New Hampshire

Fall is my favorite time of the year, October is my favorite month, and Halloween is my favorite holiday.

Over the years I have

made my share of Halloween costumes and many of them have been pretty creative.

There are plenty of great costumes available at the stores this year, but if you really want to make some memories, try making your own or making costumes for your kids. It can be so much fun!

Animal costumes are always popular and you

can get a simple pattern that will enable you

to make many different animals.

Depending on the shape of the ears, type of

tail and choice of fabric, one pattern can go a

long way.

Years ago I created these costumes for my

children to be The Three Bears, using my

daughter's Cabbage Patch Kid as Baby Bear.

The same pattern was used to make Bo Peep's lamb costume.

I was so happy with this half girl/half boy costume I made my daughter, that I decided

to make an adult version: half bride/half groom. They weren't that hard to make, I cut the clothes in

half and sewed them together. I even made my mother and my aunt costumes... half bridesmaid/half groomsman and we had the whole wedding party.

Costumes for groups of people can be

really fun...

Creating the

Addicted to Love girls

was pretty easy...clothes, makeup, and hair had to be

the same and we made the guitars using foam board

and black electrical tape.

Other group costumes we have made included:

The hand costume was horrible to wear, we were enclosed from head to toe and had no use of our arms. It was not fun, but we won the contest we created the costume for. Not for the faint of heart!

The Easter basket was not confining, but we had to move as a unit. It was created by sewing fabric around a hoop made from pvc pipe. We also won a contest that year. You gotta really like someone to walk around in a basket with them all night long! Choose your basket mates wisely.

I'm a big fan of optical illusion costumes.

I created this Fairy costume by first sewing the mushroom

and stuffing the mushroom cap. The cap is like a donut

with a whole in the center. It was worn like a skirt.

The tutu type fairy skirt and fake legs are tied around my

waist after putting on the mushroom skirt. You can't see

them, but I'm wearing wings on my back.

It was a really cute costume. It looked even better and more

realistic on a child.

One of my favorite costumes

was this Rabbit in a Hat.

The hat was created by first making the rim

from cardboard and covering it with fabric. Then

I attached the fabric that formed the hat, using

a hula hoop sewed into the hem to weigh it down.

The hat is actually hanging from my shoulders using

fishing line for straps.

What was convenient about this costume was the fact that I could simply remove the straps from my shoulders and drop the hat to the ground and step out of it whenever I needed to. It transported really easily too.

One of my more dramatic costumes was this

skeleton in a coffin. It doesn't photograph well, and

was far more impressive in person. My uncle, Jim, hand

painted the skeleton onto my body suit with me wearing it.

That was a really one-of-a-kind experience.

I made the coffin using a foam board presentation display,

covering it with fabric, which went to the floor. The coffin

had wire hooks on the inside which slipped over my shoulders,

enabling me to walk around hands free, coffin and all.

My skeleton costume was recycled by my daughter.

Lose the coffin, add an orange vest and hard hat...voila:

you have Skeleton Crew.

Her boyfriend had the highway barrel...I can't tell you

why or how he got it...that information is classified...

but he cut holes for his head and arms and wore

a light on his head.

I hope you enjoyed my photos, but more importantly, I hope they have inspired you to get creative and have fun this year making costumes of your own.

If you create something special, or have made costumes in the past, please share a photo in the comment section. I would love to see them!

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So much of media hype these days centers around having perfect bodies! Everywhere you turn there are diet books, exercise programs, and fitness guru's. What about your business health???? After authoring a satirical blog on Botox, a fellow-blogger Michael Sahlman suggested that I write something on developing your abs...here it is Michael! (If you're inclined, check out Michael's Website).

The state of the market has made it imperative to try new approaches (or old ones revisited). With that in mind, here are my tips for developing your ABS - Advanced Business Systems:

#1 - Activity: EVERY day that you work you must create result-oriented, focused ACTIVITY. Gone are the days of donut-munching and newspaper reading (or aimless web surfing!) (NOTEl DO NOT DO THIS!)

WHAT IS RESULT-ORIENTED, FOCUSED ACTIVITY? A typical day of focused activity might look like this- couple of hours of prospecting (I know, I hate to do this one too!). Prospecting is any activity that is made with the end result of making contact with people who may either be buying or selling real estate.

I am a Buffini graduate. The Buffini course is designed to start with your SOI (Sphere of Influence) and blossom out so that each day at least 5 people are contacted by you (preverably through the old-fashioned method of handwritten notes). For more info go to their website: www.buffiniandcompany.com

Then the activity could shift into following up on listing activity. I call or email agents who recently showed my listings to get feedback; this way I know if a price adjustment or other activity is in order for the listing. If you are a buyer's agent, today's buyers are very internet savy and they expect a lot from their buyer's agent. I contact all my buyers consistently...via emails highlighting new listings on the market, or contacting them when previously-shown homes had a price reduction!

#2 - You need a Business Plan! My rationale is simple: how do you get what you want if you don't know what that is???? And how to get there? (I've been in this business 21 years! How many business plans? You guessed it: 21). A business plan doesn't have to be complicated; mine is only one page. But it must be specific!

Business plans could include the following:

(a) General Goals - whether they be financial, educational or logistical. My goals are usually how much money I intend to net a year, how many transactions I will list and sell, and what educational goals i will achieve.

Last year's goal was to find a new job ( I was working at RE/MAX and really wanted to "jump out of the balloon" as one blogger put it, and within months two partners and I found the perfect opportunity! We bought Coldwell Banker Wright Realty, an existing realty company in Conway, NH (www.wrightrealty.com)

(b) Marketing Goals - These goals are designed to match activity with planned growth. Some ideas might be to set up databases for consistent mailings; our office sends inexpensive "Just Listed" and "Just Sold" postcards. Another thing we do is virtual tours for all our listings over $300K. I suggest that you allocate a marketing budget for the sole purpose of marketing! I've found that systematic, consistent marketing works best! And yes, blogging is considered marketing!

These marketing goals work hand-in-glove with the Buffini program; i use some marketing dollars for implementing referrals and client-contact (eg. notecards and "freebies" for clients)

(c) System Goals - I call these "system" goals for lack of a better word but really what it means is putting systems in place that support your business; this year I had "Buy a Flip video camera" on my systems list...it has turned out to be an awesome investment!

#3 - System Implementation: All of the above ideas will do nothing if they are not implemented. As part of your business plan, include timelines or "by when" you will achieve certain milestones...I also encourage people to educate themselves, whether through your local board association or going online to www.realtor.com. There are many opportunities to better yourself and to

grow your business!

Finally, we live in a world where we may find ourselves as realtors obsolete because of the information channels offered by the internet. Therefore the more value you give to your clients the more indespensable you will become to them.

HAVE A HAPPY AND PRODUCTIVE WEEK!

The friendship ball is circler and it does not have any beggining or end to it. Just like the circle of friends, it keeps us together. You see having a circle of friends is a true treasure in deed. Never turn your back to your friends.

Well yesterday I got an E-Mail from a very good friend, by the name Ricki Eichler , now for those of ya folk's that may not know her. Ricki sure is a really nice young lady, that is always willing to give a helppen hand to others. Ricki also has a really nice husband by the name of Don who is also a fine member of the Active Rain community. Eveyone when ever you see a post by them be sure to stop to visit with them. You won't be sorry that you did. Youll sure be in for some really good reading and learning.

Ricki

Don

Ricki Thank you for being a really good friend to me!

Ok folk's now let me say a little about the folk's, that am passing the Friendship Ball along to

Carl Winters - I know many of you fine folk's, know this here fine Texas gentleman. I got to meet Carl last year here in the Active Rain community. I am very glad to tell ya Y'all he is a really good friend of mine. Carl is the founder of a little ol group called Hill Country Inspector now be sure to stop by the group and join it. There's 35 members right now, and 310 post's in the group to read, written by the members and Carl himself. You well not go wrong at all to have Carl as a friend, you can learn a lot from him, thats for sure.

Carl - Thank ya for being a really good to me!

I also want Y'all to know, If Carl was not busy down in his neck of the woods of New Braunfels, Texas area. I would have paid all of his expenses to do a Home Inspection for me and my lady, up here in New Hampshire.

Now folk's here another fine member of the Active Rain community, thats a really good friend of mine

Judi Morgan - I first meet Judi last year during a little ol contest that our friend Carl was putten on. It was a contest as to if Judi would be the queen of M&M or if Jimmy would be the king of Fried Tree Rat's, now for those of you that don't know what they are. They are ( squirrel ) it was a really fun contest. I do have to tell ya, I was supporting Jimmy during that there contest. You see I did not really know Judi at that time. We became friends later. Folk's you can also learn a lot from reading Judi's post's. Judi is also a founder of a group here in the Active Rain community called

Lone Star Real Estate Professionals so also be sure to stop by her group and join it. Right now it has 236 members, and 1564 post's by the members and Judi herself. Judi - Thank you for being a really good friend to me.

Folk's I give ya my word, Y'all will not go wrong by meeting and be coming friends with each and everyo