One year, when we visited Gatlinburg, we saw the Christmas decorations at the timber frame barn where they sell those cute little collectible bears. It was a beautiful building itself and the decorations made it spectacular. Timber frame construction is being used in Gatlinburg more and more. It is aesthetically pleasing as it doesn’t distract from the natural beauty of the mountains.

Vermont Timber Works makes the custom designed commercial buildings that are noted for blending in with the wooded areas and adding to the cosmetic value of property. When you check out their website, www.vermonttimberworks.com, you will see why so many businesses and homeowners are choosing timber frame construction for their new structures. Every project is unique. They would love to show you what they can do.

I didn’t know that Alan Alda had a near death experience. It seems as though, when he was in Chile he had an obstruction in his intestine. He almost died. Since then, he has had a different outlook on life.

From CNN online:
“As a lot of people do who are given a second chance at life, I find myself thinking about things like this,” he says in a phone interview from New York. “I notice a lot of people who go through that have a few more questions than they had before about their lives.”

As a result of his experience, he has been looking through his things and remembering things. He has put his thoughts — derived from commencement speeches, advice and life experiences — into a book: “Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself” (Random House). It might be interesting.

A few posts back I told how I had to find a certain type of ball for our dog Elsie. She can destroy any toy or ball that we give her. The only ball I have found that she can play with forever and not tear apart is a 6 inch round hard plastic ball. I finally found a website that sold those balls. Since it was difficult to find the ball, I thought I had better order two of them. We got the balls and I put the box, unopened, on the floor to see what Elsie would do. I didn’t know if she would be able to smell the balls. Here is a picture of Elsie and Brodie getting the balls out of the box.
They are two very happy dogs!

More and more businesses are finding out how powerful the Internet can be for their business. The number of companies utilizing the Internet is astounding. There are many businesses who would like to utilize the Internet as a tool for their business but have no idea where to begin. We have a small floor covering business that I would love to showcase on the Internet. Where do I start?

That is where Teraeon Consulting comes to the rescue. This highly focused consulting firm knows that the Internet can take a business to higher levels. They are dedicated to taking your business to that level and help it gain the most from the Internet. If your business is involved in sales and you want to increase the amount of those sales, you need to know how to become involved. Ecommerce is the place for your business to see sales sky rocket. If your business offers a service, it is to your advantage to get your name on the web so others can find you.

Teraeon Consulting will aid you every step of the way. Contact them at http://www.teraeon.com/services.asp . They have a plan for your business. Their knowledge in the languages of computer processing are extensive. They include ASP.Net, ASP, PHP, JSP, C#, Java, Visual Basic, Perl, XML, DHTML, Javascript. Their knowledge of data solutions include SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase, MySQL, Access. If you are a business owner like me, you have no idea what those items are! That is why you need a consulting firm with the experience to get the most for your business.

Teraeon Consulting has knowledge of the most advanced web technologies in use today. They specialize in web solutions that utilize the most advanced platforms available. Let them wind through the maze of technology and let you stay focused on your business. Contact Teraeon today.

I have been taking precautions and checking every piece of material that is delivered. I trusted the delivery people to put things they delivered in the proper location. It was working well. Then a piece of material was not there. The delivery man said he delivered it.

It only takes a minute to make precautions for safety.

When we are doing routine things our minds tend to wander. We begin thinking about what we have planned for the day. We think about what to fix for dinner, etc. That’s when accidents happen. I know of several people who have had mishaps and been hurt in their tubs. It only takes a second to make a quick turn and find yourself slipping.

Tread Safe offers a solution to make your tub safer. Their tub and shower slip-resistant treatment makes your tub and shower less likely to be the place for a mishap. This easy to use treatment can save a trip to the emergency room.

The treatment also makes the tub easier for the elderly to use. I will never forget when my grandmother visited and she used our tub. I never thought about how it would be for someone with minimal strength to pull themselves out of a tub. Without ant slip-resistant treatment on our tub, she found it impossible to get a grip with her feet and push herself up and out of the tub. She was so embarrassed to have to get help.

I immediately got slip-resistant strips for the tub. You really should consider it for your tub or shower.

Businesses should invest in slip-resistant treatments for their floors. I wouldn’t be funny if someone were to fall in their establishment. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

I had to laugh at the wedding announcement I read in the paper. It said the the parents of the bride and groom were happy to FINALLY announce the engagement of their son and daughter. The word finally struck me as being such a funny word to include in the announcement.

I know the young couple and they have dated for a long time. I think it has been seven years. I give them credit for wanting to finish their education before settling into a new life of being married. I think they are smart.

All of the home decorating magazines are showing the most beautiful kitchens. It doesn’t take much to get me in the mood to remodel my kitchen. My 1970’s harvest gold is a bit dated! It’s easy to update your kitchen. I would like to paint my cupboards in a biscuit color and install new granite counter tops. Then I want to put old world style ceramic tile on a diagonal on the backsplash. I want to use earth tone colors with metal tile inserts.

I found a great place on the web to get ceramic tile. You should check out Anchor Bay Tile if you are in need of quality ceramic tile. They offer ceramic tile in a wide array of colors, styles and sizes. They even have the new glass tile I’ve noticed in many of the decorating magazines. Of course, the thing that is important to me is that they handle the beautiful metal tile I love. They have some of the most unique styles I have seen and their prices seem very reasonable.

I know that ceramic tile can weigh quite a bit so I am pleased to see that they offer a flat rate on their shipping cost. That makes ordering tile online so much more affordable.

Now, if I can get in the mood to paint, I think I have a plan! At least I know that Anchor Bay Tile is where I’ll be checking for ceramic tile.

Today I got my daily dose of funnies at the beauty shop. That place is crazy! The owner is so funny and full of energy. I have to take a deep breath and calm myself down when I leave her shop. Last time I was there I had just missed the customer who exposed himself. A while back an elderly lady walked out of her panty hose and left them laying on the floor. She refused to admit they were hers!

It is going to be so much fun decorating our house for Christmas this year. We added a big room onto the back of our house that will allow for a big Christmas tree. I almost bought a skinny tree for the living room so that it didn’t take up as much room. I couldn’t find one that looked real enough to suit me. I had no idea we were going to add this room!

The walls of the room are cedar and I found greenery at www.collectiblestoday.com. It has pre-lit bulbs that are wound in such a way that the wires won’t show. I want to hang the greenery all the way around the top of the room. That will give the whole room a warm holiday glow. The greenery is made to look like Hawthorne Fir. It has extra-thick ply needles that make this nine foot garland dense and luxurious. It is in a medium forest green color with blue-green tips, frosted faux berries, holly leaves and pinecones that are lightly dusted with artificial snow to create that “just-cut” look. I think it will look beautiful.

Collectibles Today has the best selection of Indoor Christmas Home Decorations and Christmas Decorating Ideas. I found the prettiest Thomas Kinkade ornaments. Each of the ornaments is a bird house with a different species of bird. I like to get a new ornament for the tree each year. I think I found this years! Their selection of ornaments is amazing. It will be hard to decide which you like best!

They also have gifts at Collectibles Today. They have Department 56 Snowbabies that would make a wonderful gift. They have a whole section of gifts dedicated to dog lovers. I found a beautiful necklace with a Boston Terrier pendant. I might have to put that on my Christmas list. They have a whole section of jewelry you will want to take a look at.

At Collectibles Today, you will find everything you need to make your home beautiful for the holidays. They have tabletop Christmas trees, collectible Christmas Villages, Christmas wreaths and much more.

They are the best place to shop all year round. They are the official site for The Bradford Exchange collectors items and gifts. They also have angel collectibles and cuckoo clocks! You just have to go look because there are too many things to list here!