I want to share with you a story that pinpoints exactly why I'm so passionate about creating tons of people (a million millionaires) who have a surfeit of money so they can help others. My vehicle is ACN.

We were on the way to a style consultation/style modelling session when we saw a young boy cleaning the windows on the car next to us at a traffic light. With a big smile, he came over to us to ask to clean ours. We got to talking and it turns out that he's 13 years old and homeless.

Let me repeat that: 13 years old and homeless.

His father OD'd between six and seven times right in front of him. I'm not sure if he's still alive. When I asked him about his family, he said, ‘they don't want to know about me'.

I was absolutely gutted. And still am.

The traffic lights were changing ...

I gave him my friend's card and asked him to PLEASE send a phone number where I can reach him. He said he'd be getting a little phone with a SIM so he'd do that.

I told him as traffic moved around us that when he turns 18, he will OWN this business. He told me, with a wry smile, 'I don't think I'll get there'.

I don't think I'll get there ...

I'll pray every day until I hear from him (and afterwards obviously!) and I WILL do something to help him.

It's just not good enough that there are homeless and starving kids around the world.

I'm not prepared to live in a world where that exists.

Everyone, and each of us, has the power to change this situation.

It starts with me. And it starts NOW!

Dear John, wherever you are, call me.

I suppose I should be grateful that spammers don't seem to be that keen to proofread their work, but I still find it insulting.

Take a look at this and see if you can spot the typos:

I stopped counting at thirty-five (35!) typos, not counting the fact that it doesn't use Australian spelling.

It really just puzzles me why these people bother. Alternatively, it frightens me that some people are still taken in by these notices or why would they continue to bother?

Anyway, I wanted to vent and feel slightly better now. And now I must away! I have typos to vanquish.

One of my awesome clients (Thanks, Tina!) sent along this quote that inspired her. I love it!

Creativity is not something you wait for.
It is something that waits for you.

You must decide to be creative, not wait to be.
You must challenge yourself.

Pick up the brush. Grab hold of the camera. Turn on the computer. Start cooking the meal.

Get to the workplace early.
Propose the solution.
Advance the idea.
Become the answer.

I must be the inspiration.

Neale Donald Walsh

Who can turn a man into a mane? Who can turn a can into a cane? It's elementary; it's silent e!

Yep, even letters can be super heroes. *laugh*

So, with that childhood song wandering through my mind, you're probably wondering what this post is about, yeah?

Well, it's about one of the most common mistakes that lots (and lots and lots) of people make (yep, probably even me upon occasion).

The rules that will help you come down to possession and contractions, and no, you haven't wandered onto a planned parenthood (ha! as if that happens) website. With contractions, I'm talking about the little apostrophe that seems to drive people batty, mostly the people who know how to use it correctly, as the people who don't are often blissfully unaware. We'll talk about possession later.

If you mean to say IT IS, use it's. The little apostrophe in it's is just grammar's placeholder. It's showing that something is missing, in this case the i in is.

Therefore, it's mine means IT IS mine. Don't touch or else! Oops, sorry, I'm an only child so I got carried away.

Let's look at its cousin: its. This is a sad story of jealousy and ... possession. Its implies ownership.

Can you please put my camera on its side? If I put in the apostrophe and used it's, I'd be saying ... Can you please put my camera on IT IS side. That'd just be silly, right?

In summary, whenever you write it's, just double check it with the expansion: it's = it is. If the sentence makes sense after you ‘spell it out' (so to speak), great. If not, strike the offending apostrophe out and proceed on your merry, grammatically correct way.

Well, I hope this has cleared things up. It's been a pleasure. Oh, did I forget to mention it's can also stand for IT HAS?

Gosh, I love English!

Now, here are a few questions to test your knowledge. Correct as necessary.

• It's amazing how many people manage to get this wrong. It's not rocket science.
• Can you see its eyes?
• Our challenges are often the only way we grow. It's all in the way you look at it.

Answer: They're all correct. Please keep them that way!

So, first off, I am not a professional organiser, but I am a pack rat who is working on decluttering. I don't know if most professional organisers start out with a clutter problem to overcome, but I don't think I'd trust any that didn't for the same reason that I couldn't connect with a personal trainer or nutritionist that hadn't personally struggled with weight loss. Now, I know some people will say, ‘You don't have to have had a brain tumour to be a brain surgeon' and that's probably very, very true. However, this is my blog and this is what I think about the whole sorting thing: Never trust a skinny sorter! ☺

Here are some tips that I'm accumulating from firsthand experience as I attempt to get my life (and home) back into order:

• Buy a good shredder! I bought an el cheapo and while I'm getting lots of practise extricating paper from its tiny metal jaws, it's about to be one of my tidying casualties if it doesn't behave.

• Start with the big stuff, or the areas that are causing you the most annoyance. (For me, that's my office.) If you find yourself spending a lot of time on something, like looking through photos or whatever, move on to something else. Think big picture! I once read a great book on sorting, which I won't list here because I'm not getting any kickbacks (laughing), but also because I'm too lazy to try to find it in this mess. It had several categories for sorting, but since I cannot remember them, I'll share the categories that popped into my mind:

1. Destroy. Immediately.
2. Dither. If anything goes into this category, just move on or you'll get yourself into the Bermuda Triangle of tidying and no one will ever find you.

• If it's on your computer, and isn't heirloom photos or something, and you have a back-up (You do, right? One off-site too, yeah?), shred it! Right now! I know your Mum kept all of your swimming certificates and whatnot, but if you don't have kids, or don't feel anyone will care in 50 years when they uncover them as they look through 'mad old Aunt Bertha's stuff', toss them. I just shredded some certificates for Quattro Pro (pre-Excel, pre-Cro-Magnon ...) from *1993*. Man!
• If you have empty boxes sitting around, get rid of them. No ... seriously, if they're empty, that's great, but you're just tempting fate here. You will put something in them. So, before you do, take a deep breath and chuck them into the recycling bin. Go on. I'll wait.
• If you have more magazines than a dentist's office, read my note above about empty boxes. Get. Rid. Of. Them. Now. No, you're not going to read them. No, you're not going to create the amazing dolls out of corn husks on page 103. If you really can't toss them, take them to your dentist's office. Then it's his or her problem.

Only you know what's important to you so I recommend that you do the heavy lifting before calling in a professional, unless you can't get started ... Getting someone in might be the jump start you need, but remember, most of them charge by the hour. And you have a lot of stuff ... Get at it!

First of all, can I just say that I feel especially proud of my first WordPress CMS foray? Oh good!

For a while now, a friend and client, Violeta Edge, has been asking me to create a ‘site she can change herself'. Now, I have to admit to a couple of control issue problems so I did take a little coaxing, but at the end of the day, what a client wants, a client gets (within reason and within moral codes! *smile*).

So ... I backed up the lovingly and painstakingly created hand-coded site and embarked on a journey into learning how to install and configure my second Open Source Content Management System (CMS). The other system I've used for a number of client sites (including my own) was Joomla. I dunno what it is about the safe and familiar, but I was a little hesitant to stray from it. Actually, I DO know what it is because picking up any new tool takes time and you feel like a teenager attending their first dance: awkward and superfluous. Some things never change.

High school ruminations aside, I really enjoyed setting up my first WordPress site. Including porting the old content, it only took about five hours (granted I had Wimbledon on in the background). Of course, it then took another five hours or so to tweak it and really get my head around the whole post versus page thing and get my posts posting, as well as finding some useful plugins for contact forms and the like. While I'm sure there are lots of WordPress gurus that take a lot less time, I reckon being able to create a complete website including a CMS in that time, particularly with a completely new system, is pretty awesome.

My next hurdle will be to explore creating my own themes though because the basic ones in the WordPress install are just that: basic. I'd also like to see more WYSIWYG versatility in terms of replacing the header and background content, but I'm sure I'll learn more as I go.

In summary, at this stage, I'd be inclined to recommend using WordPress over Joomla because it seems more intuitive to install and use. If you want to edit ‘normal' pages, go to ... pages. (You don't have to create an article and then add a menu item that links to that article like you do in Joomla.) If you want to post something new in your blog, go to ... posts. From a developer's standpoint, the fact that the blog function is native and bang-on ready to go is also a huge plus.

So, yeah, although I'm a WordPress newbie, colour me impressed. Now, please excuse me while I go read up on themes. I may be a while so don't wait up.

 I'm drinking tea, but not the sort you'd guess, and listening to Sweet Tea by Datri Bean from her album Slow Down Summertime.

Having had the pleasure of not only seeing her in an intimate concert in Austin last month, I also got a chance to sit and have a chat with her later, under the stars, at her partner's birthday party. She's a lovely lady ... with so much talent.

This is probably one of my favourite tunes from her album and really full stop, as the sound and subject is quintessentially southern: sweet, simple and supple.

For people who aren't from the states, you might not yet get the splendour of a nice, cold glass of sweet tea, but take it from me and try this recipe.

Sun Tea Reverie

In Arizona, it literally gets so hot that you can fry an egg on a sidewalk. I know. I've tried. Yeah, I bet my Mom did wonder where all those eggs were going. *grin*

Tea the way we used to make it involved putting a few tea bags, about six, into a big glass jar (what I always thought of as a pickle jar ...) and sealing it. I'd carefully carry it outside, mindful of not tumbling down the back stairs.

You'd literally have tea in no time flat.... I remember watching the water being coloured, layer by layer and the tendrils of tea forming.

Then I simply took the now hot jar (!) inside, added sugar, put it in the fridge and ... presto ... sun tea!

To make sweet tea without solar power, simply boil your water on the stove top. After it's rocking and roiling, add three or four tea bags depending on the amount of water. Sweeten to taste, refrigerate and there you have it! If you're in a hurry, let it cool a bit, put some in a glass and add ice cubes or, my favourite, crushed ice.

You can garnish it with slices of lemon and/or fresh mint, if you wish. I like mine straight.

Best served on a scorching day while you're swinging in a hammock or out on the veranda ... but anytime'll do.

My title applies to life in general, but more specifically to designing book spines.

We all know the old saying, ‘Don't judge a book by its cover', but we literally do that with books (and probably with people too). Basically, unless you're a known figure, it's challenging to get your book into a bookstore as it is so you will probably not have the luxury of having a huge display with your books on it, facing outwards and languishing on silk with a fresh vase of flowers next to them. In fact, if you're lucky, you'll only have a few on a shelf with only a small piece of real estate, the spine, doing the job of selling.

If the potential book purchaser doesn't already know what book they're looking for—that being your book—if the spine isn't appealing, your chances of going home with the book buyer are about as likely as my current obsession Jo-Wilfried Tsonga asking me out for a coffee the next time he's in Melbourne (but, hey, Jo, if you're reading this blog, email me, *laugh*).

So, what can you do to make your spine sexier? Here are a couple tips:

1. First of all, please, please carefully consider the font. I'm a sucker for decorative fonts, you know the ones with the curves in all the right places, but people literally GLANCE at spines, so it has to be readable as well as enticing.
2. Think about using colour, or at least an interesting motif for part of the spine. Be really careful with your colour choice as they convey and trigger subconscious moods.
3. Most people don't have necks that tilt to the side so if the spine is wide enough to keep the writing horizontal, why not do it? My Australian Oxford Dictionary is a prime example of this principle in action.
4. Finally, and I've actually jumped ahead, as I'd start with this: Do your research. Go to a bookstore (or three) and have a look at where your book would appear. Look at spines ... really look at them. Which ones grab your eye? Which ones do your eyes slide over? Why? The insights you collect during this phase of the design process will give you some awesome insights into what works and what doesn't.

OK, I'll close for now and let you get back to it. If you have any questions, or want to share a tip, feel free to email me on renee@risingstardesigns.com.au.

As I sit here at 4.02 am in Melbourne, after preparing for a meeting I have in ... about six and a half hours, I've realised that I'm really hankering for some Mexican food. I've heard of a few places that I need to check out, but in the meantime, I know that I can make some pretty good interpretations of the food I had the pleasure of growing up with in Tucson, Arizona.

I decided to share one of my favourites: fajitas! This recipe will be a hit with your family as it's fast, yummy and a great way to ‘sneak' in some veggies. Also, it's great for parties because people can build their own. Just put the meat and all the sautéed stuff on a nice plate and put all the ‘fixings' and tortillas on the table and let people go for it.

Now, bear in mind this won't be a precise rendition with measurements and the like. Why? Well, apart from the fact that I rarely cook from a recipe, and that I'm feeling pretty lazy at this time of morning, cooking should be fun and creative, so really just go for it and let your tastebuds be your guide.

OK, let's get cooking!

I usually use chicken (I prefer chicken breast) as it's quicker to cook. Just don't overcook it; dry chicken? Yikes.

You can use beef, but just make sure you marinate it, as there's nothing worse than tough meat. I'd suggest simply using olive oil and lime juice as we'll be using a lot of seasonings later.

So, simply sauté your meat with diced onions, garlic, bell peppers (the traffic lights: yellow, red and green) and some chilli, if you like it hot. Don't be stingy with the oil as you want to nurture the flavours of the sautéed veggies.

Once your chicken is almost cooked, fry off your spices. I generally use dry spices such as cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, parsley, Himalayan sea salt and pepper to taste.

Once you've sautéed your chicken, veggies and spices, you're pretty much there. See how easy that was?

Simply serve the sizzling goodness on tortillas with whatever toppings you like. My top picks are tomatoes, guacamole (or at least avocado), Spanish onion and lettuce. Oh yeah, don't forget the salsa/pico de gallo and sour cream!

Olé!

Let's talk a bit about fonts since I'm working on another book design and ... also, I love talking about fonts!

If you ever decide to self-publish, you will have at least some say in the font of the book. It is what your reader will stare at for the entire time so remember that it has to be above all readable. Secondly, it should suit the tone and voice of your book.

If it's a serious topic, forget about those 'groovy' fonts we all tend to love. While serif (it has the little 'feet' on the bottom) fonts are usually deemed to be best for print, you can get away with sans serif if you're 'careful'. I know, caution is for wimps, but you do really need to exercise some willpower when choosing fonts.

Here are some other tips/guidelines:

• Do not set the vast majority of fonts in all caps. It's just ... ugly.
• Please, please do not set script fonts in all caps. Ever. Otherwise, I may have to hunt you down and torture you. That is all.
• Do not use every font you own on a project. Yes, we know you love fonts, but less is more!
• Do not underline fonts. It's so ... yesterday. Yes, I know I just did it, but do as I say, not as I do! Use italics or bold for emphasis. Apart from underlining looking repulsive, you also tend to cut off letters with descenders (like gs and ys).
• Think about what you're trying to say and pick a font that creates that 'mood'. Yep, heaven help us, fonts have moods too.
• If you cannot tell the difference between an m and an n or an l and a 1 in a font, seriously consider ditching it.
• I cannot believe I'm going to say this, but if you have to choose between a beautiful font and a readable font, go for the readable one.
• Do some research. Find a few tomes by some of the best publishing houses. Study them. They usually have the font used on the imprint page so if you get stuck, you can always do a bit of creative copying.
• Finally, have fun! You've taken the time to create a book. Now is your chance to make it shine visually as well.

Good luck! There's a wide world of fonts out there and, truly, one for everyone and every project. Oh and one final word of advice: avoid using Times New Roman, if at all possible. It's like being trapped in conversation with a boring person at a party: seemingly unavoidable, but also able to make you snooze at ten paces.