Do You Have an Award Winning Movie in You?

Are you getting tired of your current profession? If this is the case, you should take steps to put yourself on a better career path. There is no reason that you should spend the rest of your life doing a job that you are not excited about. So what will your new job be? There are certainly many things you can try your hand at. Are you a big movie fan? With the Oscars coming up, you may be thinking about channeling your enthusiasm for movies into a new career as a screenwriter. There are many reasons why this could be a great career change for you.

Consider all of these things:

1. You will finally be able to be your own boss.
   Being a professional screenwriter gives you an enormous amount of personal freedom that most other jobs will not be able to match. You will determine how much you work and when you will do your writing. You will no longer have a boss looking over your shoulder for 40 hours each week. The ability to take control of their own destiny is something that most people desire. However, very few of them will ever realize this dream. You will control your own destiny if you work as a screenwriter.
2. You will have a job that allows you to be creative.
   There are far too many people who are stuck working at jobs that do not challenge them at all. They are very repetitive and boring. Writing screenplays for a living will get your creative juices flowing. You can think up stories about any subject that interests you. You might even be interested in writing an adapted screenplay of a novel that you read in the past. It is completely up to you.
3. You will have more free time.
   Having to go to a full-time job means that you do not have a lot of personal time. Becoming a screenwriter will definitely free up your schedule. You will no longer need to get up at the crack of dawn and sit in rush hour traffic every day. You can use this extra free time to travel or spend more time with your family. You will have a much more leisurely lifestyle than you had before.
4. The money is very good.
   You will find that screenwriters make a very nice living. You will not be disappointed with your pay if you sell a screenplay.

Who knows - maybe the next Oscar-winning movie will come from your imagination!

Create Your Own Colonial Masterpiece

Have you ever visited a historical home and wished you could recreate that cozy feeling in your own home? It is easier than you think. By changing a few basic elements you can capture that vintage look throughout your home.

The Dining Room

Colonial dining rooms have a formal feeling while still being very inviting. Wainscoting is a must. Use trim pieces to make a chair rail approximately three feet up from the floor. You can use textured wall paper, paneling, or bead board underneath to recreate the slatted look of boards. Paint the top portion of the walls in a neutral shade while using rich blues, greens, or cranberry shades for the lower half, trim, and doors. Cover windows with heavy drapes, and hang vintage portraits for a completely colonial appearance. All of these items can be found at your local home improvement store.

The Living Room

Make the fireplace the focal point of the room rather than the TV. TVs and other electronics can be placed inside of an armoire where they can be hidden behind closed doors when not in use. Place all of the furniture facing the fireplace. Decorate the mantle with antique candle holders, pewter pieces, and vintage figurines. Don’t forget to add vintage fireplace tools next to the hearth. You can find these at online merchants such as Adams Fireplace Shop.

The Kitchen

The kitchen has always been the heart of the home. In colonial days this was especially true. Keep that in mind while decorating. Colonists kept everything they needed in this room. Hang baskets from a beam on the ceiling, stack pottery dishes on a wooden shelf, and allow the cast iron pots and pans to serve double duty as decorations. Use a large wooden table with matching benches and chairs as the anchor in the room. Find candle sticks and a crock filled with flowers to use as the center piece. Homespun curtains and towels will complete the old fashioned look and feel.

By making these few simple changes within your home, you will be well on your way to creating a vintage feel in your own home. Use these tips to get started, and then you can add more antique pieces as time goes by. Before you know it, you’ll have your own beautifully warm and cozy colonial home.

I Don't Always Steal Cereal...

...but when I do, I take it back.

A few weeks ago, I bought a couple boxes of granola. At least I thought I had bought some granola, until I wanted to open a box and have some for breakfast. And then I could not find that granola anywhere. I checked the shelf I normally put cereal on; I checked the top shelf where I store the extra cereal when I have too much for the regular shelf; and then I checked again. Then I checked my van, just in case I had somehow left a bag in there. And I checked again. No granola. It just was not in my house.

I started wondering if I had actually bought the granola, or maybe I just thought about buying it and then decided against it. Then I dug out my receipt and checked. Yep, I definitely bought granola.

So I called the store - even though it had been almost two weeks - just to see if perhaps they kept a record of any items left behind at the registers. Nope, no record. They keep things for about a week and then put them back. But, Kyle said that wasn't a problem, and they'd be happy to replace my two boxes of granola. So I wrote his name on the top of my receipt, and finally got back to the store about a week later. They were indeed happy to give me two new boxes of granola to replace the two I couldn't find. No questions asked.

I took my new boxes home and placed them in my cabinet. Then a few days later I moved some oatmeal boxes - and found my original boxes of granola behind them.

Which means next time I was out, I took those replacement boxes back to the store. The lady behind the customer service desk just smiled.

How Home Renovations are Helping Home Sellers in a Buyer's Market

Across the country, home sellers have had a difficult time because of the lack of buyers who have the ability to pay legitimate prices for new homes. With the economic recovery being somewhat sluggish and people being a bit reluctant to leave their existing homes, sellers have experienced trouble even though the housing supply has been down in some places. This has left many home owners in a difficult situation. What should they do to make their homes stand out from the crowd? The answer for some has revolved around renovations.

There has long been debate among general contractors about whether home renovations add more value than they cost. If a person puts $30,000 into a home renovation, for instance, will that person experience an equivalent gain in his or her home value? Many today believe the answer is yes, and more, they believe that renovated homes will sell more quickly, saving home sellers a tremendous amount of money that might have otherwise gone to fees or double mortgage payments. The trends suggest that today's home buyers are looking for something a little different in their homes. They want something clean, updated, and move-in ready.


Home renovations allow home owners to respond to the trends in home buying. The housing market goes through shifts, with buyers desiring different elements depending on the year. In some eras, people are looking for kitchens with big double ovens. (Me! Well, not necessarily the double ovens, but the kitchen is always a big factor when I look at a house.) In other years, buyers will pay more money for an updated bathroom. Other years bring a heightened desire among buyers for a so-called "man cave" or perhaps a hometheater room. During a renovation, a contractor can respond to the current trends, making the home into one that can be more easily sold on today's market.

Home sellers looking for easy ways to get their homes sold and off the market must consider whether a renovation is right for them. Many sellers have decided to invest the money up front, trusting that a contractor will create more value than he takes in the project. It is an interesting strategy that seems to be working out across the country, as sellers are seeing their homes fly off the market when they add the touches that buyers want.