So where’s this coming from? I came across a website for Cryo-Cell Innovative Stem Cell Solutions and I have to say that I whole-heartedly 100% agree with their logic. It’s a very simple logic too, Cryo-Cell’s “Protect Baby, Protect Mom”. Umbilical cord blood stem cells are a 100% match for the child, and there’s also a 1 in 4 chance that your newborns cord is a match for siblings as well. Stem cells have been used in over 8000 transplants worldwide and has treated over 70 diseases. So while it’s still considered an experimental procedure, I really don’t understand why everyone looks down upon it? The government can spend billions of dollars on a war we’re not even supposed to be in but they can’t kick some money aside to help the future of our country? If a child dies due to something that’s easily fixable (found through this research) why is the mother just supposed to deal with the loss of a child knowing that it would have been 100% possible to change the outcome of the situation? Yes, an experiment is an experiement but if there are documented cases of this working – what’s to experiment?

Now, I don’t see myself having children – mainly because I can’t stand other peoples kids, why would I want my own? However, there are some people out there that were just made to be parents, so here’s something for you if you fit in that category. “Protect Baby, Protect Mom” Special Limited-Time Introductory Offer. If you’ve ever stored cord blood stem cells with any bank (privately or publicly), you can qualify for Cryo-Cell’s Returning Client Pricing. With their offer, you can receive two services for less than the price of one. It’s alot to read into, it’s a lot of money to be spent, but take the time to look through everything they have to offer, if you’re truly interested in protecting your children than this is the route to take.

I’m working on this new site that’s health related. With the way the client approached me I thought I was going to be working on a hospitals website or something. The money from it is great, don’t get me wrong, but I was going in a completely different direction when he told me to slow down and sent me a long email on exactly what the company was. It’s for a new experimental weight loss supplement, something I’m honestly not sure I would try myself, but they seem pretty darn focused on getting it launched and out there for the world to see so of course I need to come up with something that’s not only informative, but matches their brand label and can appeal to 18-32 year old men and women whom would benefit from using their product.

So what did I do? I went out of my way to look at just about every single site that houses a large database of website templates that I could find. During my search I went through the usual sites, ones that tend to pop into your head as soon as you’re looking for new ideas.  Fortunately, I found a new one that’s certainly worth flipping through, that’s for sure.  It’s called DreamTemplates.com.  They have a database of over 300 templates that are completely free, or you can pay them a one-time-fee of $59.95 and gain access to THOUSANDS of templates.

When looking through the premium templates, I have to say that I was certainly inspired.  While the bulk of them look very generic (to me at least) the rest of them are appealing and worth that one-time payment.  They’re all high quality templates, all of the sources files are included (if you’re looking at any Flash based ones) and they’re relatively attractive for just about any business or personal site you’re looking to house them on.  I’d highly recommend them.

You can get absolutely anything you could need from Vista Print. I started with their Free Products which include everything from business cards, rubber stamps and even pens with your name and logo on them. They specialize in full color printing, business cards, car door magnets, logo design, post cards, brochures, window signs, hats, t-shirts, pens, magnets, note pads, sticky notes, holiday cards, thank you cards, self inking stamps, and so much more.

I originally printed my 250 free business cards with them, with $5 shipping I received my cards quickly and then went and dropped them off in stores around the area to gain some business. With a huge thank you to them, I was able to bring in enough clients to afford their premium cards – which are high gloss front & back designs. I typically buy in bulk so I have about 500 left out of the 1,000 I purchased. It only cost me $55 to get the glossy finish that I was looking for in order for my cards to stand out amongst the rest. Yes, the original cards were great but having that extra color really did allow my logo to pop.

I’ve also printed return address labels with them as well. For $24 I picked up 420 customized labels that house my logo and all of my contact information. I go through a lot of paperwork. From sending out bills to payments – you really need to stay on top of things and with a thank you to Vista Print, I’m able to run my business more effectively and couldn’t ask for a better company to work with.

I need a new laptop, while I have the Mac to work on I do like the portability and I’ve noticed that my laptop is running very – very hot and since I’m no longer under warranty and it keeps crashing on me – I’ve decided that it’s time for a new one. I’ve been looking into numerous different brands and while I would absolutely love to invest in a MacBook Pro I can easily run Mac OS X Leopard on an Intel based system that costs much less. I was able to customize a laptop with no operating system that housed an Intel 2.5GHz processor, 4GB of ram and a 256 Graphics card for only about $850. That’s about 1800 cheaper than the MacBook that I customized.

I also need to invest in a new car, and while that doesn’t seem “business based” when you need dependable transportation to get you to and from both job interviews and client meetings – having a stable car would really help me out. The one I’m driving now? I’m lucky to make it out of the complex, let alone making it down to Ocean City or any other major town in the area to hold my meetings. The car would also be used as advertising space, I’d use the back window for a custom message that I already have designed in Photoshop for when I’m ready to print things out.

The possibilities are some-what endless, I just need to be eligible for a loan totaling about $25,000. It would take me a long time to pay off but if my payments could be less than $350 a month it would really help me out.

Their description is pretty true to form. They’re a user-friendly guide to finding the right web host in your current price range. They give you a break down of every host in the database and even have recommendations for their top ten hosts on the Internet if you really have trouble making your choice. I’ve noticed a trend in many recommendations for BlueHost being the #1 host on the list. My only issue with them is the lack of ability to rent a server. Based on a few companies that I’ve dealt with that are hosted through this company – I’ve noticed there wasn’t really any downtime at all and that’s always a plus for someone running a business.

While I am considering leaving the hosting industry all together and focusing on the web design aspect of things, that doesn’t mean I’ll completely walk away and leave empty handed. Maybe one of those top ten hosts would be interested in buying my clients – heh.

While many people tend to overlook it, I have to say that from a designers point of view the template used on this site was pretty spectacular as well.  It showed off the proper way to use web 2.0 styling on your website and it wasn’t bombarded with useless ads either.  Now I know I have them on my site, so who am I to talk? But I also run a business, this person goes out of their way to blog about topics that are helpful to the everyday technology seeker that floats around the Internet for informational sites like this.  I think if you haven’t already been to stylishwebdesign.us then you should poke around and add it to your bookmarks.  It’s a great resource for just about everyone, no matter what your level of computer knowledge may be.

We just can’t do that with his car right now, he desperately needs tires. I was pulled over the other day because my tires spun out in a rocky area and the cop happened to be sitting right behind me at the light. He stuck a quarter into all four tires and saw that there was literally no tread left on them and I had to talk my way out of a ticket informing him that it wasn’t my car and I had no idea that there was even a problem with the tires. Something tells me that I’m going to have to take out a Cash Advance on my credit card so we can get new tires for the car. I’m close to being maxed out on one card so I’d have to take the money off two cards in order to be able to afford the $300+ for four tires.

Not a good time to be broke, let me tell you.

It’s worth checking out, trust me. Head on over to maxwebdesign.eu if you don’t believe me.

Their website is really easy to navigate, I found something kind of cool called Superfeet. It’s an Insole that’s great for anyone who’s into Skiing, Snowboarding, Running, Hiking & Walking. It’s great for support, balance and shock absorption. And at only $31 it’s a great price for someone who goes on as many walks as I do. I’m outside for about an hour a day, I bring Bella along with me and she’s absolutely loving all the exercise as well. She hasn’t been feeling very well for the last couple of days so she’s refused to leave the house when I have my walking-gear on but that’s OK, it’ll warm up and she’ll want to join me once she’s feeling up to it.

For those days when I’m in the house, I’ve been considering the BOSU Balance Trainer I can still get my strength training but I don’t have to head down to the gym in the complex to do it. It’s so stuffy down there, and since it’s such a small room with only 3 different exercise machines, it really gets rather boring. I can use the balance trainer in the privacy of my own room and I don’t have to worry about dealing with the really icky smell that the clubhouse is known for.

Thank goodness for the Internet.

It’s difficult to figure out which is the ‘garden’ and which is the grass when it comes to our yard, it kind of all grows into eachother and looks absolutely horrible. I wanted to pick up some bricks or even wood to setup a border, making a mini fence. I’d then like to fill the garden with fresh soil so I can plant nice clusters of flowers, the soil down here is so sandy that it’s hard to really grow anything. Then I’m going to pick up a few packs of solar lights, I figure 8 would be enough for the front lawn and that will make it a bit brighter around here at night as well. That should cover the visual aspect of things.

Then comes the comfort. While we don’t have a wide porch, we have a very long one that covers the whole length of the front of the house. Right now I have two plastic chairs from Walmart with a couple of side tables and a plastic bench in the middle. I absolutely hate it but it was affordable. I’d like to make it look really nice with a few Adirondack Chairs. I figure two of those with a nice little table in the middle would be more than enough to give me the comfort and the look I’m going for. When it comes to the nightly time spent outsde, the lights along the front garden and a couple of candels to keep the bugs away are all I’d really need.

Then comes the back yard. We’re not allowed to fence it in so I’d like to do a simple little seating area behind a privacy screen. You still get all of the sunlight but you can relax without someone staring at you. I’d definitely need a nice Market Umbrella and I’d love to put a few Adirondack Rockers back there as well. Throw in a little fire pit and maybe a few flower pots and I can’t tell you how happy I’d be to spend my summer tanning outside while I’m getting my work done. That’s a great thing about working from home, you can spend the day outside enjoying the fresh air and still get a nice glow from the sun.