Rose of Sharon Jewelry

Make your grandkids pen pals to really connect! Kids love mail. You’ll have lovely mementos & they’ll improve their skills.

The dying art of letter writing is a great way to connect with your grandchildren – even if they live close by. Starting the writing habit early on is a great way to develop strong communication skills. Even preschooler’s can learn to “write” Grandma and Grandpa with help from Mom or Dad.

Here are 10 great tips on writing to your best Pen Pal – your grandchild.

 

 

1. Establish a regular schedule. It’s easy to get side tracked so write and stamp your envelopes so they’re ready to drop in the mail on your desired schedule. Kids lose interest pretty fast so being consistent helps motivate them to respond.
2. Explain your Pen Pal plan to Mom and Dad so they can help keep their child on track for responding.
3. Tell your grandchild what you expect of them in each letter or postcard. Make the desired response age-appropriate and easy to follow. For example: if you talk about your cat, ask the child to draw a picture of Fluffy for you.
4. Take 28 cent postcard rate stamps and preaddressed labels with you when you travel so you can buy a fun postcard (silly, cheesy ones are great), fill it out and drop it in the mail from the road.
5. Collect little things to include in your envelope such as a sticker, a pencil, a picture, an eraser, a button, a gift card, etc.
6. Buy some fun looking envelopes. You can buy colored envelopes at the office supply store. I used to decorate inexpensive padded envelopes and color on them when I sent things to my nieces and nephews.
7. Pick up used children’s books and ask a for drawing or simple “book review”. Just don’t make anything seem like homework.
8. Create your own postcards with family pictures. Simply create a photo card that measures no more 3-1/2 inches high x 5 inches wide. Some photo papers can be written on the reverse side to add your message. Others may require labels for the message and addresses.
9. Send a disposable camera and have the child take pictures for you of pets, toys, school, friends or family. You can then develop them, insert in a dollar store photo album and add some silly captions.
10. Add your voice to a message with special small voice recorders used in scrapbooking/greeting cards. My Pages Talk offer a 30-second recorder that would work great!

 

The key to a great Pen Pal relationship is have fun!

 

 

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The sad fact is home values have plummeted to new lows. Did your  property tax bill drop too? With little effort, you could save big. Learn how today.

No area of the country has been spared by falling housing prices. Some states such as Nevada (where I live), California and Florida have been hit especially hard. While moaning about net worth loss or worrying about an upside down mortgage, did you forget that your property tax bill may be overstated?

Experts believe that over 60% of all homes are being over assessed by their county assessor’s office. But people rarely complain when in fact, it is your right to have your home’s assessment reviewed and tax bill lowered. Remember this process will not only affect the current year’s taxes but all future tax assessments.

Here are some quick steps to saving you $$$ for many years to come:

1. Determine your home’s value. One way would be to ask local realtors what similar homes in your area have sold for. Another would be to use Zillow, a web site that can calculate your home’s value.
2. Locate your last assessment statement. If you don’t have a copy, you can obtain one by contacting your county assessor’s office. You will need your parcel number from your tax bill to properly identify your home.
3. Review your property data. Take a few minutes to make certain the square footage is correct or other fact which might effect your home’s true value.
4. See what information is available online by searching under “[Your county name] tax assessor”.  Your home is considered “real property”  so check that section of the web site.
5. Save more $ with an exemption.  Many states have exemptions that can lower your property tax bill. Exceptions for senior citizens, blindness, military service and a Homeowner’s exemption are common. You may be eligible so take a few minutes to apply at the same time.
6. Check with your assessor’s web site or office for a form to challenge your property assessment. For example in California, there is a Decline in Value form that must be completed. Be sure to read the form and accompanying requirements carefully as there may be deadlines or even a hearing that you must attend.
7. Be assertive and prepared. If you’ve done your homework, most assessor’s offices will make this a fairly painless process. Remember the potential savings makes it worth your time and effort.
8. Never pay anyone to do this for you. That would be a waste of money. In fact, assessors across the nation have been warning people on scams related to reducing your property tax bill.

 

You’re probably wondering why a jewelry artist is writing about property taxes. Well, for many years I was a freelance writer and am a published author of business books. As an accomplished researcher and an avid reader, I’m always finding things that I’d like to share. I love to teach people and through the Rose of Sharon Jewelry blog I get to do that!

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The  new PBS series Faces of America challenges our national understanding of who we are. The issues of race, ancestry and heritage are much more complex than we knew. We may see ourselves as white but have black ancestors or believe we are pure Irish and have relatives from France. Start your quest to discover who you are by watching this series by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. You’ll be witnessing the exploration of  the genealogical exploration and DNA testing of 12 well-known artists, athletes, authors, teachers and TV personalities to discover just who they really are. You can see episodes at PBS.org, share your family’s story and start exploring your family history. You’ll find more resources here:

• Ancestry.com
• U.S. National Archives
• Family Search
• DNA testing for health and ancestry issues

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I’m the Granddaughter of Farmers –

A brief look at how my family history is me

I know the power of rich soil and deep rain as  I am the granddaughter of Oregon berry farmers. Since I could walk, I spent many days amid acres of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. For most of my childhood, every summer was spent picking, packing and of course, eating the juicy berries from Granny and Papa’s fields or stealing them from our neighbors. Around our country home were walnut and filbert (aka hazelnut) trees, fields of daffodils, grape vines, a small patch of rhubarb and our family garden. I can remember lugging buckets of manure tea up the rows while trying to hold my nose! Today, I’m an avid gardener (Arden would say I am obsessed) and a certified Master Gardener for Northern Nevada. I love flowers and home-grown food with all my senses – the smell of a rose, the feel of soft Lamp’s Ear leaf, sight of a field of daffodils, the sound of the wind swaying a weeping willow and the taste of a cherry tomato right off the vine.

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Small businesses are always struggling with marketing. How about winning a year’s work of marketing help from Project Rev. 10 small businesses will be chosen for a yearlong marketing lab to learn and receive marketing tools and resources worth up to $5,000. Underwritten by Deluxe Corporation (the check printers), this program will help you work on such vital marketing areas as:

• Developing a formal marketing plan
• Starting an email marketing campaign
• Creating logos to represent your company
• Helping you with web design and online stores
• Coaching you through Search Engine Optimization
• Teaching you about Public Relations

  The application deadline is May 4, 2010 at midnight Central Time. Here’s how to learn more about Project Rev and complete an online application. The 10 winners will be announced in May. I urge you to apply – even if you feel scared, unprepared, unworthy or overwhelmed by the thought of a year’s worth of marketing work.

This sounds like a program that will benefit your business well beyond the year-long participation.

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Wealth is more than money is message I’ll be sharing every Wednesday with my blog readers. I’ve been brainstorming on thought-proving conversations we can share. Beyond financial wealth, Wednesdays will be filled with ideas on increasing your physical wealth (health), emotional wealth (mental health, faith, soul searching) and relationship wealth (family and friends.

Please let me know on topics you might like to see addressed on Wealthy Wednesdays.

Facebook friends and Twitter followers know I’ve been dealing with some unexplained chest pain and shortness of breath so today’s post is about physical wealth.

I’m doing fine but a diagnosis still eludes the doctors.

The facts are:

1. Heart disease is the #1 killer of women.
2. 1 in 3 women will die from heart disease.
3. 2/3 of women who die from heart disease had no prior symptoms.
4. You can change your chances by
   1. Lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol
   2. Control diabetes
   3. Lose weight
   4. Exercise
   5. Stop smoking

I know most of you know these facts but knowing and doing are to different things.

Pledge today that you will learn more about heart disease prevention from the links below and most importantly MAKE ONE CHANGE in your life. Because it does mean your life!

• WomenHeart Organization
• American Heart Association
• The Heart Truth