:Wise Money Tips

Whole empires have been built around our noses’ need for atmosphere.

But it’s more than just that …

Scent is one of the biggest memory triggers. It’s mood enhancing. It can set the whole tone of your day.

But you don’t always want something with an open flame … sometimes a scented candle isn’t what you need. Certainly not ’round the clock. I guess there’s always those scented oil plug-in things … somehow they just miss the point for me.

So here’s the solution I’ve come up with.

What You’ll Need

You’ll need the following supplies (makes 22 pieces … enough to last 2 months +/-):

3 Scented Candles (I use natural wax votives)

1 Double Boiler
2 Plastic Candy Mold Trays

Making Your Scented Candle Melts

I take my favorite scented votive candle. Make sure it’s one that holds its scent to the bottom and also when liquid. Actually I use three because then my melted wax fits exactly into two small peanut buttercup mold trays. I like to use the kind of wax that cleans up with soap and water.

• Remove the wicks from your scented votives.

• Melt your votives in double boiler (a pyrex measuring cup in a pan of water will do in a pinch).

• Spoon or pour into candy mold.

• Wait until firm enough to move.

• Slide into the freezer for 20 minutes (give or take … this isn’t rocket science after all)

• Remove from freezer and turn tray over.

• They’ll pop right out!

Using Scented Candle Melts

Okay so now you’ve got your scented candle wax just the way you want it. What to do with it??

Well, when you use a high quality scented candle, they work really well as sachets (bag in tiny Ziplocs to protect clothing in drawers) and also as car air fresheners…. be sure and set them out of the sun.

You can also melt them. There are these things called “Tart Warmers” available at the store. And also online. Ask if you need help finding a good one.

Working With What You’ve Got

But wait, if you’re like me, and have an electric heat source, you might already have what you need available at home to make your scented candle melts.

Here’s what I do (and remember … only use wax from scented candles that will clean-up with soap and water … otherwise you’ll have a real mess on your hands).

Find a small plate or saucer that you’re willing to dedicate to melting your scented candle wax in. You can find them for next too nothing at yard sales. You need one that is heatproof. They’ll say “oven safe” on the bottom … or any old fashioned piece of pottery/ceramics will do. After all, they’ve been fired in a kiln, right?

I take my saucer and set it on my heat source first. BEFORE turning it on. This is very important.

You know how when you have a glass that’s cold and you pour something hot into it, it cracks? Well, you’ve got the same challenge here. If you “Heat Shock” your plate, you’ll crack it. Warm your plate up slowly and everything will be okay.

Place your plate on a cool electric burner (a woodstove works well too), add a couple of your new little scented candle melts, heat till the wax is halfway melted … then turn the burner off. Repeat occasionally to re-release the scent.

That’s all there is to it - Your whole house will smell great!

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About the Author

Andrea S. Goodsaid has been a full-time crafter and small business owner since 1987. Today she mentors and trains others in their own home candle (and other) businesses for free. Visit her candle business training site on the web where she offers a free interactive eCourse: http://www.RichCandlesTeam.com

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Often photographs aren’t quite the right shape and size or the photographic image is improperly centered. Having oversized or off centered photographs creates an air of unprofessionalism.

Carefully cropped and sized photographs, on the other hand, enhances the overall look and feel of your scrapbook.

There are two ways to solve these problems.

The low tech way to solve these problems are to manually crop and shape the photograph using a pair of scissors or an exacto knife.

If you are manually cropping and cutting pictures, make sure that you mark the outline you want with chalk (or eye shadow if you don’t have chalk) before you cut.

Remember the old saying, measure twice and cut once.

To manually change a distracting or cluttered background simply cut out the background and replace it with a with a new paper background. This allows the eye to focus on the people instead of the clutter behind them.

The high tech solution to your photograph woes is to use modern computer programs such as Photo Editor.

Using these programs, photographs can be magically darkened, brightened, sharpened, enlarged, and cropped without ruining your original photograph.

Some programs even allow you to change the background of the photograph.

Mia LaCron is the founder of 101-scrapbooking-tidbits.info - http://www.101-scrapbooking-tidbits.info - devoted to helping individuals record, store, and preserve their most cherished memories via the art of scrapbooking.

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I never met a man, who could shake my hand, and make my heart feel like a hearth afire.

I never met a man, who could smile so easy, real honest.

I never met a man, who could make my dark soul, fill with light, by merely standing with him, in conversation.

I never met a man, who could come by honesty, so cleanly, so believably solid.

I never met a man, who could capture my soul, with the stories of simplicity, and sincerety of his youth.

I never met a man, who could live so modestly, so humbly, so simply, and be so very happy to live.

I never met a man, who could toil in the garden with his wife and find riches in the earth, riches which I could never see.

I never met a man, with a beard, so natural, so manly, that I just wanted to give it a little tug.

I never met a man, who was lacking in height, but, huge in stature.

I never met a man, who could wear clothing, tattered, worn, freyed, and look so regal, though, he would not understand that, at all.

I never met a man, who could tell you a story with his eyes, eyes with depth so bottomless, that, words were sometime inappropriate.

I never met a man, who could bring children into this world, who could be just as kind, and loving, and warm, as he. I call it “drinking out of the same cup” if you will?

I wandered around this big world, looking deep into the souls of individuals, here and there, seeing much of me, in them, nothing special there.

I never met a man who could make me feel the sadness, which I felt today, upon learning of the passing of Lester Graybill. The world will truely be a lesser place without him.

Goodbye my Dear Friend

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Fresh careful GPS measurements made on the 13-14th Oct have shown that Monte Bianco measures 4810.3 meters. Mount Blanc is smothered by a heavy ice-cap which has grown bigger by 2.3 meters in exactly 2 years however more surprising the mass of the snow and ice has nearly doubled up . At any rate that is as reported by the scientists.

The amount of ice was figured for the inaugural time in 2001. It was measured at 14000 meters cubed higher than 4800 m. It amounted to only 13500 metres cubed in 2000 possibly due to the high temperatures with +ve temperatures as high as 4900 metres altitude. Nevertheless the ice has all but doubled up since then and now measures 23000 metres cubed.

Chamonix’s renowned near by weather forecaster Kay Gutman stated the growth in the size of the ice cap is among the contrary outcomes of global warming: Snowfall has not augmented generally in the Alps merely with the climate change we are having more hotter westerly winds that bring rain at lower altitudes however during summer this translates to significant snowfall that rests higher up than 3600 meters height thus the amount of the ice-cap is rising. Contrast this to the state of affairs during winter time when snow crystals are exceedingly cold and are moved by the wind so don’t rest on the summit.

Chamonix Mont Blanc France is not only famous for Mont Blanc it is also a world renowned ski field and climbing mecca with many ski deals and ski accommodation bargains to be found.

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To many non-specialists of literature, poetry is deeply unsatisfying. There are several reasons for this, but two in particular come to mind. The first is that most poetry is overly descriptive, leaving little to the imagination; the second is that the rest of it is abstruse. This presents the non-specialist with a dilemma: either to persevere in the thankless task of attempting to unravel an increasingly unrewarding literary crossword; or to make do with the superficialities of descriptive verse and the resultant ennui. Both projects would presumably confirm any prejudices that these readers entertained about the relevancy of poetry to their lives. In circumstances such as these, I think it would be appropriate to introduce a method of poetic appreciation, which, although unorthodox, would encourage the non-specialist to revise any negative opinion of poetry held.

The first thing that has to be drawn to the attention of these readers is the fact that it is up to them to come to an understanding of the poem. The poem is unlikely to facilitate such a response without this active participation on their part. The main thing to point out to them is that valuable time and effort would be wasted in attempting to look for the poem’s intended meaning. Rather, a more helpful course would be to encourage readers to actively engage in their own particular and personal exegetical responses to the text however idiosyncratic or perverse the results of this may appear.

It is of minor importance whether the commonly received meaning of the poem is discerned by the reader or not, as the ultimate aim of such a personal response is to enhance the enjoyment value of the work as opposed to engaging in a scholastic deciphering of its hermetic aspects. What the poem is meant to mean should not be of paramount concern for readers wishing to gain satisfaction and enjoyment from the work. On the contrary, surface meaning can sometimes be more of a disadvantage than a blessing, as in such instances the poem disallows the mind an active part in the creative process that the enjoyment of art requires.

A satisfying poem is one that enters the reader’s mind and turns the key to his or her imagination. It enables them to find meanings and emotions that hold a particular significance and relevance to their experience. A poem that fails to satisfy does the opposite: it tells you what it is about, the emotions you are to feel and the understanding you are to have.

Each reader should be permitted the fundamental privilege of formulating a meaning which would (for that reader) be the quintessence of the poem’s significance. The words and images of a poem should be looked upon as devices that the reader can solicit to paraphrase their own experiences. Such an approach to reading poetry, if widely understood and accepted, could possibly restore poetry to its status as an important and popular art form.

Jeffrey Side has had poetry published in various magazines including: T.O.P.S., The White Rose, Poetry Salzburg Review, ism, Sphinx and Homeground. And his poems have appeared on various poetry web sites such as Poethia, nthposition, Ancient Heart Magazine, Blazevox, hutt and Cybpher Anthology.

He has reviewed poetry for New Hope International, Stride Magazine, Acumen and Shearsman Magazine. From 1996 to 2000 he was the assistant editor of The Argotist magazine. He now runs The Argotist Online web site:

http://www.argotistonline.co.uk/index.html

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One thing that not a lot of people talk about during the massive hurricanes seasons that we have been experiencing is that those who ride bicycles and a cycle competitively have a tough time in hurricanes devastated regions continue in their training. For instance in Florida often after a hurricane or a large tropical storm comes through there is so much debris on the road that it is very hard to ride the bicycle at any high rates of speed or for a long distance without having problems with your rims or popping a tire.

I recently talked to one competitive cycler and he told me all the problems and said that last year alone he had already been through six rims. It is true that the 2005 Atlantic tropical hurricane season was indeed one of the worst we’ve ever had if not the words into history of recording hurricanes.

Nevertheless the 2006 Atlantic tropical hurricane season will be on its way shortly and for those who are in cycling training they will have issues. Some may wish to go to areas where there are no hurricanes in order to complete their cycling training. It is an unfortunate event when you have to leave the city that you are in just to complete the training you need to continue to stay at a competitive level.

One thing a cycler can do is to move to Denver in the summertime and training at higher altitudes and then when you come back to lower levels you will be surprised at how well your body does. Consider this 2006.

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There is something intriguing about an antique - a long-ago far away feeling - that is almost enigmatic. A sort of mystery surrounds an antique object. Who were the people who first used it; what all has the object witnessed? History lives on through antiques.

Buttons are perhaps the most popular antique collectible. Buttons date back to ancient Egypt and China. But most antique buttons are from Europe and are not more than 200 years old. In fact, the period from 1830 to 1850 has been labeled as the Golden Age of buttons. Victorian buttons are an antique collector’s delight. The black ‘jet’ buttons worn by the Queen while she was mourning the death of her husband are extremely rare and valuable.

Antique buttons with pictures engraved or painted on them are the best storytellers. They have truly captured the essence of the bygone times. Another kind of antique buttons is the ‘realistic’ buttons that are shaped like real objects. ‘Habitat’ buttons take the idea of realism a step further; they have dried plants or insects nicely sealed under glass domes.

Often made of precious material like gold, mother of pearl and ivory, and handcrafted by artists, antique buttons are priced very high. The older and more rare the buttons, the more valuable they are. An antique button can cost up to a few thousand dollars. Enthusiasts around the world collect antique buttons. Collectors’ clubs organize competitions and exhibitions for its members. Antique buttons are increasingly being exhibited on the Internet.

Antique buttons came to be preserved because they were too beautiful to be thrown away. And in present times antique buttons hold a legacy that is too precious to be thrown away.

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Rhinestone Sunglasses have became very popular this year. One of the major
reasons for this is the stars wearing them. The shine from the Rhinestones
draw a lot of attention and people really like this. Rhinestone Sunglasses
are made in different shapes and sizes and the Rhinestones are fitted on them.

Some of the most popular styles are the larger plastic ones. This seems to
be the hot trend from last year and the new year. If you are looking to
stay in style then you will want to make sure and checkout the fancy Rhinestone
styles.

Many people ask how the Wholesale Rhinestone Sunglasses are made. The
plastic styles are hand drilled the correct size for the rhinestone and then the
rhinestones are hand set in. This process can take many hours on each pair
of sunglasses depending on the amount of stones that need to be set. This
is the main reasons the rhinestone styles cost much more than a ordinary pair of
sunglasses. The wholesale price from a direct importer on rhinestone
sunglasses will run around $24 - $36 per dozen depending on the amount of stones
and also the sunglass style.

Retailers can really benefit from carrying a broad range of styles and
selection. The Rhinestone styles will really increase your sales if you
don’t carry them now. Retailers have commented on how carrying new
rhinestone styles have increased there sales. So definitely checkout the new
rhinestone styles that are out on the market.

Kirk Bachelder in the President of CTS Wholesale LLC. a direct importer of

Wholesale Rhinestone Sunglasses. CTS Wholesale carries a broad range
of Sunglasses including new Rhinestone models, sports, fashion and much more.
You can view the website at
http://www.CTSwholesalesunglasses.com

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Getting a bachelor’s or master’s degree may seem an insurmountable obstacle when you’re working a 40-hour week. But many Americans who have work, family and financial obligations that keep them from quitting their jobs to attend a traditional college or university full time have succeeded in finding a new way to meet their education goals and advance their careers.

Called distance learning, it’s an approach that’s taking the country — and especially the Internet — by storm. Dozens of accredited colleges and universities now offer online bachelor degree programs that require students to spend little or no time on campus. In most cases, you can learn to earn from the comfort of your own home.

The nation’s largest accredited private university, the University of Phoenix, is a good example of the trend toward distance learning. It offers online bachelor degree programs in business, technology, health care, education, and social and behavioural science. At the beginning of 2002, the last year for which figures are available on the Department of Education website, the University of Phoenix had more than 107,000 students enrolled in programs offered in classrooms and via the Internet through the school’s online campus.

While getting a degree from an accredited online university like the University of Phoenix can substantially boost your lifetime earning profile, online learning isn’t for everyone. Online learners do best when they’re highly motivated, are able to learn outside a traditional classroom environment, and have good computer skills and their own home computer.

If you fit this profile, here’s a basic checklist you’ll need to review before choosing an online degree program:

* Do you meet the academic requirements?

Like a traditional brick-and-mortar college, online universities have admission requirements that may vary according to your course of study. Certificate and online bachelor degree programs will require a high school diploma or GED certificate. Entrance requirements for graduate degrees will vary with the online degree program. At the University of Phoenix, for example, most graduate degree programs require a minimum of three years of related work experience and a bachelor’s degree with a 2.5 GPA or higher.

* Is the online university accredited?

Accreditation is a process that colleges and universities submit to voluntarily in order to receive their credentials. Although there are no national accrediting standards, not just any accreditation will do. The U.S. Department of Education or the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation recognizes six regional and about 80 professional accrediting associations in the United States. The University of Phoenix, for example, is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

* Have you put your own goals first?

Take some time to research your options from the point of view of your own goals. To determine which school best fits your academic profile and educational goals, first list your criteria. Then, evaluate online degree programs based on their accreditation, features, and expenses. Once you have chosen several schools to explore further, visit their websites for more information. All online universities provide free, detailed information about their degree programs and free online access to enrollment counsellors. Ask school officials questions about such things as enrollment numbers, graduation rate, faculty qualifications, and any confusing details about the application process or academic policies.

* Can you afford it?

If you’re considering an online bachelor degree, make sure you can afford the costs for tuition, books (if any), and other admin or online fees. Remember, too, that you may not have to cover the entire cost of your online education alone. At the University of Phoenix, 59% of the University’s students receive all or part of their tuition from their employer. Even if your employer won’t spring for the cost of making you a better employee through continuing education, there are still other financial options available, including federal grant and loan programs with low interest rates.

Distance learning, especially in the form of an online university, is a great way to advance your career through an online bachelor degree or even a graduate degree in your chosen field. Following these guidelines will help make your search for the right online degree a pleasant and fruitful one.

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The Training Rut

Simple Solutions, Big Impact

by Steve Throneberry

I concluded many years ago that our methods of imparting knowledge, the much maligned term training has failed us repeatedly. Even after trying to break the mold most organizations will, by default, revert back to classroom training having a sincere desire of success. Alas, it will never come. I have encountered a number of students coming to classes only for a interruption from their hectic schedules. Even the best professional trainers cannot grasp your attention for an entire day.

Virtually all instructor led events conform to the standard model; sign in, listen/watch/practice, break, and repeat till everyone is tired or the end of the manual is reached. The only question becomes what subject will be addressed today.

Online learning - once the great hope - has been passed to the back burner. I have personally spoken with hundreds of managing director level and corporate representatives about the rewards of online learning. The response is the same: twenty percent of the individuals like it, 80 percent do not. We have been pupils of the instructor-led model from kindergarten. Put differently, we have been conditioned to distinguish classrooms and consequently instructor-led training as THE training method. Our conditioned responses cannot be shifted overnight.

So where does that leave us? An annual study of how training dollars are spent can be quite revealing. Seventy percent of formal training was inside the classroom using live teachers. Five years earlier a prediction was established by numerous learning professionals that the absolute majority of all training events would become conducted online! In reality, the overall delivery percentages of how learning is delivered have moved very little over this time period. Conclusion…a new model is needed.

The New Model

As a learning professional, this statement will sound familiar, “Good class, however, a good deal of the information didn’t apply to me.” I have heard and read this statement, to the degree of it being a tendency, repeatedly. Imagine wasting away a day to pick up two or three very useful features or even worse, review something that you already knew. The question becomes, how do we provide learners with just those two or three valuable features, short of utilizing an army of mentors?

The idea of the quick reference card (QRC) has been around for many years. Particular chunks of information, specific to a requested topic, organized in an at-a-glance style document. The problem with most pre-existing QRCs is they try to include too much data, therefore yielding them hard to use and losing the moniker of QUICK.

Our Solution

Solo Learning first began experimenting with QRCs as a feasible delivery model in 2002. We were seeking for a manner to reduce hard class time and also costs associated with course materials.

The concept of capturing and supplying the most mission critical information points is at the heart of our model. It would be wonderful to know all the features of a software application, but realistically, I just really need to understand the functions I require to execute my job. Let me take you to the overview of the event-based learner - ‘when do I have time?’

Success!

We have utilized the QRC model for a variety of very high profile and successful learning cases with some of the largest businesses in the world. Remarks from attenders include ‘finest training I ever attended!’ How come? It maps back to our need as an adult learner first and foremost… what is in it for me. Short, sweet and to the point. That was everthing I really wanted to understand. That will fit into my week!

For more information about learning online, visit Sololearning.com.

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