Elaine

Southern living is a classic way of life not necessarily a house design style. If you keep that in mind you can develop a southern living house plan with the features that you want that will allow you to create your southern living dream. Southern living comes from a place in time marked around the civil war. It is civilized and creates a southern home that incorporates families, friends and good ole southern charm. Creating a home design around these principles makes a southern living house plan well worth checking out.

The dashing Rhett Butler and unattainable Scarlet OHara gave us our first vision of the Southern Home. With its central spiral stair case, formidable columns and its palatial landscaping, Tara became the model southern living home. The grand home provided plenty of room for formal and informal gatherings. Many homes today are not built to the scale of Tara but can certainly incorporate the feeling of hospitality into their floor plans.

Spotting a southern living house plan is easy if you know what to look for. These homes have central entry ways as well as rear exits. They are known for great, eliptical stair cases. Pillars that take their cue from Greek architecture generally mark the expansive front porches of these homes. The roof lines incorporate hipped or gabbled features.

The location of these homes is in the southern regions that boast warmer climates so indoor outdoor living on the large porches make them very appealing. There is nothing to say that hardy northerners cant enjoy these house plans in their own neighborhoods as well.

If you are interested in creating a home plan that is ornate, classic and homey than southern living plans may be a good place to start. You can find hundreds of these plans on the many house plan repositories on the internet. You can even seek advice from the very popular Southern Living Magazine, for design tips and home building ideas.

Charity Adams is an HGTV and Home Improvement Junkie. Charity enjoys researching southern living house plans and home improvement. For more information on house plans including Southern Living House Plans, check out Charity's Southern Living House Plan page. http://myhouseplansonline.com

Fly fishing on rivers and lakes is often portrayed as a communal zen moment in nature. Seek out the Northern Pike, however, and you are in for anything but a peaceful time.

The Pike is undisputedly a creation of some demon figure. It is big, fast, and mean. It is the rare person that would describe the pike as anything but ugly. We are talking hit with the ugly stick more than a few times ugly! Just to top matters off, this demon spawn has teeth that would make a crocodile hesitate. We are talking about the biggest, baddest fish around.

The Northern Pike is carnivorous as suggested by the bear trap that acts as a mouth. Essentially, we are talking about the equivalent of sharks from the open oceans although they are often jokingly referred to as a water wolf. Pikes will eat anything from bait to game fish to frogs towell, you get the idea. If it can get to it, consider it bait. Yes, the pike will eat other pikes.

The Northern Pike can grow very large. It is difficult to sort rumor from fact, but they can run up to three or four feet in length. Rumors of much bigger pikes abound much like the Yeti, but there has been little evidence they actually exists. The largest one every caught was a 34 pound beast in Nejanilini Lake in Canada. 42 pounders have been reported, but not documented.

As with any predator, the Northern Pike is all about stalking. It tends to hunt food by waiting in along shores in areas with coverage such as lilly, weeds, or where shoreline vegetation runs out into the water. This is a daytime hunter. It strikes quickly and viciously, so be prepared to react quickly if you hook one.

The Northern Pike is generally not much of a delicacy given a very boney body. That being said, large pikes are a regular food source in areas such as Siberia. In fact, a little known fact is pike fishing in Siberia is some of the best in the world. Of course, Siberia holds many secrets when it comes to fishing, one of the last great unexplored fishing paradises on the planet.

Rick Chapo is with NomadJournals.com - makers of fly fishing journals. Visit us to read more articles about fly fishing.

If we are honest nothing is ever more dear to your heart than your pet! Doesn't matter if it is a cat, dog, rabbit or a python everyone loves their pets and they become part of the family. However there are a number of occasions where people will come up against a financial issue when it comes to paying for your loving friends care should they fall ill. This is the time when affordable pet health insurance comes in really helpful.

I have a friend who is a vet and over a drink one evening I was talking about pet insurance and what she would class as affordable pet health insurance, her reply was "It depends what you call affordable? Is affordable what you can afford to pay if something goes wrong or is affordable pet health insurance what you pay for your pet on a yearly insurance?"

This was a valid point! If I took the cost of my dog (for example) and she had a bad accident, god forbid but lets say for arguments sake that she got hit by a car. The vet costs could be in the thousands for the initial care and then the after care and attention that my faithful hound would need. The thought of having to pay that out would have taken a serious dent from my savings, and in many cases people would have to borrow the money in order to afford the cost of getting my beloved dog back to full health.

Then there is the other option where I take out a monthly subscription to a yearly affordable pet health insurance and I pay one simple payment of about $20 a month and my animal is covered in case anything should happen to it. Of course there are extreme cases where not everything might be covered but basically it is much cheaper to have the second option.

So this is why we feel that affordable pet health insurance is worth every penny rather than take the risk that your pooch is safe make sure it is safe.

Find more valuable information and the best places to get your insurance quotes from at Online Insurance Advice

There is no cure for rosacea, but one of the best way to control flare-ups is by following a rosacea diet. Rosacea is a condition that affects more than fourteen million people, especially those of Celtic ancestry. Though it mimics acne rosacea is actually an untreatable condition that may be linked to a problem with the blood vessels, though research is ongoing. There are three ideas on what causes rosacea: a defect in the blood vessels of the face, a bacterial infection, or stomach problems (a lack of stomach acid). Regardless of the cause, it is proven that certain items like hot beverages, spicy foods, and alcoholic drinks trigger flare-ups.

During a rosacea flare-up, the skin in the T-zone of the face, including the cheeks, nose, and forehead, becomes rather rough and very red. For some the blood vessels actually appear on the surface, and for others the skin looks much like a bad case of acne. Rosacea can be mild, moderate, or severe, but regardless of the status, it is important to lessen the flare ups by following a specially formulated rosacea diet.

Then thinking of foods to add or take from your daily diet, the following list are very beneficial to a rosacea diet. These foods are common triggers or helpful to reduce the symptoms that come with a rosacea flare-up.

Spicy foods are often linked to rosacea flare-ups, so hot sauces, spices, and peppers should be used sparingly. If this makes no noticeable difference, then the odds are high that you are not affected by spicy foods and you can return them to your diet without issue.

Alcoholic drinks are a big no-no for those with rosacea. Some, however, have a hard time giving up a glass of wine, mixed drink, or a cold beer once in a while, so if you cannot drop the alcohol completely, moderate how much you are drinking.

Proteins found in dairy products, meats, and eggs can also cause rosacea flare-ups. Limit your intake of meat and dairy as much as possible because there are fatty acids in the protein that can stimulate the irritation that comes with rosacea. Fat-free dairy products contain less of this fatty acid and are generally better to use.

Finally, one of the best things you can do for your body is to drink a total of 64 ounces of filtered water every day. The water will help remove impurities in the body that can lead to infections or help produce the bacteria that may cause rosacea to flare up. By altering the foods you eat, you can quickly learn a rosacea diet that works for you!

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Battling Rosacea? Over 14 Million people do. Find out more and get real tips and skin care help to allow you to win the fight against Rosacea.

Visit RosaceaTreatmentRx.com and check out articles such as Rosacea Skin Care

I was driving along, minding my own business, when the man in the pickup in the next lane started honking, waving his hand and giving me that middle finger salute. He pulled in front of me and continued gesturing for the block before I made my turn. I had absolutely no idea what I had done to send him into such a rage, and I was really grateful that he didnt follow me when I turned.

The next day I was in a department store waiting for my turn with the cashier. All of a sudden the woman in front of me started yelling about the long wait. At the top of her voice she berated the cashier, the store, the merchandise and the other customers. She got in line just before I did and we had waited all of three minutes. Her fuse had become very short and someone unknowingly lit it.

I watched a mother and her small son in the grocery store one day, thinking how cute and well behaved he was. I saw him point at some cereal and ask his mom if he could have it. She reached down, jerked him around, gave him a swat on the arm and yelled at him for asking. Her voice became shrill, her face red and angry, and she looked embarrassed when she saw me watching. She reached down and gave him a loving pat and put the cereal in the cart. Something of an over reaction? Probably.

Each was out of control. Each seemed to have passed the breaking point. Each lashed out at the person closest to them at the moment. These are not uncommon scenes.

So whats going on? Many people are over committed, overwhelmed and overstressed and have few coping skills to help them deal with it. Their self esteem may be at an all time low. They are working harder and longer hours to make ends meet and their spouse is probably doing the same. As money gets tighter and hours get longer, we grow more tired and esteem gets lower, the fuse grows shorter and shorter and an explosion or a series of explosions ensues.

I know this. I used to be there. As I reflect on what changed between then and now I am aware of some things I learned and did that made the change. Ill list them here and well talk about them a bit.

1. I changed from being religious to being spiritual and I learned to manage my own energy. This means that I took responsibility for my own soul and learned what I believe as opposed to what I was told I must believe.

2. I began the practice of meditation. The longer I practice daily meditation the easier it is to cope with the stresses in my life. I wish I could say that Im never angry. Actually, a little anger is healthy. What I can say is that my fuse is much longer and I recover more quickly. I look forward to silencing my mind as I prepare for each new day.

3. Self hypnosis - a sister to meditation. Self-hypnosis helps me stay calm, in control, and more sensitive to the needs of others. I use it as a stress management tool and as a means to enhance creativity.

4. I have begun to think about me and what I need to be healthy physically, emotionally and spiritually. Most of my life has been spent on helping everyone around me to the detriment of my own health and well being. Now I understand that if Im not healthy and balanced I can be of little assistance to others who need help.

5. Improved self esteem. How? This is not a recommendation but a divorce from someone who was the constant critic helped me regain a love of who I am.

6. Work that gives me great joy. I love doing what I do. I help others in hypnotherapy, I help my son with his business and Im developing my own blog.

7. I am learning to play again, motivated by a 3 year old who is in constant and almost always joyful motion.

Do I get angry? Of course. But its no longer a constant state of mind. Try it. You might like it.

Irene Conlan has a masters degree in nursing, a doctoral degree in metaphysics, is a certified hypnotherapist and an ordained minister. she practices holistic hypnotherapy and officiates at weddings in Scottsdale, AZ. Irene can be found at http://www.theselfimprovementblog.com

The job of marketing is to promote your business and attract prospects. Whats done with those prospects is the job of the sales force. When measuring the success of your marketing plan, dont focus on sales figures, but responses, inquiries and name recognition. Here are some tangible ways to measure the success of your marketing program.

1. Effective marketing establishes your unique brand and selling proposition.

It clearly differentiates you from your competition. Effective branding of your unique selling proposition. What makes you different from your competition? What keeps your current customers with you? What would entice new customers in your door?

2. Focus on your current customers first!

Current customers are the most profitable. They can also act as your sales force. Testimonials and referrals from customers are far more powerful than any advertising you can do. Treat them right. Make them feel special. Establish an ongoing, meaningful dialogue with them.

3. Top-of-the-mind awareness is critical.

Customers are constantly bombarded by advertising and messages from every angle. Make sure your name isnt forgotten. For, when the decision is ready to be made, theyll go with a company whose name is familiar to them.

4. Know who your prospective customers are, communicate with them regularly to develop a program for lead generation.

This is not an overnight process. Business owners must think long-term. Programs such as direct mail may generate leads, but it wont close the sale.

5. Back up your marketing claims with real action.

Dont make promises you cant deliver on. Make sure your business is set up and ready to handle the business coming in the door in the way youve promised.

6. Think long term.

A special sale or coupon might get bargain-hunters in the door, but for profitable business, you need loyal customers. Make sure your brand is solid, that your employees deliver on the brand, and consistently communicate your unique selling proposition.

7. Stay customer-focused.

Its not what you can do, its how you can meet your customers wants and needs. Make sure you understand what they need and want before marketing your services.

Laurie Donohue is the founder of I-Marketing Management, an insurance agency marketing firm that specializes in marketing plan development for insurance agencies. You can learn more by going to http://www.imarketingmanagement.com/.