The Market Outfit

Flowers have long been used to symbolize life’s important events and emotions. Roses are symbols of love, lilies, the flowers of death and renewal, and carnations a sign of appreciation. We use flowers as wedding decorations, Valentine’s Day presents and Christmas ornaments. No matter what the occasion is, a beautiful flower arrangement is a wonderful way to celebrate life through vibrant colors and rich floral scents.

Florists provide customers with a variety of arrangements made specifically for certain occasions and events. However, if you are on a budget, flower arrangements can be fairly pricey. Professional florists charge exorbitant amounts for their expertise, and the flowers themselves can be extremely expensive. Making your own arrangements can be a fun and creative alternative to ordering pieces from a florist. By purchasing flowers individually, you can choose the exact colors and scents you need to say exactly what you want to communicate.

When making your own flower arrangement, you should first consider its purpose. If you are making arrangements for a wedding, white is typically the presiding color. You should start with basic white flowers and add a few accents that match the bridesmaids’ dresses. Large leafy green pieces add a nice contrast to delicate buds for table centerpieces, and sometimes simplicity is the best aesthetic tactic. If you are making centerpieces for several tables, you can purchase your flowers in bulk and use one design over and over again, or you can make each piece an individual work of art.

For vase arrangements, choose your container first, and pick flowers that are the correct height for the vase. When you cut your flowers, be sure to cut the stems at an angle so they can absorb water correctly and stay fresh for a long time. Vase arrangements require a focal point, and this can be one large flower or a grouping of several. It is important to choose a color scheme and to stick with it. For instance, you would not want to mix red and pink roses, or to combine yellow daisies with died green carnations. Make sure you choose flowers that look and smell good in combination with each other, and fill in the gaps with baby’s breath and leafy greenery.

When you are making larger potted flower arrangements, an aesthetically pleasing plant is a great base for your design. However, you might not want to combine a spiky cactus with soft blooming roses. If you are using only flowers, you will need a piece of arranging foam to provide a structure for the piece. Green foam can be purchased at most craft stores, and it can be cut to fit any shape you need. Before you start sticking in your stems, you might sketch out an idea of the final product. If the arrangement is to be large, pick a few large flowers to act as focal points rather than picking a multitude of tiny blooms. Too many small flowers distract the eye and make the arrangement seem busy rather than soothing.

Once you have chosen all of your flowers and greenery, begin arranging them in the container. It will take several tries and lot of adjusting before your create a finished product, but be confident and do what looks best. Arranging flowers is an intuitive art, and if you have chosen a good color scheme and a variety of shapes and sizes, the correct eye-pleasing concoction will often fall into place with little effort. When you are finished, you will have a beautiful, natural decoration to perk up even the gloomiest of environments, and you will have the satisfaction of having created a wonderful work of art.

Flowers lift our spirits and give delight to our souls. Sintilia Miecevole, host of www.yaflower.com has a ton of flower information from florists and special occasions to gardens and more. Be sure to visit www.yaflower.com and enjoy!

Men, If You Want Brownie Points…Send Her Flowers and Trinkets!

Ok, ok! So you’ve heard that line before. But you may not understand why after all this time that it still works! Well, in the next few minutes prepare to get an insight into the mysterious women’s world.

Here are some very basic things you should know:

1) Women (generally speaking) are the softer side of the human race. We have softer bodies, soft demeanor (usually) and instinctively want to nurture and care for our fellow man. And men….women really do want to take care of you! Men on the other hand, want to conquer and procreate. Testosterone kicks in and men on a regular basis blunder along and just by the look on a women’s face they know they are in trouble. And why?

2) WOMEN SEE EVERYTHING!!! Never underestimate a woman’s instinct. Women generally can be more intuitive than a man simply because we’ve been trained over thousands of years to have that watch-full eye over the children and loved ones. We must see what the children are doing and scope for hidden dangers nearby constantly! That’s why moms know the hand is in the cookie jar and she’s not even looking directly at you! Have you ever noticed a woman looking at you and you feel like she is reading your mind? Well essentially she is. She knows what that twitch of the eyebrows means and the eyes tell a whole story.

Here is a tip for you men. Don’t wait until you are in trouble to do something nice for a woman. Believe me, it goes so much farther if you buy her flowers for no reason. Women are also attracted to the pretty things like shiny jewelry. You can hardly go wrong doing either. Unless a woman is seriously not interested in you, it is likely that you will see her melt right before your eyes if you present her with something of beauty. Women are sappy that way.

This is especially true for a long-term relationship because this tells her you are still creating something wonderful and appreciate her.

Here is something you may not have thought of, and that is, when you buy a woman flowers and send it to her place of business, you, will be the one well thought of! The number of times I have heard other women oooh and ahhh over someone getting flowers at work and say: “you’re so lucky to have to have a husband/boyfriend who will send you flowers”! “I wish my husband would do that”!

Then you do the magic thing and send her flowers twice in a month! Your status among the other women has just soared and you are viewed as a rare breed of men. Heavy sigh! (More sappiness)

Most women just plain love getting flowers and trinkets period! Will it ever go out of style? I think not. This is a long-standing tried and true formula that works and I think will still work in the future.

Willie is a freelance writer, researcher, artist and floral designer. She also promotes Motivational Posters at www.artinspires.com. “Enroll in the free motivational poster drawing. All winners receive a free framed print.

Ahhh, the Holidays…… The Thanksgiving turkey comes out of the oven golden brown, with an enticing aroma that fills the entire house. All the china is in pristine condition and not a single piece in the set is missing. The family is gathered for holiday pictures, the children are poised perfectly; hands to themselves, not a hair out of place and their smiles are shining brightly for the camera. Then just as the photographer is about to capture the shot… you wake up!

Let’s be realistic ladies. Without proper planning, the holidays are anything but a holiday. Just look at the list of things that need to be done: Shopping, cooking, cleaning, decorating, sending holiday mail, the list goes on and on.

Let me clue you all in on a few key questions that you should ask yourself in order to have a holiday season free of stress and worry, and instead filled with fun and laughter:

What types of holiday celebrations do you want? For example: Do you want to have an immediate family only holiday affair or an extravaganza including immediate and extended family plus a few friends? Once you’ve thought everything through and decided on the type of holiday gathering you would like, you can then start making your plans.

If you are ready to get a head start on organizing yourself, your family and your holiday check lists, then keep reading:

Holiday Cards: Start early! I use a holiday card list that I derive from saving names and addresses from holiday cards my family has received in past years. I created a simple, computerized list that is easy to edit and print onto address labels. Be sure to stock up on stamps so that when you have your cards signed, stuffed and addressed you can affix a stamp to them and make one, simple trip to the Post Office.

Holiday Gifts: There’s nothing like getting a HUGE credit card bill in the mail at the start of the New Year. Many of us tend to want to be generous when shopping for holiday gifts. While your generosity will be appreciated at gift giving time, keep in mind that it is very easy to succumb to “impulse buying” and go all out on your holiday shopping. While your intentions may be good, your pocketbook may be singing a different song. Set a budget and stick to it - your bank account will thank you for it after the start of the New Year.

Wrap it up: Wrap your gifts and place nametags on them immediately after you bring them home, then store the gifts in a secure spot. This will cut down on those late night wrapping sessions that I am sure we ALL have experienced a few times, if not every year.

Baking & cooking: If you will be cooking during the holidays, it is important to plan your meals ahead of time. Be sure to stock up ahead of time on all the necessary non-perishable baking ingredients such as flour, sugar and spices. Create a list of your holiday menus and a list of the ingredients you will need to prepare each of those meals. Also, try to think of a few dishes that can be prepared ahead of time and then frozen as an extra timesaving measure

Delegate: This is one of my favorite tips. Be sure to enlist the help of your family or friends. Sit down and discuss what needs to be done then ask for volunteers. If no hands are raised, simply assign small tasks to each of them. Whether it is arranging for a babysitter so that you can escape for a child free day of shopping, passing the shopping list onto another family member or friend so that they can pick up the items for you, or letting the children decorate your home. Be sure to get the whole family involved in the holiday preparations so that you will not be overwhelmed.

Enjoy: Whatever you decide to do, remember to relax and enjoy yourself. You and your family will have much fonder memories of this holiday season if you are not spending it pulling your hair out.

Aurelia Williams, certified Personal Life Coach and owner of Real Life Coaching who offers free consultations and Real Life Solutions, a Family Resource site that helps you lead an emotionally & physically healthier, more productive and less stressful life. www.reallifecoaching.net

Do you hate to shop for clothes?

According to a recent report by WGSN (Worth Global Style Network), 28% of women HATE to shop for clothes. To them, it’s a four-letter word that produces stress and anxiety any time they think about hitting the mall.

Now for the 26% of women who absolutely LOVE to shop and frequently ease their woes with retail therapy, this may be inconceivable. How can anyone NOT enjoy the thrill of the hunt or the big bargain score? Who doesn’t love modeling new clothes in front of the mirror or being asked incessantly, “Great outfit! Is it new?”

The answer? Plenty of people.

And for many women who hate to shop, the problem has little to do with money. In fact, according to WGSN, when these women actually force themselves to go buy clothes, they rarely look for bargains.

Instead, they tend to avoid the mall because:

1.They don’t know what kinds of clothes look best on them.

2.They don’t follow fashion and don’t want to look ridiculous or dated in their purchases.

3.They’re easily flustered when they can’t find what they’re looking for quickly.

4.They feel uncomfortable trying on clothes in dressing rooms.

5.They may have put on a lot of weight and either can’t find clothes that fit or don’t want to face the fact that they need a larger size.

6.They hate crowds.

Does any of this sound familiar?

If you can really relate to this list, here are some tips to make shopping easier, less expensive, and far less frustrating than you may have experienced in the past:

1. Determine Your Body Shape

Start by taking a good look at your birthday suit in the mirror the next time you change clothes or step out of the bath. Are your hips bigger than your chest? Your chest bigger than your hips? Is your waist the same size as your chest and hips? Does your body resemble an hourglass? Make a note. Look for clothes shaped the same way you are when you hit the stores. This will lead to fast success and minimal frustration.

2. Determine Your Lifestyle

What kinds of clothes work best in your current situation? Do you need business wear? Jeans? Ball gowns? If your lifestyle is 60% work, 20% social, and 20% leisure, for example, or 90% work and 5% social and 5% leisure, then your wardrobe should reflect as much. Otherwise, you may be hard pressed to find something to wear for those activities where you spend the least amount of time.

3. Assess Your Needs and Make a List

Once you know your shape and your lifestyle, it’s time to go through your closet and see what you need. If you’re short on tops, put them on the list. Feel fabulous in a coatdress? Add a few more. Love your black A-line skirt? Buy another one in dark blue.

Remember: if you start with a list, you can immediately hone in on those pieces in the store. When you only look for what you need, you’re a lot less likely to get distracted - or confused.

4. Go When it’s Quiet and You Have Some Time

This may not always be possible, depending on your situation, but try to go when the stores are nearly empty and you have a little time to look, like a weekday morning. Not only will the store clerks be more available to help, you’ll have plenty of time to go through the store inventory.

If you hate crowds or have to constantly monitor your watch as you shop, you’re more likely to give up quickly or buy unsatisfactory pieces just to get it over with.

Simple solution: shop online.

5. Leave The Kids At Home

This may not always be possible, but if you can shop when they’re at school, leave them with a sitter, or swap sitting duties with another mom so you each have free time, do.

6. Buy and Return

If you don’t have the time or inclination to try on clothes before you buy them, go to a mirror, hold the clothes up in front of you and see how they look. If it looks like something you might like, test the size in the places it’s most likely to give you trouble, like the shoulders, bust or hips, by grabbing the edge of the garment and seeing where it hits on the side of your body. If it goes half way, chances are, you have a close fit. If it doesn’t or if it goes beyond the halfway point, go up or down a size, respectively. Buy it, take it home, and try it on there. If it fits, keep it. If it doesn’t, take it back.

7. Hire Help

If you truly don’t want to attempt any of this on your own, or if you’re after a certain look but don’t have the time to track it down, hire a personal shopper. Many better department stores and boutiques have one on staff; just ask. Or, check online, in the newspaper, or in the phone book for freelance personal shoppers in your area. The Association of Image Consultants International

http://www.aici.org

might also be able to recommend someone locally.

While the fee for department or boutique staff shoppers is usually free (they receive a commission on the clothes you buy from their store), most freelance shoppers will charge either an hourly or flat fee for their services, plus the cost of clothes. If that’s what it takes to get you out the door, looking your best, with a minimum of stress, pay it. It will pay you back many times in increased confidence, reduced stress, and a workable, wearable wardrobe.

Shopping for new clothes should be an enjoyable event you participate in at least twice a year, to refurbish your closet for the new season. If you hate to shop or always wind up with stuff you don’t need, try these tips to get your closet in order. Who knows? You may actually start to enjoy yourself!

For all you denim lovers, like myself, this is the season for you to shine. Denim is big this season. Denim has become a fashion statement of its own. No longer are we limited to boot cut, low rise, or relaxed fit jeans. It has come into its own - we can have denim hats, tops, belts, skirts, and even shoes. So wear denim with the attitude it deserves.

Many celebrities are really utilizing denim - they’re dressing it up with embroidery, lace, fur, jewelry, accessories. What ever the heart desires. Dark denim, light denim, stone washed denim, colored denim - all good to go this season!

The gals can dress it up with pearls, the guys with a tie. Crystal or rhinestone jewelry will make you dazzling! Add some long fun beads, a chunky necklace, or an armful of bangles. Don’t forget to accessorize. Add a hat, a belt, or how about suspenders just for kicks. Add a fitted blazer to that denim skirt, add some heals to your favorite pair of jeans. Try a pair of the ever popular wedge shoes with any of your denim items.

For women with small waists and wider hips Joe’s jeans has a new jean line called “Honey Jeans” They are designed so they don’t gape at the waist. They accomplish this by making a two part waist band which give them more of a curve. Low rise jean that truly fits the feminine form. Check them out. They run around $148.00 a pair and can be found online.

Paper Denim has grown in popularity and offers great body fits - Super low rise, low rise, x-low slash pocket, and x-low flare. As well as the trouser and boot cut if your looking for something different.

Marc Jacobs has a form fitting dress that is ever so sexy. Add a light cardigan for those cooler evenings and you’ll look sensational.

There are a host of denim designers and manufacturers offering jeans of various cuts, mini skirts, bustle skirts, form fitting dresses, flowing dresses, capri pants, denim shirts, vests, hats, denim belts, denim shoes, the list goes on and on.

If you want to get some great ideas of what you can do with your denim I recommend you visit Misssixty.com Very interesting and informative site!

Denim is durable, wearable, comfortable, and now more than ever fashionable. So enjoy your denim and dress it up or down to whatever the occasion. Be certain to accent it with your favorite jewelry and have fun! Make your fashion statement!

Buying Platinum jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you’re considering a gift of Platinum jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here’s some information to help you get the best quality Platinum jewelry for your money, whether you’re shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online.

Platinum is a precious metal that costs more than gold. It usually is mixed with other similar metals, known as the platinum group metals: iridium, palladium, ruthenium, rhodium and osmium.

Different markings are used on platinum jewelry as compared with gold jewelry, based on the amount of pure platinum in the piece. The quality markings for platinum are based on parts per thousand. For example, the marking 900 Platinum means that 900 out of 1000 are pure platinum, or in other words, the item is 90% platinum and 10% other metals. The abbreviations for platinum - Plat. or Pt. - also can be used in marking jewelry.

Items that contain at least 950 parts per thousand pure platinum can be marked simply platinum. Items that have at least 850 parts per thousand pure platinum can be marked with the amount of pure platinum and the word platinum or an abbreviation (for example, 950 platinum, 900 Plat. or 850 Pt.). Jewelry that contains less than 850 parts per thousand pure platinum, but has a total of 950 parts per thousand of platinum group metals (of which at least 500 parts is pure platinum), may be marked with both the amount of pure platinum and the amount of the other platinum group metals in the piece. For example, the marking 600 Plat. 350 Irid. means that the item has 600 parts per thousand (60%0 platinum, and 350 parts per thousand (35%) iridium, totaling 950 parts per thousand of platinum group metals, and 50 parts per thousand (5%) other metals.

Have you ever wondered what makes women tick? Well among other things it is good, no wait… great fashion sense!

If you are pregnant or soon will be, it can sometimes seem like a daunting task trying to remain fashionable and pregnant all at the same time.

Many women at least initially lament the loss of their pre-pregnant figures. The good news however, is that there are literally hundreds of online maternity fashion shops that offer quality, great looking and fun maternity wear at reasonable prices!

Just because you are pregnant doesn’t mean you have to suffer from a fashion perspective. In fact, finding the right fashion wear might be just what you need to jump-start your pregnancy and make you feel great about yourself.

When To Start Wearing Maternity Fashions

Many new moms wonder when they should start wearing maternity clothes. You definitely won’t be needing them your first trimester, where you alone are probably the only person that can tell that you are pregnant.

Most women start wearing maternity items at about the fourth or fifth month. Now, this varies from woman to woman. Second time moms often start showing earlier than their first time counterparts, and women with multiples start showing even sooner.

They type of maternity clothes that you need during pregnancy generally change too. Some women are able to make due with a baggy pair of jeans for some time during their early pregnancy. Many find themselves moving into maternity wear before their bellies are quite big enough to fill out the maternity wear.

Here are some maternity wearing tips that will help you during your pregnancy:

- Grab a rubber band. For the first few months you can secure your jeans using a rubber band hooked through the eye of your jeans and wrapped around the button. This will give you an extra inch or two of space in the months that you are too small for maternity clothes.

- Invest in a couple of comfy skirts. Long skirts with expandable waists work great in the early months of pregnancy.

Purchase just a few maternity items that you can mix and match. Consider for example a pair of jeans and a pair of slacks, and maybe a few different shirts and accessories that can go with both. If you work in an office environment that is very formal, consider one or two suits that can easily be accessorized or mixed with several different shirts.

Invest in an item or two one size too big. Often you just need a pair of jeans one size larger than normal to get you through the first few months of pregnancy.

Maternity clothes can be expensive, and remember you will only be wearing them for nine months. The good news is many online shops offered discounts on their maternity wear. You might also consider purchasing your maternity wear at a well known second hand shop. If you are a first time mom, you’ll undoubtedly find that many moms try to pawn off their old maternity items on you. This makes it even easier to shop!

Our laundry was a disaster and if answering three questions were going to help us we would have been thanking anyone for any advice. So I decided that it would be a goal of mine to be on top of the laundry so whoever showed up whenever they showed up at our house laundry would not be an obstacle on the way to the kitchen.

First I need to go back a little ways. My wife of twenty seven years and I have raised four children and held down our careers in spite of the odds against it and we are still together and in love. Our children three of which are grown, well almost, twenty-four, twenty-one and nineteen are happy well adjusted and on their way to becoming a positive contribution to society. We still have a nine year old and the third grade is tougher than we remember.

The twenty-one and nineteen year olds have moved out and have an apartment five miles away. They are girls so that took away a lot of the laundry and a lot of the laundry doers all in one move. Our son twenty-one years old and our nine year old are at home and believe me both contribute to the laundry in a big way.

Now you can imagine that with three teens and one toddler our laundry was a disaster. We could never find the time or when we could find the time we could not find the energy to get our laundry done and put away.

Now our house by no means was dirty just cluttered with laundry, no surface area uncluttered, mounds of laundry waiting to be washed and another mound waiting to be put away. I remember four or five laundry baskets lined up in the dining room and our kids having the time of their lives pulling each other around in them.

I tried every way including the military way to get everything going in one direction but to no avail. Things just seem to be out of control and no sign of returning to normal. So I was going crazy and thought to myself that whenever I go to someone’s house it looked like Better Homes and Garden, why can’t we just get the laundry done? My poor wife would be exhausted and be dragging around the house trying to get the laundry picked up before she would pass out from total exhaustion.

So finally I figured out what the problem was and it was logistics. From this I will ask you three simple questions and your answers will help you get ahead of the tornado and help you keep up on the dreaded laundry. First of all it wasn’t until I decided to not sweat it that it became easier.

Question number one, “Where are the socks?” You if you are like me and my wife you have forty five unmatched socks at any given time. I finally took those unmatched socks and threw them away. We went to a discount department store and bought twenty four pairs of the same socks in two size ranges each size range with a different design and a big wicker basket that stays near the laundry room. Everyone wears the same socks and all the socks are rolled, yeah just like in the old days, in a ball. The socks are in the wicker basket so no need to sort and put away in drawers. We did eventually have to get two baskets to keep the sizes similar as the kids grew. This alone was an incredible time saver both in doing the laundry and in the morning when every one was trying to find socks.

Question number two, “How many hangers do you own?” We were trying to fold up tees and shirts and skirts and pants and pajamas and putting them all in laundry baskets only to have someone rifle though them to get something and mess up all the folded clothes. It was frustrating and self defeating. One day I called my wife while she was at a department store and asked, “How much are those plastic hangers that don’t get tangled when they are in a pile”, she said, “Ten for a dollar, why?” I just told her to buy a hundred. Now we hang everything, drawers aren’t stuffed full; laundry baskets are a thing of the past. I even put up a bar in our laundry area where empty hangers are hung waiting for the next shirt or pair of pants to be hung on them. The closets are full and the floor is clear. Closets have doors but floors are right out in the open this makes a big difference.

Question number three, “How does the laundry get to the washing machine?” This is the logistics problem and it really takes thought. Most kids and men and the occasional women just leave the clothes where they drop off the body. This is the hardest part of the equation as I see it. Every room in my house has a hamper or a basket of sort to put dirty laundry in. Some of you lucky people have laundry shoots that deliver the dirty laundry right to the laundry room. Well we are not so lucky so we had a problem, how to get it all to the washing machine and in a way that made it easier to sort and get in the washer without creating a mountain of laundry right in the middle of the house.

Answer “Funneling”. This is usually a complicated system of getting something from one place to another without it being visibly noticeable and looking like a mess. At this point there are categories of laundry and we’re not talking about whites and darks and delicates and perm press. If you own Woolite you are not the person I am trying to help. This article is for the despaired laundry household, the one that on Saturday nine or ten loads are not uncommon. You people out there who can do laundry once a week and only need to do three loads don’t know what its like for the rest of us but maybe you will some day so keep reading.

Funneling is logistics like a giant company moving goods from one place to another then to the customer. The more you know about where the laundry is and in what stage it is at the easier it will be to do it. Why have appliance companies not come up with the washer that magically turns into a dryer when the wash is done and dries the clothes without having to switch the load. I would have paid a thousand dollars for that one. Back to the chore at hand, logistics or funneling your laundry to the machines.

I wrestled with this concept in two ways, one was even days of the week would be assigned to two people and odd to two others leaving Saturday and Sunday a free for all where it was open laundry time with the machines. I also toyed with getting two washers and dryers. Then I came up with the funneling technique.

First the categories, category one is clothes that need to be worn for work or school, they are the highest priority wash. This category of laundry is immediately upgraded to the closest staging area of the laundry funnel.

Second category is underwear and socks and towels. This category is the second highest priority. Third category is play clothes and odds and ends like dishtowels and bed sheets etc. This should cover all your laundry but feel free to change items to different categories that more suit your family’s needs. There is a fourth category that should me avoided and that is the, “I just got to have these jeans washed right away”, category.

A family using this system should not have the fourth category if you are working the system faithfully. Now stage laundry baskets at inconspicuous places leading from the bedrooms and bathrooms around the house. This may sound odd but compared with what it looks like now give it a try. The final laundry basket is at or in the laundry area. This is known as the “Current Load” basket.

To start the funneling system you need to empty your washer and dryer so install the one-hundred hanger process first and when the washer is empty push the final load through the dryer. Now you’re clear for the new process.

Backfill the laundry baskets with the categories the way set forth and take each person in the household and explain to them the process. Tell them that only towels and socks and underwear can be put into the baskets in the bathroom and that their clothes from category one need to be put into the baskets closer to the laundry. Never allow the baskets to overflow, when they are full move them to the next station. Meanwhile there is a load of category one washing and that load is pushed through the dryer and hung on hangers.

The hung clothes are hung by sorted rooms that they will need to go to and your mantra for the first month will be, “Take your clothes with you”. By the way do not take the time to turn clothes that are inside out right side out just hang them that way. This will teach your family to right side out the clothes when they take them off and speed up the chore immensely. Same with socks, be aggressive they will learn. Learning to be a polite laundry creator is what is important; you’re not a bad laundry doer if the people you are doing for are not good at giving the product to you.

After a while what you will discover is that people will bring their favorite clothes in category one to the closest basket to the laundry area. Those who don’t will miss out on the next load. If you focus on the category one clothes that incorporates the hundred hangers concept you will find that category one will be done with minimal effort.

Category two is the most time consuming because except for the underwear no one really owns these items. Remember the sock basket concept. Try to get the underwear right into the drawers and to do this try rolling the underwear. This is how they do it in the army. It takes up less space and is easier to keep the drawer neat.

So here are some tips to remember: 1.Get the hangers. 2.Select good locations for your baskets. 3.No clean clothes in baskets. 4.Hang everything that can be hung. 5.Install a bar that can both hold empty hangers and ready hung clothes in the laundry area. 6.Don’t right side out the clothes (this will eventually fix itself). 7.Don’t wash a load bigger than what will dry in 45 minutes (this may take a little practice and will save money in the long run). 8.Only use bleach on whites that don’t cost a lot to replace. 9.If your laundry area is downstairs only let category one laundry reach the laundry area basket when not doing laundry and use the washer as a basket to build a load. 10.Tell your kids that if they don’t follow the process they will not get their wash done. This is good for them and you are not a bad parent no matter what they say.

We want to hear from you so feel free to write us with your questions and comments; I would love to hear how you improved your laundry problems.

If you’re still young enough to remember your birthday, you probably also remember the special birthstone assigned to it. But at your age, we bet you don’t really know the SIGNIFICANCE of your birthstone and what power the ancients felt would be bestowed about you by wearing it. August Birthstone: Peridot Birthstone Properties: Illumination Alternative Birthstone: Sardonyx Peridot is the birthstone for August and 16th anniversary gemstone. Its name comes from the Arabic word “faridat,” meaning gem. Peridot is sometimes referred to as an “Evening Emerald” because under artificial light it glows as a brilliant green. Peridot is transparent with subtle color in a variety of greens, ranging from light yellowish green to a dark olive. The purer green a peridot is, the higher the value. Any tinge of brown greatly diminishes the value of a peridot, as well as visible flaws. Ancient History Found in both early Greek and early Roman jewelry, peridot has been popular since 1500 BC when the Egyptians started mining it. The Egyptians called the lustrous stone the “gem of the sun” and believed it had the power to ward off anxiety, enhance speech, and foster success in relationships and marriage. Peridot crystals are sometimes combed from the black sands of Hawaii where the gemstone is abundant and available in larger sizes. Hawaiians believe that peridot is the tears shed by Pele, the volcano goddess. Pele must have traveled extensively, however, because peridot is also mined in Burma, Norway, Brazil, Australia, Hawaii, the Congo, and in Arizona. Peridot is found in Europe in many medieval churches decorating several treasures, including the Cologne Cathedral. Peridot use peaked during the Baroque era, but the gemstone fell out of favor over time until the 1990’s when a new source in Pakistan re-ignited interest in the forgotten stone. Take Two and Call Me in the Morning Legend has it that drinking from a peridot goblet can increase the potency of medicines. Egyptian priests drank from cups made of peridot, believing it would draw them closer to Isis, their goddess of nature. Peridot was said to be useful for calming raging angers, curing nervous afflictions and promoting tranquility in high-strung individuals. Many legends state that peridot was considered a powerful amulet against all evil, as well as a remedy for sinus problems. Powdered peridot has been used to cure asthma, while a peridot stone placed under the tongue of someone with fever is believed to lessen his/her thirst. Making Dreams Come True Peridot was thought to help dreams become a reality, and was often given as a symbol of fame, strength and vitality…as well as promise of new growth in the years ahead. It also symbolizes eloquence and persuasiveness. Peridots were especially favored by pirates. The terrors of the sea considered peridot powerful amulets against all evil, and when set in gold, were said to protect the wearer from the terrors of the night…including nightmares.

What do you do when you suffer hot flashes? Ask most women and they will agree that the most common and irritable symptom of menopause are hot flashes. Some women refer to it as a “flash” because women report a flushed feeling about the face and neck. Those feeling usually came together with sweats.

Current theory proposes that certain brain chemicals called catecholamines and opiates may mediate hot flashes. It’s now believed that the hypothalamus, one of the glands affected by estradiol withdrawal, somehow releases a trigger substance that results in thermoregulatory instability. The body’s signals get mixed, triggering a warming and sweating sequence, in an effort to stabilize what it perceives as a change in body temperature.

To help you with that situation, here are 7 tips to cope with hot flashes which you might need.

1. Dress in layered clothing, preferably cotton, since natural fibers allow your skin to breathe. Then when you feel a flash coming on, you can simply shed layers to cool off. Since some flashes are followed by chills, it can be helpful to have a sweater to put back on.

2. Limit or eliminate altogether substances that may act as triggers: caffeine; alcohol; hot, spicy foods; diet pills; hot tubs; stress.

3. Drink plenty of water. Keeping well hydrated can help modulate your body temperature.

4. Keep a supply of ice water nearby - even at night beside your bed.

5. Use lighter blankets or a fan near your bed to deal with hot flashes at night.

6. Limit your intake of red wine, chocolate, and aged cheeses, which contain a chemical that can affect your body’s thermostat and trigger a hot flash.

7. Make use of other coping behaviors. Psychological or behavioral coping techniques are getting more attention from the scientific community. For example, a small study conducted by a professor of psychiatry, Robert R. Freedman, Ph.D., at the Lafayette Clinic and Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit found that regular, practiced breathing reduced hot flashes by 50 percent in the study’s 33 participants.

Other self-help behavioral methods include practicing self-acceptance (remind yourself, out loud if necessary, that this is a temporary symptom of menopause and perfectly normal), tracking the emotions and situations that precede a flash (thus putting some degree of self-control back into the equation), and trying to keep a sense of humor (share funny moments with friends who are also going through the transition).