The Jeffrey And Tracey Info Emporium

Effective communication between you and your wedding guests is essential in the months leading up to your wedding. But in this stressful time, how can you maintain healthy relationships with your family and friends when you’re flooded with questions and feeling in over your head?

You know your wedding guests ask for details because they care about you. They want to feel involved and informed during this exciting time in your life. And admit it, it’s nice to have all the attention focused on you and your Big Day! Yet it can often be a bit overwhelming to answer the same questions over and over again. Or maybe you’re concerned that important wedding details will be forgotten or misinterpreted.

In just a few simple steps, you can create easy and accessible sources of information specifically for and about your wedding. When your wedding guests feel informed, confusion will be minimized for them and for you. Everyone wins!

Sources of Information:

1) Both Sets of Parents - Of course, your parents will probably know all about even the most minute detail of your wedding, but remember to go over the basics to ensure that they will share accurate, up-to-date information. Chances are, your parents will receive inquiries when you’re not around, so be sure to advise them of any details you wish to have passed along.

2) Bridal Party - This involves everyone from your bridesmaids and groomsmen, to your ushers and guest book attendants. Your wedding guests will definitely direct questions at these individuals, and they’ll want to be ready to offer assistance.

3) Bridal Consultant or Wedding Planner - Obviously, this individual will be in tune with your wedding itinerary and details, but ensure that he or she has a quick reference to any and all questions that may be presented.

4) Personal Wedding Website or Wedding Webpage- Post all essential wedding details online so accurate information can be displayed 24/7! Send the web address of your personal wedding website to everyone on your email list. Also include the web address of your wedding website with your wedding invitations so your guests can come back often to view any new details you choose to post.

Important Details to Communicate:

1) Schedule of Events - Include expected starting dates and times for the wedding ceremony and reception, along with the appropriate addresses and phone numbers. Relay maps or driving directions and if necessary, any parking specifications or restrictions for each venue.

2) Wedding Gift Registry - Tactfully and effectively share what your wedding guests really want to know: what you need and where they can go to get it!

3) Contact Info - List the “go to” person you’ve delegated for any further details.

4) Allergy Alerts - A must-have if your meal selections contain ingredients that trigger well-known allergies.

5) Dress Code Guidelines - If certain dress codes are in effect, it is essential for your guests to be aware of this ahead of time.

6) Special Requests - Special care needs to be given to potentially delicate information such as “adult only” requests or “invited guests only due to limited space”. These issues should be presented kindly and firmly, but in a sensitive manner.

7) Travel and Lodging Info - Share special rates you’ve negotiated or related accommodation details such as blocks of hotel rooms reserved under your names. You may need to supply a unique code for your wedding guests to provide at the time of booking.

Weather Restrictions - If any part of your wedding celebration is being held outdoors, convey all back-up arrangements should the weather not cooperate.

9) “RSVP By” Date - Have a deadline by which all RSVPs must be sent in. Set your “RSVP By” date far enough in advance that you can deliver an accurate guest count to your caterer and organize proper seating arrangements for your tables.

10) Currently Unknown Details - Your input is needed, even if you do not yet have a definite opinion or a decision made regarding a certain aspect of your wedding. Sometimes it’s helpful when your wedding guests can realize that you have not yet finalized a certain element of your wedding, but will be sure to share more once you have reached a decision. This can ease the pressure put on you and your decision-making process. A personal wedding website is especially effective in these instances, since you may post a “More info coming soon!” page on your wedding website.

Your wedding guests will be thankful for the lines of communication you’ve established for their benefit. With this in place, you can get back to enjoying your family and friends, rather than feeling overwhelmed by their questions. Clear communication is critical to effectively plan a stress-free wedding. After all, informed guests are happy guests…and happy guests are ready to celebrate your amazing, unforgettable wedding day!

About the Author

Jennifer Benson is Vice President and cofounder of WedQuarters.com Wedding Websites, a leading online wedding service provider. WedQuarters offers complete personal wedding websites, enhanced with online and toll free wedding RSVP services.

Baby shower games are a wonderful addition to any baby shower. They can be used as a ice breaker to get things warmed up or they can be used to fill in time between other activities or as an optional activity for those who want to do something fun.

Some things that you want to think about before planning baby shower games are to think of the target audience. What are the ages of people attending the baby shower and what types of games would they like. It is best to plan baby shower games that encourage people to interact. When people talk to each other, work together, and talk they have more fun. It also helps to have some type of small prize. This helps motivated people, instills a little bit of friendly competition and gets people into the game. This does not need to be an expensive party favor or anything just something small and simple. A candy bar, a candle, bar of soap or any other fun trinket will work.

Nursery Rhyme fill In- This is an easy general game that can be played by everyone. Prepare some nursery rhymes before hand by deleting a few random words out of the text. Then read the nursery rhyme aloud and people try to guess the deleted word as your reading.

Baby Memory Game- This is a great memory game for the intellectual types in the crowd. Prepare a large tray with 10 to 15 baby items. Things like bottles, diapers, and so on. Then cover the tray with a blanket and place it in the middle of the room where everyone can easily view it. Take the blanket off for 10 to 15 seconds and then place the blanket back. You can then provide all the guests with a piece of paper and they write down all of the things thy can remember from the tray.

What Is the Mystery Taste? - Prepare this one ahead of time by purchasing a few different jars of baby food. Take the labels off or cover them with some opaque paper. Number the jars so you have a reference for the contents of each jar. Then have people take small bites and try to identify the food.

You Did What? - This can be a fun game for people that know a little bit about each other before coming to the shower. As people come to the shower have them complete a small piece of paper where they list 4 little known things about themselves. They do not need to write their name on the paper and then just collect all of the slips of paper in a bag or box. Then one at a time people pull out a paper, read it and try to guess who it is about.

Three Truths and a Lie- This is similar to the game above but another fun variation. As guests arrive have them write 4 things about themselves. One of the items that they write about themselves is a lie and the other three should be true. They will then read this aloud to the group and everyone will try to guess which one is the lie.

Baby shower games can be free, cheap and easy to put together yet they add a nice touch to the baby shower. People can become more relaxed and feel comfortable by playing baby shower games and it helps the interaction flow a little more smoothly. Often people are stuck talking about he weather, work or other mundane topics. By playing some fun baby shower games you can energize the crowd and create a fun open environment in which people can easily strike up spontaneous deep conversations.

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For many years children have enjoyed playing with wooden toys. Long before video games, and other modern toys, that rely on batteries and cords that plug into the wall were invented, the old-fashioned, traditional wooden toys have amused and entertained children of all ages. Even though wooden toys were first invented in the early 19th century, these types of toys can be seen in many households today.

Surprisingly enough, children do not seem to be the only ones interested in these toys anymore. An increasing number of adults have been buying wooden toys for themselves. I recall the day I visited a friend at his home, and I was surprised to see on his coffee table a wooden hamburger. The hamburger actually had the buns, lettuce, cheese, tomato, mayonnaise, and the patty. I thought this was pretty cool!

Naturally, I told him that was a cute little toy he bought for his child. He said that even though his child likes to play with the toy, he bought it for himself. He explained to me that he simply bought the toy as a decorative item for his home and that he normally receives many comments similar to mine about the toy. He chuckled as he told me that most adults like to play with the toy.

Also, I have a friend who owns a boutique. One day I went to visit her, and I was surprised to see a wooden rocking horse in her place of business. I became very curious, so I asked her why she had this rocking horse at work, and she replied that her child loved the one at home so much that she wanted to buy an extra one for her shop. She said that she occasionally brings her child to work, and that the toy will keep him busy while she takes care of the customers. Also, she told me her customers’ children like to play on the horse. Despite these other reasons, she said the main reason she bought the horse is it’s a nice conversation piece that looks good in her shop.

Yet another example comes to mind: I have a relative who is a cosmetologist. Many times during her day on the job, she must reach for supplies in an overhead supply cupboard. She is not tall enough to reach the supplies, so she came up with an idea: She had bought a small, wooden step-stool several years earlier for her child to use at home. Since her child had started to outgrow the step-stool, she simply took the item with her to work, and she was able to use it to step on to reach her supplies. If you think about practical uses for children’s toys, that definitely is one!

Speaking of practical uses for children’s step-stools, I recall from my childhood days that several times a year my family and I would take the train to visit relatives. As we boarded and deboarded the train, we stepped on a wooden step-stool that was very sturdy. No matter how many people stepped on the stool, it would not break. I remembered this fact, and later in life, I bought a similar step-stool for my child. I know that if he ever gets tired of it, I can probably think of some practical uses for the item around the home.

Maybe these wooden toys bring back the kid in us, or maybe they just remind us of great memories. Whatever the case, don’t be surprised if you see an increase in adults purchasing these types of toys for themselves.

Tim Hyers is the owner of Amazing Wooden Toys. For more information on wooden toys, please visit www.amazingwoodentoys.com

I have always enjoyed writing. Sometimes it’s a problem for me to just sit down and write something. There are days when I choose “procrastinating” over “proactive.” Putting things off is common with everyone. I am very gifted in this area.

Here are 4 areas to focus on to jumpstart your next writing session.

* Concentration

* Preparation

* The First Word

* Use your notebook

Concentration:

There are way too many distractions. Cell phones ringing, blaring car alarms and unexpected visitors are just a few things that can disrupt your concentration. It then becomes easier to justify not writing today.

The best thing to do to encourage creative writing is to make it a ritual. Find a nice spot to write, maybe, in a quiet room in your home where you will be left undisturbed for a period of time. Set a time to work; a scheduled time to write. Stick to it.

Keep reference books and materials close to hand.

Focus on one idea at a time.

View your next writing session as an opportunity; an opportunity to do something you enjoy. It can be fun. And when you are having fun nobody ever has to tell you to “concentrate!”

Preparation

Once you have your topic: Google it. Read everything you can online and offline related to your idea. Search the net for testimonials, reviews and articles about your topic. Brainstorm related sub-topics.

Give it a rest. Let your subconscious mind percolate and play with the information you provided. Get some exercise. Some of my best ideas come to me while I am out walking around in the evening.

Getting Started

Where to begin? That blank page staring back can be intimidating.

Just dive right in there!

Type the word “The.”

Type the next word (the first thing that pops into your mind) and the next word.

At this point, quality is not important. You just want to create a “flow” where the words come easily.

Don’t stop to edit. Save all your corrections for the second draft. Resist the impulse to rewrite. That will only interrupt the flow and is another way to avoid the task at hand.

If you are like me you will have a 2nd, third and fourth draft. You have to get your first draft completed before your have anything to rewrite! Stay focused.

Carry a Notebook

As a creative writer, you will be “hit” by odd ideas and notions in the oddest of places.

Maybe you are stuck in traffic or brushing your teeth when inspiration strikes.

You could wake from a dream and have a killer idea.

” I’ll remember that.” We say to ourselves, but when next we write there is no access to that memory file.

Just use a notebook. Jot those things down as they come to you. It only takes a moment.

Capture all your of your ideas as they transpire. Who knows? One of them may be the “Next Big Thing!”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Now You can Expand your Opportunities with FREE Tips & Resources about Affiliate Marketing, Making Money from Home,Website Development & Self-improvement for Both Sides of Your Brain! Discover… http://ExpandingMind.com

We are all familiar with the term “corporate restructure” in
this day and age. Do you ever think one will ever personally
affect you? After being employed by a major Midwestern retail
chain for 28 years I didn’t think so. I started working for them
in college; you know to get through school. I was studying
management so it was only natural to get involved in their
management program there. After graduating I was offered a
position that required moving. No questions ask, my wife and I
packed up everything we owned, left our families and pursued the
American dream.

After 25 years in management, working in 3 cities at 5 different
locations I had slipped into that false sense of security. Then
those meetings started about how the company was going to
transform. “Big” competition was moving into the area the
company operated in, there had to be changes to survive and
“move forward”. The restructure inevitably meant cuts in
overhead which of course translate into staff reduction.

It was early in January, after a successful Christmas selling
season, that the tension really began to build. Changes in the
wind were blowing strong now. All management personnel were to
attend a mandatory meeting on Thursday. At this meeting a
sketchy outline was given of the new direction the company was
taking. We were thanked for our efforts in seeing the company
through its best year ever. Then just as we were to be excused
we were informed that over the next two days each of us would
meet with the store manager to find out our part, if any in the
changes.

The next day was the day I had my appointment. I entered the
store manager’s office and sat down. Not 10 seconds after that I
knew of my fate, “as you know the company is restricting” the
manager said. He continued “your position has been eliminated,
you will be ask to leave after this meeting”. I was astounded
that after all the time and dedication I had poured into the
company I was “being eliminated”!

I did receive a charitable severance package but then what. I
was thankful that my kids were grown and on their own but how
was I going to pay the bills? Could I afford to keep my home?
What if the car quits? Energy costs are on the rise, can I heat
my home? Can I even afford gas for the car? What would you do in
this situation?

After the initial shock wore off I realized life would go on. My
girlfriend, who also worked at the same store and suffered the
same fate as I, started our own business. We do home repair with
a focus on paint and wallpaper.

That works as well as the effort you put into it. Another
problem is the Holidays. First, people don’t want their house
torn up during the holidays. Second, they can’t afford to have
changes because they are paying for the holidays.

Like many people I have a home computer which I enjoy. Hey! Why
not make money at home with the computer? I searched around a
bit, trying a few “it’s quick and easy to make cash” programs.
Watch out for the “offers” that suggest “for just $19.95 you can
make cash today”. Also be cautious of programs with a one or two
page website. It didn’t take long to figure out it was them
making the fast buck!

What I was looking for was a company with a solid background,
one that had been around with a track record to prove it. One
that offered more than an email address for support or
questions, one with no money up front to join. With a bit of
time and effort you can find a solid opportunity to invest your
time and energy in.

How secure do you feel in your job?

Credit cards can be a blessing or a curse. Here are some tips to help you keep your credit cards under control.

Check your statement carefully each month for errors and possible fraud. Identity theft is common and you only have 60 days to report in writing any disputed charges. As soon as you notice an error, immediately call the issuer’s 800 number reporting your claim and send a letter “certified mail/return receipt requested” confirming your phone conversation.

Resist offers for too many cards and higher credit limits. This can work against you when applying for a bank loan, since lenders look not only at your outstanding debt but also at your available credit.

If you’re carrying a large balance on several cards, consolidate the total debt onto the card with the lowest interest rate. Use the higher rate card for purchases you intend to pay off each month. Just be sure not to run up new debt on this high interest card.

Always pay as much as you can on your debt each month. Credit card companies suggest a minimum payment because that’s how they make their money. Some companies’ minimums are even less than monthly interest due. By paying only the suggested minimum, a $3,000 debt could take as long as thirty years to pay off and cost you thousands of dollars in interest payments.

If you’re a good customer, credit card companies want your business and, therefore, are open to negotiation. If you pay in full each month, ask them to waive the annual fee. If you carry a balance and pay on time, ask for a lower interest rate. If you’re offered a card with a truly better deal, ask your present issuer to match the competitive offer. If they’re not willing to negotiate, cancel and switch to the lower interest card.

Of course, the best thing you can do is to get credit cards with no annual fee and pay off the total balance on time every month. That’s when credit cards become a real blessing.

Katie Byrd will take you by the hand and teach you the skills she’s used to journey from a financially strapped, bad credit nightmare to debt free abundant living. To find out more visit: http://abundanceandwealth.bellaonline.com

If you own a website or other business on the internet, you need customers. With all the competing websites, how do they find you? You need to have some good strategies for marketing an online business if you are to be successful.

One of the most used strategies for marketing an online business is learning to get a high search engine ranking. If you don’t rank highly you may have difficulty being found. There are some key methods for high ranking. Start by keeping everything on your site relevant to the subject. This makes good sense anyway because once the customer has found you, you want him to stick around. Choose a domain name and website title that fit well with your business keywords. Your title should be easy to remember. Links to your website make a difference in search engine rankings, so contact sites that offer information complementing yours and ask for reciprocal links. One of the best ways to get links to your website is to write well keyworded articles about it. There are literally thousands upon thousands of article directories online that can provide one way links back to your website. This is “THE” most effective way to obtaining a page rank. More commonly used now is article submission software that makes it easy to submit to these article directories. There are of course companies out there that do this for you for a small fee. Just be aware that this information can change as search engines redesign their methods for relevant results.

Using pay-per-click advertising is another effective and fast way to get listed high in the search engines. There are several providers of pay-per-click advertising. Some examples are Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing and MSN adCenter. Make sure when signing on to a pay-per-click advertising campaign to experiment with your ads to see which are most effective. Then when you find a good ad that has a high click through rate you can delete the rest. It pays to check out a variety of pay-per-click advertisers to see which suits your needs the best.

Weblogs or more commonly known as “Blogs” are a newer source for marketing an online business. They tend to rank well, and consumers like them. Use your blog to talk about your industry and provide links to your website. Since everyone and their dog now has a blog there are problems that arise though. Spam is a big problem in todays online world and measures have been taken to stop all the spam. The popular free blog host “Blogger.com” has been cancelling accounts for such use. The best way to divert this problem is to host your own blog on your server. Bloggers publishing feature allows you to publish to blogspot or your own server. Using this feature to publish to your own FTP server is a way you can put what ever you like on your blog and not be penalized for spam.

And last but not least is the use of traffic exchanges. Considered by many to be ineffective, a well made and presentable splash page or squeeze page that has an information gathering form can convert surfers into customers and even repeat customers. When searching for traffic exchanges be sure to check them out first. Make sure that the traffic exchange your going to join is a well known, high ranked program.

Marketing an online business is essential for success. Using all the marketing strategies at your disposal together will ensure that your traffic grows and you edge out your competition.

About the Author:

To find the Best Home Based Business Ideas and Opportunities Visit:
http://www.siriusfreehomebiz.com/blog

As a former home automation installer and a former manufactures rep, I have
observed many trends. The following items are certainly the hotest trends this year
in home technology.

VoIP (pronounced Voice over IP) refers to making telephone calls using
your high-speed internet connection. This technology is gaining ground very fast,
as new users are discovering it is 50-75% cheaper the comparable standard
telephone service and congress is standing behind the technology for now, no
taxes or legislation to mess it up - yet… The a catch? Several more variables in
losing your dial tone: Power outages, internet downtime, and equipment failures
are just a few problems you may encounter using VoIP. Also, If you are dropping
the standard phone line, and you have a security system you will need a cellular or
radio back up for safety reasons.

Retrofit home theaters. With the cost of movie tickets approaching $10, it
makes it quite expensive for families to enjoy movies and snacks at the theater.
There are new techniques and processes to install a home theater in your existing
home. Many of the processes are for noise reduction, so you don’t have harmonic
vibrations in the home, or annoy your neighbors. Living in a townhouse, row house,
or other multiplex homes, you can now “pump up the volume” with bothering
others!

Security Cameras. Many cities now require visual verification prior to
dispatching emergency services. Approximately 9 out of 10 alarms are false.
Cameras in the home can quickly verify that the alarm is actually triggered by a
burglary. In addition, many new parents are now installing cameras to check in on
their children while they are away to ensure safety.

Home Offices. Today more and more people telecommute. The reasons
may very but the fact is home offices are now becoming a necessity for many
homeowners. Proper planning can provide you with all the technology you need in
either a new home or a remodel. If you are ready to start thinking about your
custom workspace, keep the following in mind: your personal work style; essential
services such as Internet & telephone; and office needs such as printing, wireless
networks, file storage and audio distribution.

Lighting Controls. Reliable lighting control used to be reserved for the
wealthy. The rest of us were reduced to live without lighting control or the
unreliable X-10 technology. In the last few years two new technologies arose. UPB
(Universal power line bus) and RF (Z-Wave). These new products have provided us
with more selection, more reliability, and the best partthey cost about the same
as the major branded X-10 products.

Energy Savings. Recent energy cost have us all looking for ways to
reduce the utilities budget in the home. Home Automation is stepping up to the
plate. Home automation can manage the thermostat (typically the largest load in
the home) based on actual occupancy rather than when you think you will be home.
Lighting is the second largest load, home automation will turn off the extra lights
when they are not needed. Using motion sensing, occupancy sensing, and other
types of lighting controls, home automation can shut the lights off behind you!

Did you enjoy this article? Receive other exclusive articles & stay on the cutting-
edge of home automation & technology! Join “The EDGE” todayit’s free!
http://www.architechtronics.com/edge.html

Brett Griffin is co-founder of Architechtronics, Inc. He has 12 years of experience in
the technology industry and strives to help builders, dealers, and homeowners “get
to know home automation & technology.” Visit http://www.architechtronics.com for more
information.

©2005 Architechtronics, Inc. All rights reserved.

It’s important to learn the basics before you decide to enter
the world of paid surveys. That’s what will be discussed in this
article.

So what are paid surveys? They are simply this - ‘Paid Surveys
conducted by major companies in order to better understand what
their market actually wants, which intern will save them money
on future productions.’ These companies actually save money by
paying people like you and me to complete their surveys. They
are able to take all the data from the surveys they conduct and
use it to increase revenue substantially.

This is great news for people like you and me because it means
that we can actually make money by answering a few simple
questions or just by offering our opinions.

How can I find these companies? The best way is to sign up for a
survey database as they list most of the companies on their
site. They will also rank them from best to worst so you know
which ones will be the best to sign up for first. Also it’s
important to keep signing in and checking for new companies that
may become listed in the database as they are potential
goldmines. Why? Because as they are a new site, they will
initially have surveys ready for people to complete, so get in
fast!

Before you start signing up to take part in Paid Surveys there
are 2 things you must do. Firstly set up a new email account
that will only be used for your future survey campaigns. Make
sure you check it at least twice a day because who knows when
you may get an invitation for a survey or focus group. Secondly
take a pen and paper and jot down everything about yourself.
That means everything! When signing up for surveys, you must
submit a few details about yourself relevant to the topics being
surveyed for that particular company. If you have a list of
everything you have done, your doing or what you like doing,
then it will be easier and faster when you start signing up for
surveys.

Paid Surveys have been proven to be a successful money making
resource on the internet. There’s no risk involved as it is free
to sign up. Why not give them a try and I guarantee with a
little initial effort, you’ll start reaping the rewards in no
time!

Josh Stanton - Infotrate.com,

What is a good age to marry? People vary a great deal in the
ages at which they become mature. A few exceptional people might
be ready for marriage in their teens.

Others are much too “young” at thirty. A good approach is to
find out the average age when people actually do marry. In most
developed countries, the age of most men today at the time of
first marriage is about twenty-four. Their brides are slightly
over twenty-one.

Contrary to popular opinion, people of today are not older, but
younger at the time of marriage than they were fifty years ago.
Having considered briefly the average ages at which people do
marry, let us now consider the good age to marry.

Studies have indicated that teenage marriages are the least
successful. They suggest that marriage in the early to middle
twenties is desirable. These conclusions find substantial
support from other sources. Child-bearing is easiest and safest
in the early twenties, although modern science has made it
increasingly safe for all ages.

A 50 years old and controversial report indicate that men reach
their peak of sex desire well before twenty, so that the
postponement of marriage places a strain upon those who observe
the accepted moral standards.

Yet emotional maturity and economic competence take time to
develop. And if marriage is to represent a complete fulfillment
of the love relationship, emotionally as well as physically, the
couple should wait for marriage until they are fully ready.

For most couples the best age for marriage seems to be from the
early to the middle twenties. Remember, however, that you are
not a statistic, or even two statistics. You are you. The
question is not, “what is the good age to marry?” but “What is
the best age for YOU to marry?”.

The best way to decide is to look at what marriage success
involves, and then try to see whether or not you have what it
takes. The information found in christian-dating-guide.com may
help you to decide.