In-Tune News You’ll Want To Use

Finger foods are something that I hold very near and dear to my heart. I love the way you can just pick them up and eat them, any time you want. For the Super bowl, I like to make pigs in a blanket for all my guests to enjoy. What makes them like them so much is the our love of fatty foods that are horrible for us. To make them I like to use the little smokiest filled with cheese. First I take the little smokiest out of the wrapper and lay them all out on the piece tin foil that I have set up to help keep the place looking nice. Go to the store and get some of your favorite crescent rolls, and some processed cheese slices, and if you really wan to impress everybody…some bacon. Then go home and let the process begin. Take your little smokiest, and wrap them up in the cheese. Be sure to cook the bacon almost all the way, then wrap up the chasse and smokier, then wrap it up in the crescent toll and bake it in the oven. All of your guests and friends will marvel at your creation for years to come. Just be careful, this could be one of those thing that you will be forced to bring to every party over then next decade. That is until they put a outlaw on delicious and fatty foods.

This is a girl problem. We have so much stuff. Let’s mention all and it will put everything in perspective. Shoes, socks, underwear, skirts, shorts, jeans, pants, coats, suits, blouses, t-shirts, hats, scarves, gloves, sunglasses, dresses, hair clips, jewelry, make up, belts, sweaters, etc, etc. Too much stuff. Were do we put it all?

It takes a lot of imagination and organizational skills, since not all of us are Jennifer Lopez or Paris Hilton that have closets the size of my apartment. What can we do?

Let’s start with the shoes. The Polaroid picture still works, really. But know with digital cameras this is really much cheaper. Put a picture on all your shoeboxes it will save you tons of time trying to find your shoes later.

Organize all your hangable clothes by clothing item and color. Black pants next to black pants, next to white pants, etc. This way when you have made up your mind to wear pants, you know exactly were they are and the color jumps right at you.

Have an underwear drawer, a bra drawer and a sock drawer, these way you only have to organize by color. Use your doors! Get some of those back hangers for doors and organize your scarves, hats and belts, they look great and you save a lot of room.

Be creative and have fun. Just realize of how much time you are going to save when you do this and how much happier you are going to be.

Great 21st birthday unique gift ideas symbolize credit of an obtained goal in life. Not only ethnic but societal as well. 21st birthday is a high point birthday celebrated extensively in the 21st century, and is considered to be one of the most important celebrations in a person’s life. Eighteen is legal by law but Twenty-one is considered a legal adult. Searching for a 21st birthday present is easy when you know the right place to look in. A life truth.

The gift presented on this day is a symbol of love, and conveys your good wishes and blessings for a bright future of the 21 year old. Gifts should be in accordance with the desires and spirit of the birthday girl or boy. Next are some gift ideas for the 21st birthday:

Gold Timepiece

If your finance permits, you can gift the birthday chico or chica a gold watch with his or her name and birthdate engraved on it.

Silver Jewelry

You can get him or her passes to their first silver jewelry magic show. It is a great gift idea, natural and more available than anything its equal.

A Sports Gift Carnival

21st birthday calls for gala and nothing can be more exciting than a sport presents birthday party. Most households are several opportunities for sports gift love.

DVD Collections and Gaming Accessories

The 21st birthday marks the commencement of early life transition and a stage of great life duties. Therefore, the gift presented on this day should be exceptional. You can use your foresight to give made to order or inspirational presents as well.

Carnival of life is great to celebrated and wise to do so. Life is to be loved and gained. It is and will always be a time of musing of what was and a instinct into what will be. The receiving friend will think fondly on the one that gives such 21st birthday present. Click Here to visit Shodega.com

Cash is kingso they say. If you work for yourself or someone else, you need to be aware of ways to improve the cash flow. Budgeting and collecting are not glamorous but they are both key to having a successful business. Working in a successful business is much more fun than working for a struggling one!

1. Stick to your budget. (If you don’t have one, make one now.) The budget is part of a business plan. You want to know exactly how much to spend on each large item you purchase and when you will have the cash to do it. Your cash flow projection coupled with your forecast will give you the proper timing for making purchases. The items you have budgeted for should also be part of the business plan.

2. Bill your clients regularly. Many business owners are so busy selling to new clients that they forget to invoice the clients they have already worked with. Put the task of billing your clients on your calendar and then stick to that schedule.

3. Get a retainer for your services before you begin the work. If you are going to be working with a client over a period of time, you will want to request some money up front before you begin to deliver the service.

4. Give a discount for early payment. You will be able to collect the money more quickly if you offer a discount for prompt payment.

5. Accept a credit card for payment. Although you have to pay the credit card company for this service, having the convenience of a credit card allows the client to pay immediately. Collection is now the problem of the credit card company.

6. Use your own credit card to finance purchases but do it cautiously. If the interest rate is low and you can pay the credit card company back relatively quickly, credit cards are often a good way to even out your cash flow.

7. Establish a line of credit with a bank. This is relatively easy to do so long as you have good credit and it gives you a cushion of cash when things are tight. Sometimes the bank will offer a really good rate to encourage you to become their customer for other banking services.

8. Put the cash that you have on hand in an interest bearing account. No reason to have cash sitting in an account that doesn’t accrue much interest. As cash grows consider money market accounts, CDs and savings accounts.

9. Pay your outstanding bills judiciously. Notice which vendors are willing to wait for payment and which will charge you interest if you are late. Schedule payment to maximize the cash in your account.

10. Consider getting an expert to watch your cash flow. Have someone (financial advisor, accountant, bookkeeper) available to run financial reports each month so you know exactly where you stand in your business.

Alvah Parker is a Business and Career Coach as well as publisher of Parker’s Points, an email tip list and Road to Success, an ezine. Parker’s Value Program© enables her clients to find their own way to work that is more fulfilling and profitable. Her clients are managers, business owners, sole practioners, attorneys and people in transition. Alvah is found on the web at http://www.asparker.com. She may also be reached at 781-598-0388.

It used to be called “mid-life crisis” - and haven’t all of us
joked about it - a turmoil and discomfort that literally turns
life upside down.

Nowadays this syndrome is being recognized as “work place
burnout” and it is becoming more widespread and is affecting men
and women alike throughout the entire workforce. Work place
burnout has been pinned as the main cause of reduced morale and
absenteeism.

WHO IS AFFECTED?

You may be experiencing the symptoms of work place burnout even
if you are as young as 30 years of age, though most people
affected are in their early 40’s.

Some people experience a sudden grief and loss, while others
perceive that something is changing but it may take several
years to manifest.

Are you feeling a lack of personal achievement and satisfaction
at work? This is one of the early warning signs. Is going to
work a time-consuming drudgery and work itself a day-long bore?
Do frustration levels increase exponentially as you grapple with
life issues - which could show that you are not in control? If
so, you’re not alone. You’re on the downhill slide to work place
burnout.

Don’t expect your spouse or boss to understand what you are
going through, as workplace burnout is extremely personal in
nature - you’re having the crisis, not them! You may be led to
blame your spouse or boss for the way you’re feeling, as they
seem to be the closest source of your pain and angst.

However if your condition is true work place burnout then you
will need professional help to shift your perceptions into a
more realistic balance.

There are emotional and physical symptoms associated with what
you are going through.

EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS

The emotional symptoms usually show up as the first sign that
you are burnt out. You may often feel an unrelenting stress,
lack enthusiasm, have a sense of loss of control as well as
experience an unexplainable grief.

You may want to blame those around you for the way you feel, but
this rarely resolves the inner turmoil that you are
experiencing.

In severe cases of work place burnout people experience thoughts
of suicide, and even in mild cases the thought of total
detachment through this means may seem to be a way out.

Many people who experience the emotional symptoms often show up
at the doctor seeking help with a loss of spark in their
personality. “Nothing I do is worth it anymore,” they say.

This feeling often results in a loss of productivity and
creativity. It also fuels negativity and cynicism, with a
quickness to get angry and blame others. Over time you may find
solace in detaching yourself from others, however this rarely
resolves the issue.

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS

Work place burnout also affects your body. The feeling of “never
being able to do enough” may drive you to work extensively long
hours in an effort to catch up.

You may be losing sleep over your sense of failure to achieve
anything meaningful, which in turn leads to physical exhaustion.

Physical exhaustion may take the form of headaches, physical
shaking from head to foot, inability to think clearly and being
unable to relax.

Physical exhaustion also causes you to lose your natural
communication ability, so communication between your spouse and
children, your boss or co-workers may sometimes become
explosive.

There is also the possibility of experiencing gastrointestinal
problems as your body is unable to cope with extensively long
hours of work.

IS THERE A SOLUTION?

People experiencing work place burnout need to take time out of
their busy lives to confront the underlying issues that are
causing them stress. There is no easy fix - and the solution
that you arrive at is most likely going to place you on a
different life course than the one you have been traveling.

One method of finding the root cause of your uneasiness is to
use a notepad and start writing out your thoughts. The thoughts,
impressions and images that are filling your mind can be
captured and you will be able to identify a pattern, which in
turn you may be able to address.

A further use of your notepad is to go into a deeper realm of
writing to discover the thoughts and impressions that are
flooding your spirit. In a quiet environment spend at least one
hour with your eyes closed and write down the thoughts that come
to you. As you perform this activity, your thoughts should
change from first person to third person as your focus shifts
from your head to your inner being. It’s as if you can hear
someone else talking to you and giving you direction and
counsel.

A visit to your local General Practitioner may also help you
cope with the effects on your body due to workplace burnout.
Prescription medication may be given to assist you to relax and
get your body rested again, while you sort through the
underlying issues. You may be prescribed relaxants or sleeping
aides. You may also be referred to a gastroenterologist if the
need exists.

Finally, the most efficient way of resolving work place burnout
is to rely on the services of a professional counselor. A
trained counselor can travel this journey with you. Their
assistance can help make the hard decisions become easy as you
work through the process of resolving the cause of your work
place burnout, so that you can be on track for a happy and
healthy life once again.

We teach our pets the meaning of the word. We quickly learned
its meaning as toddlers when we reached for mommy or daddy’s car
keys. Even an anti-drug campaign was built around the word. Yet,
now that we’re older, wiser and more responsible, the word
struggles to break free from our own lips when we need to use it
the most. That word? “No”.

Just saying “no” is essential in dealing with, managing, and
even preventing stress. Knowing your limitations can prevent you
from digging yourself into holes when you realize you can’t live
up to the commitment you took on.

It’s funny, when we were children, no diplomacy was required.
Little Joey would decide that our favorite toy was to become
communal property, without our prior notification. When he
grabbed for our precious play-thing, “no” just seemed to flow
from our lips, and if that didn’t do it, we added about 5 more
no’s . How easy it was back then.

Of course, just saying “no” (and nothing else) to your boss is
not wise when they drop one more project on your desk — adding
to the 5 they’ve already given you. Just saying “no” can be
mistaken as subordination. More diplomacy is required!

But, there’s a point when we can only take on so much. In order
to prevent stress, we have to know our limitations.

What if my performance on the job, reputation amongst co-workers
and friends is unfairly based on one instance of “just saying
no”? ============================ If you are known for being a
responsible and reliable person, people tend to take you more
seriously when you just can’t do something for them. Your
reputation of integrity and reliability won’t disappear in a
“poof” of smoke if you say no to one request.

One thing I never hesitate to do is let people know the exact
reasons why I have to turn down a request — essential when
refusing a request from people over you in authority.

Doesn’t the pile of work in my in-box say I can’t take another
assignment? ============================ Having a desk with
piles of work doesn’t say you’re busy - it just says you’re
unorganized or possibly inefficient - and that you need time
management and organization help!

Think of yourself as a manufacturing plant
============================ Treat your schedule as importantly
as the job schedule in a manufacturing plant. A plant production
manager always knows what needs to get done, what’s been
accomplished and would never increase production if the workers
can’t keep up with the workflow. It would look bad on their
ability to manage the workers, the employees would get
disgruntled and the inability to fulfill orders would erode the
company’s integrity and reputation.

One idea to clue others in to your current work load is to keep
a very visible dry marker board near your desk or in your
office. Use it to write down the tasks or projects you’re
working on. Check off the items completed and leave the one’s
yet to be finished on the board until you’ve done them. Add new
requests to the board as they come in. A visible check-list will
keep you from procrastinating on simple tasks — acting as a
constant reminder. And, you might deter someone from giving you
another project if it’s obvious you’ve already got more than you
can handle.

Pass the buck when the buck needs passing
============================ If your task and assignment list is
built from internal office assignments and a new request comes
in from your supervisor, use their authority to your favor.
Allow them to adjust your priority list for you. Allow them to
bump a project or move back it’s deadline. If necessary, allow
your supervisor to take responsibility for promises you can’t
keep to others (if they are the reason that you can’t). If you
do that — it is very important that others are notified of the
schedule or deadline changes and that the changes were made by
those in authority over you. This will relieve you of
unnecessary pressure and stress. Is this passing the buck? If
you were in a car accident that was clearly not your fault,
knowing all of the implications that go along with
responsibility, would you take the blame for it? Probably not.
The same should hold true for less complicated situations.

Put yourself in their shoes ============================ What if
you ordered a product as a holiday gift — if it didn’t arrive
in time because the company couldn’t meet the demand of orders,
wouldn’t you rather them be upfront and honest and tell you no
– that they can’t delivery the gift in time? Think about how
upset you would be! Think about how upset others would be if you
took on more than you can handle and didn’t have the time or
energy to fulfil the request.

Maybe that anti-drug campaign slogan “Just Say No” should get a
new face for the 21st century. Instead of bumper stickers, maybe
it should be printed on coffee mugs or flash as screen savers.
And if we find ourselves still struggling to say no when we’ve
already maxed out our to-do list, maybe we can just add it to
the to-do list as priority number one.

Our House Hunting Experiences in Andalucia Southern Spain

Montefrio, Granada Province We fell in love with a property in
Montefrio Granada. We checked by phone if it was still for sale,
flew out two days later only to find it had been sold six months
earlier! The company was www.propertynetworkspain.com … it is
hard to find an excuse for their trying to mislead us into
traveling halfway across europe for a house that had been sold
six months previously, fortunately I had found
www.parapandaproperties.com in the same town who advised me that
they thought the property was no longer on the market. The only
thing saving Property Network Spain is that properties in Spain
are often advertised by a number of different agents and there
is a chance they did not know that this property in Montefrio
had been sold for six months! They do have an office in this
small town but it is possible that they were not aware … The
www.parapandaproperties.com agent Alan Russell said that they
had a house Casa Pipi for sale in Montefrio and they sent me the
details. It looked wonderful, rustic beams, garden, pretty
shuttered windows, wonderful views so we flew out. Alan kindly
met us at Malaga airport (quite a trek from Montefrio …full
marks to this pleasant Scotsman) he drove us through
increasingly barren yet beautiful Andalucian countryside. It was
September ‘03 and there had been no rain since April … We
arrived nearly two hours later in Montefrio, a very beautiful
town, with a castle on the hill towering above the white pueblo
and a magnificent round church in the town centre, which is one
of the most serene and atmospheric buildings I have had the
pleasure to stand in. After a tostada and coffee Alan drove us
to our latest Andalucian dream house … Casa Pipi. Which in
reality was a ramshackle hovel, the journey to the house was a
series of seriously steep switchback bends. If anyone had been
coming in the other direction reversing back would have been
difficult for either party. We entered the house, there was a
pipe sticking out of the floor, we were assured it was a
temporary problem and that the mains water pipe would be buried
out of sight very soon! No problemo! There were two gypsy women
Mother and daughter, attempting to do their washing in the
kitchen (the owners!). The machine was in the middle of the
floor washing and clothes everywhere, this perhaps explained the
pipe sticking up by the front door! We had requested to be
allowed to stay in the house for a few days to get a feel for
the place. We were to pay a small rent if we did not buy else
the stay was to be free. Despite numerous phone calls and
assurances this had been agreed and sorted with the owners the
presence of the two gypsies and their washing told us we were
not really expected. I was already getting shivers down my spine
telling me to get out fast … I’ve heard about houses giving
off vibes I was feeling them for real and it wasn’t pleasant …
but before I could run to the front door we were taken to the
beautiful landscaped and fenced garden. The agent had been
specifically asked if this area was fenced and suitable for
three border collies! The neighbours wall was about to collapse
into the garden which was no more than an unfenced building
site. The steps into the outdoor building site space/garden were
crumbling and very unsafe. Figs were dropping and rotting in
huge piles all over the so called patio, all I could hear was a
previously very quiet inner voice shouting GET OUT OF HERE!
There was a family listening to a stereo (full blast!) in the
street which was right outside the pretty shuttered bedroom
window. The chestnut beams on the internet pictures were bent
and cracked, I learnt what rustic meant from this house! The
view was only good if you leaned out of one particular window.
The area was impoverished and very untidy. Accessible by trained
rally drivers only in 4×4 vehicles! We left, fast .. a angry
looking four year old boy in a Barcelona football shirt gave me
a drop dead look as we left, very disconcerting from such a
small child, I hope we never meet again when he’s older! We went
back to the Parapanda Properties shop, Alan found us an
excellent apartment to stay in and drove us there with our bags.
We did eventually find a dream property in Montefrio. After the
let down in the (corra) gypsy area of town, We decided the town
wasn’t for us and we decided to view some country properties.
The first was down a track through the local rubbish dump ( not
a good start )and it got worse, the track twisting up and down
boulder strewn it was an amazing experience. The house was
isolated and being worked on by a team of builders. The price
had gone up considerably from that advertised in the agents shop
as renovations had started. I did like the isolation but Jane
wasn’t having any of it. Looking back this was a wise decision!
Next we were taken to another larger cortijo with a well fenced
garden of about 2000sq meters, there was a fig tree, lots of
unpruned olives and a water well. The house needed a new roof
(not urgently) but a bathroom extension had not been built
properly and was moving away from the house. This needed
demolishing and rebuilding. There were a few disconcerting
cracks in walls but Paco (the builder) assured us these were ‘no
problemo’ so we put down a 2% deposit before we left. The owner
of the cortijo was an elderly lady and her son Gregorio was
selling it for her. The title deed (Yes there was one!!) also
had about 60,000sqm of land on it but they only wanted to sell
the house and the 2,000sqm in the ‘compound’ as we called it, as
the barbed wire top fence had a Stalag 19 feel about it. So they
we going to apply to the town hall for a legal segregation. Our
lawyer said ‘no problemo’, Paco said ‘no problemo’ Alan the
estate agent said ‘no problemo’ The Montefrio Ayuntamiento (Town
Hall) Architect said ‘mucho problemo’ then ‘no problemo’ (we
celebrated) .. then two days later ‘mucho problemo’ and after a
roller coaster ride for over two months we pulled out after
segregation was not granted. Our cheque for 2% was never cashed.
the estate agent being honest but a little naive about dealing
with town hall architects and what is and isn’t irrigated land.
(a well does not an irrigation system maketh … pipes and pumps
are also needed!) He did drive us from Malaga airport to
Montefrio and back! Quite a trek! He was also very pleasant to
deal with via e-mail. On the downside Casa Pipi did not live up
to his description. Numerous phone calls had assured us we could
stay there during our visit. The gypsy women and their washing
told us this request had not been relayed to the owners as we
were told it had been. The segregation problem on the cortijo
was always ‘no problemo’ because it was irrigated land. It
clearly wasn’t irrigated. So we have mixed feelings about
Montefrio and the agents there. It is a long way from the coast,
it is very beautiful, but not a lot to do there … 5/10? So ..
back to the searching the internet … dreams shattered, minus
airfare, accommodation costs and living expenses for the
Montefrio trip.

Almeria Trip - Costa Tropical ( Albuol - Sorviln - La Rbita -
La Mamola - Castel de Ferro ) - Ronda ( Rio Guadiaro, Cortes de
La Frontera - Estacin de Cortes - Jimera de Libar - Benaojn -
Rio Genal, Benarrab ) So it was back to the internet, armed
with a little more knowledge about estate agents descriptions
and how a well chosen camera angle can turn a pit into a palace,
we searched Andalucia from village to village! We could now look
at the photographs on the internet and having seen the type of
housing stock in Andalucian towns and villages we had a far
better idea about the quality and type of house that was being
presented. (We thought?) We decided we needed to be nearer the
coast but our budget of £70,000 meant we were priced out of the
Costa del Sol. We were now looking for either a large house with
two entrances or two smaller properties, as we had decided we
needed an income and renting part or a whole property on a self
catering basis seemed the answer. I had recently read ‘Sierras
of the South’ by Alastair Boyd and the area around Ronda
fascinated me, it seemed ideal. A few searches found a number of
sites and we saw a property in the Genal Valley village of
Benarrab that fitted the bill. A large village house with two
separate entrances, it needed a bit work … but was priced in
our budget. The views were fantastic (on the internet … surely
they would be in real life!) We also scoured the coastline for
cheap property. we thought about Almeria. Almeria is quite cheap
but very barren, the coastal properties are lower priced than
the Costa del Sol but the value has gone. The area is covered in
hundreds of square miles of ugly DIY polythene greenhouses, this
is very unsightly. They stretch down the coast as far as Castel
de Ferro. We have also seen a few between Malaga and
Velez-Malaga but not on the same scale as in Almeria / Costa
Tropical.

We found some sites for the Costa Tropical, a quite under
developed coast between Adra to Motril, neither of these large
towns had anything that would appeal to us. Adra is a port, not
very pretty! Motril has some good beaches but is a large town
and its closeness to Granada means prices are quite high. The
coastline in between is quite pretty La Rabita and La Mamola
(esp) are both lovely places. We searched the internet night
after night and found a number of interesting possibilities.
There was a beautifully tiled house in Albunol for £42,000 and
another for £32,000 we could just about afford to buy both.Then
there was a house in the coastal town of La Rabita for around
£65,000 that had 3 entrances and three kitchens and three
bathrooms an obvious source of income. Live in the biggest part
and rent out the other two! My favourite was a country house
with a bit of land great views to the Mediterranean near
Sorviln it had a huge chimney in the kitchen/living room and a
bread oven on the patio. It was about £63,000 I liked the idea
of self sufficiency and of the Good Life which we could have. It
looked wonderful. We had seen another site in the area with some
very cheap properties. It was to good to be true so we changed
our plans. Benarrab was put on the reserve list and the Costa
Tropical became the main area of interest. Although I did
contact agents in Coin, Yunquera and Antequerra about some very
interesting properties. Yunquera was a serious contender for
quite a time. The tale will continue but after we have to moved
to Spain.

More to come …. author Geoff Forster

http://www.property-in-the-sun.com lots of photos and blog -
self catering apartment for rent in mountain village Analucia
Spain