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There have been so many things on my mind lately, my head is feeling more cluttered than usual! Most of the time, I can separate things and keep them from running over each other, but lately, it just seems like they’re all in there crashing around together.

As a result, I’ve felt a bit restless and disconnected. I don’t really like feeling that way. It’s not my normal “state” of being. I am fairly easy going and don’t get ruffled too readily but lately I have to remind myself to keep calm.

Two things that are frustrating me a lot are some of the current policy going on in Washington DC. Namely, Obama’s health care reform and swine flu vaccinations. If you’re an American, these are two things that should be making you mad as well. That is, unless you don’t want America to be “home of the free” anymore. Because, essentially, these 2 things are only part of the problem. And they are only just the beginning.

Well, technically, not the beginning of losing of our freedoms – that’s been going on for a while now and nobody seems to notice. I think that’s the way the government wants it. All you have to do is look at what is being taught in our schools with regard to history, current events and the like and you can see it’s all a watered-down version that skirts around the truth.

And as a result, we’re in the dark.

And that, my friends, is not a good thing. I encourage you to do some research on your own and to contact your state representatives, your senators, congressmen, even your governors and ask them to oppose these things. Let your voice be heard. That is the only way we can change the direction our government is going.

Don’t be silent.

In the arena,

If you think it’s no big deal, think again. Your freedoms are being taken away and you don’t even realize it.

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.

A few days ago, I posted that I was (finally) adding my writing services to this blog. Although I’ve had a “Hire Me” page for quite some time, I’ve never actually used the blog to sell my services. However, I think it’s time I do so.

Now, don’t worry – I won’t be posting every day (or probably even every week) about it but I will be posting a few times a month with something I want to highlight.

And so today, I want to highlight Article Writing.

And that means the following special is on until I decide to end it.

Article Writing Package 1

• 5 articles
• any topic
• up to 500 words per article
• seo optimized
• hard copy in pdf format (or word)

And you get all of that for $50. That works out to $10 an article and roughly .02¢ a word. I think that’s pretty reasonable. The only 2 stipulations are that each article must be on the same general topic and I will not write for sexually explicit or other questionable subjects.

As always, payment is required before work begins. And to make it easy for you, just click the “Pay Now” button below. Once I receive your payment, we’ll discuss the details of the assignment.

Quick. Easy. Painless.

In the arena,

Turn-around time for your articles is usually 3 days tops. And most of the time, it’s less. All amounts are US Dollars and payment is only accepted in US currency. (PayPal can convert it for you before you send! So, yes, that means I accept projects from clients in other countries.)

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.

Over the past few weeks, there has been so much going on, I don’t even know where to begin. I’ve had physical therapy for my shoulder and back, we’ve had birthday parties, we’ve been to the beach, the cows got out – not once, not twice or even three times but a good half a dozen! And that’s not even all.

But before I write about all of that and post the pictures I’ve taken of various events, I have something else to share with you.

In my last post, I briefly gave you an over-view of what I do – writing, design, research and consulting. And although I’ve never really “sold” my wares on the ‘net, I’m about to start. Now, this has been the goal all along, really – to use the internet as a sales tool even more so than I already do (which, admittedly, isn’t much and is few and far between).

And now that’s changing. Not because it’s really a change, but there will be some differences.

In the past, I’ve had a “sales page” that I would direct people to and advertise somewhat but it wasn’t the whole of my marketing efforts. Now, though, I am going to make it a more primary part of that advertising and marketing. Also, rather than doing full-blown quotes for services, which is how I’ve always done it in the past, I am going to offer some different “packages” of services that you can buy right here on my blog.

This is for a variety of reasons:

1. There are different time zones and work hours so sometimes connecting via phone is difficult.
2. Some people don’t really want “custom” quotes and what-not (don’t worry – I will still offer them for those who want them).
3. Of course, there are times it’s simply just easier for both clients and myself if I can point them to a “shopping cart” and let them purchase when they’re ready. It takes the pressure off.
4. Some clients are ready sooner and others later. This will enable me to cater to both of them and not just one or the other.
5. Sometimes the details bog things down to much! Why not get the ball rolling? We can sort out all the fine print as things move forward.
6. And because there are times when “a la carte” makes more sense than selling someone all the bells and whistles.

So, right now, what is available on the “Marketing” page is what I’m calling “Marketing Package 1″ which includes website copywriting (content) for up to 10 pages, basic installation of a WordPress platform (mostly because WordPress is something I’m quite familiar with), basic customization of your blog/site, a logo, header images if you need them, 2 stock images, matching business card design (both print and digital editions) and 3 months of marketing consultation.

Along with the above, you have 3 payment options. The full package costs $3,500. You can pay it all up front, pay half up front, or pay a deposit of $500. However, the full amount MUST be paid in full before work begins. That is my policy. No work begins until then. You do get a consultation and we’ll work out details in the interim. But for work to actually start on your project, the entire $3,500 has to be paid.

Now, I would prefer to be paid in full right off the bat – I don’t like making you wait for your projects. Things are just smoother all the way around. On the other hand, I totally understand finances and know that full payment all at once is just out of reach for some folks. That’s okay – I get it. So, I think this is more than fair.

If you’re interested, go check out the Marketing page and either go ahead with it if you’re ready or send me an email with your questions. You can find my info on the “Contact” page. The links are above in the menu.

And that’s all for now. I’ll be back soon with all the tales from the last few weeks including our exploding pipe in the basement, our poor missing kitty and other fun stuff. And yes, I’m saying that with a totally sarcastic tone. Plus, I have some other things I want to take about like abuse, stalking and stuff like that because a while back, I also told you I was going to start telling some of my story.

Stay tuned, y’all! Have a great weekend!

In the arena,

September is just around the corner. School will be starting. I am so ready for that!

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.

You ask “What does Annie do?”

It seems I get asked this question an awful lot lately so I’m going to put it here in black and white for anyone who wishes to know. How’s that sound?

Good?

Ok, then . . . here you go:

Writing

Ghostwriting – any and all.

Design

Layout
I’ve done layout work for both digital and print products including full length books, training manuals, workbooks, study aids, annual reports, business plans, whitepapers, and nearly everything in between. I’ve even done cover and interior design and layout for cookbooks!

Research
One of my biggest areas of expertise lies in research. I’m very good at research – digging deep to find anything and everything on a given topic, place, person or business. In fact, for a few years, I was a skip tracer. I can probably find what you’re looking for.

Marketing Consulting
Over the years, working in printing and real estate, I have learned A LOT about marketing. I’ve helped start businesses (house cleaning, convenience store/gas station, print shop, computer repair shop and others) and I’ve helped run those same businesses. Not only have I put marketing and other systems in place, I’ve done bookkeeping and other management tasks. So you can be sure I understand the unique needs of small business owners.

In short, if it deals with marketing, writing or design whether for print or web, I can do it for you. And even though I have areas of expertise (like real estate, etc), I enjoy working with many different subjects.

And there you have it! That’s what I do.

Feel free to contact me if you need help with any of those. I’m going to be filling up my schedule for the 2nd half of 2009 soon so get in now while you can!

In the arena,

I’ll give the 1st 10 people who sign up to work with me (copywriting, marketing or design related) a 25% discount. You can find my fee schedule on the “Hire Me” page. Link above. And I love to barter too! So don’t be afraid to ask about that.

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.

We had record-breaking temps of 102 here in Seattle yesterday. The previous record was set in 1994 at 100 at SeaTac International Airport, where our official Seattle area temp gage is located. My husband said, though, that yesterday when he was downtown where we live (about an hour North of Seattle), the temp thing on one of the buildings read 107!

WOW! That’s all I can say . . . just wow.

Well, that and . . . it was TOO DAMN HOT!

We had all the fans going, the curtains closed, windows open and lots of ice water! I am hoping today is cooler. Of course, at this point, even 95 would be cooler. Right now – at 10:30 am – it is a little cloudy but it’s 82. That’s just not normal. Usually it’s only 70-ish by this hour, if even that.

My poor little fella, The Short Dude, woke up with a bloody nose early this morning. He is just like his mommy – he doesn’t do well in heat. It’s a good thing The Teenager is over on the Coast camping with her friends family this week where it’s a little cooler. She gets heat stroke very easily and totally would not do well in 100 +/- temps.

Speaking of The Teenager – I talked to her last night on the phone for about 15 minutes. Now, you have to understand it’s RARE for this child to talk on the phone. She just doesn’t – she usually texts people. So she called me and we talked and at the end of our conversation I said “I love you, sweetie pie” and I was totally surprised when she said “I love you, too, mom.” It’s been so L O N G since I’ve heard those words from her and it just made my day!

So, a couple of tips to help you stay cool:

I’ve also found that placing a damp, cool wash cloth on the back of my neck or stomach is helpful. Just get a wash cloth wet, wring it out a little (you just want it to be damp) and place it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.

And recently I heard that you can take damp towels and hang them in open windows (just make sure the curtains are closed) and that helps cool things down. Of course, I suppose it probably works well only when there’s a breeze coming in.

Please stay cool if you’re experiencing high heat in your area like we are here in Seattle. It’s important to keep an eye for heat stroke or heat exhaustion symptoms as well.

Post any tips you have for keeping cool in the comments below. I’d love to hear them!

In the arena,

Use common sense. Schedule your outdoor activities to avoid the hottest parts of the day, and use a buddy system if necessary to keep watch on those at high risk. You can also cool off at the library or the mall if you don’t have air conditioning or fans to cool down. Keep an eye on kids and the elderly especially as well as those with high blood pressure. Call 911 immediately if you suspect someone has heat stroke!

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.

Next to reading, writing and music, bike riding has been one of my favorite things in all the world. As a kid, I rode my bike everywhere. Even after I hurt myself in a bad bike accident (which required 2 surgeries on my elbow and wrist), I still rode it everywhere. And even after I got my drivers license, I still rode as often as possible.

But then that changed 12 years ago when I seriously injured my back at work. I could no longer ride – it just hurt too much. Since then, I’ve only ridden occasionally. And this week we got all of our gear out of the shed, cleaned up all the bikes, and got everything adjusted so that we can start riding again. My back doctor says it might ultimately do me some good if I can get passed the initial pain.

I hope she’s right because I really want to ride again. It’s probably the one form of exercise that would make sense for me at this juncture of my life. And probably the one sport I could really do with my family.

But I can’t ride just any ol’ bike anymore – I need a recumbent, not only due to the back problems, but also because as I’ve gotten older, my arm and shoulder have continued to deteriorate. Recumbents, or ‘bents as they’re often called, are so expensive, we could practically buy a good, used car for our soon to be driving teenager. So a couple of weeks ago, the folks over at WizWheels who produce TerraTrike recumbent 3-wheelers (trikes), held a “Trade with Terra” campaign and I entered. I haven’t heard anything yet, but I am seriously hopeful that I can win.

It would truly make my day. It would make my kids’ day. And you know, honestly, it would give me a chance at a new lease on life. With this high blood pressure thing going on and the weight I’ve gained in the past 12 years since I can’t be as physically active as I once was, this is about the only way I’ll get where I want to go with my health goals without further damaging my back or arm and shoulder.

I’ve had my eye on a recumbent for a long time and a TerraTrike Cruiser is just the one I’d love! It’s a beautiful piece of machinery and the best thing – it actually comes in a size that will fit my short self.

Isn’t it cool? I can so picture myself riding it around the neighborhood and down the trail with my kids . . .

So, TerraTrike, if you’re listening – I would be so grateful and happy if you choose me. Thanks!

In the arena,

Do you have a recumbent trike? Wanna trade one with me? I’d be happy to trade my graphic design and/or copywriting skills for one. You can contact me through the contact page.

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.

I do not often participate in memes (and likewise, I rarely do the email forward thing) but this one is fun and since the sun is shining today, it’s supposed to be a beautiful week and I feel happy, I decided to do this one.

Jo-Lynne (from Musings of a Housewife) posted this at her site and asked anyone who wanted to do it to write a post on their site and link back to her post.

So here ya go . . .

Six Unimportant Things That Make Me Happy

1. Sunshine! I love it when it’s sunny. It doesn’t have to be hot – in fact, I don’t really like heat. Just some good ol’ sunshine is enough for me. And right about 75 degrees with a cool breeze is perfect.

2. Bike riding. This has been one of my favorite pastimes since I was a kid. I rode my bike EVERYWHERE I possibly could, literally spending hours and hours outside traveling all over my neighborhood as well as all over town.

3. Hot bubble baths. Which I rarely have time for anymore. But I love them, hot bubble baths. Hmm . . . maybe that means it’s time to get a hot tub to put outside. Yeah, that’d be fun . . .

4. Reading. Some days, I could spend the entire day doing nothing else, just curled up with a good book or two. Or twelve. I wish I could hibernate all winter in a library and do nothing but read.

5. Music. Often, all it takes to make me happy is good music. I have the radio or iTunes or something playing 24/7. I listen to nearly every kind of music there is (with the exception of rap) but my favorites are jazz, classic rock and worship. My favorite artists are David Lanz, Keiko Matsui, Mindi Abair, Wayman Tisdale, Moby, Enya, Ottmar Leitbert, Celtic Woman, Rush, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Depeche Mode, Boston, Journey, Def Leppard, Van Halen, Pink Floyd, Casting Crowns, MercyMe, Michael W. Smith, Petra, Passion Worship Band, Third Day and Switchfoot among others. I also totally love Kelly Clarkson (that girl can sing anything!). And lately I really like The Veronicas, OneRepublic, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga to name a few.

6. Coffee. I love coffee. Have since I was a teen. My parents both are self-proclaimed “coffee-holics” and I’m sure I must be one too. My dad (who passed away in ‘99) ALWAYS had a coffee cup in his hand. Always. I kid you not. Didn’t matter what the weather was, he had his coffee. I used to drink mine black just like both of them but since I had my gal bladder taken out in 2001, I can longer tolerate the acidity without cream in it. I really hate the cream but I like coffee too much to not drink it.

And there you have it. 6 unimportant things that make me happy. I was going to put friends on this list but since I consider my friends a very important part of my life, that just didn’t fit. I love it when my friends just pop in to say hi, whether that’s online, on the phone, via text or email or actually showing up on my doorstep. I am blessed to have them in my life.

Play along if you wish. I’d love to read your fun lists! Drop me a note in the comments with a link to your post if you put one up.

In the arena,

Yes, yes I do have a love affair with vintage volkswagen’s. I just love them. Especially busses and double cabs and single cabs . . . even things. They’re so cute!

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.