I first talked about Twitter when I joined at the end of June 2009. It has now been one month and a couple of days. This morning awakened and found that I had 200 followers. I am amazed, stunned and just don’t get it. I love it though. I don’t know if the readership numbers have gone up for my two Bellaonline.com sites, Hot and Spicy foods and Work & Family. I won’t check this month, but I will come the end of August. It is my hope that the numbers have increased.

Sharing some stuff and things:

I have found that my bio has brought target people to me and that’s a good thing. Originally I showed Work and Family as my primary site, but I talk about food so much that I have found that I get more folks who are interested in food than family. So I went with the flow and changed my primary site to Hot and Spicy foods at BellaOnline.com.

Early on, I made a decision not to push my any of my sites or the products I sell. Instead I decided to do as I do here, that is, a soft offer rather than a hard sell. Having 200 followers does not make me an expert or even knowledgable by any means, but I do think that showing a biography that shows who I am and tells exactly what I do has helped me acquire this cool following. I also post Tweets concerning the the subjects I list in my bio and I think that has helped me. As a newbie I am still learning my way around Twitter, I have left my messages open so people can contact me. I contact people as well. I have already hooked up with an author who is new to me, I have ordered two of his books and read one. Joseph Finder is his name and he is an awsome writer, if you enjoy mystery novels I urge you to check him out, especially his book, PARANOIA. Finder writes the way John Grisham did in the early Grisham days.

When someone starts to follow me, I check out their Twitter page to see if they offer good advice or just tell me what they ate for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I do that too but I am a foodie , I also sell herbs and spices, so decided that it was O.K. especially since I offer food and spice, herb tips.   

While checking to see what I could do to continue to grow I found an online magazine called SMALL BUSINESS TRENDS, in it is an article is titled “Top FIve Types of Twitter Messages to Grow Your Business”, written by Margie Zable Fisher. It is interesting and informative. Here is the link to the article.

I think the bottom line is be yourself. I have not been a terribly aggresive entrepreneur, so decided not to be on Twitter. That being said, I am aggresively consistant in updating, posting and blogging; just as I am in promoting and tending to my business.

Please don’t forget to follow me at http://twitter.com/Vannie_Ryanes

Happy Tweeting.

   Gift Elephant is a free gift service and organizer. It is almost like having your own assistant to nudge and remind you that it is Aunt Sally’s birthday, etc. 

Here are some of the things you can do to organize your gift-giving:

__Keep track of the gifts you’ve given.

__Receive reminders for any occasion.

__Know who gave you what for your birthday, holidays, wedding, etc.

__The Gift Elephhant will also create & mail real postcards we’ll print, stamp and mail them for you. Plus, manage your thank you notes.

Did I say like having having your own assistant to nudge and remind you of occassions? It’s better, cuz it won’t say, I don’t why you can’t remember this, it happens every year at the same time, or I reminded you of this last week. See, no back-talk or eye-rolling.

There is an extra benefit if you regift–you will never make a mistake and return the gift to the person who it to you. (groan)

As always read the fine print before you sign up for the free service. People often do not read the privacy or terms of use information, but it is there for your protection as well as the company’s protection. You can check them out here http://www.giftelephant.com/

   Back in high school I could not type worth a darn. Years later, I was hired for what would become my last job, on the recommendation of a former co-worker and nothing more. The week I was hired I decided that I needed to take typing lessons. I was the only ‘old’ person in the room, I breezed through “asdf;lkj.” Yes. I had to start from square one, but I knew that I (1) wanted the job I had stepped into and (2) don’t mind gambling against myself. I was determined to become a proficient typist, at least the best typist I could be. We should never let fear of failure (or shame) keep us from moving forward.

First things first, set the right course for learning a new skill.

• Let go of the past. The older we are, the harder it is to pick up new skills, sometimes because of fears or bad habits. When you try to pick up something new, train your mind to let go of preconceived ideas so you can be open to learning.

• Start with the basics. We often try to jump past the fundamentals to speed up the learning process, but that seldom works. To find the right road, begin with material that explains how and where to get started.

• Break down the tasks. The distance ahead can seem overwhelming at first. Cut down your journey into manageable segments to avoid growing frustrated.

• Ask for help or directions. The key to understanding is to ask questions. Consult with experts who can guide you toward your destination. Develop some test questions for yourself as a way to really confirm your understanding of the material, and also to retain the information better.

And finally,

• Become an expert at each segment. Don’t move on to the next step until you’ve tested your knowledge. Try to get the same measurable results over and over before you move on.

  Watkins gives us this fresh fruit tart recipe and suggest that you vary the fruits by using whatever is on hand or in season in your area.

Ingredients

Pastry dough for 10-inch/25-cm pie
1 package (8 oz/227 g) reduced-calorie cream cheese
1/4 to 1/3 cup/60 to 80 mL sugar, to taste
1-1/2 tsp/7.5 mL Watkins Original Double-Strength Vanilla
2 peaches or nectarines, thinly sliced
2 kiwifruit, peeled, sliced and halved
1 cup/250 mL fresh blueberries
2 tbsp/30 mL honey
1/2 tsp/2.5 mL
1/2 to 1 tsp/2.5 to 5 mL water

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 450ºF/235ºC.

Prepare dough and press onto bottom and up sides of a 10-inch/25-cm tart pan with removable bottom. Trim edges if necessary. Prick crust with fork. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely. In small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and Vanilla; mix well. Spread evenly in cooked tart shell. (At this point, tart may be covered and refrigerated overnight.) In large bowl, combine fruit; carefully spoon over filling. In small bowl, combine honey, Orange Extract and enough water to make a glaze. Brush glaze over fruit.

Store in refrigerator. Remove sides of pan before serving.

Makes 10 servings. Enjoy.

Visit Watkins for more recipes and herbs and spices too. Watkins

Next month is Foot Health Month. But it is never too soon to start giving much needed attention to our feet. Of course the best way to do that is to wear comfortable shoes that fit well. But that often does not happen, because style is everything. Maybe I should only speak for myself about this. I love high heels and have always worn them, but these days the shoes are lower. That may be because I am working from home and no longer have to dress for work. In my old office, there were no down days, no relaxing Friday’s, etc.

The Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Web site has good advice and guidelines about shoe-shopping.

See some reminders and FYI’s offered.

• Along with other things, your feet may get wider with age. Measure your feet before buying the shoes.

• Soft, flexible uppers will better match the shape of your foot.

• Leather shoes generally irritate your skin less.

• Soles should provide good traction.

• Thick soles lessen pressure on hard surfaces such as concrete and wood flooring.

• Low-heeled shoes, for obvious reasons, are more comfortable and present less risk of injury and discomfort than high heels.

I am giving some of my, dressed-to-the-hilt, shoes away for various reasons, too tight, uncomfortable, too high. But have kept a few pair, am still weeding out. I just tried on a pair of 5 inch bronze sandles and looked in the mirror, as always, I looked quite tall. I have always thought of myself as tall because I’ve always worn high heels. The truth of the matter is I am 5′ 2″. That makes me a cute size, not tall size. But that’s O.K, my feet are happier.

www.hopkinsbayview.org

 If you are familiar with the name Oriental Trading, but never bought anything from them because they have cheap stuff, well that’s the whole idea. This company has really fun stuff for cookouts and beach parties. How about pretty paper laterns for your backyard? Or fun hats for everyone to wear if it is a theme party.

These items are inexpensive enough to buy in quanity and not to regret if they die in the rain. Check out Oriental Trading for novelty items and such.

I have also cruised the pages of Century Novelty but never made a purchase. Here is the URL to their site: Century Novelty

You love working from home because now you can really multi-task. In addition to doing all of your home chores and taking care of your little ones, you can make money from home too. But have you taken the precautions you need to keep the tots safe? If you work at home and have small children about, their safety is what matters most. Be mindful of:

Strangulation hazards Keep all cords out of the way of little hands and reach. All it takes is one minute for the unthinkable to happen.

Keep small objects in closed containers It is easier to be able to reach into an open dish, but small objects can be like magnets to children. Keep all paper clips, pen caps, loose change, rubbers bands, etc. out of sight. If they can’t see it, there are less likely to reach for it. This does not mean that a closed drawer or container is safe from little wandering eyes and hands. Try to keep your work area clear of anything that might find its way in a little one’s eye or down his throat. Childproofing your home is a must if you have furry babies too. Remember cat’s are known climber’s and stealer’s of things small.

Do not allow climbing on shelfs or other storage places, it is too easy for these things to tip over, crash down or lock.

Don’t run with scissors OK, don’t leave sharp edged items lying around. And if your desk has sharp edges, you may want to put some kind of barrier around the desk. Perhaps a couple of plants or baskets.

Put cleaning supplies away ASAP  Also, liquid paper, ink cartridges, magic marker’s, etc. anything that can be considered toxic when eaten. Be extra careful if it is a bright color, bright colors may mean candy to a child.

Well, I will celebrate my first week in the state of Twitter this Friday. I came across a background site called My Tweet Space. You can visit it here and snag a background you like. My Tweet Space

So, why do I like Twitter? There are not many places that you can talk about any and everything, a lot. This morning I remembered that my ex once gave me a doll called Chatty Cathy*, and no, that is not the reason for our divorce.  I thought the gift was sweet and very much appropriate. If I had that doll now I would definately be waiting for the Antiques Roadshow people.

Please follow me on Twitter, if you‘ve a mind to. I’m here Vannie_Ryanes

*You can find info on Chatty Cathy at Chatty Cathy Talks