Going on a trip? How to prepare your house for vacation

Your vacation time is finally here! It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of planning your vacation, wanting to get every last detail in place for a carefree vacation. Have you also thought about how to prepare your house for vacation? Sooner or later – often later – you do think about how your house will be unattended for an extended period. Then you frantically try to get this necessary task done at the last minute, causing a lot of unnecessary stress. Then while on vacation you fret over some possibly forgotten, essential preparation. Here's a basic list you can use to prepare your house for vacation time.

First, you'll want to line up a family member or neighbor who can stop by your house every couple of days to check for packages which might have been left at your door, or fliers which someone might have tucked in your front door handle. These give thieves indications that no one's home. If you have house plants, either put them on an automatic feeding system, or ask  the family/neighbor to do this.

Notify the post office to hold your mail for the applicable dates. If you ask them to hold your mail beginning on the day before you, leave, you'll be assured there's no mix up. If you take a newspaper, notify them as well. With your email, if you don't expect to be checking your email, be sure to notify just those who need to know. You don't need to notify your entire list of contacts (some people do).

When you prepare your house for vacation, all of your pets must be a priority. If you have a reliable neighbor who can take care of your pets while you're gone, make that arrangement. This requires some dedication, so paying a babysitter fee is a good idea. If not, be prepared to board your pets so they have proper care. Boarding is the best idea.

Here's one many people overlook. When you prepare your house for vacation, be sure to schedule payments of bills that will become due during the time you're gone. Those penalties can be tough!

If you live in a private home, install an auto timer for your porch lights. If you live in a condo or apartment complex, it's likely outside lights are already automatically timed. You might also put living room and bedroom lights on timers as an extra safety precaution.

Be sure to leave a copy of your itinerary, including hotel numbers, with a family member or whoever you want to be contacted by in the case of an emergency.

This an optional step, but it can be a good idea to give your local police or sheriff's office a call. They will often make a particular note to patrol your street during the period you'll be away.

So these are the basic guidelines to prepare your house for vacation. Go through this list and think of the odd situations which might also be issues for you. Then, go on your vacation, worry free and have a good one!

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The Power Of Posive Thinking In Your Life

For the longest time in my younger years, I met each disaster with the thought of ‘what else could possibly go wrong.’ This usually led to something else, and the validation that there isn’t much in the way of happiness in this world. What I didn’t realize was that my very attude often dictated how something turned out, and in a way, I was projecting my own gloom into the outcome of any suation. I had heard that many think there is a power in posive thinking, but I thought of this as one of the silliest things I had ever heard.

This was what I believed until I decided one day that I was tired of thinking everything would go wrong. I wanted to put posive thinking into my life, but I simply had no idea how to go about doing . I am not an optimist by any means, and I never believe in telling someone how to go about running their life, so all of the messages about posive thinking were a b tiresome to me. I reached a point in my life where I let all of that go and began to think posive thoughts for everything in my life, even though I was unsure  would make a difference.

What I found was that posive thinking can make a difference. It might not change what happens to you, but  can change how you deal with a suation. When you deal with a problem with a posive outlook, you can get a more posive return. You may not win the lottery, but you will think that you will make do with what you have, and that you can do something to make your life better. Posive thinking is about believing in yourself, and remembering that the suation does not define who you are, but rather, you are defined by how you choose to handle . The posive spin can make all of the difference.

It can be hard to employ posive thinking in your life when you have had a lot of misfortune. However,  can be one of the most powerful things in your life, and can help you turn things around in the right direction. It might not be as simple as deciding to think in a posive manner. If you need some help, look around for the many books you can find that talk about the power of posive thinking, and allow the words whin to inspire you. You may be surprised to see how quickly things in your life will turn around for the better.

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Photos Of Celebrities

The tabloid newspapers and magazines are full of hastily taken images by the paparazzi. There is a tradition however, of artistically pleasing photos of celebrities. Some of these have cemented the reputation of the photographer involved and have become iconic images of their era. The interest in the famous is not new and there are many books that celebrate the world of show business, the arts and sport as seen through a lens.

Some of the books available are collections of photos of celebrities, compiled from magazines. People Magazine: Celebrity Weddings contains photos and reports of star studded weddings including ceremonies, the wedding cake, the wedding dress and guest list. Famous couplings include Charles and Diana, Jack Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. People in Vogue: a Century of Portrait Photography shows model, Kate Moss on the cover. It traces the memorable photos of celebrities that have appeared in the glamorous fashion template, Vogue. The photos shown are a mixture of black and white and color. Some are posed and some are informal. Hollywood stars range from Rudolph Valentino and Marlene Dietrich to Jude Law and Nicole Kidman. One photograph shows the Prince and Princess of Wales on a picnic with sons, William and Harry.

Vanity Fair Portraits: A Century of Iconic Images looks back over 95 years of this influential publication in which leading photographers have captured the Hollywood stars, politicians and sportsmen and women and other figures of the 20th century. There are over 300 photographs from photographers, such as Annie Leibovitz, Mario Testino and Cecil Beaton. Celebrities depicted include Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Rupert Murdoch, Pablo Picasso, Arthur Miller and Madonna.

Jazz Giants and Journeys: The Photography of Herman Leonard, edited by David Houston, captures the icons of a certain age, including Billie Holliday, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Marilyn Monroe. The collection isn't just show business and there is a photo of Albert Einstein too.

There are some photos that celebrities would prefer not to be taken, particularly if they document indiscretions and problems with the law. Mug Shots: Celebrities Under Arrest, edited by George Seminara, shows the mug shots of Hugh Grant, Keanu Reeves and OJ Simpson on the cover. On a more sophisticated note, Cecil Beaton was noted for his shots of the glamorous. Cecil Beaton (Stern Portfolio) contains images of Pablo Picasso, Coco Chanel, Maria Callas, various Hollywood stars and the British Royal Family. There are also counter culture subjects, such as Andy Warhol and Mick Jagger.

Annie Leibovitz is well known for her association with the magazine, Rolling Stone. Photographs 1970-90 is a collection containing film stars and cultural icons, such as the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead, Michael Jackson, Isabella Rossellini, Muhammid Ali, and Andy Warhol. There is also the famous picture of John Lennon and Yoko Ono that was taken on the day that Lennon was killed. Linda McCartney Sixties: Portrait of an Era is a book of photos of celebrities and of Linda's reminiscences. She was a prominent photographer of the rock scene at the time and the cover shows Jimi Hendrix.

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Getting the most value with your vacation budget: how to plan a cheap vacation

You've saved all year to fund your vacation. Naturally, you want to make that budget go as far as possible. However, when you plan a cheap vacation, that doesn't have to mean you're cutting out enjoyment for the sake of saving a few bucks. Just spend a few hours online, finding the best deals on places, activities and transportation. The excess becomes part of your shopping or dining fund, making your vacation that much more enjoyable. Here are some suggestions on how to plan a cheap vacation.

If you're traveling by air, buying your tickets at least 3 weeks ahead automatically gives you a good price. However, if you search out travel websites which post the latest hot deals to destinations, keep tabs on these. If they offer a free e-newsletter, this is another way to hear about hot deals. You can save a bundle. Call a travel agent (a friend's recommendation is good) and see what the best price is through them. Both websites and agents often know about both airfare and hotel deals that you won't run across on your own. If your departure and return dates are flexible, you might find some great last minute deals on eBay or craigslist. In this case, make sure the tickets are transferable. Shop the big online air ticket brokers as well.

If you're driving more than a few hundred miles, you may want to consider a rental if your vehicle is a gas guzzler. The rental may be a cheaper option.

When planning a cheap vacation by automobile, you'll want to go online and check the websites that monitor gas prices across the U.S. and make a list of the cheapest stations along your route. Gas can be quite the budget gobbler! Save that money for vacation entertainment!

On a cross-country trip, consider booking with a reliable chain motel, with rooms that are equipped with a frig, coffee maker and microwave. Eating breakfast and dinner in your room a few days a week can save you enough for a few luxury dinners out. Some hotels are offering gas coupon and meal incentives when business is slow.

Convents and monasteries are another option when you plan a cheap vacation. They typically offer inexpensive, but charming, accommodations that are often comparable to hotels at twice the price. In Europe, you'll find some dating back centuries.  Dinner is usually offered at a nominal additional price. You'll sometimes get a best hotel rate by booking directly. For extended stays overseas, consider renting an apartment or home by the week or month. You'll save lots of money, with the advantage of being able to prepare food and save even more for sightseeing or shopping.

When you want to plan a cheap vacation, don't overlook the possibility of house sitting! While the chances aren't great for finding a situation that fits your plans, if you should be able to, you've just slashed your expenses radically. It's worth a shot.

For families with kids, summer camping trips can be one of the most fun and inexpensive. National and state park camping rates are reasonable, whereas resorts will charge more.

Remember, it can be easy and fun to get great rates on both transportation and nice accommodations. To plan a cheap vacation successfully, it just takes a bit of detective work and some of your time. You'll be pleased with the results.

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Time to plan that veggie garden! The advantages and planning of the raised bed vegetable garden are many

At long last, winter will soon give way to spring. Gardeners everywhere are looking forward to the spring produce planting season. In the colder parts of the nation, gardeners are planting seeds in peat pots and flats, with heating pads underneath, to get a jump on the season. In warmer climes, we're using cold frames and even direct planting, so that we can be enjoying those first tomatoes at the very first opportunity. Still, we've got some time on our hands. If you're not looking forward to double digging, heavy weeding and raking stones out of last year's vegetable patch, now is the time to ponder what a raised bed vegetable garden has to offer.

The in-ground vegetable garden does involve a lot of hard work. You may also be delayed by continuing rains that make preparation impossible. When the soil is still soggy, you run the risk of compacting your garden soil, resulting in a veggie patch that won't thrive. On the other hand, the raised bed vegetable garden eliminates so many problems. Sure, you've got to build an enclosure for the bed, but this is a relatively inexpensive project which saves you many hours of work throughout the season. You can build your raised beds in a single weekend!

Let's first take a look at the many advantages of the raised bed vegetable garden. Because you'll be using nursery grade soil and compost, you've got soil that is light, which drains quickly, warms earlier and produces fewer weeds. Using a fine gauge of chicken wire to line the bottoms of the beds, your raised bed vegetable garden is not vulnerable to burrowing pests, such as gophers and rabbits. If you outfit your raised beds with cap boards, you've got convenient seating to tend your beds with ease. No crouching or bending, which is great for people with arthritis! When you opt for the raised bed vegetable garden, you also get the correct Ph for each bed with ease.

When you plan the layout of each raised bed, there are a few rules of thumb to keep in mind. In order to be able to easily reach from one side of each bed to the other, for the purposes of weeding and harvesting, you'll want each bed to be no more than three feet wide, with sufficient space between each raised bed to walk and tow your wheelbarrow. Each of your raised bed vegetable garden plots should be at least two feet high, to allow for the development of robust and healthy roots. Consider paving your work aisles with a base of black plastic, topped with gravel. This step eliminates any wannabee weeds.

The actual building of your raised bed vegetable garden is simple. All you need is lumber, bracing and a few screws to secure the sides. Consult a garden DIY site for step by step instructions. This task is really a snap.

While you're online, check out how companion planting can promote more vigorous crops. For example, planting tomatoes and basil together makes both plant types thrive, repelling pests and enhancing the taste of both.

Lay your beds out in a north-to-south position. This gives your veggies maximum exposure to sunlight.

Staggering crops increases your yield. In order to make the best use of your available growing space, plant carrots and lettuce at the margins of each raised bed vegetable garden plot, with later harvest crops such as tomatoes and zucchini in the center. By the time the lettuce and carrots give way to the hot days of summer, the later crops will fill out the space.

After you've planted, mulching is the next essential step. Mulching consists of a three inch layer of straw, hay or whatever mulching materials are most available locally. This step conserves water and suppresses weeds.

Installing a drip irrigation system is the icing on the cake for your easy-to-maintain and richly productive raised bed vegetable garden. With a programmable timer, you've got it made!

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Playing Guitar

Playing the guitar is for today's musicians what playing the piano was for yesterdays: an indispensable skill for anyone who is serious about writing down songs and making a career out of music. Playing guitar isn't quite as versatile as the piano, of course, but it does have some advantages over the latter. First of all, it is easy to come up with an appealing strumming technique that will work for whatever song you play. For piano, careful arrangement is necessary, but for guitar strumming, often any technique will work.

A great thing about playing guitar is that it is pretty easy to start. Don't get me wrong – the best guitar players worked tirelessly for decades to perfect their skills. Nonetheless, if all you want to do is accompany your singing, you can learn to play the guitar in just a few months. Take a few lessons and practice every day. If you are willing to practice consistently, you will get good very quickly. After that, the sky is the limit.

For me, playing guitar has never been a very serious pursuit. I only took a few lessons before I quit. I got the fundamentals that I needed, but I wasn't interested in progressing very far. I just wanted something to keep a little bit of rhythm while I sing songs, and the guitar does that. My main instrument is harmonica, and I really express myself with that as I play, using my guitar as backing.

Of course, if your main interest is playing with other  with musicians, playing bass guitar might be the best approach for you. For every 25 or so guitar players, there is probably only one bass player. Anyone can learn to play the bass, but few people want to. There is less glory to it, and a lot of musicians really crave glory. Nonetheless, if you do not mind standing in the background and playing something simple, the bass guitar is probably the instrument for you.

A lot of people start playing guitar without really researching it. When I first started, I bought an acoustic guitar because I thought it was the thing to do. The fact that I needed an electric to play the rock songs I really liked didn't occur to me. It took several months before I realized I had the wrong tool for the music I wanted to play. By that point, I had wasted time. I would have learned to play guitar more quickly if I had bothered to research the style you want to study.

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Vegetable Casserole Recipes

Throughout the world, people eat casseroles in one form or another. Vegetable Casserole recipes are very popular. This is simple one pot cooking that is easy to prepare. Some recipes call for condensed soup, a tasty and filling way to make a casserole. These recipes are a good way of using up any leftovers. They can be substantial evening meals or light lunches. Cooking slowly in the oven brings the best results as all the ingredients blend into the stock.

Everyone is concerned about eating healthily and many meat eaters are cutting down on meat consumption. Vegetable Casserole recipes contribute to a healthy diet. Lots of people order vegetable boxes from the grocery store to be delivered to their home. You can plan what meals to cook around what is in season. There are slow cookers on the market that enable you to cook the evening meal whilst you are at work or on a shopping trip. Buy one from a reputable supplier and follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully.

Boston Bean Casserole uses haricot beans that are soaked overnight with celery, carrots, stock, corn flour and corn oil. If you find yourself with lots of potatoes at the end of the week, you can make Potato Casserole from potatoes, eggs, milk, and grated cheese, seasoned with salt, pepper and nutmeg. You can also add onion or chives for a more robust flavor. Cheese is another good staple for Vegetable Casserole recipes. Cheese Casserole is a tangy dish using grated cheese, slices of bread and butter, mustard, onion, Worcester Sauce and breadcrumbs. Egg and Celery Casserole has hard boiled eggs, condensed celery soup, breadcrumbs, onion, grated cheese, and cooked peas. Vegetable Cholent is an adapted recipe from a Jewish tradition, containing onion, garlic, barley, tinned butter beans, potatoes, parsley, black pepper, and vegetable stock. This can be served with a side salad.

Pasta casseroles are full of flavor and fill you up quickly. Italian Casserole is made with macaroni, eggs, butter, flour, stock cube, grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Penne with Leeks, Fontina and Cheddar uses penne pasta, leeks (cooked the day before), cheddar cheese, fontina cheese, mustard, egg yolks, parsley, butter and milk. One of the easiest Vegetable Casserole recipes to prepare is Red and White Tortellini. The ingredients are frozen cheese tortellini, a jar of spaghetti sauce, a jar of alfredo four cheese sauce, and shredded mozzarella cheese.

Quick and easy meals are appealing in today's hectic schedule. Special Easy Bake makes for a good family meal. The ingredients are frozen corn cheese, butter, dried mashed potato, and seasoning. Cheesy Broccoli and Rice uses cooked white rice, broccoli spears, onion, a jar of cheese whiz and Worcestershire Sauce. French Green Beans includes a variety of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and a can of French fried onions.

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Psychic Healing

For as long as there have been humans on the earth, there have been legends of psychic healing powers. No matter how good our technology gets or how advanced our civilizations become, all of us live more or less at the mercy of fate. Psychic energy healing is a way to change the balance, effecting the body, mind, spirit, and destiny through the use of positive energy. Although not everyone believes in distance healing, those who do swear that the powers of the universe are much more benevolent than they ever knew before. The fact is, if it works psychic healing can change your life forever.

There are many different psychic healers out there, and they make many different claims. Some of them believe that they use their own personal life energy as a way to strengthen and speed up the healing of others. Other ones think that they channel the psychic energy of the universe, focusing it on the person who needs to be healed. Still others use prayer as a form of psychic healing, using their faith in God as a way to bring about positive changes. Many of these psychic healers do not agree with each others methods, but they all get remarkably similar results.

That is one of the aspects of psychic healing that I personally find to be difficult to dismiss. In pretty much every culture that believes in psychic power healing, the claims are the same. Anything from minor complaints to life-threatening injuries can be treated or even cured through the use of psychic powers. Whether these powers come from God, the healer, or the universe as a whole is a matter of debate, but that they work is certain to those who believe in them.

If you have never experienced psychic healing, Reiki may be one of the best places to start. One of the great things about Reiki healing is that it does not demand any particular sort of belief to work. You do not have to pray or invoke any deities. You simply have to sit there and let the healer work his or her magic. This makes it a good psychic test for skeptics who would like to check things out first hand.

Then again, some of the most powerful psychic healing can come from within. Perhaps the best way to try to experience this phenomena is just through prayer and introspection. Open yourself up to the healing powers of the universe and see if there is anyone there who seems to want to help. If there is, accept that help gratefully. If there is not, try it again at another time. Who knows where you can get through introspection and meditation.

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On a diet? Tightening loose skin while losing weight

When you embark on a diet, your goal is two-fold. First, you want to lose weight. Second, you want to tone up. Dieters often ask, “How can i tighten loose skin after losing weight?” The simple answer is to tighten that loose flabby skin that results in a weight loss program during, not after losing weight. That's the best approach. While you can deal with that loose, flabby and unattractive aftermath, tightening loose skin while losing weight is easier and brings a more gratifying result. Why prolong your weight loss program? Tightening loose skin while losing weight kills two birds with one effort.

When you're dieting, calculating your body mass index (BMI) can provide clues as to the level and type of exercise you'll need in tightening loose skin while dieting. Naturally, the more fat you've got to get rid of, the more of the flabby skin effect you should expect. Here's the formula:

1.Your height, in inches, times itself.
2.Your weight, in pounds, times 703.
3.Divide the result of step 2 by the result of step 1.

The result is your BMI. A BMI of 25 – 29.9 means you are overweight. A result of 30 or more is classified as obese. For example, if your BMI is 25, the task of tightening loose skin while losing weight should not be too arduous. However, if it calculates out at 30 or above, you'll want to implement a fairly rigorous exercise program to rid yourself of the loose skin as you reduce your weight.

If you're just slightly overweight, light weight lifting, swimming or aerobics may be all you need to tone your muscles as you lose weight. On the other hand, if your BMI is high, you'll want to get into some daily forms of exercise that puts a little more 'oomph' into getting rid of that excess flab. Taking a martial arts class can provide some incredible results. Qualified martial arts instructors are quite careful to not tax an individual student's body, while maximizing your ability to tone up your body. Talk to your instructor, explaining that one of your objectives is tightening loose skin while losing weight and getting fit. The instructors pay close attention to the needs of each student. Martial arts are fun and, while getting fit, you'll develop skills in self defense as well.

No matter what your BMI or weight, yoga is another option, especially good is you have a health condition that limits movement, such as arthritis. Sign up for a yoga class and stick with it. Yoga movements are neither difficult or strenuous, but tones your muscles in a way that dispenses with the flab automatically, over time.

If you're significantly overweight, joining a gym or buying a weight training video may be the way to go. You'll gradually work up to incrementally increasing the amount of weights you can lift, as well as increasing the time you spend doing your weight training program. Before you go for this option, be sure to clear it with your physician to be sure it's a safe option for you.

Don't worry about tightening loose skin while losing weight. It's certainly doable. You just need to integrate it into your diet program and choose the form of exercise that's right for you. Your doctor is the one who can best advise you. You'll be fit and good looking in the end!

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