CURRENT EVENTS 

Delores Perkey

Mother-in-Laws are often the butt of many jokes and overall I think they get a bad rap.  My mother-in-law died last week.  I don’t think I’m that unusual in being able to say, “I had an absolutely fantastic mother-in-law.”  Here she is, with her bags packed, and on her way to heaven.

I’m so glad that last Christmas I had a trophy made up for her saying “Delores Perkey, World’s Best Mother-in-Law”.  If you also have a fantastic mother-in-law, why not present her with a trophy saying so.  I’m sure it will be something that she will treasure.

Travel

Saturday, I had the opportunity to hear travel tips directly from Rick Steves, who was speaking at the Music Hall in Detroit.

His travel videos are available from a number of sources and are very entertaining and informative to watch.  If you want to be extraordinary, it helps to go out and see the world.  It is easier than you might think.

SELF-HELP BOOKS

I have no idea how long I have been reading Frog & Toad, nor how many times I have read these books, or even how many copies I’ve given to parents for their children.  They say the book is designed for children 4 to 8; but in some ways we are all a child at heart.  If you are looking for a gift for a child, I strongly recommend a Frog and Toad book.  It contains a lot of wisdom in an easily digestible style.

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

I suspect not many of you have ever been to a weight lifting competition, so here is a very short clip to give you an idea of what it is like.

LAST WEEK’S POLL – Goals/Resolutions for 2016

The results of last week’s poll are:

25% of you have wishes, but nothing specific

22% of you set goals that are specifically measurable

19% of you monitor via action plans your goal accomplishment progress

17% of you don’t bother with goals and another 17% set specific goals and develop action plans.

Interestingly enough, I used this same poll last year about this time and these were the results:

25% have wishes, but nothing specific

15% don’t bother with setting goals

60% set specific goals that are objectively measureable. In addition some of you in that 60% category also develop action plans to accomplish those specific goals and others even go so far as to monitor progress.

THIS WEEK POLL – Drinking

Folks, during the Christmas and New Year’s Eve Holidays, there is a lot of drinking going on, so I thought bringing back a poll on drinking may be relevant, plus it gives me a chance to say, “If you drink, drink responsibly and be very careful with driving so that we all have a safe holiday.

SONG OF THE WEEK

Given the theme of this post, what else could be song of the week other than Ernie K. Doe’s 1961 Number one hit, Mother-In-Law.  Just click on the link below to hear this classic.

Ernie K. Doe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcFkUHvlf5A

PAINTING OF THE WEEK

Whistler’s Mother by James McNeill Whistler

Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1, best known under its colloquial name Whistler’s Mother, is a painting in oils on canvas created by the American-born painter James McNeill Whistler in 1871. The painting is 56.81 by 63.94 inches [ ], displayed in a frame of Whistler’s own design. It is exhibited in and held by the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, having been bought by the French state in 1891. It is one of the most famous works by an American artist outside the United States. It has been variously described as an American icon and a Victorian Mona Lisa. [Source: Wikipedia)

EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE

Not happy with your mother-in-law, well Catherine de’ Medici could always be your mother-in-law.

Catherine de’ Medici

An Italian noblewoman who married King Henri II of France, Catherine de’ Medici became a political force to be reckoned with during the successive reigns of her three sons. Hoping to consolidate her family’s power, she forced her daughter Marguerite to marry Henri de Bourbon, whose faith—Protestantism—and doting mother—Jeanne d’Albret—Catherine loathed. Jeanne fell ill and died shortly after arriving at court with her reluctant son, leading some to accuse Catherine of murdering her with poisoned gloves. After the wedding in 1572, Catholic mobs unleashed a wave of targeted killings on the Protestants who had gathered in Paris for the festivities. Historians think Catherine authorized or at least knew of the carnage, which her new son-in-law barely escaped. Catherine’s relationship with her daughter-in-law Mary Stuart was also strained. When the young queen’s husband Francis II died, Catherine ordered his grieving widow to return the crown jewels and head home to Scotland immediately. [Source: History Lists)

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

BLOG

I always appreciate those that leave comments on my weekly posts, since it encourages me to continue these posts.  Thank you Carole.  Leaving a comment is easy, just click on “Leave A Comment”, which is immediately below the title of this week’s post.  And if instead of seeing “Leave A Comment”, you see “# Comments”, just click on that and scroll down to leave your comment.

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MY BOOK

My book can be purchased on-line from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million.  It is also available in a ebook format.  And if you have read my book, please leave an evaluation of it on Amazon.  Thank you.

http://www.amazon.com/Tired-Being-Ordinary-Are-You/dp/0990388697

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/im-tired-of-being-ordinary-are-you-wm-allen/1120528064?ean=9780990388692

http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Im-Tired-Being-Ordinary/Wm-Allen/9780990388692?id=6429711012885