Merry merry merry CHRISTMAS

oooooo its that time of year again and if I don't stop and smell the roses I'll miss it...AGAIN. What I love about Christmas is sharing the story of Christ's birth. Today I shared it with 3rd-5th graders. I love quite times and good conversations with my children and Mr. Clifton. What I do not love is fighting about where we spend the holidays with Mr. Clifton. He does not care for a few folks in my family and its an on going battle every holiday. I say get over it...move on. Not very kind I am certain.
Its cold...cold, cold,cold. I wish it were not cold for nothing. I WANT SNOW. Every year we seem to get a better chance of having it again. Remember that beautiful snow we had in February a few years ago...ooo I want that again.
My Christmas trees are up and I have bought for the kids and my MIL, other than that I am a hopeless mess. I have several scrapbook pages to make for Emily's class and we have court in the AM. I have peace about this, God will provide and ultimately he knows the outcome and his will, will be done i know this.
Nathan has twisted his ankle and it is swollen, if it gets worse or he cant walk on it shortly he going to the doc. McKenzie is staying with Grandma because she going to see Orthodontist AM and Grandma taking her because we have court. Emily, well its quiet so she might be burning the house down. Speaking of that I better go check on her.

The best part of Self Employment is that you can bring your dog to work.

So I am a poor blogger it seems. My friend Marcy...see her blog on the left. Has to comment me and shame me into updating my blog. I am glad she does because it reminds me that someone might actually be reading all I have to say.

So much to say where do I start. I bought with my Mom and Aunt the embroidery shop Quickstitches. Things are up and running and our photo bags are in and OMG they are to die for. If you want one for Christmas order now because it takes like three weeks because each one is hand made. I love mine and can't wait for you all to see them.

Emily was a flamingo for Halloween. Which I missed because I was on a boat in Mexico sitting on the patio of the penthouse drinking beer. At any rate...does anyone know how many pink feather boas it takes to make a pink flamingo costume? Well the answer is it takes 6, 6ft feather boas. One for the helmet and the rest for the body. Myrt made the costume and she did an outstanding job. Emily was delighted and the talk of the town on Halloween according to Mr. Clifton who tackled the job of trick or treating and candy passer outer all by himself. Thanks to Ms. Diana he had food to eat. She would not let him go hungry while I was gone...the children were there it was important to feed them. Lol

Nathan did well in Select baseball and continues to astonish us with his grades. We are astonished because how can someone that smart make such poor grades. His whole life has now been plucked from his grasp and he is minutes from losing his light bulb and the sheets on his bed...LOL

Sis is...well sis...slow and steady, predictable. Doing well in school and get this, wanting to run track. She wants to run long distance. She started at a 10 minute mile now she is down to 8 minutes and her goal is 6 before the season starts. She works on it every day and seems determined to be a success. I pray the love of running stays with her. I can't stand running the only thing I like about it is being done with that horrible torture. She continues to be a blessing. Oh and she was nominated for People to People Student Ambassadors and if she gets accepted she gets to go on a trip to Australia and New Zealand. We will be doing sponsor letters for this trip and I promise not to make any of you buy cookies or wrapping paper in the mean time.

Now, about that candle I discussed previously. Ask God and he will deliver. He has called me to pray for my enemies. He has called me to confess and repent of the contempt I held in my heart about another believer. I have worked very hard on this the last few weeks and to my astonishment my load has been lightened. I am free and I am working now on Mr. Clifton's freedom. You can lead a horse to water...so to speak. Please pray for my success in changing my husbands heart with this very ugly situation. We continue to be persecuted and we have run out of cheeks but God holds us up. He has made, to me for sure, his desires for my heart clear as a bell. I hope he softens Brian's heart too. I know removing this burden of contempt from him will heal him of this dreadful disease.

I bought a new candle and its time to light it.

So our pastor says what happens if the Church leaves the building. By this he means what if we go out into the world and be the Church. He said we can't go to church because we are the Church. So I bought this candle. I won't hide it under a bush Oh no I'm gonna let it shine. *****shweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee***** Ok now the air is out of my balloon. Compassion is a decision to act. Hrmmm think of that for a moment. He says we can't do it all but we can do something. The prayer was for God to burden our hearts into action.

Me? Well I just can't hear. I have turned off my radio, I have stopped calling people when I am in the car alone. I sit by myself and some days drive more than 250 miles alone in my car and I keep asking. Lord what would you have of me? Dun...Dun...Duhhhhhh Silence

Sooooo I'll keep asking, I'll keep waiting. In the mean time though, I'll find someone to help, another one to love, someone to serve, someone to clothe. Perhaps, in these actions God will find me and light my way.

Can you really empty your bag of grace? And should you?

All of us give grace in one arena or another. I have a friend who gives so much grace sometimes i wanna shoot her but I also envy her humility and lack of pride. She takes no offense at another person's ugly actions she understands that there is something going on inside them that would make them act that way. She knows clearly that some pain she is not aware of brings her attacker. She never seems to tire of handing out gobs and gobs of grace. I love this about her. Now having said all that know this she is not a door mat either. That is the miracle of her balance. She will tell someone to shut thier pie hole when necesary but it never affects the way she feels about them. Even if she does have to call of the dog so to speak she still understands that person deserves to be loved no matter how they act at one time or another. I too face an attacker currently. I want to gripe and moan about them. I am angry and sick of the sight of them. I know how miserable her life is or how miserable it appears to someone standing on the outside looking in. This person lives in fear. I mean fears unfounded and unwarrented. Fears of what if this happens or what if that happens. Even knowing all of this I still suffer at the cost of grace. I want to give her grace and the funny thing is this person believes in her own mind she gives me grace and I give her none. Again fear, she is the victim of everything, mostly her own life and we (Mr. Realtormom and I) are the objects of her hate. I am tired I want to have grace please pray for me that I can give it up the grace that is by the truckload.

OK...so the senior I was taking pictures of posted her pictures on her myspace. This of course resulted in a few calls from parents. I am a realtor I told them but they wanted me to do it so I had to make a promo card. I had to come up with pricing. I had to find a site to host the images so I can let the parents look online. I had to find a lab to print them and then price again a la cart pricing. Here I go again I am a realtor. Alas, I do serve the people and i do love taking the pictures, thats so much fun and even more so coming back and unloading them all and looking at them and organizing them and manipulating them. I told myself I won't take more than 10 that way I can do it while I am not working and who knows perhaps earn my christmas money on the side.

Satisfy the need to look

Ok here is some practical advice about buying a house. YOU DO NOT NEED TO LOOK AT EVERY SINGLE HOUSE ON THE MARKET. Odds are they don't meet your needs or fulfill your desires for a new home. Then when you find the ONE! Stop looking. Typically, if you are true about what you are looking for I can find it inside of 7 to 10 houses. However, sometimes it might be the first one we look at. Guess what, its OK that you love and buy the first house you look at. See one or two more just to compare and satisfy the need to look but don't go on and on its not necessary. Not to mention time consuming, and frustrating. Nothing worse than someone continuing to look knowing full well they have already found the house they will or should buy. The next thing to consider, is the more time you spend seeing every house available on the market even if it has only one of your stipulations rather than 4 or 5 or more you risk losing out on the house you want. This is even worse, than the previous, trying to find another that is as great as the one they should have bought in the first place rather than seeing 10 more houses just to be sure they were not missing anything that might be available to them. This is pure gluttony over indulgence. Inventory is limited these days. We are losing loan products every day...what does that mean? Well it means lots of folks are going to stop moving simply because they want to. With the change in the mortgage industry...rates, products (a loan product is the kind of loans that are available to consumers(buyers)) people will have more trouble finding anything better with out spending loads more money. NOW...stay with me people. The fewer listings we have for buyers the quicker they get snatched by diligent quick thinking buyers. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying don't look around...DO LOOK AROUND, on the Internet the entire MLS (Multiple Listing Service) is on the Internet on dozens of sites. Do not be fooled into thinking you need to use more than one site to see the entire LOCAL database. My website http://www.traceyclifton.com/ uploads daily the entire North Texas Real Estate Information System. When looking for a real estate agent read their site, the things they talk about the knowledge they have about the community they work in. Find someone you trust and be honest about what you want. The agent will then search, compare, narrow down, and make a list of properties to see. Sometimes you will have come across one the agent did not choose ask them to add it they will. They want to serve you its what they do. However mostly they want to help you find the perfect home and negotiate the sale and get you to closing and warm and fuzzy in your new home. Real estate agents do not get paid to show houses they only get paid when the deal closes. That said, be loyal when you find one, don't go calling every sign you drive up on. Write down the address go home and look it up or call your agent to look it up, calling loads of different agents will end you up alone with no one to show you houses. When it becomes clear that a person is calling on every sign they see and asking every agent to show them this house or that agents will back away knowing that person will leave them at the next house and they will not spend their time helping that person they will move on to someone who will call them with a question or an address they are curious about. Your agent will be loyal to you, be loyal to them. Hire a professional then take their advice. They look at houses everyday, they know builders, neighborhoods and they watch you in a house how you respond. Be respectful of their time and let them serve you they will do it well and you will be delighted with he outcome. Do you have any questions about Real Estate, I can answer...Comment me

We must have a DECISION!!

It all seemed so easy at first. Get a handbag put a picture on it but then...the greatest thing in the world happened. I can get four bags. Woo Hoo can you believe it. But then I have to choose which ones do I want. Lets be real. My aunt who owns quickstitches embroidery wants me to carry these around and give out her business card to anyone who says...OMG where did you get that fabulous bag!!!. Mobile advertising...Brilliant.....Brilliant! But now I have to choose which four do I want? I don't really need four purses but I do need to get something I can use. I think one purse and one tote for sure. There is also a work out bag. Its a square microfiber version of the leather tote. Tell me what you think. Which ones would you choose? You can click on the picture to see a larger picture of these bags. I've made a poll to the left...I did not put some of the options on there because really...what am I going to do with a diaper bag. However if its a diaper bag you would choose or your choice is just not an option. Comment me...Oh Oh Oh and you can choose more than one bag...just so you know. We'll make it like a market survey for my auntie. She so lucky to have me...LOL

How do you know if your addicted?

Ok Ok Ok so picture ideas, couch in front of fountain like friends. Gonna do this with Kayla and her other buddies. Taking her drums to a dock and an old barn (will do this in Sept or Oct when its not a bazillion degrees) I have a friend with an old convertible corvette that seems like fun but I need a great place to park it and I need a place to put the couch in front of a fountain. Highland Village perhaps? Easy to get out of trouble there any suggestions. Also, I need to figure out which picture to put on my new photo bag so I am going to make a polll for you guys to give me your opinion. I talked once with a friend about opening a photography studio...i wanted to call it Southern Exposure (on one side) and Rugrats and Curtain climbers on the other side. Being a single mom at the time I could not ever make it happen but these days seems a studio is not really necessary, mostly just talent and a place to advertise. Hrmmm the wheels are turning. However, I love real estate, love love love can these two professions work together? I mean I know I use photography all the time for real estate and I even teach other realtors digital photography classes but hrmmm....taking other peoples pictures for profit....again its tickling my brain.

Whats up with MYSPACE

So Mr. Realtormom thinks I'm a freak. Last night I made a myspace. I have a few friends who are of a certain age. These people can not be trusted all the time to act appropriately. I feel its my duty to keep an eye out on these heathens because...some of them hang around and influence my children. SOOOO.....I made a my space. Guess What? There are 6 pages of people who graduated from my high school in my year alone. I am not the only one however most of them are single and do not have near as cute friends as I do. Currently my friends are pimping my myspace so I will be as cool as them. Onces that is done I will invite a few others (friends my age) also I want to figure out how to post this blog there so I do not have to duplicate. ANY BODY KNOW HOW TO DO THAT?

I promised you pictures...Here you go

This is Kayla, she is a senior this year. I am taking her senior pictures and having loads of fun. Trying out all kinds of new stuff with my camera. If you want to see the full album I'll send you an invite to the web album where I keep them. She is also Emily's summer Nanny so they have become very close and of course Emily has ended up in her pictures. A friend loaned us his 14 acres so we could shoot today and this evening we went to the square in Denton. ENJOY!!

If this is the beginning I missed the green flag

Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.
Psalm 25:4-5 NLT

There once was a woman I knew who said my life should be a reality show. I am not certain if that is a compliment or a criticism. I'll take though and wear it, its mine, I did it and I bet its true. Actually, fact of the matter is I have a lot to say. Question is do you want to read it...what I have to say that is. I am standing right beside myself getting a little chuckle at the thought of a blog, my very own blog. What do I want to do with this space where I can express myself any way I choose? Loads of Realtors have blogs, a new form of advertising I suppose. I know people who blog a journey in their lives (I'm certain that is much more interesting than this) or the beginning or the ending of something else. Who knows but it seems like fun, get on, enjoy the ride. We'll make friends along the way.

Have I told you I love photography? My girlfriend is letting me take pictures of her Senior this summer. We have done one shoot and I'll post them later but below are a few pictures I took of my wild yard ape...Destructo...we like to call her because if your not looking she just might burn your house down. Problem is she is so darn cute they would let her off with out any charges. ANYWAY...My office burned down a few months ago and the day of the fire (not actually in the fire but the day of) My camera was destroyed. Well not destroyed but not working anymore so I HAD to get a new one. I did I got a Nikon D70. I did not get the D80 because I do not care for the memory stick in it. Sad I know but we all have our preferences. I did not get the D200 because I had a hard enough time convincing Mr. Realtormom (my hubby) that I needed to spend this much money on this one. However he agreed and I got it and I am having a ball. The pictures below were taken in my living room in about 10 minutes with my oldest holding up a blanket as a backdrop. My Aunt has opened an embroidery shop and she sells the cutest picture handbags, they are custom made with each order...now imagine this handbag with with the pictures below on the front and back. I just can't hardly wait to get mine. Enjoy! I have more to say...believe it or not but I'll wait till tomorrow. Join me won't you...if nothing else hopefully there will be great pictures to see.