Tuesday, April 26, 2011

OH, The Confusion Of It All

         It has recently been written (I am not sure I believe it or want to see it) that persons born today could live to be 115 or more!  THAT is a lot of birthdays.  Although I’m not yet fully vested in the possibility of people ‘running’ around (probably a poor use of the word ‘running’) at 100 + years old, I am totally in agreement that healthy living should be a family endeavor.  After all wouldn’t the best-case scenario be that grandparents, their children and their grandkids have a long and healthy existence.

      The shear enormity of a discussion surrounding the possibility of more great grandchildren interacting with their parents, grand-parents and healthy great-grandparents in the not so distance future is definitely a "pause for thought" moment…
      Why the obsession with youth and aging anyway? Obviously no one wants to feel old or look crinkly and wrinkled, but older does bring wiser, and sharing that with the young upstarts brings its own rewards.
So, what exactly would the achievement be if there was everlasting youth? See my point?  Let’s learn to like and accept what we have to work with, and in the scheme of healthy living, let’s work less hard at trying to stop the aging process (it’s never really going to stand still) and work harder at enjoying the people we care about; i.e., family and friends in the time afforded us!  The important thing is, no matter what your age, take action now.
       It’s my hope that through this column I can bring attention to that which encourages and advocates good health to all persons of all ages and that families create good living plans that promote health and wellness attitudes that prevail in each and every day.  It’s important to point out that there is no specific formula for "good living" and that each family can design their own unique plan.
       Seriously, exercise to one person could mean dragging a fully loaded diaper-baby bag around all day.  We’ve all seen these bags; they hold items for every emergency, most times larger than the mother carrying it. Someone else gets their daily calorie reduction by bench-pressing 500+ lbs; and yet another may opt for 5 minutes or less of "chair dancing".
      Eating well could mean Vegan food to one, someone else swears that pre-packaged, portioned controlled meals fit the bill and yet another would take eating well to mean a gourmet feast with all the fixins!

      Oh the confusion of it all!  In an effort to help you capture and design your own good living plan, we’ll visit much of the above at one time or another. Comments, opinions and suggestions are always welcome.

posted by Sara-Lynn Reynolds
Home Instead Senior Care

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Systems and Routines

      School vacation week is almost over, and if you are anything like me, you are anxious to get back into your routine.
      Don't get me wrong. There is nothing more important and enjoyable to me than having the kids around and slowing down to spend more time with them. We had lots of fun activities planned for this week and also a lot of down time to relax and unwind.
      But I am ready to get back to normal life with our routines and systems that allow my family to function. Did you know that most disorganization stems from transitions and broken routines? Think about a time when you felt organized and in control. Most likely, you had set routines and systems that allowed you to complete daily tasks (like processing mail, cooking and doing laundry) while adjusting to the unpredictable (like sick kids and unexpected visitors).
       Now think about a time when your life was in transition. Have you ever moved? Started a new job? Gotten married? These are all times when our systems change and we need to create new ones or adapt our existing systems to accommodate our new needs.
       In order to feel organized and in control, we need to create systems and routines that allow us to function seamlessly. In her book, Organizing from the Inside Out, Julie Morgenstern offers the following definition of being organized:
  • "Organizing is the process by which we create environments that enable us to live, work and relax exactly as we want to. When we are organized, our homes, offices and schedules reflect and encourage who we are, what we want, and where we are going."
     I love this definition because it reiterates that organizing has a lot less to do with how a space looks than how it functions. What are some systems that are working for you now and which ones might need a little tweaking? I would love to hear your feedback!

Sincerely,
Tamara
Tamara Myles Consulting
ph: 508-837-4112
http://www.tmylesconsulting.com/

Author:
The Hierarchy of Personal Productivity™ (HoPP™) System

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Web Copy Redux

Posted by Frances Fahey of Fran's Fine Editing.

picture of a URL


Got some helpful feedback on my web post, WWW.What the Heck? (link) , which attempts to talk about what makes good copy for your website.


One person asked: How about some examples of good and bad web copy, Fran? 
OK—can do!

It just so happens that a few months ago, I made a presentation to another group on the same topic. Here are the two websites I used as my examples, with the URLs and other identifiers of the guilty held back (in case they are your first cousins). I’ll just share the first two paragraphs from their respective home pages. Take a look at them and compare each to my points about being brief, using informal language, and getting to the heart of what your client cares about.


Both websites are for companies doing home inspections. This one I don’t like—it uses we/you point of view, but it’s mostly about the company, not the client. On the site itself, you can’t even find this text until you’ve “paged down” twice past too many uninformative stock photos:

[name of company] provides comprehensive narrative home inspection reports on single family residences, multi-unit apartment buildings and commercial buildings. Our home inspection report findings are in compliance with [name of state’s organization]  [acronym] Real Estate Inspectors Association) Standards of Practice.

Your understanding of the home inspection findings is critical to our goal of providing the best customer service available. We encourage you to accompany the home inspector through the home inspection process to receive a complete consultation and valuable orientation to the home, property and its systems.


This one I like a lot better. You see this text the minute you open their home page. Same word count, has all the necessary keywords, makes similar points—but who would you rather hire?

[name of company] offers a one-stop shopping solution for your [name of city] home inspection needs. With us you can get a whole house inspection, termite, radon and any number of other services all from the same company!

It is a stressful time when you buy or sell a home. Knowing that you have had a fair, honest competent whole house inspection by an experienced independent third party inspector helps reduce the risk and makes the entire experience a happier one.
And here's something fun you can do with your own website, recommended to me recently by a client of mine. Evaluate the SEO of your site for free using websitegrader.com from HubSpot. The part I thought was really cool is Readability Level. This may vary based upon the clients you want to attract, but aim for the simplest level you can. My website? "Primary/secondary school" level.

Finally, if you are in the mood for reading more stuff, here's an article by Grace Smith that talks more about web design and the importance of good content. See #4 about content and #5 about clutter:

http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/technology/article/top-5-web-design-mistakes-small-businesses-make-grace-smith

 

Best of luck with your own website!

 

Fran Fahey,
Fran's Fine Editing

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Save or Splurge ?

post submitted by Sira D'Arpino - City Chic Consultants

       With Spring kicking in to high gear, everyone is asking me, “What should I spend money on for my wardrobe? What clothing is considered an investment, and what pieces should I just buy on sale or at a discount store?”

       My advice is to splurge on basics, and save on trends. Basics should be timeless, lasting a while because they are of good quality, and have a long shelf life in your closet.

 Here are some examples:

Splurge on:

Suits:      as you know from our Ten Ways to Suit Up blog, a suit can take you a long way and provide endless options.
So you want to get a really good one and have it tailored to fit

Shoes: I always recommend people buy good shoes. There is no need to suffer for style, and there is nothing fashionable about blisters!

Jeans:A good pair of jeans (now, before you disagree, think of how often you wear jeans! If you look and feel good in a pair of jeans, you will wear them all the time. So it needs to be high quality to wear well, and the cost-per-use will average out to your benefit.)  













Save on:
Seasonal clothing: Most seasonal clothing can be found at amazing prices after the season is done, so it makes sense to shop around for next season and find a classic shape.

Trends and fads: Here today, gone tomorrow fashion trends should not cost an arm and a leg!
Accessories, especially costume jewelry: There is nothing like finding that fun, funky necklace on the sale display or getting those cute hoop earrings at the BOGO sale. Don’t spend a lot on accessories and trendy jewelry–save your money for diamonds, ladies!
 

Sira D'Arpino
City Chic Consultants
citychicri@yahoo.com
401.525.1494



Saturday, April 16, 2011

Add some Spring indoors

Submission by Dotty Wyman - Dotty Wyman Designs

Spring is here...sort of.  I know it isn't that warm out, but we are all itching to do a little something with our homes to spruce them up from the long cold winter.  Outside you can see the plants sprouting and the trees budding.  There are lots of ways you can bring this new growth into your homes and make it feel refreshed.

 One option is to bring budding branches into your home.  Branches have a much different look than a vase of flowers and they will usually last longer. Branches have a variety of shapes.  They can be long and straight or others are crooked with lots of little branches attached.  Long branches can be arranged in floor vases to make a dramatic impact in your foyer. Or a large arrangement can be placed on a dining room table to add a more organic look. These branches work well in any home, but they are especially suited for contemporary and transitional interior designs that are currently so popular.





Branches are available to everyone.  Your local florist can provide them or you can cut them yourself.  For example, Forsythia is a bush or hedge and is native to New England.  Most of the year it is green, but in the spring it produces thousands of small yellow flowers.  They grow very quickly, so there is no worry of cutting off to many branches.  When I was a kid, every spring my mother would bring in large bunches of Forsythia, Pussy Willows, apple blossoms and some times Dogwood branches throughout the season.  She would cut them prior to the buds opening, put them in water and wait.  Once the branches were warm inside the house, the buds would start to bloom.  She called it forcing the blooms.  The florist has access to more specific looks that may not be available in your yard.  
  
The wall sconces pictured are a great option if you want to change their look every few months.



Natural elements are easy ways to enhance the look of your home.  I don't have much of a green thumb, so these types of arrangements are right up my alley. 
Dotty Wyman
Dotty Wyman Designs
info@dottywymandesigns.com  

Monday, April 11, 2011

Do you own your website? (Part 4 - website hosting)

Submission by Robin Clapp - Web Design by Robin

This is part 4 of the series "Do you own your website?".  Today you will learn what website hosting is and how to purchase it.

I will ask a new client to perform two tasks when they hire me to design their website.
1) Pick and purchase a domain name for their website, which I covered in another blog article.
2) Purchase a hosting plan, which is the main focus of this blog article.  I will start by explaining what a website host is.

How does an internet browser know where a website lives?

Website Rendering

It begins with registering your domain name with the whois database.  All domains are registered here.  This is how they know which ones are available and which ones are not.  The whois database record that contains the domain name also contains the address of where the website lives.  This address is normally that of a computer server that has access to the world wide web 99.9% of the time.  You want as little downtime as possible, right?

When you pay for your hosting plan you are paying for your website to be hosted on a server - giving it an address.  Once you know your server and website address it can be recorded in your domain name record and VOILA the connection is made and your website can be found.

Not all hosting plans are the same.

I specialize in content management websites, specifically in an application called Joomla.  The hosting plan needs to support the tool set I use. Not all hosting plans are the same. Godaddy hosting plans are a great fit for Joomla websites and are reasonably priced.  This is why I recommend their economy hosting plan to my clients.

Website Ownership
By completing steps 1 and 2, listed above, you have claimed ownership of both your domain name and hosting plan.  Now my favorite part begins, CREATING A REALLY COOL WEBSITE FOR YOU!

Robin Clapp
Web Design by Robin
Bringing Your Website to Life
Robin@Web-Design-By-Robin.com
508-622-1464

Friday, April 8, 2011

Shag Carpeting is Back!

submitted by Dotty Wyman - Dotty Wyman Designs     

 Shag carpeting is back and of course with a new twist.  It's not the same shag I grew up with in the 70's, with all the bright colors and long strands.  Today's shags have lots of lush texture, a thicker pile and the strands are a little shorter.  The colors are more neutral and multi-colored for today's homes.  I was surprised to see how many options and price points that were available as well. 
     Shag carpeting has a cut pile, the yarns are slightly twisted, with a much less twist than the frieze. The individual yarn strands are longer and spaced further apart.  The shag gives a "grass type look" because the strands lay in a different directions.
             A client of mine is redecorating her family room.  We are changing the paint color, selecting fabrics for window treatments and pillows, and purchasing a new carpet.  This large family room has beautiful oak hardwood  floors, but we wanted to create a fun casual and comfortable feeling.  The shag rug is a great solution.  We plan to treat the shag carpet as an area rug.  It will be cut to size and bound around the edges.  The thick plush shag will stand out against the hardwood creating tremendous impact for the room.  I really like using the shag carpet as an area rug.  It keeps the rug from overwhelming the room and it keeps things looking fresh.

A few tidbits I learned at the carpet store;  Shag carpeting is easily seamed without needing to match a pattern.  This allows for very little waste and a cost savings to the consumer.  The seams are undectible creating an even more beautiful rug.

Please send along any comments I would like to hear from you.

Dotty
Dotty Wyman Designs
508.219.4739
www.dottywymandesigns.com/

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Singin' the Email Blues

Submitted by Frances Fahey of Fran's Fine Editing.


       Please allow me a few moments to rant about proper email usage. I have written in the past about it, but apparently nobody read my emails.
       I have burrowed into my (admittedly disorganized, non-foldered) email list in the past to try to find a particular one, only to see that it didn't have a subject line, which is why I couldn't find it, or it doesn't have the person's current phone number on it, so I have to go elsewhere to find him, and then I find that another email didn't answer all of my questions, so I have to email her again.
         Not that I haven't been guilty of hitting the "send" button too soon, before double-checking that the attachment was there. At least it doesn't happen as often now as it did when I first started sending them as attachments 25 years ago (oops, did I just tell you my age? Please disregard).
       Val Nelson is a good writer, a good coach, and a good mentor from one of my women's groups.  Take her "E-tiquette Quiz" on email usage and tell me how you do. While you are there, read some of her other helpful tips on blogging and email marketing, too.

Frances Fahey
Fran's Fine Editing
 (413) 529-1189    
"I'll keep you composed"