Life' Lessons - How to stop an avocado from going brown

Here is a great tip to stop an avocado from going brown.

Immerse the whole uncut avocado in boiling water - just like you would for skinning a tomato.
Let is stand for a couple of minutes. Throw off the water, allow the avo to cool and then cut open.

You can prepare your avo dish and keep it in the fridge until necessary.
You should try and use it the same day however, as this will not stop it from going squishy over time.

The Invisible Woman

Our dear friend Kim Israel sent this very moving story of a woman's discovery of her destiny. I hope you emphathize with it, as women often seem to feel that they are not recognized for their
daily lives.

Perspective: The Invisible Woman
By Nicole Johnson

It started to happen gradually. One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, "Who is that with you, young fella?" "Nobody," he shrugged. Nobody? The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only 5, but as we crossed the street I thought, "Oh my goodness, nobody?"

I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family - like "Turn the TV down, please" - and nothing would happen.
Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, "Would someone turn the TV down?" Nothing.

Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We'd been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, "I'm ready to go when you are." He just kept right on talking. That's when I started to put all the pieces together. I don't think he can see me. I don't think anyone can see me. I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going she's going she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at t he others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
* No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
* These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
* They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
* The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens f or the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Dinner Options For Those With Busy Business Schedules

Finding time for dinner when you are on a very busy schedule, especially if working in the field, can be very difficult at best. Many time when on the road, since you may not see the same people for months at a time, you will want to spend as much quality time with them as possible. This can make for extremely long days on the job and dinner may end up being an after thought.

Instead of grabbing a snack from the vending machine on your way to your motel room late at night, consider a few other options to enable you to have dinner while keeping to your busy schedule. Consider picking up the tab for co-workers or ones that you are visiting on your current trip and learn a little more about the person and how they conduct their business while you have dinner.

In any case, you are going to have to eat so the time should be scheduled on your daily planner. If you begin to run over on a visit into the field, try to remember that the people you are visiting have family in the local area and they may want to be home for dinner with them.

Choosing a nice, yet not overly expensive restaurant where you may find enough privacy to discuss business. It may even be possible to have dinner in a restaurant in the motel in which you are staying. Inviting others with whom you need to discuss business-related matters and turning it into a dinner meeting, which depending on the topic of discussion, may be tax deductible.

If you are not traveling in the field and taking calls from your spouse about getting together for dinner, you should make the time in your work-life balance schedule to make it happen. While staying on top of your business needs is important you can’t let it consume you and ruin the relationship you have with your family.

If you know ahead of time you are going to have to work late, contact the family and have them meet you somewhere for dinner. It will not always have to be at a fancy restaurant, sometimes a fast-food meal will satisfy any children you may have, but taking the time out of your schedule to have dinner with the family will do wonders for your relationship.

In some instances it may be better to have the family join you for dinner at work. You can call and order in an evening meal or have, read that beg, your spouse to stop on their way to your office and pick something up to share with you when they get there. While eating a decent meal for dinner is important, it is always important to spend time with your family.

The Power of Target Marketing

Two Beggars in Rome - One Catholic - One Jewish - are sitting side by side
on a street in Rome. One has a cross in front of him; the other one the Star of David.

Many people go by and look at both beggars, but only put money into the
hat of the beggar sitting behind the cross.

A priest comes by, stops and watches throngs of people giving money to the beggar behind the cross, but none give to the beggar behind the Star of David.

Finally, the priest goes over to the beggar behind the Star of David and says, "My poor fellow, don't you understand? This is a Catholic country; this city is the seat of Catholicism. People aren't going to give money if you sit there with a Star of David in front of you, especially when you're sitting beside a beggar who has a cross.

In fact, they would probably give to him just out of spite."

The beggar behind the Star of David listened to the priest, turned to the other beggar with the cross and said: "Moishe, look who's trying to teach the Goldstein brothers about marketing?

Three Things NEVER To Do In Business

There are some things you should never do in business if you want to succeed. If you are already a successful business you are well aware of this. If you are a new business entrepreneur than these three tips may be very helpful to you.

The first thing you NEVER want to do is to skimp on advertising. Without proper advertising your business will chance taking a big loss in services or product sales. An example of this is a small business that puts out children’s audio CD’s is introducing a new product. The business is new and practically unknown. They do have a website, and a small advertisement in the local newspaper. Only a small area is going to be aware of this company and it’s CD. A better form of advertisement would have been advertising in several, larger newspapers. Having a billboard advertisement that can be seen in a heavily trafficked area. These may cost more, but you will reach a larger customer base. Without reaching customers, you fail.

Secondly, NEVER let your guard down with your business competition. If your business has a competitive market you want to definitely consider this. An example of this is a video store. You would want to be aware of what the other store offers. Is there a large selection? What are their prices per video per day? Do they offer any specials or discounts? You would want to keep up on both the smaller video stores as well as the larger video store chains in your area. You want to either match what is offered or offer a slightly lower fee. Customers love to save money, even a few dollars and cents.

Lastly, NEVER jump into a business without doing thorough research. You want to be sure you know all of the details about the business you are involved in. You want to know financial details as well as information about your competition. When you take the time to research a specific business you insure success for yourself. You wouldn’t want any surprises popping up when it comes to your business. You want to be able to set yourself up so that your business operates as smoothly as possible.

If you make an effort to follow the above guidelines on what NEVER to do in business then you are on the right track. You create a solid base for business success. Be sure not to jump into any business decisions without research and well thought out planning. Care for your business like you would your children. Give it what it needs to grow and you will be pleased with the end result. Be sure you follow the do’s and NEVER the don’ts and see your business soar.

South African Safari - great honeymoon destination

Our good friends Richard and Karen have just returned from a South African Safari, where they toured through the beautiful Cape, then up the coast to Plettenberg Bay, and then to the famous Game Reserves in the north eastern region of the country. These pictures were taken in Knysna at an elephant sanctuary.

Elephants have always been a fascination of mine. I think it is the very human-like society that they have, and the close family bonding that keeps a herd together. The mother elephant nurtures the young for years until it is a teenager.

Elephants in the wild are not to be approached like these are, and can be extremely dangerous if provoked.

It's a tough life when you are just born, and have to walk miles and miles on little feet, keeping up with the herd.

I'm sure there are many lessons to be learned from elephants. Too many for this posting!! I just know that they are my best loved animals. Thanks for sharing your pictures with us.

Advertisement: Is It Effective?

A lot of people contribute a lot to the profitability of most businesses but the real question is, “How would you be able to gauge the efficacy of your advertisements?” Is it really just about the rise in the number of sales and inquiry from after the timeframe with wherein you have released the advertisements? Of perhaps the brand assessment is also a contributing factor?

In reality it is not only with those elements that you measure the quality of your advertisement, but rather it hinges on a lot of factors which includes the kind of media which you have employed, the budget or your assessment, the objective of your advertisement, the phase of accuracy and consistency that is necessitated, who is your target market and the budget you have allotted for the entire advertising period.

These elements would have to be sufficed first before you'd be able to precisely proclaim that your particular advertisement is effective. That is the reason why a lot of people assert that it is intricate to gauge an advertisement's efficacy. Aside from the need to consider many things, there are also other influential elements for that matter such as the kind of previous advertisement that had been released and its quantity.

It is also necessary for you to know the responsiveness of your consumers to the brand or the product you had advertised. Also, there are certain instances when you need to gauge the accessibility of cost effective assessment computation, the area where you have to place the advertisement, the choices of matters regarding the product like the price and sometimes even the capacity of your direct market to remember.

Several advertising experts have proposed several models which one could use to be able to gauge the efficacy of an advertisement. For example, some advertising experts states that the real measure of the efficacy of advertising is possible through the utility of cube diagram wherein you measure the headings which include the sales, profits, attention, persuasion and communication.

On the other hand, there are some people who only choose to settle for surveys which aim to test the brand or product recognition of the customers just after an advertising campaign. Actually, this particular method could be used with two options; the other one is to evaluate the product the other one of for a more extensive advertisement.

Overall though, advertisements can be very beneficial to the promotional efforts of any business because it enables the clients to become aware that such business does exists and that it can provide several particular products that they need. Advertisement has been proven to effectively set off the purchasing behavior of the clients and it is safe to assume that it will continue to do so for many more years to come.