Did you know that you can get specialized training so that you can become a tax preparer?

Yes sir!

No more wondering IF owning a tractor will qualify you for farm status. No more wondering if your online ventures are figured and formatted into the right categories. No more wondering why your tax person didn’t use all of your charitable deductions, because YOU will become knowledgeable.

You can learn all about the pending IRS decisions on particular requirements, and get your own tax preparer certification.

Wouldn’t it be nice to ‘know’ that your own taxes were done properly? You’ll know because you completed them with all the knowledge you learned. You could even open up shop and do taxes for others. I know that people with home business, whether they’re dairy farmers, or goat cheese makers, beekeepers or Ebay sellers, they need someone with the skills to help them out, and that someone could be you!

We’re never to old to learn new skills!

milk goat

Ashley Montagu summed it up best when she said, “The idea is to die young as late as possible.” Now who wouldn’t want to do that? Who doesn’t want to stay or feel young … forever if possible?

More importantly, how can we do that? How can we possibly get older yet still feel young?

Our bodies age and change naturally. We get wrinkles and aches and pains and wobbly thighs. As we get older, the sense of vitality that we once felt usually lessens. As natural as it is to age, it is also equally natural to dislike and want to stop the process – and amazingly enough, the proven very best way to combat the aging process is all natural, too.

First off, reduce your stress. It causes physical changes in your body that speed up the aging process. Meditation helps great with stress reduction, but if you’re not into that, try yoga or running. Consume the right kind of fat. Omega-3 fatty acids help you inside and out. They help steady moods and keep skin radiant while also helping with keeping bones strong. Salmon, walnuts and seeds (among other foods) contain Omega-3s. Exercise helps your body stay fit and also your mind. It’s proven to help people think more clearly. These are just some of the natural ways that you can fight the natural process of aging that so many of us naturally dislike.

yoga

Colour
Although Sapphires can come in many colours the most famous is red, which of course we call ruby. The value of a sapphire is largely determined by colour, clarity, cut and carat although where it was found is also an important indicator.

The major indicator of value in a blue sapphire is how true blue the sapphire is. Most sapphires have a secondary hue., usually shades of purple or green. The primary blue hue must be at least 85% blue for a sapphire to be considered good quality.

Pink sapphires are the most valuable shade other than blue. Pink sapphires become more valuable as they approach the colour of ruby, without actually becoming ruby. They have recently become more common on the market due to a new technique called lattice diffusion.

Shape
The most unusual sapphire is the star sapphire which causes an odd star like reflection called an asterism. The largest sapphire with this odd reflection is called the Black Star of Queensland which is 733 carats. There is also the Star of India which is the more traditional blue colour and weighs 563.4 carats.

Rare sapphires even change colour depending on the light. These sapphires may look blue in outdoor light and purple in artificial light. There are other types that may look pink outside and green inside.

Jewelery

Sapphire can be used in jewelery to make necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings. Check out some of these sapphire earrings from QP Jewellers.

Like most gemstones sapphires are often treated to improve their clarity. This is usually heat treatment at up to 1700 degrees centigrade in air which will improve the colour, but also remove inclusions (trapped rock etc). You would think that would be a good thing but it shows that the gem is not 100% natural. 100% natural stones will often come with a certificate to prove so.

One of the oldest sapphires is the Stuart Sapphire which was mounted on Queen Victoria’s state crown. Even though it is slightly flawed it dates back to 1214 and can be seen in the Tower of London.

sapphire earrings

There’s a UK company that’s pioneering carbon capture in the UK.

How do they do that?

They study each client’s energy use, and determine the best products to help not only reduce their carbon footprint but lower their utility bills at the same time.

recycling center

Just look at these photos of the before and after of a recycling company (already a green business). Big difference right?

You bet it was!

Carboncatcher.org.uk installed a IP65 low energy lighting system enabling the recycling center to save 46% in their energy costs! The expected payback? About 2 1/2 years.

That’s a great deal!

They help not just big warehouses, but office buildings, and new commercial construction too. But wait! They didn’t just stop with lighting, no, Carboncatcher.org.uk also looks at the entire operation and submits suggestions to lower energy costs.

Such as:
Switching to a near paperless system
Car Sharing systems
Alternative transportation methods
and more…

Carboncatcher.org.uk is a great model for all of us to follow, whether we’re based here or overseas.

I have to admit, I used it when it first came live, in beta mode and I haven’t touched it since.

There’s only one reason, well maybe two.

(1) There’s a fee to join
(2) Haven’t needed it yet

Of course, I can SO see why Angie’s list is a great resource for anyone looking to hire a professional, especially when they don’t already know one, or have a recommendation from a friend.

Recommendations from friends is how we find many people that we need for repairs, updates and more.

But, what if your neighbor or friends or family have never needed the pro that you need? Think solar panel repair…. how many friends would know a solar pro?

Or a plumber for an ‘unusual’ situation?

Or… the list goes one.

Suppose you finally got the ‘pasture pretty’ (a horse of course) that you’ve always wanted, but you really have no clue of what you’re supposed to do when the horse needs shots, or his teeth floated or… and you have no friends or family with a horse.

That’s when you turn to a resource like Angie’s list. Angie’s list is divided up into different categories so that you can find any professional for just about any specialty!

Think Tulsa Tornado Shelters…. OR Kansas City box manufacturers, Houston horse trailers, or even Austin Veterinarian.

You’ll not only find your professional at Angie’s list, you’ll find reviews from people, just like you, that have used those companies, to get that tornado shelter, buy that horse trailer, order those specialty boxes and find that large animal vet.

Angie’s list is a resource like no other and next time I’m in the market for something a little out of the range of my friends, family and co-workers realm of expertise, you can know that Angie’s list is where I’ll turn.

pasture pretties

How?

Save some green by doing your everyday shopping online!

Whether you’re shopping for Geeky Gadgets or vacuums, there are tons of places online to order. Then just sit back and wait for the big brown truck (or Fedex) to deliver your packages.

Easy as pie.

You can even save more money by looking online for discount coupons. Tons of stores have coupon codes. In fact, when you’re checking out, if you see a box for a code, then stop right there and go looking for your own discount code. They might be good for free shipping, discounted shipping, dollars off or a percentage off. Every little bit helps!

Don’t stop there. You can also find online coupons that you can print. Ones you can take to the grocery store, department store even some dollar stores take coupons.

Don’t stop!

You can also find discount codes for things like subscriptions, prescriptions (like Medifast coupons or a handy dandy Nutrisystem coupon code!)

There are a myriad of places to find these codes and once you start looking you’ll soon find your favorites.

Today, for instance, I ordered some toys, with free shipping. (Yes TOYS! It’s never too early to do a little holiday shopping!!)

money

One of the biggest launches in recent years has been the Nissan Leaf, which came in with a price tag of around £30,000 and underlined many of the advances in electric car technology. The Leaf is a much roomier car than many that have gone before and it claims a top speed of around 93 miles per hour.

The question of battery range was the subject of some controversy and while Nissan claimed that it was around 100 miles, the US Environmental Protection Agency declared that in tests, the average range worked out at around 73 miles. Even so, these figures are heading in the right direction as far as electric cars are concerned and the range is certainly enough to cover most domestic journeys.

Elsewhere, the Toyota Prius has made good strides since its introduction into the electric car market back in 1997. One of the issues for many consumers is the cost of a new electric car but you can now find a good selection of Toyota Prius cars from a number of sources. The Prius has come in for praise and criticism in equal measure over the years. One issue was over the life of the battery and many people found that it needed replacing after about ten years and at considerable expense. However, with every new model the range improves and battery life and range can only get better as this particular car evolves.

Many of the big manufacturers either have an electric car in production or in the pipeline and the Chevrolet Volt is an interesting vehicle that has split opinion in America where it was released.Many feel that the Volt is little more than a publicity stunt from a company that has been associated with gas guzzling cars throughout its existence. At a top speed of around 100 miles per hour and with a bigger, more comfortable design, the Volt has answered two main issues but with a battery range of between 25 and 50 miles, it is unlikely to have much of a worldwide impact.

All across the automobile world, manufacturers are working on electric vehicles and maybe we can expect to see Smart take a lead in the race to develop a car that finally makes a huge breakthrough in the market.

At the other end of the scale from the small electric vehicles, Rolls Royce unveiled an electric version of their Phantom at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2011. At the moment, it is still in test stage but Rolls Royce has stated that they fully intend to explore the as yet untapped market for luxury electric cars.

Whatever happens, the market for electric cars is set to grow and with design evolving and improving all the time, the world awaits the new developments with great interest.

Opening that big energy bill will make you seriously think about how you can improve your home and make it more energy efficient. The soaring temperatures outside, and the future weather forecast as enough to get you started.

But where do you start?

You might wish to start with a home energy audit from a pro.

Home Energy Team are trained professionals with certification from the most trusted and respected certification bodies RESNET and Building Performance Institute (BPI). They’ll come to your house and perform tests to help you find out exactly what you can do, implement or improve in order to save household energy.

You might learn that some of your appliances are energy hogs. You’ll learn about the optimum amount of attic insulation for your area.

You’ll learn about new programmable higher efficiency lights, fans, heat/air and available rebates. Implement just one or two “Home energy efficiency tips” is a great start!

For those jobs that are just too big for you (like attic insulation) be sure to call in a “home insulation contractors” to do the dirty work for you.

Just don’t put it off another month! Anything you can do to save energy will help our local utilities conserve energy and will help your bottom line as well.

Because of the durability of this sink, I’ll probably look long and hard at new stainless steel kitchen sinks. I’ll choose high quality so that it too can last decades!

And a couple of cats.

HOW, does one EVER take a little vacation when you have multiple dogs?

Did I mention they’re BIG dogs?

Sure, you can send them to a kennel.

Have you PRICED kennels? Have you priced kennels for multiple dogs? Multiple BIG dogs?

OUCH!

It’s more to secure a place for the dogs to sleep than it is for me!

So what do you do?

You look for a place that accepts dogs!

The condos in Alexandria VA are a prime example!

It just so happens that construction has started on the Isabella at Monticello Mews, the newest condos in Alexandria.

They are situated near DC. The community is access controlled and it has it’s own BARK PARK making it a great place for people who love dogs!

I work downtown. I see people walking their dogs at lunch. These are the people that either reside in one of the high-rise condos in downtown or in a nearby residential development, just blocks away.

It’s a very nice environment. Their pups get attention in the middle of the day!

Course, not sure that my country dogs would appreciate the confines of a condo. But there’s only one way to find out!

Visit.

Relax.

Take in the local sites, consider the great financing available, the free storage units, the high end kitchens, heavenly bathrooms, balconies, crown molding, solar tubes, and granite computer workstation (!!)

Did I mention the lap pool? The sun deck?

How about a poolside lounge and cabana? There’s even a fitness path, walking path, ON SITE shuttle, community fitness room, sports court, FRONT DESK ATTENDENT and UNDERGROUND parking!!!!

There’s even a separate freight elevator.

It’s like leaving the country behind.

Sure, big city living isn’t going to be for everyone, and I’m not sure they’d appreciate that I have ‘ahem’ several dogs… but it doesn’t hurt to look!