Log home manufacturers often anticipate settling and shrinking of the homes after a period of usage. As such, they use measures such as scribing drywall around the logs to help further increase the life of such structures. Once you buy the log house, the responsibility of maintenance comes your way and unfortunately, there is not enough information on how to go about it. More often than not, the info proffered is not the right route to follow if you wish to maintain a log house for decades on end. Let’s uncover some ways you can use to manage your home.

What you need to know

Wood treatment

You may think that the initial wood treatment applied to your house is adequate to protect it from weather elements. However, this is not true. Most treatment films used on the wood are hard such that when a log moves, the film cracks, thus exposing the wood to weather elements such as rain. Over time, fungus and mildew incubate in these spaces, leading to wood rot that could cost you a home. The sound thing to do is to get rid of the film as opposed to waiting for it to wear off.

Quality matters

Always investigate the manufacturer from whom you source your log homes. Some people like taking shortcuts so that they can maximize their returns and they conduct construction with dead standing trees. Once a tree dies, internal rot begins, and over time, it starts to show, long after you bought the house. To make the situation worse, some of these manufacturers will finish the log home in a film treatment, thus locking in the rot and accelerating the breakdown process. You can save yourself a lot of difficulties by getting a high-quality log home from a trusted manufacturer from the beginning.

The takeaway

Trees have enemies which they can fend off when they are alive. However, once a tree gets cut down, it is up to humankind to protect it from weather elements to ensure that it can offer service for a long time. Look for a manufacturer who uses borates in their treatments as well as any other non-toxic substances without color or smells. CCA also comes in handy in wood preservation.

Let’s get down to the maintenance now that you know what to avoid when getting a log house.

Maintenance practices

Frequency

If you regularly maintain your home, you will protect it from getting damaged by weather elements and pests. You should carry out maintenance practices on your home at least twice a year, preferably during fall and spring. Springtime is best for checking for any damage to the house accruing from freezing water, and it also gives you adequate time to prepare for the hot months ahead.

Fall time enables you to check for damage resulting from heat such as fading and any pest infestations as you prepare for the cold months. It is imperative that you conduct maintenance during these seasons. Over time, you will realize that a fixed schedule is more effective and costs less as compared to irregular maintenance practices. It also takes up less time.

Inspect the home

Before embarking on maintenance, inspect your home to figure out what needs fixing. Start at one point of your house and move around in the interior before examining the outside. You should look for things such as damaged pipes, cracks, mold and other damages that can affect your house. Be sure to inspect the roof for leaky gutters, cracks on the chimney and any other factors that are deleterious to the stability of your home.

Cleaning up

When cleaning your cabin, you will notice a lot more than you did during the inspection. Not only is it an excellent means to be thorough in your check but it also gives you a chance to get rid of dirt such as animal feces, dust, spider webs and other such deposits in your house. A soft bristle brush, warm water, and a mild detergent are enough to clean the cabin without interfering with the aesthetics. Start by wetting surfaces before using soap on them in circular motion such that the logs do not get streaks. Hose down the cabin and let it dry for about three to four days before moving on to other steps.

Staining

Your cabin may or may not require staining, and this will be up to you once you inspect the results of your cleaning. Staining once every three years is enough if you use a high-quality stain. However, this will vary based on a cabin’s exposure to sunlight. The side which receives the most sunlight will often require a new coat before the three years are up. You know it’s time to get staining if your cabin has a dull appearance.

Sealant application

Chinking seals the joints between logs and thus protects your home from weather elements. If done right, chinking should serve you for two decades. However, this will depend on the kinds of temperatures to which your log cabin has exposure. Luckily, there is elastomeric on the market which works far better than the previously used cement-based chinking. Elastomeric requires less maintenance and thus brings the maintenance costs down.

Pest control

Do this annually for the best results. Timber cannot defend itself from infestations by insects, and if such pests go unchecked, you will incur a lot of costs in maintaining your cabin. As such, make it a habit to clean, dust and fumigate your cabin as often as possible to make infestation difficult for pests.

Annual maintenance

It is essential that you often clean your gutters and control water run-off because back splash affects the appearance of your home. Effects include darkening of some parts of the cabin and encouraging decay and infestation. These problems are costly in the long run.

If you have not maintained your cabin in a long time, it is best to start with the restoration process. It involves preparation of the surface, preservation techniques, staining, and sealing. However, it is always best to protect yourself from having to incur costs for restoration by adequately maintaining your house on an annual basis.

Our own health and our earth’s health are connected. By limiting your exposure to toxins, you’ll also be helping to save the environment. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that we’re all contaminated by a stew of pesticides, solvents, plastics and metals. There are many ways a person can limit their exposure to toxins and protect the earth at the same time….

Eating organic, locally-grown food will reduce your exposure to pesticides and provide you with more nutrients in your fruits and vegetables (50 to 60% more antioxidants according to several research studies). While you’re saving your body from having to detox from toxic pesticides and unhealthy additives in your food, you’ll also be eliminating the fuel spent on transporting fruits and vegetables and the waste of extra packaging. You’ll be supporting sustainable agriculture on your area and closing your wallet to corporate growers who poison the groundwater, wildlife and everyone downwind of pesticide spraying.

What you put on your body is as important as what you put in it, so opt for natural, fragrance-free personal care products. 95% of the chemicals used to make products “fragrant” are derived from scarce petroleum and are neurotoxins and endocrine disrupters. Fewer synthetic chemicals in your products equals fewer synthetic chemicals that can end up in our ecosystems.

The use of chemicals to clean your home or workplace can be a source of indoor air pollution that is worse than any we experience outside. The commercial cleaners under the sink often contain concoctions of chemicals, many of which are toxic to our bodies and then to the environment once they’ve gone down the drain. Almost all of them have added synthetic fragrances or chlorine (which forms dangerous compounds that store in fat cells and breast tissue).

For instance, your dish and laundry cleaners are often detergents, not soaps, and are derived from petroleum, are non-biodegradable, and contain phosphates that pollute our groundwater and ocean. A safer choice are those non-toxic cleaning standbys of your grandmother such as vinegar, baking soda, Borax and Bon Ami, or the latest chemical-free alternatives, like the Seventh Generation brand.

When doing your laundry, be aware that dryer sheets contain chloroform, camphor, ethylacetate and other hazardous ingredients. Instead, add a little baking soda to your wash water to soften and deodorize your clothes. Want a fresher-smelling bathroom, kitchen or car? Commercial air “fresheners” actually add to indoor air pollution, coating nasal passages with nerve-deadening agents and impairing our sense of smell. It makes more sense to open a window or turn on the fan, put out tropical flowers with a natural scent or a bowl of baking soda or vinegar to absorb nasty smells.

If you’re remodeling at home or work, avoid the fumes of volatile organic chemicals (VOC’s) as they are toxic and flammable. Luckily, many stores now carry low-VOC paint and other remodeling materials that will cause fewer headaches, dizzy spells and respiratory problems for your family or business associates and fewer chemicals damaging the environment.

Here’s to a healthier New Year for our bodies and our planet.

Coffee and skin care? It might surprise you to learn that in 2006 in the United States over 140 skin care products containing caffeine were launched compared to just 21 in 2003.

Coffee had a hard time of it in the 20th century while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration waffled over whether it was good or bad for you. As we move solidly into the 21st century, more indications of coffee’s beneficial properties are surfacing, and nowhere is that more evident than in the lucrative skin care market.

Primarily, coffee and caffeine are finding their way into skin lotions and creams because of antioxidant properties and tightening and firming qualities. Caffeine applied to the skin operates in three ways – as an antioxidant, a diuretic and a vasoconstrictor. Among others, Avon, Neuturogena and L’Oreal have included caffeine in some of their products.

For years, caffeine has been used in products sold to reduce cellulite. It’s clear that caffeine dehydrates fat cells by somehow energizing them which in turn causes the sodium/potassium component of the cells to vacate. Consequently, water disappears as well. Bottom line – skin on buttocks and thighs becomes smoother.

Caffeine’s vaso-constricting characteristic also makes it a favorite ingredient in eye gels for reducing puffiness and dark circles as well as tightening skin around the eyes. Of course, nothing eliminates cellulite or troubled skin around the eyes completely. The best you can hope for is noticeable improvement, perhaps only for a few hours.

With the explosion in coffee based skin products, it now is seen in body scrubs, face creams and fragrances. A number of products even smell like coffee and contain ground coffee intended as an exfoliate. Some purveyors have even gone so far as to suggest that the absorption of caffeine through the skin will yield the sort of alertness you can expect from drinking coffee.

Not so fast say the dermatologists. None of the products harbor concentrations sufficient to produce the jolt one might hope for from a cup of java. Moreover, absorption is through the skin slow, so it’s questionable whether enough of coffee’s stuff can penetrate to enhance alertness. Infusing the coffee aroma in products, is thought, on the other hand, to stimulate perkiness by association.

Some promising studies on mice suggest that the caffeine in coffee may kill off skin cancer cells on radiated animals. So far, the results appear promising, but cannot, as yet, be translated to humans. However, many sunscreens do contain caffeine since it has been shown to have some sun blocking effects.

A few folks are even suggesting that investment in expensive skin care potions is unnecessary. It’s claimed that you can receive the same benefits by concocting your own home brewed coffee soaps and body scrubs from used coffee grounds. Formulas are even offered.

Hey, now you can shower with your espresso!

To sell effectively in any environment, companies need to project a clear sales message to groups of prospects. The most cost effective method of doing this is a professionally organised seminar, which is specially tailored to the prospects areas of interest and offers an unrivalled opportunity to explain “up front” what the company stands for and outlines their solutions and services.

Expertly handled, seminars will also provide detailed feedback on the real needs and attitudes of potential clients and can offer the opportunity to meet the other important players within targeted organisations.

However, to achieve the greatest effect a seminar must address a specific business area; not only is this more attractive to the audience than a general meeting, but it also enables you to structure the event for the highest levels of presentation.

The manner in which the event is planned and organised reflects as much on the quality and capability of the company as any other activity undertaken and planning and attention to detail are by far the most important ingredients.

So what are the essential steps and areas you need to consider when organising a professional seminar? (This list is a guide and is by no means exhaustive)

Understanding The Importance & Purpose Of Setting Objectives

The most important first step is to set objectives, so that the success or failure of the exercise can be benchmarked afterwards.

The Five Musts Of Setting Objectives

o Objectives must have a numerical projection of the expected results

o They must be practical

o They must be difficult but attainable

o They must be exciting

o They must be big

Planning Objectives

o What are the marketing objectives for your seminar?

o How will these objectives help you sustain or increase your share of sales?

o What new and existing concept, solutions, features and services are to be included?

o What will be their order of importance in relation to the audience invited?

o What is the description of these concepts and solutions in terms of function, benefit and price?

o Who will be the key people at your seminar?

o What are their buying habits, preferences and needs? Are these changing?

o Where is demand increasing? Where is it declining?

o Why should your customers buy from you rather than your competitors?

o What are your competitor’s strengths, weaknesses and trends?

o What sales aids should you be using?

o Who to invite

o When to hold your seminar – timing is key

o Where to hold your seminar – identify a suitable location

o Finance & costing

o Organisation

o Selecting speakers

o Input from industry specialists

o Support from manufacturers/distributors

o Publicity

Overall Objectives

o Check that your concept supports your original objective which in turn supports your marketing plan

In Summary: Do Remember –

Every seminar presentation is a sales opportunity and should be structured as a selling vehicle.

Copyright © 2006 Jonathan Farrington. All rights reserved

Action Step # 1

Define Your Company: What will you accomplish for others?

Write down all the specific needs your company will satisfy. Potential investors need to know that your business will be meaningful and marketable to people who can use your product or service. So concentrate on the external needs your company will meet. What will your product or service enable people to do better, more cheaply, more safely, or more efficiently? Will your restaurant make people’s palates delirious with new taste sensations? Will your new mouse trap help people capture mice without feeling sick to their stomachs? Will your new bubble gum scented bubble bath revolutionize the way children agree to take nightly baths?

Think of all the positive benefits your company will provide. Write them down. Admire them. Absorb them into your consciousness. Believe in them. These are the primary motivators that readers of your business plan will respect and value.

Action Step # 2

Identify Your Company’s Initial Needs: What will you require to get started?

Whether you want to buy an existing company with 300 employees or you can start your business by only adding an extra phone line to your home office desk, you need to make a list of the materials you’ll need. Some may be tangible, such as five hundred file folders and a large cabinet in which to store them all. Other requirements may be intangible, such as time to create a product design or to do market research on potential customers. You may need to hire an assistant to develop a retrievable filing system for the five hundred folders, or hire a consultant to set up a computer system that’s beyond your technical skills.

If you’re going to build a better mousetrap, you may have constructed a prototype out of used toothpaste tubes and bent paperclips at home, but you’ll need a sturdier, more attractive model to show potential investors. What exactly will your mousetrap look like? What materials will you need? Do you require money for research and development to improve on your original toothpaste tube and paper clip construction? Do you need to hire an engineer to draw up accurate manufacturing designs? Should you patent your invention? Will you need to investigate federal safety standards for mousetraps?

Next, do your homework. Call a real estate broker and look at actual retail spaces in the neighborhood where you’d like to open your restaurant. Make a chart of the most expensive and least expensive sites by location and square footage. Then estimate how much space you require and how much money you’ll need to allow for rent.

Make a list of all the tangible and intangible resources you need to get your business going. The total estimated price of all of these items will become your start-up cost whether you’re buying highly sophisticated computers or simply installing a new telephone line on your desk. If there’s any item in your estimates that seems unreasonably high, research other alternatives. But keep in mind that it’s better to include every element you truly need along with a reasonable estimate of the cost of each item, so you don’t run out of money or default on your loans. Be honest and conservative in your estimates, but also be optimistic.

Action Step # 3

Choose A Winning Strategy: How will you distinguish your product or service from others?

Although there are millions of types of businesses, there are actually only a few basic strategies that can be applied to make any enterprise successful. The first step in selecting an effective strategy is to identify a competitive advantage for your product or service. How will you establish that your product or service is better, cheaper, more delicious, or more convenient? How can you make your company more noticeable than your competitors? What restraints in your business or its industry might determine which strategy you choose?

Your competitive advantage may include designing special features not found in rival products. It may entail superior service characteristics such as speedier delivery, a lower price, or more attentive sales people. Perhaps you’re establishing an image or brand of exceptional quality or reputation. Does your product or service bestow a certain status on its users? Does it create more profits or other benefits for your customers’ own endeavors?

Perhaps you want to position your mousetrap for a primarily upscale market because the best design requires titanium and manufacturing costs will be so expensive only rich people will be able to afford your product. But maybe the mousetrap is so fantastically effective that wealthy people will want hundreds of them around their vast country homes and polo pony barns.

You must have a reason why your business will succeed. This is the competitive advantage your product or service will deliver. Once you’ve established the competitive advantage, you will be able to select the best strategy to reach your goal.

Action Step # 4

Analyze Your Potential Markets: Who will want your product or service?

To determine your targeted market, write down the demographics of the people who will use your product or service. How old are they? What do they do for a living? Will mostly women use your service? Is your product or service attractive to a particular ethnic or economic group of people? Will only wealthy people be able to afford it? Does your ideal customer live in a certain type of neighborhood, such as a suburb with grass lawns, in order to use your lawn mower? Answering these questions about the demographics of your prime market will help you establish the clear characteristics of the people you need to reach.

If you’re selling soap, you may believe that every dirty body needs your product, but you can’t start with the entire world as your initial market. Even if you’ve developed such a ubiquitous item as soap, you need to identify a smaller, more targeted customer group first, such as children under eight for the bubble gum scented bubble bath. If your soap only works with pumped well water without fluoride, you must acknowledge that your intended market has geographical limits as well.

Establishing the size of your potential market is important, too. This will be easier once you’ve completed the demographic analysis. Then you’ll be able to research the numbers: How many car mechanics, house painters or bathroom contractors are there in any given community? How many children in the United States are currently under the age of eight? How much soap will they use in a month or a year? How many other soap manufacturers already have a share of the market? How big are your potential competitors? And where do you find the answers to all of these questions?

Identifying your market is one of the great satisfactions of starting your own business. You’re thinking about the actual people who will use your product or service and how pleased they will be buying it as you are selling it.

Action Step # 5

Develop a Strong Marketing Campaign: How will you reach your customers and what will you say?

Entrepreneurs, especially inventors, often believe that their business concept is so spectacular that promoting their product or service won’t be necessary. Sort of a “build it and they will come” attitude, especially if what you’re building is the proverbial better mousetrap. One of the most common flaws I see in plans is the entrepreneur’s failure to describe exactly how customers will be reached and how products will be presented to them. Potential investors, staff, and partners won’t be convinced that your idea can succeed until you’ve established well-researched and effective methods of contacting your customers – and the assurance that once you’ve reached them, you can convince them to buy your product or service.

Marketing describes the way you will position your product or service within your target market and how you will let your potential customers know about your company. Positioning your company means concentrating on the competitive advantages you have identified: will your product or service distinguish itself by its superior quality, its revolutionary features or its ability to make your customers happier than they’ve ever been in their lives? Marketing helps you focus on identifying your competitive advantage so you can position your product or service. It also establishes the best ways to reach your potential customers and what to say to them.

When you have the right marketing campaign in place, you have an operating plan to gain market share, generate revenue, and bring your financial projections into reality.

Action Step # 6

Build A Dynamic Sales Effort: How will you attract customers?

The word “sales” covers all the issues related to making contact with your actual customers once you’ve established how to reach them through your marketing campaign. How will you train your sales staff to approach potential customers? Will you divide up your sales staff so some become experts in selling your bubble gum scented bubble bath to small, independent retail toy stores? Will other salespeople concentrate on developing relationships with major manufacturers so your product could be sold in tandem through their national distribution outlets? Will you have a sales force expert in buying television slots on Saturday morning cartoon shows or placing ads on the backs of kid-oriented cereal boxes?

What advertising and promotional efforts will you employ – two for the price of one specials or free coupons inside those same kid-oriented cereal boxes? Where can you locate lists of the greatest concentrations of children under the age of eight or whatever group constitutes your market?

In planning your sales activities, you will also need to answer questions such as: Is it ethical to contact your colleagues and clients from your former job as a door-to-door soap salesperson to tell them about your new business. Will you be the only salesperson in the beginning stages of your company? When will you know it’s time to hire more sales staff? How do you convince your clients that your sales staff will take care of them as well as you did? What will your basic sales philosophy be – building long-term relationships with a few major clients or developing a clientele of many short-term customers?

You will also need to consider how you will compensate your sales staff – with a base salary plus a commission? Will you hire full time staff with full benefits, or part time staff without benefits. How will you motivate your staff to do the best sales job possible?

Knowledge of your competitive advantage is just as important in designing a dynamic sales effort as it is in developing an effective marketing campaign. You’ll need to think about what product or service qualities will be the most compelling to your prospective customers. Then you’ll have to devise convincing language that clearly communicates this competitive advantage to your sales staff who will in turn use it when talking to your customers. In my experience, the most important element of an effective sales effort is having a sales staff that thoroughly understands your business and the needs or your potential customers. Therefore, your sales plan must address the issue of how you will create a sales staff that is as knowledgeable about your business as it is about your potential customers.

Action Step # 7

Design Your Company: How will you hire and organize your workforce?

By the time you’ve reached this stage of thinking about your potential business concept, you’ll probably have a good idea of the number of people you’ll need and the skills they’ll require to get your enterprise up and running. Keep in mind that your initial plans will undoubtedly change as your business grows. You may need to hire more managers to supervise your expanding staff or to set up new departments to meet new customer demands. Projected growth and expansion for your company should be mentioned in your business plan, but it’s not the primary focus. For now you want to secure help in getting started and convince your funding sources that you will become profitable.

Investors will want to know if you’re capable of running the business. Do you need to bring in experienced managers right away? Will you keep some of the existing employees or hire all new people? And where do you find these potential employees?

Funding sources will also want to know if any of your partners expect to work along side of you or if their obligations are only financial.

Your plan will need to specify the key management jobs and roles. Positions such as president, vice presidents, chief financial officer, and managers of departments will need to be defined along with stating who reports to whom. You may hope to run your company as one big happy family – and it may work out that way – but organizations require formal structure and investors will expect to see these issues addressed in your plan.

And as soon as you have employees, you need to consider how you will handle their salaries and wages, their insurance and retirement benefits, as well as analyzing the extent of your knowledge of tax related issues. As you think about hiring personnel and organizing your workforce, you must also confront your desire and ability to be a good boss. If you haven’t contemplated this aspect of your commitment to owning your own business, now is the time to give it serious consideration.

Action Step # 8

Target Your Funding Sources: Where will you find your financing?

As your business concept begins to take shape, you can begin to home in on the most likely financing sources. Issues such as the size of your business, the industry it is in, whether you are starting a new business or buying an existing one, and whether you can provide collateral to a lender are among the issues that must be considered in creating a target list of funding sources. Banks and other funding sources don’t lend money because people with interesting business ideas are nice. They follow specific guidelines, such as the RMA database, which are designed to insure that they will make money by investing in or lending to your business.

For the vast majority of entrepreneurs, the well-known, high profile means of raising money, such as through venture capital companies or by going public, are not viable options. Your own credit, credit rating, and business history are key factors in obtaining financing for your venture through Small Business Administration (SBA) guaranteed loans and other bank credit. Your ability to tap into your personal network of friends, family, and professional contacts is crucial to raising money beyond what your own personal funds or credit can provide. In all of these cases, there are important considerations such as the potential impact on relationships when family and friends become investors.

When you have completed this process of identifying the likely potential funding sources and writing a bankable business plan that addresses their needs and answers their questions (even before they ask them!), you will have greatly increased the likelihood of obtaining the financing you need.

Action Step # 9

Explain Your Financial Data: How will you convince others to invest in your endeavor?

The accuracy of your financial figures and projections is absolutely critical in convincing investors, loan sources and partners that your business concept is worthy of support. The data must also be scrupulously honest and extremely clear. Since banks and many other funding sources will compare your projections to industry averages in the Risk Management Association (RMA) data, I’ve stressed throughout my book how you can use the RMA figures to test your projections before the bank does. Your numbers will be more credible if they compare reasonably to the industry averages.

The actual number crunching portion of your business plan is the place to discuss how and why you need certain equipment, time or talent, how much these items will cost, when you expect to turn a profit, and how much return and other benefits your investors will receive.

More new businesses fail because they simply run out of cash reserves than for any other reason. Investors lose confidence in the entrepreneur and the business and become reluctant to invest more when projections are not met. Had the projections been less optimistic and the investors asked to invest more in the beginning, they probably would have done so. In most cases, proper planning and more accurate projections could have avoided this problem completely.

Your business plan should clearly state the amount of funds you need, how soon you require them, and how long before you start repaying investors. You should also explain what type of financing you hope to acquire, either equity (such as through the sale of ownership shares in your company) or debt (such as loans to the company).

If you’re planning to buy an existing business or already own a business you would like to improve or expand, you will also need to provide a detailed historical financial summary of how well – or poorly – the business has done in the past. This analysis should also include a comparison of this venture’s financial performance compared to the industry standards.

Action Step # 10

Present Yourself in the Best Light: What are your qualifications for bringing your plan to fruition?

The talents, experience and enthusiasm you bring to your enterprise are unique. They provide some of the most compelling reasons for others to finance your concept. Keep in mind that investors invest in people more than ideas. Even if your potential business has many competitors or is not on the cutting edge of an industry, the qualifications and commitment you demonstrate in your plan can convince others to proffer their support.

Your resume will be included in the separate appendix of exhibits at the end of the plan, so this is not the place to list every job you’ve ever had or the fact that you were an art history major in college, especially if these experiences have no direct bearing on your ability to start your own business. But it is the place to emphasize qualifying skills that may not be readily apparent from your resume.

But don’t overlook the impact being some part of your background that might even seem unrelated to your new venture. For example, having been a pilot may demonstrate that you know how to supervise a crew of people working together to make a group experience if not comfortable, at least safe. You have undoubtedly handled dissatisfied or enraged customers. Even that BA degree in art history may enable you to make your products or store more appealing to the eye.

Your unique qualifications will separate you from all the other people who have sought venture capital for similar ideas. Boasting about these skills is not hubris; it indicates that you have a highly honed business savvy.

Imagine venturing off to a tropical island, bathed in wonderful sunshine, covered in lush vegetation and bordered with palm fringed beaches. St Lucia is one such paradise and is the perfect place to unwind and luxuriate in decadent surroundings. There are some excellent boutique hotels on the island, such as Cap Maison hotel, offering exceptional standards of accommodation, beachfront locations and wonderful grounds. The endless days give you plenty of opportunity to try out some local water sports, be pampered in one of the hotel spas or sip cocktails on the comfortable sunbeds. Some establishments, including the Cap Maison hotel, have excellent restaurants and pride themselves on the typically friendly and welcoming service that the Caribbean is renowned for.

Exploring the Island of St Lucia

This little island is a very exciting place to explore and everywhere you go you will be greeted with smiles and laughter from everyone you meet. The Cap Maison hotel staff will be more than happy to help organise private excursions around the island and advise on the best places to see. For such a small island the diversity of environment is incredible. Venture inland through exotic banana plantations, discover tiny local fishing villages full of friendly locals and take in some of the outstanding features of natural beauty such as the amazing volcanic plugs in Soufriere, known as the ‘pitons’. Have you ever driven into a volcano? On this island it is entirely possible and once inside you can see the spectacular active sulphur pools.

For any nature lovers, the botanical gardens are definitely worth a visit. Boasting a whole host of tropical vegetation and stunning floral colours, this fairytale garden is one of a kind. With such fertile volcanic soils it is little wonder that the plants, fruits and vegetables grown here thrive and are of supreme quality. Complemented by exquisite seafood dishes, the cuisine on the island is simply delicious. Coconuts are a common feature and are used a lot in the cooking, but also in the production of soap, margarine and oil. And how about tasting real cocoa before it is turned into the sweet confectionary we are so familiar with? Its heady bitterness has an allure like nothing else.

Most of the boutique hotels, such as Cap Maison hotel are just a stone’s throw from the crystal clear waters and the endless white sandy beaches that surround the island. The water is perfect for snorkelling and it is easy to spend a few hours completely absorbed in the colourful treasure-trove of fish and coral just below the surface. Maybe you would prefer to explore the coast by catamaran, or even private yacht? There is nothing like relaxing aboard a boat, enjoying a cool drink and revelling in the warm breeze that gently swirls off the shore.

After a day’s sightseeing return to the cool air-conditioned suite of your hotel, and make use of some of the complimentary facilities on offer, including gyms, Jacuzzis and beauticians. St Lucia is an ideal choice of Caribbean dream holiday with all of the expected tropical delights and exotic luxuries on offer in abundance.

Unforgettable, that’s what you are: Caesar salad just says it all.

What a great dish for a summer’s day,

Or winters lunch to brighten the gray.

History:

The famous “Caesar Salad” is most commonly made with, romaine lettuce, fresh croutons, and vinaigrette from, garlic, lemon juice, eggs, anchovies, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Culinary lore says Caesar Cordini created the original recipe at his restaurant in Tiajuana, Mexico, in 1924, with many varieties following his original idea. The following recipe, which omits Worcestershire, and adds lemon juice along with anchovies, has become a personal favorite for its well balanced bright fresh flavors.

The Caesar dilemma: with or without anchovies? Originally Caesar salad did not include anchovies, so if you’re not a fan make the recipe without them, just keep in mind most anti-anchovy activists, resulted from bad experiences based on inferior anchovy brands; those leaving unpleasant fishy/salty flavors inciting generations to cry: “hold the anchovies please”. With a good quality anchovy; most enjoy the vinaigrette unaware of their presence in awe of the flavors. So purchase a good anchovy cured in olive oil or packed whole in sea salt; see for your self just how good it is! Stay away from anchovies resembling tiny shriveled minnows. Full bodied anchovies are best.

What’s with those raw eggs?

Unfortunately serious health risks are posed by using raw eggs; therefore, eggs should be coddled, omitted or replaced with pasteurized egg products. Coddling/soft-boiling is easy and actually makes a creamer dressing. To Coddle: using fresh eggs in the shell, immerse the eggs into water right before boiling point; cook for 45 seconds to 2 minutes, and remove to a cold water bath for 20 seconds to stop the cooking process. Most chefs prefer the 45 second eggs, but many home cooks are more at ease with 1-2 minutes. Remember use only properly refrigerated eggs; grade A or AA. Washing eggs with water and or vegetable soap right before use is helpful, and avoid contact between the egg and its outside shell when breaking the egg open.

Caesar Salad Recipe:

Croutons:

½ loaf of white style bread, (day old bread works great,)

4 tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon salt or to taste

2 garlic cloves, minced,

1. Remove crust from bread if desired, then cut into 3/4 inch squares and place on cookie sheet.

2. In a small sauté pan, melt the butter, add the garlic, sauté for 1 minute and drizzle over the bread squares mixing well.

3. Bake at 300 – 325 on the cookie sheet for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy. Hot croutons appear less crunchy; developing more crunch as they cool. Also depending on bread choice, baking can take a half hour or more to form a good crunch.

Salad:

1 bunch, romaine lettuce

1. Wash well, dry and chop lettuce into large bite size pieces.

2. Set aside.

Vinaigrette:

1 fresh garlic clove, peeled

4-6 large anchovy fillets, or to taste,

1 egg yolk or whole egg

1 fresh lemon, juice only

1/2 – 3/4 cup virgin olive oil

1 1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated (Parmigiano-Reggiano if available)

Salt and black pepper to taste

1. Reserve 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top the salad.

2. Put remaining ingredients into a food processor and blend until creamy. If dressing is too thick a little water, oil or lemon juice can be added, but do so cautiously as not to dilute flavors.

3. In a large salad bowl, toss the romaine lettuce together with the desired amount of vinaigrette, top with croutons and sprinkled with the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Serve with: A fruity red wine; Pinot Noir is one suggestion.

Serves: 4 as a first course, or 2 as an entree.

Variations: Add one teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and or 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard. For a Mexican Caesar add 2 cups of loose cilantro. For entrees, garnish with sliced grilled chicken breast, duck breast, or steamed/smoked seafood.

Caesar salad, in its simplicity reigns as king; its popularity has brought many a smile of enjoyment throughout the world. So feel good while you enjoy a Caesar with the rest of us.

Sixty years of age is a key milestone for the baby boomer generation. Some say sixty is the new forty with all the advancements in medicine and health consciousness. The fact is, people today are living longer and enjoying a higher standard of living and better health than did their parents and grandparents. According to the 2010 statistics published in The State of Aging and Health in America by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average life expectancy for American citizens has increased to 78.5 years old.

Since people are living longer, the years from age 60-80 have become a very important period in the lives of senior citizens. These are the retirement years. This demographic has fewer career and family responsibilities than other age groups, plus more money and powerful spending potential from investments, and large equities in their homes. They know what activities are fulfilling and have the spare time to learn and do new things. Rather than stay home and watch soap operas, many seniors are now starting new financial enterprises and activities such as stock trading, golf, travel, running a new home based business, volunteering, working in their church, participating in community groups and committees, sports, or joining new social circles such as dance groups, card clubs, fraternal organizations, and country clubs. For those who want to reinvent their life, all of these activities and interests are proving that this period of life can be very fruitful, productive, and fulfilling.

Retirement is different for every individual according to their personal situation and when they plan to retire. For many, a lot depends on their social security income and when they elect to receive benefits. The monthly benefit amount varies according to when a person retires. For seniors born during 1943 – 1954, the full retirement age is 66. Some will choose to retire as early as age 62, providing they meet the 40 minimum earned credit requirement, and their benefit amount will be reduced depending on how many months they receive benefits before they reach full retirement age.

Conversely, there are those who plan to delay retirement and work up to age 70, or longer, in order to draw an increased monthly benefit. Those working past age 66 and born during 1941 – 1942, will receive a 7.5% increase, while those born in 1943, or later, will receive an 8% increase up to age 70.

For many seniors, plans for an early retirement went down the drain along with the equities in their homes when the economy slipped into recession and many people lost their retirement nest eggs. Those not forced to extend their career will no doubt retire, however, those who must work until age 70, or longer, will be forced to reinvent themselves, like it or not. Here are some basic guidelines to help those who will have to experience the ordeal of change during their peak retirement years.

Before you can reinvent yourself, however, you need to take an inventory to see where you are now and determine where you want or need to be. This self-evaluation should include as many aspects of your body, mind, and spirit as you can identify. You need to examine your present belief system and determine your values, your ethics, your morals, and your attitude. One of the primary things you need to evaluate is your ability to change and how you handle stress and new circumstances. You will find that there are some things you can change while there are others that you cannot. It is not true that an old dog cannot be taught new tricks. Just because you are sixty or older doesn’t mean you are set in your ways and cannot adapt.

Remember, nothing changes if you change nothing, or cannot change, so for those who are motivated to alter their present lifestyle and situation; here are some suggestions to help you plan your own metamorphosis and get the ball rolling. Change begins with taking the first step and with baby steps thereafter. Change need not be so dramatic and stressful, or traumatic, but rather it can be a very pleasant experience composed of curiosity, discovery, experimentation, and acceptance; resulting in increased self-esteem, pride, and a new feeling of self-worth and renewal.

Reinvent Yourself Socially –

• Get involved with others. Meet new friends. Join clubs, committees, and online dating services to maintain communication and interaction with people with common interests.
• Do more things together with your spouse… take dance lessons, attend a pottery class, play bridge, go swimming, join a health club or country club, golf, browse thrift shops and book stores, watch videos, etc.
• Do more things with your children or grandchildren… attend their functions, help with homework, teach them a craft, go to the zoo or a ball game, bake cookies, tell stories, or go shopping together.
• Volunteer at your church or fraternal organization. Organizations always need organizers and workers and directors. Attend regular city council or town hall meetings and get involved in your community. You can also become a companion to shut-in seniors in nursing homes or visit patients in the hospital. Local government always needs volunteers for voter registration, jury duty, planning committees, advisory boards, and similar positions.
• Get a cell phone. It doesn’t have to cost much. You can use a pre-paid minute phone and learn to text message on it. Texting will keep your fingers nimble and your mind sharp. Just don’t text message while you drive.
• Get a laptop computer and get on the Internet. Join one, or several, social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, or any forum that interests you. Surfing the web is a great way to improve your social skills and to stay informed and connected with current events.
• Host more dinner parties, barbeques, or get-togethers with friends, neighbors, family, suppliers, customers, and coworkers.
• Join a network marketing business and attend meetings and recruit new members.

Reinvent Yourself Mentally –

• Take personality tests in books and online to find your personality type, temperament and preferences
• Join luminosity.com and participate in their program daily.
• Play mentally challenging games such as chess, bridge, poker, Sudoku, Mahjong solitaire, and cross-word puzzles.
• Attend lectures and take personal development classes at a community college or monitor any classes on subjects you are interested in. For example, if you are an art lover, consider taking a primer on Art History. If you have artistic skills, consider taking a drawing or painting class. Learn a new language for an upcoming vacation trip, or just for the sake of challenging your ability to speak a new tongue. Many people devote much of their lives to raising children, building careers, or both, and never took the time to learn new things, so now is a good time to learn something new.
• Read more and watch less television. Write your autobiography or articles on various subjects that pique your interest. Learn to speed read. Try to read at least one book a week. If you don’t have the spare time, then subscribe to an audio book club and listen to at least four books per month to stay informed.
• Start a new hobby or expand an existing one. Collect rocks, stamps, coins, or go bird watching; whatever brings you joy and satisfaction. Make a little hobby area where you can make candles, do pottery, grow plants or bonsai trees. Learn to paint landscapes or portraits. Learn to knit or crochet or perhaps you want to finally restore that old car out in the garage.

Reinvent Yourself Physically –

• If you want to reinvent yourself quickly and effectively, stop smoking, stop drinking alcohol, eat less red meat, eat more vegetables, stop eating fast foods, take vitamins, and exercise more. It’s the same advice your doctor and mother probably gave you in high school and just think if you’d followed it back then, where would you be now? I know you didn’t want to hear this again, but it was true then and its true now.
• Join an athletic club if you’re looking for moderate activity with some social aspect, or join a walking group, or start one with your neighbors. Keeping fit and active is vital to make the most of the years after 60. Play tennis, racquet ball, or ping-pong with friends, or join a team sports league for bowling, volleyball, soft ball, or some similar sport designed for senior adults. The exercise will keep your energy up and the interaction with other participants will enhance your social life.
• If you are on a tight budget, get more aerobic exercise any way you can. Walk, swim, ride a bicycle, or climb a hill at least three to four times per week. Increase your heart rate up to training levels lasting for twenty minute durations. Do something to work up a sweat. If you are overweight, then try to exercise at least three times a week for a minimum of twenty minutes each time to increase your metabolism and burn more calories. Cardio exercise is recommended, but check with your doctor first. Compute your body mass index (BMI) and follow guidelines for your ideal height-weight ratio. If you cannot be active, then try yoga or tai chi or chi gong exercises which will strengthen and stretch your muscles, improve your breathing, balance, and coordination.
• Pay more attention to your diet and eat less. Stay within the recommended calories per day for your body and try to maintain your proper weight in proportion to your height. Your diet should contain fewer simple carbohydrates and more vegetables and fruits. Avoid fast food, sugar, salt, candy and try to eat more green salads. Try juicing and eating more dinners with less red meat. Fasting one day a week is also highly recommended.
• Take food supplements and vitamins. Visit your health food store and start reading more information about your health. You should take a multi-vitamin supplement daily at the very least, but you can also custom design whole cocktails of supplements to accentuate and support desired conditions and specific areas such as memory function, eye sight, digestion, diabetes, stress, sleep, heart, liver, and colon cleanse.
• Determine your body and blood type and follow the recommendations for your category. Check your blood pressure and pulse daily
• See a medical professional for exams; at least twice a year, and have a complete blood work performed at least once a year. A complete annual physical exam should include monitoring blood pressure, temperature, blood oxygen, peripheral circulation, weight, listening to your heart, examining your body for lumps, moles, lesions, abrasions, bruises, and examining your mouth, ears, nose, throat, feet, and genitalia. Women should receive a pap smear and men should have their prostate gland examined and a hernia exam.
• See your dentist at least twice a year, or if you have dentures, schedule an annual exam to ensure your dentures fit properly and your mouth is not changing which could result in discomfort or sores later on.
• Develop an active lifestyle… which may include boating, hunting, fishing, skiing, jogging, bicycling, and similar activities if you are able.
• Get adequate rest; at least seven hours of sleep is recommended with a twenty minute long nap after lunch. As people age, they tend to need less sleep, but don’t become a night owl and stay up late. If you snore, ask your doctor about the potential for sleep apnea and follow his advice. If you find yourself sleeping a lot, especially during the day, or experience fatigue with wide spread flu-like pain, then ask your doctor about anemia and fibromyalgia. Don’t sleep your life away.

Reinvent Yourself Spiritually –

• Attend your church, temple, or religious group regularly. Spiritual growth enriches life and gives hope and support for difficulties that arise as you age. You may wish to join yoga or a tai chi group in your community or attend Bible studies or even make a pilgrimage to some city or country that you have wanted to visit all your life.
• Volunteer at public organizations, religious functions, food banks, free clinics, blood donation centers, parks and recreation departments, and local animal shelters so you can give back to your community by donating your time. Volunteer for an organization or cause that you truly care about. If you have loved animals all your life, then volunteer to walk dogs, socialize cats or organize fundraising events for your local shelter. If you have previously supported development projects in other parts of the world, contact the organization and ask if you are able to volunteer your time in your community as well. No matter what you do, reinventing your life after 60 should be about making your life the one you want to live. You only go around once, so make it count, and do it your way.

Reinvent Yourself Emotionally –

• Change your diet so that you consume less alcohol, less fat, and eat more foods that support serotonin and dopamine production in the brain.
• Fight bouts of depression and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) with SAMe and herbal supplements and exercise.
• Find someone or a pet to love. Love is the best medicine for almost any problem and you can never get or give too much of it.
• Laugh daily. Surround yourself with positive people who cause you to laugh and maintain a positive attitude despite difficult situations. Watch comedies more often and find funny and interesting videos on YouTube.com and similar web sites. Read funny stories, jokes, and watch uplifting and inspiring television programs.
• Don’t live alone. If you can’t live with family or friends, find a roommate so that you always have someone who can look in on you and keep you engaged. Loneliness breeds fear, solitude, depression, and withdrawal.
• Join a senior center for regular companionship and scheduled activities such as potluck dinners, bingo, card games, and music entertainment.
• Visit family members often and call them all on a regular basis just to stay in touch. Remember birthdays with a card or gift and try to attend all holiday dinners and traditional get-togethers.
• Nothing improves your self-esteem better than changing your wardrobe. If you have always wore blue jeans, then buy some nice slacks. If your old shoes have seen better days, then buy a nice new pair of shoes. Try wearing a suit around once a week; that will perk you up. When you look good, you feel good.

Reinvent Yourself Financially –

• These are hard times. If the economy has robbed you of your nest egg and forced you into austere circumstances, then you may have to swallow your pride and apply for public assistance. With high unemployment, you may have no choice. You have to eat. Contact your local food bank, Health and Welfare office, and any free medical clinics for assistance. Do what you have to do to get by until things improve. Make the smart move. Do the right thing. This is a temporary economic condition that will pass.
• Instead of retiring early, or at the regular age; work longer and your monthly social security benefit will increase when you do finally retire.
• If you lost your life savings when the “too large to fail” banks collapsed, then you may be reluctant to save or invest. However, making safe investments is still one of the best ways to increase your net worth. Consider safe growth stocks.
• Day trading and saving your money in a bank are not good ideas. Consider buying tax deed certificates (paper trading) from county governments which yield high interest rates.
• Finding employment that pays a realistic living wage is tough these days. You may have to return to school and retrain in a new occupation or field. For example, there are many loggers and construction workers who have switched to become insurance salesman, truck drivers, welders, CADD drafters, project managers, inspectors, and similar alternative occupations when their industries collapsed during the recession. Search online and find the best source for your training and secure a loan, or pay as you go, in order to acquire the knowledge necessary to change careers. It will be worth it.
• Consider moving to a new city if you can’t find work in your community. If you have always wanted to live in a different location, take the opportunity to do it after 60. If you want to test out living in a new town without committing long-term, sublet an apartment or room for a couple of months. Check with the Chamber of Commerce and Senior Centers for recommendations. If your children have already relocated to another city, try to visit them and check out the area before you commit to a permanent relocation. If you don’t want to change cities, but do want to see more of the U.S., consider using a recreational vehicle for part of the year. You can live in RV parks and stay in new locations in comfort, providing the weather and fuel prices cooperate.
• If you are inclined to gamble, then trading in binary options online promises higher gains in a short period of time with a potential of earning thousands of dollars monthly from the comfort of your home.
• Start an online affiliate business. Create a web site with affiliate links that point to major league suppliers like Amazon.com and ClickBank.com, and drive traffic to that site to earn sales commissions. There is a learning curve involved, but the dividends are well worth it.
• Turn your hobby into a small business operation. If you enjoy making things, you can sell your crafts on eBay, in local auctions, craft fairs, at garage sales, and at farmer’s markets. Make your venture low-risk and stay focused on something you like doing, regardless if sales are adequate or consistent. Reinvest some of your profits back into the business to grow and earn more income. Don’t forget to take all your tax deductions.

A lot of people had never heard of a county called Kenya until they discovered our current president Barak Obama is part Kenyan. Kenya is a country in East Africa with a population of 32 million people. Kenya gained independence in 1963; it was previously a British colony. For this reason most Kenyans speak the Queens English which is a tad different from American English.

I lived a good portion of my life in Kenya, and can will all honesty say it is a magnificently beautiful county, from its landscapes to the people. Live goes on at a much slower pace and you have the time to stop and smell the roses. Like the old adage says “there is no hurry in Africa” Another little known fact about Kenya is that it is made up of approximately 70 different tribes which have lived mostly in harmony.

From these diverse cultures we were able to find beautiful home accessories. For instance, we got a cone shaped cow hide bongo drum which can be found among the Kamba people. This drum can be used as a musical instrument or home accessory. The drum is entirely hand made from cow hide. Traditionally, it is used for special ceremonies such as wedding, and rituals.

In addition, we also carry tri pod stools hand made from genuine leather by the Maasai people. The stool is sturdy enough to be used as extra sitting or as a beautiful home accessory. The saddle shaped seats are hand made from genuine leather and either etched or hand painted to give beautiful finishes. For example you can find one that has the map of Africa, or one with the all too famous image of the Maasai man.

The Kisii tribe is known for making colorful soap stone carvings. The vibrant colors of their artwork will brighten up any room.

If you ever find yourself in Kenya, you must visit “Maasai Market” This is an out door flea market that carries all hand made accessories, most of the sellers are artisans who made the accessories and Jewelry. The bold and beautiful colors from all the different products will definitely leave an impression on you. A good tip! If you can; go to the market with a local, it will save you a lot of money. If you can’t go with a local, remember you are at a flea market so bargain! Bargain! Bargain!

The city of Durban is South Africa’s Premiere sub-tropical beach holiday destination. It’s the most populous city in KwaZulu-Natal, which is a province of South Africa. Luxury and quality are definitely non-negotiable when it comes to Durban accommodation. Durban’s climate is warm and moderate all year round. Surfing and swimming are the popular activities holiday makers take advantage of on the many safe beaches. Durban is famous for being one of the most surf-friendly cities in the world. Other popular beach activities are angling, fishing and boating.

Durban is also a thriving industrial centre, metropolis and supports a major harbor. Some Industries include sugar refining, fishing, shipbuilding and ship repairing ,petroleum refining, automobile assembly ,the manufacture of food products, fertilizers, soap, paint, chemicals, footwear and textiles.

Well known for its exceptional restaurants and shopping centers. It is highly advisable to book and confirm your Durban accommodation beforehand when it comes to peak season (December and January) as lots of holiday makers descend upon all the hotels and beach locations looking for Durban accommodation.

Durban is a vibrant, exciting and multicultural city with Indigenous African Zulus, European settlers and the biggest population of Indians outside of the country of India. There is a vibrant Asian/African feel to the city merged with old colonial and traditional African influences, Durban boasts a huge spice market called the “Victoria Street Market” and is legendary for its culinary diversity. Durban has excellent curry restaurants and you must try “Bunny Chow” while you’re there. Durban’s multicultural attractions are perhaps its most attractive assets. There are Zulu cultural villages to visit, museums, theme parks, botanical gardens and township tours.