Welcome back! Coffee's always on around here. Pull up your favorite chair and a grab a cup. Enjoy your visit today! And don't forget to stop back by again soon.

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.

If you’re in the Seattle area, there’s plenty to do this weekend with the SeaFair 2009 activities getting under way. Check out what’s happening:

SEAFAIR 2009

SEAFAIR Torchlight Parade & Run
July 25, 2009
Stake out a spot along Seattle’s downtown parade route to get your fill of SEAFAIR royalty, marching bands, dance teams, and military units. An 8K Torchlight Run precedes the parade; participate in the race and you’ll enjoy the opportunity to run in front of 300,000 fans. Awards go to the fastest runners and wheelchair racers, and to the most creatively costumed runners. This Saturday evening parade starts at Seattle Center and moves south down 4th Avenue to Qwest Field. You can reserve a comfortable parade view in the form of bleacher seats or grandstand seats, available for a fee through Ticketmaster.

SEAFAIR Hydroplane Races
Jul 31 – Aug 2, 2009
The unlimited hydroplane races on Lake Washington are among the most thrilling of Seattle’s summer events. Held near the shores of Stan Sayres Memorial Park, the racing and associated events cover three days. Park guests can take advantage of food and beverages booths, general admission seating, a pit tour, a hospitality area, and the log boom for boaters.

SEAFAIR Air Show
Jul 31 – Aug 2, 2009
When the Blue Angels take off from Boeing Field and fly in varying formations over Lake Washington, all eyes are glued to the sky. The SEAFAIR Air Show also features other military, vintage, and specialty aircraft, which can all be seen flying over South Lake Washington and the hydroplane race spectators.

Other Events Around the Sound:
Jul 22, 24-26 – IKEA Renton River Days (Liberty Park and other Renton parks)

Jul 22 – Greenwood SEAFAIR Parade (Greenwood)

Jul 24-26 – Tour de Terrace (Mountlake Terrace)

Jul 24-26 – Silverdale Whaling Days (Silverdale)

Jul 25-26 – Ballard SeafoodFest (NW Market St. – Ballard )

Jul 26 – Hispanic SEAFAIR Organization Festival (Seattle Center)

Jul 26 – Pista Sa Nayon (Seward Park Amphitheater)

Jul 31 – Aug 1 – Magnolia Summer Festival and Parade (West Magnolia Play Field)

Aug 1 – Lake City Summer Festival

Aug 22 – Central Area Community Festival and Parade (Garfield Community Center)

The SEAFAIR schedule of special events for 2009 includes the following:

Jul 25 – Seafair Scholarship Program for Women

Jul 25 – Torchlight Run (begins and ends near Qwest Field on Occidental Avenue)

Jul 25 – SEAFAIR Torchlight Parade (Seattle Center to Qwest Field)

Jul 29 – Aug 2 – SEAFAIR Fleet Arrival and Tours (Downtown Seattle Waterfront)

Aug 1-3 – Chevrolet Cup Unlimited Hydroplane Race (Stan Sayres Memorial Park)

Aug 1-3 – SEAFAIR Air Show – U.S. Navy Blue Angels (South Lake Washington)

Aug 1 - Seafair Concert & Fireworks (Genessee Park)

If you know of any other happenings around the Sound, please let me know.

In the arena,

Have a safe and happy SeaFair experience if you’re in Seattle this weekend!

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’ve had much fun this past week, enjoying the sunshine and being outdoors. Here are a few pictures of recent activities, including a car show we went to Saturday afternoon.

If you want to see more pictures from the car show, you can check out my flickr photostream. They’re all uploaded there.

And I’ll be back shortly with some Around the Web posts and a few recipes we’ve tried lately that were just awesome!

Hope you’re having a wonderful summer! We are enjoying the beautiful weather here in Washington.

In the arena,

That stepside brings back memories for me! I had one of those after I graduated from high school until my oldest daughter was about 2 and then I traded it for a more suitable family vehicle. Boy, do I kick myself now! Perhaps someday I’ll have another one.

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.

It’s almost time for the Thirty Day Challenge again – it begins August 1st. This is the 2nd year I’ve participated during the actual challenge month, although I’ve been doing the challenge for 3 years now. The first year, I began at the very end of August and went through everything on my own. It’s much more fun to do it during the “live” challenge. If you haven’t checked out it yet, I encourage you to do so.

But, you might be wondering just what the challenge is, huh?

Well, it’s put on by 2 internet marketing guys – Ed Dale and Dan Raine – who have been very successful with their own online businesses and they do this every August – for FREE. They teach you how to make your first $10 online with subjects such as:

• Niches
• Keywords
• WordPress and other platforms
• Social Media

And lots, lots more

And they use free tools to teach it so if you don’t have a lot of extra money to throw at a new online biz, this is for you. Or even if you do, this is for you. Lessons are generally posted weekly and there’s a video, sometimes a podcast and sometimes PDF downloads and such. The official website has a forum where everyone can share and learn together as well. There are even prizes to win! I have no idea what’s in store for this year, but Ed and Dan promise it’s going to be awesome!

The tagline this year – “There’s no charge for awesomeness.”

Since June, Ed’s been hosting “pre-season” – this is where he helps you get set up with some of the tools that’ll be used for this years Challenge. For 2008, they include the social web browser, Flock, YouTube, Twitter and Twhirl (a Twitter desktop client), FriendFeed, Google Reader, StumbleUpon and more.

Oh, and you know – half the fun are Ed and Dan themselves. Ed is a crazy Australian dude and Dan is witty guy from the UK.

There’s still time to get in! And yes, you can do it alongside your other activities and commitments. It’s meant to be a fun learning experience, no pressure. You won’t be graded or kicked out if you get behind.

I’ll see you there!

PS – I’m lsandrsn over on the 30dc forum.

PPS – Almost forgot! I have a 30dc blog that I blog the challenge from, too. Come along for the ride!

Make $10k in a weekend – “Too good to be true.” That’s the first thing I said when
I heard of http://tinyurl.com/5lq2g4. You can’t REALLY make $10K in a weekend. But I quickly bit my tongue once I saw the content. . .

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.

It seems like it’s only been a week or so since the kids got out of school, but it’s well into over a month now and the summer is just cruisin’ by! Hard to believe it’s July already. With the rate things are going, I think next week will be September.

So . . . let’s see – what’s newsworthy for weight loss here?

Oh yes! I tried almond milk and found that it’s VERY tasty. I really like the flavor and texture much better than soy or rice milk. Also tried a hemp shake mix that is delicious! It’s by Nutiva and comes in a couple of different flavors. I like the Berry Pomegranate but am not so crazy about the chocolate.

I’ll be back soon with updates and what-not and some recipes I’ve tried recently that even the kids enjoyed.

Have a great day!

~ Annie