End of Summer

It's official, summer is over and school is back! August was a busy month preparing my 18 year old to go off to University 12 hours away and my 16 year old ready for high school. Now that I have them all settled I am going to try to get myself back on track. I have been spending the last couple of weeks working with 2 of my horses getting them ready to sell. So, once Oct 5th has come and gone I hope to keep my blog updated more frequently than once a month.
In the mean time if there is a topic that you might find interesting please contact me and I will see what I can do for you. Until then, have a geat day!

Virtual Assistant - Where do you find them?

Hello everyone, hope your summer is going as good as mine - except maybe a little too fast. Thought I'd drop by and tell you a little more about how to find a Virtual Assistant.

There are several sites out there that host a listing for business owners looking to hire a Virtual Assistant, some more trust worthy that others. My favorites are the following:

http://www.virtualassistantforums.com/submit_job.php You can check out what the participating VA's have to say on an abundance of topics and submit your RFP (request for proposal) and you will then receive replies based on what you were looking for. This site gives you access to over 1000 qualified VA's, and I have found it to be an excellent source in many respects.

http://www.cvac.ca/ This site not only gives you the opportunity to have your RFP sent out to hundreds of VA's but there is also an area to answer any questions you might have about hiring a VA. "Our Request for Proposal (RFP) system allows you to fill out one simple on-line form with your requirements and it is distributed to our experienced and diverse group of Virtual Assistants. You will receive professional, concise responses to your RFP, and have the ability to quickly and effectively choose the VA that meets your needs. It's that simple...and it's a FREE confidential service tailored to meet your needs. " quoted from the CVAC website.

http://www.virtualassist.ca/ This site is sponsored by Red Deer College Virtual Assistant Certificate program and is another excellent resource. By filling in their convenient form and they will post your RFP for all tjeir RDC students and graduates to view. Those who meet the services and skill sets you are looking for will contact you and introduce themselves.
All that’s left for you to do is interview and choose the perfect VA for you!

http://www.vanetworking.com/ This site also contains an area for your the business owner to submit an RFP. It gives information on hiring a VA, cost comparisons, articles and FAQ. All you have to do is fill out their form and your request will be posted on the job forum for the VAInsiders.

These are just a few sites that offer you the business owner an option for advertising for a VA to fill their needs. It is prudent to research as much as possible on what you can expect when hiring a VA. All these sites offer very good information on what to watch for and what to expect from any VA you hire.

Rain, Rain & More Rain

Finally, it has rained. Not anywhere near where we should be but the pastures are finally turning green. We finished seeding our greenfeed the 3rd of July and it is already up. Now all we need is some heat and more rain!!!!
It is amazing how 2 inches of rain could make such a difference. But thank goodness it didn't stop there. To date we have had close to 4" (about 1/4 of what we should have by now) but at least we have pasture for the cows - even though it meant turning them in on some of the hay fields.
Speaking of which - the newer fields were actually looking pretty good until the 3rd hail storm we had a week ago. Now they are missing a few leaves but will still make us some hay! If it keeps this up we may even be able to keep most of our cows this fall!
Until till next time, have a GREAT! day and enjoy your summer.

School's Out

Hello everyone,
Sorry I haven't visited lately, had a graduation to get ready for! Yes, it's 2 down and 1 to go. My middle daughter's Graduation Exercises were held this weekend as well as the famous "Party". I found out that I can still function on 4 hours sleep! :)
But, my brain is still recuperating from that lack of sleep so I will not try anything too complicated in my writing.
The weather is still dry - we have had about an inch of rain the whole month of June. Neighbors who live only 5 miles away have only had about 6/10 of rain. It is really hit and miss. Last Friday there was supposely a tornado touched down a couple of times fairly close to our home but the only damage we suffered were broken branches and a couple of fences knocked down.
A little time spent cleaning up the limbs and everything is close to back to normal.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by!
Helen

Garage Sale

What a glorious day! Sitting outside with my computer and the sun (although I am sitting under an umbrella, my fair skin doesn't like the sun). Set up for a garage sale yesterday and am relaxing for the next 2 days hoping to get rid of some of my stuff!

One man's junk is another man's gold!

Best Intentions

Hello,
Looks like I need to pay attention to my blog more. The weather can not decide whether its should be spring or winter. On the good days I have been trying to get my yard cleaned up. Spent 2 days in my flower bed and finally got all the grass and weeds pulled. Seems like the only thing really growing is the weeds and if we don't get any rain soon, even they will stand still.
Between my garden and my middle daughter's grad (fast approaching) I seem to find little time for typing. Hopefully anyone reading my blog will bear with me as I try to keep fresh new posts on a timely basis.
If there is a topic that you would like to see discussed in any of the areas that I have listed in my business please feel free to contact me and I will try to come up with something for you.
Till next time - Have a great day!!!

Genealogy on the Internet and Software Packages

In today’s age of the internet the amount of information available to new and experience Genealogist is astronomical. Simply typing in genealogy in the search bar nets you 38.9 million results. To a beginner this may be overwhelming.

Here are a couple hints to refine your search in a general search bar and a few sites to search specific names.

· Be more specific, instead of “genealogy” try your family plus the word genealogy. Or, if you have a specific ancestor you are searching, type in his whole name.

· Try Cyndi’s list at http://www.cyndislist.com/. This particular site is cumulative list of genealogy sites available on the internet and is a good online starting point. The part that I like about this site is that it breaks down the sites by country, by name, by topics, by alphabetical list and has a link to new sites added each month.

The following is a list of FREE websites that you can search for your ancestors on:
· http://www.familysearch.org/
· http://www.genforum.com/
· http://www.rootsweb.com/
· http://www.genhomepage.com/
· http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/index-e.html

The following is sites that a small percentage free but need a subscription to access most of their really good stuff:
· http://www.ancestry.ca/
· http://www.myheritage.com/genealogy
· http://www.distantcousin.com/
· http://www.kindredkonnections.com/ - what is unique about this site is that you can create free hours by transcribing old census records.

As part of my services I do offer genealogy research. At the moment I do not have access to the paid part of the above sites but plan on subscribing if and when I have a request for such research.

Genealogy Software

Just like the online resources, there are a multitude of software packages available out there. Most of them are packages you install on your computer, some of the are free and some allow you to store your information on their server. The decision as to which is best for you depends on what you are looking for. Follow this link to reviews of the Top 10 Genealogy sites of 2009: http://genealogy-software-review.toptenreviews.com/ .

Fifth Ave Collection Fashion Jewelery

As well as being a Virtual Assistant and and mother of 3 teenage girls I am also a Fifth Avenue Collection Jeweler. So I thought that it would be pertinent that I tell you a little about Fifth Avenue and it's product.

Fifth Avenue Collection evolved from a hobby that began many years ago. The Butler family began cutting and polishing gemstones in the basement of their home. The entire family developed a keen interest in their craft which eventually branched into an interest in jewellery design. Although they worked mainly with local stones in the beginning, it wasn’t long before they were cutting gemstones from around the world. From these humble beginnings evolved a direct sales company that encompasses thousands of independent Jewellers from Canada, the United States, England, Australia, China and South Africa. Fifth Avenue Collection boasts one of the most comprehensive collections of high-line fashion jewellery. It is the brand of choice for millions of fashion conscious women around the world.

Our jewelery sports pearls (crystal centered and nine layers of herring scale, giving them equal weight and lustrous finish of natural pearls), and AAA Cubic Zirconia (hardness and refractive index is comparative to precious gems. Hand cut - even experts have a hard time telling them apart). All our jewelery is made with crystals from Swarovski components, renowned as the highest quality in the world. From the jungles of Africa to the Australian outback, Fifth Avenue's natural gem stones reflect exotic beauty on every woman they adorn. All varieties of pierced earrings have 14 kt solid gold posts. All of out jewelery is nickel and lead free with a rich and durable finish of gold or rhodium.

The link to my jewelery website is at the left, come in and take a look, you will find a host of extra ordinary jewellery fit for a queen.

H & L Bookkeeping & VA Services

The services I offer are as follows:

Bookkeeping:

My knowledge and experience of bookkeeping helps provide you with monthly, quarterly and year-end statements, allowing you to concentrate on your business.

• General ledger/journal
• Invoicing
• Payroll
• Financial reports
• GST reporting

Government Farm Programs

Personal experience in this area allows me to assist you in completing the required forms for:

• CAIS
• AgriInvest
• CCIA Age Verification

Desktop Publishing:

My training and education in this area allows for professional and appealing results to enhance your business image.

• Brochures
• Newsetters
• Flyers
• Business cards

Ebay Sales and Purchases

Internet Researching:

A written report detailing all research and an analysis of the findings on any topic:

• Business personal
• Medical
• Relocation
• Employment opportunities

Software Used:

• Simply Accounting Pro 2007
• Simply Accounting Basic 2005 & 2008
• Quickbooks
• AgExpert Analyst
• Microsoft Word/Excel
• Microsoft Publishing

For more information feel free to email me at hlva@netkaster.ca

My Horses

Thought I'd share pics of my horses. Starting at the top left to right is Sandy - 4 year-old QHX mare, Red - 7 year-old registered QH gelding, Molly (mother of Jack, Sandy & Penny) undetermined age and breed, Jack - 5 year-old cremello paint gelding and finally my little Penny - yearling QHX fily. Except for Penny they are all broke to ride but are needing me to put some miles on them. I am also trying to sell at least 2 of them - Red for sure but I haven't decided which one of Jack & Sandy I will keep. If you are interested give me a shout.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

As I read over my first few posts I realize that maybe there are people out there that are wondering "What is a VA - Virtual Assistant?" So I thought maybe I would include that description from my brochure. The following is reprinted with permission from VANA.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

VAnetworking.com: "A Virtual Assistant (VA) is a highly-trained independent entrepreneur who provides a myriad of business support services virtually via phone, fax and internet based technology to support and meet the growing needs of businesses worldwide.
Partnering with a VA reduces stress, protects cash flow, eliminates administrative hassles, and enables business people to find the success they originally set out to achieve.
A VA is your right hand person helping you to succeed in your business. The irony is you may never meet your VA as odds are they live nowhere near you!"
*Source: Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANA) Virtual Assistant Definition

Benefits of Hiring a VA

• No additional office space
• No additional office equipment or furniture
• No special training
• No payroll responsibilities
• No extra overhead
• Real time billing

Genealogy on the Web

A day late but better late than never!
I developed a keen interest in genealogy about 15 years ago when my mother first found out that she had cancer. I began searching on the internet for some of her lost relatives and my father's lost uncles. The resources available on the internet are unbelievable.
There are millions of websites out there and some of the most useful and free ones that I have found are
http://www.familysearch.org/
Family Search is the largest genealogy organization in the world and is a service provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is open to everyone and access is unlimited.

http://www.genforum.com/
Is part of Genealogy.com and is part of the Generations Network. This is the place where I discovered a great uncle's descendants that no one had a clue as to where he went after leaving Canada. It is also the site where I found my mother's first cousin which lead to an impromptu family reunion in Washington state. I found people from my Grandfather's birth place who gathered information for me from the local library and mailed it to me. It is a fantastic community and is sorted not only by family name but also by country and topic.

http://www.rootsweb.com/
Rootsweb is another fantastic resource. It also can be searched by name, country, topic and just about any other type of search you can think of. It is an ancestry.com community but is a free resource. It allows you to join mailing lists that you can watch specific to your search.

Any of these 3 genealogy websites is well worth the time spent searching. The amount of information and long lost relatives that I found on them was phenomenal.

I was able to trace my Whitcomb ancestors back to the 1400 England. The Lindsay side wasn't quite as successful, only to 1800 Nova Scotia - Scotland has been a little hard to infiltrate using free sites but I am working on it.

There are thousands of other websites out there an one that lists many of those genealogy sites is Cindy's List found at http://www.cyndislist.com/

Until next time - Have a GREAT day!

Alberta Weather

I blinked and sure enough the weather changed. Got to love Alberta weather. Woke up this morning to rain, turned to about 4" of snow and more falling. Good day for me to get some work done which is exactly what I am going to be doing in about 30 minutes. Catch you tomorrow when I plan on sharing my internet genealogy search resources for those who are just starting out.

In the Beginning

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.....
Yep, today it the beginning of my very first blog. So I think to start with I will introduce myself.
I am a mother of 3 gorgeous girls and married to a small farmer living in East Central Alberta. I am just beginning home-based business as a Virtual Assitant and Bookkeeper after working for 25 years in a retail store. I grew up on a small farm with 4 brothers and grew to love the country. The 2 years I spent living in the city confirmed that I was a country girl at heart and could only be happy there.
On our farm we have 80 cows, 5 horses, 13 cats, 20 some chickens and a dog - quite the menagerie. At a later date I hope to upload pictures of my favorite animals. On top of all this I also sell 5th Avenue Collection jewelery part time and am an avid genealogist.
But enough of that for today, catch you later.