4 Christmas in July: Friday Finds

Start your holiday shopping now! Snap up specials and spread your shopping out (cash only) instead of charging everything at the last minute. Here are some great Christmas finds to get you in the holiday shopping mode.

Let’s start with some Christmas decorations. This candle holder with large red candle is a great hostess gift or office gift exchange.

xmas-candle

Available at Etsy from abathshoppe.

 

 

Adding gifts all year round to a “gift closet or box” is a great way to be prepared for any gift giving occasion.

 

 

 

Dog lovers will adore this Puppy Paws Christmas door wreath. puppy-xmas-wreath What a great way to greet visitors! This will make everyone chuckle and let them know how much you love your canine friends.

This extra-large doggie wreath is created by Whimsical Cottage and available in their Etsy shop.

 

 

 

 

 

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Crafty folks will want to be gathering all their supplies now. This microslide sized digital art of Victorian Christmas scenes could the inspiration for handmade jewelry, scrapbooking, altered art and more.

You’ll find this and more at Piddix’s Etsy store.

 

 

For a truly personal Christmas gift, why not order a custom Christmas poem. A great gift to cherish and only $25! christmas-poem

MzHolly (Etsy store) will write a poem for your loved one.

 

This one-of-a-kind gift be the most valuable present under the tree!

 

 

 

 

 

 


Thanks for stopping by again. Don't forget to check out the newest releases in the Rose of Sharon Jewelry store.

Nursing Mothers Granted Work Breaks: Thankful Thursday

Nursing mothers get a break with the new health reform law. Literally, they now get a break to pump milk for their nursing infants. Hidden within thousands of pages is a provision that requires employers to grant unpaid breaks and a non-bathroom area for lactating mothers.

CS-Nursing-mother This isn’t a “women’s lib” issue – it’s a cultural change and an is important for the child’s long-term health.  In fact, 24 states already have “nursing mothers” workplace laws. This new Federal law does not supersede those but now all mothers can return to work with one less stressful situation.

In today’s economy, many mothers must return to work quickly leaving nursing infants in the care of others. Instead of having to switch to costly (and less nutritional) formula, mother’s can periodically slip away to a private area and “make” lunch for their nursing child. The law allows for up to 1 year of nursing privilege.

Personally, my favorite part of the law is that women aren’t relegated to unsanitary office bathrooms to pump milk.

A fact sheet from the Department of Labor can be downloaded. There are still some enforcement issues that need to be worked out; however, the law is in full effect as of March 23, 2010.

Many employers may not be aware of this new law so nursing mothers may need to do some educating. Companies with less than 50 employees can be exempt if they show there is a real hardship in complying.

A special thanks to Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) for sponsored this historic federal breast-feeding legislation.

 

What’s Your Web Site Worth: Wealthy Wednesday

You worked for months to create, promote & analyze your web site. So what’s it worth? This interesting site estimates the value of any web site based on various factors.

WebValues.com provides some useful data  for every business. Besides having some fun, you can also research competitors and set company goals.dollar

Using WebValues.com -

Google.com has an estimated value of $6.2 Billion! Daily ad revenue is $2.5 Billion.

Facebook.com has an estimated value of $3.2 billion. Not too bad for some college student’s project turned mega-biz.

 

Alas, Rose of Sharon Jewelry only has a value of under $4,000 but this figure is an interesting benchmark as we continue to improve our business model and promote our lovely handmade jewelry.


SPAM Never Stops Being a Tantrum Tuesday Rant

SPAM (the email type) is an insult to the canned mystery meat. SPAM is more than a nuisance – it costs our economy $71 billion in lost productivity.

With several addresses, I often get 700 – 900 unwanted messages a day! With an average 20 seconds to skim a message, every day I spend up to 4 hours just dealing with SPAM.  I don’t know about you but I have a lot better things to spend my time on.delete_button

Since no SPAM filter can take the place of your eyes – I have to look at every message at least for a microsecond before I hit delete.  Just what a business needs is to delete a message from a customer. But if you’ve every tried to reach a major U.S. corporation by email – forget about it! Their SPAM filters are often set so high your message never gets to anyone’s desk! So we’re drowned out because of SPAM.

As a freelance writer, I often had messages bounce back with a “we won’t read this” SPAM error message because of select keywords in my research requests.

Sure I could change all my addresses but that would become a nightmare as I live and do business online 24/7. Besides that’s only a temporary solution.

So what are we do to?
  1. Take it serious and insist that our government agencies do likewise. This theft of time and money is a tremendous drain on everyone.
  2. NEVER respond in any way to an unsolicited email message. They wouldn’t be sending them if they weren’t making money.
  3. Contact any “legitmate” companies that seem to be using unsolicited messages and complain. Do not use the SPAM message to contact them. Find the company via a search engine.
  5. Report SPAM to the federal government. There is a specific way to forward the header so the agency can trace back the activity.
  6. The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 needs the attention of consumer groups and more enforcement power. Since its enactment, things have only gotten worse.

Please share this with your family, friends and business associates – but don’t SPAM anyone!


1 Day Older and A Lot Wiser

Yesterday, I turned 56. Being well over 30 (the age of distrust when I was young), is actually a pretty good thing. Aside from a few worn parts, I’m loving what 56 brings.

Thanks for all the well wishes, everyone! This afternoon we’ll be having my party. Lots of BBQ ribs and homemade potato salad and most of all my family.

Being older does mean being wiser. I’m really loving blogging and sharing all the different ideas and information that are bumping around in my brain and hope that you enjoy listening and sharing.

Hopefully you’re enjoying becoming wiser and 1 day older every day.


Spring All Year Long: Sharon Saturday

Spring flowers that last forever can be found in 3 new necklaces joining the A.F.F. Jewelry Collection this week. Created by Betty, these handmade designs feature colorful enameled floral pendants.

Each pendant features sparkling crystals from Swarovski. april-remembered-necklaceThe colors are rich and fresh – reminding one of a beautiful Spring garden.

Betty calls this crystal adorned silver  chain design – April Remembered.

 

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April Remembered is a one-of-a-kind necklace that measures 17-inches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fresh green of Spring can be seen in the pendant in Betty’s next handmade design – Joyful Spring.joyful-spring-focal

I love the tiny purple flower that hangs below the assorted green leaves.

To emphasize the greens, Betty created a delicate pale green double strand of glass beads.

 

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If you can’t resist the fragile beauty of a butterfly, you’ll love this next handcrafted necklace – Betty’s Garden.

flower-pendant

Mom is an avid Oregon gardener (that means you work and enjoy it between rain showers). I know her heart skipped a beat when she found this pendant.

Fluttering among assorted flowers in pink, purple and blue, the brilliant blue butterfly almost looks real.

 

The A.F.F. Jewelry collection at Etsy is filled with some of our favorite colorful and very affordable handmade necklaces, earrings, bracelets and beaded watches. Adding a new necklace or bracelet is a great way to brighten up a wardrobe without disrupting the budget.

 


Police Deaths Skyrocket: Thankful Thursday

2010 police deaths are up 43%. 87 officers died this year protecting us. I’m thankful every day for the “thin blue line” of men & women who serve.

If you know a police officer, take a few minutes today to thank them for putting themselves in harm’s way for us. Immediately after 9/11, the entire nation loudly honored the police officers who perished that day. We need to repeat this often and loudly!

To the families of these police officers – you, too have paid a price for their service and we thank you for your personal sacrifice.

Here are a three who have fallen in the line of duty this year. Thank you, officers.

Donations can be made for families at the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund.

For more information on fallen officers, check out the Officer Down Memorial web site.

For more info, watch this CBN news broadcast -


Emotional Health is Wealth: 5 Things I know

Emotional health is the foundation of personal wealth. We seek it out but often it eludes us. Here are the 5 things I know for certain that are critical to good emotional health.

 

  1. A way to keep your mind busy. This can be a hobby or perhaps a stimulating job. Don’t spent money on puzzles and other solitary pursuits – get out in the world and immerse yourself. Helping others is a great way to keep your own problems in perspective.
  2. A way to keep your hands busy. You know the saying about “idle hands”. Studies have proven that manual labor increases our feelings of well-being and satisfaction. Plant a garden, volunteer at a food bank or take up knitting.
  3. A sense of value. Build a life of value – it’s not too hard just be honest, work hard, share often and help others.
  4. A spiritual or religious belief. The exploration of a spiritual path or being active in your church or mosque helps us develop a moral compass and keeps us humble.
  5. People you love and who love you. We are not solitary creatures. Science has proven that family and friends add years to our life – and they add life to our years! Hate your relatives – start your own family by gathering people around you who you can love!

 

Best wishes as you increase your emotional health and personal wealth.

 


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