Here Come The Holidays - Ready, Set, Go!

Here comes Santa Claus…here comes Santa Clause… Yep, it’s almost that time again. As we head into September, every e-commerce site should be formulating a plan for the holiday season. Even the sites selling the, “I hate the holidays” t-shirts.

Prepare or Be Doomed

You may be thinking, “It is only September. I’ve got four months to get ready for the holidays in December.” Well, you’re wrong. Let’s consider a scenario.

First, the mad dash for purchasing holiday gifts starts early to mid-November depending on the popularity of the products on your site. The online holiday season is not in mid-December! If you agree with this position, your preparation time is already down to two months.

You’re probably thinking, “Two months? Shorter than I thought, but I still have plenty of time.” Sure you do.

If you think two months is plenty of time, ask yourself the following questions.

1. Is your product line currently updated?

2. Do you have sufficient inventory?

3. What’s your holiday sales slogan?

4. Will you be offering any specials or discounts?

5. If so, on what products?

6. Is your site updated with all products?

7. If you’ve moved up in the search engine rankings, is your site ready to receive more traffic or will it bog down?

8. Have you compiled a list of email addresses for people that bought from you last year?

9. Do you have your email material ready to send to them?

10. Did you make the changes to the site you wrote down from the last holiday shopping season? You know. The ones you swore would be done so the site would really hum next season? I’ll wait while you go dig through the notes crammed in your desk.

Obviously, there are many other questions that can be asked. The point of this article is you should be asking them NOW! You may find two months isn’t looking like nearly enough time.

Tips For Making The Most Of Your Spa Day Experience

A scheduled visit at the spa is a superb method to pamper yourself and loosen up. Even so, whether you've scheduled an all day luxury or an hour for a facial, it is best to make the most of your time by coming ready. 

Before you go to the spa, bathe or shower to remove any old make-up, or everyday dirt from work outs and daily activities. If you're having a facial, there's really no point in arriving in full make-up, because it eats into your appointment time if the consultant has to remove it. 

Wear something comfortable that's quick to slip in and out of. Most spas need you to disrobe, but may provide disposable gowns or robes for you to put on. Numerous of the oils and items utilized within the therapies can mark or permanently damage your clothing, so it's greatest to wear something effortless to slip on and off before and after your appointment. 

You must not wear jewelry when attending a spa, not just for security reasons, but also, a number of the products in use might react with the metals. Not just that, but all too frequently sentimental items get left behind or broken. 

Be ready to supply your attendant clear and concise directions. They are not mind readers, and your facial expressions may not be as obvious as you think. If you're uneasy, too cold, too hot, or you are getting any aspect of the therapy unpleasant, speak up and let them know. Communication is vital to getting the most pleasure out of your spa experience. It also alerts the attendant to possible responses to the products being used. An abrupt coldness or numbness, for instance, may not be status quo. 

A lot like wait staff as well as other service providers, spa attendants depend on tips as a portion of their income. Therefore, if you have received great therapy, remember to tip well. In most cases 20% is a regular tip, and it should be given straight to the attendant if possible. For those who have a great relationship with your spa attendant, do not forget to refer them by name when you tell all your pals. 

Installing Spas In Your Home

Interested in remodeling your bathroom or installing a unique upgrade in your home? One of the best ways to accomplish both of these tasks is by having a spa installed either as its own personal area, or by creating one in an already existing bathroom. Typically what a home spa will include is a hot tub, and people can go as far as adding a steam room near the hot tub area. Both of these features will give your home a more valuable appeal, and it will offer another degree of comfort inside your house.

The first step in installing a spa in your home is to figure out where you want to put it. Many people like to put this type of upgrade on their back deck, or in the basement of a home. If you have a large enough existing bathroom in your home, it can completely be converted into a spa room. Steam rooms do not have to be large, and can actually be made just to fit one person at a time. The same can basically be said about hot tubs. The sky is the limit when considering what size hot tub you will want in your home.

Another unique option that can be considered when deciding where to install the spa at your residence is you can use an entire bathroom as the steam room, and outside of the bathroom is where you could put the hot tub. Dedicated spa rooms like the one just mentioned can really make any house a hundred times more attractive. With all of these different routes to take when creating your dream home spa, some projects can be very budget friendly, while others could cost more than you can imagine. The entire area and room has endless customizations that can be added and installed.

Choosing the right size spa to have installed in your home is also a very important consideration. You do not want to make so big that you can’t even maintain, or fit it. On the flip side, you also do not want to originally have installed a spa that is much too small for the home, or the family. All of these considerations though can be discussed with your local spa expert and installer, and they will be able to give your insight as to what would be best for your budget, home, and situation.

Fertilizing to Create more Blossoms on Your Flowers, Flowering Shrubs, and Trees

The secret to making your flowering trees, shrubs, annuals, and perennials bloom more is in the numbers. All fertilizers have analysis numbers on package.
These numbers represent the percentage of each chemical the contains. 

For example, 12-12-12 is a typical garden garden fertilizer that would contain 12% nitrogen, 12%phosphorous, and 12% potassium. The quick explanation is; nitrogen produces vegetative, or top growth, phosphorous produces flower buds, fruit, and root development, while potassium builds strong healthy plants. 

Most lawn grasses are vigorous growers and therefore require significantly more nitrogen than the other plants in your yard. A lawn fertilizer would have an analysis of 26-3-3, indicating a fertilizer high in nitrogen. You would not want to use a fertilizer containing such a high percentage of nitrogen on landscape plants because it would be very easy to burn them. You must also keep in mind that many lawn fertilizers contain broad leaf weed killers, and most ornamental plants have broad leaves. The fertilizer doesn’t know the difference, and it will damage or kill ornamental trees and shrubs. 

During the summer months the growth rate of most plants slows down, and when plants are not actively growing, they need very little nitrogen. Although not vigorously putting on new growth, many plants such as Dogwood Trees, Rhododendrons, and Azaleas are quietly working to produce flower buds for next year. Annual and perennial flowers are also busy making new flower buds. 

To encourage flower bud production you can apply a fertilizer that contains a small percentage of nitrogen, a higher percentage of phosphorous, and a little potassium. I recently purchased a liquid fertilizer with an analysis of 5-30- 5, ideal for flower production. Because the product is sold as a bloom producer, the manufacture also added a little chelated iron, manganese, and zinc, all good for your plants as well. 

Most garden centers and discount stores carry similar products. I chose a liquid fertilizer because liquid fertilizers are absorbed both through the roots and systemically through the foliage, so they work quicker. I used a sprayer that attaches to the end of the garden hose to apply the fertilizer, but do not use the same hose end sprayer that you use for lawn fertilizers. There could be residual weed killer still in the sprayer. 

About those hose end sprayers. I purchased one that is supposed to
automatically mix the proper ratio for you. I used it to apply a general insecticide, and it worked, but it sure seemed like I went through a lot more insecticide than I needed. When I used it for the fertilizer the screen on the little pick up hose inside the jar kept getting clogged with the tiny solids in the fertilizer. I recommend using a solution of one part liquid fertilizer to one part water in the sprayer jar, and applying at a heavier rate. 

Watch the liquid in the sprayer jar, and if it isn’t going down remove the lid and clean the little screen by spraying it with water from the garden hose. Read the application instructions on the container to determine how much fertilizer to apply, and how often. A fertilizer high in phosphorous will increase flower production. You will see a difference. 

Remember the golden rule of applying fertilizers. “Not enough, is always better than too much.”

Car Service in Philadelphia: A Guide to Corporate Transportation

A lot of thinking goes into corporate travel when the occasion arises – for some it becomes second nature, for others it can be a stressful endeavor. Choosing adequate corporate transportation in Philadelphia is one of many factors that need to be ironed out before embarking on a trip. Once seated on the plane with a good book and an eye mask, find peace in an afternoon nap knowing that all transportation details are taken care of upon landing. 

Corporate transportation in Philadelphia is very useful for business travelers with a lot on their plate and little time to think about logistics. Many car services in Philadelphia offer online reservations for town cars, corporate shuttles, and vans for efficient transportation to and from Philadelphia International Airport. Radio dispatching and reservations departments can assist travelers in the event of not finding the chauffeur at the time of arrival. 

A car service in Philadelphia can take the corporate traveler to a number of prime area business locations with no hassle. Navigating through a new city can be worrisome at times – allow a car service in Philadelphia to do it for you. Car services are available for easy transport to the Philadelphia Convention Center, Valley Forge Convention Center, local sports arenas, business centers, restaurants, theaters, shopping and hotels. Car services can chauffer executive assistants and colleagues to Center City, King of Prussia, Malvern, Plymouth Meeting, West Chester, and other business hotspots in the area. 

Corporate transportation in Philadelphia is perfect for executive assistants making arrangements for high-level employees in the organization. Get employees where they need to be on time by managing reservations online, creating a corporate accounts and passenger profiles, and printing receipts for seamless transportation arrangements. Choose from a wide array of vehicles including vans, town cars, limos, mini buses, SUVs, Sprinters, and luxury buses for customized travel needs. Corporate transportation in Philadelphia can accommodate small or large groups with multiple radio dispatched vehicles for organized travel. Drivers are professional, experienced, and very familiar with the area to answer any questions about the Philadelphia area. 

Utilizing a car service in Philadelphia can also make the lives of travel agents, travel managers, and event planners much easier. From groups of 5 to 10,000 a car service can handle any volume of travelers for multiple types of events. Corporate transportation in Philadelphia offers GT3 connectivity for automated reservations through the GDS as well as auto receipts for record keeping. With a car service in Philadelphia employees can ensure that business travel is something to look forward to, not dread.