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Insurance insights for Sun Insurance Services clients
From Our President: Jim Brandt
Dear friends,
For granddaughters Aubrey and Hannah, it's back to school time. For me, it's hurricane season, and flood season. The girls are hoping to take school by storm, but I am hoping for a peaceful, uneventful August and September for our policyholders.
I do take comfort in the fact I think we've done all we can to make sure you and your family are protected against whatever nature brings our way the next couple of months. We've talked to you about the importance of having enough coverage, we've placed you with a responsible carrier, and we've told you every home in Florida is in a flood zone–either mandatory or preferred.
If you'd like to have any of these conversations in more depth, or you'd just like to verify your policy details, give us a call. As you know, we're always ready to talk insurance!
Have you been reading and hearing about the federal government's challenges to restore stability to the National Flood Insurance Program?
Check out the article below, and see why some people think Florida might be a model for the government to follow as they try to move the program to solid ground.
And, if your kids are heading "straight into college," our last article contains tips on how to make sure their insurance needs are met while they are away.
Thank you again for being a customer of Sun Insurance Services. We appreciate your business!
Until next month,
Congress considering changes to National Flood Program
|You probably know the basics about the task facing the U.S. Congress this summer.
Until very recently, all flood insurance sold in America was underwritten by the National Flood Insurance Program, created in 1968. The program must be re-authorized periodically, and the deadline now is in September.
There are many challenges facing Congress, but the most pressing is that because flood coverage has been issued at below-market rates, it is $25 billion in debt.
Flooding is the most common and costly natural disaster in the United States, and the past few years have brought massive flood losses, including Hurricane Katrina, Superstorm Sandy, and last summer's historic floods in South Louisiana.
Congress must find a way to make the program solvent, while keeping premiums affordable.
If you've lived in Florida very long, you'll recognize the parallels with our homeowners market after the storms in 2004 and 2005. Insurance became unaffordable as the legislature mandated artificially low rates, which led to private carriers writing fewer policies and even leaving Florida altogether.
At the same time, Citizens Property Insurance, the state's insurer of last resort, grew to 1.5 million policies, representing $500 million in risks to the taxpayers. Lawmakers realized there would be no way to pay claims if we had a storm season like 2004 and 2005.
They began taking corrective action in 2010 by unfreezing Citizens rates and gradually raising them to adequate levels. They also began "depopulating" by transferring policies to private carriers.
Private carriers began returning to Florida, and today Citizens is about a third the size it was.
Could this happen with flood insurance?
Allowing for rate adequacy is the beginning of the solution. A few private carriers are already writing flood insurance, and providing a good product.
Tower Hill, for example, now writes coverage up to $5 million through Lloyds. (National Flood only covers up to $250,000) Tower Hill plans to offer flood coverage as an endorsement to homeowners policies (as opposed to a separate policy) at some point.
If you have any questions about your coverage, or you'd like a quote, please let us know.
Does my college student need renters insurance?


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With your registration, you will have access to both the World Class Business Virtual Reality 2018 and the World Class Workforce Experience 2018. Both conferences take place at the same time at the same location.
28.05.2018 - 29.05.2018
Frankfurt, Germany
To access this Think Tank you must register on the World Class Business Virtual Reality 2018 & World Class Workforce Experience 2018 Frankfurt site.Visit the Event Site
If you have already registered, please login here. For your login details, please look into the confirmation email you received immediately after registering for the event.
If you require any help, contact us here.

subset: commoncrawl


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Last week I was finally able to participate in #genchat again, which was so much fun! The subject of the chat was US migration patterns and so the #genchat challenge was to map your ancestors' migration across the world, across the country, or even across town. In the chat, Jen had mentioned using Pinterest for this purpose since they introduced a new Place Pin feature back in November. I started to play around with it a bit but since it pulls its places from foursquare, not everywhere I wanted to map was available as a place pin. So instead I went with the Google Maps Engine (which hopefully will embed properly):
The above is a custom Google map marking the migration pattern of Carl Johann Schultz according to the U.S. federal census from 1880 – 1940, as well as the New York State Census of 1915. Eventually I want to update it for his parents, or make a new one, and include their migration to the U.S. from Germany. Unfortunately at the moment I'm still not sure where in Germany they were from (I believe it was Schleswig-Holstein but I'm not positive) so that's a map for another day.


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On July 22nd, 2013 I wrote an article on Lyoness America titled "Lyoness America Violating Pyramid, Ponzi, Business Opportunity & Security Regulations?". In this MLM Perspective I also linked to several articles written on Lyoness Worldwide and cause some confusion as to what my main concern was focused on. This video is to clarify that the focus here at MLM Help Desk in regards to the Lyoness culture is focused at this tine ONLY on Lyoness America.
And if you are reading this post on Lyoness America, then I challenge you to take your time and gather all the info you can. Lyoness America may very well operating well within the rules and regulations of North America. But if there is anywhere in their compensation structure that causes their business model to tip into what looks like a ponzi or pyramid to regulators, then it could trigger an investigation, and could slow the success of those independent professionals marketing the underlying business of money back discount shopping.
I know firsthand the struggle of building a business when it is under investigation. I was an independent professional with A.L. Williams/Primerica during the early years, and each appointment started off with critical reports my prospects had been given, read or saw on TV.


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Wolfgang Munchau: Shadow hangs over control of central banking
Mingling of money and debt potentially catastrophic for regulators
The European Central Bank headquarters in Frankfurt. Photographer: Hannelore Foerster/Bloomberg News
Every few decades or so, the world of central banking turns upside down. Over the last 100 years we had systems in which central banks targeted a fixed conversion rate to gold, the supply of money in circulation or, more recently, a rate of expected future inflation. A combination of deep changes in the money markets and financial crises is now conspiring towards another big change.
This debate is still confined to a small number of experts in central banks, and academics. It is best to approach it in the spirit of the great physicist Richard Feynman, who remarked that he preferred questions that cannot be answered to answers than cannot be questioned. Much of economic orthodoxy that surrounds the world of central banking is unfortunately of the sort that avoids questions. And what makes this debate so unsettling for some is that we have no simple answers.
One question is whether and how the changing role of money and finance in our modern economies could destabilise them. The economists Daniela Gabor and Jakob Vestergaard have done work on "shadow money", a concept closely related to shadow banking. Traditionally, there used to be a clear line between money and debt. Debt is a tradable security. Its price changes. The issuer can default. Money is not tradable. Its value can be eroded through inflation, but money does not formally default.
In the world of modern finance, money and debt become increasingly commingled, in a risky way. One financial instrument where this is the case is repurchase agreements, or repos. Think of a repo as a loan from one financial institution to another, against tradable collateral, mostly government bonds. These repos have all the characteristics of money, but with a twist. The debt, which serves as collateral, becomes an integral part of the package. Debt and money are no longer separate.
The commingling of money and debt has important consequences. One particularly dangerous side-effect is a valuation doom loop. The more financial institutions trade in repos, the more bonds they require as collateral. That increases the price of those bonds and reduces their yields. This in turn makes these financial instruments even more attractive for the money markets.
This type of money is critically dependent on governments issuing enough bonds to feed the beast. It is not hard to see how this snowball game can come to a violent end. And it raises fundamental issues about the separation between central banks and governments – the central bank is clearly not the sole or even the main source of money in the economy.
The dominance of these instruments also reduces the central bank's capacity to take control in a crisis. In the euro zone, for example, if all governments followed the German example by adopting structural fiscal surpluses, the result would be a dramatic shortage of collateral, which could easily trigger the next financial crisis. So could a sudden rise in interest rates by the European Central Bank. This is not about to happen, but may become necessary if inflation were to rise faster than expected.
Shadow money
This is the astonishing conclusion of the research: "The political economy of shadow money is nothing short of radical. Shadow money erodes the Great Moderation institutional arrangement that celebrates independent central banks preserving price stability (and growth) and suspiciously demands fiscally prudent governments informed by neoclassical growth ideas." It continues: "Co-ordination between the treasury and the central bank becomes essential."
This means an end to central bank independence and an end to old-school fiscal stabilisation. The whole system would have to be ripped up, including inflation targeting, which became de rigueur in the 1990s. It is deeply rooted in modern economic theory. For a while it seemed to work, but that may only have been an optical illusion. Before the crisis, it was nearly impossible for central banks to miss their target. Since then, it has become impossible to hit them. This suggests that central banks exercise less control than they think.
There is one point on which I agree with the conservative criticism of modern monetary policies, as expressed by Claudio Borio, chief economist of the Bank for International Settlements. He warned recently that central banks may have to fight the next financial crisis long before they hit their inflation targets. This is another potential doom loop, one of permanent financial instability coupled with permanent below-target inflation.
Nothing in this analysis suggests that a crisis is about to hit soon. But the modern world of transactional money markets will either produce a crisis or force us to dump our policy orthodoxy, or both in succession. – (Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2017)


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If you're looking for REAL work-from home jobs, take a look at the list below. If you're interested in any of these positions, please contact the company/companies directly. I have no affiliation with any of the companies. I'm just doing my girls right and posting these work-at-home jobs as a favor. Enjoy!
Category Archives: Work
Real Work-from-Home Jobs: Flexjobs.com
Real Work-from-Home Jobs: Flexjobs.com
Updated 05/26/2018
If you're interested in working from home, so you can spend more time with your kids and save on daycare fees and commuting expenses, like gas, etc., you need to be persistent.
As a single mom, who has worked almost completely from home, for the past 10 years, I can tell you it is possible–and it's possible to get a really good job, too.
Looking for a work-at-home job can be tough, espeically if you're new to it. Like with any industry, there are always scammers looking to get over on unsuspecting people.
If it sounds too good to be true–for instance, a lot of money for a little bit of work–it probably is, and you should avoid it like the plague.
Like with anything that you really want, you need to develop a plan and be determined to get a work-from home job.
Single Mothers: Need Money for College?
I was going through some paperwork the other day, when I got a revelation: In the last five years and, especially, the last three years, I have come a long, long way financially.
As a single mother, I have had more than my fair share of financial struggles–can I get an Amen?
As I was sorting this paperwork, I found my earnings statement from the social security administration, dating back to my first job in 1986. Basically, it's a report of your financial earnings and what you should receive from the SSA at retirement age (don't even get me started…LOL).
Recommended Reading:
Kaplan Scholarships 2010: Billions of Dollars in Free Money for College
Anyhow, I noticed that after getting some certifications and B.A. degree, my income increased more than 3 x from what it was for most of my career. My last increase was over $21K. Yes, for me, that piece of paper is worth its weight in gold. And, sometimes, I don't think it matters what your degree is in, just that you have one. For instance, I have an English degree, but I work in a technical field, but without that degree and certifications, I don't think that I would have qualified for my current position.
Real Work-at-Home Jobs: 12 Companies That Hire Customer Service Reps (updated 5/24/2018)
Real Work-at-Home Jobs: 12 Companies That Hire Customer Service Reps
Got great customer service skills? Well, turn it into a perfect work-at-home opportunity. Many top-brand companies are looking for work-at-home customer service reps to take inbound calls. You could be next!
Side Hustle of the Week: Make Extra Money with Medical Transcription
Side Hustle of the Week: Make Extra Cash with Medical Transcription
Want to significantly improve the quality of life for you and your child(ren)? The single best way to change your quality of life is to increase your earning power—and that means getting new skills.
As a single mother, college is not always an option. Before I was pregnant with my son, I received an A.A. degree in Criminal Justice; however, after my son was born, I decided that the criminal justice field was not for me. But because I was a single mother of a new baby with medical problems, I didn't have the time, money or support system to attend a traditional college.
What was I to do?
First, I did some research to find a single-mother friendly career and training program that I would enjoy and, more importantly, one that fit my tight financial situation. Because I had worked in a doctor's office, I decided on medical transcription. I then enrolled in medical transcription training through a distance learning program, which, at the time, turned out to be the best educational decision I could have made.


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July 14, 2011
Dinner Tonight: Braised Halibut with Cherry Tomato-Caper Sauce
There are certain distinct advantages to having a husband who works from home. Pesky errands that can be done during the day. Laundry that magically appears, folded and clean (really!). A back up plan for unexpected emergencies (like the time that a heel broke off my shoe at work and Richard delivered another pair to me). And best of all, dinner ready when I come home. As much as I love to cook, I have surrendered to the luxury of the simple, delicious and healthy meals that await, no matter what time I arrive.
Fish is a frequent Richard choice, and halibut is a particular favourite. Now that tiny delicious local cherry tomatoes are starting to appear, this easy dinner dish is one you must try. Pour a glass of crisp and fruity white wine, and raise a glass to your partner. No matter who made dinner tonight, every meal is a chance to be grateful for sharing it together.
Braised Halibut with Cherry Tomato-Caper Sauce
from the 5-Factor World Diet, by Harley Pasternak and Laura Moser
2 halibut fillets (about 5 ounces each)
Salt and pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1 cups cherry tomatoes cut in half
2 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp lemon juice
1. Season the halibut with salt and pepper. In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 tsp of the olive oil over medium-high heat, add the fish and cook for five minutes per side, or until cooked through. Transfer to a platter and cover to keep warm.
2. In the same skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the tomatoes, capers and lemon juice to the skillet, and cook for a couple of minutes, or until the tomatoes are softened but not completely cooked. Plate the fish, spoon the sauce over the halibut and serve with crusty bread.
Labels: Capers, Cherry Tomatoes, Halibut
4 comments:
Looks delish!!ReplyDelete
Yum! Our cherry tomatoes aren't ready yet, but I can't wait to try this recipe out. Looks wonderful! Thanks for sharing.ReplyDelete
Such a lovely intro! Mmm, I do love capers and I work next to a fish store so I will put this one on the list for a dinner with my sweetie.ReplyDelete
Thks for the comments! Ellen, capers=love for me, so anything with capers is an instant fav. Let me know if you try this.ReplyDelete
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Proving once and for all that even when you live in a swamp, ladies always wear heels.
Campy Theater Lobby Card: Swamp WomanFollow GloriaBrame
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It looks like an awkward pose for a romantic encounter. Is she hypnotizing him while trying encoil the poor guy, like some kind of snake-woman?
So I had to check. It turns out that Ann Corio was a huge burlesque star who turned to Hollywood when the mayor of NYC shut down "the bawdy houses." She made several low-budget (as you might guess from the lobby card) films.
Famous for her "deciduous kinesthetics", the movie studio may have wanted to show as much of Ann's leg as they dared while hinting at more.
That's what I thought automatically too, Lynn. They were trying to show as much leg as possible. Thanks for the history on it. I think we're both right.
Haha. Why did we put on heels while hiking through the swamp? Because we have class.


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This book argues that digital globalization is inducing deep and productive transformations, making industrial policy necessary in order to reorientate development towards inclusive and more sustainable growth. The book also demonstrates that industrialization remains an important development process for emerging countries. Regarding the future of jobs, the authors show how the substitution of labour in automation is not inevitable since technology is also complementary to human capital. Policymakers should pay more attention to the new skills that will be required. A particular concern is is the rapid change in technology and business compared to institutions which take time to adapt. Territories have an important role to play in order to speed-up institutional adaptation, providing they can act coherently with the other levels of government.
Browse by title
Transforming Industrial Policy for the Digital Age
Production, Territories and Structural Change
Edited by Patrizio Bianchi, Clemente R. Durán and Sandrine Labory
Industrial Policy for the Manufacturing Revolution
Perspectives on Digital Globalisation
Patrizio Bianchi and Sandrine Labory
This book offers a critical reflection on the meaning and expected impact of the fourth industrial revolution, and its implications for industrial policy. Industrial revolutions are considered not only in terms of technological progress, but also in the context of the changing relationship between market and production dynamics, and the social and political conditions enabling the development of new technologies. Industrial Policy for the Manufacturing Revolution aims to increase our capacity to anticipate and adapt to the forthcoming structural changes. A concrete illustration of this industrial policy is provided through an experience of its implementation at regional level.
The Geography of the Internet
Cities, Regions and Internet Infrastructure in Europe
Emmanouil Tranos
This timely book presents a wide range of quantitative methods, including complex network analysis and econometric modelling, to illustrate how the Internet both follows, and at the same time challenges, more traditional geographies.
Industrial Agglomeration and New Technologies
A Global Perspective
Edited by Masatsugo Tsuji, Emanuelo Giovannetti and Mitsuhiro Kagami
This book, a collaborative effort by researchers from Japan, Italy and the USA, seeks to explore the reasons for industrial clustering in certain regions of Asia, Europe and North America. The studies presented illustrate real examples of industrial clusters, adding anecdotal evidence to the emerging theory of economic geography by exemplifying the centripetal and centrifugal forces that regulate the clustering process. The authors examine clusters in a diverse set of countries including China, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, the USA and Vietnam. Significantly, the book provides an interesting split between studies of IT and software-related industries, and more traditional sectors, such as steel and vehicle manufacturing.


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Ebony Vasser
Lead Cashier
Lead Cashier
(615) 963-5841
(615) 963-5841
Ebony Vasser was named the Lead Cashier in the Tennessee State University Ticket Office in August 2017.
She previously served as a cashier in the TSU Financial Services office. In addition to entering the university receipts into an accounting system, Vasser maintained routine accounting records and performed daily reconciliations.
Vasser also brings customer service experience to the Ticket Office, having served as a customer service representative for T-Mobile in 2015.
A native of Nashville, Tenn., she previously worked for the athletics department as Administrative Assistant III from 2013-15.
She has one son, Gerald Johnson, Jr.
- Ticket Office
Zellina Anderson
Ticket Office Manager
Ebony Vasser
Lead Cashier


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Many homeowners crave the beauty and longevity of hardwood flooring, which is constructed from the wood of deciduous trees such as maple or oak. Softwoods are conifers like yew, cedar or pine. The names don't describe the actual hardness of the wood, but hardwoods are more dense than softwoods and tend to be harder to cut.
Types of Hardwood
The wood of many types of deciduous trees can be used to create a hardwood floor. Oak has
been one of the more popular woods for hardwood flooring for centuries. Oak hardwood flooring is beautiful, with a gorgeous grain. It is also hard and durable. Species of oak used for floors
include white, Tasmanian, red and European.
Lighter-colored maple is another popular choice when it comes to hardwood flooring. Species of this tree that are used for flooring include rock maple, silver maple and Japanese maple. The grading system for maple is different than for other types of wood. The grades are: first, second, third.
Hickory is marketed as red, which comes from the heartwood or white, which comes from the sapwood. Hickory has a beautiful grain, is strong and resists shock.
Brazilian cherry also has different colored sapwood and heartwood. The sapwood makes for a lovely, silvery grey hardwood flooring, while the heartwood is salmon-colored or an orangey brown that mellows into deeper red-brown as it ages. The wood's texture ranges from medium to somewhat coarse, and the grain is interlocked.
Walnut's heartwood is a deep, chocolate brown to purple-black, but its sapwood is pale. Some samples of walnut come with a curled grain or burls that are prized by many homeowners.
Many species and grades of ash are used for flooring. Among the most popular is the Japanese ash, which often has an attractive "peanut" figure. Other types of ash used for hardwood floors are the European ash and the black, brown, white and green ash, which are native to America.
Reclaimed Wood
Reclaimed wood comes from old buildings that are no longer in use. Factory finished, reclaimed wood is more stable than wood that's been just sawn because it's been acclimated to the weather for decades or even centuries. In some cases, the buildings were made from the wood of trees taken from virgin forests. These trees could have already been quite old.
Floors Treated as Hardwood
Bamboo is a kind of grass that acts and looks like wood after it's treated and can in fact be harder than some hardwood species, especially if it's strand woven. Bamboo is considered sustainable because it takes only years and not decades to be harvestable like a typical hardwood tree.
Cork may be even more sustainable than bamboo, for it does not need the intensive treatment that bamboo needs before it's ready to become hardwood flooring Barrie. Cork comes from an oak tree that is native to the Mediterranean regions, but the tree is not killed when the cork, which forms its outer bark, is taken. After a few years, the tree just grows another layer of cork. Though most types of hardwood feel good beneath bare feet, cork feels even better. It famously absorbs sound.
Engineered or Solid?
Hardwood flooring is either engineered or solid and comes in strips, tiles or planks. Solid wood is a whole piece of wood, while engineered wood is created by pressure bonding layers of inferior wood with a top veneer of high quality wood. The layers are arranged with the grain of one layer perpendicular to the ones above and below it, which makes them very strong. The one drawback with engineered wood is that it can't be refinished as often as solid wood.
Installing Hardwood Floors
Installing a hardwood floor is fairly simple but not easy, though DIYers with moderate skills can do it. Still, most people call in a professional to lay their floors.
Acclimating the Wood
There's some controversy as to whether the wood needs to be placed in the room where it's to be installed so that it can acclimate. Some big box stores recommend storing the wood anywhere from 72 hours to three weeks. This is suppose to let the wood adjust to the humidity and the temperature that's found in the room. But there is really no one rule as to how long wood flooring needs to sit in the house. A brand new house tends to have a lot of moisture, which causes the wood to absorb it and expand, while an older house might be quite dry, which may cause the wood to shrink. Both of these cause problems when the wood is finally installed. Even the area of the country where the floor is to be installed is important. A homeowner should consult with an expert in hardwood flooring to determine just how long their wood needs to be acclimated to the specific conditions in their home.
Cleaning the Hardwood Floor
A sopping wet mop should never be used on hardwood flooring, for this can cause the wood to swell. The homeowner should use a damp mop and only occasionally or when the floor is truly dirty. Since floors are also sealed to protect them, a cleanser made to protect the sealant or wax should be used.
Protecting Against Sunlight
A room that's full of sunlight is attractive, but the fact is that direct sunlight is
detrimental to hardwood flooring Barrie. The ultraviolet, visible and infrared light from the sun bleaches some kinds of wood and causes others to become unpleasantly dark. In some cases,
sunlight causes planks to dry out and become gappy. Even a sealed floor can be damaged. There are several ways to mitigate the damage caused by sun:
• The hardwood can be placed in an area that doesn't get much sun, like a hallway.
• The windows in the room can be fitted with panes of low-emissivity glass, which reduces the levels of UV and infrared light.
• The furniture and rugs can be rearranged throughout the year.
• The windows can be covered with blinds, drapes or shutters much of the time. If the homeowner really loves a sunny room, the windows can be covered when the sun is at its most intense, which is from mid-morning till mid-afternoon.
Hardwood flooring can come in many shades, grains and textures and is uniquely beautiful. With care, a hardwood floor can give pleasure for decades.


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In Q Places, we call facilitators "initiators" because they get a group started and keep it going on the right track. For the most healthy, productive group, you need three initiators working together. Just as a triangle is the strongest supportive shape in architecture, a triad is the best way to create a self-sustaining support structure for launching a Q Place.
Why three initiators in a group?
Three people bring multiple relational skills together as they facilitate group interactions. One may be able to phrase questions that spark curiosity and discussion; another may have an intuitive understanding of unspoken communication; the third may naturally connect group members with each other in ways that extend beyond the discussion time.
Logistically, starting with three helps as well. When one person has a conflict and can't come on a particular week, there will still be two initiators to help the discussion flow well. Also, when three people start a Q Place together, they have the potential of inviting three times the number of friends and a stronger possibility that those who come would be more diverse in background. Teams of three hold each other accountable to stay motivated, to stay on task, and to grow in their relationship with God and with everyone in the group.
Why is three better than two?
Two is acceptable, but we feel that a partnership of two tends to set up a leader/follower or experienced/apprentice model, which doesn't really play out as well in a Q Place. The dynamic of three people leads much more naturally to an equal sharing of strengths and support of weaknesses. Three is small enough for a lot of transparency, and yet just large enough for the kinds of lively interactions and synergy that should be typical of a Q Place.
Given these considerations, if you want to start a Q Place, think of who else might be interested in facilitating with you. Together, you can go through a Q Place coaching group. If you do not have anyone who might want to form a triad with you, join a coaching group anyway. You may find your triad there!


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SPECTRUM 8 Piece Eye Blending Make-Up Brush Set
Item number LKLPM
SPECTRUM 8 Piece Eye Blending Make-Up Brush SetEverything you need to create beautiful eye make-up looks. From dark and dramatic, blown out colour, pastel washes and contoured creations, this is the ultimate eye blending set. The larger shaders are ideal to apply a base colour, then build the detail with the smaller shaders and blenders. The super soft bristles are the perfect way to blend your colour, for the ultimate eye looks use all 8. The possibilities are endless. Set consists of: A16 - Precision Crease B06 - Tall Tapered Blender B04 - Small Angled Shader A08 - Medium Fluffy Shader A07 - Stubby Shader A12- Fluffy Pencil A13 - Short Smudge C06 - Tulip Eye Contour All brushes are made from the highest quality synthetic hair. Vegan and Cruelty Free no unicorns were harmed in the making.


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I was getting my U.S. Christmas mailing list in order and noticed a problem on some of my zipcodes. Many of New England's zip codes begin with a zero so when I pulled my addresses into Excel to sort and filter them, Excel dropped the 0 from the beginning of the zipcode so for example, instead of 02186, Excel displayed 2186.
(It did this because it assumed the ZipCode was a number instead of text.)
The fix is easy.
In this case, I clicked in cell I2 and entered =IF(LEN(H2)=5,H2,"0"&H2)
LEN() counts the number of characters. So, I told Excel -if the number of characters in cell H2 total 5 then just display the contents of cell H2. However, if the number of characters in H2 do not total 5 then include a 0 at the beginning of the H2 cell contents. I used an ampersand (&) to tell Excel to join the 0 and the zipcode together however you could also have used the Concatenate() function- I just think the & is faster. Both LEN() and Concatenate() are Text functions.
Once I copied the formula down, I then selected all the zipcodes in Column I, copied them and then did Paste Values so that the formulas were overwritten with the actual numbers. I did that so that when I deleted Column H, my new zipcodes would display.
An alternative way would be to just hide Column H.
This IF assumed residential US zipcodes. If you had business zip codes which would have more than 5 characters or were including European postal codes then you would have to change the IF a bit.


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It's the last day of the last summer month for this year which makes me a bit sad but also excited for sweater weather, berry shades and autumn make-up collections.
Here are my most-used products for the month of August that remind me summer isn't over yet and we're still going to enjoy the sunshine.
The first one is an absolute random purchase that became a huge favourite of mine. I didn't expect to like the Balea Peach and Coconut Hair Milk so much. First of all, I don't really like coconut-scented products and second, it's super affordable, so I was expecting it to be a bit sticky. The truth is that it doesn't smell like coconut at all, in fact, the scent is amazing, light and fresh. The milk is basically a leave-in conditioner and I fell in love with a similar product years ago but it got discontinued and I was pretty sad. I use 3-4 pumps of the product and apply it on damp hair only around the ends of it where it tends to be more dry. The conditioner is not sticky or greasy and it doesn't make my hair look dirty as some other products do. Once I dry my hair, I'm left with shiny and moisturised locks, it's really easy to comb and style the hair and it also smells amazing.
My favourite face moisturiser for the warmer days has been Lancôme Énergie De Vie The Smoothing & Glow Boosting Liquid Care (full review here). It has a serum-like texture that feels very light on the skin, it's a bit cooling and soothing but it also gives me the right amount of hydration in the summer. My skin has been much more radiant and fresh-looking in the past couple of months, thanks to this product. I think I'll still keep using it in the autumn and winter but paired with a bit more rich cream on top.
As I've mentioned before, I rarely fall in love with foundations. However, KICKS Flawless Wear Foundation SPF 20 in 02 Light* surprised me with its coverage and longevity while looking natural and fresh. It's been about two months since I first started using it and my opinion is still the same, I'm absolutely in love with this base. If you want to see more of the KICKS summer bits, check out this blog post.
One product that has been in my handbag every single day in July and August, is definitely the Estée Lauder Genuine Glow Reviving Oil Lip Tint*. It's a nourishing tinted lip gloss that comes in a universal sheer shade which enhances the natural lip colour of every woman. The packaging is sophisticated and luxurious, the lip tint is gorgeous and gives a plump look to the lips while moisturising them. I've done a full review on the product here.
There's this organic shop in Norway that I love going to because they have amazing selection of products and brands. They also have their own brand, I've tried a few items from them and I really liked them. That's why I got their Life Aloe Vera Gel a few weeks ago. I know there are many Aloe Vera gels out there but this one contains pure, organic Aloe Vera (not from concentrate), has no mineral oils and parabens in it and it's also cruelty-free. It's very good against minor skin irritations like redness, light sun damage or shaving. I don't really sunbathe and I don't burn easily but I like the soothing feeling of this gel at the end of the hot days. There's also a spray version of it that I'm now curious about.
These are my favourite beauty products for the month of August, what have you been loving in the summer?
*PR Samples


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It can helps you to see BB pivots . It's based on bollinger bands . Best Settings: (20,3) - (50,2) Cheers :)
Support&Resistanceby AekCoder Remake
ZONE BUY STRATEGY In this method look for recent block of black candles and take the before black candle as base handle ,Draw a line forward with the value open and close of the base candle ,When the price falls into this region next in near future execute buy order. Stop loss wont work.
Easy script to find candles which body is less than 50% of candle range.
Support & Resistanceby AekCoder Remake
First off, a huge thank you to the following people: LEGION: LazyBear: www.tradingview.com xSilas: www.tradingview.com Ni6HTH4awK: www.tradingview.com sco77m4r7and: SNOW_CITY: www.tradingview.com oh92: www.tradingview.com alexgrover:...
demand index
Relative Volume Indicator ------------------------------ RVI is a support-resistance technical indicator developed by Melvin E. Dickover. Unlike many conventional support and resistance indicators, the Relative Volume Indicator takes into account price-volume behavior in order to detect the supply and demand pools. These pools are marked by "Defended Price Lines"...
I got a question if it would be possible to Automatically draw S/R levels based on Volume rather than RSI as I had earlier done in this script; Well it certainly is and it looks as though it might even be tradeable. The indicator compares the size of volume bars so that if there is...
A follower of mine asked me if I could make a version of my www.tradingview.com script using the MACD. Well it just so happens I was making a few modifications to my MACD script: just as this...
Dynamic SUPRES can be interpreted in different ways. Each square marks an area of congestion that could serve as support and resistance. FLASH UPDATE: Now is possible to choose the timeframe and the bars color on/off.
useful to trade with Alfonso Supply Demand strategy
Icons on the chart will help you to discover the boundaries of zones of consolidation. These zones in the future will be the likely levels of S/R
Dynamic SUPRES can be interpreted in different ways. Each square marks an area of congestion that could serve as support and resistance.


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After the 2001 crash, the sound of the cacerolazo was accompanied by an audibly quieter but visually in-your-face explosion of stencil art. With anger and frustration searching for an outlet, satirical and political statements poured forth from pots and sprayed themselves on streets and walls in Buenos Aires.
Workshops in stencil art and cycle tours of painted barrios are just some of the ways you can tap into the urban art scene today in Buenos Aires during downtime from Tango. Graffitimundo, a collective of artists, designers and afficionados joined through friendship, give you looking glass to climb through. If you're going through the looking glass to get to tango in Baires, this glass will transport you to another side of the reflection.


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14K Diamond Engagement Ring 1/4 ctw
In Stock | STYLE: HDR1363EC
Available in 7-10 Business Days
This stunning 14K White Gold Diamond Engagement Ring is set with 7 round-cut diamonds, weighing 1/4 ctw.*Prices are subject to change based on fluctuations in metal prices and currencies
Our Bridal Bells collection is the natural way to show your love for each other. Our engagement rings are like the brilliance of a sunset captured in diamonds that shine like stars in the sky. Each band represents true love, eternal as the sunrise, in every day spent together. Bridal Bells. Inspired by nature, designed for love.


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Please enter a search term to begin your search.
Biar walupun terlambat postingnya, tapi tetap ku posting ajah. Acaranya hari sabtu minggu lalu 11-Oktober. Karena lagi males nulis, aku buat aja photo blog ^_^.
Type your name here, but it not necessary, because I had anticipate your lazy hand.
Yes, you can leave it empty. It's not like that I'm going to write you an email. But if you do, I will display your Gravatar.
It's unnecessary to provide your blog url, but here it is. Use this format: http://www.dwaan.com.
You're encourage to write a subject. Well if not, I'll give some nasty and ugly subject to your comment.
You really have to write your comment below, it's required. I mean, you want to write a comment wont you?.
Sorry, I don't trust you are human. Please type those funky words to prove you are a human.


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Marcus is a senior consultant with more than a decade of experience working in the digital economy. He has a vast technical background with years doing software development, system integration and leading design processes. Today Marcus designs, builds and run corporate accelerator programs and connect forward-looking companies with transformative technologies. Among his projects are Grunderhub, which he founded and built on behalf of Sparebank1, Norway's most successful early-stage accelerator program which has scaled to three cities. He was also Katapult Accelerator's third hire and is now working as chief architect and lead facilitator for +Impact Accelerator in Copenhagen.
In his spare time, Marcus volunteers to educate the next generation entrepreneurs through Startup Weekend where he serves as a global facilitator and proud member of the extended TechStars family.
Marcus loves kiting, travel and especially a mix of the two.


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{module Stand Up Paddling Slideshow}
Originating from the waves of Hawaii, SUP is now the fastest growing paddle sport in the world. Benefits include improving balance and strengthening of your core and legs. We'll show you how to get up, correct board stance, effective and most efficient paddling techniques.
$50 pp. Min 2 people. Includes 2 hrs instruction & SUP for ½ day


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When I think about self-care, I find myself going through my mental checklist of what I need to stay healthy:
Exercise every day? Check.
Vegetables, even when I want to eat cake? Check.
Fresh air, sunshine, and sleep? Check, check, and check.
A balanced bank account? A retirement portfolio? Um, not so much.
Financial health, in many ways, is the single most important contributor to our physical health and well-being. Our financial health affects every aspect of our lives, from our physical selves and relationships, to our emotional well-being and spiritual practices. But for some reason, most of us overlook finances as part of self-care.
"Most of us were not given a financial education on a practical and emotional level," explains Bari Tessler, 48, a financial therapist and author of The Art of Money: A Life-Changing Guide to Financial Happiness. "And it's such an important area of our lives that we need to bring attention and care and nurturance and love and compassion to."
Even the simple act of paying bills, Tessler points out, can be a loving act of self-care that we don't have to dread, put off, or fear. For some reason, her suggestion of simply lighting a candle and indulging in some chocolate while reviewing finances blew me away. Why do we treat taking care of our financial health as a chore instead of a treat? Isn't managing our money as women something to be incredibly proud of?
Part of the reason for our mixed and muddled feelings about finances comes from the nuances we've been taught about money. We may have been taught as children that talking about money was shameful. We may have learned that money is inherently bad, or missed out on any sort of financial education whatsoever.
Women may inherently recognize money as a tool that can be used against them in a negative way. For example, women all around the world are more likely to experience poverty than men. There are many outside factors that contribute to this, including abusive relationships, or inadequate maternity leave and childcare that can hinder a woman's financial independence. In some situations, women may not be able to break free from their economic restraints, which can deeply affect not only how they value themselves, but what they believe about money.
Although the tide is shifting as more women take on the role of financial managers in their households and talk more openly about money, there is still a lot women have had to "unlearn" about money. In the U.S., married women weren't given the full, legal right to open a bank account without their husband's permission until the 1960s. Women couldn't open a checking account on their own, let alone manage a financial portfolio, so it makes sense that we may need a little time to reformulate outdated thinking when it comes to women and money.
Research suggests the indoctrination against women and money begins early. Despite early aptitude equal to their male peers, female students take fewer high-level math courses as they move past elementary school and teachers tend to believe boys are better at math than girls.
Whether we recognize it or not, our inherent beliefs about money affects nearly every aspect of our lives. "We project a lot of beliefs around money and it's important to examine the stories we are telling ourselves," Tessler explains.
While women may not have been taught that finances are part of our self-care, there are many ways we can change that:
1. Practice body check-ins.
The first thing Tessler recommends to her clients is the Body Check-In, a tool designed to help you pay attention to how your body is reacting before engaging in a financial activity. Before you sit down to pay bills or open up that credit card statement, take a moment to pause, breathe deeply, and without judgement or criticism, notice what your body is doing. Are you tense? Stressed? Feel sick to your stomach?
Acknowledge those feelings and emotions so that you can then move forward into understanding why money is triggering a particular reaction in your body. "Practicing the Body Check-In is a great way to bring awareness and understanding to your money story, which will eventually lead to changed patterns and habits," she adds.
2. Explore your family upbringing and money values.
You can't move forward with your financial beliefs and practices before understanding what you've been taught. What were your family's beliefs about money? Were you taught that money was the root of all evil? Did you grow up watching your parent struggle with putting food on the table? Maybe you have inherent guilt about the money your family had. Take time to pay attention and uncover what beliefs and ideas about money you already have.
3. Acknowledge the financial situation you are in right now.
Maybe you're living paycheck to paycheck or find yourself in a relationship where you have no economic control or stability. Maybe you're utilizing food stamps or skipping meals to feed your child. Making financial care part of your overall self-care begins with acknowledging your emotional state and beliefs about money — and how they affect your view of yourself.
4. Learn a personal bookkeeping system.
There are many types of personal bookkeeping systems, but the important thing is to give yourself time to learn them and adjust to making it a practice. Tessler also recommends renaming your categories to reflect your values, and assigning debt names that don't make you feel shameful. For example, you may label a debt category something like "career transition" or "postpartum healing" to honor what that debt was really about.
5. Talk about money.
Getting help with simple things like tracking your expenses and larger aspects like investing in financial therapy are positive steps for overall self-care, not something to be ashamed about. "Learn your money story," Tessler sums up. "This is a life-long journey."


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Café 58 is the high school canteen which is located in the Tony Dobson Pavilion. The Tony Dobson pavilion was built in 2001 and named in honour of the school's first lay Headmaster. The canteen – originally a Nino's franchise and then "Basil's at Bennies" - was re-named in 2016 when the school established its own Food and Beverage Department. Café 58 is – of course – a reference to the year in which our school was established. This facility is generally open from 7:00 to 16:00 during the week and on weekends when home fixtures are being played. An extensive and affordable menu is on offer.
Upstairs@Café 58 is a function room used for a variety of functions such as meetings, reunions, parties, and gatherings of every description. This facility is off-limits to under 18's as it is also where our bar is located. It is a very popular venue for lunch and drinks for staff, parents and visitors on Saturdays for home fixtures. This opens onto a large, covered veranda from which people can enjoy a stunning view of the rugby and cricket games being played on the school's main fields.


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Cat Power playing 'Moon Pix' 20th anniversary show at fest with Mazzy Star, Solange, more
Arguably Cat Power's finest album and for sure a classic, 1998's Moon Pix turns 20 this year and to celebrate Chan Marshall will perform the album in full for the first time backed by her original collaborators on the record, Jim White and Mick Turner of Dirty Three. The show happens May 31 at the Sydney Opera House (yes the one in Australia) and is part of VIVID LIVE 2018 which runs from May 25 – June 18. Tickets for the Moon Pix show go on sale Friday, March 23 at 9 AM AEDT.
Also playing VIVID LIVE: Solange, Mazzy Star (the band's Australian debut), Ice Cube, Iron & Wine, Total Control & Friends, Brian Eno's Music for Airports performed by Alaska Orchestra, and more. Check out the full lineup, along with a stream of Moon Pix, below.
VIVID LIVE 2018 Lineup
Mazzy Star
Ice Cube
Cat Power (Moon Pix 20th Anniversary)
Daniel Johns & Luke Steele
Iron & Wine
Neil Finn
Out of Silence with Orchestra
Total Control & Friends (ft. Native Cats, Greta Now & DJ Yoni)
Middle Kids
No Mono
Joep Beving
Fugazi's Instrument (Screening + Q&A with Guy Picciotto)
Xylouris White
An Evening with Repressed Records (ft. Nasho, Mick Turner, Nun, Hurtsville & Knitted Abyss)
Ambient 1: Music for Airports performed by Alaska Orchestra (written by Brian Eno)
Club Kooky
Kuren + Electric Fields
Burial 12″s all night long (with DJ Eli)
Astral People
ft. Danny Krivit
Mad Racket (ft. Lord of the Isles Live)
Lighting of the Sails
Metamathemagical by Jonathan Zawada


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WASHINGTON, DC, October 15, 2008 (ENS) - A bill introduced by Senator Barack Obama that will help protect Americans and people around the world from mercury poisoning by banning the export of elemental mercury from the United States, was signed into law last night by President George W. Bush.
Senator Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, said, "The president's approval of this bipartisan bill is an important victory for millions of the world's most vulnerable citizens who are exposed to the harmful effects of mercury every day."
"Exposure to mercury leads to serious developmental problems in children as well as problems affecting vision, motor skills, blood pressure, and fertility in adults," said Obama. "Despite our country's improved efforts to contain and collect mercury over the years, we remain one of the world's leading exporters of this dangerous product, so I am proud this bill will finally ban mercury exports."
S. 906, the Mercury Export Ban Act of 2008, prohibits the transfer of elemental mercury by federal agencies, bans U.S. export of elemental mercury by 2013, and requires the Department of Energy to designate and manage an elemental mercury long-term disposal facility.
The Mercury Export Ban Act won support from a wide spectrum of interests, from environmentalists to the American Chemistry Council.
"Today we have won a momentous victory for public health that will save lives both here and abroad," said Susan Keane, a scientist for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Banning the export of mercury will substantially reduce mercury contamination in fish, prevent the contamination of our water, and shield our children from a dangerous chemical."
"Those involved overcame a difficult political climate to enact bipartisan legislation that will benefit millions of people around the globe," said Keane. "This is no small feat, and I commend them for their hard work."
American Chemistry Council President and CEO Cal Dooley said, "What makes this legislation unique is that it not only reflects support of both Democrats and Republicans, it also reflects what is possible when a broad-based coalition of stakeholder interests comes together. The American Chemistry Council, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Environmental Council of the States, the Chlorine Institute, Inc., and the National Mining Association successfully worked together for many months to help enact this legislation to ban exports of elemental mercury from the United States by January 1, 2013."
The Mercury Export Ban Act puts an end to a vicious cycle of poison, Keane explained. While this dangerous neurotoxin is being phased out by industry and the government here in the United States, surplus mercury is shipped overseas to developing countries, where it is released from highly polluting industries, she said.
"Not only is the air and water in those importing countries contaminated with concentrations of mercury that would not be tolerated in the United States, the mercury can also travel for thousands of miles and can settle right back here in the United States, poisoning Americans mainly through consumption of contaminated fish," Keane said.
The law, signed by President Bush and passed by the House and Senate with overwhelming majorities, now requires that all mercury in the United States remain here, where it can be managed according to U.S. laws.
It prohibits the departments of Defense and Energy from exporting their huge accumulated stockpiles of mercury.
The bill also directs the Department of Energy to begin operating a long-term storage and management facility for excess mercury.
"I am pleased that President Bush has signed this important legislation which will slow needless mercury emissions, especially in the developing world," said Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican. who joined Obama in introducing the bill.
"Given our expanding knowledge about the health impacts of elemental mercury when it enters the atmosphere, it only makes sense to take reasonable steps now to safeguard the environment from the release of mercury that can affect fish and potentially those who eat fish," she said.
"Mercury is a potent neurotoxin hazardous to human health, especially for infants, children, and women who are pregnant or nursing," said Congressman Tom Allen, a Maine Democrat, who introduced the bill in the House of Representatives.
"Maine people should be able to eat the fish they purchase in the supermarkets," he said. "We still have much to do to end mercury pollution, and I will continue to fight for passage of my legislation to establish a nationwide mercury pollution monitoring system and the legislation I support requiring utilities to reduce their mercury emissions."
Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2008. All rights reserved.


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Glass Partition Walls from RSI can be seamlessly integrated into their cubicle systems or installed into office spaces where a glass divider wall can create a sound barrier but still provide an open office environment with ambient light. Panels are available in 64 inch and 68 inch heights and 12 inch, 24 inch, 30 inch and 36 inch widths, constructed with Plexiglas and a steel frame.
Glass office walls can be used in work spaces where you would prefer to have an open office environment but still have the benefits of sound barriers in a work space. The glass partition walls by RSI are part of a modular partition system where these panels can be integrated seamlessly into almost any workspace.


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Day 23: Things you've learned that school won't teach you
Oh, some pages turned,
some bridges burned,
but there were lessons learned.
===== This post was originally posted to share things you SHOULD learn in college:
Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year
Well, after almost two weeks at home I have moved past shock and denial, through despair and depression, and am
well on my way to recovery with the idea that I am halfway done with college. Seeing my older sister and some close friends graduate this year made me not only incredibly proud of them, but also melancholy about the fact that in just two short years, I'll (hopefully) be making that same long trek across the stage. Anyway, thinking about the two incredible years I have behind me at Syracuse University and the promising two ahead of me is both happy and sad, but at least I can say I have learned a few things by sophomore year from the people I have met and the experiences I have been fortunate enough to have.
5 Things You Should Learn in College
- "The hardest lessons to learn are the ones taught outside the classroom"- Cooperation, tolerance, selflessness, acceptance and love are all traits that you can't find explained in a textbook, but they are perhaps some of the most important to making it in this world. Coming from someone who is driven and self-motivated almost to a fault, I can say that for me, strengthening these skills was one of the hardest yet most rewarding challenges I have faced in my young adult life. If you're lucky you'll meet people (*TJAGEW*) that will push you to want to be a better person and forego all judgement while you're on your way to becoming one.
- "Take advantage of classroom resources"- I know you've heard this a million times before, so why haven't you done it yet? I used to think going to office hours was a sign of weakness, until I learned the hard way that sometimes it is the difference between failing a class and getting a C. If you're struggling or even just being lazy, seeking help before you get a wakeup call test grade can save you a few late nights and panic attacks before the cumulative final.
- "Be selfish"- Never in your life will you get to do exactly what you want to do, when you want to do it, like you can in college. I'm not saying you shouldn't consider other peoples' feelings or give back to the community, but take some time to be honest with yourself about the person you want to be and the thingsYOU want to accomplish. Make a list of what you want to do and don't let others stand in your way.
- "Take risks"- Introduce yourself. Join that club. Apply for that internship. Study abroad. The scope and scale of possibilities are endless, especially if you aren't afraid to take that next step. The higher the risk, the higher the reward. "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." – T. S. Eliot
- "Accept change"- Days go by and nothing seems different, but when you look back, so much has changed. I can confidently say I am a very different person than who I was in middle school, high school, and even freshman year of college. Every relationship, good or bad, romantic or otherwise, has taught me something not only about other people, but also about myself. I know that as I grow up, different people will play different roles as I move through life, but the most important part is seeing the beauty in every soul, and the lesson in every day.


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Into the Berm – Matthias Purdon
December 6, 2012
I have always been a fan of using isolation in an image to create a strong photograph. Typically it can be done rather easily as the dynamic range of a camera is much lower than the dynamic range of our eyes.
What does this mean? While essentially that our eyes can see a wider variation between highlights and low-lights then our camera can. We can use this "limitation" of our camera to help isolate our subject either into the darkness or into a purposely over exposed brightness.
It is rare to see a mountain bike photo that has been isolated. Typically when mountain biking you are under a canopy of tree tops (as was this situation) and the dynamic range of light is compressed all into one that your camera can see. This is where I bring in the flashes. I purposely under exposed the entire shot. This makes it seem almost as if it was night. It was not although it was later in the evening. There was still plenty of natural light then.
After under exposing the shot I used flashes on each side of the trail to properly expose the cyclist. This creating the isolation of the cycling in the darkness.
Meta Data//Exposure 1/250 @ f/5.0 ISO 200//42mm


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I cannot tell you how irritable I have become, simply by having this coat lying around in my flat…. I feel like it is sort of stifling me as I can't start or finish anything else until this coat is done. So I spent the weekend in a sewing rage – not because things were going wrong with it but because it has been taking so long to finish!! Two weeks have gone by, waiting for an extra half metre of interlining to turn up – which of course it hasn't….
(On a side note, when you order something online, I think it would be courteous to be informed if something is out of stock – either by stating it on the website as out of stock or perhaps a little email after you have committed to buy. Not an afterthough on my delivery note (for something else) saying the interlining is out of stock and will follow. Well, it's been two weeks since then, not only do I not have it, I have had no communication enlightening me as to when it will turn up. If I had wanted to wait I would have gone into town to get it! Ok, rant over, I apologise, full service is now commencing….)
So instead of waiting a minute longer for some non existent interlining, I unpicked the interlining that I had already attached and started to put it all together.
I spent most of Sunday morning pad stitching – If I don't have to pad stitch another thing for the rest of my life, I would be ecstatic…!
All I have left to do is stitch the seams down, hem it and attach the lining – I was attempting to catchstitch the hems, to avoid bulk at the seams, but my wool is not obeying! I was considering topstitching but I've had second thoughts about the topstitching thread I have got for it and how it would end up looking.


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NORTON, Mass. - The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming & diving teams wrapped up their regular seasons on Saturday after hosting a two-day, non-scoring invitational in Balfour Natatorium featuring New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) schools Clark University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) foe Tufts University.
Freshman diver Charlie Maier (Sudbury, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) broke a pair of school records during the one- and three-meter events. In the 11-dive event for one meter, Maier was the runner up with 393.80 points. Off the three-meter springboard, he also placed second with 395.45 points.
Senior Jonathan Gold (West Harrison, N.Y./Fordham Prep), who was the former record holder in both events, placed fourth in each competition, while freshman Taylor Wright-Sanson (Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs) came in fifth in both.
Senior Eddie Gillie (Haverhill, Mass./Saint John's Prep) won the 1,000-yard freestyle in 10:40.50, while seniors Sam Dean-Lee (Rocky Hill, Conn./Xavier) and Ben Sabol (Saint Petersburg, Fla./Shorecrest Prep), sophomore Sam Neill (Ludlow, Mass./Belchertown) and freshman Emerson Jenkins (Kansas City, Mo./Pembroke Hill School) came in fourth during the 400-yard free relay.
Jenkins placed fifth in the 50-yard free event and joined Sabol, senior Zach Fichman-Klein (North Attleboro, Mass./North Attleboro) and freshman Nick Oliveri (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) for a fifth-place result in the 200-yard free relay.
Senior Nicole Zais (Sudbury, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) led the women by figuring in three event victories, including sweeping the 100- and 200-yard breaststrokes in 1:07.29 and 2:30.09, respectively. She also sided with classmates Sara Hollar (La Crescenta, Calif./Flintridge Prep) and Dania Piscetta (Belmont, N.H./Belmont) and sophomore Elle Van Cott (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) on the victorious 400-yard medley relay team that finished in 4:09.20.
Sophomore Caroline Isaacs (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitt) touched the wall first in the 1,000-yard freestyle race in 11:06.39. Piscetta was the runner up in the 400-yard individual medley, as were the 200-yard medley and 400-yard free relay teams. Piscetta, Zais and senior Stephany Perkins (Monmouth, Maine/Monmouth Academy) contributed to both relays. Hollar swam a leg of the 400-yard free relay, as did sophomore Dana Auger (Milford, Mass./Milford) in the 200-yard medley relay.
Auger and senior Emma Chaiken (Bangor, Maine/Bangor) placed third in the 200-yard backstroke and one-meter dive events, respectively. Junior Sarah Miller (Madison, N.J./Madison) took fourth in the 200-yard breast, classmate Alexandra Wilson (Suffield, Conn./Suffield) came in fourth during the one-meter dive, while Perkins, Piscetta, Zais and senior Samantha Farrell (Reading, Mass./Reading Memorial) finished fourth in the 200-yard free relay. Wilson was fifth in the three-meter dive.
Up next for the squads are their respective NEWMAC Championships. The women compete at Mount Holyoke College from February 18-20, while the men are at MIT the following weekend.


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TI News: An information service from the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO)
October 24, 2013
Date: Thursday, November 7, 2013
Time: 3:00-4:30p.m. EDT (U.S.), 12:00-1:30 p.m. PDT
The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) and the Global Travel and Tourism Team will present a webinar on shifts in travel patterns and characteristics of overseas travelers who visited the U.S. with the impact on U.S. destinations and businesses in 2012.
Overseas travel to the United States totaled a record 29.8 million visitors in 2012, up seven percent. Travel from 22 countries set records, however six of the larger countries accounted for declines in inbound visitation. Changes in the number of arrivals affected U.S. destinations and their travel and tourism businesses/sectors.
Significant changes in traveler characteristics and travel patterns also affected destinations and specific travel and tourism businesses/sectors. The year witnessed shifts in the purpose of trip, first time visits, the number of destinations visited, use of packages, port-of-entry, length of stay and others. During this webinar, you will learn more about these shifts and their effects on the nation's top destinations. The presentation will review overall 2012 overseas travel and focus on the sources of changes.
A synopsis of the Survey of International Air Travelers (SIAT) program and its 2012 questionnaire change will also be addressed.
Speakers include Richard Champley, Senior Research Analyst, and Mark Brown, Economist for the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) To register for this event or for more details on speakers and format, please click here: https://emenuapps.ita.doc.gov/ePublic/event/editWebReg.do?SmartCode=3QAZ
Program Details:
November 7, 2013
3:00-4:30 p.m. EDT (U.S.), 12:00-1:30 p.m. PDT
Event Cost: $50
Webinar call-in & log-in information will be sent after registration and payment is received.
For questions, please contact Anastasia Xenias, PhD, at 212-809-2685 (email@example.com) or Richard Champley at 202-482-4754 (firstname.lastname@example.com) in the United States
NTTO Background:
Industry & Analysis' National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) collects, analyzes and disseminates international travel and tourism statistics for the U.S. Travel and Tourism Statistical System. To view the OTTI 2012 non-resident arrivals data tables that provide monthly estimates on the number of international visitors to the United States, and the rate of change each month and year-to-date, please visit: https://travel.trade.gov/view/m-2012-I-001/index.html
For more detailed information on the new 2012 international travel to the United States data including the top states and cities visited, 23 country profiles and other inbound travel reports, please visit: https://travel.trade.gov/outreachpages/inbound.general_information.inbound_overview.html
The 2013 non-resident arrivals data (year to date) is available at: https://travel.trade.gov/view/m-2013-I-001/index.html
U.S. Commercial Service Background:
The U.S. Commercial Service is the trade promotion arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration. U.S. Commercial Service trade professionals in over 100 U.S. cities and in nearly 80 countries help U.S. companies get started in exporting or increase sales to new global markets. Their website address is: https://www.trade.gov/cs/
For more information on Commercial Service export promotion activities for the travel and tourism industry, please visit http://www.export.gov/industry/travel
U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW, Mail Stop 10003, Washington, DC 20230; Phone:(202) 482-0140; Fax: (202) 482-2887; Website: https://travel.trade.gov; Email: firstname.lastname@example.com.


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There are many wrong choices that I have made in my past. I have nobody to blame but myself for all them. I've taken them all to the feet of Jesus at the Cross and begged for His mercy and He is in Goodness has forgiven me. And, in His mercy, He showed me that there is one thing that I am able to take back and make right. It's only by the Grace of God that I was even able to see that.
There are so many points to this story and there is no way to put the whole thing in order. I will do my best to tell it the way it makes the most sense to me and pray that through my rambling, God can make sense of it to anyone who is reading it. I will add to it as I see fit seeing how this isn't something that can be told in one sitting.
I met my husband when I was 4 years old. Even before then our lives had already crossed paths, but we had no idea. If there was ever a doubt that God had a plan for my life, it changed the day that Stacey and I figured out how much our lives were intertwined way before we ever even knew it.
In my mind I always thought of Stacey coming into my life his first day of school at my school in the 7th grade. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. I have loved him since the first time I saw him that day. He is the love of my life. I know a lot of people say those words, but for me it is really true. Never have I loved another man the way that I love this man.
When I was 13 my only dream was to marry him and have his baby. But the fastest way to get a 14-year-old boy to run from you like a bat out of hell is to tell him you want him to marry you and have a baby with you. And that is what he did when I told him that. I will never in my life forget the look on his face. We both laugh about it now until we cry, because as adults it's funny. We were stupid kids, and I was a love-sick 13-year-old girl who had no idea what I was even saying.
When he broke up with me I remember praying for God to make him love me and marry me. Part of the prayer came true on October 7, 2010 when before God, our friends, family, and our 7 kids from previous marriages; we exchanged vows promising to give our whole selves to one another for life. At that moment in time we understood what marriage was, but had no idea how much more we had left to learn. We had made the choice to be chaste for the months leading up to the wedding with the help and spiritual guidance of our priest. Chastity was not anything that Stacey or I ever heard of in our life.(much less ever even tried. It was a shock actually) We had heard of abstinence but not chastity. We had no idea that chastity was a part of love and love a part of marriage. I'd say that we still don't fully understand that. We knew that we had to think of the good of one another above what we wanted for ourselves to be married. And we were right, and boy are we learning how to put that in action.
The part that was missing was that we were both sterilized during our previous marriages. Once the Church declared that we were free to marry each other, we told Father that we were sterile. (I had confessed it already, but this was the first time I brought it up outside of the sacrament). At that point we starting talking about what that meant. That we would never have children of our own, and whether we wanted to add the vow of accepting any children God gave us in our marriage.
We kept it in because we both felt that God could give us a child if He wanted to. A miracle baby. That is what we called the baby from there on out. We were fully open to God giving us a miracle baby that was conceived even though we were both sterile. We were not however, open to reversing our sterilizations.
We discussed it with Fr. J and he told us that the Church did not require us to reverse. At this point I had 4 kids and my husband has 3; that is 7 kids to feed. We were renting our home, we owned our own business and we wanted to put the youngest child, my 10-year-old daughter who wants to be a nun, in Catholic school. So we could not afford or even justify spending 10 grand on reversals to have a child. I make it seem very justifiable right? Well really we were both relieved actually. The kids we do have are all older; we can come and go when we please without worrying about small children. A baby would greatly change our life.
At some point I realized that if I was really honest with myself that was the true motive for not wanting reversals. I felt called by God to put my fertility in His mighty hands, and I wish I could say that I fully gave it to Him and was open to His will. But that would be a lie. I clung to it for a long time. I spent the first year of our marriage coming up with every excuse I could think of as to why it would not be prudent for us to get reversals. But really, it was that I didn't want another baby to mess up my peaceful life plus I didn't want to bring it up to my husband. I knew he would not like the idea and would fight me about it. So the whole thing was an inconvenience that I didn't want to deal with it. I wrestled with God about it. That's how I roll. God always wins.
I told God that if He wanted us to get reversals then He was going to have to make it happen. He was going to have to give us the money, the means, and talk to my husband. I knew that in order for my husband to get on board to do this it would take St. Gabriel himself to come down from heaven and have a long talk with him. I doubted the goodness of God the Father, and doubted that he would give Stacey a St. Gabriel moment. After the sheep in Rome, I really should know better.
That was only a little over a month ago. As I type this both my husband and I are healing from our reversal surgeries. (And as I edit it, we are fully healed.)
I am not saying the Church in her wisdom should say that couples who are sterilized should get reversed once they realize the wrongness in what they did. The Church knows what she is saying. She is always right. But what I do know, is that was God's will for us. I know it because He made it happen. The doors just came flying open for us to do it. Money and all. (We had a group of faithful Catholic women all praying for us, and I'm sure that helped also.)
But here is what changed: during our fight I told my husband that I am his wife. I demand to be loved and love is more than a feeling. I wasn't exactly sure what I was saying love is, but I knew it was more than being able to have sex whenever we wanted without worrying about having a child. Besides that, I wanted to do the right thing by God. (That is when he doubted that God exists for a moment, which is so typical of anyone who wants out from doing God's will. LOL If He doesn't exist, then you don't have to follow His will) we both came to the same conclusion that getting these reversals would be the moral thing to do. We agreed to cling to that and to Christ when we wanted to dart and run away.
So then came the day of my surgery. I realized how whole I felt after it was done. I felt like I was a whole person, a woman again. After Stacey's surgery, we just felt at peace. We felt the Grace of God and we felt scared at the same time. Because as humans we are very scared of the unknown, and as it sits now we are facing the unknown of what God's plans are for us.
Then yesterday I realized what it was that I was trying to say about love and what I wanted from my husband. True love is looking outside of yourself and willing the good of the person you are claiming to love. Love does not look at ones feelings and make choices to hurt the other based on them. Love is more than a feeling; it is a choice to do right by another by respecting their dignity. One cannot truly love another without virtues. This explains exactly what is going on in the world around us. Without a moral foundation and objective right and wrong then we cannot love. Without love then we all reduce each other to things to use rather than people to love. For my husband and I, loving each other means following God's will, reversing, and being open to the possibility of creating children.
When I was first approached about the idea of getting reversals I was very much offended. I was defensive and I was not willing to hear anyone out. My husband loved me and I loved him and the Church did not require this of us, so in my mind everyone needed to mind their business. That worked for me until God stepped in and made this HIS business. At that point I had a choice to either listen to Him or ignore Him. That is the beauty of how He works, He gives us the choice to ignore Him. So if this post makes anyone mad or angry I would suggest that you take your issues to God, because He can handle your feelings; He well aware of how much accepting His will freaks us out.
Last night the words of my husband made me feel more loved than anything he has ever said to me in my life. He said that he was getting bored in our marriage before the reversals because he was taking it for granted that we could do whatever we wanted without worry. Now he can't do that because we have to discern whether to get pregnant, and live chastely according to that. The reversals, he said, made him put me back up on a pedestal where I belonged where he treats me with reverence because of the fact that I am not a toy to be used but a gift that he is called to protect and defend. Every husband needs to follow God's Will in order to love their wife. The first step is to understand the true meaning of love, not what the movies, TV, music and other media says it is, but what God says love is. God IS Love itself.
I love my husband. He has given me his whole self, which has given me the security of knowing that I am loved and then I am able to love my children. Because of this reversal and the teachings of the Church I have come to see that my children are God's blessings to me. That they are not a burden and I should never treat them like one, or speak to them as if they are.
The greatest thing I have taken from this experience is how profound the words of Christ at the last supper are. "This is my body, which will be given up for you." Christ gives up His body for His bride: The Church as an example to men on how to love their wife, by giving up their body for her.And vice versa. That is marriage. Fully giving of ones self to the other, without holding anything back. Men: LOVE YOUR WIVES. And women: Honor your husbands. That is the key to love, life, and happiness.
So many people want to know why we did it or they assume it is because we want a child together. I can only answer that in one way: We want the will of God and hope that means we will have a child together. The word hope there is Christian Hope, not a wish. Hope for us is trusting in the Promises of Christ, which are that He is faithful, that He has our best interest at heart, and that He will be with us always.


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Google has been relatively quiet when it comes to consumer versions of Google Glass, never getting into specifics about dates and always testing the product out to see if it can break into markets.
Currently, the Explorer edition of Google Glass is just starting to rollout to early developers and lucky winners of the #ifihadglass competition. These products are testers and will not be the final product, although they give the user a lot of insight into Glass.
Google has a lot of restrictions currently surrounding Glass, including not allowing anyone to sell or borrow Glass to a friend and not allowing developers to add advertisements on apps, amongst other rules.
Eric Schmidt, Google ex-CEO and now Chairman has said in an interview for BBC Radio 4 "World at One" show the Google Glass consumer version is about a year away, give or take.
This would be further behind than Sergey Brin's estimate, the co-founder said Google could be selling the product before 2014, if they get everything right. Perhaps this is a more conservative estimate, given Schmidt does a lot of work outside the company now.
Whatever the case, Google Glass is still very much in a developer stage and for a new product it may take some time for apps to appear. It is not good enough to just have Maps and Google Now on the device, it needs that core ecosystem both Android and iOS have.
Google is also currently working to make sure they can make Glass an affordable product, unlike Apple, Mountain View believes in making a product for the right amount, not for $300 profit per unit.
The end price and end details are unknown, we may see Google Glass come for as much as under $500 with no carrier contracts. The end product may be a little less adventurous in the design too and may come with lenses for people who wear glasses.


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I never thought I would be in the positions that I am in now. Experiencing everything that has happen to me. But I realize when God has a plan for your life and you are open to him using you the results are nothin but amazing. This last month has been nothing but a shift and eye opener. When I thought I wasn't good enough God showed me I was just right for what he is about to do..So I encourage anyone who is going through something in life keep going. God doesn't pick the qualify he call those who are wondering if they can and shows them that with him by there side anything is possible!
Kyla S


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It appears that the Tigers offseason has taken some shape: Al Avila is looking to trim payroll, and it seems that everyone... yes, everyone, is up for grabs.
Naturally, if payroll is a problem, then Detroit's resident dinosaur Mike Ilitch is likely not factoring in to the inner decisions of the ball club, but rather his son Chris is now pulling the strings. And if that's the case, the team is looking to save money now rather than spend it.
Which is fine, no one really wants to spend a bunch of money, they just want to keep it for themselves.
The problem is, after years of obscurity and poor baseball product of the field, the fans who remember the days prior to 2006 don't really want to venture back to that fold. It's not fun, and a championship-hungry fan base really doesn't want to see that all go down.
That said, this already bumpy offseason has already seen one fan-favorite dealt away in the name of saving money. Cameron Maybin, who was great in his return to the ball club (unlucky injuries aside), was traded to the Angels, in a deal that pretty much said 'we don't want to pick up your $9MM option or buy you out for $1MM'. The Tigers found a team willing to spend the money on that option and got someone in return for him.
Sure, that sounds good. The team actually got something in return rather than spending money to send Maybin adrift. At the time, we found it hard to believe that casting him aside, the current crop of candidates to fill that new hold in center field would be viable for the upcoming 2017 season... that being the likes of Tyler Collins, Anthony Gose, or JaCoby Jones, just to name a few.
At the moment, none of those names reek of excellence, so the Tigers might just upgrade, right?
Think better, dummy. This is a payroll dump, and not anything else.
With that thought in mind, this offseason will likely be awful in terms of putting a truly competitive product out there while saving money for this suddenly frugal franchise.
Avila has allegedly warned his players... all of them, that their names may/will come up in trade talks/discussions/rumors as we meander our way through the fall. Though with certain players making certain money, trading these folks away won't be easy - in terms of getting remotely equal value back for them - and that's where this offseason will get frustrating for fans. The fan base is used to having things resolved in break-neck speed, but it's the other way around when it comes to finding a suitor for players who may have some heavy baggage (contract or otherwise) to haul around.
The two players who will be impossible to find equal compensation for (never mind that both have 10/5 rights and can veto any or all trades) are Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander.
Starting with Miggy:
He's owed $28MM next season, $30MM/yr for the next four seasons, and $32MM/yr for the two following that. The last 2 years of his contract, 2024-25, are club options that are guaranteed for top-10 finishes in the MVP voting. Even if you find someone who wants Miggy - and let's face it, there's 29 other teams who want him - you will never get full value back for him. Teams who want to trade for him aren't going to want to pay the full brunt of that contract, which means the Tigers would likely have to figure out how to not only continue to pay for a portion of the contract, they'd also have to have a hell of a return for such a trade, and that's not even remotely possible.
Next up, Justin Verlander:
Trying to trade JV isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility, but again... getting equal value for him in return is highly unlikely. His contract is a little more friendly (in terms of time only, because it's still steep in price), and he could probably be coaxed into being dealt somewhere to a team who could take on the $28MM/yr he's still owed for the next 3 seasons ($20MM vesting option in 2020). JV had a bit of a bounce-back year in 2016 and for the most part, returned to form and has himself back in everyone's Cy Young candidate talk (he's a finalist for 2016). At the right price, he and the future Mrs Verlander could be hobnobbing in somewhere that's not Detroit very soon.
What about the newly minted Gold Glover?
Ian Kinsler made $14MM last season, and is only due $11MM next season with the Tigers and has a $10MM club option for 2018. Sweet deal, if you ask me. Of course, it's the Texas Rangers who made this deal... it just so happens that the Tigers picked up the rest of this when they traded Prince Fielder to the Rangers for Ian. Yeah, that's the 2nd best Dave Dombrowski deal ever, considering Prince was often injured and was subsequently forced to retire because of that, but hey, gotta get lucky once in a while, right? Except that those cheap Ian numbers collide with the fact that Prince is still getting Tigers money from that trade. Kinsler had a solid year at the plate in 2016, and he and Jose Iglesias are great together up the middle.
It would be hard for this fan to trade (or even try to trade) these guys away, even in the scope of payroll slashing. In large part, it'll be hard to just trade away all the money that's owed to certain players, because teams don't necessarily want the burden that the Tigers have put themselves in. Now, if you want to try and trade the contracts of folks like Anibal Sanchez, Mike Pelfrey, or Mark Lowe, then by all means... go for it. That will also be difficult thanks to their terrible 2016 campaigns and their hefty salaries.
The trade that would make the most sense for the Tigers this offseason is that of JD Martinez. When healthy, his bat is pure. But after a breakout 2015 defensively, his on-field presence and prowess took a few steps backwards and was proven to be a bit of a liability in 2016. The pop in his bat though should be enough to help trade away the $11.75MM he'll make next season. After that, JD is a free agent and would certainly be an unlikely candidate for an extension from the ball club thanks to the sudden penny-pinching. For the Tigers, there's no reason to assume they couldn't offload him for a prospect or two to begin this fire sale... err... rebuilding process.
The Tigers can trim up the payroll a bit, but should do it cautiously. I'm not too sure the fan base is confident in Al Avila after his lackluster first full season as the team's GM, and just because you want to trim payroll doesn't mean you should want to be not-competitive. Because if you unload all of the heavy contracts in the name of saving a bunch of money, the next thing that gets trimmed will be ticket sales.
No one wants to see the Tigers dip back into the dark ages, but the fans assume that could happen with the little chatter that has happened thus far. And that will make for a dangerous offseason, and an unbearable 2017 campaign.


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Welcome to Miami Seaquarium, a place where dolphins walk on water and killer whales fly through the air. Where sea lions delight children of all ages and endangered sea turtles and manatees find a safe haven. Enjoy a world-class marine-life entertainment park with eight different marine animal shows and astonishing daily presentations. Miami Seaquarium is a place of inspiration, education – and fun!
Our modern yachts, the Island Queen, the Island Lady and the Miami Lady, offer the utmost in comfort and style for up to 140 passengers. Each vessel features an air-conditioned lower salon, enclosed in picture windows, as well as an upper-deck where you may take in the fresh ocean breeze and an awning that will protect you from direct sunlight and light seasonal showers. Don't forget to purchase your favorite soft drink, cocktail or light snack from our full cash bar.
Please arrive at our ticket booth 30 minutes prior to departure to receive your boarding passes. Island Queen Cruises is located inside Bayside Marketplace through the main entrance straight towards the water. Our ticket booth is located near the music stage in the center of the mall and next to a sixteen foot hanging shark.
Island Queen Cruises has earned its reputation as a premier choice for visitors, residents, and local businesses when planning a Miami tour. Island Queen's vast fleet of vessels offer a multitude of ways to experience the surrounding Miami area by water, whether a Miami sightseeing tour or any Miami tours including dance cruises, speedboat rides and private dinner cruises.
By purchasing your tickets Online and not at the Dock, you will receive our Special $3 Internet Discount!


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Normand MIRON
Digital Strategy & Creative Planner,
Miron & Cies, Montreal
Established as a heavy-hitting interactive creative in Canada and a fierce defender of brillant interactive advertising worldwide (he's been on many international juries such as London International Awards, New York Festival, Mobius, Applied Arts, Digital Marketing Awards, and of course Cresta!). Norm has received over 130 awards both here and abroad for major clients such as Volkswagen, Budweiser and Air Canada. After heading interactive creative department in three major Montreal interactive agencies (Palm Havas, Marketel McCann-Erickson and Ogilvy Montreal), he now runs his own strategy and creative consulting firm, miron.co


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Wednesday, August 6, 2008
A Party Favor Basket.....
You know how some things seem like such a good idea at the beginning and not so much at the ending? This was one of those ideas. By, oh say, about the 20th cup I thought I'd go nuts! The party goers did go nuts over them, so all in all they were worth the effort. We filled these little darlings with pink and silver candies, strawberry malted milk balls and Hershey's kisses, yum!
To make these magical little baskets you will need lots of blue and yellow fluff:Touches of pink puff:And all this stuff:MATERIALS:
Large size nut cups
Pink, Blue, Yellow, and Green Crepe paper streamers
Iridescent pearl strands
White chenille stems
Pink, Blue, and Yellow thread
Wire cutters
Hot glue and glue gun
Pink satin ribbon
Pink cupcake liners
Hole punch
*Punch a hole in each side of the nut cup just below the rim, evenly spaced apart for connecting handle.*Trim white chenille stem to 8" using wire cutters and insert ends into hole from the outside, bend end of stem up.*Repeat for other side of handle.*Bend ends over the rim of the nut cup as pictured below.*Cut a 30" strip of blue crepe paper streamer. Thread needle with matching thread and gather on edge.*Adjust ruffle to fit the edge of the nut cup and secure the end with a dab of hot glue.
*Slip ruffle around the handle and secure the other end over lapping the other end slightly.
*I found it easier to work from the bottom of the cup by slipping the cup onto the palm of my hand. *Using small amounts of hot glue, gently pull the ruffle over the edge of the nut cup, securing just below the cup rim.*Smooth down the ruffle and trim away any excess using the bottom of the up as a guide.*Cut a 30" strip of yellow crepe paper streamer and fold the streamer lengthwise leaving a 1/4" over hang. Tread a needle with matching thread and gather the folded edge.*Adjust the ruffle to fit the top edge of the nut cup and glue in place with the 1/4" over hang on the bottom and the shorter edge on the top.
*Gently pull the shorter ruffle up towards the top of the cup, creating a frill. Glue iridescent pearl strand around the gathered seam.*Tie two pink satin bows and hot glue them to the sides of the cup over the pearl strand where the handles meet the cup.*To create the pink carnation, go here for step-by-step instructions. You will need to scroll down in the post to that section.*Cut a 16" strip of green crepe paper streamer. Holding the streamer by one corner between the thumb and finger of one hand, use the other thumb and finger to begin to gently twist, pull, and stretch the streamer into a a tight twisted vine. Secure one end of the vine just inside the cup handle with hot glue. Twirl the vine around the handle, securing the shape with dabs of hot glue as needed along the handle, ending on the inside of the other handle, securing with hot glue, and trimming away any excess vine. *Hot glue the completed pink carnation to the handle.*Line the nut cup with a pink cup cake liner. This will protect the cup from food stains and can be discarded and replaced if these are kept for reuse.This darling little basket could also be used to decorate and Easter table, as a luncheon favor, or as a springtime table setting treat! In the next post I will show you a personalized banner for baby to use as party and nursery decor, so stay tuned!
Miss Sandy
13 comments:
- Lori said...
oh Miss Sandy!!! your nut~cups are absolutely delicious:) i love the colors you used to make them look so sweet and the little crepe flowers are just adorable!!! i am happy to have provided inspiration to you, but really and truly your efforts have put mine to shame!!! Bravo:)
- August 6, 2008 at 5:34 PM
- Catherine Holman said...
Simply precious!
- August 7, 2008 at 12:49 AM
- Vee ~ A Haven for Vee said...
You sure do know how to take something simple and turn it into something divine. What a great resource your blog has become!
- August 7, 2008 at 7:23 AM
- Helen Read said...
adorable, Sandy! You always have such wonderful ideas ... and then show us exactly how it is done! :)
- August 7, 2008 at 10:40 PM
- Mary Isabella said...
Those are incredibly beautiful and the music is divine...Hugs...Mary
- August 8, 2008 at 9:33 AM
- FrenchGardenHouse said...
I love making these, they always come out just darling. Great tutorial. xo Lidy
- August 9, 2008 at 8:30 PM
Your favors are so very pretty!
- August 10, 2008 at 4:41 PM
- Miss Rhea said...
Sandy, those are SO pretty !! I love the happy colors you used. :)
- August 10, 2008 at 9:03 PM
- Beth Leintz said...
Thanks for the instructions- I've often wondered how to gather the crepe paper so neatly- and now I know the secret- needle & thread.
So pretty!
- August 11, 2008 at 8:07 AM
- Laura Ingalls Gunn said...
Last night I was in the midst of pleating crepe paper on what I am sure was my 100 nut cup. Talk about nuts! So I am playing catch up this morning and see this post.
Perfectly fitting.
- August 12, 2008 at 7:17 AM
- Screaming Meme said...
Too Cute! I love them...Screaming Meme
- August 13, 2008 at 8:49 PM
- Cathy ~ Tadpoles and Teacups said...
Lovely! Thanks for the tutorial.
- August 23, 2008 at 8:29 AM
- Joanne Kennedy said...
OMG These are so cute! I have to make them for the baby shower I'm going to do soon.
You have the best ideas!
- February 11, 2009 at 9:30 PM