I Love It! I Love It!! Perhaps, You Will, Too!!!

A Domain Plus A Whole Lot More!!!

2006-10-17T05:48:00.000-04:00

I've just made up a cool, new sig-block, and I decided to share it here as well, because it leads to a domain company that has never let me down yet, and I don't believe ever will. My website, as you will see, is splendid (even though I'm still working on connecting it all together in the manner to which I want it to be accustomed to being connected), and I've already gotten all of my e-mail addresses put to good use when it comes to better organizing my mail.

However, one thing I've been a tad slow about is getting out how I plan on using my domain to bring in a sizeable chunk of ca$h on a regular basis.

At this time, I've started to really step up THAT campaign, and one way I'm going to do it now is to share the sig-block I've created.

Don't be afraid to click on the live links, as they won't bite you, even though they, hopefully, will grab you...

Ainsley Jo Phillips
Visit my website
by clicking
HERE
!!!
How would you like
one of your own
along with up to ten e-mailboxes
for
just $10 per month
???
How about
all of the above
plus the ability
to earn so much more
that $10 per month
would definitely be
no big thing
???
Thanks
in advance
for clicking here
for details
!!!
Remember:
At the very least,
you get a cool domain.
At the most
...
Possibilities
are
AMAZING
!!!

AJ's Special Spot

2006-09-22T23:36:00.000-04:00

I'm now part of some kind of beta thing open to Amazon.com associates where we can have our own Amazon.com store. At this time, what we have is limited (that is, not page after page of sub-stores and stuff like that), but we do get to design a wonderful front page.

The theme of my store is special needs.

Hopefully, I'll eventually have an entire and elaborate store with this theme in mind, as I have so much more I want to share, but this one page will be fine for now.

Click here to check out AJ's Special Spot!

Not Better Homes & Gardens Yet But Getting There...

2006-05-17T12:40:00.000-04:00

A funny thing happened to me when I started reading this book (recommended to me by the author's sweet sister, Denise). I wasn't too far into it when I began to get really inspired re: how to get started on some heavy-duty home renovations. What we're talking about here is where I would be in the midst of renovating, get distracted in another direction, and do the next best thing of simply stacking/piling items around until I had a place for everything and everything in its place. Stacks and piles got higher and higher as well as wider and wider.

I remember that day so well! I was sitting in AJ's Groovy Igloo (my minivan) and enjoying a snack from Zinszer's and On The Go Espresso while reading this gem. All at once, The Coach Upstairs was summoning me for some serious training. We had a running conversation going all the way home!

My place is looking better and better all of the time. I'm sure that I have some before pictures in my camera. Eventually, will take some after pictures and will post them in this blog.

I can't guarantee that reading this book will turn you into Martha Stewart, Heloise, or the like--or that it will even inspire you to clean your house.

But I CAN 99.9% (1% allowed for really tough cookies) guarantee that it will bless you and will provide a very enjoyable experience!

Check it out:

I Knew It When--And Jumped Right In!!!

2006-04-13T18:11:00.000-04:00

There's a familiar saying that goes:

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

and I would like to add to the mix:

"Do something that I did!"

What I did was to take out a subscription to Teen Trend Magazine (in fact, I've been told that I was the first--though certainly not the last!--to do so).

You can't do exactly as I did and be the first, but you can certainly be one of many!

I've had the inside track on this magazine, knowing it way back when it was just an idea in an e-pal's head and, then, getting to be privy to some of the pages, so I can tell you that it's going to be wonderful, and I can hardly wait for my first issue to arrive!

Anyway, I'm about to shut up and let the e-mail that Can sent to us insiders (and encouraged us to pass on to as many others as possible) speak for itself.

Before I turn the reins over to Can, just one more thing:

Take note of the e-mail option at the bottom of this entry, and please share this with people you know. This is soooooooooooooooooooooo exciting!!!

Hello, friends!

At last it's come! It's come at last! The day I knew would come at least has come at last!!!

TEEN TREND MAGAZINE IS AVAILABLE FOR SUBSCRIPTION!!

As many of you already know, I (along with a slew of writers and others) have been working out butts off to crank out the Premiere issue. Well, the premiere issue is now at the press. A limited edition was released, but the testers went over so well that we are now available for subscription! I cannot begin to express to you how excited I am about this.

However, there are only 25,000 copies available for June. And the only people that are going to be able to get free copies are thise that contributed to the magazine. You see, I am about to be interviewed on the Sean Hannity Show which airs over more than 500 radio stations. I know that we are going to get a ton of subscriptions from his listener base. (It is quite daunting and a bit nerve-wracking, to tell you the truth.) I wanted to make sure that I didn't have to turn away any of my friends or my friends' friends who may be interested in subscribing. Plus, the subscription rate from the website is $10, which is less than what The Village Press (our publisher) charges for the subscription. Furthermore, if you just wanted an individual issue, I sell it for $2.25, which is $1.50 less than what The Village Press has our cover price as.

Also, if you are a consultant or a small business or have anything else that you would be interested in advertising, please email me at Candice@teentrendmagazine.com and I will give you information on advertising with us. I will make sure that we fit your budget. No problem! If you haven't noticed, we've got banners all over Shopping.com-- Which includes eBay and Epinions. Lots of exposure!!

Okay, so here are some links for you:

Subscribe for just $10! (Issues June '06 - June '07)

Purchase the June '06 issue for $2.25!

Visit the Teen Trend Magazine Website!

Visit Teen Trend Magazine on MySpace!

Something that we are doing with MySpace is a full-page advertisement for "MySpace Mall." It is just a page of 1.4" X 1.4" ads for businesses, consultants, companies, etc. that have a MySpace profile. These ads are on a page that says "MySpace Mall" in the center with all of the ads around it. It's pretty cool, and there are only 28 spaces on this page left, and they only cost $40. It seems to be going over REALLY well. We might do something like this for eBay, Shopping.com and other sites, too. If you want to take a small ad in the MySpace Mall page, here is the link for that:

MySpace Mall Ad - $40

By the way, if you click on any of those links to purchase, you will see "Hollywood Chick." This is because TTM was originally going to be called "Hollywood Chick Magazine," until we decided to make it for gals AND guys.

Please forward this on to everyone and anyone so that Teen Trend Magazine is a HUGE success!!!

Much love,

Candice

Misty Cookie-Flavored Memories...

2006-03-30T01:57:00.000-05:00

The following cookie

is not only beyond delicious but it also contains some very special memories for me.

You can read about them here.

Card Of The Month!

2006-03-22T16:00:00.000-05:00

I've just come across the neatest website for sending e-cards and wanted to share a link to it here (click on the pic, and away you go!):

At this time, I'm just about to take out a year's membership (costing a mere eight dollars!) so that I can send an unlimited amount of these greetings (not only this one but lots and lots of others!)to people from there.

One more thing: I found out about this site originally by viewing an e-card with the theme of "From Sea To Shining Sea." A very heartwarming experience, so hunt around for it when you get there.

The card of the month that was going when I put this up on 3/22/06 was one of an adorable Irish lab digging in the meadow grass, and I'm sure that whatever is playing when you see this will be equally neat-to-watch.

Oh yes! It's free to look around the site. You make the decision to subscribe or not subscribe once you've been there.

Have Fun!

2006-03-05T21:38:00.000-05:00

If you're reading this anywhere right now, it can only mean one thing:

AJ's Absolutely Delicious Website

now open-to-the-public

!!!

What this means is that you will, hopefully, be very anxious to check it out.

If you see this, it means that everything on the website, itself, has been (for the near future, anyway) completed to the satisfaction of yours truly, and all that's needed now is to just add visitors that will, hopefully, sign my guestbook (even though it isn't required).

My message to people visiting is this:

Just make yourselves at home and check out whatever you might find interesting. With very few exceptions, all links make their destinations open into new windows, meaning that you don't have to even leave the website completely behind in order to take side-trips.

About those destinations...some will already be leading to places that are already going and active. Others will lead to places that are either relatively-new or else absolutely brand-new and not yet developed.

If you were to come back to every last one of those places in anything from a day or so to a week, you would see a lot of exciting changes there.

In short, what I'm offering as of today (March 5, 2006) is a completely built website, some exciting and completed destinations, and the chance to watch construction work going on.

That's all for now, so enjoy the journey...

!

2006-03-03T04:07:00.000-05:00

If you happened to be hanging around, you might be noticing a lot of changes going on in my neck of the woods.

New blogs are starting to be developed in different ways.

Old blogs are being promoted more (as in being added to Weblogs.com right along with the newer ones).

Are you becoming curious?

If you are, I'm going to enlighten you some...

At this time, I'm building a website that's state-of-the-art (that is, as state-of-the-art as it can be coming from someone who began using The Internet back in 1998 when almost 46 years old--anyway, I'm quite proud of it!), and I'm hooking up various blogs to it.

I'm being very thorough when it comes to building it, so I can't tell you just when it will be done, but I'm hoping that it will be done before the first of next week, and the sooner the better.

When my website opens, I'll be making another announcement here, so be watching for it.

In the meantime--when you have the time and want to--enjoy watching the construction going on...

Hiatus Announcement...

2006-01-25T03:35:00.000-05:00

On a temporary hiatus to play catch-up elsewhere. Will return to this blog by or before Valentine's Day. Stay tuned--and, in the meantime, read what's already been posted...

Pig Tales

2005-12-09T17:30:00.000-05:00

I recently bought three copies of this book:

The Pig in the Pond

The first copy was for an adorable, little girl who had just turned one year old.

Jaylee might not be old enough to understand the entire story, but her Daddy told me that she already loves books.

The way I see it is that, at this time, she will appreciate the brightly-colored pictures and will really be thrilled with all of the neat animal sounds her four older siblings, her Mommy, her Daddy, and everybody else reading to her will be making--and, no doubt, she'll join right in.

As she grows older, she'll understand more of the story (which the rest of her family is understanding according to current age-level, temperment, etc.)--meaning that this book will grow right along with her!

The second copy is for a reading-appreciation organization I've recently joined where we act like book-fairies and leave copies of books here and there with instructions to read them and pass them on.

The third copy?

MINE! all MINE!...as in, "Nobody else gets this one--but I'll be nice and share it with you while you visit!"

This is one really delightful story--as I will tell you in more detail in a little bit, I really have a thing for pigs--with illustrations that are both amusing and heartwarming. How expressive the different characters look from their faces to the rest of their body-language.

The story is entertaining, but it also teaches an important lesson:

Just because something has never been done before, it doesn't mean that it's the wrong thing to be doing. In fact, the new way of doing things might turn out to be better than the old way!

In this case, the critters on the farm had never heard of a pig being in the pond before--the pond was for ducks, geese, fish, and frogs.

The pig, in fact, had never fancied herself being in the pond before, either--that is, until the temperature became so hot that she couldn't bear being out in it with no way to cool down.

At first, the pig was looked upon with disapproval--until the turning point happened (will leave it up to you to find out what that was).

I won't tell you any more than I have now and will end this entry with a funny story...

I have a real thing for pigs and could tell you all kinds of stories about my experiences with them, but I'll just tell you one for now...

It was right about this time of year in 1979, and this guy named Charlie and I were pretty serious about each other, so he took me to a nice restaurant about 25 miles from Anderson called The Kopper Kettle in celebration of my 27th birthday.

At the time, gas prices were skyrocketing--Why they were nearly a dollar per gallon!--so we had to be careful when it came to driving about.

Also around this time, the management had gone through some changes at the motel where Charlie worked the skeleton shift as a desk clerk and auditor--and the change wasn't a good one, either, which caused him a lot of stress.

Even so, we had an enjoyable meal together, and, when it was time to leave, Charlie asked me if I would mind driving us home, since he'd like to stretch out on the backseat and get some zzzzzzzzzzzs in preparation for having to go into work that night.

I asked him if we could afford taking a little sidetrip so that I could show him something really neat, and he said that would be fine.

Nine years before, I'd gone there for my eighteenth birthday with my senior year boyfriend, and he'd shown me this covered bridge that was next to a round barn.

Over the years, I'd gotten a little mixed up and had remembered it being a round covered bridge.

I knew that it was out in the countryside somewhere in the area, and I tried to find it but couldn't--so I decided just to head back to Anderson before I both used up Charlie's gas and made him late for work.

Meanwhile, Charlie was sleeping away in the back and expecting to eventually be awakened and shown something really spectacular--and was unaware that I'd given up on looking for the bridge and was headed back to Anderson.

Then, I saw them! A field full of pigs!

I slowed down to look at them, and two of them wandered over to the fence and gave me curious looks--and, in my opinion, pigs look sooooooooooo CUTE when giving people curious looks.

I woke Charlie up and told him to look quickly! "Aren't the cuuuuute!?!" I squealed.

Charlie looked out the car window and then growled, "Big deal!" and lay back down.

"Big deal?" I responded. "What do you mean by that?"

"You drove me all around the countryside wasting my gas to look at a bunch of pigs!" he answered back.

After I'd explained to him that this wasn't what happened, he apologized for getting snappy with me, saying that he was just getting stressed-out because of how things were going at work.

I told him that it wasn't a problem--in fact, that I found it rather funny.

And, after that, it became one of the memories that made us laugh with every retelling!

Cookies Of The Month, By The Foot, By The Yard, And So-Forth...

2005-12-09T02:16:00.000-05:00

I've been slicked-in for the entire month of December (so far).

Now, for the last several hours, snow has been falling steadily, and the ground has been frosted like a drool-inspiring cake.

Suits me fine at the moment, because--while there are places I might want to go--there are no places to where I absolutely must go.

But, when the weather moderates next week (as it has been forecasted to do), I'm going to get out and get some errands run--and, along with that, I'm going to be making a trip to Zinszer Cookies & Bakery, LLC to get one of their Cookies-Of-The-Month.

This month's cookie is going to be a chocolate peppermint one. Last month, there were two featured cookies: pumpkin and chocolate-orangie (the latter being a cookie holding both chocolate pieces and bits of orange-flavored gummy candy).

Of course, they have the kinds of cookies that they serve on a regular basis--several of these being shown on their website with photos that will make you feel like eating your computer screen.

If your order is large enough, you can have it shipped anywhere in the United States--one example of a large order being a u-pick selection of cookies that are put into tubes that can either be a foot long or a yard long.

They make some of the best cakes and breads, too--and, during the warmer months, have ice cream sandwiches made by placing ice cream between two cookies (several combinations of flavors) and freezing them in preparation for serving them.

But I'm going to stop talking for now and let their website do the rest.

If you live far away, consider having some of their goodies shipped to you--but, if you live close, just run out to their place on Broadway in North Anderson and get instant gratification!

Three Special Couples

2005-12-08T19:06:00.000-05:00

When I was 12 or 13 and Pearl Clark's special education class was established in our school district, I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up: a special education teacher (that, of course, along with being a wife, mother, and writer--plus, I also thought that it would be fun to be a missionary and a go-go dancer, which might seem like a strange combination to some).

Here I am about to celebrate my fifty-third birthday, and this is how my life has turned out:

I've not become a wife--yet--though I've come close a few times.

I've neither grown a baby under my heart, nor have I officially adopted one--but I've been a godmother and second parent several times over (including sponsoring a sweet, little Lebanese mountain boy named Hassan through Save The Children for several years).

Let's get something clear about the go-go dancer goal. I wasn't ever talking about wearing a g-string and sliding up and down a pole. I was thinking of being one of those fun dancers on a show such as Hullabaloo, Shindig, or Where The Action Is (the kind of show that was very popular for several years after The Beatles landed on our shore and gave new life to Rock'n'Roll). What a thrill it would be to be dancing to several of my favorite performers who were guests on those shows! I never did get to do that.

Originally, when thinking of being a missionary, I was thinking of living for anything from a few months to a couple of years in another country to teach people there about Jesus and, in other ways, imporve their lives. Although this has never happened, I hope that I'm doing this when I'm traveling through Cyberspace.

The special education teacher goal didn't materialize, either--not in the traditional sense. However, I've been able to be of some help to people with special needs on many occasions--and that includes through the use of my writing.

Yes, I DID end up becoming a writer--or, at least, I've deluded myself into THINKING that I have.

Even though I don't work out of a traditional classroom, there will always be a special education teacher inside of me: someone who loves success stories about people with special needs.

Therefore--as you might imagine--it's easy to lure me into watching a movie by mentioning in the plot that it has something to do with people having special needs.

I'm now going to tell you a little bit about three such movies and show you directions for further checking them out.

As the title of this blog-entry implies, the common link of these movies is where there's a couple involved and one or both parties have special needs (in this case, having some degree of mental retardation).

Keep in mind that where I lead you might or might not be the only format of presentation (e.g. a DVD might be available of a movie presented here in VHS).

Without further ado, here are the three special couple movies--all of them given a five-star rating by me (or whatever the highest amount of stars happens to be for a rating at whatever review site you might happen to be visiting)...

The Other Sister

Carla has just returned home after being in a boarding school for people with special needs for several years.

Daniel has a part-time paying job in a bakery (with that income supplemented by an allowance from his dad) and, also, helps out with the local college band and gets paid in marshmallows for that.

They meet while registering for classes at an adult education center.

These two special people are soulmates who complement each other and are meant to be together--but is that how the people of "normal" intelligence see them? Opinions are mixed on that.

This touching movie celebrates differences while showing viewers that we all share the desire to be accepted and thought of as complete and valid human beings.

Light In The Piazza

Clara had normal intelligence until the age of ten when she was kicked on the side of the head by a horse. She will be, in most ways, forever ten years old--in spite of the fact that she appears to be an adult woman of exceptional beauty. She's sweet, outgoing, and lives life with gusto and expectation.

Fabrizio is a young man of normal intelligence but with a hopeless romantic kind of innocence about him. Unlike many men who travel in the same circle that he does--including his dad and brother--he wants to be there 100% for his wife when the time comes for him to marry instead of marrying one person and having one or more mistresses on the side.

Both his and her families have few worries about money.

They meet when Clara and her mother had gone on a vacation trip (from the United States) to Italy, which is Fabrizio's home country.

This is a lengthy vacation--and one that puts off what seems to be the inevitable: putting Clara in an upscale institution, as it's becoming obvious that she might be taken advantage of if she continues to live out in the real world. Clara's dad is thinking along those lines a lot more than her mom is. Her mom still has hope that she and her husband won't have to make that decision.

The vacation buys a little more time to think things over.

Clara is being tutored in Italian and doing surprisingly well.

Fabrizio is always looking to improve his English in order to better serve the customers who visit the family business.

Clara and Fabrizio fall in love--but they have a lot of challenges to face on their way to the altar (that is, if they ever get there).

Does this story have a happily-ever-after ending?

Watch the movie to find out...

Digging To China

Ricky tells Harriet that she might like him now but that, someday, she won't like him anymore, because she'll grow up and change but he wouldn't..

At that point, Ricky breaks down and cries, and Harriet (as any good wife would) holds him close and comforts him.

Yes, Ricky and Harriet are a married couple, having repeated their vows to one another while they were off on an adventure--in spite of the fact that he's 31 while she's only 10.

But don't be misled--as many of the adults in this movie were--because there's definitely no hanky-panky going on.

Ricky and Harriet aren't your typical romantically-involved couple you might find in a contemporary movie. What they have is a very deep, meaningful, and somewhat-out-of-the-box kind of friendship that's beautifully, tastefully, and touchingly flavored with just a hint of puppy love.

Before Ricky arrived on the scene, Harriet had nobody who understood/approved of/took seriously her dreams of experiencing life outside of her little community.

Before he met Harriet, Ricky had a close bond with his terminally-ill mother but was, otherwise, pretty much alone in the world.

He and his mother were on their way to an institution for people with special needs (because his mom thought that it would be wise to get him settled in and used to the place while she was still around rather than his having to deal with everything at once when she passed) when, almost simultaneously, something went wrong with their car and Ricky had to use the restroom.

This happened very close to the motel that was owned, operated, and occupied by Harriet, her sister, and her mother.

It would be a few days before the car could be repaired, so they ended up staying at the motel--and Harriet and Ricky ended up bringing out the best in each other and growing as people just from being together.

Would they still be friends when the time came for them to part ways?

I'll tell you no more except that you should watch this movie. It will have you wishing for a sequel...