A Day at the Beach

I live near the ocean - a mile and a half to be more exact - and yet, I so often get caught up in my daily life that I forget to really enjoy it. My friend, Donna, and I used to ride our bikes a lot along the ocean when I sold software but now that I am running my own business, www.giftsfromadistance.com, it seems that I no longer have the time to do that very often. But...yesterday was different. Our friends, Barbara and Marc, came down from Yorba Linda with their bicycles. We loaded my bike in the back of Marc's truck with theirs and headed to the beach. (Hal had to deal with a family emergency and didn't join us until later.) We spent about an hour riding our bikes along the ocean, catching dolphins once in a while and watching the dogs play on Dog Beach. We played in the water - catching waves, jumping over waves, diving into waves - and just enjoyed the sound of the ocean and the people who were there. We had a special treat when a dolphin came body surfing in and you could see it encased in the green water - it was awesome. Later, we went into downtown Huntington for dinner at a very local restaurant. I remembered why I live near the beach and how much I enjoy just hanging out down there so, if you read this blog, I have a special treat for you this week - if you shop at www.giftsfromadistance this week, type in "beach" at check out and your entire order will be reduced by 10%! This is only good for this week so, hurry on over!

Warm hugs,
Terry

Things that make me stop and think

I missed yesterday because I had a Girls Day Out Excursion with two friends of mine and was planning to write all about it today....but, I caught a glimpse of the article about Jaycee Dugard in the train station and couldn't get her out of my mind. How anyone could abduct a child and then treat them inhumanely, sexually, physically, mentally and emotionally, is beyond my comprehension but those people do not belong in mainstream society. There is nothing in the world that will give Jaycee and her daughters back their lives. It may be years, if ever, that they will have any semblance of a normal life. And so that article got me thinking again about the horror of human trafficking. To learn more about human trafficking, you can go to http://www.humantrafficking.org/ and to learn more about abductions, you can go to http://www.missingpersoncentral.com/. Over the next few months, we hope to add more links on both http://www.giftsfromadistance.com/ and http://www.girlsofallages.com/ to organizations that are working to prevent and educate in the areas of human trafficking and abductions. As a member of Soroptimist International - Huntington Beach club, we are dedicated to helping women and girls that are victims of human trafficking. To learn more about Soroptimist International, go to http://www.soroptimistinternational.org/.
Since it's Sunday, we are off to Dog Park for a little play!

more on Shine on Spotlight

It's 9:30 at night and I had hoped to get to this sooner but didn't. Not much to blog today because I wasn't feeling well but want to thank everyone who has endorsed me at http://shinealight.ivillage.com/sbo-profile/?ProfileID=2115. I have 12 endorsements - only 38 more to go before I can be formally considered for the Shine on Spotlight award.

Thanks to all who have supported me!

terry

Shine a Light

I have been nominated and hope to win a grant from American Express and NBC but, I need your votes. You can endorse my nomination at http://shinealight.ivillage.com/sbo-profile/?ProfileID=2115 but first you need to register. It's on the left hand side towards the top. You have no idea what this will do for www.giftsfromadistance.com and www.girlsofallages. It is exactly what we need. Bless you.

Spam - it doesn't just come in a can anymore

I don't know about you but, I find it extremely hard to get rid of some of the spam I receive. I add the sender to my blocked sender list and then I get another email from the same spammer using a different email. Like many other retail websites, we, at www.giftsfromadistance.com, send out a newsletter once a month - once in awhile twice a month but not often. I am tired of getting emails from Jupiter Jack or Simple Ink multiple times during the day every day so, today I searched the internet to learn how to report spam and here is what I found out. I hope you find this information as useful as I did. Now on to ridding myself of Jupiter Jack and Simply Ink.
Until tomorrow...keep smiling!
Terry

Reporting Spam to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
One of the fist steps to take when dealing with spam is to report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Send a copy of the unsolicited email to spam@uce.gov. Your email will then be stored in a database, so that the appropriate measures can be taken to deal with those at the heart of the offense. If your request to be removed from a mailing list was not honored, you should also report to the FTC. Simply fill out the online form located at www.ftc.gov. This will send the site to the FTC's Consumer Sentinel database so that both law enforcement and consumer protection agencies may access it. You should also send a copy of the email to your Internet service provider (ISP). Normally, their abuse desk will have the email address abuse@theirispname.com, or postmaster@theirispname.com. This will alert them to the problem and help them to prevent it in the future. Likewise, you should also send a complaint email to the sender's ISP. They are usually glad to rid themselves of anyone abusing their system. When reporting spam email, you will need to have the full header of the email you received. Most email programs have a method of acquiring this information. For example, if you use Microsoft Outlook, here are the steps you need to take:
Left click the email in question and click on 'Properties'.
Click the 'Details' tab, and then 'Message Source' - this will make the full header of the email available for viewing. You should then copy and paste this into the body of the email you send for reporting spam. If you are unclear on how to retrieve this information, consult your email software's FAQ page on their website. In addition to the FTC, there are other online services that will report spam on your behalf. One of the most reputable among them is SpamCop.com. These sites will report the spam on your behalf to the ISP. Although this can oftentimes be more convenient, it will mean the spammer won't have any legal action taken against them.

Hump Day

Welcome to Wednesday, the proverbial "hump day" unless you own your own business. Began my day by adding to an order for more Whatever It Takes mugs - great mugs that give back - designed by stars, like Heidi Klum and George Clooney. Right now I am only selling them on Amazon but will introduce them into www.girlsofallages.com soon. River is calling - he wants to go for his walk. Tonight is his second to the last night at Obedience School. I told him that we may be electing to have him repeat the class. Jack is downstairs sleeping. If it wasn't for his jumping on people and chasing cats, he would be the perfect dog. Well, that's it for now.

Namaste,
Terry

When life throws you a curve ball

I missed writing yesterday because I was upset. My warehouse is in a small industrial park. On my right is a custom surfboard guy. His name is Rick. On my left is a custom car/hot rod guy. His name is Rick. I call them "my two Ricks" and feel very protected knowing they are around most of the time. Well, "Surfboard" Rick isn't around as much as he used to be because he stays with his girlfriend and works for another board maker lately. Why? Because there are so many Chinese boards on the market, that many people won't pay for a custom board any more which is a shame because it is probably a dying form of art. "Hot Rod" Rick is usually there and when I had a wasp in my office, he came over and annihilated him for me. Both of "my Ricks" are really nice guys.

Well, yesterday afternoon, Surfboard Rick came in to ask me if I had heard the latest. No, I said. He then told me that the other Rick and some friends were out riding their Harley's on Sunday and a driver smashed into them. Well, actually, the driver smashed into Rick, crushing one leg and breaking the other. One of the other riders lost her bike and was hurt but not to the extent Rick was. None of the "bikers" had been drinking. Not sure about the driver because, Rick did not know the whole story yet.

Here's the really sad part, Surfboard Rick told me that he was working on a board Sunday morning and Hot Rod Rick was out shining his Harley and talking about the trip he and his friends were going to take that afternoon. He spent the better part of the morning making sure his bike was in tiptop condition and looking beautiful. (His bike was black with orange flames.) Now he is in the hospital and hoping they can re-construct his smashed leg.

You just never know when life is going to throw you a curve ball so, be grateful for every day you have.

Terry

Your own business is like having a small child who never grows up

I am beginning to think that having your own business is like having small children who never grow up - It is with you 24x7. Today, Hal and I worked on our new website, http://www.girlsofallages.com/ which is still in its infancy but it is open to the public. Today we worked on search engine optimization and I found out that by changing one word or the location of that word (if it is in your meta data), your chances of being discovered can be altered greatly. Since it was Sunday, we finally called it quits at 11:30am and took our dogs to dog park and to a pet fair where we discovered that between us, we had brought zero dollars (or cents...or should that be sense). Took the dogs home to get our wallets and went back to buy some poop bag holders that fit on their leashes. Then, we went to a small craft fair at The Pike in Long Beach where we met a few people I hope to do business with in the future. For those of you who don't live in Southern California, The Pike at Rainbow Harbor (downtown Long Beach - very near the water) is a vibrant dining and entertainment district linking the Long Beach Convention Center to Rainbow Harbor's waterfront and the Aquarium of the Pacific. You can eat there, go to a movie, have a drink or shop. You can even ride the carousel and the ferris wheel, which we almost did today but didn't quite make it because I saw a Smoothie shop and was distracted. It was a nice outing, and it was great to leave the kids (the two four-footed ones and the business) at home for a change.

I also found my bicycle pants so, Donna & I have to don our outfits (biker chick - black with a huge baby chicken on the front) soon so that Hal can take our picture looking utterly ridiculous. Trust me, we will never be mistaken for "serious" bike riders in those outfits with Donna on her beach cruiser and me on my Huffy. Yes, I have a Huffy. Does anyone else?

Well, my business calls - time to put some Christmas night lights out on Amazon.

End of summer

I can't believe that summer is almost over. It seems like only yesterday the kids were getting out of school and now they are headed back. You know, when I first started my online business, www.giftsfromadistance.com, I worried that I would no longer really be interacting with people because everything was online. I was so wrong. I have made many friends through my business - some that are customers and some that are people I buy products from, like Linda, who is my Fruits & Passion Cucina rep among other lines, and Nathalie, an artist who makes wonderful dichroic jewelry. So...my conclusion: an online business does not have to be an "alone" business.

It's pretty amazing that my biggest orders this month have been from Japan and both have been for collectible dogs. One was for Hot Diggity Dogs (which are dachshunds) and the other was for Aye Chihuahua (which are, I am sure you have guessed, for chihuahuas). Collectible dog figurines must be very popular in Japan.

I met with our insurance agent this morning and was more than surprised to find out that there are 10,000 homeless children living in Orange County, Ca. She told me she heard about an organization that will fill a backpack full of school supplies for only $18. If I can find out who they are, I will post in one of my blogs so that if you live in OC and want to help, you will have the information to do so. I support a little girl, Marie, in Haiti so that she can go to school. I fill a backpack and believe me, I spend a lot more than $18 doing so but it is so worth it. Haiti is probably the poorest country on this planet and educating the children is their only hope of bettering their situation.

On a lighter note, Hal and I are going to go listen to a friend of ours sing Karaoke this evening. Should be fun. I have never heard her sing so, I'll let you know how she does. But...before we can go, River and I have to go to Dog Obedience School. I am not sure about that boy. Sometimes I wonder if he will ever setting down but...I still love him. If you are a dog lover (or a cat lover) like I am, you might want to see some of our wonderful items at www.giftsfromadistance. We have many sections with Cat & Dog Lover items, many of them handmade in the USA.

Well, it's time to go back to work!

Namaste,

Terry

I apologize for letting so many days pass inbetween blogs. Hal and I went to the New York Gift Show where I literally walked his feet off. We found a lot of new items while we were there - many of them recycled from such things as cans, tires and magazines. We went pretty green this year including some jewelry from recycled car windshields. What I ordered will be arriving in the next two months and will be found both at www.giftsfromadistance.com and www.girlsofallages. I will let you know as things arrive. For those of you who love texting, I got some mugs just for you that have sayings like LOL and ILU on them. For those of you who love birds and bird houses, I got some crazy ones that are cats and that are made from fast growing, sustainable wood. Of course, I got items made in the USA - I think we should take pride in buying US made items. One of the highlights of our trip was to be able to connect with a friend and her husband who live here in California for a brief but fun outing (brief because we were all tired from walking at the Gift Show). And...one more time, we got to eat at our favorite Italian restaurant, Becco, on 46th St.
Well, it's off to pack and ship. I have much to do today plus....I get to pick up our boys, Jack and River, who have been boarded since we left.

If you like cooking and ever watched Julia Child on tv or Dan Akroyd playing Julia Child on SNL, then seeing the movie, Julia and Julie, is a must for you. We saw it and boy my husband and I loved it. Meryl Streep is an awesome Julia Child and Amy Adams, who I had not heard of before, is absolutely perfect in her role. And if you want to buy things for your kitchen, we have just the items for you at www.giftsfromadistance.com/for_your_kitchen.

And speaking of food...If you live in Orange County, CA, you may want to sign up for Bluewater Grill's e-news. They offer "tasting" dinners once a month for a fixed price (under $30) which includes food and wine or beer. Last night, we celebrated our friends', Donna and Frank, anniversary at Bluewater's Tuna Tasting. We had 5 types of tuna - mostly raw or seared plus a beer, a glass of saki and a glass of chardonney. It was scrumptuous!

Jack and River are calling me - Time for their walks. Tonight is school for River and I and I'm afraid we haven't made much progress since last week. I feel like the folks on the biggest loser when they reach a plateau. River has absorbed as much training as his little brain can hold right now and seems to lose interest faster than he did a few weeks ago. I'm hoping this is just a passing phase and we will be back on track again next week.

I can't believe it's almost Labor Day. Is the year kind of like a one hour massage? You start on your stomach and it seems like your massage is going on for hours and then you turn over and it seems like the massage is over 10 minutes later. I truly believe time starts speeding up mid summer. Yesterday, I introduced my girlfriend, Donna, to a new scent in the Cucina line - Pepper and Anise - sounds bad but smells really good. We will be adding that our Cucina offerings as soon as it arrives. If you don't know about Cucina, I will tell you they are wonderful products for the kitchen and bathroom. For example, Cucina hand washes contain cold pressed virgin olive oil and other olive derivatives with purifying properties. Delicately scented, it rinses off completely to avoid interfering with the flavour of foods. See our complete line at www.giftsfromadistance.com/cucina and join our Cucina Club - a loyalty club with big rewards for people who use Cucina products.

Well, it's time to catch up with the day - it is already running away from me and I haven't walked Jack and River yet.

Sunday at Dog Park

Every Sunday, unless we are out of town, we like to go to Dog Park with our boys, Jack (a German Shepherd mix - our rescue boy) and River (a purbred Belgian Sheepdog or Groendaehl as they are formally known but, River is not a very formal boy). Today was no exception. They are so excited to ride in the car when they know they are going to dog park. The race from side to side in the back of our Jeep to look out of both windows as if the park might show up on either side. River, who just turned 15 months old yesterday, is still an intact male so, he looks for "someone to love" while we are there. Jack just enjoys running around and getting pets from whoever will pet him. Just so you don't think we are irresponsible pet owners, River is intact right now while he goes through one more training class. If he passes and I can show him in obedience, then we will probably mate him once before we neuter him (his parents are both champions). If he doesn't pass, it's off to the vet for a "snip snip" right away. I am sure I know his preference. If you are a dog lover as we are, we welcome you either at www.giftsfromadistance.com/cat_and_dog_lover_gifts or at www.dogloversrock.

Thanks again for visiting with us today!

My first post

This is my first post - kind of like first steps, first kiss, first love or whatever first has meaning to you. I'm excited about blogging and hope you will find what I have to say interesting. I am somewhat of a reality tv junkie, having just finished watching The Bachelorette and hope that the rumors are unfounded and that Jillian and Ed will be very happy together. I also like So You Think You Can Dance, Amazing Race and True Blood (well, that is really not reality tv but, it could be). I also just finished reading The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga - good book - and speaking of things like white tigers, we have great children's plush at www.giftsfromadistance.com/babies__toddlers___kids_of_all_ages.