Expanding the social circle

Have you ever tried to do that? Expand your social circle. I have fabulous girlfriends, but, I realized recently that their is an entirely different world out there with different options for interaction. But how, where and when?

I was invited to participate in a women's group tonight at church. One of the women invited me at the service today, and I decided why not try it.

There was about 20 women, discussing books, some bible passages they liked and celebrations and concerns. There was a camaraderie. A support, anecdotes giggles and heartwarming moments. I think everyone was "nourished" by this.

All in all, a nice evening with good people and intellectual stimulation. That's a good thing.

Not the girlfriends I am used to, but, girlfriends none the less.

A Young Girlfriend Story

(Published exactly as written. No edits have been made.)

It goes back about 18 years ago when we all met each other.I knew Jenn first she was the girl that was always with me never a day without her we where some crazy little girls in Dance class together. We would always fight but 5 mins later wanted to play. Then I moved and saw less of Jenn but still she was in my heart. Then being the new girl in school There was Katie befriending me and helping me out. I got Jenn and Katie both to meet and we have all been friends since. We where the crazy bunch all so different but the same. We can sit there and have just the same crazy time as if we go out. At one time in our friendship I did feel it drift away only to make us need each other more in the up coming years. Jenn was the first to get Married and start a family and Katie was working just as hard to put her self threw nursing school so I felt a little left out but we where still all girlfriends. I went and did my own thing and did some stuff I should have never done but these two girls still loved me just has much. Then I found that man the one man I could not be with out He was always there I just never looked at him in that way. They both knew he was the one for me the one that made me happy. There was a problem he was getting ready to deployed to war with the USMC.They day he left I sat on my sofa thinking if I was ready for this and if I could do it crying my eyes out then out of no where a knock at the door I opened it and there was Jenn with pizza and wine coolers with out me having to ask she huged me and was there for me because she knew about having a husband and what a bond that was. Five years later with a husband and a son and one more baby on the way I got that phone call to come home it was my Mothers time to go. She found out she had Breast Cancer and she was very sick. Katie now a RN was there for me helping me take care of my mom and my family for she had gone threw this years ago with her Mom.She knew what to say to me and make me feel better. When mom finally passed I was so scared to say good bye to her I just could not do it. Then Jenn gave me her hand and walked up there with me to say bye to mom. This is just a small part of what these girls have been threw with me and what I have been threw with them. The point is bad,good,crazy,sad what ever kind of times they have always been there for me and I know that they will always be there for me no matter what. There is a saying we go bye A friend will help get you out of jail a true Friend would be sitting next to you in jail.I think my friendship with them is a gift and I never want to give that up

check me out on twitter.com under GirlfriendGener
visit my site for fabulous accessories at www.girlfriendgeneration.com
You can also get our book there. All proceeds from the book go to the American Cancer Society

Girlfriend Snippits

1. "A woman with good shoes is never ugly" - Coco Chanel (go shoe shopping w/ a girlfriend!)

2. Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.

3. "It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid w/ them" Ralph Wald

4. "Fate chooses your relations, you choose your friends." Jacques Delilleo Emerson (I love those kinds of friends!)

5. "We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson

More to come.

Refresh you Style

A new update for "O" magazine. Her people always a the best updates, that are simple and easy to do. This is just the beginning of the season, so expect more but this is a great start.

I love the idea of a white shirt. My favorite tops are white, because they always look fresh, when taken care of, and make almost anything on the bottom look great. And it's EASY. Not just your every day white shirt though. Check this out.
http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/omagazine/200903_omag_spring_fashion/1

The Effortless Dress. I have a few of these. They are made from easy care comfortable materials. They are my go to, when I'm not sure what to put on. Here are some ideas. http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/omagazine/200903_omag_spring_fashion/2

The Sleeveless Jacket. This is the new take on the sleeveless or cap sleeve sweaters of fall and winter. A little more tailored, but not formal. Great to pair with a t-shirt. http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/omagazine/200903_omag_spring_fashion/3

Big Bold Earrings. Now you're talkin' my language. I have a ton of them and I wear them when ever possible. The right earring makes the rest of your jewelry choices easy. Show your stuff and show your style! http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/omagazine/200903_omag_spring_fashion/4

The Gentler Leather Jacket. For Spring/Summer?? You bet. Leave the dark harsh biker jacket for the bike. Try a white, cream or pastel colored leather jacket with a soft form.
http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/omagazine/200903_omag_spring_fashion/6

The Well Heeled Boat Shoe. Fun fun fun; what else can I say. A great look, with a free flowing spring/summer skirt or dress and a fun bag. I can't wait for spring. Skirts and dresses are still in. This a great addition to the look. http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/omagazine/200903_omag_spring_fashion/7


Want a fun bag or wallet idea to go with all these new looks? Try www.girlfriendgeneration.com

Who knew..

I have always liked the fact that I was so independent. It's a source of pride for me. Working for myself, being a stay at home mom; this all gave me the ability to make my own schedule, so that I could always be available for my family and friends.

In the early years with my husband, when he was just making his way and working a ton of hours, I could throw myself into my business and the business community around me, without feeling like he was being neglected.

When we got pregnant, I closed the store. First, 75 hours a week at work was no way to do a pregnancy. Secondly, everyone, and I do mean everyone, knew that I would not stop climbing on the ladders to get to top shelves, or stop moving furniture to redo displays in the store. For safety reasons, I needed to slow down. One week before the store closed for good, I had a mis-carriage. No one could tell me why.

I hadn't even known I wanted children up until I got pregnant. Now I knew I did. It took three more tries, two more mis-carriages, but I finally had my boy. He was ten (10) weeks early and weighted a little over 3 lbs, but he was here. You know how I knew he was mine? He was a fighter. He was healthy and just had to learn how to eat. Do you know how rare that is of a baby that small. He did not like the feeding tube and pulled it out several times. Yes....he was mine.

The day before we went home from the hospital, just 28 days later and weighing a little over 4 lbs, they ran a whole battery of test. The thing they do before any NICU baby goes home. A brain scan indicated a shadow. My baby had Cerebral Palsy. How was that possible. He looked completely normal. I went home having no idea what that meant. I pretended not to hear it......until we went to the doctors office 2 weeks later.

I have the best pediatrician. He works on my level. Just tell me. When I said the words Cerebral Palsy, I guess I looked terrified. He said I did. He proceeded to tell me how many versions of CP there are. Jeffrey had what was called spastic diaplagia. It would effect the muscles in his arms and legs. They would be very tight. We contacted Birth to 3 and started physical therapy and occupational therapy. Jeffrey would be fine. But, I decided I would be a stay at home mom.

I took care of my girlfriends daughter who was 2mths older than Jeffrey and they just grew up together. It was the best thing for him, and me. They spent just about every day together for 3 years. It was like having twins.

Our life was a little different than most. We had physical and occupational therapy once a week, every week until he was 3, through the Birth to 3 program. We saw a neurologist every 3 months during that time and an orthopedic about the same amount. In the mean time, he was happy, healthy and extremely smart. I know all moms say that, but, he was. He was speaking at 9 mths and by 18mths he was saying 10 word sentences. We joked and said the only reason I had to go to the doctor with him was to be a chauffeur. He had no trouble communicating with them.

Yes....he was mine. And this was just the beginning.

The Yukkie Handbag

I recently received this as an email and thought it was so important, I decided to share it with everyone.

We carry anti-bacterial jell for our hands; wipes for our children; disposable place mats for public restaurant tables. So why is it that when it comes to our purse, unless it’s wet, we pay no attention to where it sits? We are constantly transferring “yuk” from one spot to another, and the worst yet is we bring it home.

The Yukkie Handbag
(author unknown)

Mom got so upset when guests came in the door and plopped their handbags down on the counter where she was cooking or setting up food. She always said that handbags are really dirty, because of where they have been. It's something just about every woman carries with them. While we may know what's inside our handbags, do you have any idea what's on the outside? Women carry handbags everywhere; from the office to public toilets to the floor of the car. Most women won't be caught without their handbags, but did you ever stop to think about where your handbag goes during the day.

'I drive a school bus, so my handbag has been on the floor of the bus a lot,' says one woman. 'On the floor of my car, and in toilets.' 'I put my handbag in grocery shopping carts and on the floor of the toilet,' says another woman 'and of course in my home which should be clean.'

We decided to find out if handbags harbor lots of bacteria. We learned how to test them at Nelson Laboratories in Salt Lake, UT and then we set out to test the average woman's handbag. Most women told us they didn't stop to think about what was on the bottom of their handbag. Most said at home they usually set their handbags on top of kitchen tables and counters where food is prepared. Most of the ladies we talked to told us they wouldn't be surprised if their handbags were at least a little bit dirty. It turns out handbags are so surprisingly dirty, even the microbiologist who tested them was shocked. Microbiologist Amy Karen of Nelson Labs says nearly all of the handbags tested were not only high in bacteria, but high in harmful kinds of bacteria. Pseudomonas can cause eye infections, staphylococcus aurous can cause serious skin infections, and salmonella and e-coli found on the handbags could make people very sick. In one sampling, four of five handbags tested positive for salmonella, and that's not the worst of it. 'There is fecal contamination on the handbags' says Amy. Leather or vinyl handbags tended to be cleaner than cloth handbags, and lifestyle seemed to play a role.

People with kids tended to have dirtier handbags than those without, with one exception. The handbag of one single woman who frequented nightclubs had one of the worst contaminations of all . 'Some type of feces, or possibly vomit' says Amy. So the moral of this story is that your handbag won't kill you, but it does have the potential to make you very sick if you keep it on places where you eat. Use hooks to hang your handbag at home and in toilets, and don't put it on your desk, a restaurant table, or on your kitchen countertop. Experts say you should think of your handbag the same way you would a pair of shoes. 'If you think about putting a pair of shoes onto your countertops, that's the same thing you're doing when you put your handbag on the countertops'. Your handbag has gone where individuals before you have sneezed, coughed, spat, urinated, emptied bowels. Do you really want to bring that home with you? The microbiologists at Nelson also said cleaning a handbag will help. Wash cloth handbags and use leather cleaner to clean the bottom of leather handbags. THIS IS WORTH SHARING!!! AND MEN PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO YOUR WIVES, GIRLFRIENDS AND DAUGHTERS!

Shared with you by Cindy Penkoff owner/author www.girlfriendgeneration.com

Inspiring 10 Year Old

I’ve been wondering what I would do to truly celebrate my sons 10th birthday. I could sit down and list all the amazing things he has done in the past; tell everyone how smart he is or maybe brag about his ability to make friends with anyone while the entire time making them feel like they are the most important person in the room. Do I sound proud? I am. But that is not what this article is about.
Jeffrey has many passions. One of the most important is his commitment to the American Cancer Society. Last year he helped our team of walkers raise almost $8000. He stayed and walked all night with our team and instead of being tired and complaining about how much work it was, he was excited and proud and ready to do it again. If you are one of the few people that does NOT know Jeffrey then you must understand that he has CP and “walking” is one of the most exhausting things that he does every day. He has been asking for the past 5 mths how soon we can start raising money for the walk again. Talk about enthusiasm.
About 2 years ago, Jeffrey discovered Locks for Love. This is an organization that collects human hair from donors and makes beautiful wigs for patients that lose their hair due to treatment. He thought this was a great thing but wasn’t sure he could be patient enough to grow out his hair as it must be at least 10 inches long. He took a long time to think about it, discuss it and really search his soul. About 2 months ago he made his decision.
He sat down in the kitchen to get a haircut and said “just cut the bangs and around the ears mom”. This was unusual as this was about the time we started to give him a buzz cut for the warmer weather. “I decided to grow it out mom. I’m going to donate it.” How could I say no?
He understands that this involves time and patience. It won’t grow over night and it’s gonna be a long hot summer. He gets it. He also knows he has the ability to make someone’s life a little better with very little effort. All he has to do is grow his amazingly beautiful blonde hair. “I can do that mom. Not once but twice.”
Am I a proud mom? You bet I am, but look what I have to be proud of. Happy Birthday my boy. I am so proud of you.
Cindy Penkoff, mom of Jeffrey Penkoff