Coreta Odje

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New year resolutions are always in mind after the new year; what are you going to achieve this year? Don’t be too hard on yourself!

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Homemade Christmas decorations are some of the most unique. They are also a lot of fun because you can enjoy them with your family. Below are 4 fun and easy to make homemade Christmas decorations:

Popcorn Stringing

If you like strung popcorn, it’s really simple to make. Start with a big bowl of popcorn (unbuttered, of course) and string it piece by piece using a standard sewing needle and thread. Make sure there’s plenty of popcorn because, if you’re stringing it for garland, you’re going to need a lot.

Cranberry Stringing

Much like the popcorn stringing method, many people used to string cranberries using a standard needle and thread. Again, make sure there’s plenty to go around if you’re going to use it as garland. Most importantly, and I know it’s tempting, don’t eat all the decorations. Save some for the Christmas tree.

Paper Chains

One of the greatest memories of decorating for Christmas, as a child, has to be the traditional paper chains. Using green and red construction paper, cut horizontal strips of each color. Fold them into a circle and seal with tape. Scotch tape is recommended and, if you use this when your child is young, the smell will always remind them of Christmas. It will likely become “Christmas tape” to them. Once you have a complete circle, take another strip in an alternating color and run it through the first circle. Next, fold it around and seal with tape. Complete this step until you have a big strand of paper garland in red and green. You and your child will enjoy doing this together and it will create wonderful memories for you both.

Lighted Wreath

If you love the look of a lighted wreath, but don’t quite have a budget for one of the more expensive ones, consider another option. You can purchase a plain green wreath very inexpensively. A small strand of lights can cost anywhere from $1.00 to $3.00. But, put them together and you have the look of a professionally lighted Christmas wreath. For this project, you could use either clear or multi-colored Christmas lights. Simply take the plain green wreath and wrap the lights around in a design similar to the stripes on a candy cane. Once you’ve gone all the way around, tuck the last light into the green of the wreath. Make sure that you place it near an electric outlet because there won’t be a lot of extra cord. Now that you’ve ve gone all the way around, tuck the last light into the green of the wreath. Make sure that you place it near an electric outlet because there won’t be a lot of extra cord. Now that you’re ready, plug it in and see your very own design. A red bow is a nice touch, but not necessary. As people drive by, they will see a beautifully lit wreath in your window and they will have no idea that you saved a few bucks by wrapping the lights yourself.

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There are a variety of opportunities for holiday shoppers, including stores, catalogs and the internet. Below are 6 Christmas Shopping tips:

Tip 1: Shop Early

If you’re heading out to the mall this year, have your shopping list ready. It’s a good idea to shop early in the season because, if you wait too long, that perfect gift may already be under someone else’s tree.

Tip 2: Be Polite

Always remember to be polite. The holidays are extremely busy and store employees are working overtime, so be patient as you wait for assistance.

Tip 3: Layaway

If you have a big list, but not quite a budget to match, consider a layaway. Many stores offer a convenient layaway plan, which would allow you to make payments up until Christmas. It saves you from having to charge up credit card bills or spend a lot of pocket money all at once, so consider a layaway if you have a big shopping list.

Tip 4: Shop Online

If you do decide to shop on the information superhighway this year, it will save you a lot of time standing in line at the mall. You can literally shop worldwide with the click of a button. Browse photos, compare prices, read customer reviews and see a huge variety of products without having to leave home. Best of all, in some cases, you won’t even have to pay sales tax on internet orders. Some stores offer free shipping, quantity discounts and all kids of other incentives to lure you into their site. In addition, several televised shopping networks have websites in which they offer an easy payment program on select items. This means that you make one payment, using a credit/debit card, and the product ships out to you immediately. The remaining payments are billed to your credit card, until the item is paid in full, for the specified number of months.

Tip 5: Place Your Catalog Orders Early

If you’re shopping from a catalog this year, be sure to place the order early. The most popular items sell out first, so get your order placed and on its way as soon as possible. There’s no need to wait for a catalog to arrive in the mail because you can log on to the internet and find many catalog companies online with product photos, descriptions, size charts and special “internet only” sale prices.

Tip 6: Buy in Bulk

If you have a lot of people to buy for, and aren’t exactly certain of their taste, consider buying in bulk. You can purchase a nice package of scented candles, divide them up into multiple gifts and present them with a beautiful bow wrapped around the glass jar. These types of gifts are ideal if you have teachers, doctors, co-workers or other special people that you want to wish a Merry Christmas. Another terrific idea is to purchase small Christmas tins and several bags of assorted miniature candies. Divide the candies up into each tin and present them with a beautiful bow on top. These are ideal gifts because they are thoughtful, but also budget conscious. You can purchase a pre-designed tin similar to the one described, but you will get a much better deal if you make your own. As an added bonus, you get to decide which candy to include, which isn’t always the case with pre-packaged gifts.

Happy shopping!

There’s no way to fake INTEGRITY. You are either are IN INTEGRITY offering a PURE positive vibration which the Law of Attraction responds to. Or you’re OUT of INTEGRITY which creates a negative or mixed vibration, which the Law of Attraction cannot ignore.

Here’s a real-life story which demonstrates what happens to our vibration when we are out of INTEGRITY.

I was feeling pretty upbeat after our coaching session yesterday and really excited about winning a prize pack from the radio station.

After picking up my prize, I noticed Spyware, an electronics store, and decided to go in and compare prices with an item I had just bought from Radio Shack yesterday. Spyware had the exact same item on sale for $10.00 less so I bought it with the intention of returning the first item to Radio Shack. When I compared the two products they were exactly the same, with the exact same bar codes and packaging. However, I noticed the cheaper item had one wire a couple centimeters shorter than the more expensive item.

I made a decision to return the item with the shorter wire (the one purchased at Spyware) back to Radio Shack and keep the original item. Thus saving $10.00 but keeping the better product.

After the clerk had finished all the paperwork I felt extremely guilty. But then I rationalized it was too late to do anything about it and told myself I would just have to let this guilt go. What a way to bring my high vibration to a crashing halt. I reminded myself that this is why I shouldn’t do things like this in the first place because not only can I not live with the guilt but now it is a double whammy because I’m so aware of my vibration and this is bringing it way down.

Anytime we do something that is not in alignment with our core values, we feel negative emotions which hinder us from receiving the real desires of our heart.

The antidote is simple: be honest, pay all debts, return what you’ve borrowed, speak kindly about others and keep your word. In other words, do nothing that will hinder the flow of pure positive energy toward you. Be true to your self an you’ll open the way for receiving everything that will make you happy.

This same client had such an opportunity to ‘make it right’ on an energetic level. Again, she wrote:

I was feeling pretty bad when I returned to my office, and then remembered I needed to go to the bank. I went up to the bank machine and there was $40.00 sitting in the slot. Someone had forgotten to take it with them after they finished their transaction. They had also forgotten to take their bank slip. I took both out of the machine and put them in my pocket while I did my own banking.

Now I was dealing with the moral dilemma of what I should do with the found money. I so badly wanted to keep the money as I am heavily in debt with all my credit cards almost maxed out. I tried rationalizing: The bank slip doesn’t have the account number on it so it’s not like one can trace it but it did say that the person had a balance of $195.00 which isn’t very much.

I remembered how I felt when I once left $20.00 in the bank machine myself and went back for it but it was gone.

I then decided to go into the bank and leave the $40.00 with a bank teller. While I was waiting in line, another lady came into the bank and told me I left my card in the bank machine so I went back to get it. Then she came back again saying now I’d left my bank slip in the machine. This is how frazzled I was!

Anyways, I gave the money to a bank teller with my business card and I am feeling much better.

I feel like the Universe gave me an opportunity not only to redeem myself but also an opportunity to change my vibration after something I’ve done in the past that I feel badly about.

Indeed! This client demonstrates the wonderful way the Law of Attraction works: Her dominant intention was to offer a high vibration so that she can attract more money and enjoy her life.

The Law of Attraction arranged an opportunity (the item from Radio Shack.) Her actions in the first opportunity caused her vibration to drop, which didn’t feel good. So she RESET her intention to feel good,and the Law of Attraction sent her another opportunity to take actions that feel better.

It’s amazing how people who’ve never met can connect together!

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Owning a website can and should be a very profitable endeavor. A good way to make money online is by selling ebooks and software with Master Resale Rights. Below are the top reasons Master resale rights are a viable web business solution, and why it needs to be something every web marketer should consider.

1. You don’t have to make up any content. This is perhaps the single most important reason Master Resale Rights are a good web business decision. Every web business needs a product to sell, and with master resale rights, you do not have to create anything. All of the content is done for you. You now have a ready made product that you can sell for any price you want.**

**Please note: Most resale rights packages give you free control over pricing, however some packages have a minimum package price. This is necessary as to not undervalue the package itself.? As a business owner, it is important to have a competitive price, but you do not want to make the price so low that it makes the package appear to be worthless. Placing minimum prices helps to keep the package value high so it does not become “just another junk eBook with resale rights.” Some people try to adhere to the pricing set by the original content creators, when others change it completely.

2. It can be completely automated with no warehousing. Because the products you are selling are electronic, there are no physical goods to move or store. This makes storage and delivery completely free, as everything can be delivered through email, or through a download on your website. You can even set your business on “autopilot”, so once a purchase is made, the customer is automatically delivered the link or email. This makes each transaction hands-free, and allows you to spend your time where it is needed most. (Like with your family/friends/dog/xbox.)

3. Most ebooks and software with Master Resale Rights have a pre-made sales page. This alone could save you hours of frustration. Every webmaster knows creating a good sales page is a difficult task, but most resale rights packages have already done this for you. Most of the sales pages are written by professionals and are very well done. Because of this, most do not require any changes however, you do have the option of editing the sales page to your liking if you feel it needs some touch ups to really shine.

4. You keep 100% of all profits earned. Unlike affiliate programs where you get only a percentage of each sale, with master resale rights you get to keep all of your profits. You only pay a one time fee to acquire the product and resale rights, then you will never have to pay another dime again. There are no royalties or other fees to pay either. Why join an affiliate program that gives only 30% commissions, when you can have 100% of all profits made by your site with the same amount of effort?

5. You can repackage your Master Resale Rights products. You can create an entirely unique, “brand new” package by combining 2 or more ebooks together to create a resale rights package that is exclusive to you and your site. This gives you an advantage over every other site selling similar products, by making your packages unique. This uniqueness gives your package more value, making the customer more likely to purchase from you.

As you can see, master resale rights are a very profitable business solution for any web business, or it can be a valuable addition to any existing web site looking to branch out to improve its bottom line. With billions of dollars in annual sales of ebooks, software, and information products, there is not an easier way to make money from an already popular trend in online marketing.

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Add some fun to your July party food. If you are tired of the same old burgers and hot dogs on this celebration, go ahead and add more to it or change it up the way that you would like to. There is no rule that the food should be one thing or another. In fact, a potluck of choices is the most American of all ways to celebrate. Gather up some new menu ideas and make this fourth of July fun and enjoyable for everyone.

Need some help coming up with fun ideas for party food? If so, there are more than a few things that you can do. Here are some great ideas.

Add more choices. Instead of just burgers and hot dogs, why not cook up some shrimp, crab or even lobster? You can add chicken, fish and steaks to the menu. Yes, you can cook all of this right on your grill (with the help of a side burner in some cases) and still enjoy the grilling atmosphere that the 4th is all about.

Dress up dessert. How about a cake that is in the shape of an American flag? For red stripes, go with strawberries in rows. For the stars, add enough blueberries to make them shine through. Frost the cake white and decorate. This is a great way to make a special treat.

Don’t forget the drinks. You can make various types of drinks special by just adding in flavored ice cubes, in blue and red, of course. To make them, add strawberry and blueberry flavoring to the ice cube trays. Or, just use the right colored Kool-Aid to make it work. Drop them into drinks for a festive yet fun way to add to your food celebration.

You can add virtually any side dish, any dessert and any type of appetizer to your menu and find those that will love it. The only rules to consider about food for the 4th is that it should be something that does not require fine china, something that can handle being out in the sun and something that is all about fun eating. You can come up with your own fun menu of foods, but don’t forget that some will want the traditional fare nonetheless.

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Planning a trip has become increasing difficult as there are so many options to choose from. After finding a hotel that suits all your needs you need to ascertain whether you are getting a good rate. When you ask a travel agent or refer to a brochure for rates what you get is the generally quoted rate for room. But if you are wise you can get a better deal and save a lot of money.

1. Surf the net and see what online travel sites like Expedia, Hotels.com, or Travelocity are offering. Or you could browse the hotel web site to find a good deal. Many sites list special offers as well as discounts.

2. Use a search tool to like BookingBuddy.com or Travel Axe to compare various offers and rates.

3. Look for what is known as “lowest rate guarantee” these are mainly on offer online but are subject to advance booking and very harsh cancellation policies. Even if the price offered online is attractive do call the hotel up and see if they are willing to better the rate.

4. Opaque-pricing travel sites like Hotwire or priceline do offer good rates for good hotels. The only downside is you cannot specify a hotel. All you can do is indicate where you want accommodation. The reservation needs to be made online and is non refundable and one cannot change plans or cancel.

5. Consider purchasing an Entertainment book discount for between US$22 to 45. Becoming a member entitles you to discounts of 50% on the rack rate of member hotels. But these discounts are only available when the occupancy rate of the hotel is less than 80%. Check out the great options at: http://www.entertainment.com/discount/home.shtml.

6. Ask about weekend rates. Often hotels that cater to business travelers have great rates on what they consider off season, weekends.

7. If you plan your trip well in advance you could get a discount of 50% or more during off season.

8. Some hotels have special rates for members of AAA, American Automobile Association and other professional bodies or clubs. Call the hotel of your choice and ask them if they do have such schemes.

9. If you are traveling in a group ask about group rates or family rates. Most hotels have different options for multiple bookings. Some even offer a day or two additional stay at no extra cost.

10. When you leave the airport or railway station or just drive in to a town stop at a gas station and find out if they have hotel coupon booklets. These many a time have great offers for visitors.

To get the best deal you need to be thorough as well as flexible. Just as you spend time sourcing air tickets at bargain prices you can do the same for hotel bookings. Read all travel offers carefully, set aside any discount booklets your bank or credit card company sends you for use when you travel. If you are smart you will save quite a lot.

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Online video publishing has indeed taken the Internet by storm in recent years, making the use of video for marketing, promotion, news and PR online a true key strategic component and a key business differentiator for internet marketers who want to communicate effectively about their product profile and benefits within the shortest possible of time.

Internet is full of information and the average attention span of a web user today is measured in seconds. When web users search for their information at a search engine, they will get thousands of search results; when they visit your website, they may only spend a few seconds and little efforts to scan through what you are selling or proposing and decide whether your content, style, look and approach are a good fit for what they were actually looking for. These first few seconds are crucial and if you can delivery clear and targeted message by offering a fast, highly visual way to get their further attention and engage their interest, you have done bingo.

Does this mean that you just need to simply put up 10-min video tutorial on your website or just slamming some video contents up on your web pages, you will instantly sell more products or services? If this is your way of marketing with video on the web and hoping to get high conversion rate of traffic-to-sales, you will more toward getting disappointments than good news.

In order to make your video to effectively market your products/services online and convey your product/service key traits and characteristics within a very short amount of time in a unique, memorable way. These are a few rules of thumb to follow:

1. Get Your Video Seen

If you want your video to be your effective marketing tool, it must be able to see by as many web users as possible. Hence, don’t just keep and tight your video inside your web site borders. Let your video content be free and distributed to the majors video sharing websites such as YouTube and Google video so that not only others can watch and talk about it, but they can easily download it, redistribute it, if not even publish it directly on their own sites.

2. Small File; Load Fast

Statistics show that average web users spend their time waiting for a page to load is about 7 seconds. Web pages that take longer than 7 seconds to load, their visitors normally are on the verge of clicking away and visit other website. Hence, you need to make sure your video file is small enough, ideally less than 1 megabyte and load almost in real time to keep the interest your visitors. AVI is the most common video format, the file size can easily exist 10 megabytes for a short 2-3 minutes video; hence if you share your video in this format, you most probably will get “click away” from you visitors because of long loading time of your video file. Hence, you must get a video format conversion tool to convert your video to a more internet friendly format such as SWF format.

3. Let Them Know It’s A Video, A Short Video

If the web users do not know that it is a video, they won’t click it and play it; hence your video will get watch. So, you must let the web users know that the "box" is a video; the best way is to make it look like a video / VCR-like by having a play and stop button where the web users can click to play the video and stop it whenever they want to stop it.

Let the web users know also this is a short video. No one wants to sit through a 30 minute presentation on the history of your company; be focused on your products/services and deliver your messages preferable within 2 minutes.

In Summary

Effectively market with video on the web is not just slamming some video content up on your web pages, it more toward effective video communication through video publishing; sharing on the web.

The wedding of Prince William of Wales and Catherine “Kate” Middleton is scheduled to take place at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011. William, who is second in the line of succession to Queen Elizabeth II, first met Middleton in 2001, while he and Middleton were studying at the University of St Andrews. Their engagement, which began on 20 October 2010, was announced on 16 November 2010. After the wedding, the couple intend to continue residing on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales, where Prince William is based as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot.

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