Why not try your hand at creating a miniature garden under glass? Anyone can have a terrarium and they’re great for home decorating! Originally popularized during the Victorian era in the form of the Wardian case, today, terrariums and bottle gardens are making a big comeback.

To get started, you’ll need the right supplies:
A clear container of your choice
Pebbles, or small stones
Charcoal (without any additives)
Decor of your choice
Plants— choose some that don’t grow too large and can tolerate moisture

Then, assemble your terrarium:

Leave some room for growth: Your terrarium won’t look instantly lush; plants need time to adjust and settle in.

Water after planting: Soil should be damp, but not soaked.

Place your terrarium in bright light, but not direct sunlight: You want to grow your little plants, not cook them.

Leave the container open: Leave the container open for a few days after planting so that leaves can dry off, then put the lid on your miniature garden.

Don’t overwater: Avoid excessive condensation and limp leaves. Open your terrarium and let it dry out a bit if it looks too saturated.

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Successful organizations don’t repeat themselves— continued success depends on innovation, and innovation is hard work. Step up to the challenge by keeping these common misconceptions in check:

  • Creativity should always be fun.” People frequently expect brainstorming sessions and creative exercise to be relaxed, low-pressure affairs. But innovation calls for hard questions and tough answers to find out why previous attempts at innovation didn’t work. The process can be fulfilling, but it won’t always be painless.
  • There are no bad ideas.Brainstorming can be a useful exercise, but in reality, many — if not most— of the ideas you generate, won’t work. Be prepared for that, and make sure everyone understands that honesty in evaluating ideas is important. Don’t rush to snap judgments, but don’t waste time when it becomes clear that an idea isn’t going to work.
  • Innovation is entrepreneurial.Many of today’s most famous entrepreneurs got their start with an innovative idea but successful entrepreneurs possess a variety of management skills that go far beyond innovation. You need people who are more interested in solving problems than starting a new division.
  • Creativity is all you need.Instead of looking for radically new processes or products, your best bet may be to improve what already works for you. Innovative ideas may spring from unexpected sources when you’re not even looking for them. Focus on what will help your organization grow, and be open to innovation without necessarily trying to force it.
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Harvard researchers have found that children who sit down and eat dinner with their families are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables.

Eating dinner at home means kids are less likely to consume junk foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar.

The study included more than 16,000 children between the ages of nine and 14.

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Every home office space has the potential to help us stage our own success. According to the simpleshui website, here are eight ways to feng shui your office:

Assume the power position. The ideal placement for a desk is to face the doorway– a little off to the side instead of directly in line with the door. Ideally, when arranging an office, we want the solid support of a wall or heavy furniture behind us, like it’s “got our back.” This also allows you to see anyone entering your space.

Have your own back. A high-back chair says executive; a lower-back chair suggests managerial. In fact, these are often the design terms for filtering the stylistic difference - so choose accordingly.

Boost support. Horizontal patterns and shapes hold energy in place so use this to your advantage when starting a new project or job. Hang horizontal art and use square baskets or trays as a catch all. If you have an affinity for stripes, make sure they run horizontally to unify your energy.

Keep clutter off the floor. Whether or not the feng shui belief that a messy floor weighs down new business holds any truth, it is also a tripping hazard.

Climb the career ladder. Flank tall bookcases behind your desk, if possible. In addition to being a form of protection and support, their shape suggests upward mobility.

Go the distance. An open landscape print on a facing wall brings in nature and can be liberating.

Find your flow. Moving water represents prosperity, abundance, and steady flow. You can bring this idea in with actual water: fresh flowers, a fountain, a coffee maker, or even imagery of moving water. Make sure the water moves into your space. If the water “flows” toward the door, so will all that potential.

Clear the desk every day. When a workspace is bogged down by paperwork, guess how we feel? Always leave your desk looking organized at the end of the day. Take one guess as to what ritual top entrepreneurs around the world have in common? Yep... a clean desk!

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I have sold a property at 205 1011 Fourth AVE in New Westminster
 
I have sold a property at 205 1011 Fourth AVE in New Westminster.
Great unit in a great building. Spacious second-floor end-unit two-bedroom, two-bathroom home. Proactive building, fully owner-occupied. Recent building upgrades include all new windows and sliding doors (2016), new pool liner, new elevator (2015), and ongoing (as-needed) balcony replacement. Roof is 12 years old. Good safe place to buy in to. In-suite laundry! Swimming pool! Pet friendly (woof, meow)! Sorry, no rentals. Strata fees include your hot water heating, city sewer and water, in addition to the usual stuff. 2020 insurance renewal already done, so no scary forthcoming surprises like you've been reading in the news. Parking and storage included.
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I consider myself to be fairly successful in life. I've worked hard, I’ve been smart, and I’ve pushed through when the going got tough. I know that success is not always a straight road and that along the way, there can be unexpected changes.

Three months ago, none of us would have guessed the extent to which all our lives have changed and reorganized. I still believe that success occurs when we learn something different and do something different.

Sure, I know that sometimes there are detours... but we need to keep going towards our destination, rather than turning back or quitting. I believe that failing at something is merely a setback, and that failing is not the same as quitting!

You might be familiar with the quote by Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb, who said: "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

I think one of the greatest gifts we can give our friends and family members, including children, is the capacity to publicly endure difficult change. They witness our strength to persevere, so they aren't allowed to quit... and they begin to recognize the capacity for resilience within themselves.

As I look back on the first half of 2020, I am satisfied that I've succeeded overall, but recognize that I’ve also failed a few times. I've learned things I didn't know before and am a better person--and a better resource for you.

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I have sold a property at 6272 BUTLER ST in Vancouver
 
I have sold a property at 6272 BUTLER ST in Vancouver.
Spectacular building lot with well maintained home on one of the best streets in Killarney. Large, deep and flat 40.5 X 130.5 lot surrounded by new homes on quiet tree lined street. House has been well maintained with new windows, new furnace & new hot water tank. Oak hardwood on main, coved ceilings and other classic design elements of the era. Dr. George M. Weir Elementary, Killarney Secondary, F/E:Laura Secord Elementary, F/E: Sir Winston Churchill Secondary all close by along with shopping and transit steps away.
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In a small mountain town, one family was finding it harder and harder each month to make ends meet. One day, they came up short at the register so the youngest, a little girl about eight years old, was sent to put a couple of items back on the shelves. While she did so, her mother apologized to the person behind her in line, but the gentleman just smiled and replied that he was in no rush.

About a week later, the family was notified that their receipt had come up as the winning number in an ongoing drawing for a $200 shopping trip. Shocked, they turned up at the store the next morning, still disbelieving their good luck, but ready to stock up on some much needed groceries.

When they reached the register and told the cashier that they were there to use their winning receipt, a look of confusion came over her face. She said she was unaware of any ongoing drawing, but stepped away to check with the store manager.

The manager returned along with the clerk a few minutes later and cheerfully swiped a gift card through the register till. The mother breathed a sigh of relief, had the children pack up their groceries, and repeatedly thanked the manager as she left.

It was only after the family left that the manager told the cashier the truth: the man who had watched the family struggle to pay for groceries a week earlier purchased the gift card out of his own pocket. He had asked the manager to present the situation as a store drawing, with the understanding that their full bags of groceries would be thanks enough.

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Three of the most common herbal preparations are teas, infusions and decoctions. Do you know the difference?

Tea: When you make tea, you usually brew it for just a few minutes and the herbs are generally soft, like flowers, leaves and stems, that make for a gentle, soothing drink.

Infusions: An infusion extracts more nutrients, vitamins, and minerals from hard, woody stems or bark than a tea. To make an infusion, add one cup of dried herbs to a quart jar of boiling water, cap it and let it sit for four to eight hours.

Decoctions: A decoction can be prepared once you have an infusion. Simply steam your infusion very slowly, letting about half the liquid evaporate for a more concentrated product.

There are endless ways to incorporate herbs into your kitchen, but the use of teas, infusions and decoctions are a really easy way to get started.

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The Richest Man in Babylon is a book by George Samuel Clason which dispenses financial advice through a collection of parables set in ancient Babylon.

Through their experiences in business and managing household finance, the characters in the parables learn simple lessons in financial wisdom. Originally a series of separate informational pamphlets distributed by banks and insurance companies, the pamphlets were bound together and published in book form in 1926.

At only 44,640 words (approximately 145 pages), it’s a quick read, filled with simple, time-tested advice, such as save a portion of all you earn. Give this gift early to your kids so they have time to read the book before heading out into the world on their own. Or better yet, read it to them!

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