Money in My Pocket

Do you love to write? How about writing and really, seriously getting paid for it! Well with this site called Squidoo you can write one page articles (called a lens) These pages practically come together on there own. The modules where you add content be it information about your topic, pictures, tips, products that others can purchase are all ready for you to use. Just choose the ones that you would like on your page, upload your content and when you're ready hit the publish button to set it out to be seen.

When people click on a link you make a small royalty from the click outs. If you add a selling module like ebay or amazon and show items for people to buy when they click through and make a purchase you also get a royalty.

What a great way to let your imagination go free writing on any topic you choose. It's free to join so what are you waiting for go sign up... you'll love it. I have to say once you do a few of these pages it becomes addicting.

Here are some inspiring items from Designs by Shell

The Importance of Tag Lines

Did you know that most companies get noticed or remembered because they have a great tag line that appears with their logo. Think for a minute, how about Nike, (tag line ) "just do it" or how about Coke (tag line) "It's the real thing"! When you start to think of companies you remember their tag line don’t you?

Basically, a tag line should be used anywhere your business name and logo appear. This will definitely get your business recognized and help you with your marketing strategy.

Here are 10 places to use your tag line:

business cards,e-mails,social network pages,websites, newsletter/brochures, invoices,ads, banner listings, phone book listings, and letterhead.

Here are a few business cards I’ve designed for Designs by Shell …where creativity shines… see where your tag line would go…

"A" is for either Alligator or Annoying Bull Frogs

Since I have very little alligator experience, I decided to write about bull frogs.  We live by a pond, well people here call it a lake, but it's really a pond.

 In southern Indiana it gets hot in the summer. So most of the time the windows are closed and the air is on.  Anyway, May offers the opportunity to open windows; I like to open our bedroom window at night.  I love the cool breeze of spring on my back.  Too bad the damn frogs have to croak!  

I saw a dead one once on the side of the road.  Those babies are huge!  We have at least three in the pond right now.  They sound like they're playing bad bass instruments.  I have to give them credit for their rhythm though.  They keep a steady beat.

Counting the croaks just happens; it can't be helped. When it's quiet I count the seconds while I wait for the noise--it's like waiting for a hiccup.  This is not conducive to sleep. So after awhile, I begin an internal debate.  Do I want the pleasant breeze or do I want quiet?  If the ducks join in, that settles it.  The window is closed.

We used to hear coyotes, but it's been awhile...

"B" is for Braving the Storm

I'm sitting in my closet as I type this.  Why am I sitting in my closet?  Because we don't have a basement.  My daughter has a guy friend over and they're watching a movie in our other closet.  It just feels silly, but not going in the closet or taking cover is just dumb.

 We live close to where the tornado hit a few years ago. My husband and I went back to bed that night thinking we had just a little bit of rain, hail, and wind, but nothing more.  When I woke up that Sunday morning, I found we were without electricity.  This was unusual because all the power lines are underground where we live.  The storm had passed and it was a beautiful day.  The sun was shining and the sky very, very blue.

  I decided to go for a milk run or was it a McDonald's run...  As I drove along I began to see signs of the storm. The Apple Center near us had a parking lot full of emergency vehicles.  And...what was that in the road?  A refrigerator?  The storm was a little more wicked than I'd thought.  A tornado hit Newburgh and some of Vanderburgh County.  People died.  I take cover when I'm told.

"C" is for Carmel

Gotta love Carmel--it's sweet, creamy, and wonderfully fattening.  My husband gave me the recipe for making my own Carmel early on in our marriage.  He learned this technique from his Spanish teacher in high school.  Here goes:

Take the paper off a can of sweetened condensed milk
Put the can in boiling water for 3 hours.  (If you bring water to a rapid boil, you can turn the temp. down keeping a lid on the pan.)
After 3 hours, open up the can and see the Carmel!  It is spread easily on apples or another treat idea is to put the Carmel between two vanilla wafers, squeeze, then roll the gooey edge in coconut.  Yum.  Kids love making these treats.  Just give them a plastic knife (or something lacking sharp points) to do the spreading with.  The treats look like  wreaths when  finished.  They look pretty and kids are proud to have made something so nice.

"D" is for Door

I'm glad we have a friendly doorbell.  Knocking on the front door, or I should say, banging on the front door sounds so ominous and I hesitate to answer it.  If a person chooses to knock on our door, they knock hard for some reason.  The front door has two glass panels and in the afternoon shadows are cast by the souls in front of it.  This can be sort of funny, but it can also be scary.  One time my oldest daughter's boyfriend's parents dropped by on their motorcyle.  His mother just wanted to drop something off so when she approached our front door she didn't bother to take her helmet off.  I can tell you that was a pretty interesting shadow.  I didn't know whether to laugh or run.  She looked like an alien with a tiny body and huge round head.  It was tough keeping a straight face when chatting at the door.

 Another time it was a bright moon that cast a shadow.  My younger daughter couldn't sleep.  It was three or four in the morning; not a time you would expect visitors.  She wandered down to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.  As she pondered what to eat the knob on the door to the garage rattled.  Gulp.  She made her way back upstairs to my room and shook me awake.  My husband didn't wake up.  Anyway  I sat on the stairs with her to listen for the door rattle.  Jumpy as we were we were staring at the front door.  A man's shadow appears followed by a knock and we shot up the stairs to wake my husband.  With both of us shaking the life out of him, he woke up.  As he stumbled downstairs to check things out, my daughter turned her cell phone back on and it rang.  It was her boyfriend outside the house.  She had told him about the doorknob jiggling and then shut off her phone.  He was worried so he came over.  It was his shadow at the front door.  The next day we discovered our garage light on.

"E" is for bursting with Enthusiasm!



Enthusiasm Is Explosive

 Enthusiasm is one of those pregnant words.  It's an "E" word that gives birth to other "E" words like excitement, energy, enjoy, and embark.  For a club, an idea, a committee... to be truly successful there has to be some enthusiasm behind it otherwise it's bound to be flat like another spot on the road.   Sports teams have cheerleaders riling up a crowd; they are important because an excited crowd riles up the players.

Writers need that magic called enthusiasm, too. We need to find our inner chearleader.  Working alone and reading rejection letters has a way of keeping enthusiasm at bay.  Unless, of course, writing is just what you do.  Focusing on the process of writing is what keeps me going, and weird as this may sound, I don't mind being alone.  Still-- I'm happy to go out into the world to live and talk to others.  If I didn't, I wouldn't have anything to write about.