My Opinion Counts

Entrepreneurs often become discouraged when they try getting their business up and running. To avoid frustration, they should use an organization such as DirectMatches.com to help them. DirectMatches.com is a great way to network with other members who have been through the process. Networking is the best thing you can do to grow your business. When you have a valuable concept to offer, people will want to talk with you about it.

This organization has a proven record of accomplishment! Many are already benefiting from their membership. Membership is free and allows so many helpful networking benefits. The organization is the perfect match for those hoping to boost their direct sales business opportunity.

With over 65,000 members, you could get the push needed to start that home-based business you've been dreaming about. Make your dream a reality. DirectMatches.com offers free classifieds. As a business owner, I can tell you that classifieds are very effective. To have the possibility to utilize classifieds is like being handed the keys to operating a successful business! You usually have to pay big bucks and it is unusual to have a successful business just by someone handing you a key.

As stated on the DirectMatches.com website, "DirectMatches.com is a business networking site to help the working entrepreneur expand their business." Let them show you the steps in networking. Let's get your business off the drawing board.

I heard the oddest comment from a customer today. She asked me if we have a dog. I said that we do. She was in the back room of our store and was looking at the vinyl samples. She said our store smelled like dog urine! I was so shocked. I am so careful about things like that. Poor Brodie gets a bath so much! When I think back on her saying that I know what she was smelling. When you walk into our store you can smell the vinyl. When she was flipping through the vinyl display she was smelling vinyl. It does have a certain odor. I wish I would have thought to tell her that it was the vinyl she was smelling. I hate to think she thinks our store stinks. LOL

We just got home from eating a yummy steak dinner. We went to Texas Roadhouse so I could order a steak like Lynn ordered a few weeks ago. He said it was one of the best he'd ever had. He was right. It was yummy! I couldn't eat it all so I guess I will have to have it tomorrow too! Oh boy!

I found a card table and chair set that I like. It has pretty cloth padded seats that are comfy. Lynn tested one of them and said they are. Silly guy.

If you are thinking about buying a new computer, be sure to check out all of the Dell computers. They have a large selection of computers with various configurations of memory and storage compatibility. Their price ranges start from cheap computers to the most expensive Dell handles. Even the most expensive Dell computer is reasonably priced. They offer great computer deals on computers for personal use as well as ones for businesses. Their website is great for the novice computer buyer. They have a whole section devoted to helping you pick out the computer that is right for you. They have a great support system in place to help you when you need it. Go to Dell for the best price and the best service!

When my card group meets, we play Euchre. I had never heard of this game until I moved here to Indiana. My husband's family loves to play Euchre. I enjoy the game too.

We play Euchre with four people. We partner with the person sitting across from us. Twenty four cards are dealt that include each suit in the 9's 10's and all the face cards. Each player receives five cards and the cards are dealt starting with the player on the left and going around clockwise to each player.

I just read the rules in Wikipedia and they say you are to deal two cards at a time and then three cards at a time. It is against the rules to deal one card at a time. Good thing that I deal the way I am supposed to! I didn't know there was a rule. I just found it easier to deal that way.

There will be four cards left after dealing and these are referred to as the "kitty." The top card of the kitty is turned over and that is the card that is to be considered when each player takes his or her turn and saying what they want trump to be.

For goodness sake! This explanation is making me want to get the cards out and play me some Euchre!

After trump is determined, play starts with the person on the dealer's left. The point is to deal something that will draw out everyone's trump cards. The highest card played wins the play unless they play the highest trump card. Jacks are always the highest trump with the determination of the high jack being the one that is what was made trump. Got that? LOL

Each play is made until no one has any cards. The player with the most tricks, wins of each hand, is whose team wins that round. Fun!

I found a card table I like but don't think that this is the one I will be buying. It is $465.00!!! This is a fold up table people! Maybe the saying is true, the more money you have, the more you will spend. I could spend a bunch.

My mother in-law was stressing out about having her card group come to her house. I don't understand why. She has a lovely home and it is always spotless. Nevertheless, I offered to let her have her group meet here. We are in the process of remodeling so they can't expect everything to be in tip top shape. Not that I care anyway!

So, we went over some of the details and decided on the dessert. I will make that so she doesn't have to think about so much. I will need to set up a card table and chairs since they play at two tables. My set is so old and ugly. Tonight we are going in search of a new set. Wish me luck because I have seen what I want and I hope I can still find it.

My friend and I have so many things at our scrapbook house that we are trying to use each one at least once. There are some things that we can't even remember how to utilize. We saw them used in a class but have since forgotten what they were for. We are trying to get better at using the stuff we have.

Our journaling would get done if we could find a cheap printer to set up in the Scrap Shack. If we could journal as soon as we got our page done, I think it would get done. The idea we had for the page is still fresh in our mind and we can get that journaling printed out. I usually come home to journal by using my printer scanner copier all in one printer from Dell. I love it because it is so simple. That is what I would really like to have at the Scrap Shack.

Our county is trying to help students understand that success in school is something that will help them throughout their life.

Students Obtaining Academic Results is an after school program for sixth graders that takes place in all of our county schools. During project SOAR, students meet for 90 minutes each Tuesday and Wednesday. During that time they participate in character building activities. Speakers are brought in from the community and they share information about jobs and careers.

An important part of good business is maintaining your property. The building your business is in says as much about your business as any flier you handed out. In fact, I think it says more about the way you do business. It is the first impression of your business. Be sure that your weeds are pulled. That is a pet peeve of mine. I want to yank those dandelions out!

Hire a window cleaning service to keep the appearance of your establishment up to par. A great company to use is WindowGang.com. Their crews are nationally trained in all cleaning techniques. They are fully insured and bonded so you don't have to worry about being sued if someone gets hurt working on your property. They do the jobs that you forget! They clean and sell blinds. They know how to remove oil and grease so your parking lot looks good and isn't a hazard for your customers. They also clean gutters and roofs!

Contact WindowGang Cleaning Service through their website or you can call their toll free number, 1 877 946-4264.

Emily Yoffe from Slate.com. recently did a story about the trampy fashions she found while back to school shopping with her daughter. I thought the article might be enlightening.

It turned out to be more humorous than enlightening. Talking about young girls using push up bras was something I didn't know about. Young girls are also wanting to wear thongs! How do they even know about such things? Why aren't they playing video games and playing hopscotch? Can't their moms just say no?

I wonder how many great ideas are stored on a shelf. People often do not know how to put an idea into effect. I am sure there are many great ideas waiting to be acted on. Business ideas are a group of ideas that are many times only talked about. Funding is the major roadblock when someone has a great business idea.

RaiseCapital.com hopes to change all that. Their mission is to connect entrepreneurs and investors. This website is a great platform for entrepreneurs to present their ideas and their needs to investors. Venture Capital Funding is out there. This platform will help you find it!

Using the online platform is a great tool for networking. The process allows both parties to learn more about each other's goals. Much like a website forum, RaiseCapital brings the parties together. Unlike your usual website forum, the information that makes up a profile is polished and professional. Each member can add pictures, a video presentation, and other related media for their venture.

This platform is a great resource for existing business owners who want to expand. Expansion of products and expansion of space is one that often requires the help of investors. Visit RaiseCapital.com and let them get you started on your dream.

Aw! This article shows how people are supposed to help each other and animals. A flight-savvy hawk wedged between tree trunks and unable to escape and a cat stuck on top of a utility pole were stories that were reported to CNN.

The story will warm your heart.

I hope that all goes well with the Jena 6 issue in Jena, Louisiana. It made me a bit nervous to see Al Sharpton on the news. He is down there preparing for a rally. He sounded like things would be calm and advised everyone to use good judgement to get a point across. Violence would not be the thing they want to have happen. Violence would not sway the opinion of the district attorney. I pray that no one does anything dumb. These kids shouldn't have to be scapegoats.

I like to give gift cards for wedding gifts. I would rather let newlyweds pick out their own gifts. It is fun to go as a couple and pick out things for your new apartment or house. I don't want to go through the struggle of finding those perfect Gift Ideas. Now that I have found out about a cool idea at www.giftcardlab.com, I am happier than ever giving gift cards. Giftcardlab has revolutionized the Gift Card industry because when you purchase their gift cards, you can upload digital photos, art, and graphics in order to completely customize a Visa Gift Card! I cannot wait to do this! I am going to upload a picture of the bride and groom to customize my next gift card!

Wow! I like how the lady in the article on CNN online carried out her mission. She noticed that houses in her neighborhood were being sold but no one ever moved into those houses. She saw that UPS delivered packages to those homes and thought that was odd since, supposedly, no one lived there.

"I went to the courthouse and start looking at deed records and sanitation records and water records that I realized it wasn't just these ... 18 or 20 houses in my neighborhood," Fulmer said."

She added"It was houses all over the county. And ... I kept seeing the same names in these transactions over and over and over again."


Here's how it works:

# John Doe, a con artist, buys your house for $200,000 -- but then has the home appraised for $400,000.

# Jane Doe, a second buyer, uses a fake identity to get approved for a $400,000 loan. The loan officer approves the loan, and the original owner gets their $200,000 in cash.

# John Doe, the second buyer, the loan officer, and the settlement agent split the rest of the money -- $200,000 -- and default on the mortgage.

# The home goes into foreclosure and the scammers move on to their next house.

Ann Fullmer was terrified that the criminals doing this would find out that she was the one turning them in. She has led the police to arrest many in this scam that drives property values down.

"This is a problem devastating whole neighborhoods, whole communities, and that the real victims were the individuals whose homes where being destroyed in value," said U.S. Attorney Dave Nahmias.

Fulmer now trains FBI agents and lenders with the company Interthinx to recognize mortgage fraud, which costs lenders between $1 billion and $4 billion last year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

To date, Fulmer says she has helped put away more than 300 mortgage fraudsters.

A university of Florida student was tasered at a forum for US Senator Kerry. I don't know all the details. Not knowing exactly what happened, I can't speculate what brought the confrontation to the point of the student being tasered. All I know is that it turns my stomach. The kid was at a microphone. He didn't have a weapon. Kids get intense when they are adamant about a topic. Sigh...

Did you know that skin is the biggest organ on your body? That's why when addicts hurt their bodies with drugs, they get sores and their skin turns yellow. The organ is reacting to the drug they take. Skin protects all of our internal organs and muscles. It is very important to take care of our skin.

Many of us put lotions on to make our skin soft. I use a sun screen when I am going to be outdoors. Have you ever thought of protecting your skin from the inside? R.G. Skin Revitalizer is a newly discovered dietary supplement that provides skin daily nourishment from the inside out. R. G. or Red Gâc is an oil extract from the tropical super fruit Gâc. It is rich in carotenoid antioxidants. Gac contains beta-carotene which helps boost the immune system, assists the skin’s cellular rejuvenation process. Beta-carotene helps our skin stay healthy.

Gac is a bright-red fruit similar to a cantaloupe. This beautiful and luscious fruit grows abundantly on vines all over sub-tropical countries. Many folks grow the fruit in their gardens. They know of its medicinal potential. Why not treat your skin from the inside out? You can begin now by getting your R. G. Skin Revitalizer.

After searching for information about Otto Griebling, I am wondering if he is the clown in our painting. Griebling came to America at the young age of fourteen. He began his early circus career as a bareback comedy rider with a circus in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Much of Griebling's career was spent with the Sells Floto, Cole Bros. and finally the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circuses. (The Cole Brothers still have family in our community. One of the grandsons was in our store on Saturday!) Most of his performing was done silent or in pantomime. This would serve him well later in life, in 1970 Otto had his larynx removed due to cancer.

Otto Griebling worked tirelessly teaching his craft to the first few classes of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in Venice Florida.

His long and distinguished career came to an end in April 1972 when he died from throat cancer, at Saint Clare's hospital in New York city. He was buried at Sarasota Memorial Park, Sarasota, Florida.

Today, the oddest thing happened. A customer saw the clown painting that we have hanging above the door of our store. She thinks it is of her grandfather, Otto Greibling. Many people think that the painting is of Emmett Kelly. Both clowns wintered here in Indiana. She said that Emmett Kelly patterned his sad faced look after Otto. Otto was a sad faced clown.