madameblogalot

It seems as if everyone has been affected by the downturn in the economy. Even regular folks are considering the need for financial advisement. Investing may feel risky, but planning for a secure financial future is something most everyone desires. Finding a financial advisor may seem like a risk, in that you have to “spend money to save money”. But a true financial advisor is an investment in your financial future; s/he is going to be worth more than what you invest in him/her. On the Vaerdi Financial homepage I learned that there are advisors out there with the same perspective.

The advisors here base their financial planning on your personal goals. They base their plan on six steps, including relationship, evaluation, implementation, and monitoring. They like to think with an “old-fashioned” mindset, their commitment to the financial security of their clients. And they are “contemporary” enough to be able to build this relationship using today’s technology including online resources, which in itself is a money saving way to conduct business. This is not a one-time assessment, but an ongoing relationship. Because of this, they have implemented a variety of ways for collecting payment, from hourly rates, to monthly retainers, to yearly fee agreements. They also do not sell any investment products or insurance, helping to maintain lower costs to better aid in meeting their clients financial goals.

While I don’t quite believe that sentiment, it does feel good when things are cleaned up and in order. My husband worked hard yesterday cleaning and reorganizing his shed. And I worked on cleaning my oven. UGH! I was dreading the job, knowing I had made a big mess last week, and then making things worse by burning some foil I had left in the broiler! Everything was charred and sooty, not to mention the years worth of baked on caked on grease. I began with baking soda and vinegar and had some luck, but not really enough to notice. While the recent black soot came off, I struggled with the baked on mess. In looking for something to clean with, I came across a half used bottle of Saladmaster pot and pan cleaner. I decided to give it a try. It was a truly amazing transformation! I did use a copper scrubber to help aid the cleansing, but my oven has never looked so clean in as long as we have lived here! It looks almost new with very little spots still showing the mess I had made of my oven!!

I must say that I was not sure what Reputation Management Services were when I first heard about it. I mean, of course the name in itself gives an idea of what it means, but I wasn’t sure just whose reputation these management services could help salvage? Is it businesses, students, business people, the every day Joe whose Facebook image is causing problems?

Come to find out, Reputation Management Services are available for businesses who are finding themselves on the receiving end of bad press. Now contrary to some popular beliefs, any press is not always good press. In today’s world of social networking, thousands of blog posts generated in a moment of time, and the other ways we voice our daily interactions-both good and bad-a bit of bad press can go a long way in a short time.

In the past if someone was unhappy with services received by a company, they would tell their family, friends and co-workers. This might not mean too many dollars lost for a major company. But with today’s “word of mouth” extending around the globe in a matter of seconds, Reputation Management Services might be a good resource for just about any size company. These services can provide both proactive and reactive reputation management.  Each case is unique in approach and pricing. Customer quotes and free evaluations are available to those company’s willing to invest in maintaing their positive reputation.

Every Sunday evening, our family visits a lady from church in the nursing home. She just turned 93 a few weeks ago. This past week, she got moved to a new room. When we went to see her last night, she was already asleep. So we waited until this morning to go by to see her.

She told us she was unhappy with her room move. At least she did still get a bed by a window. As they put her new room mate in bed for a late morning nap, our spry young friend told us that they put her in a room with an elderly woman!

I’ve got one of those heads of hair that is just almost never right. And with all the swim, bike and run training I normally do, my hair gets dried out, discolored and frizzled and frazzled. I do need something that keeps it soft and natural. I have tried a few things that I like and a few that I don’t. I even read about Chaz Dean’s hair care products which are completely natural and are made to leave hair feeling soft and manageable. It is even supposed to help with color retention. It apparently does this without the harsh chemicals found in most shampoos and conditioners. It is a unique formula which is actually a cleansing conditioner.

High Fidelity: I watched this movie because my sister named one of her blogs after it. I watched the whole thing until about ten minutes before it was over. Then my daughter wanted to come in and tell me something, so I never found out the resolution of the show. The show was neither a HIT nor a MISS for me.

Ghost Whisperer: I’ve not seen the TV series before, but my daughter has watched with my husband. She wanted to watch it this week and I’ve had nothing else to do but sit and watch TV. It was a bit eerie/”scary” for me but the episode turned out to be ok. I did like the ending. I would give this episode a HIT but as of yet can not speak to the series. *After viewing the show for a couple of weeks, I would say that some of the episodes are hits,others near misses. It is definitely for older teens/adults. There has been some intense scenes showing drugs and lots of death including suicide/attempted suicide. I am not too keen though on some of the most recent episodes where the hero’s husband’s spirit is now in another man’s body. A little too out there for me*

Pioneer Woman: Again, laying around all day, I found an old TV movie (1973) starring William Shatner and introducing Helen Hunt. My daughter wanted to watch since it was reminiscent of Little House on the Prairie. It was not that great of a show. And it was funny to see some of the “special effects”-basically a rubber snake dropped onto the table! This was a near MISS but I guess I’d say overall that it was neither.

Phantom of the Opera: My daughter, mother and I watched the film version and some of the special features as well. As usual, this one remains a HIT with me. I am hoping to read the book soon.

The Hound of the Baskervilles: I had never read nor seen this Sherlock Holmes mystery. So while I was laid up I caught it on TV. Again, I missed the very end of the show! However, I have to admit it was a MISS with me. Though I still don’t know what the real Hound was!

Field of Dreams: I was happy to see this old HIT come on television. I watched and enjoyed the show again. It has been a while since I’ve seen it. I still got teary eyed when Ray and Terrence pick up a young Archie. And cried when Archie stepped off the field to his destiny as Doc Graham. The show was again a HIT with me.

The Fugitive: Immediately following Field of Dreams, another old favorite of mine came on. I love Harrison Ford and this show is a pretty good one. I enjoyed watching two HITs in one day!

The Phantom of the Opera: I also read the book that started it all! I think the book explained some of the background and some of the details a bit better. Of course, it’s a bit of a different take than the stage play and film. I did enjoy it though and I think I like the epilogue and afterward as much as the main story! I would call the book a HIT, though I can’t decide if it’s better to read it before you see the film or read it after…

The House of the Scorpion: this book by Nancy Farmer is on the ninth grade required reading list. At first I thought a book about a clone in an opium empire was not going to be good reading. I am glad I gave it a chance. Though it is a young adult book, it had a good story line and was really pretty clean. I found it to be thought provoking too. I found myself thinking that a lot of the humans in the book were less human, or at least humane, than the clone. It brings up interesting thoughts about the “rightness” of cloning. And I like how it concludes with the ideas of power, greed, and eternal youth being shown as not being “right” or good for society. I would say this book is a HIT.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua: My oldest nephew asked me to read this short novel based on the movie. I tried to decline but when he described it as “an adventure about teamwork and friendship” I told him that I would read it. Plus, I like reading things with others in my life; it gives us something to share. I must say that I don’t really like the book but I am glad that he did and that he saw the teamwork and friendship in it. For me it was a MISS while for him it is a HIT.

Another way many folks are saving money is to get their hair cuts at home. My husband gets his hair cut at least once a month. That adds up quick! If you are unlike my son who has banned haircuts all together, then this could be an easy way to save money. Of course, you will have to invest in good haircutting shears. These can be picked up fairly affordably and will likely pay for themselves pretty quickly.

If you want to test your skills or already have some decent hair cutting and styling skills, adding stylist shears  and even a CHI curling iron can save trips to the beauty salon, all adding up to a little savings over the course of a year. It might be a simple way to save money this year.

I don’t know why but over the last few days I was unable to access this website. When I finally emailed support at Lunar Pages (my host) they said my IP address was blocked. I don’t know why! At any rate, as you can see, they have unblocked me and I’m back!