I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s. Leave it Beaver and Ozzie and Harriet days. Girls were told that you go to school, then you will met a nice man who will provide for you and you will live in a nice house with a white picket fence. What a bunch of bull.

I was taught by my father who immigrated from Northern Ireland that I could be anything I wanted to be. Not bad, since this was before the womens movement and that education and ambition was the key. The only problem was I thought I wanted the house with the white picket fence. Must have been from playing with those Barbie Dolls. Of course that was in between beating all the boys at baseball. My dad always wanted a son and since he had two girls, I was singled out to be the tomboy. I went along with my role, but back in the small corner of my mind was that nagging little white picket fence. During junior high and high school, I would she the girls with their frills getting the boys and eventually the white picket fenced house. In my 20’s I realized that the white picket fence house was the great American illusion.

This goal that girls were made to feel that they had to aspire to get to complete themselves as human beings. If you go with this rationale, then their should be tons of happy women living in white picket fenced houses. I know this not to be true. How many young girls grew into women believing this crap. Just as bad as men should be manly and not show their feelings and be the provider no matter what. Imagine how much happier we would all be, if women even in this day and age would not teach their daughters about the house with the white picket fence. What has this house done for us? It has made many women pick the wrong choices in companionship. Made many to go from one relationship immediately into another because somehow this made them less than. It surely doesn’t fit into the white picket fence. Now I am not saying this isn’t well and good for some women. However, how many women have made wrong choices buying into this bull. Look at society today. Women are still look upon as less than if they are a certain age and aren’t married? Why can’t a woman choose not to date or marry until they feel like and some decide it isn’t for them at all.

When my daughter was born in 1982 I was determined she would not suffer that fate. So I instilled in her that she could be who she wanted. She is very artistic and I encouraged her in that endeavor. But ah then the teenage years. Peer pressure can be a powerful pull on a young girl. Not acting like a little prissy girl or dressing in the latest fashions. She dress in her own unique way. She paid for that, however, she stood her ground and dress in her own why. She paid dearly for that also. She has made it through it now that she is 25, but she lost a lot of her confidence along the way. She is gaining back at a rapid pace. She has learned what I knew all along. We spend so much time trying to fit into the house with the white picket fence, that we lose who we are along the way. The good news, we can find our way back, and find out who we truly are. If it’s the white picket fence, so be it, but if its writing your own music, producing cd’s and following the dream of your passion, then you have come full circle.

Parents need to quit telling the story of the house with the white picket fence. That was their dream and not their kids. Parents should support the path their children take, even if it is not what you wanted for them. If you are a Doctor and your kid wants to be a roadie for the Rolling Stones, let them. People are happiest doing what they love, not what they think you would love.

Yes Emily there is no white picket fence. Just your dreams and ambitions.

A topiary tree is a small decorative tree, used to decorate rooms. They are often used in corners (or arch-ways), of halls or rooms, to help “finish off” the room. They are frequently used at special occasions, because they add a lot of glitz and glamour to the room. (In particular, topiary trees are very common at weddings).

Topiary trees don’t have to be a plant- you can often make them based on a theme. For example, at my wedding, I used two candy topiary trees, and placed them near the bridal party.

These were a lot of fun to make, and doubled up as my wedding favors as well! I did this to make things easier on myself- it saved me wrapping up 93 gifts for people!

Topiary trees are simple and easy to make, and are great for almost any event. In the past, I’ve used topiary trees at childrens parties, birthday parties, dinner parties, and other special events.

To make a topiary tree, you will need:

• A foam ball.
• Some candy of your choice.
• A pot (the size you need will be based on the size of foam ball you use).
• A piece of dowel.
• Colored patty-pans.
• Some plaster-of-paris (for filling the pot).
• Some pebbles (for decoration).
• Curling ribbon.

To get started on the topiary tree, push the foam ball on the piece of dowel, so that it makes a hole in the ball. Make sure that you push on it enough, so it will stay once the candy and other things are added.

Once you have made the hole, remove the foam ball as it is easier to work with ball on a table, rather than when it is on the dowel.

If you are using chocolates or hard lollies, then wire them, or attach them to a skewer.

Turn your patty-pans inside out, so that you have the colored sides showing. Push your lollipop sticks through the patty-pans, and then into the ball. Continue this process until the whole ball is covered with candy.

Then take some pieces of curling ribbon and tie them around the lollipop, near the head. Use medium-length ribbon so that it will hang down nicely.

If you have gaps in-between the patty-pans, then fill them in with some wired curling ribbon. If you have any gaps near the hole in the ball, you can cover these in the same way.

The next step in making the topiary tree, is to wrap some of the curling ribbon down the piece of dowel. (Or you could paint the dowel).

Place the dowel in the pot, and set it there with the plaster-of-paris.

Slide the ball on top of the dowel.

Place some pebbles in the top of the topiary pot to cover the plaster-of-paris.

That’s it! You’ve made a topiary tree!

As you can see, they are really quite simple to make. You’ll find that children will love to help out, and even if they don’t, you can guarantee they will help with eating the topiary tree afterwards!

Peta Fletcher has been making bouquets for over 14 years. Her website has lots of free information on bouquets, including how to make a wedding bouquet, and articles on candy bouquets

While seeking finance for your car, it is important to remember that a longer repayment period is usually costlier and implies repayment at a higher rate for a short period. However, you should be aware of dealer tricks. The dealers generally make much more on financing the vehicle than they make on the resale of the car. A low ‘flat interest’ rate may in fact not be really cheap, as compared to a lower payment against another loan on higher interest rate and different terms. It all depends on the manner in which the terms are documented. You need to inquire about how much would you actually end up paying when the loan gets liquidated.

Insurance costs are a major part of the total finance. These costs are not included in the interest rates though. So, interest rates that appear low may not be actually so on account of the payment protection insurance that is charged additionally. When being briefed, to make the insurance charge seem low, it would generally be quoted in weekly sums, whereas you pay monthly. Multiply the weekly sum by 4.33 and you would get the monthly figure. Be sure to check for the lowest insurance amounts.

Avoid a hire purchase arrangement with the dealer; even though it may appear attractive, you will find that it is best avoided if you want cheap financing.
Do not stretch your borrowing. Take a loan for the minimum possible amount using savings that you can spare to minimize the amount you need to borrow. Keeping the repayment period short, make quick and timely repayments tailored to an amount that you can comfortably afford to pay each month.

Cheap personal loans can be availed at relatively low interest rates and offer very cost effective and simple ways to borrow. If you require a few thousand dollars, have a good credit score and are financially in a position to pay back quickly, you can benefit from a zero percent loan on a zero percent credit card or use a combination of zero percent credit cards. Many credit cards now offer introductory zero percent deals on purchases for periods up to nine months.

List of Recommended Auto Loan Companies Online - Bad Credit OK - We maintain a list of recommended, reputable auto loan companies online. We update the list regularly.

There are two main options when choosing flowers to use during your wedding. There are fresh flowers or artificial ones (the latter are usually fabric in type). You can even have a combination of the two. In this way you could select a bridal bouquet of fresh calla lilies and then choose artificial flower centerpieces for your reception.

Fresh flowers are always the best - they smell nice and look great. Everyone is impressed by the look and smell of fresh flowers but they come at a price - they are expensive and do not last very long. There are instances, however, when you may consider using artificial flowers instead. If you are short on budget, you should not hesitate in getting artificial flowers. Some artificial flowers look magnificent and can adorn any room. Additionally, they look real, can come in different colors and shades and will not wilt away. You can take them home or give them away as gifts after the wedding celebrations.

Ask people for advice - your relatives, friends and the flower vendors themselves. Call them and ask what the cost is, how they would deliver their service and who would be able to advise on flower selection.

Fresh flowers can be difficult to find during certain seasons - at least, the ones that you particularly want may not be available. With fabric flowers you should be able to select virtually any design at any time of the year. It would be best to investigate those people that make fabric flowers in your area. Then you can call them to discuss requirements for the day and any costings and timescales you have. They will be pleased to help in preparation for your forthcoming celebrations.

Eric Hartwell oversees “The World’s Best Homepage” intended to be a user-generated resource where YOUR opinion counts. Anybody can contribute and all are welcomed. Visit us to read, comment upon or share opinions at the worlds best homepage or submit or use content at free content resource.

According to the National Association of Realtors, home depreciation is affecting homeowners across the nation. As a result, many consumers are nervous that home values may begin to drop before they refinance their adjustable rate mortgage. Millions of homeowners have mortgage loans that are scheduled to recast which will cause interest rates to rise. Borrowers will have rising monthly payments as a result.

The good news for people who are considering refinancing your ARM is that the current market is yielding low rates with affordable payments blessed with interest only monthly payment options. The fixed rate second mortgages are a whole percentage point lower than the prime rate for home equity lines of credit that are reported in the Wall Street Journal.

The bottom line you need to focus on is whether or not the home equity loan offers you monthly savings by consolidating your debt. If you have the ability to lock into a fixed rate mortgage and save a few hundred dollars a month, then it is time to call your loan officer. Ask your loan representaive if you can eliminate your revolving credit cards at the same time you refinance your ARM.

How much money would you save by refinancing into fixed rate loan?

As many of borrowers already know, consumer debt is at an all-time high, and if you have credit card bills mounting each month it may be time to consider a 125% second mortgage. This 2nd mortgage requires zero equity, and the loan balances can even exceed the value of your home.

- Second Mortgage Loans to 125%
- Home improvement financing
- Debt consolidation for lower Payments

Fixed rate second mortgage loans can convert adjustable rate rate credit card debt into a simple interest installment loan that yields significant monthly savings and additional tax deductibility as well. Homeowners benefit from reduced their numerous credit cards balances when the compounded interest debts convert to simple interest savings. People are saving thousands of dollars each year, when they consolidate their variable interest loans into a fixed rate second mortgage.

Lynda is a well known writer who publishes a popular coulumn called, “Ask Lynda.” In addition, she is an experienced loan officer for second mortgage loans. If you need expert help and more information about 125 second mortgages or home equity loan rates,please visit this great financing resource online.

Even when you already have a first and second mortgage on your home, you may want to secure a third mortgage. You may use the cash for some value-adding feature to your home, like a swimming pool or a new kitchen may be the reason. However, securing a third mortgage is not very easy.

A third mortgage loan stands subordinate to the first and second mortgage liens that exist. For this reason, it is very difficult to find lenders offering third mortgage home loans. The risk is much greater for the lender in case of a foreclosure. If the loan does get approved, which is difficult, it would be at a much higher rate of interest as compared to the earlier mortgages.

A third mortgage is a hard equity loan. The approval usually depends on the LTV or Loan to Value and SSR or Superior mortgage to Subordinate mortgage ratio.
LTV is expressed as a percentage of the present appraised value of the house, as against the total outstanding mortgage debt(s). Lenders expect the LTV for hard equity loans in the case of first mortgages to be sixty five percent and between fifty to sixty five percent, in the case of second mortgages. For third mortgages, it is anything between fifty to sixty percent.

The SSR is calculated by dividing the amount of the superior mortgage loan amount by the amount of the subordinate mortgage and expressed as a ratio between the two. For example, if the superior mortgage were for $100000 and the subordinate mortgage for $25000, the SSR would be 4:1. For hard equity lending, the SSR is usually in the range of 1:1 - 7:1. With a low LTV and SSR, a third mortgage loan may possible.

In a foreclosure proceeding, the first mortgagee is given preference over the subordinate/subsequent mortgagees as a general rule. This means that the entire debt of the first mortgagee is first satisfied, after which any remaining amount is applied towards the debt satisfaction of the second mortgagee. If anything is left after that, only then is the third mortgage paid off.

Recommended Second Mortgage Companies Online - We maintain a list of recommended mortgage companies online and update the list regularly.

List of Recommended SubPrime Mortgage Companies Online

Are you in need of finance to boost your business? If yes, go for a loan which could easily fulfill all your needs. It is all about secured business loan, ideal choice for all business person seeking monetary assistance.

To avail secured business loans, you need to place security for the loaned amount. This security could be in the form of your own home, jewellery, valuable paper etc. This security acts on behalf of the borrower and ascertains the safe return of the loaned amount.

Basically secured business loans are targeted to two types of borrowers. Firstly those, who want to launch their own business with a fresh beginning, whereas the latter represents those, who have already launched their business and are making money out of it. Both these types of borrowers could gain essential financial support from secured business loans during boosting their business.

Here the loaned amount basically ranges from £50000 to £2,50,000. And the repayment period varies from 3-25 years. All these are quite satisfactory for a borrower. Here he or she can easily take desired amount of money and can repay it within wider time frame. Rate of interest very much depends upon the amount of loan borrowed.

You can access secured business loans from loan lending organization, banks etc. You can also get these loans through online method. It gives you quick access to several lenders, who are reputed for offering sound financial solutions to borrowers.

Secure home improvement loans are not free of faults. Here if you fail to repay the loaned amount within proper time frame, the lender can repossess your property which is placed a security for the loaned amount. This is why it is always suggested that you should go for the loaned amount, which you can repay easily without any delay and inconvenience.

Pamella Scott is an author who can certainly identify your kind of loan. To find Secured loans, href="http://www.easyfinance4u.com/secured_business_loan.html">Secured Business Loan, secured personal loans,secured debt consolidation loans,secured home improvement loans visit href="http://www.easyfinance4u.com">http://www.easyfinance4u.com

Authors, self publishers and book publishers can be very unhappy when they see boxes of books delivered from the printer, loaded onto pallets in their garage and not have any idea on how they’re going to sell them; don’t let this happen to you — be prepared. Self publishers need to have a good marketing plan to sell books and should be written prior to writing your book and in place a year prior to publishing your book. This article will provide you with easy, free, and cheap book marketing, promotion and publicity tips to get you headed in the right direction fast.

Press releases can generate thousands of dollars in sales when picked up by national trade or print media. Mail a press release to at least 1000 print and broadcast contacts just prior to publishing your title and again and again after you publish; you can never send too many. Make sure your press release spells out the ‘who, what, where, when, and why.’

Using press releases can be a very effective marketing tool if used properly. Mail a press release to all the trade journals in your field over and over again; you can use the same release. Invest in press release submitting software and set aside time every week to send out a press release online to the press directories.

Using press releases for marketing or promoting your book or book’s website has become increasingly popular as publishers discover the powerful benefits of using press releases. Send out the same press release to the editor of your local daily newspaper every week until you are called for an interview or are written up.

Submit articles to online article directories that focus on your book’s topic to drive customers to your website. Print and online publications provide longevity to your marketing campaign in terms of having something tangible for people to reference ongoing. Contact non-bookstore booksellers and offer to leave books on consignment.

Find a non-exclusive distributor with a good reputation to carry your book for the book store trade, as well as for other retailers. Local radio shows and television appearances are good but are often forgotten within hours of the broadcast; make sure to make or get a copy of any television broadcast for future promotions. If your book fits a specialty market, find a store that fits the genre and offer to leave books on consignment; many publishers have sold thousands of books this way.

Make sure your sales letter or flier is first class; this is your formal presentation of your title to the prospective buyer. Place free ads periodically for your book’s website on Craigslist in different categories to drive even more traffic to your website. I’ve not found that book signings sell many books for publishers and are often a waste of time; better to spend it elsewhere.

Make sure to promote and market your book each and every day, both online and offline. Women buy more books then men; see how you can fit your book into the womens’ market. Your sales letter or flier should include an eye-grabbing headline, the benefits to the buyer, the book features, book sales information and testimonials. Market your book to your number one market first, and then go after the secondary markets. Remember to make sure your book is listed in Books-in-Print; don’t assume it’s already listed.

I’ve seen publishers lose a lot of money paying for expensive display ads, so beware if you do this; I don’t advise it in the beginning — get your feet wet first so you know what you’re doing. Create an online contest and list it in online contest directories to drive traffic to your website.

I hope this article has provided you with helpful tips to accelerate your book marketing and book promotion efforts. Yes you can market and promote your book on a shoestring budget, just be careful about your marketing dollars. Don’t delay another day if you’ve fallen by the wayside; make sure to focus on promoting, selling and marketing your book each and every day.

For more information on book marketing tips and selling more books go to http://www.TwinPeaksPress.com founded in 1982, specializing in help for authors, self publishers, ebook and book publishers with tips, advice and resources, including information on media, library and other mailing lists, and press releases - online, wire service and offline distribution

I could still remember vividly the days when I just started on the internet marketing journey, how do I build a home internet business and more specifically how I can earn money on the internet, these questions gave me headaches.

However I persevered on and I am glad that I did.

I was 18 then and it was Rich Dad Poor Dad that opened up my mind on the concept of residual income and the various stream of incomes.

I chose the internet because it offers the most time flexibility and low cost entry for a student to start build a home internet business.

When I started to read materials pertaining to matters like how to build a home internet business, internet marketing and more, I am so aggressive in my internet marketing education that thus far, just within two years, I have spent close to $10,000, both courses and seminars combine and this is a huge figure for a student.

I literally burned up my savings and allowances.

From the tons of information and knowledge that I have gathered, in my personal opinion, I conclude that there is no skill to build a home internet business, it is a skill by itself with its many subsets.

Let me reiterate, “To Build A Home Internet Business, It Is A Skill By Itself!”

With this skill, there are many subsets, and I cannot cover everything within this article because it is going to take many pages.

What I would like to share with you is this, imagine that you own this skill, and you know how to switch it on when you need it, this skill can potentially become a virtual ATM.

Something that I must share with you before I sign off is this, to learn this skill, the market is huge, where you want to learn it from and who you want to learn it from. And there are so many ways to have a success story, from blogging, adsense, affiliate and many more.

The key here is this, when you decide to build a home internet business, be really FOCUS.

Let us do a quick recap, in this article I have shared with you that to build a home internet business is in fact a skill by itself and the one key you and I have to note, yes I am a culprit to this mad market too, that being FOCUS is important. When you are FOCUSED, the money will come.

—This Article Is Copyright To JY Chia—

JY Chia is an Expert in Helping People to Earn Additional Income by Setting Up Part Time Internet Business. JY is supported by a team who had recently earned more then $10,000 within 24 Hours. For further recommendations, please visit my website at http://www.PartTimeInternetBusiness.com and my blog at http://www.ChiaJiaYu.com

A big hurdle to overcome before the completion of a mortgage, whether first of second, is paying the closing costs. This is because it usually works out to an amount much above the expectations of the homeowner. All through the loan period he is not exposed to these costs. Just when he thinks that his woes are over, he is faced with a payment of nearly five to six percent of the mortgage value, before the mortgage is finally cleared off.

To a prospective borrower who is aware of this, a no closing cost loan appears to be very attractive. This option relieves him of the pain involved with paying closing costs. But, there is a big misunderstanding with respect to the way these loans workout in the long run. Even though they are touted as free, in fact they are not free.

When compared to the mortgages where the mortgagee pays the closing costs, these mortgages carry a much higher rate of interest. Typically, the rate would be about a quarter percent higher than the others. Lenders rework this extra interest as Yield Spread Premium that acts as a fund to pay off closing costs.

Now if this is calculated taking into account the entire period over which the loan is to be repaid, it is observed that the mortgage loan that requires closing costs to be paid by the borrower is cheaper, even with the closing costs added to the total interest paid. The no closing cost loan is a costlier option with higher rate of interest paid over a long period of time.

Whether or not to consider a no closing cost second mortgage loan depends on the situation. If you intend to payoff the mortgage within a short time, it would be best to take advantage of the no closing cost option. You would be paying the high interest only for a short time and benefit from the ‘no closing costs’, not having to shell out thousands of dollars and lessening you ownership costs.

See our other recommended resources:
No Closing Cost Mortgages - Are They a Bad Deal?

15 Ways To Save Money on Your Next Mortgage Loan