interior rank design

Interior Design Careers

There is more to Interior Design than home decorating. The career opportunities for interior design graduates are endless.

According to the United States Department of Labor, employment of interior designers is expected to grow 19 percent from 2006 to 2016, faster than average for all occupations.

If you are interested in a hands-on education, working with the latest design software technology that results in a wide variety of fulfilling positions, this may be a career path for you. Earn a Bachelors of Science in Interior Design or an Interior Design & Decorating Associates degree and start your career as a:

Green Designer - Green designers work with builders, specifying eco-friendly materials from renewable resources and designing energy efficient homes & buildings in Florida.

Healthcare Designer - Designing the interior structure of hospitals, doctor offices, medical clinics and facilities. A healthcare interior designer job is to make sure the medical facility is built within the governed regulations and technical requirements needed to function. Also, a major role of a medical interior designer is to design the clinic for optimal operational productivity and increasing the bottom line.

Buyer or Purchasing Agent - Working for large retail stores, department stores and furniture stores. A Buyer decides what merchandise will be sold at a store. Professional Buyers travel to trade shows and are innovators for the latest trends.

Hospitality or Service Designer - Working with hotels/resorts, sports stadiums and restaurants. A hospitality designer creates a pleasant & functional space for people to gather.

Set Designer - Working on television, exhibit, movie and theater sets. A set designer works closely with the director and studies the script to determine the appropriate set design. This includes selecting the furniture, wall & floor coverings and other props to give the set the desired mood and time period of the script.

Government Designer - Designing the interiors for public buildings such as court houses, training facilities and jails. Designers who specialize in public buildings concentrate on accessibility design and operational design. During the interior design process of government buildings the interior designers make sure the accessible environment meets the needs of people who are blind or have poor vision. Also, the designer is responsible to design the facility to meet the needs of the service it provides.

Preservationist -Working with historic buildings and museums. A Preservationist helps preserve, conserve and protect buildings and its materials of historic significance.

Event Designer - Designing and decorating corporate parties, charity balls or other large gatherings

New York Interior Design Programs

There are many New York interior design programs available for the aspiring design student. If the individual wishes to be on campus then one school that offers an Associates Degree in Interior Design is Berkeley College, which is located in midtown Manhattan.

Berkeley College is a top New York interior design school that provides a real world education that interior design professionals demand. The class sizes are small and students get hands on training. Students receive free lifetime career assistance as well. Internships are offered and there is a large network of employer connections through the school.

The New York interior design school campuses of Berkeley College are located in White Plains. Berkeley is a recognized leader in preparing students for their professional careers in interior design, 96% of graduates secure jobs in their areas.

Other schools in the New York interior design program offer online training. One of those schools is Westwood College where you can obtain a Bachelors Degree in Interior Design. An online program is designed for the student who feels that they just do not have the time to attend classes for whatever reason but still have the desire to obtain a well-respected degree in interior design.

Another New York interior design school that offers an online degree is The Art Institute Online where the student can achieve a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design. This school is a division of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

Whether you attend a New York interior design school in person or online you will be prepared to enter the exciting and creative world of Interior Design with the knowledge to succeed. Before an Interior Designer receives his or her license, they must meet some very strict guidelines. The Designer must have a combination of six years of school and work experience before taking the licensing exam. Once the Interior Designer has completed the six-year requirement, they must pass a test administered by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification.

Interior Designers wishing to do commercial design work must have a bachelor's degree in interior design from an accredited school. All Interior Design students including New York interior design students will learn how to use computer aided design (CAD) software. Securing an internship free is a good way to get practical knowledge and experience. Internships can often lead to full time positions.

New York interior design students must learn other skills besides design to be successful professionals. Artistically inclined is a good skill to have along with strong people skills. It is recommended that New York interior designers take some business courses as well since many Designers are self-employed. Interior Design is an ever-changing profession and today's designer must stay up to date with all the trends.

My Interior Design Best Selling Books

Holly Becker writes Decorate: 1000 Professional Design Ideas for Every Room in Your House. In this book, top designers come together to share over 1000 tips on how you can change your room and do it to meet your budget. You can get inspiration from the beautiful colored examples in the book, photos of bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchens, parlors, as well as checklists, shortcuts, and cost cutting methods, so that you will be sure to find something in there that meets your eye as well as an explanation of how to make it possible in your own home.

Christine Lemieux writes Undecorate, a book that heralds a brand new kind of style that seeks to push aside the stuffy professional styles of today and bring their own personality into their home. The book profiles about twenty homes all over the nation and shows how it came to be the way it was by tying it in with the owner's particular personality. Following the interests of car fanatics who turn their master bedroom into an air stream trailer to a couple that makes their house a log house, to someone who creates and English manor, to a variety of other kinds of strange creations that reveal the personality of the builder, this book will show you how to accomplish the same feat.

Domino: The Book of Decorating, written by Deborah Needleman is a book that offers step by step guides to decorating your rooms. No matter what styles you prefer, the book will have something in that vein as well as tips on how to mix and match styles, too. The Domino team contributes their own personal design efforts so you can see how they transformed their own rooms and in what kinds of styles they decided to work in. This is a great book if you are interested in redoing a room in your house.

My Passion for Design by Barbara Streisand is a beautifully illustrated persona tour of the great star's homes and collections. From the Broadway stage, television and film stardom, her work as a director, and her work in the recording studio, Barbara has been an iconic figure with an extraordinary voice and immense talent. Now, in her first book, Barbara gives readers a glimpse into the taste that has inspired her beautiful home. This book focuses on the architecutre and construction of her home and contains many photographs of rooms she decorated herself. Other illustrations include the gardens she planted on her California coastal land. She gives us a look into the world of on of the most beloved stars.

Charlotte Moss Decorates: The Art of Creating Elegant and Inspired Rooms by Charlotte Moss gives a singular vision through a beautiful collection of her acclaimed rooms. Moss has led a celebrated career in the interior design world. Her book offers readers a glimpse into the methods behind her magic. For each room that is featured, Moss breaks the numerous stages of the design process, revealing storyboards and sketches developed for each project. Each chapter offers a dose of decorating advice and includes recommendations for her favorite flowers and fragrances.

Your Interior Design Ideas For a Home Office

Good Office Furniture Designer Should Be One Step Ahead of You

In this new era, office furniture designers have a lot to think about rather than just building tables and putting chairs together. Modern office spaces today require huge requirements from the furniture it uses. In some cases the furniture and the design is custom made to fit the exact office space needed. Nowadays, businesses are becoming conscious that they are only piling up even bigger expenses rather than saving a few dollars.

Over the past three or four decades, furniture designers faced challenges on how fast office spaces changed. This had been primarily a direct effect of changes in technology. To most offices each new technical development had been bringing lots of changes and new requirements.

Computers have become increasingly important in any modern office environment. This brought innovative challenges in designing appropriate office furniture. Though, almost every year there are new technologies, new products and new techniques that develop our present systems.

Even if you are thinking of using modified furniture solutions for your office, cheaper furniture does not always give as much flexibility and adaptability as better designed furniture does. In lots of instances, managers or office directors have purchased tables and computers just to find out that they purchased the wrong table because the computer won't fit.

Containing furniture solutions which can adjust to the fast changing technology can make a huge difference. Modern furniture designers have brought a lot of new and original techniques of managing problems facing many businesses.

Today, there is increasingly greater awareness on issues about environment. This has been extended to office furniture design. There are greater needs for materials that are natural and that came from sources which are not harmful to the environment. Forests have been increasingly a popular means of getting the materials for making office furniture.

Furniture designers and their clients should make sure that the materials they use in their office furniture come from sources that are environmentally friendly. This is one factor that you can swing prospective customers on your side.

Retail Interior Design Advice

Experienced Retail Interior Designers take advantage of certain formulas which are recognised as being effective tools in the successful marketing and selling of goods. They are able to use their 'tricks of the trade' to produce effective design capable of significantly boosting a company's sales and profit.

Any business owner who has employed the services of a good Retail Interior Designer will tell you that whilst the cost of hiring a designer might at first appear to be an unwanted expense, with the right choice of designer, it is a cost which can lead to significant returns. With in-depth knowledge and awareness of the types of psychological conditions that can be manipulated to produce a desired impact on shoppers, specialist designers are coming up with increasingly sophisticated techniques. These techniques are used to assist retailers in persuading consumers to part with their hard-earned cash.

Supermarkets and other food outlets make use of strategies like the smell of baking bread to make their customers feel hungry. Retail outlets use techniques such as placing merchandise that is considered as an impulse buy at the end of aisles, or in close proximity to till areas. Stock which has a wide profit margin is often placed at a customer's eye level, as it is a well established fact that consumers are more likely to purchase goods which are in their line of sight.

The exterior image of your store and window display areas in particular, can be used to great advantage. Huge numbers of people love shopping so much that they essentially consider it a leisure activity and many people spend hours of their spare time, shopping and browsing in shop windows. Sophisticated design can create desire and longing in an individual and encourage people to enter stores and purchase items they didn't intentionally set out to buy. The first role of a retail designer is to make the front of your store look inviting and accessible to customers and to design and create a provocative window display that will urge individuals to come inside to purchase items.

The interior of any store is of equal importance and it is essential to create the perfect mood and atmosphere to make your clients feel relaxed and comfortable. A quality shopping experience in the right environment will encourage customers to spend time browsing and spending their money. Customers are much more likely to come back to your store after a pleasurable shopping experience and the inevitability of their return leads to a likelihood of increased sales and profit.

Within the retail interior a number of tools are employed to create the right image for a store and give it an appealing ambiance. Good use of colour, music and light can be used to make customers feel more comfortable. Generally people feel more at ease when there are other people around and they have a clear line of sight. So it is important that stores feel spacious, are simple to navigate and that they are kept clean and totally uncluttered.

New and creative, themed displays can help a store keep a fresh and vibrant appearance and can be used to promote both seasonal and sale items effectively. The practice of moving displays around from time to time can also assist stores to retain the interest of customers and make them feel more inquisitive and curious.

Whether you choose to employ a Retail Interior Designer or decide to take on the challenge yourself, don't undervalue the impact that visual communication has on your sales.

My home garden Design

Orchid Home Garden

Orchids are still very popular plants for the home and garden, although many gardeners get overwhelmed with the huge number of orchid species and knowing their particular growing conditions. Here I will summarize the different types of orchids and suggest which ones would be best suited for your orchid home garden. The orchid family has over 30,000 species and more than double this number of cultivars or hybrids. Thus we need to understand a bit of orchid ecology before we select orchids for our home or garden. There are four broad types of orchid, each coming from a different growing environment. There are the climbing epiphytes, whose roots attach to the bark of trees, and the saprophytes which live on decaying matter. Terrestrial orchid plants grow in the soil and lithophytes can survive on rocks with very little soil.

The home gardener therefore needs to choose plants depending where she wants to display them. Fortunately plant breeders have done the selection for us and now days there are many varieties of easy-to-grow orchids that we can raise. The most common orchids found in garden centers are the Cattleya, Dendrobium, Cymbidium, Ondontoglossum, Paphiopedilum, Oncidium and the Phalaenopsis. As an orchid gardener you'll need to decide what is best for your own particular situation - space available, climatic conditions and the color of the orchid blooms which you like the most. I have listed the most popular garden and home orchids to give you an idea what to choose.

Cattleya:
This orchid is also known as the "Queen of Orchids". They are epiphytic orchids from temperate regions.

Dendrobium:
These epiphytic orchid plants produce a generous spay of flowers and there are many different colors found among Dendrobium varieties.

Cymbidium:
Cymbidium orchids originate from South America and are among the most common home and garden orchids found, mainly due to the blooms lasting for months.

Ondontoglossum:
These are cool growing Tiger orchids, originating from the Andes Mountains. Their colorful flowers usually have delicate patterns and markings.

Paphiopedilum:
Originating from East Asia, flowers often are stripped or spotted. Commonly known as the Slipper Orchid, they have broad leaves and prefer indirect sunlight.

Oncidium:
These South American epiphytes prefer a drier potting mix and have distinctive mottled markings.

Phalaenopsis:
Also known as the Moth orchid and their flowers come in a wide variety of colors.

Enjoying the Vegetable Bounty From Your Home Garden

When I first started gardening I made a very rookie mistake. I didn't have a big plot to plant in and didn't have any experience, so I planted tomato plants. I'd always heard they were easy to grow. I planted eight of them. At the same time. When the tomatoes started ripening I didn't know what I was going to do. I gathered them up as quickly as I could and took them into work and gave them to neighbors. Actually, I'd leave them on the neighbors doorsteps. I made gallons of tomato sauce. I made gallons of homemade salsa. I ate dozens of tomato sandwiches. I had learned a good lesson. The next year I planted only four tomato plants. I also planted them three weeks apart. That way when they came in they were much easier to deal with. I still made tomato sauce, salsa and ate delicious tomato sandwiches, but there wasn't any panic to use them up quickly. I used the extra space in my garden to plant pole green beans.

I still garden today. Only now my garden has tomatoes, green beans, carrots, zucchini and cucumbers. The green beans are our favorite vegetable. We grow both pole and bush varieties and we enjoy them in many different ways.

The best part about having green beans growing in the garden is the ability to pick them and eat them right off the vine. We also like to use a variety of ways to preserve them. We freeze and can them so that we can enjoy them for months to come. It is very easy to freeze beans, you don't need any special equipment. You simply rinse the beans, drain them and cut off the ends and cut them to the desired length. The beans are then boiled for three minutes, then put into ice water to cool. Put them in a zip lock bag, or use a Food Saver and you're done. The beans will last for up to 18 months in the freezer.

We also like to can green beans. Canning them is a bit more complicated and does require some equipment, but the beans will last up to five years. You'll need a pressure cooker, jars and lids. The jars and lids must be sterilized. I do this in my dishwasher using the sterilize cycle. As when freezing,rinse, remove the ends and cut the green beans to the desired length. Add the liquid to the jar along with any flavorings you wish and then put them in the pressure cooker following the manufacturers directions. I remember the first time I canned beans I was a bit apprehensive about it. I just followed the directions and it turned out fine. Now we add different flavorings to the jars as we can them. We like to add things like fresh dill and garlic.

Along with canning and freezing I enjoy trying new green bean recipes. I've learned that I can enjoy fresh and tender young beans raw or just quickly blanched in many different types of salads. I didn't realize how many cold green bean salad recipes there are. A very tasty cold salad is one that includes feta and pecans. Another includes lemon and Celery. These are fresh salads which are also perfect side dishes for a cookout. Some of my recipes work best with older beans that are cooked for long periods of time along with spices, such as Greek Green Beans and the Armenian dish Fassoulia, which is a mixture of meat and beans.

Home Garden Design

After being in a property for a number of years, a lot of people decide that they would like a new garden design but are often stuck as to where to start. There are a number of considerations, the most important one is of your taste. What do you like?

Just because it is a garden, it doesn't need to be overrun with grass, plants, trees and flowers if you don't want it to be. Some may prefer the low maintenance benefits afforded by wood decking, gravel, wood chips, tile or concrete.

Remember, it is your garden so you can do to it what you want.

The best way to get inspiration for your garden design is to go and see what else is out there that takes your fancy. You can look anywhere, your friends houses, public gardens, even a patch of grass in the middle of a city can provide you with a wealth of ideas.

Once you have an idea as to the style of garden you would like, you need to consider the size of your garden and plan accordingly. If you only have a small working area then you do not want to go overboard with planting. Your small garden could very quickly become cluttered and feel claustrophobic. If you have a small garden you should utilise layers to create a sense of depth and airy colour schemes.

If you are lucky enough to have a large space as your canvas then you can really go to town with your designs. Pretty much anything goes and is left entirely up to your tastes.

Don't just jump in and buy plants, flowers or anything else for your garden until you have a plan drawn out on paper, this should be a to scale representation of your garden with everything in place. It is much easier (and cheaper) to make changes on paper than it is to do then once you are putting your garden together.

Home Garden Basics - Simple Tips to Get Your Home Garden Started

There are hundreds of gardening tips that you can find in the internet, and if you are just new with this hobby, it may seem like a lot to you. You would like to focus on the most basic home garden guides that can help you get started. Here are a couple of gardening tips that are easy to follow, if you are just starting with your home garden:

Choosing the Best Garden Site

Preferably, it is best to choose a site for your home garden that will receive a lot of sunlight, and has potentials for good drainage. If you think that the soil is not fertile enough, you can always buy good topsoil from your local gardening supply shop and put fertilizers regularly. You must not choose an area where there would be other shrubs or trees that may compete with sunlight and water.

Get the Right Garden Tools

When buying your home garden tools, choose the right tools for the job, and only buy the ones you need. Gardening tools made of stainless steel are the best buys because they last a long time and can they help you dig into the soil easily. Make sure that the tools are comfortable to grip, as you may be using these home garden tools for a long time.

Choosing Your Plants

You may want to check your neighboring areas to see which plants are suited to your area's climate and terrain. If you need to transplant some of your newly bought plants, be sure not to transplant them too deep or too shallow to give the roots enough room to grow. Some plants, especially vegetable varieties are ideal for rotation during the year. You could find more information on which crops will be best for your home garden from your local library or through research on the internet.

Using Fertilizers

There are many commercial brands available for fertilizers, but using organic fertilizers have been proven the best choice. They are not only safe for most plants, but they are also good for the environment. As you develop your hobby, you would also learn the benefits of composting, from where you can get free organic fertilizers.

Gardening is one of the most relaxing hobbies, and rewarding as well, because you see the results of your efforts through beautiful flowers and tasty fruits and vegetables. It may take a while before you can see some harvests from your home garden, but through time, you would learn to appreciate the bounties of gardening more.

The Home Garden

The garden should be near the house and away from trees. If it's some distance away from the house, it will not be as well looked after, nor will most use be made of vegetables grown. Vegetables near trees cannot get full sunshine; even more important, tree roots will rob them of water and fertilizer they need to do their best.

If you can, move the garden spot every 10 years or so to help keep down diseases. Proper rotation and use of disease-resistant varieties will help, but sooner or later the old garden spot becomes so full of various disease spores and nematodes that you cannot grow a good crop of many vegetables without use of special soil fumigants.

Soil should, of course, be well drained. Few vegetables can stand "wet feet." A sandy loam with a clay subsoil is best. Heavy clay soils may be made quite suitable by adding heavy quantities of stable manure or compost, or by turning under cover crops, preferably legumes such as vetch, clover soybeans.

Since the best quality quantity of vegetables cannot be duced on anything but a fertile soil, do whatever is needed to make it fertile.

Requirements for growth.

1. Proper degree of heat.

2. Moisture.

3. Oxygen in the air is essential for seed germination and good growth.

English peas, for example, will sprout when soil termperature is only a few degrees above freezing, while seed such as tomatoes will not germinate at all.

To start these tender vegetables for early crops, artificial heat, as in hotbeds, is needed. Otherwise, for early crops, buy plants from commercial growers, or from local growers who produce them with artificial heat. Tender vegetables that do not transplant such as melons, cucumbers, cantaloupes, and squash, should not be planted outdoors until soil has warmed up. These may, however, be started earlier in small pots in a hotbead.

To make the most out of your gardening efforts, take time to do some planning. Also keep a record of wheather you had too much or too little of certain vegatables at any time during the season for a continuous supply. Don't trust it all to memory.

Things to consider when planting.

1. How much of each vegetable to grow to supply your family needs.

2. Which vegetables are most need for good health.

3. How much extra to plant for storage

4. Which varities are best to plant.

5. When to plant for continuous growth and supply.

6. Which pesticides are best for control of insects and diseases.

7. Supplies needed such as, sprayers, dusters, tools, fertilizer, or mulching material.

Jotting this down on paper, plus any notes made during the season about special pest problems or how a new variety or practice turned out, will be valuable the next season when planning and planting time roll around.

Your home garden 2011-2012

Your Home Garden Greenhouses Advantages

If you are an avid gardener you would most likely already have a greenhouse or frequently find yourself wishing you did. Especially for those gardeners who live in colder climates with short growing seasons, a greenhouse is an extremely handy structure to have in the backyard. Home garden greenhouses are the perfect solution for year round gardening.

The advantages of having home garden greenhouses are numerous... just ask any greenhouse gardener. They will likely tell you all about how they can start their outdoor garden plants early. They can propagate new starts of outdoor flowers and other plants for the next season, winter over cold sensitive outdoor plants inside the greenhouse and even grow fresh cut flowers for the house year-round.

Outdoor and indoor gardening are very similar with a couple of exceptions. Outdoor garden plants are exposed to weather conditions whereas plants grown inside a greenhouse live in a controlled environment. In a greenhouse the temperature is controlled with heating and cooling systems. Outdoor gardens are exposed and therefore able to receive rain. Outdoor gardens also are exposed to negative weather effects such as hail, wind and pelting rains. Plants inside a greenhouse are protected from the negative effects of weather but receive no beneficial rains. For plants to flourish in a greenhouse they must receive proper water through a water system or manual watering.

One of the unsung advantages of home garden greenhouses is the effect that gardening has on stress; it is proven that gardening is a stress reliever. A greenhouse extends that relief to year round rather than seasonal.

Home garden greenhouses are a great way to not only protect plants from the weather but they are the best way to provide safe, delicious produce for the table. A greenhouse provides food, relaxation and beautiful blossoms for the greenhouse gardener.

Your Home Garden Enthusiasts Love Healthy Foods

For numerous people planting a home garden to get terrific quality, fresh foods to be cooked, also so they can be preserved by way of freezing and canning, is an ever increasing popular activity. One of the primary motivations for people growing their own fruits as well as vegetables is that there is increasing evidence that the produce that is available at the supermarkets is seriously deficient in nutritional value because of present day mass-growing techniques.

In addition, numerous people creating and cultivating a home garden for the so that they can get nutritious foods for the table is an enjoyable enterprise. For numerous people around the world gardening has been a popular hobby, however when you throw in the extra incentive of being able to obtain for your family nutrient-rich vegetables and fruits that have not been contaminated with different pesticides and chemicals, it is relatively easy to realize why the popularity of the garden has grown as much as it has.

Right at Your Finger Tips

Apart from the problems of quality and safety that come up with the produce that you will find at your local supermarket, people also are happy being able to go out to their home garden and pick their food directly from the vine at just the right time of ripeness. Compare that added ability to pluck a tomato straight from the vine at it's absolute peak of ripeness with a tomato that you end up finding at the store. In the case of the store bought tomato which was picked far in advance of it being ripe, then packed, at times also gassed to decrease it's natural ripening process, then transported and finally unpacked at your local grocery store.

In that type of case, which is more common of the vast majority of produce that is sold in your local grocery store nowadays, the tomato has been detached from it's life-giving parent plant for many days and in some cases weeks. However, with a vegetable garden right outside your kitchen door, you can pick your tomatoes when they are at their peak of ripeness and be able to have the freshest tomatoes you ever had on your salad or for your famous tomato sauce.

The majority of the popular and common vegetables that are readily available in the produce sections of your local grocery stores can be grown in home gardens. Some of the most popular assortments of potatoes, carrots, green beans, peas, broccoli, beets, cabbage as well as numerous other varieties of squash, just to name a few of them can be grown at home.

Also let us not be remiss and remember all of the excellent berries that can be home grown as well. Technically speaking being a fruit, tomatoes are one of the most well liked foods that many people enjoy which includes the type in their home gardens. They are simple to grow and just plain delicious picked off the vine.

Herbs, Fresh Flavor, Convenience

Produce that comes from a vegetable garden can be used right away or it may be canned or frozen for use at a later time, and numerous individuals incorporate herbs in their gardens also. As a matter of fact, herbs can be even more convenient as they can even be grown indoors, which will make your gardening efforts even more of a simple and easy task. Also, just as those fresh vegetables taste much better and are also better for you, you will likewise find that fresh herbs from the garden are superb in taste and flavor as compared to the packaged and dried varieties.

Even with all the added benefits to take into consideration of actually having a home garden to provide you with savory herbs and fresh produce for your table, some people do it simply because of the fact that they enjoy the hobby of gardening so much. For numerous individuals, the gratification that they get from nurturing and planting the garden is all the reward that they require. Also, when merged with the ability to partake in a meal with their friends that includes fresh as well as tasty foods, for numerous individuals that is the perfect way to get the most from their love of planting and sowing.

Your Home Garden Tomato Plant Tips

There are few things as exciting to a gardener as a fresh, juicy tomato from their very own garden. Unfortunately there is nothing as discouraging, especially after the hard work, time and money you invest in your home tomato garden, than finding out the plants are being eaten by pests or they have contracted a disease.

The good news is that many common tomato plant problems can be prevented through good practices in your garden. These tips will help you grow bigger, healthier tomatoes and could possibly save you money on sprays and other corrective measures.

Before the Growing Season - Garden Planning

Proper Drainage - Plant tomatoes in sunny, well-drained site. Use raised beds, if possible, to promote proper drainage.

Crop Rotation - To avoid soil-borne diseases, place your tomatoes on a three-year rotation schedule and rotate with unrelated crops such as corn, beans or lettuce. Make sure you don't plant your tomatoes in the same place that other members of the tomato family (peppers, eggplants, and potatoes) have grown in the past two years in order to keep them healthy.

Soil Preparation - Improve garden soil before planting by adding organic material such as compost.

Before Planting

Seedling Selection - If you're going to buy seedlings instead of planting seeds, always look for clean, dark green foliage. If the bottom leaves are yellow or brown, or if there are any flowers already showing, the plant is probably stressed and should be avoided. Look at the leaves and the underside of the leaves closely for any pests. If you see any chew marks or aphids, don't buy them.

Plant Spacing - When planting, space tomato seedlings a minimum of 18 inches apart to allow for maximum air circulation. If you purchase or grow tall, thin seedlings, planting them deeper in the ground, all the way up to the first set of leaves, will help strengthen the plant. Tomatoes are a unique plant and can grow roots out of any portion of the stem.

Tomato Varieties - Home gardeners have access to many excellent tomato varieties. When purchasing seeds or seedlings, consider their disease resistance as part of your selection process. Many hybrid tomato varieties have been bred with built-in resistance to wilt and other common genetic problems.

To tell what diseases a hybrid can resist, look at the letters after its name on the plant tag or seed packet. For example, the "Celebrity" tomato variety is labeled VFFNTA which means the plant is resistant to (V)erticillium wilt, (F)usarium races 1 and 2, root knot (N)ematodes, (T)obacco mosaic virus, and (A)lternaria stem canker. This would be a good choice if diseases have killed your tomatoes in the past.

During The Growing Season

Plant and Garden Maintenance - Eliminate competition for nutrients by keeping your garden weed-free. Mulch around the base of plants to retain soil moisture. Do not allow garden debris to build up at the base of the plants.

Pruning Tomato Plants - Some gardeners prune tomatoes by pinching "suckers", the leafy shoots that grow from the "V" between the central trunk (stem) and lateral branches.

If left on the plant, suckers will keep growing and usually produce fruit. It can be helpful sometimes to prune suckers out so the overall plant doesn't get top-heavy, or produce more fruit than the plant can mature in time for fall. Just keep in mind, if you prune them, you will get fewer, but larger fruit.

You can let some of the suckers stay on if you prefer. It's up to you how you want your tomatoes to grow. If you aren't sure, try experimenting with one plant and see how the fruit turns out.

Pest and Disease Control

Tomato plants are usually more vulnerable to insect and disease damage when they are younger or have been stressed by external factors such as weather or inconsistent watering. It is important to pay particular attention to your plants during these times so you can detect problems while they can still be controlled.

Plant Inspection - A good practice is to monitor for pests and diseases at least once a week by inspecting plants and the top and underside of leaves.

Garden Dust - A general-purpose garden dust can be very effective if your plants do develop problems, especially if detected earlier rather than later. Many dusts are considered safe for organic gardens, although you should always read the label carefully to make sure you understand the contents.

If you follow any or all of the tips in this article, you will surely be rewarded by your garden with the freshest tomatoes on the planet...a summertime delight that will bring you health and happiness.

Growing Wild Flowers in Your Home Garden

Native and wild flowers are a treat to the eyes and can be easily spotted in meadows and valleys amidst the mountains. The beauty of these flowers surpasses everything in the surrounding area and you cannot help but wonder how intricate yet amazing God's creation is...

You can indulge in the sheer pleasure of natural beauty by growing lovely wild flowers in your home garden. The native plants are not very demanding due to their adaptability to the climate and soil so you can grow them easily in your garden. A little care and maintenance will transform your garden into a lively and colorful abode.

If you have a large area to spare for the wild flowers or for that matter even a relatively small space then you can fill it with lovely wild flowers. The striking colors will add to the beauty of your garden and will also attract wildlife in the form of bees, butterflies and chirping birds.

Choose a site where the basic requirements for survival can be fulfilled. Wild flowers need plenty of sun to perform their best so select a spot that receives ample sunlight. Remove existing weeds and unwanted grass from the chosen patch so that they do not compete with your flowers for essential nutrients.

Most of the native flowers can be grown by seeds which are easily available in the market. You can select the ones of your choice for your home garden. There are instructions clearly mentioned on the purchased packets so you would not have worry about when to plant them. Some of the varieties can be planted in spring season and some can even be planted in fall. The zone where you live can also help you in determining whether to plant in spring or fall. Spring planting is generally for zone 1 to 6 and if you are in zone 7 to 11 then you should probably be planting in fall.

Most wild flower seeds germinate easily if they are planted in fall or early winter. However, due to seed dormancy you might have to opt for a pretreatment so that the germination occurs easily. Germination can be improved by the method of scarification or by soaking the seeds in water overnight. Once the seeds have been sown they will germinate naturally. Wild flowers do not need additional fertilizing so it is recommended not to use fertilizers.

My home garden 2011

My Home Garden

At 23 degrees Celsius, the heat was bearable - just. The trees around the house are full. It is mid- summer and leaves are sprouting on trees all around. There is thick undergrowth below trees surrounding my house. For me, fresh new growth is always welcome. The shade provided much needed comfort in hot climate. The garden - it took years of work and caring. I feel more than rewarded for the effort.

At the approach of my house, there's the pathway. Normally, the pathway starts from the entrance and is sparsely covered with grass and weed. But my backyard is a different proposal. The center is occupied by an apple tree, which has started bearing fruit, medium sized - not as red, neither as sweet. And just short of the fence are the hibiscus, short, stout and sturdy plants. Lined up straight and with a display of discipline. The rest of the space, not much of it left though, is covered in thick grass.

Near my garage, there is a maple tree standing at 20 feet. It's trunk bruised by my utility vehicle as I tried to backup the car into my garage some years back. It's still majestic and stands tall. The maple - it survived. This incident made me think about how nature heals without any human intervention or help. I am more careful driving around my house and on the road. The garden made me a careful driver. You get to learn from environment around you and also from the most unexpected corners.

The trees around my house are the gift of nature. They grew not of my own choice, they are there simply out of nature's design that they should be in the place they are right now. Other trees have been planted with hope that they may survive and flourish and give me the joy of watching their beauty. Such satisfaction comes with time.

I can not claim to be an expert at gardening, or to be down right honest, even an ordinary gardener. I am at most, a novice - an enthusiast with a substantial amount of interest in plants. Ignorant as I am, as I was way back in time, unable to name many of the the flora and fauna residing in my very own garden. As a hobby, gardening gives us more than what we give to the garden. Gardening makes one appreciate nature. The nurturing of a speechless species one can admire in a lifetime. It is a humble hobby that pays one back with shade, scent and beauty.

Ornamental Grasses for Your Home Garden

Ornamental grasses are fairly popular and they are extensively used in landscaping and designing home gardens and farms. Ornamental grasses and sedges happen to be quite versatile because they have the capability of adding more texture, color and movement to your garden.

Ornamental grasses can adapt to most soils. They require less- maintenance which makes them ideal for any home garden. The best part is that you can use your imagination and plant them with your perennials or other plants so that they complement each other. They will blend in well and give a wonderful effect to your garden.

You can grow ornamental grasses in your garden to add a vertical presence. They come in many varieties and can be bought from a nursery. Some of them are meant for dry conditions and some of them thrive well in moist or wet conditions. You can choose the one that suits your landscape and makes it more appealing. Most of the grasses can be grown from seeds and they produce tiny and colorful flowers during spring season. Some of them can also be propagated by division once they are mature.

Most of the these grasses are native and wild which makes them less susceptible to pests and diseases. If they get their share of ample sunlight and nutrients from the soil, they will thrive and add to the beauty of your garden. Even the slightest breeze makes them move and sway which adds movement to the landscape. You can also attract birds, bees and butterflies to your garden by planting them. Some of the common ones that are used in home gardens are Pink crystals, Tender fountain grass, Lemongrass, Dwarf pampas grass, Ribbon grass, Velvet grass, Blue grama and June grass.

You can plant the ornamental grasses in the spring season so that they grow and develop a healthy root system by the time winter arrives. They can also be planted in fall during August or September month. Provide enough moisture and fertilization so that the plants grow well and become strong. Mulching is required during winter season to protect the plants from frost and cold so you will have to cover the ground with mulch before winter approaches. Most of the ornamental grasses can tolerate drought conditions once they are fully grown and established so you would not really have to worry a lot about care and maintenance.

Tips For Growing Plants in a Home Garden

When you buy a house you want to have a wonderful garden where your kids can have fun and you can relax in. A garden is one place where we feel we are one with nature and enjoy the small pleasures of life. A home garden is incomplete without potted plants and flowering plants. Before you choose the plants to grow in your home garden, take a tour of your neighborhood and see what types of plants are being planted. That will give you an idea of what grows in your area.

A trip to the nursery and a quick word with the gardener will also help in deciding on the type of plants you will grow in your home garden. Flowering plants like roses are an all time favorite with everyone. Sunflower looks bright and lends a cheerful look to your home garden. Flowering houseplants, like Clivia or Kaffir Lily add vibrancy and a touch of the exotic. The most popular exotic house plant and garden favorite, Sambac, brings the most wonderful aroma into your home garden. Cacti are one tropical plant that doesn't need any special care. It can grow in any weather and is easy to maintain.

If you are an avid gardener then you can have a patch in your garden for vegetables. Grow tomatoes, broccoli, luscious rutabaga and green vegetables in your home garden. Greens and lettuce, cumin plant and mint can also be grown as an herbal patch in your garden. If you are living in an apartment then have a few pots on your window sill of mint, tulsi, bamboo, aloe vera and curry leaves. These are herbal plants that have medicinal value also.

If you wish to plant trees that can give out fragrance then silk mimosa will be an ideal choice. This fast growing tree has attractive fragrance and its pink flowers add beauty to its fern like leaves that are shaped like a dome. Bamboo is another tree that can be grown in your garden. The Chinese believe that bamboo is a sacred plant that can attract wealth and prosperity to the grower. Who wouldn't wish to have these?

A garden needs good soil and plenty of water for plants, flowers and trees to grow. To go organic is the safe and tested way. One of the most important secrets in organic gardening is tending to the soil. Soil is the main key to growth. If soil is rich in manure then anything which grows in it will be rich and abundant. When chemicals are added to the soil the soil looses its fertility after a while. Natural ways to tend soil is to allow some insects like earthworms to be present in the soil. These worms while moving around, 'till' the soil that allows air to enter beneath and allow the soil to remain fertile. Organic pesticides can enrich the soil and help your plants to be pest free. Adding dead leaves, grass and plant material will enhance the richness of the soil. This is called mulching. Manure that is rich in soil nutrients is cow dung. It is widely used in agriculture.

While watering your garden, see to it that it is evenly spread. Drip irrigation is one of the most important aspects of watering a garden. Nature balances itself beautifully. It is our duty to keep nature intact so that it can help us to lead a healthy and joyful life on this planet earth.

Matthew has been gardening for many year and has a few different types of gardens. For more information about figuring out your garden [http://www.figuringoutmygarden.com] and planting advice [http://www.mygardeningstory.com], visit Matt's websites.

Tips For Creative Home Garden Landscaping

If you're looking for a way to make significant changes to the look of your outside space you want to first look at the bigger picture of the area with which you have to work and consider the factors that you need to take into account such as things that you can/ cannot change and do/don't want to change. Factors would include geographical location, buildings, large trees or bushes, rocks, water placement, shape and gradient of the outdoor space, etc.

Once you armed with this information you can work out what you need to do to bring about the look and feel you want to achieve. You might not always need to carry out major landscaping changes. Minor changes can give you stunning effects.

Adding an outdoor water feature to your garden area can give your home a whole new look and feel. There are water features that will fit any size area and installation limitations with which you may be faced. It may be a modest or prominent outdoor water feature but either will add a whole new dimension to the space and although moving water might be needed for some outdoor water landscape designs, it's not required in all instances.

Fountains are a good choice in water features if you are looking for something that will require minimal work, Fountains come in a variety of themes, shapes, sizes and complexities. You can select something simple for a small patio space but if you have the space you can position a large complex piece to create a focal point in the center of a large garden. Fountain and pond installation is relatively simple if you already have water connected and running to the spot. Just follow the manufacturer's instructions to build the fountain and attach the water supply. Not all fountain kits come with extra hose or connectors which may be required to attach the fountain to your water source. These connections would probably differ according to your water supply.

If you already have a body of water such as pond on your property, you can just add a fountain kit to it to change its look.

Ponds are simple to add to your property whether you have a small odd sized outdoor space or an acre of garden. All you need for a small area is a basic pond kit, some stones and a small plastic pond from the home improvement store. For larger ponds you might need to excavate the space with a backhoe.

In a typical small space like a home garden, features like whether the garden is flat or on an incline, its layout and the position of the house and outdoor buildings can affect the whole feel of the garden. Additional factors to consider would be climate and availability of water or whether you are trying to recreate a garden theme that is outside the norm for the area (which will be a lot of work) such as an English style garden in the desert or a cactus garden where there can be ice and snow. For more practical and less radical garden recreation your garden space can be enhanced with strategically placed planters, garden stairs, and a water element.

Around the outside border of your patio area place planters to give the feel of a boundary between it and the great outdoors beyond! Consider creating a concrete, stone or other sturdy patio structure if you do not have an outdoor living area and position planters strategically around the edge. Collect and use interesting and unusual containers such as wine barrels or more conventional concrete, terracotta or glazed ceramic planters. Arrange them in decorative clusters at the edge of the patio. Grow decorative grasses, ferns, peace lilies and other lush, bushy plants to bestow a more natural feel to your patio and give it a soft border.

A steep grade is a challenge in any home garden but it can also be an opportunity for stunning visual landscape. Put in a twisting narrow stairway down the hill surrounded by terrace garden beds that are separated by retaining walls. Select plants and stagger your planting to create the impression of descending from a hill or mountain top into a lush forest. Plant flowers and low hedges in planters near the top of the hill. The advantage of planters here is that if they can moved for a "holiday" when they are in their off season and replaced with plants that are in full growth and flower. Follow these with plants that increase in size, such as hedges, fruit trees, and bamboo. At the bottom, install large trees that are appropriately sized to your home garden space.

Gardening is one of the most popular pastimes everywhere in the world. There seems to be a very special magic that is woven by daily puttering in their yards, expressing their creative colorful outdoor home garden landscape. For those with limited space, there may be restraints that you need to overcome but beautiful outdoor spaces can be created on even on the smallest balconies. You do not need complexity to landscaping a small outdoor space for it to be beautiful. The simplest effects can look stunning.

Plant border plants around your garden beds or use some landscaping feature like a rock wall or planters. Use stone, small evergreens or ground cover perennials that you can train into the desired shape. English thyme is a useful fragrant low-level ground cover that can create beautiful borders. Creating borders give a more formal feel but also gives a feeling of "difference" between inside the area and out. Even if the garden itself isn't planned, the border creates a simple and easy landscape feature.

At the end of the day, landscaping your garden is going to depend on your preferences and availability of materials. If I can give you only one tip it is this: Once you have taken stock of the land and its features, Plan. Come up with a theme for your garden before you plant. Unless you have enough space for clearly defined garden "rooms" have an overall theme. Maybe you would like a garden featuring mainly plants with yellow flowers or leaves, for example. Other theme ideas include a butterfly garden, a knot garden and a herb garden. None of these require much space, Plan them on paper first so that your garden goes in correctly the first time and you don't have wasted materials and plants, or time.

My Home Garden Decor

When decorating a garden area, you should first choose a garden theme. There are several garden themes to choose from, some of which include formal, English or cottage, Japanese or oriental, and Mediterranean. After choosing the garden theme, you can then choose the proper flowers and other plants to fit with the theme of the garden. With proper planning and care, your home garden can be a very welcoming outdoor living area. In addition to the plants and flowers in your garden, there are many other home garden décor items, such as ornaments, accessories, fountains, bird feeders, pots, vases, and garden statues that you can add to your garden.

One of the most important additions to a garden is seating. Having a garden bench, swing, and/or comfortable chairs will allow you, your family, and your visitors to relax and enjoy the garden. A decorative garden bench will provide a perfect place to unwind after an especially stressful day. You may also want to consider adding an outdoor eating area to your garden.

Focal points, such as fountains, bird baths, and other water features, can provide beauty along with the calming effects of the trickling water. Water will also cool the air and perhaps bring in some birds or other visitors from nature.

Arches, trellises and arbors will provide support for plants and also add a nice architectural feature to the garden. You may also want to add a garden sculpture or sculptures. There are many to choose from. You may want to choose sculptures that go with your garden theme or maybe some elegant or even some funny or whimsical ones.

Lighting is another thing that you may want to consider for your garden. There are several choices of lighting appropriate for gardens at home improvement stores. Lighting in the garden will allow you and your family to enjoy your garden any time of the day or night. There are also outdoor heaters such as chimineas or outdoor clay fireplaces and outdoor wood burning fire pits.

Creating a home garden does not have to be expensive. There are many garden décor items that you can make yourself, such as fountains and other water features, stepping stones, etc. By comparison shopping, you can find the best deals on garden décor items. With careful planning and care, your home garden can provide the perfect place for you and your family to relax and enjoy nature.

home made costumes 2011

Homemade Costumes

A lot of Halloween costumes on sale for babies, children and adults are all the rage and mass produced. However, they are usually uncomfortable and show no creativity while bearing a price that is way too high. Homemade costumes for Halloween is a smart way to save cash, provide an outfit to fit special sizes and needs, and open up infinite possibilities for motifs while persuading family members to be keenly involved in the activity.

Individuals who create their own costumes take pleasure in a much wider range for motifs. Objects, animals, sports figures, children's story books, Bible characters, favourite movies, and even foods can serve as an inspiration. This will provide a chance to teach kids about places and people or TV shows from years ago. The entire family may become involved in assisting to select a motif and for sharing design ideas. Sharing ideas within the family can be delightful and can provide wonderful photo opportunities.

A lot of Internet sites provide photos of Halloween costume ideas, and some may even provide free Halloween costume patterns for people who are not prepared to create their own designs. Creating your own homemade costumes can allow you to save money, which is rather convenient for those who are going through a money crunch. Ready-made Halloween costumes may cost 10 to 100 dollars or even more, depending on its included accessories and its style. Creating a costume may be used as a chance to teach kids that having fun does not need to cost plenty of cash. By utilizing supplies and materials around the house, you can successfully make a costume for free. The following are a number of costume making ideas to save you money:

* Cheap shipment finds or outgrown clothing may be utilized for materials or may be re-worked into an altered size or serve as an outline for a pattern.

* Friends or relatives with a flair for sewing or design may be quite delighted to share their supplies, expertise, or both.

* A lot of accessories are just as far away as the closest closet or jewellery box. And, a lot of those neckties, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings have great story opportunities to be shared with the children as well.

* People who are in search for quick Halloween costume ideas may usually save themselves from going to a store by merely looking around the house. This can eliminate the aggravation of searching from shop to shop for the best costume that isn't available in your suitable size, as well.

* A unique handmade costume could generate money, as well. Something interesting or odd could have the edge in a Halloween costume contest. A lot of towns hold local fairs with sewing contests offering cash rewards.

* People who are sensitive to particular tags and materials or who have sensory processing disorder may enjoy a homemade costume. The costume can be tag-free and may be specifically designed with comfortable fabrics that can satisfy the child's needs.

Homemade Halloween Costumes: Start From Scratch and Make Outrageously Funny Homemade Costumes

Moms are busy and mine was no exception. When I was growing up, my mother always waited until the last minute to get us outfits to wear for Halloween. Probably out of necessity, but that is when I discovered how much fun homemade Halloween costumes could be to make.

Leaving our costumes up to Mom usually meant picking out some cheap plastic costume from the local drugstore and going with that. Though this was okay, it was not ideal. One year, my younger brother then in second grade, had to dress up for a school Halloween party.

My mother had absolutely no time to help him with an outfit, as she had a newborn. So, I took over making our Halloween costumes from scratch and, I might add, with impressive results! Honestly, I think that is what launched my desire to design costumes for movies.

These days having a boy dress up as a girl is probably a pretty common idea for home made Halloween costumes. Still, it was not quite as common when we were kids - especially in our small Texas town. Actually, it is kind of funny when I look back.

I took some of my old clothes and other things I could find in my room to make my sweet little brother into a very convincing looking girl. About the only thing I had a problem with was his hair since I did not have a girl's wig for him to wear. I did have plenty of everything else for his get-up. One look at him and everyone cracked up with laughter.

Easy Homemade Costume Ideas For Halloween

There are some easy Halloween costume ideas you can put together yourself and it's a lot of fun to make your own costume. If you have never done it before, why not give it a try? You can save money and have a blast making it. Take a look at our unique and fun costume ideas and see if any appeal to you.

You can find most of the items you need in your home. Some of these ideas might need a store bought accessory unless you are very creative and find a way to make what you need.

Homemade Pirate's Costume

One very easy homemade costume idea for Halloween is a pirate. Have you got a red T-shirt and some black sweat pants? If so, you've got most of your costume already. A pirate is such a exciting idea and you can bring some unique and adventurous characteristics to this costume if it's the one you decide to make.

An eye patch and a cutlass sword are all you will need to complete this buccaneer outfit.

Make a Present Costume

You can make your own box costume...it's easy. For this homemade Halloween costume you will need some gift wrapping paper, some curling ribbon and a cardboard box. Why not surprise everyone you know this costume holiday...give them yourself as a present! What a wonderful way to say Happy Halloween to everyone.

A Pair of Dice

Dice are another one of my easy homemade costume ideas. Of course, once again, this costume needs two cardboard boxes, some white and black paint and a friend! It's a funny couples costume idea too, so why not get a buddy and get planning. You will be the hit of the party and you might even win a prize for the most creative or unique costume.

Popcorn Costume

Do you like popcorn? Then why not be a box of Popcorn this Halloween. This easy homemade costume is funny too. You might want to hide a few snack bags and hand out some popcorn to your fellow trick or treaters. If it's a costume party your headed for, why not make a bowl of popcorn to bring to your host.

Other easy homemade costume ideas for Halloween are Zorro, a Cowboy, a Tombstone, A Devil, a Bag of Garbage, Static Cling or even a Laundry Basket. You get to be creative, save money and have fun when you make your own costume. Once you take a look at these ideas, you are going to start getting some of your own. The best thing about some of these homemade costumes is they show your sense of humor, after all, isn't Halloween a time for fun?

Creating Homemade Halloween Costumes For Children

Many countries around the world celebrate Halloween every year with a ball, party or "trick or treating" outings. Fabulous costumes bring real enjoyment to these events, especially if they have been handmade. If you have children, making a Halloween outfit together can be a fun and memorable craft exercise as well.

Although many people go out or online to purchase their costumes, there are many advantages to making your own costumes at home. First, there are financial reasons. For those who cannot afford to purchase ready made outfits in the store, making costume at home is usually cheaper.

Second, by making your own costume, your creativity will really shine through. It will also be certain to be unique, and you will not worry about running into someone dressed identically at a party or costume ball.

Halloween is one of the best events to spend time with family, enjoy the celebrations and have a good bonding with kids, and helping your children to create Halloween attire is a great way to have some fun and spend some quality time with your children.

You can create wonderful costumes by using many regular items you can find in your house. Take some white cloth, permanent marker and scissors and you can easily create a ghost. Take some old rags, stapler, glue and black piece of card board and you can create a witch. These are just simple creations, but the experience will bring you closer to your children and be fun to make as well.

Here are several additional outfits you can make with your kids. It is always best to ask you children first what they like to be, but you may also want to make some suggestions.

For boys: How about being a Ninja warrior? Prepare a black colored shirt, black pants, belt, some plastic or cardboard swords and knives to make your son be like Arabian Ninja. Cover his face excluding his eyes with a black scarf and make use of safety pins to keep it in place. Let him wear all black, hand the weapons and provide him belt to place his weapons and then you are done.

For girls: Many girls shy away from the more frightening costumes, and may instead want to use Halloween as an opportunity to be a princess or fairy. You can purchase fairy wings or just create one at home using cardboard and sparkles. Then, with face paints and a fancy dress, you'll be able to transform your daughter to be the most dazzling fairy ever for her Halloween party!

at home Of Dream

Aging at Home Strategy in Ontario

The Ontario government introduced the Aging at Home Strategy in August 2007 in the interest of improving the quality of life and also the care available to seniors who are able and have chosen to spend their retirement years in the comfort of their own homes.

As Ontario's population ages it has become increasingly important to ensure that there will be resources available to assist our seniors. It is estimated that in the next 15 years, the senior population in the province of Ontario will double and with that statistic on the table, the Aging at Home Strategy was created.

The intent of the Aging at Home Strategy is that seniors will have access to needed resources to allow them to get home quicker after hospital visits and to avoid hospitalization where alternate care is available, thus easing some of the pressure on waiting rooms and hospital facilities in general.

Ontario's 14 Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) are at the forefront in identifying areas of need and making funding for home care and community services available.

Twenty percent of the original $700 million in funding of the AAH Strategy was to be dedicated to creating new and innovative projects, also known as new preventive and wellness services. These would create opportunities for LHINs to better serve and provide access to health care to Ontario's seniors.

Examples of New Projects and Services

Alzheimer Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County
In year 2 of the project, the Alzheimer Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County estimates they would serve nearly 2500 seniors by 2010/11. The purpose of the project is to connect individuals newly diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia and their families to community learning services and support through the duration of the disease.

Going Home
Also in year 2, the Going Home project was created in Carefor Health and Community Services Center in Ottawa. They provide a collection of variety of community support services that assist seniors in the first 10 days after being discharged from hospital and allow seniors to remain safely in their homes.

Assisted Living Services
In year 3 of the project Assisted Living Services that include 24/7 access to in-home services was established in Killaloe, Renfrew and surrounding area, Carleton Place, Almonte and area, Downtown and Centertown Ottawa, Orleans, Ottawa South and Ottawa West.

Exercise Programs
Rehabilitation teams in Sarnia and Chatham-Kent are leading exercise programs for seniors suffering from chronic health conditions such as stroke and osteoarthritis.

Transportation
Transportation is available in the Brampton area to give seniors rides to appointments.

Assistance around Toronto
A Toronto area program is providing seniors in supportive housing with counseling, homemaking services, and security check-ins and medication reminders.

Success Stories
The OASIS program is part of Ontario's Aging at Home strategy. It is one of seven Aging at home programs in Kingston and provides support to 40 seniors. The seven programs in the Kingston area serve over 700 seniors and across the Southeast LHIN there are 11 programs that serve over 2400 seniors. By its third year, the Aging at Home strategy had funded over 600 projects.

A February 1, 2011 News Release stated that the McGuinty Government's Aging at Home Strategy has helped reduce ER wait times. Seniors in the Kingston area have improved access to health care and better quality of life due to the innovative programs that are now bringing support to their homes. The OASIS program in Kingston has three on-site personal support workers that help the residents of 237 Bath Road to live independently in their own apartments. One of the workers assists residents with access to health care services and the two additional workers are on site each night of the week in case of incidents where someone needs a hand.

Why You Should Be Working At Home Today

Working at home for many is a fairy tale type of lifestyle that will bring them great wealth and freedom and the ability to never answer to anyone again. While this is a nice dream of sorts, the reality is not quite so simple. Yes, with work at home opportunities you can set your own schedule, but there must first be an emphasis on having a schedule. Without structure, you are destined to fail in a work at home opportunity. Now the good news is that the structure you set is completely up to you. If you're more of an evening person, then you can schedule all of your work during those times. Just make sure that the people you love understand the type of lifestyle that you are leading and that they are on board with it ahead of time. On the other hand, if you thrive in the morning to afternoon shift, then it's possible that not a lot will change as you test the telecommuting waters.

It's also important to realize that in any work at home position, the money has to come from somewhere. What do you do to earn it? Are you a writer? Do you sell products of either an informational or commercial type? Whenever someone is giving you money for something, whether it is a product or a service, you have to answer to them. One dissatisfied customer can lead to several, and that can lead to poor word of mouth that keeps you from making another dime. In this regard, working at home can be tougher than a traditional job because there is more direct pressure on you to succeed.

Still, the concept of not having a boss breathing down your neck every minute of the day is a good one. And any mistakes that cost you will be your own, unlike in the private sector, where a bad boss can have you chasing your tail, doing busy work, and making you look bad for his stupidity. With a shaky job market and failing companies out there, incompetent people in high places are simply the realities of the private sector. You can take control of your own destiny when you work at home, and that kind of liberation is very appealing.

As you decide whether the work at home lifestyle is right for you, consider what type of person that you are. Do you work well under pressure? Are you better when you're the one that's applying it and not someone else? Do you want to set your own career goals and depend on only yourself to get there? With these qualities, and discipline, the work at home lifestyle could be the one for you.

Avoiding The Pitfalls Of Work At Home Systems

Working at home has many pitfalls, but not nearly as many as work at home systems. There are a lot of products out there promising the world, but delivering very little or nothing at all. Many misrepresent themselves and make things seem much easier than they really are. They hope that the veiled secrecy will lead you to buy, and once you do, they plan to forget about you lock, stock and barrel. Finding a good work at home system is easy, however, if you focus in on three key areas.

Support

When getting started out on your work at home system, you need to have support that will be there to ensure your profitability. Learning a new system is not easy without adequate support, and many work at home opportunities are completely devoid of it, because support means manpower and overhead, and they don't want to do anything that might jeopardize their profit margin. While this may be good for them, it does you little good as you struggle to find an Internet marketing system that works. Without adequate support you are destined for failure, and eventually, they will be, too. Don't waste your time with a company that thinks you and your success are a waste of time.

Content

For a work at home system to be successful at training you for success and helping you reach out to the people, who will in turn make you successful, content is of vital importance. Without appropriate content, you cannot attract buyers, and you cannot learn what you need to do as a professional to keep the ship moving right along. But content alone is not enough. Systems require understanding, and for your understanding to be at its best, you need information reinforced in multiple ways. That leads to the last thing you should be looking for in a quality work at home system.

Visualization

One of the best things that a successful work at home system can have going for it is a system of visualization procedures that has the concept come to life right before your very eyes. Look for high quality training videos that can show you in no uncertain terms how a system works. Content and literature alone is not enough to maximize your efforts for success. You have to visualize. And with a system of high quality training videos, you can see how the mystique becomes the reality.

Working at home takes time and effort if you want to do it right. But the more that you do upfront, the less it will take later on. So whenever you take this professional route, first choose a good system, and then put in the time and the effort necessary to understand how it works.

Income at Home - Why Most People Never Make Income Online - 1 of These Mistakes & You Won't Either

To be able to generate income at home is a very attractive alternative to a regular 9 to 5 job and with this economic crisis that we're facing, more and more people are trying to make money online. However, most of the new comers will never realize even a single profit online. The reason is simple; they make terrible mistakes when they start. I will show you some of the usual mistakes beginners make and how you can avoid them.

First the facts: Thousands of people are actually generating tons of income at home, including me. That said; the reality is that most of the newbie's never get to make money on the internet. There are many common mistakes that almost all beginners make and that most of the time will lead to an online failure. I make many of them, and my journey was painful and very expensive.

I'll give you a briefly overview of some of this mistakes and hopefully you don't make them.

Go for income at home systems or programs that don't work: You will be tempted bi some offers to try to make money on the internet filling surveys online, or filling questionnaires. You should never try this. These kinds of programs only make money to the guys who promote them.

Other types of programs that you should stay away are those programs that let you build a website on their domains to generate leads or customers for them. Many of these programs fall in the category of MLM or Multi-Level Marketing. If you are offered these kinds of programs run fast.

Shop to earn programs is another common scam you should avoid: These are income at home programs where you generate income through your shopping and through your friends shopping's. They claim there's not sales involve, but you usually have to come up with about $400 to get started. My friend thrust me on this; if you ever read the words 'shop to earn' in a website, close your browser, and if possible delete your cookies.

Never pick a system that involves CPA, PPC or PPV: CPA is when you get paid to generate leads for a vendor. A lot of money could be made with CPA but is not suited for beginners. PPC and PPV refer to pay per click and pay per view. These are ways to generate traffic where you pay for the click of for the view. You should stay away of programs that advise on these, at least for the first year.

Chose a great system and don't follow it persistently: many folks get lucky and stumble up on a good system or program to generate income at home but they never work hard enough on the system to make it work for them. You have to be persistent and work hard until you start seeing some profits, thrust me, it is worth it.

Generate income at home Infomercials: Be an adult; 99% of infomercials about how to make money online don't work. Use your TV to watch something of more value

Get overload with information: Many beginners allow themselves to get overwhelmed with information. When you star your income at home journey you will continuously and insistently be bombard with many different offers to make income at home, and you will read their sales letter and probably think on give a try to that program too.

This is the most common receipt for failure. Concentrate only on one system and don't pay attention to the hundreds e-mails that you are going to receive about the latest system to make massive amount of money online. This is the only way to succeed on the internet.

A lot of money can be made on the internet; it's not hard once you know how things work. I've been doing it for 5 years now and even on this recession I've managed to pull over $40,000 each and every month. Obviously, you'll need a sound Course, Program or System to follow.

Nowadays, trying to make money online is even more confusing than it used to be. There are so many programs on the market to choose from, most of them are garbage or scams, and unless you have the time and money to test them all out, you're basically going to go round in circles, and potentially lose a lot of money.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2803666

Easy Exercises You Can Do At Home

Do you know that in order to keep your heart healthy and your weight under control, you need to walk at least 10,000 steps each day? This may sound daunting but many activities you're doing everyday such as running errands or doing household works can add up to a few hundred or even thousand of steps for you.

To maintain your health and make sure you achieve the 10,000 steps each day, here are some simple and easy exercises that you can do at home. These exercise routines not only help to keep you fit but also will tone your body as they work on some specific muscle groups. They are a lot more effective than the general exercises such as running errands and doing house chores. Here are the exercises you can easily do at home:

- Stretching exercises. Stand with both of your hands against a wall and move your left leg back so that your foot is flat against the floor. Hold for a few seconds; then repeat this move with the right leg. Another great stretching exercise you can perform is to lie on your back, use both hands, bring up your right knee to your chest and hold it for a few seconds. Repeat this routine with your left leg.

- Curl is very easy to do. Just lie on your back with both hands behind your head and raise your upper body. Repeat this move for 15-20 times.

- Leg exercises can be done by lying down on your side and lifting each leg repeatedly for 15-20 times. You can also stand and hold on to the back of a chair and lift your legs backward repeatedly.

- Arm exercises. This is important to improve muscle tone. For arm exercises, you can use an exercise band. Place both feet on one end of the band, hold the other ends with each hand and then repeatedly raise and lower the band (in an up and down motion for 10-15 minutes). If you have a pair of dumbbell, you can also use them to exercise your arms.

- If you are working at home and sitting in front of your computer most of the time, try to press down on your toes in an up and down motion frequently. This activity will help to keep the blood circulation flowing in your legs.

- If you know how to dance, put on a music CD and dance for about 20-30 minutes. This is a great cardiovascular workout. You can also incorporate push-ups, sit-ups and jumping rope into your daily home exercise routine.