of their souls. If we as parents do not demand respect and obedience from our own children, how can we ever expect them to be disciplined in school to respect and obey the teacher, or later in service to the employer on the job, the police officer, the supervisor, or the law of the land? Failure to teach discipline to young children breeds “would be terrorists” to society at large. Appeasement is no solution it only adds to the problem. Parent’s who fail to discipline their children are the contributing factors as are Government officials in appeasing terrorists. War is more often than not the best solution that brings about the peaceable results in creating a civilized society.

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Going Against the Grain

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Live Like a Winner

I’ve never been one to follow the crowd. Perhaps because on my belief that the crowd tends to go in the  wrong direction. “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13 – 14

Jon's Visit 011The average American family consists of 2.5 children. I have six, five sons and one daughter all fathered by the same dad and all conceived in the marriage relationship. I remember one particular day many years ago. When I was shopping with a toddler child in the shopping cart, a younger child in the restraint seat, one walking beside me and I was quite pregnant. A woman looked at the obvious spectacle in her eyes and asked, “What are you doing? Making a career out of this?” I was very offended by her sarcasm and answered her back with a very confident and proud answer, “Yes, as a matter of fact I am!” And I went on my way without any further recognition of that woman. My declaration only fired me on to continue my pursuit to have even more babies. I determined that I don’t care what other people think of me. I make my own path, my own way. I don’t follow the common direction of others.

What should it matter to anyone how many children I have? I am not a welfare case sponging off the U.S. tax payers. We have fed and clothed our children with our own hard earned money. In fact we have paid taxes to help fund the failing public school system while putting out our own cash to buy books, computers, equipment and supplies to educate all our children at home for a total of nineteen years. I didn’t even get a tax break for not being a burden on the public system. I determined early on that nobody would influence my children but me, my husband, and my church in those early formative years. I didn’t want my children to be brain washed with all the political junk such as political correctness, exalting the animal kingdom above that of the human population with “save the whale” nonsense, nor distorted history to form heads of mush that would vote for such a disastrous President as we now have. I strongly believe in individualism. I feel that the “school system” whether public or private forces children to be nothing more than cookie cuts, all formed to the same image or model as is determined by the teacher. I want my children to think for themselves, to be themselves, as independent thinkers.  So, that was the foundation of my homeschooling for nineteen years.

Soon, I became deaf to the nay sayers with their little comments, “Boy, you got your hands full!” I will admit there were times when I thought the same thing nevertheless I persevered. I was not raised a quitter. I watched my father build his own business, and build our house out of the trees that he cut down himself. I remember going to the saw mill with that truck load of trees and watching them sawed into boards that would become the new house that we moved into when I was in the 4th grade. I was privileged to have a strong example before me in my hard-working father as he labored on building the house. It was an inspiring example to see this blank field of grass turn into a home site where we grew up. I learned a great deal from my father’s example. He was a do-it-yourself kind of man. I guess I am the same.

Nobody can tell me that it can’t be done because I won’t except that. When I hear those words it fires me up to prove them all wrong. We CAN do anything that we determined to carry out. It takes guts, courage, patience, and perseverance.  Sometimes it takes a little blood, sweat and tears but it will pay off in the end. Never let anyone stop you. Character is measured by what it takes to stop you. I am unstoppable! Keep telling yourself that until you really believe it. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Phillippians 4:13

 Learn more about Debra Carmona  https://www.youtube.com/user/dbrcarmona

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Hello World! It’s a beautiful day!

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Live Like a Winner

Throughout the years several people have suggested that I should write a book. I’ve often told myself that I should but never seem to find the time to sit down and write. Then I discovered the new trend in blogging and thought that might be a great place to start sharing my thoughts and life’s lessons in hopes that it might be a help or an inspiration to others.

My life has been rich with a varied array of experiences through my world travels, raising six children, five boys and only one daughter, nineteen years of homeschooling, and building a home based business. Our family has had the privilege to travel the world and experience different cultures, a variety of new experiences, and taste internationals foods. Everywhere we have gone we’ve made new friends and attracted so many into our family circle. Our home has been the place everyone wants to be. We can literally say that we have world-wide friends. It hasn’t always been a bed of roses. We’ve had our share of trials and testings but we always manage to come through them all learning from our mistakes and meeting the challenges head on to have the victory on the other side.

Just yesterday a man approached me and told me that his wife said she wanted to get to know me, and talk to me because she wanted to know what I have done to raise my children to be such fine young adults who are so well-mannered, respectful, and well-behaved.  Isn’t that amazing? Well, that was just the spark I needed to send me in this direction to start recording my thoughts and life’s lessons and how we have dealt with them.  This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

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