Increase Your Self Esteem This Year!

Self esteem is vitally important and directly contributes to the results that we see in our lives. When you take a look at people who are thriving in the world, you can see that their self esteem is at a very healthy and beneficial level. When you take a look at people who are experiencing a great deal of pain and loss, you can see that their self esteem has taken a very severe blow.

HOW CAN YOU IMPROVE YOUR SELF ESTEEM THIS YEAR?

First, you have to be able to really believe in yourself. And this can be quite tricky for many people. But, it is absolutely necessary. Believing in yourself is the cornerstone to improving your self esteem. And you can do this by starting out small. List a few things that have made you proud about yourself or things that you have accomplished that you can honestly describe as a success.

Everyone has at least a few things that they can be proud of. Next, create a hunger in yourself to make the change something that you really want. Realize just how much better your life will be if you allow yourself the gift of having a high level of self esteem. Realize that your relationships will improve and that you can begin to achieve what you want if you really feel good about yourself.

Increase your self esteem this year by allowing yourself to believe that you can and that you will. Give yourself the gift of feeling good about yourself and watch your life transform!

Learn how to attract love, money, or happiness or all three in YOUR LIFE NOW! Go to http://www.successfulfather.com and SIGN up for the FREE newsletter and BOOKMARK the site and return as often as you can!

You can attract the life that you truly desire! All you have to do is learn HOW!

Law of Attraction Secrets

Bryan Appleton is an investor/entrepreneur who has dedicated himself to teaching others how to achieve their dream life. He is also a proud single father with one son.

You can publish this article as long as you leave it intact and in full as well as keeping the URL link clickable.

Surviving As A Contractor In California

So you want to make big money making a living as a contractor in the state of California. Well now I bet you have seen contractors on TV or maybe you know someone who is a contractor. You see these men and women playing the part as Mr. or Mrs. Money bags. If you have the slightest thought that becoming a contractor will provide you with a life of riches think again.

Most contractors that I know and have worked with over the years don't think of there jobs as easy. They have to work everyday and a lot into the night doing estimates or meeting with potential clients because they are to busy during the day. The life of most contractors in the beginning will be difficult to say the least. But if successful you will make a great living for yourself and your family.

Now that we got the false illusion of the contractor answering his cell phone all day at some nice golf course having lunch talking about the money that he just made selling his oil stocks. We can start on reality. If being a contractor was that easy everyone would be a contractor. Right..... Well maybe not everyone.

I have been a contractor for over 22 years and in construction for 30 year. I have seen a lot of changes over the years. I remember when a few contractors that I worked for made a lot of money during the late 1970's. These guys had Ferraris and money to burn with one exception they had no idea how to save any of it. These guys went on vacations and bought extravagant toys for them selves. Out of most of the big framing contractors I worked for about 10 percent are still in business or actually saved their money during the good times so that they could make it through the bad times.

These contractors never thought it was going to end. Life on easy street that is. But it did and most went by the way side. I guess that is the nature of business. Especially the current economic business cycles that we seem to go through over the years. If you don't have the money to advertise or carry a payroll. Your business is going to suffer during the bad times. Sure there is credit and bank loans but you still have to pay that money back. IF you can't save your money stash some away for advertising.

Some of the best advice I can give a contractor anywhere especially in the state of California is " Don't Think The Great Times Of Easy Money Will Last Forever". Save some of the money you make just in case you need to get through the bad times. You will thank me for this latter, Some time down the road. Take this advice and put it into action starting right now.

Greg Vanden Berge has over 30 years of experience in residential home building and remodeling. This provides you with the comfort of knowing that you have a professional with the knowledge and skills to complete your construction projects in a timely manner.

Our low overhead along with our new online estimating system will provide you with the most competitive construction pricing in the area. We continue to educate ourselves about the new home improvement books and building systems in the construction industry. If we have any doubt that something might not work we don't use it. We have found some of these products to be the root of some major home building problems.

Click on the Home Remodeling Ideas to get more information and a possible online estimate for your home improvement project.

Are Christians Really Interested

Prophecy - Second Heaven Authority 4

This is the fourth article in this series on The Second Heaven. Here I want to tell you about the power of intercession. To intercede in prayer and in the authority of Jesus is one of the greatest power filled Keys that Christians have. The spiritual leaders of wickedness that reside in the Second Heaven realize this and consequently pit so much confusion, strife, false accusation and other tactics against it. If we are not interceding, we will find ourselves criticizing, gossipping, growing bitter, spiteful and full of worry. The inevitable end of such is trauma, tragedy and destruction. God is recalling many of His people into this strategic position to break the oppression coming out of the Second Heaven. The Holy Spirit and the Warrior Angels in God's Throne room are deploying now to stand with those Believers on earth who will take up this Key and release the Kingdom of Heaven into the earth. There is a rising roar of intercession rising from the earth from God's people. You need to close the ranks with others and take your place. This article will empower you to do that.

I interviewed a Pastor F. Shongwe who lives in South Africa. He was beaten and stabbed to death one night. He received a fatal stab wound in the heart and was declared dead on arrival at the local hospital. The police arrested one man and were in the process of opening a murder investigation. His body was placed in the morgue at the hospital overnight. Meanwhile, He went to Heaven and experienced many awesome things there. He spoke at length with Abraham about the end times. He saw different categories of Angels there. Some where very small, others were human size and many Angels were giants that held great authority and power. These giant Angels were assigned to nations and regions. While in Heaven, Pastor Shongwe, heard a roar similar to ocean waves ascending from the earth that went by him and up higher into the regions of God's Throne. He didn't understand what this noise was so he asked and was told "This roaring sound is the prayers and praises of God's people on earth ascending to the Father in the Throne Room." On the earth the people of his church prayed all through the night for him, knowing that he was dead. They also prayed for the drunken young men who had killed him. When the police arrived for a second time in the morning, the church leaders told the police "we as Believers have decided to forgive these young men." This upset the police but they said because of the crime, criminal charges would proceed. However, at the approximate time the church announced that they chose to forgive the offenders; Pastor Shongwe was resurrected and was discovered alive by a nurse at the hospital. Within a short time of his coming back to life the swelling, bruising and three stab wounds had completely disappeared and he walked out of the hospital with another Pastor who had come to visit him. The two pastors then went to the jail and lead the man who had used the knife, to personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is an awesome testimony that demonstrates the power of intercession when God's people pray. It also demonstrates the importance of forgiveness even in the face of obvious wrong.

When adversity, sin, illness, satanic activity or whatever trouble arises in the earth, God's word to His people is to intercede. Isaiah 59:16 says of God: "He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him." Every Believer has a mandate from God to pray and intercede for God's will to be released. This includes personal needs as well as needs in the nations. Intercession is more about partnering with God and making spiritual declarations over the circumstances so that God can confirm those declarations. For years, many have thought of intercession as "begging God to do something" because He didn't seem to care, so we had to awaken His compassion. However, intercession is more about partnering with God so that our prayers and the words of our mouth can be used by God to confirm what has been prayed.

I would be remiss if I didn't include scriptures to verify this article. Let me share just a few as follows.

We read in:

Romans 8:26 "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning s too deep for words."

Romans 8:27 "And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."

Romans 8:28 "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

Romans 8:34 "Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us."

1Timothy 2:1 "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,

1Timothy 2:2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

1Timothy 2:3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,"

Hebrews 7:25 "Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them."

Isaiah 58:6 "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

Isaiah 58:7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Isaiah 58:8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Isaiah 58:9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am.' If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,"

Here are two important applications of intercession:

• To intercede with (with = partner with God to do the work of His Kingdom and release Heaven into the earth) God and

Note: Many of God's kids still have an orphan spirit/mentality where to them intercession means begging God to do something because He is otherwise withholding something from them. Their feeling is that God and they are at odds and not really reconciled. This is wrong.

• To stand against Satan, demons, sickness, non-Godly circumstances on behalf of others and yourself.

When you take up this Important Key you will have great authority over Second Heaven spirits of wickedness. Intercession overlaps with prophecy. Prophecy better equips you to release God's power into earth's circumstances through intercession and that stops the work of evil operating from the Second Heaven.

Remember:

Maintain a clean heart before the Lord. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin. (Psalm 24: 3, 4, 5)

Rely on the Holy Spirit to pray through you. (Romans 8:26)

Don't rely on your own thoughts for how you should pray. Acknowledge His direction and wisdom. (Proverbs 3 : 5 and 6)

Praise God for His awesome faithfulness and ability to change every situation. (Ephesians 6:18 and Philippians 4:6) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Be assertive against the devil and his kingdom. Come against him with all the power of the Lord Jesus Christ and the sword of the Spirit. (Luke 10:19, Mt 10:1, James 4:7)

Be responsive to the Holy Spirit for He often will speak, direct or prompt us through the Word. He will confirm His Word as well as you wait in His Presence.

Praise God for what He is doing and will continue to do. The glory belongs to Him.

Romans 11:36 "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen."

Keith A. Paul has many years of Ministry experience and is an Author. He is used in the gift of prophecy, dream interpretation and words of knowledge which are gifts of the Holy Spirit. He currently lives in Abbotsford B.C. Canada. He travels internationally speaking and imparting the supernatural works of the Holy Spirit. To receive Keith's free Prophetic Words, free Dream Interpretation or purchase His E Books please visit http://www.restorationplaceministries.com

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne - Have You Read It?

When I first started to get involved with Internet Marketing, I was told about some books I should read and one of those was The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.

Well I found The Secret in my local book shop and bought it. I have to admit that once I started reading it I couldn't put it down, and as this was a low period for me it filled me with inspiration.

The scholar's from times gone by and all the successful businessman, and personal coaches from today are using The Secret in their lives now. I mean, if some of the greatest people in history believed in it then who am I to disagree. People like Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, Beethoven, Lincoln, Einstein and the list goes on.

It is all based around the Law of Attraction, which states that if you always have bad thoughts then that's what you will always attract, if you always feel depressed then that's what you will attract, and if you only think about debt then that's what you will attract. Think and believe about wealth and you will attract it, don't question how, the Universe will find a way - Hard to believe for the skeptics among us.

OK yes we all know the benefits of positive thinking but unless you have inspiration from somewhere, it's so hard to do especially as we all know in this day and age it is gloom and despair; the world recession, etcetera. It's easy to sit and hold your head in your hands, but will that help? Not one little bit.

So lets tell you about what has happened to me since I started reading The Secret:

The first time I read it I was on cloud nine, full of positive thoughts and I even tried the car parking space trick - yes it did work, coincidence? Maybe, but it happened almost every time. But then I had some serious money and personal issues and I forgot about The Secret until recently.

To supplement my income, as yet I do not earn enough money from my Internet Marketing endeavors, I do cabbing and that has been very slow. So as I was waiting around for jobs I started reading The Secret again and on this particular occasion I had been waiting 2 hours and still no job. So I closed the book and kept saying to myself "You will get a good job now", I kept saying it to myself, "The Secret will take care of me", stupid you might think, but what did I have to lose.

I left the area I was parked in, now do I turn left or right, do I stop here, all these questions but I trusted my instincts and then, beep beep beep my on board computer had received a job, and as I opened it....wow a 50 job.

I was thrilled and another strange coincidence, or not? Was it as the last passenger reached their destination we somehow mentioned The Secret and he said that since he has read and believed he has had a 3,000 Tax rebate, and as an actor has just won a new contract for a TV series.

Well after this job straight away another job came down 30 and this happened 3 more times in the space of 2 hours. Is this just a coincidence or something deeper?

I have been trying this since last Friday night and you know what instead of sitting there thinking the next job will be a bad one, because remember think a bad job and the Genie say's "your wish is my command" and a bad job you will receive.

Now I visualise the on board computer, and in my mind imagine seeing a good job on the screen, it work's, but you have to believe.

All I need now is to work harder at the Internet Marketing Business and believe it will all come to me.

This is my Internet Marketing for Newbies product a Home Study Course where you get full video tuition for every strategy you will ever need to be a success at working from home. This comes with a full no questions asked money back guarantee so you really have nothing to lose.

Her Fix-it Guide to Toilet Repair

Imagine your home without toilets. Yes, the thought itself is enough to make you cringe. The toilet is often the most used, or should we say the most 'misused' fixture in the home. The importance of the toilet can only be felt at the exact point in time when something goes wrong with it. Toilets generally are a fairly easy DIY project that can be successfully completed by anyone. With just a bit of work and the tips you will find in this article, you should be able to quickly fix your toilet.

The first step in fixing a toilet is to determine the problem with the toilet. Your toilet could either be a slow moving toilet, or it could be clogged, or it could even be a running toilet. A slow moving toilet implies that you have to flush the toilet quite a number of times and the water drains away quite slowly. Slow moving toilets are often the result of clogged sewage drain pipes, and are at risk of suddenly clogging completely and overflowing. No one likes to clean up the mess an overflowing toilet creates. A running toilet is one where once you flush it, the water does not want to stop flowing into the toilet bowl. A running toilet can use up a large amount of water over a fairly short period, so it is important to get it fixed as soon as possible.

Make no difference which problem you have, you can fix it yourself. If you happen to have a clogged or slow moving toilet, then the first thing you should do is turn off water supply to the toilet. You can do this can be by turning the knob on the shut off valve to the right until the water supply stops. The valve is normally placed a few inches above the floor on the left when facing the toilet.

Now determine which the problem you have. To do this, pour a bucket of water quickly into the bowl. If it flushes slowly, the toilet has developed a clog. Clear the clog affecting your toilet by first using a plunger. If this removes the clog, then you can turn the water back on to the toilet, if it does not clear the clog, then you should try using a plumbers snake. This tool will allow you to clear most any clog.

Once you have the clog taken care of, then you should clear the mineral deposits that tend to develop in the small holes under the rim of the toilet. This will help your toilet flush much more effectively. These holes can be cleared with a stiff bristled brush, or you can use the bent end of a coat hanger to poke the holes clear. You might also want to make use of a small mirror to see the holes that are being cleared.

If your toilet is letting water into the bowl at all times, then you have a running toilet. First off, remove the toilet tank lid and sit aside out of your way. Some people like to place it in the bathtub. Next check the ball cock, which is the valve that the float is attached to. If water is coming out of the valve, you may need to replace it.

If that doesnt seem to be the problem, then press down on the flap at the bottom of the toilet tank to see if the water stops running into the bowl. Over time, these flaps tend to warp out of shape and cause the tank to leak into the bowl. If this solves the problem, then replace the tank flap.

Whichever needs replacing, be certain to shut off the water supply to the toilet before you begin your repair.

Ruth Campbell owns and operates Her Fix-It Guide

New Versus Old Lumber - Structural Failure

During my 30 years of remodeling and building new homes. I have ran across quite a bit of structural framing failures. I find myself answering this question a lot when explaining to a homeowner about the structural failure I am repairing on their home, "Why Didn't They Use Better Lumber" or " Why Didn't They Use Larger Lumber." I really have a hard time answering these questions because I honestly don't know the answer.

However I can try to use some logic and reason to give these people an answer that seems to make sense to both of us. Why didn't they use better lumber, quite simply because, with most older homes that were built before the 1970s they actually do have better lumber. Now you're probably thinking how can these homes have better lumber when the lumber is old versus the new lumber used in a brand new house.

Most of the structural repairs I have made over the years has nothing to do with the lumber and whether it was new or old. A large number of these repairs were caused by neglect and poor maintenance.

The lumber in most older houses are from older growth trees. Some of these trees were extremely large and only the premium parts of the trees were used. The premium lumber is cut farthest away from the center of the tree. Now the larger the tree it makes sense that there will be more premium lumber.

A large majority of the newer lumber used in home construction comes from trees about 6 inches in diameter. Now you're probably wondering how can they cut a 2 x 8 piece of lumber out of a 6 inch tree. Of course they cannot, the larger lumber comes from larger trees.

Most 2 x 4's that are less than 8 foot long can be cut from these trees. This scrap or waste that comes from cutting these two by fours will now go into engineered building materials like particleboard, oriented strand board and engineered beams. Another name for an engineered been would be a paralam.

I hope you're starting to get the picture now when it comes to using new or old lumber. There are companies that are going into old logging rivers and retrieving old growth lumber. These were logs that sank to the bottom of the river's and were never retrieved because it was too costly.

The old growth lumber is quite expensive. Who's to say what problems we will happen in the future from the newer products created with modern day technology. When it comes to building houses it is not an exact science and as contractors we have been repairing the damage from poor engineering for years.

When I use the word poor engineering I am not pointing fingers at engineers. We now have more knowledge about home construction then we had years ago.

New versus old lumber, who wins the battle. Only time will tell.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Structural Repairs.

Effects Of False Prophets

Creating Your Own Home Electricity

Creating your own electricity and generating your own power has always been one of my dreams. Having a self sufficient home, not only a house that takes care of itself by generating its own electricity through windmills or solar panels but the satisfaction knowing that no matter what happens to the electrical companies you will always have electricity at your home.

What a wonderful feeling it would be to get a check back from the utility company instead of paying them every single month. I don't know about you but my utility bills are ridiculous and seemed to be going up in price constantly. I can't believe all the fees they have been charging for years to all of their customers. If you add all the fees for every person in the city or county this comes to a large, a very large number and it's getting worse not better.

Generating your own electricity with solar or wind power is definitely green thinking. This is going to be the wave of the future as fuel used to create electricity continues to rise in price. I really can't imagine what the price of electricity is going to be like in 10 years as the mass consumption continues to rise in developing countries.

We have got to start taking care of our own needs through solar or wind power. We have got to start creating our own electricity to become self reliant. The more self reliant we become as a nation the less dependent we will be on major corporations, especially large power conglomerates.

Creating our own electricity can also be used for electrical cars that can be purchased in the future. Think of the money you will say in fuel costs as the price of gasoline continues to increase as well as less pollution into our environment.

This is definitely the wave of the future and common sense tells us this. I suggest you read this article again if you haven't figured out some of the problems coming our way in the future.

Think green and together we can start saving the planet.

While searching for new alternatives and trying to get some advice on creating your own electricity I came across a book you can purchase in digital format. This book seems to have quite a bit of information on creating your own electricity for a totally self sufficient home.

This book has been created in digital format to reduce the consumption of trees and the waste involved in creating a regular book. What a wonderful idea for helping our environment in quite a few ways.

While searching for new alternatives and trying to get some advice on creating your own electricity I came across a book you can purchase in digital format. This book seems to have quite a bit of information on creating your own electricity for a totally self sufficient home.

This book has been created in digital format to reduce the consumption of trees and the waste involved in creating a regular book. What a wonderful idea for helping our environment in quite a few ways.

For more information visit http://www.gregvan.com and look for Get Earth4Energy Here Create your own electricity! Save 1000's with Earth4Energy

Upgrade To a Wet Bar In Your Rec Room

The den, the rec room, the family room...no matter what you call it, there should be one place in the home where the entire family can relax after a long day. If you are especially sociable, the room should be inviting and spacious, perfect for receiving guests, and equipped to entertain. Most definitely, a wet bar is needed for all your planned activities.

If you're not familiar with the term, a wet bar is simply a counter area or bar, recessed within the room or situated like a kitchen island, that features a working sink with running water. Unlike the standard kitchen sink, a bar sink is usually a small single bowl, often stainless steel, used for rinsing glasses and flatware or adding water to mixed drinks. Wet bars may also features miniature refrigerators for storage of wine and beer, and cabinets for glassware and other items needed for entertaining. For families who host gatherings on a regular basis, be they club meetings or a weekly football game viewing, having a wet bar offers a great advantage.

A wet bar takes some pressure away from the kitchen by allowing drinks to be stored and served where the party is, plus the host can save time using this service area rather than having to run to different parts of the house. Using a stainless steel sink for the bar allows for an attractive, sanitary workspace for your parties as well.

Regardless of the layout of your home, wet bars are usually simple to install. Hiring the proper plumber and contractor for the job is one step in the right direction, and an attractive countertop and accessories will enhance the look of your entertaining area. So if you plan to receive friends, family, or co-workers into your home, why not consider making them more comfortable with the luxury of a wet bar? This is one investment guaranteed to enhance the value of your home.

Kate Lively is a freelance SEO writer specializing in tips for home improvement, from buying the right stainless steel sinks to new carpeting.

Advantages of Framing With Steel Studs

I have heard all sorts of stories over the years of the advantages in framing with steel versus wood studs. One time I even heard you could build an entire house with the amount of recycled steel from a large automobile such as a Cadillac. I find this hard to believe unless you're building a very small home.

My personal favorite for framing with steel studs is that they are extremely straight. I have built nonbearing partition walls using 12 foot 3 1/2 inch wide steel studs and after the drywall you can lay an 8 foot level to check it for straightness on the wall with amazing results.

If you use 3 1/2 inch wide steel studs with 5/8 of an inch drywall you will get an extremely durable and sturdy wall. Framing was steel studs is common in office renovations or remodeling. Most of the steel stud framing is done via the drywall contractors.

Steel studs and termites do not mix. You'll never have to worry about these little buggers or other uninvited house pests damaging your walls.

Over the years I have heard stories that steel framed buildings are earthquake and fire proof. They might be more resistant to fire than wood but keep in mind when metal is hot enough it will bend and warp making it unusable.

When I hear people talking about a fireproof building built with metal framing components my first thought is all of the other materials used in building the house that are not fire resistant. Don't get a false illusion when buying a house framed with steel studs and think it is 100% fire proof.

As far as steel framed buildings being earthquake proof this is another story. I really can't comment too much on earthquake damage to a steel building. The problem with earthquakes is they seem to create fires. So even if you're building does survive an earthquake it could get damaged by a fire in the area.

I have framed more wood homes than steel homes over the years and my steel stud construction is limited to nonbearing partition walls usually located in office buildings. I love framing with metal because of its light weight and ease of construction.

I still love framing with wood. There is something about what framing that I have always loved and always will.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as

well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on House Framing Ideas

Will All Men Ever Hate Jesus

Home Buyer Beware - Who's Watching the Construction of Your Home?

In 2005, over 1.2 million new single family homes were built and sold in the U.S. Thats new houses being built by thousands of large and small contractors. And the number one complaint is that the quality of the work was less than satisfactory.

In fact, if you bring up the word contractor at any cocktail party, everyone has a horror story to tell. If youre having a home built, you start to wonder, Whos watching the construction of my home? Who makes sure its built right?

Most new homeowners I talk to say, Well, isnt the local building inspector taking care of that? Yes, to some extent they make sure the house is built right - but only from a building code standpoint.

Remember that the building codes are minimum standards your builder must follow. For example, the code says that a bathroom exhaust fan must provide a given number of air changes per hour for a given size of bathroom. The code doesnt care how noisy the exhaust fan is.

The codes cover design criteria that are intended to keep your house from failing structurally. Codes also emphasize life safety issues, to protect you if you are not smart enough to know that you shouldnt use your hair dryer in the bathtub.

Its what the building inspector does NOT inspect that you should be concerned about. Rarely do they climb onto your roof to see that the roofing shingles are installed properly to prevent them from blowing off in the first wind storm. I dont recall ever seeing any local code inspector check to see that the tile around your shower has a moisture barrier to prevent mold problems later.

If the building inspector is not watching your house construction, then your builder must take responsibility for the other 10,000 opportunities to build things right (or wrong). Many of the biggest builders in the country have internal inspection systems to ensure their homes are built right, but many do not. Some builders use third-party inspection organizations to check some of the structural items that the code inspector does not check.

Chances are, your new house was not inspected to the extent that you will be satisfied. What can you do?

The number one solution is to educate yourself and dont be afraid to ask questions if it looks like something is not right. One of the easiest ways to do this is to get copies of the installation instructions from the manufacturer of the products being installed on your house. Many are available on the Internet at the manufacturers Web site.

Another way you can protect your investment is to hire an independent inspector to periodically check the work in progress. This can be expensive, but its a bargain compared to what lawyers working on the problems that occur later may have to charge per hour. Check out the inspectors qualifications; some home inspectors may be knowledgeable about new construction but may lack the experience needed to do a thorough examination.

People often hire inspectors after the house is built, just before they close on the sale. Houses must be inspected as they are built. Most inspection people are hired too late in the process, when the most important things are covered up or are difficult to fix.

Ask your builder if he uses an independent inspector. How often and at what milestones does he inspect the home? Are there inspection reports available for you to see?

Homeowner beware: dont assume that your home is being built right. Take control of the outcome by educating yourself about construction practices and making sure your new home gets the quality focus you paid for.

Gary is an independent construction quality advisor. He visits hundreds of housing job sites a year, coaching, auditing and generally raising the bar on quality. Gary is also the primary author and producer of the website at http://qcfocus.com

Goals - You Cannot Expect to Get From Here to There Without Them

Well perhaps it is time that everyone sit back and admit that they know where they are and they know where they truly want to be and that those two places are not the same. Thus, it's important to know how to get from A to B. Simply dreaming of a better life, marriage, career, business, new home or a multitude of other things is not going to make them magically appear.

Now I am not suggesting that you stop using the power of positive thinking, rather I am saying that you need to do more than just wishing upon a star. The concept that successful coaches often recite is a much quoted saying; You Have to Believe to Achieve! Yes, of course, that is true, however you must also take action and that means you need to get with the program and give it your 110%. It also means you need to focus your energies and set goals.

Without goals you really should not expect to get from here to there anytime soon, if ever. Perhaps, what we are saying here is that; "If you do not know where you are going, then any road will take you there," which is a fun and over used clich, still when considering this we must also think about the fact that where ever that road does leads, most likely it is not where you wish to end up.

So, it is imperative that you have a plan and strategy that correspond to your main goal. Then work hard each and every day to accomplish all the little goals (components) that lead you down the path towards your destiny!

"Lance Winslow" - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/.

Advantages of Framing With Steel Studs

I have heard all sorts of stories over the years of the advantages in framing with steel versus wood studs. One time I even heard you could build an entire house with the amount of recycled steel from a large automobile such as a Cadillac. I find this hard to believe unless you're building a very small home.

My personal favorite for framing with steel studs is that they are extremely straight. I have built nonbearing partition walls using 12 foot 3 1/2 inch wide steel studs and after the drywall you can lay an 8 foot level to check it for straightness on the wall with amazing results.

If you use 3 1/2 inch wide steel studs with 5/8 of an inch drywall you will get an extremely durable and sturdy wall. Framing was steel studs is common in office renovations or remodeling. Most of the steel stud framing is done via the drywall contractors.

Steel studs and termites do not mix. You'll never have to worry about these little buggers or other uninvited house pests damaging your walls.

Over the years I have heard stories that steel framed buildings are earthquake and fire proof. They might be more resistant to fire than wood but keep in mind when metal is hot enough it will bend and warp making it unusable.

When I hear people talking about a fireproof building built with metal framing components my first thought is all of the other materials used in building the house that are not fire resistant. Don't get a false illusion when buying a house framed with steel studs and think it is 100% fire proof.

As far as steel framed buildings being earthquake proof this is another story. I really can't comment too much on earthquake damage to a steel building. The problem with earthquakes is they seem to create fires. So even if you're building does survive an earthquake it could get damaged by a fire in the area.

I have framed more wood homes than steel homes over the years and my steel stud construction is limited to nonbearing partition walls usually located in office buildings. I love framing with metal because of its light weight and ease of construction.

I still love framing with wood. There is something about what framing that I have always loved and always will.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as

well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on House Framing Ideas

Religion Articles

Home Redecorating of The Family Room

The family room or big room is where we spend most of our leisure time when we are at home. It should at once accommodate plenty of seating so our friends and family will be comfortable hanging out with us there, and it should reflect our habits and hobbies. When considering the family room for home redecorating we should take into account how we want the room to reflect our lifestyle and help us create harmony in our lives and the lives of our family members.

Family Room Functionality
Before you decorate the family room, think about what you want to do in your family room and the best arrangement for you furniture. Is it your home theater? Do you prefer to position the large screen T.V. in the middle of the room as a central focus, with all seats facing towards it? Or do you prefer to move the T.V. off in a corner to allow plenty of room for the kids to spread out their toys and run around during the day. Perhaps you wish to create a quiet corner for the T.V. that represents a retreat for you after you pick up the toys and put the kids to bed.

If you keep a computer in the family room, you might want to create a computer nook, or a video game nook. This allows someone to be at the computer, or playing a video game while someone else in the family chooses to watch television. You could make use of a set of headphones too so that the noise in each corner is contained under a headset.

Family Room Lighting
Lighting is important for the interior decorating of a room and the atmosphere it creates. If your family room serves as a home theater or video game room most of the time, you might like more muted lighting and heavy drapes that can close out the glaring sun. Your home redecorating choices can include darker colors and heavier textures. If your family room is more of a playroom, or a social room for friends to gather, then you might like to adjust your family room dcor to accommodate plenty of light and use sheer, airy curtains that let in the sun, with Venetian or wooden blinds that can be let down at night to create privacy.

Family Room Atmosphere
Decorate your family room in a style that works for your lifestyle. The atmosphere you create will be a product of the home redecorating theme you use in your family room. You can scatter it with toy building blocks or scented candles, and you have one big, sectional sofa that dominates the room or several conversational areas made up of individual recliners, and small chairs. Create a formal look with wall-to-wall carpeting, or a polished wooden floor with a luxurious, wool area rug. Create a more casual family room decor with tiled or vinyl floor strewn with braided throw rugs. Of course the age of your family members will play a large part in the flooring decision. Let your lifestyle influence ideas for interior decorating your family room. Let the decor reflect the ages of your family members, and your combined hobbies and interests. When every member of the family can find their own space in the room, it will truly live up to its name, and bring the family together.

See our blog at 2 LEFT THUMBS for hints and tips on home improvement, remodeling, decorating and maintenance. We also have articles on home decorating, home remodeling, home maintenance and home improvement at 2 LEFT THUMBS DECORATING.

5 Secrets For Breaking Your Bad Habits

By nature, we are all creatures of habit. We instinctively adopt familiar routines for most activities. We eat about the same number of meals each day - at more or less the same times. We have a regular pattern of sleeping - unless it is perturbed by illness or shift work. Most everything we do is habitual.

You probably eat three meals each day, but why? Why not two or five? There is nothing particularly "natural" about our pattern of eating three meals each day - it is just a habit that we share with most of those around us. Actually, a number of studies indicate that eating five smaller meals is more satisfying and healthier than eating three large ones.

You will always have habits - things you do regularly and without conscious thought - but you do have the ability to CHOOSE your habits. Here's how...

1. Begin to pay attention to WHAT you do, WHEN you do it, and WHY you do it. One of the bad habits I fell into was eating a large dish of ice cream in the late evening. Obviously, "ice cream" was the "what," but the "when" was more than just "in the evening." "When" was times I felt stressed, hadn't had a satisfying dinner, or was bored. "Why" was mouth sensation, having something to do with my hands, and sometimes hunger.

2. Keep a journal of the "what", "when," and "why." Make an entry whenever you find yourself doing something that isn't really your choice. You will find that you gain better insight into the "when's" and "why's" as you get more entries in your journal. Soon a pattern will emerge that can enable you to find healthy habits to replace the harmful ones.

3. Look for other activities that would satisfy the "when" and "why." A hot bath for stress, hard candy for mouth sensation, a good book for activity, a warm bowl of soup for real hunger.

4. Make the undesirable activity difficult. Don't keep the cigarettes or ice cream in the house. When ice cream was in my own freezer, it was hard to resist, but when eating a dish of super chocolate chunk required a trip to the convenience store, it was much easier to turn my attention to other activities and a low calorie snack - if any snack at all.

5. Begin new habits not only because you need them to replace unhealthy ones, but also because they are the things you always wanted to do, but couldn't find the time or money. That book club or yoga class makes a great substitute for the eating or smoking, and you can more than pay for your health club membership with what you save on cigarettes.

Sign-Up for Jonathan's Daily Inspiration - Daily Quote email, and read his article: 7 Secrets for a Happy Life.

Jonathan Lockwood Huie is an author of self-awareness books. He has been dubbed "The Philosopher of Happiness" by those closest to him, in recognition of his on-going commitment to seeing Joy in all of life.

** Today is your day to dance lightly with life. It really is. - jonathan lockwood huie

Keeping a Positive Attitude During the Financial Crisis

The President tells us we have staved off a Great Depression with the giant mortgage crisis bail out. The Democratic Candidates tell us that the middle class is dying, people are losing their homes and jobs and the economy is in shambles. We all know that fuel prices are too high and the costs of nearly everything we buy are on the rise.

Treasury Secretary Paulson warns us we are not out of the woods yet and former FED Chairmen Greenspan tells us that this is a one in a century emergency and the 700 billion dollar bail out is the only plausible option. The Commercial Real Estate Industry says they might be next and the retail sector along with car sales are in trouble. GM may need a bail out and the Airlines are all on the verge of stalling out. Corporate America has announced massive lay-offs and huge consolidations, all bad news, very bad news.

So, with all this doom and gloom how on Earth is anyone going to keep a positive attitude? Well, they need too, as "consumer confidence" can often be the difference between economic collapse and a short recession. It's up to all of us now, our leaders have spoken and are taking action, this can work, but not without our help.

It's up to all Americans to think past the mass media hysteria, to believe in our financial system, and to allow it to work through this crisis. After all if you allow yourself to dip into negativity, all you are going to do is cause yourself stress and health issues. And in doing so, you will not be helping yourself, your family or our nation through these turbulent times.

"Lance Winslow" - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/.

Removing Interior Walls

Here's a word of advice for any contractor, Carpenter, handyman or homeowner that is planning to remove an interior wall from your home or someone else's. Beware of removing interior walls, to eliminate your fears of the house collapsing. Some of the interior walls inside of the house are important structural components of the building.

Some of these walls hold up floors, roofs and other loadbearing sections that could create safety problems within the structure of the house itself. This is an area where an expert with framing skills should be consulted. What is the definition of someone with excellent framing skills? Some one with at least 10 years as a master framing carpenter.

My home building experience consists of three decades for over 30 years of assembling some of the most difficult sections of a home. During these years I have seen damage done to houses from removing structural interior walls. Most of this damage could be repaired with a little structural engineering. Some of the damage could not be repaired and caused other damage to different sections of the house. The damage caused in some cases to the floor and the roof framing had to be completely rebuilt.

I'm not telling you about every single thing I have ran into but you would be surprised if I started to make a list of all the homeowners and professionals in the building industry or home selling and buying business that contacted me to remove a structural component of a building. There have even been a few of these people that told me everything was going to be okay just go ahead and remove the structural building component.

Needless to say I would leave these people very irritated but I'm sure they found someone to do the job. The bad news is I was normally the person they would hire to go back and repair the damaged building after these people were gone and out of business. There have been cases where people have removed an interior walls against my better judgment and over the years of driving by in these homes I personally got to witness the structural damage that was occurring on the outside of the house.

I have no idea what the inside of the house looked like but could only imagine. My advice again when removing interior walls is to hire an experienced contractor or at least get some advice from an experienced framing carpenter. This does not include your basic know it all that has basic construction experience like your father in law, parents, friends, golfing associates or people you work with that tell you not to worry about it, just do it, everything will work out just fine.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and What Does A Shear Wall Do

Meditating On Religious Scriptur

A One Minute Meditation

Maybe learning to meditate intimidates you, and in any case it's tough to find the time for daily meditation. The solution to both problems is an easy meditation you can learn right now, that will only take a minute to do each day.

An Easy Meditation Technique

Breathing through your mouth expands your chest, but if you breath through your nose you'll notice how your abdomen extends. You see, nose-breathing causes the diaphram to pull air to the bottom of your lungs. This delivers a good dose of oxygen into your bloodstream and brain. It also tends to relax you.

Breathing through your nose is healthier, and it's the basis of this one-minute meditation. You simply close your eyes, let the tension go out of your muscles, let go of your thoughts (to the extent possible), and take four slow, deep breaths through your nose, paying attention to your breathing.

Is Meditation This Easy?

You're not likey to get you into a deep meditative state with this simple exercise. You will get benefits, though. These will almost certainly include a clearer mind and a reduction in stress.

Try to develop a "trigger" for your meditation. You can do your four breaths when you get into the car, for example, or right after lunch each day. A trigger is a place or time that reminds you, so your meditation becomes a habit.

Some may say this isn't "real" meditation, but there's nothing wrong with enjoying the relaxation you'll get from this technique. You can always pursue deeper meditation later, if you wish. In the meantime, remember that not everything has to be difficult to be of value. Why not do an easy one-minute meditation right now?

Steve Gillman writes on many self help topics including boosting brainpower, losing weight, meditation, habits of mind, creative problem solving, learning gratitude, generating luck and anything related to self improvement. You'll find more at http://www.SelfImprovementNow.com

Add a Splash to the Kitchen - House Remodeling Ideas

Easy and cost effective solutions to brighten up the kitchen

Practical thinking

Current trends are showing that more people are looking to improve rather than move when it comes to the home. One simple way to improve with impact is to revamp the kitchen - often considered as the heart of the home. Adding a splash of colour can completely change the look of the room and add that wow factor - but beware what looks great on your neighbour's wall may not suit your taste and lifestyle. Establish your comfort zone and choose colours that will complement your existing interiors.

All things bright and beautiful

First taking the lid off a tin of coloured paint can be a shock to the system. After being brainwashed with "white wash" for nearly a decade introducing any colour can be a daunting prospect.

But colour is finally back and with the right advice there is nothing to be frightened of. Bursting with endless possibilities, exciting new shades of colour are being launched each season such as winter's rich purples and reds and spring's fresh greens and yellows.

A splash of colour

The CP Group has recently launched its new Enki range of glass splashbacks and upstands with three choices of finish from plain gloss to unique glitter and iridescent effects. The unique range has been designed in response to the success of the CP Group's groundbreaking Unity glass tile collection - winner of 'Best in Wallcoverings' at the prestigious ELLE Decoration Design Awards. Available in an array of colours and sizes the Enki range suits both traditional or contemporary kitchens.

Splash of texture for a quick kitchen fix

New textures and finishes are the trend this spring creating an unusual and stylish look in the home. Splashbacks and upstands offer an alternative to tiles or paint and are a cost effective way to brighten up the kitchen quickly and effortlessly without the hassle or cost of redecorating the whole room. Easy to install, low maintenance and hygienic, splashbacks are a lifestyle investment which keeps the kitchen fresh, easily cleaned and bright!

For more information call 01484 727147 or alternatively, visit www.cpgroupuk.com

Expert advice from award winning CP Group's Marketing Manager, Katherine Lyne

For further press information, please contact Charlotte Booth on 01274722552 or email charlotte@approachpr.com

For more information call 01484 727147 or alternatively, visit http://www.cpgroupuk.com

Finding Homes Using the Internet - Home Shopping

You can simply type the words real estate or homebuying into any search engine on the World Wide Web and you will come up with hundreds, maybe even thousands of websites that are extremely helpful and full of great information. Like the one you're on right now.

Finding homes with the internet, combined with a skilled real estate salesperson, provides you with the most effective technology available today. Most websites start out, having you select a state you would like to search in and then, select a city, with your price range.

By answering their questions, this narrows the search down to all of the homes available in the area. The internet has made home shopping very simple. Considering what you had to go through in the 1970s. You found a realtor or by looking in the yellow pages, sometimes you found a good realtor and if you are lucky, maybe you would find you a good home.

Most of the time, the first homes you would look at, were owned by the real estate professional you were working with.

There are however a couple of problems with using the internet to find your dream home. Some of the verbage used and photographs taken can create a wonderful illusion of a tropical paradise but the reality, it's a regular home in a decent neighborhood.

Some of these photos are taken by skilled photographers who take advantage of every angle and tend to give an illusion of grander. When you actually start driving around and looking at these homes, only then will you get a reality check, of what the home actually looks like. You'll get used to it.

After you've looked at a few of your future dream homes, you will get a better idea of what I'm talking about with these wonderful pictures and the extraordinary home descriptions like "Beautiful Three Bedroom House with an Ocean View." When reality it's a two-bedroom house with an extra closet for the third bedroom and the ocean is 45 miles away, but you can see it on a clear day if you actually climb to the top of the largest tree on the property.

Take your time when searching for your dream home and don't let any one push you into making a decision if you're not ready. If you find your real estate professional a little too aggressive or pushy, get out of your contract, if you've signed one and find another, more helpful real estate salesperson to help you with your home purchase.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Find other real estate tips and great advice, from another one of the Internet's best website creators.

Wrong With Bible Verse

Including the Outdoors in Home Remodeling

A backyard isnt the same as it used to be a place to grill, where kids play ball, or just an extra spot to mow. Now the trend is to make the backyard an outdoor retreat or an extension to the house.

As reported in the May 2006 Consumer Reports, designing and furnishing an outdoor room is the second most likely home-remodeling project to do. Specifically, approximately 1.2 million U.S. households will install a fully functional outdoor kitchen, according to a study by the industry research company inquiry.
In 2004, Better Homes and Gardens magazine received survey responses from nearly 60,000 Americans describing home improvement projects and future home-building aspirations. Better Homes and Gardens found that people want indoor/outdoor livability, technological innovations, flexibility for family needs and a kitchen-centric focus. (REMODELING Magazine, September 1, 2005)

Homeowners are seeking ways to make the outdoors a functional part of the living area. To accomplish that, the barriers between outdoors and indoors, such as walls and solid doors, are going away. As cited in A Simple Way to Increase Outdoor Living Space at HGPgal.com, for homeowners looking to add to their living space, improve their lifestyle and increase the resale value of their home, the perfect solution is to extend living areas outdoors through the addition of decks, patios, outdoor kitchens and entertainment areas.

"The line between the house and the outdoor space continues to disintegrate," says Julie D. Taylor, author of Outdoor Rooms. "Many designers are using the same, or similar, materials both on the interior and exterior to extend the house to the outdoors. It breaks down the barrier and gives a feeling of a larger house."

Alternatively, instead of thinking of the barriers disintegrating, another solution is effective indoor-outdoor connections. These connections can include French doors opening up onto a porch, or the addition of a window to expose a lovely view. Indoor-outdoor connections can be as simple as adding a mudroom between the garage and the home, or more complex, such as an outdoor entertainment area placed just outside the doors of a home's main gathering space. Adding visual connections to the outdoors, such as through the addition of glass doors or enlarging a window, adds value to your home by making its interior space appear larger than it actually is. (Connect Inside of Your House with the Beauty Outdoors, Ann Robinson, Deseret News, April 2005)

To create the outdoor living space that you want, start by determining your budget and your desires.
Consumer Reports provides some tips about what to consider for building room extensions or outdoor entertainment areas:

* Determine how you will use your space
* Consider location
* Be sure to weatherproof
* Incorporate lighting and heat
* Consider safety

No matter what extension you decide to make, it will undoubtedly add value to your home. As cited by Ann Robinson in Deseret News, Exterior living space adds usable square footage to your home without costing you the $120-plus per square foot you'd spend for the construction of an addition.

For more information visit:http://www.homeremodelersgroup.com/"> http://www.homeremodelersgroup.com/

Nurture Your SoulCreate Peace of Mind

The majority of people believe humans have a soul. There is significant controversy, however, on the souls impact or whether as humans we impact the souls growth or lack there of. Those who practice spirituality believe we are human beings having a spiritual experience and we are spiritual beings having a human experience. Such movies as: Ghost, Sixth Sense, What The Bleep Do We Know?, City of Angels and others illuminate this belief.

Nurturing the soul is as important as healthy nutrition, exercising and sleep. The souls sole purpose is to create spiritual/emotional growth. The sense of well-being and happiness emanates from the soul to the psyche. If the soul is ignored or malnourished the psyche and ultimately the body suffers.

The most effective way to nurture the soul is through spirituality. Spirituality is the God-related science of developing and freeing the God-made innermost beingthe core of usMade in the image of God." Love creates, all else destroys. Love cannot co-exist with other premises simultaneously; therefore, God is only love. The fly in the ointment of human existence verses in spiritual formas Godis the "ego. The ego is essential to navigate the vicissitudes in physical life. However, the ego is what gets us into trouble. The truth is: All life on earth serves the sole purpose of developing our spirituality to the point of being free of spiritual ignorance, free of selfish or destructive behavioral (ego) patterns, free to return to our eternal home in God. True spirituality leads to freedom in God.

True God-related spirituality is achieved by means of scientifically applying spiritual teachings and spiritual techniques that fosters the ego to vanish in the fire of divine love and ego-oriented spirita.k.a. intellectto be replaced by the Holy Spirit. Such true spiritual teachings can only be affected by a true connection to our innermost self. Because all humankind is God-made, Spirituality is our true nature and spiritual development is the most direct way to solutions of love and peace in all creation.
Prayer, Meditation, Gratitude, Spending time in natureincluding near fire and water are practices to create spiritual/emotional health.

Prayer: Researcher and mind/body medicine expert Herbert Benson, M.D. found that regular prayer or the repetition of spiritual phrases such as "Shalom," or "Hail Mary," triggers relaxation and reduces stress. Make prayer a time of personal conversation with God, state your need or concern and ask for divine intervention. Acknowledge all you have to be grateful for and give thanks for that which you desire. Giving thanks is more effective than asking for what you desire. God knows what you need before you need it and has already sent it to youtherefore giving thanks acknowledges what you havent seen yet. Establishing a regular prayerful routine is important.

Meditation: Researched for centuries, meditation is proven to have physiological benefits, including stress-relief, improved immune and cardiovascular function, relaxation, and decreased pain. Regular meditation practice leads to new insights about life issues (often resulting in the healing of past emotional trauma), heightened creativity, inspiration, greater compassion for others, and a greater connection to one's own inner guidance. There are a plethora of books and classes on meditation practices.

Gratitude: The state of being grateful; thankfulness. (The American Heritage Dictionary) In the push and pulls of life we seldom realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich. Looking at the glass as half empty albeit is half full assures us, we will live with a sense of lack.

"Gratitude is our most direct line to God and the angels. If we take the time, no matter how crazy and troubled we feel, we can find something to be thankful for. The more we seek gratitude, the more reason the angels will give us for gratitude and joy to exist in our lives." --Terry Lynn Taylor

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." --Melody Beattie

Time in nature: The most visible manifestation of spirit is nature, where we most fully encounter and interact with life's primal energies in the forms of earth, water, fire, and air. Walking/hiking are easy and practical ways of reconnecting with nature and the earth, as are gardening, biking, camping and boating. Spending regular amounts of time outdoors within a natural setting, you enable yourself to better appreciate the rhythms of life, including your own.

Modern living prevents us from a balanced life. Time in nature restores that balance, while also deepening our connection with Spirit. Being near the water is a spiritually healthy experience, due to water's higher concentration of negative ions. Swimming in natural water or soaking in a mineral hot spring provides therapeutic benefits for a variety of ailments.

Exposure to a campfire or fireplace has health benefits. Leonard Orr discovered that fire cleanses the bio-energy field of negative energies, and is a powerful aid in curing physical disease. Orr recommends spending a few hours each day near fire. Fire is also an important component of the vision quests Native Americans undertake to connect with the Great Spirit and discover their life purpose.

Air is the closest expression of Spirit. Clean air is essential to health on all levels, and practicing conscious breathing is a potent self-care method for restoring energy and making you more aware of the power of Spirit as it flows through you.

Regular exposure to the four elements creates consciousness of Spirit's loving intelligence to sustain the world, while more deeply recognizing our place within it.

Given busy lives in todays world there are several techniques to use until one can engage with the four elements. The following techniques relax, revitalize and remove blocked energy.

Craniosacral TreatmentRelieves blockages caused by stress in the craniosacral system. Discovered by Dr. John Upledger in 1980, this system includes the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.

Reiki Chakra TreatmentJapanese spiritual healing technique, energy is channeled from master to student, cleansing the bodys chakrasspecific energy modes inside the body. Creates reduced stress and a stronger bridge to your inner being.

The Sound of Peaceful Healinga 120-minute sensory journey that uses sound, touch and smell to revive the senses and restore a feeling of calm.

Massage: Acupressurebased on acupuncture without needles, Deep Tissue, Reflexology, Swedish, Shiatsu, Aquatic Shiatsu,Trigger Point/Myotherapy, Rolfing.

Engaging in one or more of the soul nourishing activitiesPrayer, Meditation, Gratitude, Spending time in nature, including near fire and waterdaily will create soul/spiritual/ emotional health and you will enjoy a highly enriched and enriching life.

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer specializes in: Mind, Body, and Spirit healing for Individuals, Special Issues and Professional Coaching. As an inspirational leader, Dr. Neddermeyer empowers people to view life's challenges as an opportunity for Personal/Professional Growth and Spiritual Awakening. http://www.drdorothy.net

Moisture Against Gravity - Destroying Walls

Well I'm going to start this article with a little information on a job I did once.

I had been repairing a rental house for one particular homeowner for about three years when all of a sudden I got a phone call from him telling me the rental house was destroyed and he had never seen nothing like this. He sounded so upset over the phone I told him I would meet with him immediately.

On my way to the house I was trying to get an idea in my head what the house was going to actually look like. Since I have been repairing rental properties for over 20 years at this point of my career, nothing really shocked me. I had pretty much seen everything that could possibly be done to rental property by the tenants that lived there. There is a lot to be said about taking care of it as if it were your own.

He was waiting for me at the front door and he looked thoroughly disgusted. As I approached him he was shaking his head and yelling at the same time can you believe these people, can you believe what they did to my house. I was expecting to see the front door ripped off and all the windows broken out of the house but this wasn't the case.

As he led me through the home and I could see the usual clothing on the floor, broken cabinets, a few holes in the walls and of course that awful smell of mold and mildew. All of this stuff was nothing new to me because I'm the guy they call to fix it when a renter moves out of the property.

As I entered one of the bedrooms I got my first glimpse of something I had never seen before but heard stories about and could not believe my eyes. Looking at the walls in the bedroom about 3 feet from the floor all the way around the room, the plaster was soft. It actually looks like someone shoved popcorn into the wall somehow.

The homeowner wasn't even looking at this because of the rest of the damage in the home. I started to explain to him I'd never seen nothing like this but I could guess it was water damage somehow since the plaster was soft. I could actually stick my finger into the wall, that's how soft the plaster was.

My first thought was to examine the carpeting a little closer to see if it was wet. Well it was damp but it wasn't as wet as I would've expected it to be with the amount of water in the walls. With a little more home inspecting I had found the culprit, it was a broken water bed. The water bed was now in the backyard looking innocent.

I couldn't believe a broken water bed could do this much damage so I looked around for broken or leaking water pipes and could not find any. The other bad news I had to inform the homeowner was that the water had damage the bathroom and closet walls also. These walls of course were on the other side of the bathroom walls that were damaged.

Well the point of this story is that water will actually wick its way up or worked its way up into a wall. I had to remove 4 feet of drywall all the way around the room. The plaster or drywall actually acts like a sponge pulling the water into the walls. Hard to imagine that gravity in this case seems to reverse. I would've never thought that water would've traveled so far up the walls creating that much damage.

To repair the rental property I had to remove the damaged drywall, remove the carpeting, dry the wood framing out and put the whole thing back together.

I'm still amazed and will remember that project for as long as I live.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on House Water Damage

Was Jesus A Good Example

A Few Incomplete Sentences That Need Revision

1. "If you build it, they will come."

ORIGINATOR: Kevin Costner, Field of Dreams.

WHY IT'S INCOMPLETE: because just building it is not enough. You've got to get people talking about it.

A BETTER VERSION: "If you build it consistently, remarkably and with unique value ... they MIGHT come."

REMEMBER: doing business without marketing is like winking in the dark.

2. "Positive thinking equals success."

ORIGINATORS: The Bible, Normal Vincent Peale and James Allen

WHY IT'S INCOMPLETE: because just thinking about is not enough. You've got to work your ass off too!

A BETTER VERSION: "Positive thinking PLUS positive doing equals success."

REMEMBER: ideas are free, but execution is priceless.

3. "Think and grow rich?"

ORIGINATOR: Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich.

WHY IT'S INCOMPLETE: thinking without action is self-delusion.

A BETTER VERSION: "Think and ACT ... and grow rich."

REMEMBER: action is eloquence.

4. "What's in a name?"

ORIGINATOR: Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet.

WHY IT'S INCOMPLETE: because you have more than just your name. You have your name PLUS what people say after it.

A BETTER VERSION: "What in AND after a name?"

REMEMBER: if you don't make a name for yourself, someone will make one for you.

5. "Ask and you shall receive."

ORIGINATOR: The Bible.

WHY IT'S INCOMPLETE: the world isn't an order form. Asking only gets you so far.

A BETTER VERSION: "Ask and ACT ... and you shall receive."

REMEMBER: never underestimate the power of working your ass off.

LET ME ASK YA THIS...

Are you brainwashed by the wrong statements?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS...

For the list called, "153 Quotations to Inspire Your Success," send an email to me, and I'll send you the list for free!

2007 All Rights Reserved.

Scott Ginsberg, aka "The Nametag Guy," is an author, speaker, award-winning blogger and entrepreneur. As the creator of NametagTV.com, he teaches people how to GET noticed, GET remembered and GET business. To rent Scott's brain, call 314/256-1800 or email scott@hellomynameisscott.com

Consider Basement Renovation to Increase Value to Your Home

You can increase the value of your home with a good basement renovation. When you consider renovating your basement you need to determine why you want to renovate it. Maybe you want to make a basement room into a work out center, convert it to a television room, and make it into a kid's playroom or any of a number of other things.

Your project may be as simple as a new coat of paint on the dull walls or as extensive as a complete makeover into a new room. In any case there are some basic things you will need to consider and think about before you begin.

You will need to decide if the renovation to your basement will be easy enough for you to do yourself or if it will require the services of a professional basement contractor. Either way, you will have to prepare a budget.

One aspect in basement renovation that is extremely important is evaluating the quality of the air flow in the existing basement area you want to renovate. If your basement is moist, it will be prone to mildew. You will need to focus on getting the basement dry so it will be a place that you to go instead of a smelly place you avoid.

If your primary goal is to make your home a more comfortable place with the addition of quality space or improving the existing space, you need to consider basement renovation to accomplish this goal and add value to your home.

Considering basement renovation? Discover practical basement remodeling ideas online and turn cheap basement ideas into dream basements at a budget.

Bathroom Flooring Material

Bathroom Floors can be covered with wide variety of materials. Important things that one needs to consider while selecting bathroom flooring materials is affordability, water resistance and antislip qualities. Flooring bathroom with beautiful and suitable material can make it pretty. Right choice of material gives more impressive look to your bathroom.

Some Common Types of Bathroom Flooring Material

Following are some common examples of bathroom flooring materials.

• Natural Stone
• Lime Stone
• Marble
• Slate
• Granite
• Travertine

Natural Stone

It gives luxurious feel. It is expensive option. Repair cost is also high for damages such as staining and scratching. You can install it on your own but extreme care is necessary during cutting and matching of tiles.

Lime Stone

It is porous and soft in texture available in many light and neutral colors. It can vary in hardness. It retains the moisture and gets irreparable stains and scratches. It is not a good option for high transport area. Price is similar to marble. Professionals can install it properly because installation of limestone is very typical process in a sense that it can be broken easily due to improper installation.

Marble

Marble is made up of limestone treated to high temperature till recrystallization. This makes it hard. Sealing is required to make it resistant to stains. It is available in number of colors and veining. It is very smooth and gets very slippery when exposed to water. It is suggested to get it installed by professionals because improper installation can cause breaking and damage. It has to be treated with sealer on regular basis because it is highly prone to scratches and stains.

Slate

It is hard tile needs proper sealing for proper look and fitting. It is glamorous option. It is fine granular rock with textured and rustic appearance. It is non porous and best for washrooms. It is also available in good variety of hues and dark shades of black, gray, maroon, rust and green. It is one of the most durable bathrooms flooring material with more slip resistance.

Granite

It is drilled from very deep in earth. It is a kind of volcanic rock. It is beautiful flooring option. It is very hard but it is not resistant to stains. It is difficult to find similar pieces of granite due to variable veining and differences in stone color. It is very expensive. It is very durable and scratch resistant. It is also resistant to heat. It is porous and can get stains and absorbs moisture. To avoid this proper sealing is necessary after every six months. Proper installations can be done by professionals.

Travertine

This stone is commonly found in Italy. Chemically it is made up of calcium carbonate. It is available in several colors with uneven surface. These uneven surfaces can be filled. It is very durable bathroom flooring material and can resist to most cleaning products and it is also resistant to acids and basis.

If you want to know more information about bathroom remodeling options you can visit this site http://www.theyarelocal.com/articles/remodeling/bathroom_remodeling/index.php it will give you useful information and tips about bathroom remodeling.

Success Starting in Your 40s

You're going to find it hard to believe, but very seldom does an individual peak with creativity until they reach the age of 40. The average individual usually makes the most money between the age of 40 and 60. This doesn't have anything to do with retirement. Most highly creative people keep producing until they die.

If you're 55 years old and looking for a new career or can't seem to find a job in the profession you have worked at your whole life, don't be alarmed or fearful. Do you think you could start your own business? Is there something, you have always wanted to do but have put it off until retirement, or until you had enough time to do it?

Why wait, if you can't find a job in a business you never truly enjoyed, maybe you can find a new job doing something you love.

I have worked in construction for 30 years and at 44 years old started to pursue a career in writing and plan to create award winning websites and best selling books, for the rest of my life. This doesn't mean, I won't work in construction ever again, but I will become a best selling author within the next 20 years.

Most people don't take the time required to learn a new profession. If you're sincerely interested in another career, and you're 50 years old, there is plenty of people out there to give you hope and inspiration.

If you would like some proof, here's a couple successful American businessman who succeeded after the age of 40. Henry Ford is probably one of the most popular and became extremely successful after the age of 40. Andrew Carnegie, an American industrialists who transformed the steel business and did not start reaping the rewards of his efforts until he was well past the age of 40.

I gathered this information from the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. There is a section in the book where he talks about people after the age of 40 with phenomenal success. Anyone who's interested in gaining wealth through spirituality or finances should read this book.

I've often heard the statement, "People Often Over Estimate What They Can Do in a Year and Often Underestimate What They Can Do in a Decade." If you want to accomplish something after the age of 40, I would advise you to start with a plan and then put that plan and the action. Your plan could take five to 15 years to achieve or longer but think about the rewards, whether spiritual or financial.

Gregory Vanden Berge is working to promote personal development ideas and spiritual reform. He has started a web site for videos and articles based on current information about subject he is very familiar with.

"Education has freed me, to pursue other ideas and release me from the bondage and fear of organized religion."

Gregory Vanden Berge

Was Jesus A Good Example

Book Review: Godcountry

Godcountry by Colleen Drippe
Novel Books, Inc., 1591050022, $5.50

Eduardo Sabat was once a slave. Because he does not know the codes which will remove it, he still wears the shackle-like bracelet that once bound him to servitude in a pagan land, and which continues to remind him of his past. Though first instinct for a freed man would be to distance himself as far as possible from the place of slavery, it is not Eduardo's instinct. Now a for-hire mercenary partnered with the hardy Otto Zeller, Eduardo willingly treks back into the desolate colony called Godcountry, motivated by the job but not entirely aware of the consequences.

While the risks involved in returning to Godcountry are given, Eduardo is surprised by the attempts to foil his mission of returning the captured Hermadon Pelanot - son of the colony of Hithia's leader - to the custody of his stern aunt. His estranged wife is mysteriously murdered, and soon attempts on his own life follow. Nevertheless, Eduardo presses onward with the help of a motley party which includes the devout Christian Wolfbane and a crew of interplanetary religious known as the Star Brothers, whose faith gives Eduardo something to ponder as he discovers the threat to his life is closer than he actually realizes.

Godcountry is hard science fiction blended nicely with elements of faith and humanity. This story of a bleak future plagued by religious persecution and interplanetary greed bolstered through human slavery doesn't offer an immediate resolution to any problems, but offers the reader an intense look at how faith can exist in a hostile society and therefore offer a future of hope.

Kathryn Lively is the publisher of Phaze, romance novels in eBook and paperback. She offers book promotion advice for authors.

The Importance Of Goal Setting

You get into personal development, and all it seems since the beginning, is that everyone tells you to set goal. We have heard about goal setting, once, twice, perhaps even hundreds of time! So, why do these motivators, life coaches, and self help books keep trying to get you to set goals?

You may have or may not have heard the term 'Without a vision people perish'. How true! Studies have found that more deaths occur after important public occasions. This is due, not because of an outbreak of violence! The deaths occur because of that vision. At least from looking at the facts, this is a belief I hold. Again it may or may not be true, however putting 1 and 1 together, you get 2. And this looks like the most likely cause of this phenomenon.

Another interesting research has found that more people have heart attacks on Mondays. More specifically Monday mornings! I don't need to say, the very likely cause is that people don't like the work they do! Here is why goal setting is so crucial in our lives.

I wonder how many of those people were so concerned about getting to work early to not have to have another long talk with the boss, that it ended on Monday morning! Goal setting can help us with such a simple thing has getting to work on time, however, goal setting is not just for time keeping.

Knowing how to effectively set goals is the key ingredient here. Effective goal setting allows you to transform your life, if you choose to. If you take a look around where you are, you will see what goal setting has done for man.

While many people go to work, can't wait for the paycheck, and spend life in front of a TV, goals do not mean much. And simply using goal setting strategies for getting to work in time is not doing goal setting its full justice. The house, the room, the building you are sitting in right now, is there because of a person's goal setting ability; and of course translating that into action.

The reason many personal development coaches stress the importance of setting goals is that of being mindful. We are born to the world and find a pretty much straight path through life. First learn, then earn, then get married, have kids and retire. Though we all generally follow the same pattern, life offers us much more to it.

If you really want to live life on your terms, goal setting is the first step. I have to stress the first step, as all too often, people will make the goal setting, and planning phase last from step one to step 10, and take no action!

Are you sick and tired of what you do for work? Are you working in a dead end job? Now we have passed the new millennium, and this millennium is showing us that, yes man and woman, and all can do what they want.

After all, if everyone does what they love, we would have a better world. Films such as the Secret, and several others are helping people see that vision. This may seem like a utopian view, and you may think to go back to work and function as you have. But, realize that people in the main are like ships without rudders, without a goal they don't have a destination, and no daydreaming is not goal setting.

Goal setting needs action, and now more and more people are awakening to the possibility that yes it is possible. I am excited at seeing a world where more people set goals and take action.

From goal setting to goal achievement, Kozan Huseyin has helped many people find there own success story. Learn the true success secrets to setting goals and seeing those goals materialize in reality!

How To Goal Set

Your Success Coach

Latest Home Business Opportunities

New Home Buyers Beware

Ican't believe how many homebuyers purchase a house, with very little information and a Lotta hope. I'm a general contractor and often work on these homes, after they have been purchased and a homeowner has their money, the real estate professional is no longer involved in the transaction and the new homeowner is starting to experience the pitfalls from buying the home, that they sincerely believe was in good condition.

It's usually somebody like me that gets involved with the new homeowners after everyone else is out of the picture and chooses not to return their phone calls or explains to them quite simply, it's not our responsibility, you're the new homeowner and we really feel sorry for you, please call us again if we can help you with anything.

You couldn't even help me with that, why would I want to call you again if I had a problem. I never could understand this thinking but have ran into it often. It sounds like an oxymoron when someone refuses to help you but offers you help in the future. What ever!!!.

If homebuyers had something else to rely on besides their real estate salesperson, home inspection service, mortgage or insurance professional, I believe they can eliminate some of these problems. Where do you start and how do you get the information. You can gather information from reputable people, books, the Internet and so on.

The problem is how do you know these people are reputable and the books on the Internet have good information. This brings us to another problem, but I've got the solution that will help eliminate some of the grief. I'm not going to remove all of the grief from your life but have a suggestion for you that will eliminate some of the pain when buying a home.

Arm yourself with a good home inspection checklist. You can search the Internet and they have quite a few good home inspection checklist to work with. These checklist can provide you with things you might not have thought of, and this is where you can eliminate some of the problems.

If you took one of these checklists with you while you were shopping for a home, you would be aware of some of the problems with the home. You might not find all of the problems but these checklist will help you with some of the problems.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your looking for some more home inspection or home building ideas.

Was Jesus A Good Example

Become a Jack of All Trades - Vista Handyman

Leaky faucets, old shingles, fallen fence boards... For the manually minded individual it is possible to save literally thousands of dollars on repairs and maintenance every year. Jumping into a project can be intimidating for those who have thought about tackling those nagging home repair projects but aren't quite sure how to begin. With a little effort, gaining the tools and skills to fix things can not only save money but can bring a satisfaction that little else can.

The first thing that any handyman needs is a basic toolbox that includes things like screwdrivers, wrenches, hammers, level and measuring tape. For the amateur builder it may make sense to collect these tools individually as they are needed. Once acquired keep that toolkit in a good tool box to keep everything handy and in good shape. One never knows what will be needed again and gradually building a set of useful tools will make each subsequent job easier.

In their simplest form most repair jobs come down to two things: cutting and fastening. If you can't cut something on your own, the time that a job will take multiplies greatly. A saw is one of the most basic pieces of the handyman's toolkit but which type of saw for which job? A chop saw for short accurate cuts, a table saw for long accurate cuts or a skill saw for more general use? Each of these has distinct advantages but unless heavy duty work is anticipated a handheld skill saw or jigsaw can accomplish most small tasks. If you're willing and able to fork over a small chunk of change, many hardware stores carry bundles of power tools that can include skill saws, reciprocating saws, drills etc. While the combo can be a little pricey it is one of the most efficient ways to acquire not only a saw but a set of all the basic power tools necessary for most jobs.

Whether you buy a bundle of power tools or look for deals separately, a reliable cordless drill with an extra battery is another essential tool that will make chores quicker and easier. Because a good drill is so versatile, it is the center of the handyman's world. Fasten any type of hardware and swiftly drill through anything from drywall to concrete. With a cordless battery backup it's always ready to get the job done.

Once the toolkit is assembled don't be afraid to take on new projects; with a little skill and the right research, most basic repairs are not outside of the reach of any amateur fixer. Many large hardware stores even offer free weekend clinics on a wide variety of topics. Sure, they are trying to sell their supplies but learning to do a job without the cost of a contractor usually saves hundreds of dollars in labor. Another great source of information is the growing number of periodicals dedicated to the part-time jack-of-all trades. By Taking advantage of these informative sources and gathering the tools for the job any would-be handyman is off to a great start.

For more information on being a handyman, visit http://handymanmagazines.com

Finding a Good Deck Builder

An outdoor deck is becoming an increasingly important asset to the homeowner and family because it provides a perfect space to enjoy the good life in the outdoors day or night. So it's important to find a qualified deck builder who can construct this new outdoor living space for you.

The search involves five simple steps.

Step one involves asking relatives, friends and neighbors about contractors who have worked for them. Try talking to staff at the home improvement retail outlets for deck builder contractors that they recommend.Try contacting your local home builder association for a list of recommended deck building contractors. And finally, look in the Yellow Pages for companies that specialize in deck building.

Once you have decided upon at least three companies to provide you with a deck estimate complete step two. This involves checking with the Better Business Bureau to discover if they are members. Arrange for a time when each of these deck builders can come to your home and discuss your project. Explain clearly when they arrive what you want in terms of deck shape, dimensions, materials to be used, railing type, stair type and placement as well as any special features that you wish built.

In step three ask the deck builder to provide customer references for projects similar to yours. Make a point to call these homeowners. Ask them if the work was done properly and if the work was completed on time. Ask if the project was completed on budget and find out if any follow-up work was required. Inquire if the follow-up work was done satisfactorily. Determine if these customers would hire the contractor again.

Most importantly, go and see for yourself the work done by this deck builder on projects that are similar to yours.

Step four deals with ensuring that you are protected from any risks:

1. Check to see that the deck builder has a registered, legitimate business license.

2. Ensure that the contractor has business liability insurance in case he or she damages your home or a neighbor's or causes an injury to a third party like your neighbor.

3. Make sure that the deck builder has worker compensation coverage to protect against the risk of claims or financial loss if a worker is injured on your project.

4. Ensure that the contractor's written warranty specifies what is covered and for how long.

5. Make sure that the contractor's name, address, telephone number and business license number are on the contract.

6. Check that the contract contains a full description of the work to be done as well as the materials and products to be used in the construction process.

7. Ensure that the contract states when the work will start and when it will be completed.

Step five involves making sure that a building permit is obtained for the project by the contractor. This will automatically guarantee that the local building codes are complied with and that a local building inspector will visit at required intervals to check on the progress and quality of your deck's construction.

Following these five steps will make the construction process stress free because you will have found a good deck builder qualified to do the job professionally and honestly and who will completed the project to your satisfaction.

So, save yourself a lot of headaches and follow the 5 step to finding a good deck builder.

Richard Vande Sompel is a professional deck builder of 35 years and over 850 decks built and is the author of "How to Plan, Design and Build a Deck from Start to Finish". To Learn More About a Good Deck Builder and Claim your 2 FREE Deck Plans, Insider Report, MP3 Audio and discover everything to know about building a deck visit: http://www.DeckBuildingRevealed.com