RISK
October 29, 2006
Do not be afraid to shine. This world needs what you have to give. Open up the areas of your being; expose them to yourself - to others. You are valuable. You are unique. You have much to give. Do not be afraid to give it.
As we risk ourselves, we grow. Each new experience is a risk: we can try, and maybe fail, and as a result, grow - or hold back and stagnate.
You have the potential to be anything you want to be! You are free to choose. You are limited only by your fears. Let your dreams take over, fly with the eagles, soar into life, the world is waiting for you!
Copyright 1987 Fran Watson
This poem was selected to be included the Motivational Poems at Words of Wisdom 4U.
For more poetry and stories you can go to Fran’s webpage http://www.franwatson.ca
Amish Furniture for Kids Summer Projects
October 29, 2006
Summer is coming, and the kids will soon be out of school. Mom’s and dad’s everywhere will soon here "I am board; I don’t have anything to do." Give them a lesson and a project that will teach them a skill, and provide them a physical memory of time spent with mom and dad or one another.
My friend and his wife have four children from four to twelve. While they were visiting, my web site (www.stoveramishfurniture.com), they saw a few small piece of unfinished Amish Furniture. Now it would have been just as easy to pay a little extra and have the pieces finished, but they thought "Why not let the kids do it?" So as a summer project for the kids, they bought four different pieces of Amish Furniture. They then set aside a space in the garage for the projects. Each child was given a role in the finishing. The youngest two where thought to sand a clean each piece. The oldest two went to the library and the hardware store to find books on finishing the projects. They were all given a schedule and a planned completion time.
Suzuki Violin Vs Traditional Violin
October 28, 2006
The Suzuki violin method has come to dominate the way violin is taught in America and throughout much of the world. Mention the Suzuki violin method to music educators, and you will get a variety of responses. While it is common for some teachers to mix elements of Suzuki violin method with the traditional approach other teachers either love or hate the Suzuki method. Let’s examine the Suzuki violin versus the traditional violin below.
The Suzuki violin study method emphasizes passive modes of learning - watching and listening. Before engaging in formal study, Suzuki violin students are exposed to recordings of the first and subsequent pieces they will play, as well as recordings of great performances from the general classical repertory. This continues when students begin formal study and as they progress. Recordings are played as “background music”, for hours each day and at low volume levels. Here, the thinking is that exposure to recordings is similar to the effect of immersion that naturally occurs in the process of primary language acquisition. Successful study is enhanced by prolonged repeated exposure. Suzuki violin students develop an internal model of the music to be studied. They memorize the music and internalize the nuances of pitch, tone, timing, articulation, and dynamics demonstrated in recorded performances.
Pet Tracking Devices
October 28, 2006
It was the Saturday morning of August 20, 2004 and my two kids saying that they couldn’t find our cat Nala anywhere waked me up. I didn’t pay much attention, because it was common for her to find a new hiding spot and sleep there for hours.
Hours later we realized she was really missing and we started to search for her. We looked all over the house, inside the closets, behind furniture, and then we got outside and looked on the trees, in the playground, around the pool, everywhere! We placed flyers around the neighborhood, she was never found.
Now I ask myself, how many of us have gone through that experience and think we don’t have an alternative to those flyers?
Well, we do! Pet Tracking Devices, thanks to the miniaturization of GPS receivers and mobile phone modems even they can carry devices that allow them to be tracked by the owner. There is not yet a great choice of devices, but this probably will change rather fast and even though all actual (August 2004) existing devices are too heavy for domestic cats. It is believed that 2005 will bring several solutions for this problem. But if you own a dog, this may be a solution.
5 Simple Steps To Dividing Your Hardy Water Lilies
October 28, 2006
If you missed the springtime window of opportunity to divide your hardy water lilies, don’t worry, it’s not too late. Although springtime is the best time, you’ve actually got the entire normal growing season to get it done.
The reason for dividing your water lilies is that they eventually run out of room in their existing pots and need more room for the roots to spread out so the plant can flourish. Not only is this relatively easy to do, but you end up with more plants as a bonus!
Step 1
Remove the plant from the pot and gently rinse the dirt from the root system.
Step 2
Cut the older growth from one end of the tuber, and the newer growth from the other. If there are new “eyes” along the tuber you can snip them off and pot them if you wish.
Step 3
Take a sharp knife and cut the tuber back on the ‘growing’ part. On small plants you can safely cut the tuber down to 2-3 inches. Keep it at around 5-6 inches for larger plants.
How to Avoid the 11 Biggest Mistakes of First Time Authors
October 28, 2006
"If you want to change your life," Harry Beckwith wrote in The Invisible Touch, "write a book." But writing a book can also be tremendously frustrating and unrewarding.
Following are the 11 biggest reasons most first-time authors fail to receive the rewards they are due.
1. Unrealistic expectations. Don’t expect to get rich off your book, even if it’s a success by publishing standards. The vast majority of books fail to earn out their advance.
Instead, develop a personal marketing plan to leverage your career off your book. Instead of trying to make money on the book itself, use your book to open doors, promote your credibility and build relationships with readers.
2. Writing without a contract. Never write a book without a signed contract. Instead, prepare a polished proposal and two sample chapters.
Publishers are increasingly selective about the titles they accept. Often, less than 1 in 20 titles proposed are published. Writing a book that isn’t accepted is not a good use of your time.
3. No agent. You must be represented by a literary agent. Publishers rarely accept unsolicited book proposals. Unsolicited proposals are frequently returned unread or are simply discarded.
Two for One Dinners: Beef
October 27, 2006
If you find leftovers boring, uninviting or downright “yuck,” then here are some ideas to put the “zing” back into mealtime. With a little creativity your home-cooked meal can easily become a delicious meal another night. There are a six articles in this series, today we are going to look at what you can do with beef.
DINNER - NIGHT ONE: Pot Roast
Make a slow-cooked pot roast with onions, carrots and potatoes. Give it a flavor boost with bottled horseradish. Serve it over mashed garlic potatoes with a green salad. Put the leftovers in a tightly covered container, or ziplock bag in the refrigerator or freezer.
DINNER - NIGHT TWO: Vegetable Beef Soup
Chop the leftover beef into cubes and mix with a packaged beef broth with frozen mixed vegetables (i.e., green beans, carrots and corn) for a simple, and filling soup. You can find in your grocer’s frozen food section packages of “soup mix” vegetables as well. Serve the soup with cornbread or biscuits on the side. This soup also makes a great lunchbox item that you can warm up and put into an insulated thermos.
Starting a Home-Based Pet Related Business
October 27, 2006
If you’re contemplating the idea of starting a home-based business here are some facts you should know:
·According to the Small Business Administration, home-based businesses account for over half of all the businesses in the United States.
·Each year thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs launch a part-time home business to supplement their existing income or to test a new business idea.
·There are two industries that have shown exponential growth over the past years, and they are (in no particular order):
1.The Wellness Industry
2.The Pet Industry
Now that you know that, and that we’ve agreed you’re a pet lover, it’s time to choose the right pet business for you. You will have to ask yourself some basic questions such as:
1.What are my strengths? Do you like to work directly with people, or do you prefer to work alone?
2.Do I want to work from home or at home? Some home-based businesses require you to hit the road, while others let you work without ever leaving home.
3.Do I have certain skills that make me stand out from the crowd? Can you bake the most delicious cookies in town? Are you a whiz with your camera? Does every pet you encounter just love you?
Kids Crafts: Balloons, Bubbles & Balls #1
October 27, 2006
Craft: Colored Bubbles
Activities: Flyswatter Bubbles, Cotton Ball Pickup, Balloon Water Fun
Snack: Chewy Popcorn Balls
Reading Selection: The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois
CRAFT: Colored Bubbles
Need:
dishwashing detergent
food coloring or washable paint
a straw
paper
shallow pan
Directions:
Mix about 1/2 dishwashing detergent, and 1/3 of water in a shallow pan(cold or hot)mix any kind of food coloring until you get the ideal color you want. If you use paint, make sure it is washable. Go outside with the pan full of the colored bubble mixture. tip one end of the straw in the pan, lift it up, and blow through the other side to create a bubble, then slowly pick up the paper and pop the bubble on it. Keep doing this with different colors of paint and you will get a great colorful bubble print picture!
You can also use the straw to blow a lot of bubbles in the pan and then place a piece of paper over the top to ‘absorb’ the bubbles. It will leave a nice print!!
ACTIVITY: Flyswatter Bubbles
Need:
clean fly swatter
bubble solution
Publish Your Novel on the First Try
October 27, 2006
Rejection. This scary word plagues virtually every writer this side of John Grisham. It stops many writers in their tracks and often leads them to a new line of work. If your one of the millions of Americans who have a passion for writing and dream of seeing your novel on the shelves of Barnes & Noble and Borders Books, don’t let fear of Rejection scare you off. Follow this simple formula, and you can publish your novel on the very first try.
The secret to getting published is both simple and complex. The simple part is two-pronged. First, you need a modicum of writing skill. Now, you don’t have to be William Shakespeare, but you do need to know how to put sentences together, while tossing in a few nifty adjectives on occasion.
The second prong of the simple part of the secret to publishing on your first try is undeniable persistence and work ethic. Most writers fail, because they are defeated by the plague of rejection; they don’t have the necessary work ethic to succeed, even if they have the skill and the idea. Oh, speaking of the idea, this is the complex part of the simple formula to being published on your first try.
