Friday Favorites Linky Party Week 403

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How To Choose the Right Greenhouse Design for Your Garden

Choosing a greenhouse isn’t easy. You need to take into account the structure of it, whether or not it is suitable for the size of garden that you have and even what you plan to grow in there as well.

Light Exposure

When placing your greenhouse, try and find somewhere that has plenty of light but also somewhere that is protected from strong winds. You will also want to make sure that you don’t put it close to any tall trees, as leaves will make the glass look dirty and block out any light. When you have decided on the positioning for your greenhouse, you can then go on to find out how big your greenhouse can be and what shape you need.

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Glazing

When choosing your glazing, remember that glass lets in the most light and it also lasts much longer when compared to polycarbonates. It can be replaced if it gets broken and you can even add a transparent film onto the glass. This will help to stop the glass from shattering and it is a brilliant way for you to protect your family should there be an accident. Toughened glass is also another option, and even though it can still break, it doesn’t pose as much of a hazard if you do have children.

Dimensions and Framework

The structure for a good greenhouse should be at least 6ft wide. You should have it around 8ft wide if you plan to have some staging at either side. You can choose from timber greenhouses and even aluminium greenhouses as well. Of course, timber greenhouses are much more aesthetically pleasing and you can even choose from a huge range of colours as well. This will really help it to fit in with the rest of your garden.

 

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Vents

You need to make sure that the glazing you choose has various vents as this will help you to ensure that you have the best growing conditions. If you combine the area of the vents when open, this should equate to a fifth of the total floor area. Vents you can choose from include side vents and even louvre vents as well. Automatic vent openers are ideal for larger greenhouses and they consist cylinders that are made out of wax. This opens the vent when it is too hot, and then closes it when the temperature drops.

Roof Shape

A traditional roof that slopes is quite possibly the easiest for you to fit if you plan on having guttering. You should also consider having curved or even angled sides on the greenhouse as this lets in much more light when compared. The roof shape will somewhat depend on the size of greenhouse you have and the positioning, and the roof you choose will vary the amount of light that is let into the greenhouse at any one time.

Eaves

There should be 1ft of space above your head while standing in the greenhouse. If you plan to grow taller plants, such as tomatoes then you need to have at least 5ft of space from the base of the greenhouse to the eaves. This will help you to ensure that you get the best result out of your growing potential and the time that you spend in the greenhouse itself.

8 Must-Haves and Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NatureMadePrenatalDHA #CollectiveBias

This year I’ve been working on a very special project; I’ve been creating and growing my own little human!

Baby Thaxton was born on November 14.  Isn’t he a doll?  We tried for a long time to get pregnant, and I was so thrilled when I found out that I was having him. Even now, a month after his birth, I can hardly believe he’s real!

I think until you get pregnant and have a baby, you don’t actually realize just how much actually goes in to the whole process.  When a baby is born we talk about the big delivery day and the pains of labor, and we don’t talk as much about what happens during those 9 months of pregnancy. Over the course of 9 months, I gained about 30 pounds, and I saw and felt my body going through so many changes as a result of this weight gain, hormone changes, and more!   Today I’m going to discuss some tips and must-haves to help you stay healthy and feeling good during pregnancy. [Read more…]

Vanilla Cream Cheese Apple Pie Dip

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ServingUpTheSeason #CollectiveBias

The holiday season is here, which means shoppers are flocking to the store to buy gifts for everyone on their list, and a lot of us are also racing to the store to buy grocery items for our holiday menus.  If you’ve been assigned to provide the dessert this year, you can bring something delicious and easy to the table by choosing Marie Callender’s® Pies and Loaf Cakes.  Today I’m going to tell you a little bit about these amazing desserts and show you can use Marie Callender’s Dutch Apple Pie in a recipe. [Read more…]

Mistakes to Avoid When Moving into a New House

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Are you getting ready to move into a new house? Once you have dealt with packing everything up and moving it to your new place, it can seem like all of the hard work is done. However, it’s only just beginning. After all, you need to make your new place seem like home. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the common mistakes you should avoid when moving into a new house…

  • Overspending after the move – This is one of the easiest mistakes to make. After all, you are excited, and you want your home to look exactly like you envision it. There are so many shiny accessories and decorations that are calling your name. However, overspending at this point is risky business. You need to have an efficient post-relocation budget, and you can always buy things as and when you need them.
  • Not exploring your new surroundings – You should start exploring your new city as soon as you can. Learn the whereabouts of vital places. This will make it easy for you if you need to go to the shops and get something, or if you fall ill and need some medical advice. The last thing you want is to have the hassle of searching for stuff in an emergency.
  • Missing the deadlines for important paperwork – It is not easy to get organised after moving. After all, there are many different things that need to be taken care of. However, if you miss the deadlines for vital paperwork, you are only going to give yourself more hassle in the long run.
  • Not securing your new home – This is something a lot of people don’t tend to think about immediately once they have moved, but you should. There are a number of steps you need to take to secure your property. This includes childproofing your entire home, purchasing a first-aid kit, keeping your property in good condition – i.e. check the condition of the gutters, roof, chimney, window shutters, fence, etc., install smoke detectors and fire alarms, and change the locks and install burglar alarms.
  • Unpacking the wrong way – You may think that there is no right or wrong way to unpack, but there most certainly is. Common mistakes include discarding packing materials as garbage, trying to reassemble furniture or set up appliances on your own, procrastinating, and rushing things.
  • Forgetting to inspect the boxes that have been delivered – It is vital to check the boxes you have received to make sure everything matches up with your inventory list. Double check that everything is sealed correctly and in good condition.

So there you have it: some of the key mistakes you need to avoid when moving into your new place. From making sure you don’t spend too much money once you have moved in to not exploring your new surroundings, if you can avoid the errors mentioned above, you can make the experience run a lot more smoothly.

Friday Favorites Linky Party Week 402

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet HomeTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Maisy at Becoming AliceFB | G+ | Pin

Sheree at Stage PresentsTwitter | FB | Pin | Inst | Inst

Lisa at Condo BluesTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Amy at A Day of Small ThingsPin

Penny at Penny’s PassionTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Kelly at Under a Texas SkyTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

You can show your love for this week’s favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!

And if you love all of this week’s favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week’s linky party! [Read more…]

Smells Like Success: The Secrets Of Running An Aromatherapy Business From Home

If you love to help people and sooth away their stresses, aromatherapy is a great choice for a business that you can run from home. Aromatherapy is about working with essential oils to help improve the emotional and physical state of your client with all natural products that can lift mood, help concentration, and soothe them off to sleep, among other benefits. Of course, before you start in this area you need to know about essential oils and get stocked up with good quality supplies first. Something you can find out more about in the post below.

Knowledge

There is lots and lots of information on essential oils and aromatherapy out there, a great deal of it being online. However, while this is often a great starting point to spark your interest, you do have to understand that not all the information will be of the highest quality. That means some it of it could unreliable, and when you are dealing with people mental and physical health, this is something you must be very cautious of.

With that in mind, when you are just starting out it is best to invest in some of the better-known texts on the subject and always refer to those before treating anyone. It is also worth bearing in mind that essential oils can interact poorly with other medication that your clients are on, so it’s wise to educate yourself on the contraindications and well as the benefits before you begin.  

Practice and qualifications

You will also need some real life practice before you start your aromatherapy business, and having a qualification in the field as well will only serve to reinforce your credibility and get you more clients.

With this in mind, it can be very useful to take a practical or online course that insists you perform several real-world case studies before they award you your qualification.

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Regular supplies

Like any business, you will also need to get stocked up on the day to day supplies you will need for your aromatherapy treatments. Obviously, therapeutic grades oils will be first on your list, but you should also consider things like the digital tear pads that you can get at Got Oil Supplies business tools and download to your own computer. These are particularly useful because you can print them for your customers, allowing them to continue their treatment at home in between sessions.

One-off items

Apart from the day to day stock, you will need, it may also be worth investing in some one-off items for your business. A therapy couch can be useful if you are going to offer essential oil massage. An essential oil diffuser is another good purchase for your treatment room at home, or to take with you for the benefit of your mobile clients.

You will, of course, need all the more mundane stuff, like a laptop and printer, and once a year you’ll need to sort your business insurance too. Just to ensure that you are covered in all eventualities, and your aromatherapy business is a long-term success.

Keep Your Dog Happy and Safe in the Winter

Winter is arguably the best season to enjoy the best of family life, as we bond over hot roasts, temptingly sweet winter desserts, and spicy mulled wine. It is important to ensure that our pet dog also makes the most of winter by identifying and preventing common health risks. Temperature, food, and indoor hazards are just three areas we should focus on, to ensure the season it truly a jolly one for all.

Avoiding Pet Toxicity

We tend to consume richer meals during the holidays, including roasts, fruit, nuts, and desserts. Family members are sometimes tempted to let Fido enjoy a little of the goodness, but it is important for your dog to stick to his regular diet. Festive foods like turkey stuffing can contain ingredients which are toxic to dogs, including nuts, onions, garlic, and even grapes.

Chocolate, another holiday favorite, can cause serious health issues for canines, so it is best to avoid feeding leftovers, especially if your dog is facing a health issue or taking medication. The golden rule is only to feed your pooch during scheduled mealtimes. This way, he won’t beg for food at the table.

Selecting the Right Decor

If you have puppies in the house, be careful of leaving Christmas balls and other decorations within their reach. Moreover, plants like poinsettias, holly and mistletoe, which are such an important part of many holiday traditions, can cause everything from seizures to abdominal pain, and even death. Fir trees inside the home can irritate your dog’s mouth and stomach, and pine needles can cause gastrointestinal problems. Other plants to avoid include Christmas cactus, amaryllis, lilies, and daffodils.

Keep Your Dog Away from Driveways

Many people use antifreeze on driveways; unfortunately, this substance is sweet and tempting to dogs, but is also highly toxic. Winter is not a time to let your dog off the leash, since snow can also hide cracks or changes of level on the road, which can lead to injury.

Keeping Hypothermia and Frostbite at Bay

In snowy weather, dogs can develop frostbite (when ice and snow get stuck between their toes, for instance) and hypothermia (in which the dog’s temperature and heart rate decrease to dangerous levels). When the thermometer hits 45 degrees Fahrenheit or below, your dog should wear a coat or vest, especially if they don’t have plenty of fur, they are older, or they have health issues. If you can convince your dog used to boots, all the better; if not, your dog should only walk on snow for a few minutes and always under your supervision. Cut the fur around his  paws short and treat paws with paw balm, which provides a protective barrier against snow. After walking, clean your dog’s paws, clearing them of snow, ice, and salt (which, like antifreeze, is toxic).

Keep Your Dog Warm Inside

Make sure your thermostat is set at a comfy temperature; it is best to avoid space heaters, since your dog might burn his skin by getting too close. Ensure your protection dog for sale has a nice warm bed and blanket; many pooches are burrowers and love nothing more than hiding under a blanket.

Exercise is important for dogs all year round, so make sure your dog doesn’t get bored or lazy in the winter. By caring for his paws, ensuring he has the clothing he needs and keeping him away from harmful toxins, you will ensure that he enjoys the holiday season as much as you do.

3 Tips to Cleaning Your Home for the Holidays

Prepping your home for the holidays can be quite an undertaking especially if you have not taken the time to thoroughly clean and de-clutter prior to the season. The holiday season is extremely busy and it may be hard to find time to clean your home. Between the shopping, wrapping of presents, baking, and sending out holiday cards to loved one’s far away, the holiday season often leaves people feeling overwhelmed and stressed beyond measure. This year, be sure to take care of yourself and one way that you can do so is to be more efficient in your cleaning. This article will highlight a few tips that will help you be more efficient in your cleaning so that you can get your chores done in record time.

  • Make your home smell great. Did you know that much of what is associated with a clean home is the smell of the house? Have you ever walked into a home that smells of animal hair or one that smells musty? You most likely have an impression that the home is dirty even if it is spotless and clean. It is important that you make sure that your home smells naturally good instead of like animals, dust, or any other unsavory scent. The easiest way to do accomplish this is to burn candles or plug in air fresheners. A good smelling home goes a long way in the perceptions of having a clean house.
  • Clean your kitchen. In most homes, the kitchen is the heart of the house. This is where the family gathers for meals and to chat while food is prepared. Cleaning off your countertops and around the sink can make your home appear clean. Make sure that you have washed your dishes and swept the crumbs up off of the floor. Light a festive candle to make the space smell extra warm and welcoming.
  • De-clutter. If there is one thing that you spend a great deal of time on, it should be de-cluttering your home. There are several reasons for this. With the holidays comes gifts, and with gifts comes more things to add to your home. If you have already gone through your home and de-cluttered, you will feel more organized in putting new gifts away. Otherwise it can be overwhelming to put new gifts away while sorting clutter at the same time.

Another perk to decluttering your home before the holidays is that it will make your home appear cleaner. While you may have stuff in stacks on the counter or papers piled in a corner in a basket, these things add to the overall ambiance of your home. If you were to take them out of your home, you would notice a difference. A small change such as recycling old newspapers and clearing out the magazines off of your coffee table can go a long way in the appearance of a clean home.

 

   

 

Important Details Your Business Shouldn’t Forget

Detail is everything when it comes to running a company. If you’re at the helm of operations, maybe because you’ve started it up yourself or you’re in a partnership with a friend over something you love, there’s a lot to get ahold of even without thinking of the small things. This is where a good business plan and a bit of advice can work a whole world of wonder: if you know a challenge can pop up, you can prepare and face it with more grit and wisdom! For business coaching and advice, check out https://plannedascent.com/.

So we can all agree that business is a big thing to run by yourself, and whether you have a startup or a home business, or you’re the manager of a chain store location, there’s some details that you can’t miss out on when it comes to practicing your own brand of business. Here’s some ideas you may not have considered in your original business plan that might need some picking up before you start; use this advice for your own ends if you need it!

 

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Having Useful Experience in Your Chosen Area

It’s a little considered fact, but a lot of people start off in jobs that they have no idea how to do, and learn as they go along. This is true for floor staff, managers, and CEOs across the globe, as when it comes to doing a job well, everyone has their own method of practice. So if you’re not doing something the same way someone else has in you chosen area, that doesn’t have to be an immediate red flag.

Of course you can take tips from other industry professionals, but if you have a practice that’s been proven to get results from a customer base or an investor, use this to your advantage. It could give you an edge over the competition, and this knowledge is good experience to use for other areas of your profession.

It can be shared amongst your workforce if you have one, and you can impress at conventions and conferences if you have your own business stall or speaking time. A lot of little known revolutionary ideas can be found at these places! This article that can be found at www.forbes.com has a few good ideas on sharing the expertise you’ve made yourself from years of working in and out of your own area of business.

Do You Know How to Use Excel?

Computers make business in the modern world a whole world of its own, as there’s international opportunities that didn’t exist in the past, and there’s more and more availability for people to start off of their own backs. That means you need to be sure you’re working with computers in the best way you can!

So it’s not just excel you’ll need to get to grips with! Being proficient in everything IT makes running your own business a lot easier, and means you can properly monitor your cash flow, for one. If you have a data point system that plenty of the big businesses use to take them far means you’ll have the same kind of quality in your accounting department (even if that just consists of you!).

You can always bring in someone to help with the IT matters, and let’s be honest, it’s good to have someone else around to man the online customer service desk. It’s better than a phone line, you’ll get more traffic via it, and it garners you a better reputation amongst your customer base.

Make Sure to Give Out Your Business Cards

Looking professional is one of the most important aspects of running a business, and you can readily showcase professionalism with premium business cards wherever you go. After all, being able to whip one out whenever the opportunity presents itself is very useful and extremely good for business! Similarly, they give people a good contact point to reach you from. So if you don’t have any card to hand out when necessary, you’re going to need to print out some to stick on a front counter or take to conferences with you.

Despite us living in the information world, the globe isn’t entirely digital like a lot of people think, and traditional methods still matter for a lot of people in business big and small alike. Handing out a business card is a good physical reminder that people can hold in their hands and look at whenever they need to, as memory is incredibly unreliable; there’s no way around that with a computer implant!

It’s also a good way to show off your brand and what you can do. If you have a professional design that looks and feels artsy for a business that creates digital media, for example, you’ll look like the kind of person who fits the part, rather than having a blank card with just the contact details on. Yes, business cards are a practical part of work, but they still need to show off who you are and what you’re capable of in your service!

Be Sure to Foster Creativity for a Better Business Service

Employees are the cornerstones of business, so finding and keeping talent through recruitment automation is the best way forward. If you’re running a company off of a hobby you practiced freely in the past, and there’s a huge creative element to it, make sure you seek out people who have a similar investment as you.

That’s hard however, and holding onto someone who is versatile and passionate in this way can be hard. People have ambitions, and you can’t blame someone for wanting to follow that. So, you need to be versatile and passionate in return, and look for potential for business growth everywhere you can find it. Keep an eye on job boards and even do a recruitment drive for people in your area, and beyond if you fancy, to build up a roster of talent and train people in a craft that could help both their career prospects and your business.

Potential is the main thing for a business to have if it wants to grow good talent. If you can expand at a steady rate, and you can search out new opportunities for handmade products you like to spend time on and perfect, you can take your employees to bigger and better heights.

Have Someone to Take the Rubbish Out!

If you’re in the hand made items business, you’ll probably be throwing away bags of rubbish at the end of each day. Usually these are thrown in the bins out back, but these can easily overflow!

Let’s face it, business can churn out a lot of waste, no matter what we do. Waste collection isn’t something we want to face up to, but it’s an important part of business. If you don’t have the time to do it yourself, or you’re churning out more than you can handle?; that means we need to turn to reliable rubbish collection services to make sure it all goes away, and at a good rate for our time and money.

Feel free to visit www.dirtcheaprubbishremoval.com.au to read more on this, as we don’t want junk cluttering up back alleyways and doorways. It’s bad for business, and abundant trash will just make anyone in the vicinity, employees and customers alike, feel bad about their surroundings. That doesn’t work out well for productivity or prospective sales!

Lastly, You’ll Need a Goal to Take You Further

At the end of the day, you want your business to go far, and often we’re not satisfied to stay with what we have. It got us this far, with a loyal customer base and a good local reputation, but now we need something else to take us even further. So you’ll need a goal to follow, and you can go back to your original business plan to see what the best option for that is going to be.

If you’ve made some good money, you’ll want to keep making it, but you don’t want to become stale and immovable along with it. This is once again where the potential element comes in, as when you can grow, no one involved is going to get bored. If we feel like we’re working towards something that is worth it, or we’re providing something people truly enjoy, we stay focused and on task.

It’s the same for customers. Conscience plays a big part in who we choose to buy from, and if a company we like shows off their sustainability and the good treatment of everyone involved in the venture, we’ll stay with them for a lot longer. Think of yourself as a customer, and what parts of your business you would like from this more objective standpoint, and also where you think you could be treated better.

So there we have it; a mini list on some of the details that we can’t miss out on! Stay in business for a long time when you think of the small things that make business so much better to run, as taking care of these from the beginning gives us the best start up!