I'm starting my 6th year of garden journal and wish I'd started earlier. I record temperature, barometer reading and weather each morning (gives me something to enter in winter) and then go on to garden note.s Great to look back and find, for instance, that this year the season is 10 days ahead of last year. Try to put in when things come into bloom and sometimes when they finish, when veggies are planted and when picked, what plants are set out and where... I use a journal book by Penelope Hobhouse but it's getting increasingly hard to find, even for Amazon.

Here's a pic of a renovation--looks as if there's a keeping-room to the left. There are other pics of the same renovation on the right side of the page. I have no interest in the company--just enjoy vintage kitchen pics. Here is a link that might be useful: vintagekitchens.com

As an Early Childhood Specialist, former nanny, teacher, daycare admin, and now mother of almost 2little ones-lucky enough to work from home offering INFANT/TODDLER CARE, here's my advice 1.) How much should I charge? *This depends a lot on HOW many children you plan to care for at any one time, and HOW OLD the children are....You can charge MORE money caring for infants and toddlers, or if you provide more one on one private care for 1-2children or families only..This is what I do, and it works out quite well! I charge $125 per wk for a full time/5days a week infant, but keep in mind, my rates are high b/c other than my own son, I only care for the one infant..Parents are usually willing to pay for this type of care..especially for an infant. *Even though most providers in my area charge considerably less..I hold my own! If you are chosing to care for a larger group size, then I would charge more along the lines of $80-$90 per week-the higher end of the scale you mentioned,keeping in mind your education and experience..make sure you get what you feel you deserve. Decide on your minimum of how little you will accept for any one situation. You can offer PART TIME or FULL TIME CARE> you can make your own hours, and set your own rates,...I do not have the same hours or set rates for everyone, each family is different, and I charge them solely based on their individual care needs..not by a generic standard...Not all parents need the same hours, the same days of the week, ages of children vary as far as responsibility... 2.) How much more should I charge for a second child in the same family? *You can make this decision on your own, but I would probably give a small discount to a family with more than one child needing care..but it would depend on the situation.. 3.) What arrangement to you have in case of emergencies? (Such as your own child being sick, death in family, anything that would keep you from being availiable.) *I have this clearly stated in my contract, my policy on such things as illnesses, emergencies, etc...I state what I will and won't do in these situations, and have it clearly written that the parent of the child in my care is to have reliable backup for their own child in the event that I am unavailable. If you write it up, the parent will either agree to it or not...you make your own rules in these cases. 4.) What are your hours? And do you take a vacation or have different holiday hours? This is dependant on YOU and what YOU WANT to do...Personally I don't like LONG hours as some daycares have their home open 6-6...this is too much on my own son, and my own life, I wouldn't work a job that long each day outside of the home, and I won't inside...My home opens each day at 730am and closes by 4pm each day. There are many families who need either part time or shorter daycare..or even late starts such as parents who work 11am-7pm, or swing shift workers, you can chose to cater to whomever you'd like..My hours are based upon each individual situation..Otherwise if you want to have a regular FT work week, offering care for many children, A good general is 730am-530pm--this seems to suit most families. Again, you make your own rules. *in regards to vacations and holidays, I clearly state my intentions...for example in my contract I state that I will take at least one week of vacation per year and that I am closed on most major holidays, and the week of Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years..parents are not obligated to pay me during those weeks or days. Again, most parents do not mind this..as they have families and time off of their own! 5.) What kind of snacks/lunch do you provide? (hot meal everyday or a sandwich on some?) Because I care for only infants and toddlers-many eating jarred foods and still on formula, they are required to provide their own food and supplies, diapers,wipes,formula,cereal etc..Most parents do not mind this. However again if you are caring for a larger group, you can adjust your fee scale accordingly if you plan on providing meals out of your pocket...THIS ADDS UP so make sure you aren't spending more on food than you are getting paid! 6.) How do you handle your own older kids' schedule, such as sports, cub scouts, etc.? ( I also have a 6 yr. old that enjoys extra activities.) This is where offering PART TIME or limited hours of care may come in handy...I have a friend who only does daycare on T/W/TH...with mondays and fridays off...and she is a booming care center! This is quite normal in my area..Also, if you know you have activities after 4pm or so, you can make your hours accordingly.. 7.) Do you have a contract and require a once-a-year supply fee like most daycare centers? I always have a contract, even if it's only 1hr per week of care...my contract is VERY DETAILED and clear so as nothing is left out or in question..I also give copies to myself and the family to refer to. I charge no fees other than weekly or monthly payment. 8.) How do you handle doctor visits for your own child? Again, this is dependant upon the hours of care you provide. If you fill your week, caring for other children, you may not be able to make it freely to a doctor appointment during the middle of the day with 6kids! Be sure if you DO PLAN on taking any children in care to appointments, or errands, that you have full permission from their parents. This again, is why caring for only a small group of 1-2 children beside your own may be more realistic way to go. Hope this information helps! If you have any further questions, or need help writing up a contract I'd be glad to help! Enjoy ! ~JEN. ECE SPECIALIST and mom to 17mos old, 31wks preg w/ #2~

When I started drinking wine, I didn't know that anyone else did it, but I started keeping notes because I couldn't remember names. I found out that it was pretty common. Now I try several thousand wines a year. Of those, three times a month they are formal, blind tastings. I keep all of those notes and of course, when the bottles are revealed, note the names. My wife and I drink maybe 250 bottles a year just between us with dinner. I keep brief notes on those. When I visit wineries, I keep notes on the wines. At larger tastings for the trade, I keep notes on many of the wines but there may be several hundred so I usually just keep very brief notes. They are only useful if you review them once or twice. But then you somehow can remember. So if I were interested in how I felt about the 1999 Brunellos, I can probably tell you now and even mention a few I liked or disliked. I don't note wines that I have with friends, in restaurants, etc. And I never keep labels or bottles as souveniers. It's like anything else. After a while, you can kind of remember. I can remember chocolates that I have loved, meals that I enjoyed, and wines that I liked.