Safe and Effective Oven Cleaners

Cleaning the oven is one of the most difficult household chores to accomplish. Many people avoid the task because they do not want to deal with harsh chemical cleaning solutions. Many of the traditional oven cleaners release toxic fumes into the air during the cleaning process. These fumes are harmful to people, pets and the environment. Some oven cleaners are so toxic that people must open up the windows of their home and wear a protective mask in order to protect their health.

Non Toxic Oven Cleaners

People who do not want to use chemical cleaners can select one of the environmentally friendly oven cleaners that are available or concoct their own all-natural cleaning solution. There are several non-toxic oven cleaners that can remove baked on food, grease and grime. These fume free products are perfect for people who are concerned about their health and the environment.

All Natural Cleaning Solution

Baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar are all great all-natural cleaning products. When baking soda is mixed with water, lemon juice or vinegar it becomes a fantastic non-abrasive grease remover. People may have to spend more time scrubbing when cleaning with a baking soda solution but they do not have to worry about toxic fumes.

Oven Cleaning Tips

Whether people are using non-toxic spray products or all-natural oven cleaners, they need to leave the cleaning agent inside of the stove overnight. Although some products are designed to loosen and remove grease in as little as two hours, leaving the cleaning solution on overnight is the best way to deep clean an oven. Some areas of the stove may require plenty of scrubbing action or a second treatment session.

Cleaning the glass window on an oven door is a bit more challenging because people need to be careful that the cleaning solution does not leak in between the two glass panels. If baking soda gets in between the glass, it can leave unsightly white streaks. When using a baking soda mixture to clean the glass window people should carefully apply a small amount of the solution to the area and use a damp towel to remove dirt rather than rinsing with a wet sponge or a spray bottle. The oven door should be opened to a completely flat position to prevent any liquid from leaking in between the glass panels.

Stove Top Cleaning

Stove cleaning is usually an easier process than cleaning the inside of an oven. There is a variety of excellent stove cleaning products on the market and in most cases; a mixture of baking soda and water is enough to remove grease and grime. People can keep the burners of their stove cleaner in between cleanings by placing tinfoil underneath each of the burners.

Non toxic oven cleaners can be purchased at hardware stores or online. Shoppers can find great deals on environmentally friendly products on the Internet. People can find all of the ingredients they need for all-natural oven cleaners at their local grocery store.

Chinese Wedding Speech - The Grand Tradition

The Chinese are very traditional when it comes to weddings. The tradition goes beyond the ceremony itself. That is why the Chinese wedding speech is a very important part of the reception. It is done by a hired emcee (master of ceremonies) that will officiate the whole reception.

Chinese Wedding Speech: All About Tradition

The traditional speech at a wedding in China starts out just like our similar speeches. At first, emcee introduces himself and welcomes all who join the joyous occasion. Then he would congratulate the bride and groom for finding each other, and wish them good luck for their journey together. After this, he will then ask each of the important people in the couple's life to say a few words for the bride and groom.

After the bridesmaids, best man and the parents of each of the couple, the emcee will ask the bride and groom to say a few words. After this, he will go to the official cutting of the cake where the bride and groom would feed each other and their parents as well. This will show solidarity among the families, and will give them a symbolic chance to unite just like their children.

A wedding speech is one of Chinese traditions, and how the husband and wife should treat each other during their marriage. The parents of the bride and groom are usually the ones who give advice about family life, and how the couple should treat each other as they continue on their journey as a married couple.

The traditional wedding color in China is red as opposed to the western tradition's white color. It symbolizes peace and prosperity for the couple and for their families as well. The Chinese, more often than not, include something about tradition in their speeches at weddings. This is to remind the newlyweds about how important is this to the Chinese culture.

The Chinese Wedding Speech: A Window to the Eastern Soul

A Chinese wedding is one of the many ways through which tradition is given importance. That is why, it is imperative for the Chinese to instill the value of tradition in their wedding speeches. The Chinese do this to pass on the great knowledge, which their ancestors have given them from generation to generation.

Therefore, if you are invited to a Chinese wedding, then be sure that you know their traditions and how to conduct yourself during the occasion itself. It is done because you do not end up embarrassing the couple and yourself in front of the whole crowd.

The Chinese wedding speech not only shows you how important is the tradition to them, but also how they show their love through their spoken words in the speech.

If you listen to it very closely, you would not find many differences between the western and eastern wedding speeches. Both cultures take it as an opportunity to express their love and affection for the couple. It shows that love goes beyond nationality and tradition.

Thank you for the time you spent with me reading this article about Chinese wedding speech! I'd also love to meet you on my blog to have a chance to tell you more about wedding speeches - actually you could start by browsing the category page for wedding speeches examples right away - you will want to share it with others.

Five Things Most Likely to Ruin Your Wedding

The perfect day: brides-to-be use this expression a lot. The perfect couple looking for the perfect wedding on the perfect day. Most of the time we're happy to settle for a little bit of imperfection - a scratch here, a stain there, a ladder in our tights held in place by a dab of nail varnish. But come The Big Day, when you and your betrothed walk up the aisle, nothing but perfection will do!

The problem, of course, is that imperfection has a way of sticking its oar in. Weddings go wrong all the time. No one knows this better than Dave Simms, the man at specialist wedding insurer Ecclesiastical, who's responsible for insuring thousands of weddings every year. As the company's head of wedding insurance, it's Dave's job to understand where the greatest risks to any wedding lie and help couples deal with them - ideally before they have to make a claim.

Over the last 10 years, Dave has become quite an expert at spotting which things are most likely to turn pear-shaped. Based on the claims they get from the couples they insure, there are five big things that can go wrong. Some you can guess quite easily, others are a bit more left field. The key is to know what they are and take what precautions you can. Having a plan B is also a big help.

Here are the top five things that could turn your meticulously planned wedding into a bad episode of EastEnders...

From hotel to no-tel
Ever since the law was changed to allow all sorts of venues to have marriage licences, picking the venue for your wedding and subsequent celebrations has become a tough choice. Now, the local church has to compete with hotels, stately homes, castles, ships and tourist attractions. But the wider the choice of wedding venues, the greater the potential to hit trouble.

Churches don't go bankrupt but hotels and other venues can, leaving brides and grooms in the lurch. A wedding isn't a wedding if there's nowhere to hold it. Similarly, wedding venues can suffer all kinds of problems in the run up to your Big Day: flooding, roof damage, outbreaks of food poisoning. All these things are totally out of the happy couple's control but can wreck a wedding in one fell swoop.

Catering for a disaster
Every wedding has its share of professional suppliers who make the proceedings run smoothly - or at least that's the plan. Caterers, florists, entertainers, chauffeurs: each has their part to play, but each can drive a coach and horses through your dreams - particularly the chauffeur. According to Dave Simms, suppliers are one of the biggest causes of wedding headaches. All too often they go out of business the week before your trip up the aisle. In December last year, Altringham-based Weddings and Honeymoons Abroad closed without warning, throwing some couples' wedding plans into turmoil. Not the kind of memory to look back on.

Making you marquee
Marquees are a standard part of the wedding cocktail so few couples pay much attention to them. After all, it's just a big tent, right? Yes, but big tents are expensive and have an annoying habit of getting ripped or holed during your reception, leaving you liable for a big charge from the hire company. All it takes is one slightly worse for wear guest putting his foot in the wrong place and you end up with a bill of 500GBP for damage.

The bridge wore...er, red wine actually
A great big red stain all down the front of your ivory organza ruched bodice is the stuff that nightmares are made of. But it happens, frequently. Damage to the wedding party's clothing and jewellery are common problems. Dresses tear or get snagged on door handles; the bride's father bends over and rips his trouser seam; the groom puts his suit and the best man's in a case on his car roof rack...but doesn't secure the case properly and the clothing ends up all over the A2. All these examples are real and increase pre-wedding stress by a factor of 10.

Lights, camera, nervous breakdown
To preserve the happy couple's memories of their perfect day, a battery of photos and videos are needed. These professional portraits and epic movies can be shared with best friends, rolled out on a dull evening or screened for your children in the years to come. That is assuming the photographer actually turns up and the pictures and videos aren't lost during processing. Losing your photographs and having to pay for reshoots on another day is a painfully familiar problem, the effects of which can last for years as the replacement pictures always provoke memories of the lost ones.

These, then, are the five problems that have blighted the weddings of many couples, but they don't have to blight yours. With some foresight and a little sound planning, most of them are avoidable.

Perfection clearly isn't easy to attain and it can come with a price tag attached. But when it comes to organising your special day, one thing is inarguable: perfection will never go out of style.

Why Get Wedding Reception Insurance?

Your wedding plans are somewhat overwhelming. They seem to consume most of your thoughts these days, but one thing that many people do not think about is the fact that as much planning as you are putting into it unexpected things can happen. This may mean that your event plans will have to change unexpectedly or that you may have to spend a fair amount of money at the last moment that quite frankly you do not have. In order to avoid this you may want to look at purchasing wedding insurance.

A wedding reception insurance policy is exactly what it sounds like. It is an insurance policy designed to protect your wedding in the event of any unexpected problems.

For example, if you run into some unfortunate weather like a large scale hurricane and you are unable to travel to your wedding location you will want to be covered. If you have a wedding insurance policy you will be protected in this event. It will cover the cost of rescheduling your event. That is something that might be an impossibility if you were not covered by insurance.

Wedding insurance policies generally cost between $150 and $300. Basically, you are able to select how much coverage you want to have, but on average couples choose a policy that will cover up to $1,000,000. That amount typically is more than enough to cover rather catastrophic wedding complications. When you are purchasing your wedding reception insurance policy you will want to take a careful look at what specifically it covers. Generally, policies tend to cover any common sense wedding detail like the wedding rings, severe illness and death, large scale weather complications, vendors, locations, and unavoidable complications like military deployment. The biggest surprise to most couples is that wedding insurance does not cover the engagement ring and cases of cold feet.

Seasonal Wedding Invitations - Wedding Stationery Ideas For Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall

Buy wedding stationery, especially, wedding invitations is a big part of planning your wedding. Some brides and grooms just go for basic wedding invitations, not really paying attention to the theme or colors. While others choose to match wedding colors, wedding themes as well as the season they are getting married in to their invitations.

If you are one of those people who want to match the wedding stationery to the time of year you are getting married in, keep on reading!

Spring Weddings

Spring weddings are popular. If you are getting married in the springtime you may want your invitations to reflect this by being cheerful and bright. If you are looking for some popular spring colors to design you invitations around you do not need to look any further than the pastels - pink, purple, yellow and green.

You can choose to use a nice pastel colored invitation and stop at that or you can continue to add other elements to make your stationery more spring like. What other elements can you add? You can highlight holidays that occur near your wedding such as St. Patrick's Day or Easter and use clovers or Easter eggs on your invitations. Other popular designs would include spring flowers and butterflies.

Summer Weddings

The majority of weddings occur in the summer months. It is of course understandable why this is - the weather is beautiful, flowers are in bloom and summertime tends to be a lighter and happier time. If you are planning a summer wedding you can emphasize that with your wedding invitations. Beach wedding themes are especially popular because what screams summer more than the beach?

If you are creating summer invitations, beach themed or not, you may want the stationery adorned with flowers, sand, starfish, and seashells. If you are looking for a more whimsical look you can consider sand pails, sand castles and flip flops. The colors of summer invitations tend to be bright.

Fall Wedding Invitations

Autumn is a gorgeous time of the year to be married. If you are planning a wedding at this time it is a great idea to match the colors of your wedding to this glorious season. Hot colors for fall wedding invitations include deep yellows, reds and oranges. You can choose wedding invitations with these colors in mind - whether your invitation in that color itself or you just use photos and borders with those colors.

What will be on these invitations? Of course you can choose anything you want but some of the more popular fall wedding themes include pumpkins, changing leaves, trees, and in season flowers. If you do choose flowers it is a lovely idea to use those hot, bold colors of yellow, red and orange.

Winter Wedding Invitations

Where as it is certainly true that winter time weddings number in the least for all the seasons, they are still on the rise. Winter weddings can be truly beautiful with the snow and the festive colors of the season. If you are choosing wedding colors for winter weddings think of deep red, forest green and ice blue - those will work the best.

Finding things to decorate these invitations will not be a problem. We suggest snowflakes, ornaments, snow covered trees, poinsettias, mistletoe and holly. You can make your theme centered on Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day or just a winter wonderland.

Wholesale Pocket Invitations - Time To Buy

Did you ever wonder about pocket invitations wholesale? Well they are impeccable cards which can be available in many colorful shapes. One of the most amazing traits of them is that they retain worthwhile designs. Generally greeting cards can be designed by using emphatic graphic design tools while they can be significantly printed by implementing four color schemes. They can be embossed or debossed too. They can be customized as well. They can be shaped and twisted into glossy styles via lamination techniques. You could also improve their surfaces by using foil stamping and UV coating methods. Further you could enhance their looks by making use of carving tools and techniques. Prices wise, wholesale pocket invitations are cost effective wedding cards as they can be easily available in cheapest price rates from your most wanted online printing company.

When it comes to the purpose, you could definitely grab the cheapest online invitation printing for many reasons such as cultural weddings, galas, carnivals, birthdays, New Year night celebrations, music concerts, dancing parties, and so on. Overall they are hottest and colorful types of invitation cards. Therefore they would definitely make your events more and more fascinating beyond your imaginations. If you want to liven up your sociological events and parties you have to mull over full color and custom cheap pocket invitations. Consequently you will be successfully able to launch your cultural shows, seminars, conferences and parties in a successful manner. Interestingly they would boost up your self recognition in an immaculate fashion.

How to Get Married in Scotland

With it's romantic history and spectacular scenery, it is no wonder that Scotland has become one of the most popular wedding locations in the world.

Whether you wish to be married in fairy-tale castle, a beautiful hotel, or on top of mountain, Scotland has thousands of marvellous, wedding locations to choose from.

In Scotland there are no residency requirements. As long as you are sixteen or over, you can submit the legal paperwork for the wedding from twelve weeks to fifteen days before the wedding. This flexibility, makes Scotland an ideal location for couples travelling from abroad to be married.  

So, how do you go about getting married in Scotland?

There are three main ways - a Religious ceremony, a Civil ceremony, or a Humanist ceremony

A Religious Ceremony

For many couples having their wedding in a beautiful Scottish church is the only way to do it. However, in Scotland, a religious marriage can be held anywhere that the Minister, Priest, or Clergyman (or Woman)  will agree to do it. Obviously, it will have to be a location which is considered in good taste and reflects the importance of the wedding ceremony.

So, it could be a traditional church wedding, or you could be married in a hotel, in a glen, by a loch, or on a mountain. Wherever, you can persuade him or her to travel to.

Another interesting point, which will be relevant to many couples, is the The Church of Scotland has no restrictions about divorced couples being re-married.

Civil Ceremonies

Civil ceremonies are obviously non-religious ceremonies and are traditionally held in a local Registry Office. However, you can also be married in a list of local venues which approved by the Registry Office.

These will vary according to each district but it is fair to say that each area has some lovely halls, castles, and hotels to choose from.

Registry offices have very nice suites where the ceremony takes place and many can also accommodate the reception, as well. For weddings the offices are decorated nicely with flowers and many are superb buildings in their own right, with lovely gardens.

The main thing to remember about civil ceremonies is that you cannot have any religious references during the ceremony. So, hymns or religious readings cannot be included.

Humanist Ceremonies

Scotland is among six countries in the world where Humanist Weddings are completely legal. The other countries are Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and some states in the USA. 

Humanist ceremonies are again non-religious and allow you to tailor your wedding to suit your own beliefs. You can make up your own vows and incorporate your own music, readings, and any other symbolism, which is important to you.

The wedding can either be conducted by a "Celebrant" trained and licensed by the British Humanist Association or by one of your friends or relatives. A Humanist wedding can take place anywhere that is deemed "safe and dignified" by the the Celebrant.

Whichever way you decide to get married in Scotland, you will have to obtain a "Marriage Notice" from the General Register Office For Scotland. You can download this from their web site along with lots of other useful information about getting married.

Whatever way you decide to get married in Scotland - have a lovely Scottish Wedding!

Make Your Wedding Invitations Elegant Enough For President Obama

Planning your wedding is a big event. Take time to enjoy some extra special fun. You can make your wedding invitations elegant enough to send to President Obama.

When you make your wedding invitations so that everything matches, the will be elegant. You can almost see how special your guests will feel when they see their name in beautiful matching script on the envelope. By creating such a nice classy look, you can go beyond the traditional.

Send one to The White House. Here is the address:

Honorable Barack Obama and Mrs. Obama

The White House

Greetings

Office Rm. 39

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, DC 20500

As you can guess President Obama will probably be a no-show. But you will receive a letter of congratulations. By learning to make your wedding announcements you will be able to send a beautifully addressed envelope. Chances of it getting opened will be much greater when it looks good.

Even if you aren't a democrat you can do this. Imagine your friends face when they see the letter you receive.

Learn to make some very elegant invitations. This will put your invite ahead of the many others that the President and Mrs. Obama will receive. Having everything match will put a good foot forward.

You want to include the RSVP card so that the address is accurate. You may want to put your address after the wedding. Sometimes they get so many that it takes time to get a response back. Having a nice wedding announcement will make yours stand out.

By addressing the envelope to match everything it will be professional. So if you want to make your wedding announcements, why not. Learn to make them elegant enough that you can invite the President of the United State. It will be a fun idea.

You will get a congratulations letter that you can show you children and grandchildren. You might want to consider making some changes to President Obama's invitation. For example you may add wording that will be different than the rest of your quests.

When you make your wedding invitations this can easily be done. So consider the idea of making your invitations and making them professional looking. By addressing them in the same font as the invitation you have a nice clean look. Why not send them to President and Mrs. Obama. Be proud enough of your own custom wedding announcements. Send them to the President of the United States.

Humorous Wedding Invitations - You May Now Laugh At The Bride And Groom

Humorous wedding invitations relax even the most uptight person that can't stand the thought of putting on a suit and tie and stepping into a formal ceremony. Almost instantly, upon receiving your invitation, the recipient will appreciate your tongue-in-check approach to the big day. Humorous wedding invitations are a popular way to lighten up the sometimes stressful and serious moods associated with weddings and getting married. They are perfect for casual, somewhat informal, wedding ceremonies. People will appreciate knowing that the two of you are approaching this important day of eternal commitment with fun on the mind. Humorous wedding invitations come in a variety of forms. You can insert funny text or funny caricature artwork. Anything from funny illustrations of the groom carrying his bride, the bride pulling her panicked hesitant groom to the chapel, the newlyweds riding off on a motorcycle to the skiing bride and groom. Much to the horror of the red states, in an effort to be politically correct and also target a niche, there are groom & groom or bride & bride selections.

Humorous wedding invitations are often keepsakes for your wedding guests. Perhaps they will look back at your invitation to reminiscence about the night or just get some chuckles from the invitation itself. When wording your invitation it's important to not overlook important event details. People want to know the full names of the bride and grooms. Nobody likes to make out a wedding card only to discover that they wrote the names incorrectly. Regardless of the humorous tone to your invitation people still need to know the date, the time and location of the ceremony and reception. So, it's alright to be funny with humorous wedding invitations but don't forget that wedding invitations need to serve their function as well.

Discount Wedding Invitations provide humorous wedding invitations online where you can include your own wording so the invitation reflects your personal style. You are given significant input into the design of your invitation. It's just a matter of completing your order form and expressing exactly what you want from your wedding invitations. The site has a team of designers who communicate with you through the completion of your order. You are emailed proofs within 2-3 business days. You can either approve or decline these proofs and there is no limit to the number of adjustments you may request. The invitations must meet your exact criteria before they are shipped to you.

Photographic Insurance - What Do I Need to Consider?

When it comes to spending many thousands of pounds on photography equipment the last thing you want to do is scrimp on the insurance to cover your lost, stolen or damaged gear. It is therefore vital that you thoroughly research all you need your photographic insurance to protect against and how replacements will be supplied etc. It is also important to read thoroughly each insurers policies and what they do and do not cover and make sure that it covers all you need (after all each of us have differing requirements).

Below are a number of things to consider when looking for Camera or Photographic insurance (and just remember that this list is not comprehensive, I would recommend further investigation into your own requirements):

What is being insured: One thing to bear in mind, it's not just the camera body and lens being insured, you also want to cover filters, tripods, lighting, bags and all manner of other accessories that you will be carrying or using, so make sure everything you need covered is listed. You should also be checking what is the maximum single value per item (if any), and making sure all items will be covered individually. It is also worth finding out how easy it is to make amendments as you add new equipment. Does the insurer offer new for old replacements, it may be hard to get older cameras replaced with exact models, new for old will alleviate this headache.

What is covered: Does the photographic insurance cover all your needs? Are you protected outside the home/studio or when travelling abroad, or is theft from an unattended vehicle covered? These are all questions you must ask yourself when looking for camera insurance, you want to be sure your expensive equipment will be replaced if there is a problem. It is advisable to have Public liability insurance and sometimes indemnity insurance (depending on your circumstances) so it is important to make sure you know if these are included if you need them. It is possibly most important to ask what is NOT covered as well, just to make sure.

No Claims: If you are sure everything is covered, then like most insurance you will be looking for the best deal, so remember to find out if there are no claims discounts available, and don't forget to check about excess costs, these can considerably increase or decrease your premiums.

Often it is possible to set up photographic cover with your home insurance company, and this may be fine for your circumstances but with specialist photographic insurance there are added options such as public liability insurance something that you WILL need if you plan on taking pictures professionally, but also something that all of us should consider if we take photos. There are also other options that it is worth looking into, some extra questions you should probably ask are; does your insurer cover hire costs if you need a quick replacement? Are you covered outside your home country? Is theft from a car covered? Are you covered for loss? There are too many questions to fully cover in one article.

Photographic insurance at first glance appears complicated, but as with everything insurance related once you work out what the terminology means it is quite straight forward, as long as you know what you want covered then you should be able to find what you want.

Your Wedding Invitation - Making the Most of Your Enclosures

Wedding Invitation Enclosure Options

Along with the wedding invitation, couples also have the option to include an enclosure card. There are several different possibilities for enclosures. Understanding the options for the enclosure card will help the couple to select the right one to include with their letterpress invitations.

Response or Reply Cards with Envelopes

This is the most common enclosure because it helps the couple keep track of who is coming and who isn't. This is necessary for proper wedding and reception planning. While asking for a handwritten response is always an option, there are some guests who simply won't provide one. Using the enclosure card will make it easy for them because all they have to do is choose an answer, put the card in the envelope and drop it in the mail. The envelope will have the name and address of the people who are receiving the responses with the appropriate postage.

Accommodation Cards

These cards are sent to the out-of-town guests who will need to make accommodations in the area for the event. The card will include the names and contact information for some nearby local hotels. If you are covering the expense of the hotel room, make a note on the card.

At-Home Cards

This is a wonderful way to let the guests know of your home address. This is especially useful for couples who will be moving into a new home together after the wedding. If the couple lived together before the wedding, these cards won't really serve a purpose.

Admission Cards

These are like tickets to the wedding, and used by couples who want to be sure only those people they know and invited are in attendance. These are sent with all invitations and are personalized for each guest. People who attempt to come into the wedding without these cards will not be allowed in.

At the Reception

These cards include things such as menu cards, table cards, place cards, and escort cards. The menu cards will show the items being served at the reception. The table cards will show the guests which table they should go to. The place cards will show where each person is to sit at their table. The escort cards will show the men at the wedding which woman they should escort to the reception. The man's name is written on the envelope, and the woman's name is on the card inside it.

Ceremony Cards

Ceremony cards are used for large receptions where only a small number of people are invited to the ceremony itself. These are enclosed with the larger reception letterpress invitation.

Pew Cards

These are used when pews have been assigned to specific guests in attendance.

Direction and Maps

These are the perfect option for out-of-town guests who will need help getting to the wedding and reception locations.

Reception Cards

These cards are used when the reception is held in another location from where the wedding ceremony took place.

Transportation Information

If there are a large number of out-of-town guests, these cards will let them know that transportation to and from the wedding ceremony and reception is provided.

Within-the-Ribbon Cards

If there are pews marked off from the general guest population with ribbons, the guests who are invited to sit within the ribbon-ed pews are sent small cards to let them know.

When choosing enclosure cards for your letterpress wedding invitations, it is important to choose carefully. You don't want to have too many cards with the wedding invitation, or it will take away from the importance and beauty of the invitation itself.

How to Start a Catering Business at Home in Ten Steps

Catering is a multi-billion dollar industry in the US and is the fastest growing segment of the food service industry. If you enjoy working with food and people then catering could offer you a great small business opportunity. This article sets out ten basic steps that you can follow if you are looking for information on how to start a catering business at home.

Research

Start by finding out as much catering business information as possible. Also make a point of learning about general business marketing and management if you are not already knowledgeable in these areas. Taking a few classes to prepare to be a business owner is one good idea.

You also have to research the catering market locally so that you can understand as much as you can about your competitors and your prospective clients.

Sourcing ingredients and other supplies is an important part of the business. Look into a variety of local options and find out about what discounts are available to you if you buy in bulk. Restaurant owners will be able to give you a lot of tips here.

Local Health Regulations

Talk to local authorities and find out what permits you would require to run a business operation involving the commercial preparation and distribution of food. Look into the requirements for setting up and running a catering business from home. Zoning bylaws may restrict your activities here too so make sure that you are fully informed before proceeding.

Experience

Get some experience in commercial food preparation by working in a restaurant kitchen or for another catering service for at least a couple of months. This can be a great way to learn how to scale up from making four servings for your family to making 150 servings for a wedding.

Insurance

Make sure that you look into the insurance policies that you will need for your company assets and your company's liability. You must reduce your risk in the event that anything goes wrong and damages result that your company is liable for. You also need to make sure that you have appropriate policies to cover your home, contents and business assets.

Using your Home Kitchen

Assess your home kitchen to see what it is capable of and if any upgrades or equipment purchases are necessary.

Put some Menus Together

Put together some sample catering menus that may suit various occasions and run them by others in the food service industry for advice. Get an understanding of what the current market demand is like by looking over the menus of other catering companies. Do some research into modern trends in cuisine.

Try to thoroughly understand the cost and volume of the ingredients required and how many people the menus are designed to cater to.

Have a Practice Run

Before jumping into catering why not try it out first and see how you go. This is easy if you offer to cater a dinner for a number of friends or work colleagues. They can contribute to the cost of the groceries and you can prepare a dinner party for 15 or 20 people. This will give you a chance to get a small taste of what it is like to cater to a crowd. After the meal you can ask for honest feedback about what they thought of your food, presentation and service.

Funding

Decide how you will fund the business. Get a decent idea of startup costs for a catering business and then work out if you will be able to fund the business independently. You may need to consider a small business loan or some other form of financing.

Marketing

Think about a suitable catering business name and have a graphic designer do some logos for you to consider. Creating a solid brand is important when starting out in business as this will influence customer perceptions of your company. It can be hard to change course later so you should think hard about what your brand's values are and how you want your brand to differ from those of other caterers.

Put some thought into how you will go about doing your marketing. Clarify the market that you want to target, define your products and services and working out how you will go about pricing them. Look into different advertising and marketing methods to understand how a catering business can get leads. Lastly you need to work out a sales process to take you from the point of a customer enquiry through to a deposit being paid.

A Catering Business Plan

Look into completing at least some form of business plan. This will allow you to run a simulation for how you expect the business to run over the first one or two years so that you can work out if your proposal is profitable or not. It will also be a useful place to compile all of your research and to set out your goals and intentions.

The catering industry rewards those that plan ahead and are highly organized. Follow these ten steps and you will be well prepared when you start a catering business at home.

How to Make Your Own Pocketfold Wedding Invitations

Pocketfold invitations are becoming a very popular option for couples who want to send additional information to their wedding guests along with the invitation itself. Such information may include a reply card, map/directions to the venue, local accommodation listings and local hairdresser/beautician listings.

There are many ways to make the outer card for pocketfold wedding invitations and most involve rulers, scoring, folding, cutting, gluing and basically a lot of time! The quickest and most professional-looking method is to start with prefolded blank pocketfolds which usually come with a matching envelope. 130mm x 130mm or 145mm x 145mm pocketfolds are popular sizes; The inserts for them can be printed 2 per A4 page and they are a neat size for posting.

To create the inserts for your pocketfold invitations, create 2 textboxes in Microsoft Word. Make the textboxes a few millimeters smaller than the size of the outer card; For example, for a 130mm x 130mm pocketfold, make the text boxes 125mm x 125mm. Add colour to the outer line of the box so that you can use this as a guide when cutting out later. It is a good idea to add your wording in a plain font to start with to make proof reading easy. Once you're happy with the text, change it to a 'fancy' wedding font. (Dafont is an excellent source for free downloadable fonts.)

If you have a reasonable quality home printer, you should be able to print the inserts at home without having to go to a printer. Cut out the inserts with a paper trimmer/guillotine and back with double sided tape, (3 strips of 12mm double sided tape works well).

For a more layered effect, use coloured card as a border under the paper insert. If you are doing this, you should make the paper insert slightly smaller so that there is a decent sized border around the insert. 25mm double sided tape is great for attaching card. Peel off the liner from the double sided tape and attach the backing card (if using) to the pocketfold, followed by the insert.

Assemble the 'pocket' with 2 strips of 12mm double sided tape and decorate with ribbon and embellishments of your choice.

For a range of colours of pocketfolds, card, and paper as well as rhinestone crystals, card toppers and double sided tape, visit the DIY section of http://www.creativeinvites.ie.

Satisfying the Jamaica Wedding Requirements

Its rather easy to satisfy Jamaica wedding requirements. So easy that in fact, it simply takes a day to get the marriage license and have your Jamaica wedding provided the prior application has been made.

Acquiring the license for a Jamaica wedding calls for the couple to present certified copies of their birth certificates with their fathers name or copy of Adoption documents (If any member was adopted) reflecting a name change, in addition if either party was previously married, notarized copy or original Certificate of Divorce or the death certificate of the dead spouse must be presented. Also needed are legal translation of documents to English where originals are in different language. A easy step to comply with in the Jamaica marriage requirements process.

Satisfying the wedding requirements in Jamaica does not need a blood test, enabling you to have your wonderful wedding in Jamaica just 24 hours after arriving, To obtain information on getting a Jamaican marriage license contact

The Ministry of Justice

Mutual Life Building North Tower & NCB Towers

2 Oxford Road

Kingston 5

Telephone: (876)906-2414 - 7

You can visit their websites at: moj.gov.jm

Marriage officers are available throughout the island and information may be requested through the:

Registrar Generals Department

Twickenham Park

St. Catherine

Tel: (876) 984 3041 5

Fax:(876) 749 6457

You can visit their websites at: rgd.gov.jm

Each Marriage Officer may have their different costs and requisites; however the process remains basically the same. Be sure to discuss all details with your marriage officer. You will be required to send copies of all documents. This should be sent by courier to the Marriage Officer, though more expensive its more reliable and definitely faster than ordinary post. The Marriage Officer will fill out the required forms and arrange all documents. They can also arrange for the wedding ceremony to take place in a church or at a location of your choice. Marriages may be conducted every day of the week.

Please do not forget to bring the ORIGINAL documents with you. This is very important, or else all the arrangements for fulfilling the Wedding requirements for Jamaica would be nothing! Following the wedding ceremony, you will be given a copy of the Marriage Register which demonstrates proof of marriage. This is signed by the Marriage Officer, yourselves and your witnesses. (Dont worry; you don't have to bring your own with you!) The Marriage Register is NOT a legal document and cannot be used to conduct any business! Its more like a receipt to say you got married. You must obtain a certified copy of your marriage certificate.

The Marriage Certificate may be applied for by the marriage Officer and takes between 7 working days to 1 month to be processed by the Registrar Generals Department in Jamaica (address appears above). You may also apply for it yourself and there is also an express service available. You can also apply online at the Registrar Generals Department website. Ask your Marriage Officer or the hotel wedding coordinator who can aid and advise you.

If your country's spoken language is not English, then your documents must be legalized by your Embassy which stands for your government in Jamaica. That is after the original Marriage Certificate for your marriage in Jamaica is issued by the Jamaican Government, the certified copy is sent to the Marriage Officer who forwards this with your address to your Embassy. Only after being legitimatized by your Embassy the marriage process in Jamaica is done and your marriage established as a legal union in your home country.

While these are the marriage requirements in Jamaica you don't need to do all this yourself. You can employ the help of a wedding planner whether privately hired or supplied by your hotel.

Get A Limousine To Drive You In Style

A limousine, or more colloquially a limo, is one of the most identifiable types of automobiles existing in the world today. Their existence has been consistent with the development of the automotive industry and has withstood the test of time. Although they have constantly evolved to accommodate the changing lifestyle scenarios by means of their diverse shapes and sizes, they still retain their own charm. The most familiar of these limos are what are called "stretch" limos where the length (or chassis) of the original limo is extended by the respective car makers.

The limos have always been viewed as a status symbol and owned by the wealthiest individuals of the society. But rest assured, even if you can't own one there is always the rental option that is available. These rental services are more affordable and are available with professional drivers or chauffeurs. They are fine-tuned keeping in mind the various diverse expectations of the customer and the ultimate goal of providing satisfaction.

There are several factors for consideration while selecting a limo for a specific service. These include the professionalism of the services, particularly the quality of the drivers. The choice of selecting the support staff is entirely yours, hence great care must be taken to ensure an unforgettable experience. There are no rating agencies to give a bird's eye view of the existing services, and it is entirely based on word of mouth. There are a lot of companies that will provide personalized packages, tailor made to suit your particular requirements.

The various luxuries on offer are entirely custom based. For example, the choice of choosing the entertainment facilities that the limo must be equipped with rests with the customer. For a far richer experience and feel, Luxury packages are also floated, and you will have a limo with a personable chauffeur, a completely equipped mini bar and great music. A variety of services for birthday parties, sporting events, pick up and drop facilities are listed. There are even funeral services, so you can treat your dear departed ones with the reverence they deserve during their final rites.

While renting for a wedding, a variety of services are provided depending upon your particular necessities. It is always a great gesture to end up at a wedding in a limo, showing that you care and the occasion means something to you. From an elegantly crafted Red carpet service to a chauffeur wearing a Chinese styled Tuxedo, starting from a complimentary drink to a fully-stocked bar, companies these days really go the extra mile to ensure that the day is extra special and one to remember for a long time to come.

Another popular or rather a more relaxed and convenient way of having the "Limo experience" is to hire them for city based tours where the professionally trained chauffeurs also double up as a tour guide.

Although traditionally rented limos were used for specific functions for example weddings, holidays, proms etc. nowadays not celebrating is no reason why you can't ride in a limo. Just look up the best service provider and voila! The next moment you'd be whizzing past your street in a limo.

Good Topics to Talk About on a First Date

If you are like most people on this earth, sometimes a first date can be kind of intimidating. Our brains have the tendency to go right out the window. There is nothing worse than having awkward silence when you are trying to think of something to say but you just can't come up with anything. For those awkwardly silent moments we have come up with 5 questions to get the conversion moving again.

What Do You Do For Work?

Yes, this seems like a pretty basic question but believe it or not when people get nervous they forget to ask this question. This is a great starter because most people can talk for quite some time about what they do and you might find out that you have more in common than you originally thought.

Who Is Your Favorite Band Or Music Group?

You can learn a lot about someone based on their musical tastes. So no matter if you are music buff or not music is a great way to find some common ground more often than not.

What Is Your Favorite Dessert?

Everyone loves dessert and most of us have had a favorite since the time we were kids. So find out what your date's favorite dessert is and then see if you can guess what they would order at the restaurant based on what they have to say.

Do You Like To Travel?

Seeing if someone likes to travel and where they like to travel to is a great way to know some of their passions in life. If you can get someone talking about their adventures traveling you can really get to see their true colors.

If You Had One Wish What Would It Be?

This is always a fun question to see if they would solve world hunger or if they would buy that new watch they were looking at. It is a great way to have fun and see what type of person they truly are.

What Do You Like To Do In Your Spare Time?

Finding out your date's hobbies can be fun and you might find out that you both share the unique interest of juggling flaming swords. (Hey it may be a long shot but stranger things have happened)

So don't get stuck with nothing to say on your date. These 6 topics can make sure you always have something to talk about and can be the cure for the dreaded awkward silence that can kill even the best first date.

10 Myths About Having a Home Inventory

Can you remember all of your possessions?

1. I can just take a video of my home.

Yes, you can. This is a good idea. But why not go all the way to secure the safety of your property. A detailed Home Inventory can provide you the extra added safety you deserve.

2. My home hasn't changed for years.

Well yes. Are you sure. All of that furniture that you bought years and years ago. May now have some value to it. Securing your "proof of ownership" is vital. A home inventory can assist you in proving to your insurance company that "Yes" you did own what you said you owned. Take all of the guess work out of it.

3. We have photo albums full of pictures.

That is good. But, what happens to those pictures in case of a fire? A tornado? Having your proof of ownership when you make your claim will make this a much smoother transaction.

4. I have complete home and content replacement insurance.

That's wonderful. That means if your house is completely destroyed you will be able to have it rebuilt and furnished. No matter what the cost. But, what about those heirlooms you had. Are they completely replaceable? Can you really be sure you are getting their full value?

5. My insurance agent and I are "huntin' buddies", he'll take care of me.

You know that's great. But it's not your insurance agent you have to provide proof of ownership. It's the insurance company and their adjuster.

6. I'll just write my list of contents and no matter what I put down the insurance company will pay.

Well that would be great if this were true. But, anyone who can just write down a list of items without any proof will send red flags up for any insurance adjuster and company. They will take a closer look at what you wrote down. Maybe, even go so far as to deny your claim or offer a settlement for a fraction of the cost of the items you described.

7. My agent knows what I have, he has seen it hundreds of times.

It is not your insurance agent who you have to deal with it will be the insurance company and their adjuster. Yes, your agent sold you your policy. But, he can't get involved in your claims process.

8. We have a video from last Christmas.

Videos are great to have. But, I bet that Christmas video is not a detailed showing of the contents of your home. But, just what you and your children got for Christmas. You need to have a detailed listing of the contents of your home. Not just a video of your Christmas presents.

9. Our daughter/son had there wedding out back there are lots of pictures of our house.

That's great. I bet though the pictures you are discussing are of the outside of your home and not the inside. You can show off your landscaping. But, what about the contents of your home?

10. We never had a (you fill in the bank).(break-in, fire, storm damage etc.).

That's great if you never had any problems. That's really wonderful. But, can you answer this, "What if...?"

Red Silicone and Silicone Spray For Your Windows and Doors

If you are sick and tired of the leakage problem in your house and are about to call in an expert to take care of the waterproofing. Let us stop you right there. It is pure sin to waste money on the services of a waterproofing expert when you can very well do the job yourself.

The benefits of Silicone are very popular today, people are using it all around the world for lubrication, insulation and various other application. However the most important application where it is being widely used is as a sealant. There are a number of silicone sealants available in the market and you can choose from a variety of red, black, clear sealants. Today we are going to discuss a few nuances of the red silicone sealant that is now becoming a part of almost every homeowners home improvement kit all across the world.

The rains can be annoying and when the water starts leaking through the windows and doors it can take a toll on your stress levels. You start worrying about the expenses and start cursing the technician who did the waterproofing for you in the first place. But now it is time for you to take matters into your own hands and come to terms with the benefits of these silicone sealants.

Their heat resistant properties make them the best choice when it comes to sealants. Red silicone sealant comes in a number of varieties both of which a suitable of interior and exterior applications. So, if it is your door or your window that is giving you trouble just shoot the leakage problem away with a caulking gun filled with this amazing sealant.

It is very simple and you indeed do not need the services of an expert. Just get together the best red silicone sealant available in the market. Make sure you do your home work before you make your purchase. Ask around; speak to people who use silicone sealants at home. Compare prices and application procedures and make your pick. Once you have your sealant, fill it into the caulking gun. Make sure the area you want to water proof is free on dust. Wipe it with a dry cloth just to be sure. Once you have the gun in hand, shoot the sealant gently into the area. Wipe the excess sealant with a wet cloth or some paint thinner. Put some masking take at the edges just to ensure that no moisture goes through.

See, it is that easy. Make Red Silicone sealants a part of your life and you will never need the services of an expert again for waterproofing. If you carry out the application properly you can be rest assured that your house will stay water proofed for a long time. However make sure you have all the information you need before you buy your sealant. Some brands are just overtly priced but provide the same quality as local brands. So look for specifications and if they suit your requirements, double check with the supplier and if you are satisfied only then make your purchase.

Now that you have safely waterproofed your window and doors, there is one more aspect you should take care of and that is rust retardation. Make the silicone spray a part of your home improvement kit and once you are done water proofing, simply use the silicone spray to sparkle the handles on your windows and doors. This acts as an excellent lubricant and the rust retarding agent in the silicone spray ensures that the silicone spray works towards preventing rust formation. Also use the spray in the hinges for long term lubrication.

Top 5 Issues Expats May Face in Europe

Are you planning to live in a non-native country or do you already live there? Are you aware of the issues you may face? One way or another, it is necessary to have a good piece of advice on how to solve such problems as choosing the right expatriate health insurance, adapting to the new culture, finding new friends and so on and so forth. In other words, you need some really effective tips to create a good atmosphere in your new life. So, here are the list of top 5 issues expats may face and ways they can prepare themselves, so that they are not as concerned about these issues.

1. Cultural Difference and Social Adaptation

The most important issues when moving to live abroad are social adaptation and cultural difference. For some people it is difficult to make new friends in an unknown country, city etc. They are afraid they might be taken the wrong way or will not be understood. In reality, it is not reasonable fear. There is nothing wrong if local citizens find you to be unusual. Because of this uniqueness you will likely catch their attention. Thus, your new neighbors, colleges etc. would be glad to learn about your native country, culture and traditions. It is a good idea to organize a small party in your new dwelling inviting people, whom you meet at work, school and so on.

Actually, no matter where you live, social networks (e.g. Facebook and Twitter) and other communities (e.g. Couchsurfing) are online to help you find the same expats as you are, new friends and keep in touch with your family and old friends.

The best idea is to live life in such way, so that you have no time for homesick and missing.

Another issue is different mentality. Adapting to new principles is not so easy. Some of them could not be clear for you and might not have reasons and bedrocks. Some countries may have huge cultural differences and traditions that are so alien to your own. That is why it can be really hard to see how you can ever fit in. To reach a level of comfort and integration in such issues you just need to try to immerse in the essence of this single country, its traditions and customs.

2. Language barriers

It is one of the worst feelings when you don't understand what people are talking about. Some languages are easier to learn, others are more difficult. Therefore, try to be patient because understanding of the foreign language will take time. However, this barrier should not prevent you from achieving your life goals. First, if you know English, it means you won't be lost almost anywhere. Second, even if you don't think you are apt to foreign languages, be sure you will start using new words really soon. Our mind and memory are much smarter than we think. They absorb new words very quickly and put them in the passive vocabulary that will start working for you one day. No learning of a new language could be better than learning it while living in this language society.

3. Career concern

Nowadays job worries affect all the people due to the global economic instability. Certainly, job concern for expats is far higher because they are less aware of potential career opportunities. It is a normal desire to be sure that your job will guarantee good conditions and a career growth. So, in order not to be in trouble you should carefully research types of job you are looking for. Next, you should find out whether the skills requirements differ from what you used to have in your home country. The best thing is to prepare several job variants in order to have a backup plan in case life presents unexpected challenges for you.

4. Insurance: Health and Travel

The other important issues expats tend to worry about are healthcare and insurance. The same as cultural phenomena these factors may also differ depending on the country. In addition, expats may not have the same level of access to the healthcare system as the local population. In order to avoid the problems you should, first, do an extensive research into the facilities and medical amenities available in a country. Second, once you know what is not available, you can start thinking about how to plan to access anything you may need. Third, is to ask questions. Speak to other expats and ask for their experience. As for travel insurance, it is the fact that expats more likely prefer buying policies from the company they used in their home country. Unfortunately, many companies offer their service only at the local and national levels. However, there are some companies that provide any service world-wide. Therefore, try to work with international providers offering insurance globally based on your requirements.

5. Standard of Living

The majority of expats when moving abroad expect to achieve a better or equal standard of living to what they used to have. Certainly, it will depend on your job and career. However, the principal goal is to reach the stage when salary may afford you a better standard of living. And again the only right decision is to ask fellow expats, who have already faced such situations, for their experience.

Also you should know that some problems (for example, corruption) are impossible to understand and are hard to fight. Facing such issues there is no sense to fight against them alone. It could just bring you to even more troubles. So, try to be careful and attentive.

To sum up, you should always remember that there are plenty of expats blogs and forums where you could find out any information to get ready for all the obstacles expats may face. Certainly, there will still be issues you could not cover in advance, although at least you can be sure you did your best.

Insurance Career Agents Tortured by Infamous 100 Man List For Insurance Sales Prospecting

What a painful way to begin a career as a life insurance agent. What a cruel way to scramble the agents thinking process. What a distressing way to demoralize the new insurance career agents selling abilities. The promoter, enforcer insists this is the sole proven method to initiate a productive jump start.

Who is the dictator of punishment? It is none other than your Insurance Company Career Life Insurance Sales Manager that hired you. First you study for the state insurance exam and receive the canned insurance company's sales presentation to memorize. Your sales manager is kind enough to provide a 50 page binder of company endorsed colorful pictures and information. He remarks this is his personal copy. To you it looks almost brand new.

License exam graduation, your presentation, and 100 man list will launch your $100,000 income. You bet the traditional bull talk that you MUST follow company directions, step by step, word for word.

Now you are excited, confident, and possessing your official state insurance license. One more step, complete the 100 man list. You are told that "All" successful life insurance agents start this way. You have 6 days to complete this sheet, while mastering the company speech and presentation. You tell your spouse how helpful everyone is. Vacation this year can be their first trip to an island Also you expect shortly to be watching that new 60 inch television you dreamed of owning.

Time to start the journey, get your 100 man list. You are told this is your golden insurance sales prospecting list. It looks simple enough and no directions attached. Fill in each line with people's names, addresses, phone, and how you know them. Asking the spouse for the holiday card list is the start. Quickly you fill in all family members, close friends, and people in your wedding party. Upon taking a close look at the sheet you see only 30 of the 100 man list slots filled.

The next day after your career insurance agents training session, you start again. Now your mind starts blurring. You can see dollar signs, but not new names. Examining the original 30 names you try to expand. Three hours you spend, slowly writing down aunts and uncles, even great aunts and great uncles, some in nursing homes or frail health. Racking your brains expands your list to 45 names.

You sleep restless counting people instead of sheep. At the office, your manager asks if your 100 man list is done. You respond nervously it will be completed on time. Your spouse says you're too wound up and go glance at a magazine. Picking up "People Magazine" your mind plays helter-skelter tricks on you. Almost enticing you to write down names mentioned in the magazine.

Back to reality, you call your folks and ask them for names. Your spouse nags her parents for more. In a moment of brightness you add a few names from your previous job. Close to a spousal fight occurs when you ask her for her fellow employees' information. It's almost like pulling teeth, she angrily supplies a few names heading to bed with a headache. Total lines completed equals 70. The next day you have killer migraine headache and put the insurance sales prospecting list aside.

The weekend is here, time to barbecue and maybe down a few. During your nap, flashing of gold nuggets keep appearing, then disappearing. Grabbing a pen and the 100 man sheet you try again. The process of trance like looking at name after name refuses to move your pen. It seems like a horror movie where someone goes into memory loss. Glancing over, the yellow pages directory is spotted. A whopping five people that you do business with are added. Five hours gains you five new people to add on.

It's Sunday, last day, before your life insurance sales career starts flying. Only 30 more. You and your spouse walk down the street. Running back and grabbing the 100 man list, 7 more slots are filled. A measly 23 becomes mission impossible. Panic strikes, eyes blur, stomach growls, heart pounds, sweat pours, and the clock keeps ticking, driving you nuts.

To insure her husband does not go stark raving mad, your spouse comes up with a lifesaver idea. She finds the local white pages and tells you to randomly pick out 23 names to get the darn nightmare agony over. Well, this jeopardizes reaching life insurance salesperson heaven. BUT the list is completed.

Monday morning you anxiously await your manager showing you the 100 man list wonders. He mentions you would sell between 1/3 and half, plus lots of referrals. The sales manager cancels. having two new prospective career insurance agents to interview. Friday he will spend time with you. In the meantime you are instructed to start calling for appointments to go out and sell. All your initial training is completed, now the 100 man list will make insurance sales prospecting a breeze.

Starting phone calls, numerous people not are home, and many not interested. The next four days result in 4 set up appointments. Your two sales of below average premiums occur from relatives wanting to give you a break. Friday you have two good appointments set, the last one with a relative. Disappointment sets in, your sales manager says he is meeting a couple wanting insurance that the agency manager provided him with.

Finally you sales manager returns for your last appointment. He tells you to watch him make a big sale. He starts without the thick sales presentation binder. Nor does he use the company presentation. He presents a very high premium plan you know your relatives can't afford. For a straight hour he keeps badgering them relentlessly. Afterwards in the car, with no sale made, he brags that you keep pushing until no is heard 10 times.

You keep pounding your 100 man list. 25 hard earned appointments produces 8 sales. Just enough to slip beyond radar. You learn that friends and relatives are not obligated to buy. Regardless, your sales manager constantly drills you with negatives. The advice given is for pushing for appointments harder, and higher sales. Your ego keeps nose diving downward until you begin to doubt if you can sell.

Salvation arrives. Fed up and in debt, you glance at the Sunday help wanted ads. There is an ad for licensed agents with a lesser known company. Upon interviewing, the 100 man list is never mentioned. This company on a co-op basis is going to provide you with leads of sincere people requesting insurance information. Your determination to succeed gets you hired.

You know now where you want to shove that 100 man list. A year later you learn your former insurance manager and all but one of his 15 agents are no longer in the business. Numerous career life insurance agencies continue to tout the 100 man list as the best money maker ever conceived. In the meantime you keep closing in on the top life insurance salesperson in your agency.

Now you also pity all the insurance career agents that believe the magical 100 man list will get their insurance sales prospecting off to a booming start.

Home Improvment, How Not To Fix Plaster

When you are a property manager for you own rentals, you learn a lot about fixing up a place. One day, a tenant called about an issue in his bathroom, he said the ceiling was drooping down a little. So I head over to assess the damage and repair. When I got there, I could hardly get the bathroom door open! The ceiling was hanging down about 2 feet, obviously a slow leak from the bathroom upstairs. I begin by cutting sections of the drywall that's hanging down, a whole 4*8 sheet by-the-way. I thought I was doing great, I cut small sections and let them drop into a bucket. I was really doing a good job, not one mess on the floor. After about the second time I emptied the bucket, the last cut I made, must have weakened the rest of the ceiling. And here I thought I was removing weight from the board. To say the least, the entire ceiling collapsed on me, I was covered in drywall and so was the rest of the bathroom! Oh well, so much for not making a mess. From there I found what was leaking upstairs and took care of that issue. Now it was time for a new sheet of drywall and a lot of cleaning downstairs.

Well, I got the place cleaned up, at least the big pieces of drywall. Then I got the new ceiling up and got it taped and mudded. Now it was time to let it dry so I could take care of the sanding and painting. I looked over at the window sill, and saw that there was some loose plaster. Well, I thought, I might as well fix that since I've got to paint the whole bathroom anyway. And that's when it got real interesting.

I took my trusty scrapper and scrapped the window sill. Well, about half of the sill fell onto the floor! I really didn't scrap very hard. After a few more light scraps, I was missing the entire left and lower sill, not to mention a good quarter of the upper sill and even a good portion of the wall. In the meantime, my wife came by with lunch. I sent her to the home improvement store for a gallon of wood putty. (Oh, did I tell you, I was new at the time?) While I'm cleaning up my NEW mess and making the hole bigger and bigger, she runs to the store for me. She asks for a gallon of wood putty, and the guy asks her with a perplexed look "What are trying to do?" Hey, I didn't know what else to ask for. He sent her back with a big bag of Fix-All. To this day, I love Fix-All! I think I could build a house with it after this situation. OK, now it's time for the second repair.

Now that most of the wall is missing, it was time to start patching, or as I saw it, building a new wall and sill. I was too cheap to buy the required mesh backing that you should use for this type of project. So I ended up using an entire roll of aluminum foil that I had on hand to fill the 2 foot wide holes. It probably would have helped if I hadn't ran out of aluminum foil half way through. Hey, I'm trying doing this cheap, remember? I found that while trying to work on the upper horizontal area of the inner window sill, gravity doesn't help you at all! With no mesh, the goop kept bowing down like a beer gut. So, for the next 20 or so minutes I had to run my trill over it pushing the goop back up into place. Even after it began to set, I still had to trill it again and again over another 30 minutes while I began trying to sanding the ceiling.

All-and-all it went back together OK. After the sanding, cleaning, and painting, it actually looked pretty good. And it's held up now for over 8 years. Sometimes it's easier to do a job the right way the first time rather than fix a situation later. This time, I just got really lucky. I've long since learned, but sometimes you just have to do whatever it takes! Besides, who said you had to read the instructions?

5 Unusual Ideas for Wedding Favours

The tradition of giving wedding favours goes back decades. Couples gave favours as a way to thank their guests for sharing their special day. While the tokens we give will vary considerably, the thought behind the gesture is still the same.

Brides everywhere choose typically traditional favours. Bubbles, confectionary, and candles have adorned wedding tables for a long time. But why not break with tradition? Whether you're looking for that 'wow' factor, or just something a little different, you need to think outside the box when it comes to your favours.

In this post we look at five quirky but fabulous ideas for wedding favours. Each is guaranteed to add something a little special to your reception:

1. Customised Wine Bottles

Your reception is the perfect time to party, right? Then why not let your guests celebrate in style with personalised wine bottles? Get labels printed in your colour scheme, and add your photo and wedding date. These can then be stuck on any bottle of your choosing.

You could opt to give miniatures away to every guest, or have one large bottle for the table. The possibilities really are endless with this idea. Your family and friends will just love these little keepsakes.

2. DIY CDs

If you and your other half love music, nothing is better than customised CDs. Fill them with tracks that have a special meaning for the two of you. Include your first dance and the music you walked down the aisle to.

This way, the CD will always represent you and your wedding day. You can design a great cover that is in keeping with your wedding theme. These modern mixtapes are cheap and easy to make. Perfect for couples on a budget.

3. Lottery Tickets

Make your wedding celebration all the more entertaining by giving your guests a lottery ticket or scratch card. These can be brought for as little as 瞿1 and are a great alterative favour. If your reception is the night of the draw, get the best man to read out the winning numbers.

Worried about your guests striking it big? Add in a humours note that says if they win the prize needs to be shared with the bride and groom. You can also buy really pretty lottery ticket holders, or tie the rolled up ticket with ribbon.

4. Fortune Cookies

Share your wedding day fortune with your guests by giving customised fortune cookies. This favour idea us relatively cheap and easy to implement, but will be a huge hit with your guests. You could write a simple 'thank you' note for inside or think outside the box.

You could include funny quotes about weddings, or details about you as a couple. Maybe include notes like 'never does the washing up' and ask guests to decide whether it refers to the bride or the groom.

5. Themed Favours

If you have a particular wedding theme, really make the most of it with your favours. You can either get creative and make them yourself, or hunt around online for the perfect ones. Match them to your colour scheme, or theme.

For a winter wedding, choose snowflake design favours or Christmas themed goodies. These are really easy to get your hands on and will be a great addition to your reception tables. You could even theme each table differently, and include favours to suit the guests sat there.

Choosing your favours can be great fun. Don't stick to tradition; there is too much choice out there to restrict yourself. Shop around and compare prices if you're worried about costs. You could even go down the handmade route if you wanted a real unique touch.

Easy Black and White Wedding Invitations and Stationery

Because black and white is a perfect, foolproof, easy - and best of all - budget color scheme, it is ideal for crafters and do it yourself weddings.

With the great quality of home printing these days you can easily achieve a professional and personalized look for your wedding invitations and other stationery.
And every computer has a basic graphics program for easy customization of names and details. This is all possible at a fraction of the conventional printing costs.

You can include all kinds of special items that you would never dream of paying a commercial printer for. Like matching favors, labels for wine and beverages, tags, packaging and gifts for guests. By using black and white printable crafts you can coordinate the stationery across items and events.

Your wedding stationery sets the tone for your black and white wedding theme.
It's a winning choice - whether you choose plain white budget stationery or fancy embossed or linen weave paper.

Here are some ideas for black and white wedding invitations and stationery:

o Instead of information printed directly onto your invitations, consider printing on a loose folded insert which is slightly smaller than the size of an open card. Tie a pretty black and white ribbon through the centre fold to keep the insert in place.
o You can have the card in black with the graphic elements in black-and-white glued on top. Then print or write on white labels or use a white gel pen.
o Use a coordinating postcard for save the date stationery and another postcard as a thank you card.
o A postcard also works well for the information for the order of service.
o Make sure your envelopes carry the same graphics theme.
o The beauty of printable wedding crafts is that you can print as many as you like. And personalize precisely how you want.
o Do take care with your choice of font. An appropriate font can make your printables look expensive, professional and stylish, while a wrong choice will look cheap and amateurish.
o Many countries now have postage stamps you can personalize with your own graphics - a fabulous addition to your theme.

Choose versatile Black and White graphics like the Anni Arts Lovebirds images with typo tips and font suggestions included; or choose ready POD items - many of which can be personalized.
Anni Arts has more articles with ideas for a Black and White Wedding Theme.

CREATE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL

When to Send Out Wedding Invitations

The Wedding! The Big day and there is so much to do. You worked hard on your guest list and you finally have a definite count that you want at the wedding. You even have a second list of those you would love to have but due to budget or size restraints of the venue you had to put them on hold but will invite them if someone can't make it from the first list. The question now is, "When do you send wedding invitations out?" You want to make sure you send them in plenty of time, so you may include a few on that "B" list. You have to remember people may need to make travel arrangements to attend your special day, for those it might be wise to consider "Save the Date" cards. This would give them a few months to find flights to make it for the big day.

Weddings are very stressful and one of the most stressful situations while planning is getting the invitations out on time. Don't procrastinate. Invitations should be sent so they are received at least six weeks before the wedding. Did everyone catch that, they should be sent so they are RECEIVED at least six weeks before the wedding. So consider where the invitations are going. If you have family in Canada be sure to adjust the dates when you send your invitation so they will arrive on time and not too late. You would hate to have your Great Aunt Claire in Montreal get your invitation two weeks before the wedding, how rude. Plan to have your responses back to you no later than two weeks before the wedding. It is even better if you can get them three weeks before. If you give yourself a little bit of a cushion this will allow you time to call those stragglers who always "forget" to send the RSVP.

Just a reminder: Do Not Forget to Check the Postage. Make sure you have the correct postage you would hate to get 200 invitations returned for insufficient postage, how embarrassing.

So, you're getting married, keep things in perspective and enjoy the moment.

Creating Your Disney Fairytale Wedding

The Dress: This is one of the best parts about planning your wedding. Finding your dress no matter what you theme, is a grand event. With a Disney theme, it is especially wonderful because you can hone in on what look you are going for right away. The first place to start with is the Disney line by Alfred Angelo. These dresses are literally named after the princess they represent. So, if you are looking for a dressed styled after Belle, consider the "Belle" named dress.

The Cake: The cake is another great way to show off your fairytale theme and really have people enjoy a taste of the fantasy day. If your wedding reception is at a venue that includes your cake, most pastry chefs will be able to construct a cake based on images that you bring into them. If you are going to a bakery, you will probably have just as much luck in getting exactly what you want, but be sure to also have an image of it so that all the details can be included.

The Decor: The decor of the ceremony can be detailed with your Disney theme with items like an aisle runner stating "And They Lived Happily Ever After." An example of this can be found on Disney's own site Disney Weddings. Your reception area needs to tell the fairytale story as well. Lighting is a great way to set the stage for your reception. The colors chosen will depend on which part of Disney you have focused your reception around.

For example, if it is a general Disney Mickey theme, you can go with red and white lighting while an Ariel under the sea theme would be better with green and maybe even soft blue lighting. Tables are another area that can be decorated. Table linens should be based on the character you have chosen or the particular part of Disney. For example, a Cinderella theme would be beautifully illustrated by white, light blue and dark blue table linens. This is where you typically place the party favor which should also fight into your theme. Consider a Disney Ornament keepsake for your guests or chocolates shaped like Mickey Mouse. One of my favorites is the Slipper Bottle Opener.

The Bridesmaids Dresses: What your bridesmaids where is also important in order to carry out the theme. Alfred Angelo also has beautiful dresses that compliment the Disney theme. These may not be exactly what you are looking for or in the price range, but it will give you a good head start into finding something to go along with your theme since these dresses are matched up with the Alfred Angelo wedding dresses.

Wedding Invitations: Last, but certainly not least, are the Wedding Invitations. This is the first impression made and the introduction to your Disney themed wedding. Disney has a beautiful array of Disney Wedding Invitations to choose from and they have one to two for each of the main princess characters. In addition, they also have adorable Mickey and Minnie Wedding Invitations.

Adventure Honeymoons - Extreme Romance

Are you an extremist looking for an adventure of a lifetime on your honeymoon? Throw in a little romance, a little danger and the great outdoors, and send yourselves off on an adventure honeymoon you'll never forget!

So, you've decided that you want a honeymoon that you'll never forget--one that will take your breath away while adding a little romance to your new marriage? Well, there are many great destinations for outdoor adventure sports--both in the states and abroad--but if you've got the cabbage, you may want to consider some exotic destinations. After all, you only live once, right?

To determine the locale of your great adventure, and whether or not you can afford to traipse off to some distant exotic destination for your getaway, you'll first need to decide on a honeymoon budget. This will help you to determine if you'll be going to the plains of the Serengeti or Yellow Stone National Park.

Next, you'll want to determine your skill level and ambition for adventure activities. Are you just an avid hiker, or have you climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest five times--without oxygen?

Once you've decided your skill level, you'll need to choose an activity. You and your new spouse may want to go mountain climbing, rock climbing, skydiving, or, heck, you may even want to try an extreme sport! Just consider some of the specific activities that you might enjoy (or would like to try) and go for it! The sky's the limit on the fun that you and your spouse will have on your adventure. Plus, as an added extra bonus, your adventure-packed honeymoon can be a terrific bonding experience for the two of you.

Not sure that you'll be able to fund the honeymoon of your dreams? You may want to consider setting up a travel wedding registry. There are several around. You may also want to register with sports-related stores for gifts to bring along on your honeymoon too.

The key here is to plan your honeymoon well in advance so that you have time to ask for what you really want as a wedding gift from your guests. Would you rather have a toaster or a scuba adventure?

But, if you find--after you've researched the possibilities--that you prefer a more low-key, secluded honeymoon, out in the great outdoors, that's OK too. There are lots of options available for you and your new spouse to escape--no matter what your budget. Again, the sky's the limit.

Last, don't forget to send out beautifully printed thank you cards for the wedding gifts you received when you return from your honeymoon. No matter what you end up doing on your honeymoon, you'll want to tell everyone how much fun you had! 

Wedding Insurance - Peace of Mind for Your Perfect Day?

With the average cost of a wedding around £17,000 you would think that more couples would take out wedding insurance just in case something happens to spoil the special day. However, an estimated 85% of couples planning to get married do not bother with insurance. Many people are so wrapped up in the romance and anticipation of their dream wedding that the practicalities of what could potentially go wrong do not even cross their minds. But, compared to the high cost of marriage, taking out a premium for about £50 seems a small price to pay for piece of mind.

Even the most carefully planned weddings are not immune to disaster. Events can happen unexpectedly that it is impossible to plan for. For example, what if there was a fire that destroyed the wedding venue just before the big day? Or what if the marquee company went bust? Most couples would by then have paid a large sum of non-refundable deposits to hire the venue and the caterers etc. Without insurance this money has effectively gone up in smoke, and the couple would have to find a new venue for the reception at very short notice, or face the option of having to postpone their wedding day altogether.

In this situation, a good wedding insurance policy would cover the costs of the deposits and provide help towards the extra costs of rearranging the wedding. Of course it always pays to be diligent when buying any sort of insurance premium. It is advisable to compare the level of cover offered by various companies, as this can vary considerably between insurance providers.

With the average cost of a wedding dress now approximately £1000, plus the high costs of the attire for the groom and the rest of the bridal party, it may well be worth considering insurance in case any of the outfits get ruined. There are so many different things to organize when arranging a wedding, which means relying on lots of other people to make sure everything goes smoothly. Insurance can cover things such as the cost of a wedding car, wedding cake and the rings. Wedding presents can also be covered just in case they are stolen. Cover typically includes flowers, videos and photographs too.

Given the huge expense of the average wedding day, couples would be wise to consider the option of insurance right at the beginning of the preparations. The majority of weddings take several months of rigorous planning, during which time all kinds of unexpected events could occur to throw a spanner in the works. So is it worth it? Well consider this. For all the planning, the preparation, and the organizing, as little as £50 can buy you peace of mind. It's a small price to pay really, isn't it?

Sample Wedding Invitations: Secrets to Creating Your Own Wedding Invitation Samples

Creating wedding invitations used to be unheard of in the past. Most brides chose the traditional route of picking a design, a font and an "out of the box" invitation with a little wording changed here and there. But today, it is not only possible to create a beautifully crafted hand-made invitation that rivals any professionally printed one, but a very accepted way of doing things especially in today's rough economical climate. Creating sample wedding invitations before you push the button is a great way to not only see the end result before you jump, but gives you the freedom to experiment while you are searching for that perfect invitation.

Now depending on whether you choose to create your invitation from scratch or create it using one of the many on-line sites which allow you to pick and choose your design, fonts and paper stock, doing it yourself is a great option for today's bride. By creating some samples first, you will be able to show them to friends and relatives to get some opinions before you make a decision.

Creating samples goes a long way in alleviating the biggest stress factor of all when planning any event. The "unknown" factor. Having a sample in hand gives you the assurance that the final product will be exactly what you expected with no surprises. And no bride wants the wrong type of "surprises" on her journey. The following are some secrets and quick tips to creating your own sample wedding invitations.

Word processing program. Essential if you plan on creating your own invitations from scratch. Word is the most universally known and works extremely well. Open office is also a free software which works great. It might be a little more quirky than word but overall for the price it can't be beat. Most software applications have downloadable templates for wedding invitations. Simply browse through the selection of templates and pick a few favorites so you can take a look at different styles. There are also many on-line sites which have templates that can be downloaded free of charge.

Pick a Card Stock. Decide on the type of card stock and buy a small quantity first to be sure it works well with your printer. If you are opting for layers or can't decide on the color, then buy a small quantity in the different colors just to get an idea of how each will look. Go small when making samples. The whole idea here is to find what you want before you spend. Be sure to use the same stock grade that you plan on using for your invite so you get a true picture of the look and feel of the invitation.

Decide on printing. Since you are creating wedding invitation samples, it is a good idea to be sure you have a high quality printer. Most invitations and card stock work well with home printers but some card stock is too heavy and should be professionally printed. By printing them off at home first you will get a much better idea of how the paper stock works with your printer. If you don't have a good quality printer, then you can always print a sample copy on plain white paper and take it to a local printer and have them duplicate the invitation on various stocks. The standard wedding invitation size is 8 1/2 x 11 but choose whatever size suits your tastes.

Final Touches. If your invitation is folded, then fold your invitation and trim away any excess. Embellish each invitation differently adding your own personal touches to each so you get a good idea of which ones look best.

Creating your own sample wedding invitations is a great way to get a glimpse into the style and type of wedding invitation which will look best for your affair without spending a small fortune up front. Eliminating the "unknown" factor will go a long way in reducing the stress and anxiety that comes with planning a wedding and will ensure that your invitation will be exactly what you had envisioned.

Casual Wedding Dress Styles

There is a great new array of more casual wedding dress styles available today - especially during the spring and summer - so you can feel relaxed, comfortable and beautiful on your wedding day. For many women, dressing up in a spectacular wedding gown can be the highlight of their year - for others, the thought of formal bridalwear makes them a little uncomfortable. So if traditional wedding dresses and ball gowns really aren't your style then fear not, there are plenty of other, more casual designs to choose from - either in wedding boutiques or even on the high street.

Some styles to consider include:

Blouson - loose and floaty, blouson styles are gathered at the waist or just below for a flattering and summery look. Usually made from fine or sheer fabric, you will often find blouson styles made from delicate and feminine prints. Go for pastel or muted colours and dress up with sparkling jewellery and a sleek hair do.

Drop Waist - drop waist gowns can lengthen the body by placing the waist at the hip area, with either a fitted or loose bodice above - usually with detailing on the skirt. This kind of wedding dress can suit both classic and casual brides, and is a great modern style. Available in a huge range of styles and fabrics, this kind of wedding dress can look as formal or as traditional as you like.

Grecian - draping and luxurious, Grecian wedding gowns are comfortable and suit most body shapes. Best in silky and smooth fabrics, Grecian dresses are usually floor-length with detailing around the strap/neckline area. For a contemporary look, go for asymmetrical straps and a bold colour. Perfect with flat sandals or bare feet and loose, curled hair.

Mini - show off your legs and make your fiance's jaw hit the floor! A mini dress can be any style you like - skin-tight, loose and flowing or with a bubble hem. Go for classic white or ivory with delicate detailing for a more formal look, or step out of tradition and go for a completely different colour. Because your dress is, well, mini, you can maximise on accessories instead! And because you'll be showing off your shoes, make sure you choose some stunners.

Tea-length - these wedding gowns stop just above the ankle and often hark back to the 50s with wide, full skirts. Bouncy, fun and fashionable, tea-length wedding dresses are very popular at the moment. Beautiful with a sweetheart neckline and lots of retro accessories.

Vintage - choose your favourite era and play dress up! From elegant lacy 20s style to the glamorous golden era of the 30s and 40s, from the rock and roll 50s to the psychadelic 60s and 70s, or even go all Wedding Singer and go for neon 80s style - it's up to you.

Two-piece - A skirt and top combo can be a lovely alternative to the traditional wedding dress. Mix and match with your favourite colours, fabrics and styles to create your own signature look.

Dress/Trouser Suits - More commonly seen at registry office weddings, a dress or trouser suit is yet another way of stepping away from the traditional wedding gown. There are plenty of styles and colours to choose from, on and off the high street. Though we would advise buying the best you can afford, and consulting a seamstress or tailor to get a perfect fit - not all suits are created equal!

Whatever kind of wedding outfit you choose, make sure it reflects your personality, your style and most of all that you feel absolutely comfortable in it. Beyond that, the specifics are up to you!

Wedding Anniversary Party Invitations

Anniversary Party Invitations to Celebrate Your Special Party!

If you need to find Anniversary Party Invitations for that special event you're throwing for friends, family members, or someone else close to you, take a few things into consideration when making your choices.

Anniversary Party Cards: Picking a Theme

When throwing an event, you probably have decided on some type of theme for the event. For example, if you are celebrating a 25th silver anniversary or 50th golden anniversary get together you might choose a color theme of silver or gold, respectively. A similar idea is to match the theme with the traditional wedding gift for that event. Regardless of which theme you choose, anniversary party cards should match that theme so guests will get some hint of what to expect from the event.

Anniversary Party Wedding Invitations: Location

Obviously, you can't start sending out wedding anniversary invitations until you've selected a location for your anniversary wedding party. The good news is choosing a location isn't difficult. There are many options available, including party rooms at restaurants, private homes, botanical gardens or public zoos, hotels, and more. Before choosing a location for your event, make sure you know your budget and the size of your guest list.

Party Invitations: Personalized Cards

The wedding anniversary party invitations are important for the event. You want to choose ones that are unique and that will make an impression on the guests. Simply going to a local card store or discount retailer and choosing the first bulk party anniversary invitations you find isn't a good idea, even if you want to save money.

Instead, you should go online and look for the anniversary parties wedding invitations or anniversary announcements you want. For one, you'll find a much wider selection, such as photo anniversary invitations. Brick and mortar stores are limited in the designs they can carry but that's not the case with online vendors. Additionally, the costs are much lower. Because of the lower overhead, you can purchase high-quality cards at an affordable price online. Plus, you can choose your invitations from the convenience of your home.

Regardless of where you purchase the anniversary party cards, make sure you have them early. It's customary to mail anniversary party invitations at least two weeks before the date of the event to give people plenty of time to make arrangements for attending. Also when planning an anniversary party invite only people who are close to the couple and who they would enjoy having at the affair.

Wedding Anniversary Invitations: Refreshments

One of the other big planning areas you'll need to worry about is refreshments. If you're on a budget, consider keeping refreshments at a minimum. Serve some cake and punch but nothing more. For casual parties, you could have a barbecue or a cookout. Lunchmeat and cheese trays are a nice idea for an early afternoon celebration. If you're planning on having a formal wedding anniversary party, hire caterers to set up a buffet or to serve your guests. When the wedding anniversary party is over, you want all of your guests to be able to look at those invitations and remember the great time they had celebrating a special couple.