All About Anastasia Steele

Anastasia Steele is the female protagonist in the erotic trilogy beginning with Fifty Shades of Grey. We are introduced to her character as a soon to be university graduate who is awkward, lacking in style and somewhat insecure. She has a taste for books, lots of books, and her life consists of school, friends and a future in publishing. Anastasia Steele has a chance meeting with Christian Grey, our male protagonist, and it changes her world completely. He falls (pun intended) for her the moment she trips into his office and eventually wins her heart as well.

Anastasia transforms from a shy, clumsy girl into what some readers may consider a sex-crazed woman. Although when we meet her she has only been to second base, she is a quick study under Christian's teaching and is soon an adventurous vixen. Anastasia discovers a world that she never knew existed and as she does, her confidence grows. With the help of Christian's practically overflowing bank account (and at first to her disapproval) Anastasia evolves into a high-fashion wearing, powerful business owner. Anastasia Steele moves fairly smoothly from one world to another as she uncovers Christian's dark secrets and tries to mend his scarred and tender heart. Her love is often overwhelming and her persistence hovers on nagging, yet she is still a perfect opponent for Christian's character.

Anastasia's upbringing virtually prepared her for such an opponent. Her mother has been married several times and she was raised primarily by her stepfather, Ray. Ray is ex-military and is somewhat closed-off when it comes to conversation. Despite this, his love for Ana is undeniable and she learned priceless lessons from him throughout their relationship, including how to shoot which comes in handy in the trilogy's third book.

This not-so-traditional childhood and adolescence affords Anastasia with a different kind of confidence and strength that isn't readily apparent. Christian's desire for a submissive in Ana is quickly set aside when he discovers what a surprisingly feisty girl she is. Anastasia Steele is unpredictable in many situations but as readers get to know her, her emotions become transparent and we want desperately for her to get through Christian's thick walls so that she can heal his heart.

Anastasia Steele is a traditional female romantic-protagonist in that she is the regular girl swept off her feet by a rich, attractive man... but she is different if only for the simple fact that she has A LOT of work to do to truly "get the guy" heart and soul.

Different Types Of Personalized Calendars

Choosing personalized calendars is not as simple as it sounds. There are several things that should be considered before making a purchase. It is important to determine whether or not the calendars are being given as gifts, what kind of finish the calendars should have (glossy or matte) and the style of the calendars. The style is the most important of these choices and there are several styles to choose from including:

Wall

Poster

Notecard

Desktop

Planning

Specialty or Novelty

It is important to keep in mind the function of the calendar when choosing a style. For example, if it is a gift for someone who loves to plan each day in detail, a poster calendar would be inappropriate. If it is to be used as a promotional or fundraising item, a wall or planning calendar may not be cost effective. Each style has its advantages and disadvantages depending on its intended function.

Wall Calendars

These calendars work for just about everyone. They are the standard 28-page calendars that hang on a wall and typically have a picture on the top page and the calendar on the bottom page. They are not only decorative; they also offer plenty of space to write in important events or appointments. They make wonderful gifts for family or friends and can be personalized with family or other photos at just about any photo processing center.

Poster Calendars

Typically used to reference dates, poster calendars can vary in size from 11"X14" all the way up to 24"X36". These can be personalized with one large photo, or made into a collage of several photos. It is important to remember to make the font big enough to be seen from a distance yet not be too disruptive of the photo or picture.

Notecard Calendars

Usually promotional items used by companies in marketing, notecard calendars can also be used simply as a reference or wallet calendar and can be easily personalized with a photo or other picture.

Desktop Calendars

Some desktop calendars can be used as reference calendars and some are big enough to replace the typical wall calendar. These make wonderful gifts for the busy executive who is constantly referencing his calendar or going to meetings. Like wall calendars, the desktop version can be easily personalized with pictures or photos to make them unique.

Planning Calendars

These calendars are similar to daily or weekly calendars because they have space to write in important dates and appointments. But they are typically a spread of one month which limits the amount of space in which to write. They are small and portable making them excellent for the person constantly on the go or someone who prefers a pocket calendar over the wall version. Many photo processing centers can personalize these, or they can be ordered online.

Specialty or Novelty Calendars

These calendars can be just about anything. They can be made into soccer balls, magnets, pop-ups, or anything else. Depending on their size and shape, they can be personalized with a photo or picture. These are truly unique and make wonderful gifts for the person who has everything, including a calendar.

Dollars and Sense and A Holiday Club To Boot

It was crunch time as the sound of a hundred and twenty seven children aged from six to twelve years filled the hall with exuberance and excitement. This holiday club had been eagerly anticipated by the children. The leaders had worked extremely hard to make it a memorable occasion. Jungle decorations and artwork filled the stage and surrounding walls.Net like structures hung from the ceiling and housed a rainbow of balloons. The musicians leapt to the stage and the children lustily sang their repertoire of new and favourite songs.

Beaming parents and friends watched from the sidelines as the children answered questions, competed in quizzes or volunteered their assistance. When the winning team was announced the roar was deafening. The question,

"Would they like another club in the next holidays?" received a resounding, "Yes".

So, what made this event so successful? When it comes to children's work, the answer is always the same, planning and organisation. The budget was very limited as, irrespective of their financial situation, the aim was to provide a positive outcome for every child attending at a minimal cost. The organisers were aware that some invited families could not afford to pay even a nominal fee.

How to Create the Right Atmosphere?

Individual creativity shone in this arena. Off to the white goods stores the team headed, where they pleaded for boxes from display refrigerators, washing machines and kitchen appliances. Palm trees and ferns, trees and animals were all drawn onto the boxes, painted with acrylic paint and then cut out. The tree trunks interlocked so were free standing as were the palms and ferns. In the main, only the animal faces were visible, peeping out from behind the exotic foliage. Birds appeared to be flying through the air, but they were strung on old fishing lines. By the time the team had finished you could almost feel the steam of the jungle heat rising. CDs of jungle sounds and bird songs were playing in the background and enhanced the atmosphere.

What Crafts to do?

With such a wide age group to cater for, was craft to be individual pieces or a team effort? A combination of both was chosen. Paper plates(not laminated ones) of all sizes were the preferred medium.

For the tiny children, lines were pre drawn in towards the centre of the plate, but only just beyond the rim. The children's task was to cut the lines and an older person lapped the cut areas over one another forming a bowl shape which they stapled into place. The younger children then gathered leaves, pieces of string and anything else that was available to make a,' nest' on the inside of the, 'bowl' and glued some of their,' finds' onto the outside as well. They then coloured simple bird templates using shading powders, cut them out and popped them in the nest.

The older children were encouraged to decide which animal face they would like to make. Their choice influenced the size of plate used. By drawing a pear shape, most animal faces can be made. Some 'pears' need to be inverted while others require elongating or making the bulb of the,' pear' a little plumper. (This principle works for monkeys, lions, giraffes, donkeys, and even cats and dogs.)

Once the desired shape is achieved, it is helpful to slightly fold the plate in half and cut through the two pieces to make the face symmetrical. The off-cuts can then be used to make ears or horns. Sometimes an extra plate is required and definitely so, for an elephant. Staple or glue the ears or horns in place. Try it for yourself. You will be as surprised as the children were by the fabulous faces they were able to create.

Three children's jumpers, (grey, brown and a tawny colour) purchased from a thrift shop were unravelled. The crinkled wool was pre-cut to enable the children to make fur or manes to add to the faces. Piles of wool and glue were placed on the tables to be shared. Eyes were made simply from crumpled up cellophane in tones of green and yellow and glued in place. They were then outlined in pen. Mouths were drawn on with pencil or pen and coloured or painted with the shading powders turned into water colour with a spray of water.

Group Work

A jungle scene had been pre-drawn on a roll of white paper (off-cut from the local newspaper) and as children finished their craft they were invited to work on the mural. Some shaded, while others daubed paint (They used daubers to do this and the effect is similar to Australian indigenous art work). The end result was a magical scene with a minimum of fuss and the other children were free to spend extra time on their animal faces or bird nests.

Musical Instruments:

No Holiday Club is complete without music. Tiny pine off-cuts were given to the team and the children decorated them with coloured paper turning them into castanets, old horse shoes were spray painted, strung with ribbon and struck with an old spoon, small plastic bottles were filled with rice and sealed tightly before being given a spray of paint and large tins with their labels removed were decorated with ribbon and became the drums. Note: All spray painting was done by adults beforehand.

Games:

These were age appropriate and the children were divided into teams. Every child was issued with one of four different jungle motifs to pin on their shirts with their name tag, making it very simple for the leaders to identify both individuals and teams. Well known games and some new ones were adapted to fit in with the jungle theme. Prizes were kept to a minimum with the end score being the important team goal. Stickers for encouragement were as popular as ever.

Story Telling:

Puppetry, sketch and tell and drama ensured that the children's interest and concentration were held during story telling times. They were also involved in making the, 'sounds' or clapping etc as required by the leader. Variety was the key.

Singing:

The leaders knew the songs well and played and sung enthusiastically making it fun for all. The use of action songs employed excess energy in a positive fashion.

Administration:

'Duty of Care' courses had been completed by all leaders and police checks done, health and safety guidelines were in place, registration forms recorded allergies and emergency phone numbers and where possible, were completed before the club began, enabling name tags etc to be ready on arrival. Leaders were responsible for accepting and returning children to and from their parent or guardian.

Dollars and Sense:

To keep over one hundred and twenty children happy and entertained for a total of six hours over two days for less than two dollars a child makes dollars and sense in today's economy! It can be done as long as you have volunteers who are well trained and in tune with the needs of children. Bring some 'Dollars and Sense' to your community and enjoy the creativity you will have with your friends or colleagues.

Planning a Successful Event

This is an introduction to planning and executing a successful event. I will be picking one event type per edition. The first edition is on Furniture hire and rental.

So you think hiring furniture is easy? The short answer to this is yes it can be. There are however some easily made mistakes you need to take into account.

The fist of these is price; you really do need to shop around. Prices can vary supplier to supplier. The lowest price is however not always the best deal overall. As a general guideline, in London, you should be looking to pay around 90 pence - 1.20 for a standard folding chair. These are easily stack-able and therefore very easy to store 500 in a small space. A mid priced Banqueting / conference chair will set you back anything from 1.60 - 2.40. That 80 pence difference would normally be dependent on the amount that you intend to hire. Always negotiate with the supplier, you will never know until you try. One thing I have learned in my 30 odd years in this industry, everything is negotiable.

Always inquire about delivery and collection of your hire goods. It is no small thing collection 500 chairs and transporting them across London.

As a general rule you would be able to fit about 400 folding chairs into a large transit type van. The same sized van would only accommodate about 200 banqueting chairs. For this reason, delivery and collection prices can be substantial part of your order. In London a Transit van complete with driver costs over 700.00 per week to keep on the road. Each of these vehicles will only complete about 4 deliveries or collections a day. If you do the math that means each delivery actually costs the company 35.00. With that in mind anything below that figure and you have a good deal. On larger orders you can expect a 7.5 tonne lorry to turn up. A 7.5tonne vehicle generally would cost the company around 50.00 per delivery. You should now be getting an idea of what you will be paying for delivery. NEGOTIATE!

Always check with the Hire Company how long their standard rental is. You are most often offered only a minimal 24 hour rate while others will allow you 72 hours for the same fee. Always check that you will have enough time to set-up and dismantle you event without inuring extra fees.

The last thing you will need to know is how old is the furniture I am hiring? You need to know this as; there is nothing worse than dirty old event furniture. As a general rule anything over six months old will be sub standard.

Collecting And Trading Personalized Buttons

Personalized buttons make a statement, whether it is about one's business, personal history, or one's beliefs and interests. They are a way of stating "This is who I am, this is what I care about."

Though the modern use of buttons typically advertises business or group affiliations, historically they have been used for many purposes, and collecting these items has developed into a subculture and big business.

A Brief History

Buttons first came into use during the late 1700s, and for a century were used mainly during political campaigns to show party affiliation and candidate preference. Each candidate or party had buttons made up to hand out to supporters. They were a convenient and very mobile way of advertising in the days before electronic media made mass advertising possible.

Before long, marketing experts saw the potential of this medium in everyday promotion of goods, and soon buttons depicting everything from brands to businesses to cartoon characters began to appear.

Today they are a staple at trade shows, organizational meetings, carnivals, and shops. The nostalgic value of buttons has created a demand among collectors from all over the world. There are many web sites devoted to listing, valuing, and advertising buttons by their level of desirability and demand.

Buttons for Collecting and Trading

Buttons as collectibles fall into several different categories: their historic value, nostalgia factor, or personal value, though many buttons are all of these things.

Historic value:

These are typically buttons that commemorate a significant event in history, such as presidential campaigns, major events in history, and military buttons.

Nostalgia factor:

Nostalgia factor is usually relevant to a particular time period or event that is collectively remembered. A very popular example of this is the yellow smiley-face pins from the 1970s. Other examples include:

- Major festivals, such as Woodstock.
- Political conventions.
- Movie openings or art exhibits.
- Cartoon characters.
- Sporting events, such as the Olympic Games or World Series.
- Companies and brands, especially early advertisements, or companies that are no longer in business.

Personal value:

These are buttons that mean something special to the collector, whether it is a collection of buttons depicting a favorite band, a hobby, a sports team, or a cause.

How to Collect Buttons

Some people begin to collect buttons quite by accident. They see a button they like or that has meaning to them, and their collection just mushrooms from there.

If one decides to take up button collecting as a hobby, it is best to take an organized approach. This is for the purpose of display, upkeep, and ease in trading.

Here are some tips on collecting and trading buttons:

- Decide on the focus of your collection, the more specialized it is, the greater the personal and monetary value.
- A cork or foam board is best for displaying a collection. Buttons attach securely, they are light-weight and portable, and the collector can switch out and rotate the display items easily.
- Before you trade, know the value of what you have.
- Learn the etiquette of trade and swap events; Disney has an entire booklet and how, when, and where to trade their items. There are web sites that offer guidelines for the beginning trader.

Whether used to show off family and loved ones, advertise or a collection started for nostalgic purposes, personalized buttons are a fun item to keep, collect, and trade with others who share the same interests.

Top Dog Food Brands of 2012

In order for owners to select the best food for their dog, they must comprehend the differentiations between high and low quality dog foods. There is no doubt that an abundance of dog foods displays the label "complete and well balanced." However, your pet will only flourish on diets rich in quality ingredients that enhance or optimize their ancestral diets more densely.

What Makes a Good Dog Food?

Good food for dogs will consist of natural fats and oils, contains meat based protein, and is free of chemical flavors, preservatives, colors, and byproducts. In addition, it is qualified to meet your dog's nutritional requirements.

Below you will find a list of several top dog foods for 2012. These brands were chosen on how well they compare with the idyllic food for dogs. Ratings are founded on the caliber of each brand's ingredient quality, and the real experiences of those who have fed these brands to their pets.

Top Dog Food Brands 2012

-Orijen
Orijen receives high marks for ingredients and nutritional substance. Its foremost ingredients consist of all meals or meat, poultry or fish. For instance, their "Six Fish" formula includes walleye, fresh salmon, salmon meal, herring, and herring meal with zero byproducts. Following processing, all formulas are supplemented with pro-biotics that enhance the digestive and immune system.

-Blue Buffalo
Blue Buffalo utilizes natural ingredients including "Life Source Bits." These kibble-bits consist of dynamic antioxidants and nutrients that are "cold produced" to sustain their nutritional properties. In fact, Blue Buffalo produces multiple assortments of foods to fulfill the different requirements of each dog counting grain free foods.

The initial ingredient in the majority of their dog foods are meat proteins like chicken, turkey, or fish, ensued by standard supplies of carbohydrates consisting of barley, oatmeal, rye, and whole-ground brown rice. A few formulas contain divisive ingredients such as carrageen and canola oil; however, in minimal amounts.

-The Honest Kitchen
The Honest Kitchen dog food contains such high quality ingredients that they petitioned the FDA for a "human grade" endorsement, and it was approved! Manufactured in the United States, Honest Kitchen is a privately operated and owned company where human food is produced as well. Their food is dehydrated, and water must be applied to re-hydrate it, or it can be utilized as a food supplement. In addition, Honest Kitchen uses no fillers, and foods include an adequate sum of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Much of their dog foods contain fruits and vegetables that are beneficial to your dog's health.

-Weruva
Weruva "Human Style" dog food is a meat-centered, zero grain, wet product that utilizes an abundant quantity of high-quality meats as its core basis of animal protein. Void of any kind of plant supported protein enhancers; Weruva is a wet-food consisting of a rich amount of meat. Dog owners that prefer to imitate a dog's "natural ancestral diet," should select Weruva.

Conclusion

Other brands that meet the overall nutritional standards of a well balanced diet for your dog are Taste of the Wild, Natural Balance, Kirkland, Halo, and Acana. These all contain superb nutrition for your dog's daily diet.

Keep in mind that no dog food exist that is perfect for every stage of your dog's life. Therefore, be sure to choose wisely and check with your veterinarian if you are unsure.

The Fifty Shades Of Grey Effect!

The Ripple (or Domino) Effect-- ever heard of it? An effect that is sparked by a single event or person and leads others to follow or events to take place. Fifty Shades of Grey has sparked a series of domino effects. For one, it has led stay at home moms and the traditional woman to voice their needs and desires more in the bedroom. Many mother support groups, women's online communities, and neighborhood book clubs have voiced the impact that this book has had within their own relationships and sex lives as it has stirred up a desire, a notion, a fantasy, that maybe not everything in life has to be mundane and predictable. Maybe there are aspects of one's adult life that can be new, fun, and exciting. Fifty Shades of Grey has caused a domino effect in bringing wants, desires, and voices to be heard by women in the bedroom.

Another effect that Fifty Shades of Grey has had on society is not only sparking new conversation, but bringing forth the work of other brilliant authors. Fifty Shade's of Grey sales topping over 20 million has caused a ripple effect and spoke in sales of Tallis Scholars' book from the Renaissance era, "Spem in Alium" which is a forty part motet that had very provocative and sexual scenes, themed very similar to that of the fictional characters E.L. James created-- Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. Who would have thought that Summer 2012's most sexual and entertaining steamy series would recreate a new success and interest in a fifty part series that is over four hundred years old?

The success of this book series continues to climb. E.L. James remains to be thankful and grateful for the book's success and tweets daily about her excursions all over the world for her book signing, leaving "Laters Baby" pins at her signings and keeping track of the fans' excursions and photos with them.

While the book continues to break records, the anticipation of the movie casting continues to make us anxiously await the roles that we've read about and fantasied about for so long. E.L. James has tweeted that the movie is far from being released but we can't wait to hear the latest movie news (hopefully) end of this week. EL James never expected the book to be this popular and with the up coming movie some say it will be even bigger than the book sales. We will have to wait and see in 2013.