Mailboxes Suited to a Tee

I love getting mail. Even with email, text messaging and cell phones, there is nothing like getting a handwritten letter in the mail. It just makes you feel so much closer to the sender. It is so much more personal to know they touched this paper and took the time to stamp it and mail it to you.

I love that I live in a neighborhood where mailboxes are still in vogue and very much in use. People still polish up their mailboxes and spruce them up for the spring. At SeattleLuxe.com, no matter what your personality is, they will probably have the right mailbox to suit you. They have fabulous curbside mailboxes, they also carry unique wall mounted mailboxes and some very elegant copper and brass boxes.

SeattleLuxe has excellent customer service. Their sales representatives will answer any questions you have about situating, installing or securing your mailboxes in addition to making sure that you are getting the best price and getting your order to you in a timely manner. They will also tell you about the mailbox warranty they offer which will cover your purchase against damage and vandalism.

Still Shopping for a Shopping Cart

We are still working on getting a shopping cart software for my husband's business website, but the more research we do it seems the more complicated the whole process gets.

One of the easiest shopping carts to use that we've found is from www.Ashop.com. Well, maybe 'to use' is the wrong term. I meant easiest to install on your website. This e-commerce sofware will enable an online business to securely accept all major credit cards like Master Card, VISA and American Express; and the software is already integrated with third party payment processors like PayPal and WorldPay. Ashop offers competitive and affordable pricing which includes full tech support and customer service.

If you have something to sell and need a shopping cart software, AShop is definitely a good place to start. If you are still unsure, take advantage of the free 10-day trial and give it a test run. It may be easier than you thought.

Youth

She lived her dream. Can you say the same?

Some people are born with the same idealism, but not many follow through. Rachel Corrie did.

This just made me incredibly sad.

Student Loans

Two of our daughters are now in high school and already college looms ahead. They prepare to take the correct courses and do well in them, and we as their parents worry about how to pay for college when the time comes. Most parents and students end up getting student loans even though there are many scholarships and grants touted to be floating around. There is still not quite enough to fund all their expenses while they are in school. So loans it is for most families and we cross our fingers that they zip through college and get a well paying job so they can pay the loans back. This website, premierstudentloan.com also offers options for a private loan in case the traditional loans won't work for your situation. It is great that the world wide web is now available as a resource to pre-collegiate students. It is now so much easier to find funds for college.

NaBloPoMo is at it again

Visit NaBloPoMo

November of last year, I blogged everyday for the whole month. And yes, that included weekend and the Thanksgiving day holiday, all for National Blog Posting Month, NaBloPoMo for short. If you're up for the challenge, and I swear it is also quite a bit of fun, head on over there and sign up. Make sure to visit other NaBloPoMo participants and maybe you'll find a new daily read.

Watch me blog everyday at our new home.

Shopping Carts for the Web

Everyone is trying to find a way of making money online. And why not. If you have a skill or a hobby that you've always dreamed of marketing but never had the funds to set up a store, now you can peddle your wares online through a virtual store. All you need is a website and an ecommerce software, also known as shopping card, and you are in business!

To start an online store, you need to be able to accept payments for your product. That is where you will need a reliable and easy to use shopping cart software. Especially if, like me, you don't know much about the technical parts of setting up a website and online store. Ashopcommerce.com is offering this software with a free 10-day trial so that you can test drive it and see how it works for you. If you find it too hard to work with, then you can always return it and you don't lose anything. Looking through their website though, it looks fairly straightforward to use. You will be able to take all major credit cards and paypal as payments before long.

Hang it Up

I spend so much time in the kitchen that I have always wanted a tv to keep me company while I cook or do other chores. We've never put one there though because we have a small kitchen and there was just not enough counter space to put a small tv on. Then we thought, how about if we hang it on a convenient wall? You would have thought we discovered oil or something. LOL!

Anyway, we found Dekomount.com which specializes in just this thing. Wall brackets for tvs! Unfortunately, they are a company in the United Kingdom. But, what is unfortunate for us is good for U.K. residents. They can find a variety of wall mount brackets to fit just their tv model including plasma lcd wall mount brackets. So if you're in the U.K., you should check them out. They can deliver the brackets to you the next day if needed. As for me, I'm still alone in the kitchen, but I have my fingers crossed that I will soon have a tube to keep me company.

Accept with grace

Can you accept mail with grace? There was a time, I don't know if you remember, when people looked forward to getting letters through the mail rather than their computers. Walking to the mailbox to retrieve the daily mail was a ritual and almost had a Christmas like anticipation to it. I'm glad to see that where we live, this ritual is not yet totally lost. When I drive around, especially in older neighborhoods, I still see mailboxes on the curb and some people still go through the trouble of decorating them and making them look attractive.

One place that specializes in high quality mailboxes is Mailboxixchange.com. However your taste may run, whether stylish or whimsical, they have a variety of mailboxes to choose from. Not only do they have residential mailboxes, they also carry commercial mailboxes if those are what you need. If you are concerned with security, they also address those needs and sell high security mailboxes that are sturdy and vandal proof. There are a good variety of styles available to fit your preference and need.

If you are really into mailboxes and would like to share this information with others, you can become an affiliate by referring visitors to your website to give their mailboxes a try. I did! So when you have need for a mailbox, don't forget to start your search here.

Now there is the shopWiki!

Sometimes it seems our house is in a constant state of flux. My husband is always renovating something, fixing up something or replacing something. I guess this is just how it is with old houses. The work never ends. I wouldn't trade having an old house though, they have so much character.

The thing I would trade in a heartbeat is old furniture and appliances. Lately, everything seems to be experiencing some sort of malfunction or another so while he spends his time fixing them up, I spend my time online looking for replacements. I found several sites that sell things for your home and garden. I love places that have everything you need in one place! Whether it be accessories or appliances, or gardening implements, it's just nice to see them all in one place.

Right now, what we need most is a new washing machine. Our fifteen year old machine is finally dying on us. Now there was a time when you can just choose the first washing machine that you can afford and be done with it. Now there are so many models and manufacturers to choose from, it can be baffling. Personally, I still like the affordability metric but of course when you start talking features, my husband's ears perk up. You'd think he'd be flying to the moon on this washing machine with all the bells and whistles he'd like to see on one. It's a good thing ShopWiki gives you not only a variety of options but also provides helpful guidelines on what to look for when shopping for a washing machine. Once you've decided, they can also tell you where the particular model you decide on is available. Just move your pointer over the product and a bubble will pop up with names of stores that carry the particular item. Pretty neat, I though!

Now don't think all they have on ShopWiki is appliances. You've got to go and check out the variety of products available, from electronics to pets, you name it.

Moving Pictures

Wouldn't it be cool to have Harry Potter like picture frames where the images move and can interact with you? Well, these frames aren't quite there yet, but I'm sure they're working on it. I just got one of those digital frames not too long ago and I just love them. I am keeping that one in my office. Now my office is not very big, well it's a cubicle really, so I don't have a lot of space to display personal items. Most of my wall space is taken up by work related items. I still want to glimpse the reasons why I am stuck in this cubicle eight hours a day though so digital photo frame it is.

The great thing about the digital picture frames is, you can display a number (a lot!) of pictures simultaneously without taking up much space. You can change the display just by switching the memory card out. Some digital frames can also display videos, did you know that? Now when my coworkers ask about a previous vacation or the kids, the picture show is right there. It's a great conversation piece!

Time is Money

You hear that saying all the time. Time is money! So don't waste it. This book about time tracking will keep you from wasting it away. This book will help your business become more profitable by streamlining some of your practices dealing with payroll, billing, and dealing with government regulations. Every business owner or manager who wants to be more effective needs to check out this time tracking book.

Keep Dreamin'!

When I first saw a link to Dream Online, for some reason I thought it was a dream interpretation/analysis website. LOL! But it's not. I suppose you can say they interpret dreams, but not in the way I was thinking. No, it's not whether your dream about a cow means you will be put out to pasture, or anything like that. The Dream Online Community is designed to help people realize their dreams. Their goals, their aspirations, whatever you want to call it.

If you've ever dreamed of doing anything in your life, but had always found excuses not to go through with them; well it's time to stop. This community is a good place to start jump starting your dreams. Sometimes it helps to just even vocalize it. Once you say it to someone, it stops being your dream, it begins to be something real. That's what the forum will do for you. It will connect you with like minded dreamers who will encourage you, support you, hook you up and make your dream a reality.

New Business Directory

There is a new website specializing in listing profiles of various businesses worldwide called masterseek. If you have a business and would like to be listed on the site, you can submit your profile. This will enable more people to find you and drive more traffic to your site. They have a global listing, so you also get exposure not just to other businesses in your area, but to the global community.

Give us a wave...

As you may have noticed, I am now doing a different kind of gardening here. If you are interested in monetizing your blog, I found another place that would pay you to review and promote products. It's called Bloggerwave. As with any paid reviews or paid blogging sites, you'll have to pick and choose the sites and products that you review (that's if you want to) to conform with what your blog is all about. I'm new to Bloggerwave, so I really can't tell you yet how their service is, but it's worth a try. Just speaking for myself, even though I am putting links and reviewing sites and products here, I still will only endorse products that I think are worth investigating or had actually tried out myself.