Design Ideas for Your Window Blinds

There are many different types of window blinds available today, so you may be having a difficult time in choosing the right ones for your home. Here is a sampling of the types that are available today:

Mini blinds are narrower than standard blinds, coming in sizes ranging from 2 inches down to 1/2 inch. They may come in different thicknesses of the slats as well. The materials used for mini blinds are usually aluminum or plastic. The plastic ones are cheaper, but in either case, the thicker the slats, the higher the cost will be, simply because there is more material and they will therefore be stronger. Mini blinds have long been popular in commercial establishments, and are still relatively popular in homes. The choice of styles and colors is almost limitless. For a good selection, try mybeautifulblinds and click on the mini blind tab.

Venetian Blinds are really nothing more than blinds with horizontal slats. Just about any of this type of blind can be considered a Venetian blind, including wood blinds, Roman blinds, composite blinds and PVC blinds.

PVC blinds may also be considered faux wood blinds. They are essentially formed PVC (poly vinyl chloride) plastic. They have gained a lot of popularity over the last decade. They come in slats ranging from 2 inches to 3 inches and can be plain or made to look like wood. The original PVC blinds were only white, but today come in a great range of colors, including a lot of different wood tones. Their popularity is due to the fact that they are inexpensive, easy to maintain, resistant to sun and moisture and are very hard wearing. They are an excellent choice for children's' rooms for this reason. The only disadvantage is they are heavier than real wood or composite slats, so the wider ones may be hard to raise and lower.

There are many brands of PVC blinds, but the most well known are Faux Wood, Infusion, Wood Plus, Wood Look, Wood Like, Envirowood, Dover Wood and Wood Mates. Most of these quality brands are solid foam PVC, but check with your dealer to be sure.

Composite blinds are just that: a composite of various materials, such as wood flake, glues and plastic. This is one of the newest materials being used for blinds. The slats are usually between 2 and 2 1/2 inches, but sometimes come in 3 inch widths. The surface of each slat is a solid composite or it may be poly coated. They usually come in white, but some colors and wood tones can be found as well. They are very reasonable priced and offer the same qualities as other blinds in terms of being resistant to moisture, UV rays and warping. They are also easy to clean. The only disadvantage is that they tend to be heavier than wood blinds.

Wood blinds are made from real wood. They come in two main types, known in the industry as "value" and "premium". Value wood blinds are constructed from less expensive woods from the Orient. Premium wood blinds are made form high quality Basswood from America. Basswood is wood that is cross grained with a fine detail, and does not warp easily.

The slats can be thinner, such as 1 inch wide, but also come in 3 inch wide slats. The surface can be painted or stained, with the color assortment limited by the color of paint, which is just about limitless. If you want to match your cabinet in your kitchen, or the wood trim in your living room, you can get a stain to match exactly. It is not surprising that these types of blinds are the most expensive. But because of their light weight, they are the best choice for very large windows.

Adam Peters is the copywriter of http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com Find more publications about window blind design ideas at his website.

Custom Home Building

God Knew What Kinds of Food He Wanted us to Eat

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food." (Gen. 1:29)

We Christians are full aware of the importance of limiting the external messages that we are bombarded by on a daily basis by the media. We are fully aware of their damaging effects. We shield our children from inappropriate materials. It is important to do so, it our job as parents. After all "We are in the world but not of the world".

Yet, we stuff our faces with artery-clogging, pesticide ridden, fatty junk food full of ingredients that we cannot even pronounce. Why do we neglect the importance of what we eat? God is concerned about what we eat. Shouldn't we be?

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? (1 Corinthians 6:19, NIV).

15 At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. 16 So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others. (Daniel 1: 1-16, NIV)

Daniel knew the importance of healthy eating. Eating foods as close to their natural state as possible is a simple code to live by.

Therefore, I believe God would have us buy organic foods whenever possible. They are as close to the natural state as we can get. Often times the cost is equal or slightly different from its treated counterpart.

Also, the evils of treated foods are well chronicled. The many pesticides and chemicals used to treat food are now linked to cancer and other diseases. The EPA considers that 60 percent of all herbicides, 90 percent of all fungicides and 30 percent of all insecticides are carcinogenic. A 1987 National Academy of Sciences report estimated that pesticides might cause an extra 1.4 million cancer cases among Americans over their lifetimes. The bottom line is that pesticides are poisons designed to kill living organisms, and can also be harmful to humans. In addition to cancer, pesticides are implicated in birth defects, nerve damage and genetic mutation.

Your food and physical activity choices each day affect your health - how you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future.

You can find out more about Fit and Faith-A Total Christian Health and Fitness eBook, and download a free 4-day devotional sample, here: http://www.fitandfaith.com

Tenets Of Buddhanature Doctrine

The Resurgence of Hope

We have entered into a new planetary cycle that is already beginning to manifest some of the greatly needed changes that have been long awaited by so many faithful souls who have worked to build a better world. You may be able to sense this already. Many are feeling "change in the air", and are speak of hope, liberation and freedom in new ways that have not been seen for several generations now.

This resurgence of hope has manifested because so much darkness and negative energy have been released and purified, enabling a new level of God's light to begin to manifest upon the Earth. This new light is not an "idea" but is a vibrational reality which creates its own signature and impact on the physical world.

Just like a flashlight which serves to illuminate the cobwebs of a long neglected basement, the presence of greater spiritual light on the Earth stirs up dormant energies of separation and negativity, so they can be brought into the light of day, and then released into the greater light that now exists on the Earth. This process is known as purification, and it is happening everywhere, within individuals, groups, families, communities, countries and in the world at large.

The presence of greater light on the Earth not only accelerates the process of purification, but also changes the vibrational frequency of physical matter. This is having a major impact on our physical bodies, and on the physical body of our Earth. You may have noticed an acceleration of all kinds of unusual physical symptoms, some of which are simply an annoyance, others of which may be more serious and require professional attention.

By now we are all familiar with the significant changes in the Earth's weather patterns, which have been affected both by humanity's ongoing abuse and neglect of our environment, and also by the changes in vibration which are impacting all levels of our ecosystem from the depths of the inner Earth to the upper reaches of our atmosphere.

This process of planetary purification is very intense, and at the same time opens up entirely new possibilities for humanity. We can no longer live by the old ways, and we need to find new solutions to today's problems. These new solutions are already becoming evident and appearing on all levels of the world stage. From politics, to science, to medicine, to religion, and to the world of new technologies, human beings are being inspired and guided to create new avenues of possibility for themselves and their children.

For many years now the Earth has been covered by a cloud of energy that has obscured the perception of the light that has been growing. Now we are seeing finally some breaks in the clouds. The new light is streaming through and speaking to the hearts, minds and bodies of all those who are physically embodied on the Earth.

This new light speaks of hope, and the possibility of the new. Each soul on the Earth is being helped right now to find within themselves a deeper access to their divine soul purpose, and their own unique gifts. Your dreams and intuitions are being affected by the light, which is calling forth from the depths of all souls a new reality.

For some, this new light is so rapidly accelerating their own process of purification, that an overwhelming array of old emotions and physical symptoms are presenting themselves. For these souls, support and connection with others can greatly assist in remaining connected to the light, and having perspective about the intensity of emotions that are moving through their consciousness.

Dearest ones, this is a new time of infinite possibility, and it is also a time of choice and the need to take action. No longer can humanity sit on the sidelines to watch life as an observer. The new times ahead will require everyone's active participation. God's divine light is speaking to your heart, in your dreams, your daily life, and your intuitions. New possibilities and new hope are awakening. Listen within and follow the thread of light that calls. You will find a new life awaiting as you follow the voice of your deepest self, which is God's voice within.

Mashubi Rochell is a spiritual counselor and the founder of WorldBlessings.net, an online spiritual support community for people of all faiths. World Blessings is co-sponsoring the new One World Meditations, a weekly global meditation to help heal and transform the Earth through the strengthening of the lines of light that connect all people.

Four Noble Truths

A Successful Life

This world is not lacking in its quest for success, yet so few of us really achieve the success we seek. Perhaps it is because we have not clearly defined success. Merriam-Webster defines success this way: "a favorable or desired outcome." I like this definition because it leaves room for each of us to put our own spin on what success looks like to us. What makes one successful? True success is far more than accolades, money, and degrees. These things can certainly play a role in what success might look like; however, without a clear understanding of what success involves, it will continue to elude us.

So, what does it take to be successful? How do we achieve this "favorable or desired outcome"?

Step one: know who you are. I remember my 8th grade teacher's parting words to me as I ventured on to high school. Quoting William Shakespeare, her advice was, "To thine own self be true." When we are true to ourselves, our lives are governed by our beliefs, our values, and our principles. Consequently, our decisions are based on what is right for us and we stop living to please the rest of the world.

Step two: know who you want to be. This step involves much introspection because, again, it is based on beliefs, values, and principles. It is only after we apply our beliefs, values, and principles to our lives that we can then build a vision of a better self. An old proverb states: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." I take great liberties here to paraphrase by simply saying, "Without a vision of who you want to be, you will surely die without ever knowing who you can become."

Step three: define your mission. A mission is a definite task; it's the reason we exist. I mentioned in a previous article "The Fuel of Motivation" that our mission statement must reflect the values that govern our lives. A clearly articulated mission acts as a vehicle to help you get to your destination-success. Your mission will always depend on what you know about yourself.

Step four: take an honest assessment of your knowledge, skills, and attitude. What do you know about what you want to do? For example, after working through Jack Canfield's program "Self-Esteem and Peak Performance," I realized that I liked speaking and teaching. I also uncovered the fact that I am well suited for this career, and I am extremely effective. It never feels like work to do a seminar, workshop, or keynote. In contrast, I worked once as a data entry clerk-a job I never liked! I had the knowledge and the skills to do the job; however, I was not happy because I did not have the right attitude. I didn't have all of the knowledge and skills to become a public speaker, trainer, and consultant, but my attitude helped me to get what I needed. Assessing your knowledge, skills, and attitude will help you get on the right track to success and happiness.

Step five: know how you're going to get to where you want to go. All successful people set goals. I remember a woman from one of my seminars who mentioned that she did not believe in setting goals because our lives are already predestined. What a tragic way to live! We are all created to live a full and successful life. I don't believe that our achievement is left up to God. I think He leaves it up to us. SMART goals help us take inventory along the way and measure our success. These measurements must be: S- specific, M- measurable, A- attainable, R- realistic, T- time bound.

About 9 years ago, I decided to get serious about my life and began to set goals. It's magical! I have achieved satisfactory results in practically every area I've set a goal in: spiritual, financial, educational, and educational. Two of my major goals were to finish my master's degree and then finish my doctorate degree. Every semester I was able to determine whether I was getting closer to where I wanted to go. If you are serious about achieving success, you must set goals!

Step six: maintain a realistic mind480set about the challenges on the way to true success. A realistic mindset means that things will happen in an attempt to keep you from the success you desire, but you have to keep pressing on. For instance, on your journey to success, you may have to work through a relationship ending, or changing jobs, or suddenly having to take care your elderly parents. Prepare for those moments, and don't let them keep you from your success. I have met so many people in my seminars who started to _____ (you fill in the blank), but they stopped because life happened and they have never restarted. When I was in boot camp for the Army whenever someone started to lag behind during our morning 5-mile run, we would shout "Man up!" In other words, push yourself a little harder now, but do not give up.

Remember, success - on your terms - is within your reach if you will consciously work through these six steps!

Dr. Angela D. Massey, an international motivational speaker, corporate trainer, and author is the owner of Life On Purpose LLC. She is the author and self-publisher of "Going the Distance - Success Strategies for Online Students" and "Turbo Charge Your Team!" She can be reached at http://www.lifeonpurposellc.com

Bill Gates
Legendary Magic Carpet

How to Increase Your Energy

It takes more distress and poison to kill someone who has peace of mind and loves life." Bernie S. Siegel, M.D.

As a motivational speaker conducting leadership training and keynote speeches around the world, I'm often asked to combine the topic of leadership with "life balance" and stress management. Here are 15 easy tips that will help you increase your energy, enthusiasm and reduce stress. And if you're in a leadership position, how can you be an effective leader and set a good example if you are not motivated and energized to perform good work?

1) Get enough sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation in Washington, D.C., 65% of Americans are sleep deprived. Try to get at least seven hours of sleep per night.

2) Go to bed and wake up around the same time each day. Within the same hour is ideal. Researchers at Stanford Universitys Sleep Disorder Center have found it is possible to catch up on sleep during the weekends, but this can also upset your circadian rhythms and leave you more tired on Monday morning.

3) Do not eat or drink anything within one hour of your bedtime. Your body will only have to work harder to digest your food, which interrupts sleep patterns. By drinking liquids right before bedtime its more likely youll have to get up in the middle of the night.

4) Put your nervous system on glide at least one hour before retiring for the night. You can do this by using soft lighting (no more than 25 watts) relaxing music, a scented bubble bath with candles or some other quiet activity. Try avoiding work at least three hours before you go to bed as this can energize you. The same is true with exercise.

5) Drink plenty of water during the day. Dehydration causes you to feel fatigued even if you are eating healthy and going to bed at a reasonable hour.

6) Plan at least one activity during the day that gives you pleasure and energizes you just to think about it.

7) Socialize with others. Make certain you spend quality time with other adults during the day. And if you work outside the home, preferably where you can discuss something besides business or the kids.

8) Exercise in the morning. Depending on your biorhythms and schedule, many attendees in my speaking engagements report that morning exercise gives them increased energy and a sense of greater calm during the workday. They often tell me they have to drag themselves out the door, but feel so much better afterwards.

9) Take a hot and cold shower to increase your energy. Upon awakening in the morning, take a hot shower with eucalyptus oil sprinkled on a loofah sponge. End with a shot of cooler water. This will invigorate your body, stimulate blood flow and bring oxygen to your cells.

10) Pour on the protein. Foods rich in protein help improve mental acuity and slow the absorption of carbohydrates. Eggs, fish, low fat dairy, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, also meat and poultry if youre not a vegetarian. Still, make sure you include plenty of other foods for moderation.

11) Cut back on caffeine. If you love coffee or colas (coffee lovers I can relate) cut back and consider adding green tea to your daily regimen. Green tea contains powerful anti-oxidants and less caffeine. It has enough caffeine to perk you up but usually not so much that you experience that crash later in the day.

12) Have a goal of taking at least two weeks vacation time a year. Work your way up to three and four weeks a year. Start taking off two days per week, if thats at all possible, where you refuse to do any type of work that would tax your mind and stress you out. If you are very busy or self-employed like I am, make this something to strive for in the future.

13) Spend time actually planning a getaway vacation. For many of us, staying home for a holiday is nice, but were still surrounded by bills, laundry, phone calls and other stressful distractions. Consider a goal of taking that dream destination vacation youve always wanted whether its to Tahiti, Paris, or a national park. If this seems virtually impossible, I strongly recommend you read the article titled How to Set Goals and Get What You Want under the free articles section at www.ColleenSpeaks.com I dreamed of an Alaska cruise for many years, practiced the simple time-tested techniques in that article, and cruised there for a third time in May 2005.

14) Get outdoors every day even if its overcast. Where I live in the Pacific Northwest, winters are normally gray. Winter 2005 was unusual with its turquoise-blue sunny skies and temperatures reaching almost 70 degrees in January. However, its a proven fact that with reduced sunlight, many people all over the world suffer from SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, during the winter months.

15) Listen to mood enhancing music during the day. What type of music energizes you and gets those feel-good hormones into your brain? Blues and jazz? R&B or rock and roll? A word of caution: be careful listening to your favorite music right before bedtime. I sometimes listen to contemporary smooth jazzlots of saxophone and trumpets late into the night, and often it energizes me rather than putting me to sleep.

Take personal responsibility for maximizing your success and minimizing stress. You cant control many external circumstances such as other people, traffic and weather; but you can control your environment. Write down three action steps youll take to improve your well-being. Share these with someone. Develop a buddy system for accountability. When you write them down and commit to them, youre more likely to follow through. Heres to much success and less stress!

Colleen Kettenhofen is a professional speaker, author and workplace expert who has spoken in 47 states and six countries. She is co-author of The Masters of Success, as featured on The Today Show, along with Ken Blanchard and Jack Canfield. Colleen's most popular topics: leadership and management skills, dealing with difficult people, public speaking. To order the book, or for more free articles and e-newsletter, visit http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com, colleen@colleenspeaks.com Colleen is available for keynotes, breakout sessions and seminars.

You are free to reprint or repost this article provided Colleen's name, website and email are included at the end of the article.

Home Building Ideas For The Future

Remodeling Porches

Fixing up a porch is a great idea that will extend the use of your home considerably. Using just some paint, stain and basic carpentry skills, you can make your porch a pleasure to spend time on.

An example shown on DoItYourself.com shows a couple from Georgia who wanted enjoy their extended warm seasons of spring, summer and fall, but avoid the problems of mosquitoes and decided to take their slab concrete patio and make it into a screened in area they could enjoy almost all year long.

The patio was just concrete square under a roof overhang. They wanted the porch to blend in with the home, as well as protect the family from the heat, humidity and insects of the Georgia summers. The concrete slab declined slightly to allow for runoff, so there had to be some adjustments made to accommodate this feature.

Here is their step by step solution:

Step One. Cut pre-primed 4X8 sheets of beadboard ceiling paneling.

Step Two. Install the celing paneling and the ceiling fan. They used a nail gun to make the installation of the ceiling panels faster and easier than trying to swing a hammer upward. Before all of the panelling was installed, the ceiling was wired for the fan and light. This will allow the porch to remain cool and the light will allow the room to be used at night. This was a two person job, with one person holding the fan and the other connecting the wires and screwing the fan in place. The finish trim hid the seams in the paneling.

Step Three. Frame out the porch. Using 2X4 boards, they spaced them to allow for standard width screen to be installed. The crosspieces were nailed directly through the vertical braces.

Step Four. Install the interior panelling. Pine and plywood bead board paneling was secured by staple gun. These had to be trimmed along the bottom to accommodate the uneven floor.

Step Five. Install and level the exterior paneling. The harbor ad exterior panels wear put into place, from the bottom up. The first one had to be custom cut to allow for the uneven ground line and then the rest followed. These panels were painted to match the existing exterior of the house, so there was a lot of trial and error to match the aged yellow paint exactly. But weather resistant exterior paint was used so that it can be easily kept clean by rinsing Wit soap and water.

Step Six. Do the screening. Vinyl grids had to be screwed directly into the wooden frames. Then the screens were attached to the channels in the grids, so the fiberglass or aluminum screens could be slid in without using staples. When the screens were rolled into the grids with a spline, the extra screening material was cut off. With a mallet, the caps over the vinyl channels were banged into place.

Being really passionate about tree trimming and saw sharpening, Ray Walberg wrote plenty of detailed articles in this specific field. Sharing his passion in detailed publications, the author improved his experience on topics like chain saws and saw sharpening.

Metal Shingles

Metal shingles were previously seen as roofing material for low-slope houses. Over the years, they have been found out to be a significant roofing alternative for steep-sloped roofs as well.

Metal shingles are usually meant to look like traditional asphalt shingles, wood shakes, or tiles, but metal shingles come with a greater guarantee to ward off rough weather. Many consider these shingles to be the strongest roofing material available. Contrary to popular belief, modern technology has made metal shingles very light, and they are a feast for the eyes, and also have very high fire-resistant ratings.

These classic shingles give a building a timeless look and often come with permanent color warranties. They can be made out of a wide variety of metals like aluminum, copper, stainless steel, zinc and phosphate coating, and alloys of tin and zinc. The different metals can be suitably chosen by the prospective buyer according to his geographical location and climate.

There are other minor details that a buyer should keep in mind. Stainless steel shingles are said to weigh less than most other traditional roofing material. Metal shingles made with alloys of zinc and aluminum should ideally not be painted. Tin roofs should be painted at an interval of eight years. Zinc and tin alloys are perfect for rough coastal weather. These are the various issues that should be considered before making one's choice.

There are a number of benefits that the owner can enjoy once he chooses metal shingles as his primary roofing material. They come with excellent resistance guarantee to strong wind, fires, hail and storms, earthquakes, and other such natural calamities. They are also well protected from pests and are extremely anti-corrosive. Most manufacturers offer a fifty-year warranty on their metal shingles.

Metal shingles are mostly recycled and statistics show that they are, in most cases, 100% recyclable. Installation is also relatively simple, but consulting a roofing professional would probably be considered a smart idea.

Shingles provides detailed information about shingles, cedar shingles, fiberglass shingles and more. Shingles is affiliated with Home Foundation Repair.

Rusting Stair Bracket