Well.....it's been some time since I've added to this blog and I'm going to try to do some catching up with useful information for the folks of Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

One important thing that I'd like to briefly discuss is the need for families caring for elder relatives to be sure that they have a current California Identification Card if that relative is no longer driving.  This will be needed when the senior relative signs documents that must be notarized.

The reason why this is important is that when it comes time for grandma or grandpa to sign a power of attorney or advanced health care directive, they will need appropriate identification to demonstrate their identity before a notary public.  Without that, the document will not be notarized.

While it is possible to substitute two "credible witnesses"(2 unrelated people), unrelated to the transaction,  who can swear upon an oath as far as your senior's identity, frequently I am seeing that this is not very convenient.

For instance, if your senior relative is in a skilled nursing facility, hospital, or nursing home, more and more these employees are being directed to not involve themselves when patients are having documents notarized.  Although the employees would only be swearing to the factual identity of your senior, most administrators are concerned their employees will become involved in a law suit.  Of course this is quite unlikely as they are only swearing to the senior's identity and nothing more.  However this lack of cooperation appears to be occurring more and more and I am seeing families stuck when their senior doesn't have appropriate identification.

Therefore, please consider that if your elder relative doesn't have ID, you will need to bring with you two witnesses that personally know your relative and can swear to their identity and produce their own driver's license.  The two witnesses can not be anyway involved in the transaction being notarized.

Better yet, plan ahead and get the California Senior Citizen Identification Card for your senior as soon as they stop driving or any time after they have turned 62 years of age and do not drive.  This will save you a giant headache when legal documents need to be signed and notarized.

To apply for the California Senior Citizen Identification Card, here is the information from the California DMV website:

How to apply for or renew an identification (ID) card

DMV issues two types of ID cards. A regular ID card valid for six years, and a senior citizen ID card valid for 10 years. To qualify for a senior citizen ID card, you must be age 62 or older.

To apply for an ID card you will need to do the following:

• Visit a DMV office (make an Appointment(s) for faster service)
• Complete application form DL 44 (An original DL 44 form must be submitted. Copies will not be accepted.)
• Give a thumb print
• Have your picture taken
• Provide your social security number. It will be verified with the Social Security Administration while you are in the office.
• Verify your birth date and legal presence (you may use your California driver license)
• Pay the application fee. (No fee for a senior citizen ID card.)

Check your address before you leave DMV and tell the DMV representative if your address is incorrect. Your new ID will be mailed to you within 60 days. If you have not received your ID after 60 days, call 1–800–777–0133 to check the status. Have your receipt and/or old ID card with you to provide information when requested.

DMV will exchange a valid license for a no–fee ID card to drivers who are no longer able to drive safely because of a physical or mental condition. Please call your local DMV for additional information.

To renew your ID card, you will need to:

• Visit a DMV office (make an Appointment(s) for faster service)
• Complete application form DL 44. (An original DL 44 form must be submitted. Copies will not be accepted.)
• Give a thumb print
• Have your picture taken
• Pay the application fee. (No fee for a senior citizen ID card.)

Double check your address before you leave DMV and tell the DMV representative if your address is incorrect. Your new ID will be mailed to you within 60 days. If you have not received your ID after 60 days, call 1–800–777–0133 and they can check on the status for you. Have your receipt and/or old ID card with you to provide information when requested.

You can see if you are eligibile to renew your identification card by mail by completing and submitting the California Identification Card Renewal by Mail Eligibility Form (DL 410 ID).

Got $25? You can do some good with that...

KIVA is an organization that connects lenders with small business startup folks in developing nations.

You can browse their site and find folks such as these:

-Woman in Uganda wanting to start a used clothing business and needs $40.
-Single parent in Nicaragua wants to start a cloth and dress making supplies shop and needs $75.

KIVA oversees the project and provides "risk" ratings on each borrower. You can get email updates as to the status of the business you are supporting. Loans are generally repaid within a year. There is NO interest on borrowed money, however, the knowledge of the push you've given to a family's effort for self support should do quite nicely.

Consider it. It doesn't take much money, frequently $25 will get someone going in their business efforts, but it goes a long way in their effort to become self sustaining.

Who knows......maybe when our economy finally hits bottom a new billionaire in another country will remember who was there for them when they needed it most.

Paying it forward is always good Karma.

Parenting

OK....so this is random, and I did not intend to get into parenting issues as part of this site. Doesn't fit. BUT, this is a great idea :-)

For those having problems getting a response from their household younglings, this is a nifty way to get their attention. It's bright and colorful, constantly moves, electronic - it seems to match many of the other gadgets that so gets the younger imagination. And heck, it could even improve reading skills.

In this age of electronic gadgets, video games, iphones, ipods, etc., it appears our kids are slipping into an unconscious state. I have found it necessary to repeat requests much more than should be necessary. Around here we have taken steps to limit inattention and frustration, and yes some of this has involved gadgets such as phone intercoms to keep voices at a reasonable level.

But this new idea is just the aces! For those parents that are just too tired of saying "clean your room" while looking at the same aging heap, here is a new-age approach to an age-old problem.......... This is a 37 inch LED display. It has a 30 inch message board and comes with 26 preprogrammed messages such as "Happy Birthday", "Job Well Done", etc. It also has a keyboard on the back for creating unique messages - such as "Clean your room".

On a positive note, it can be used at the front window to welcome home a wrestling champion, straight A student, birthday person. On the other hand though, just think of the attention this electronic device would get for peaceful reminders such as clean your room! Placed across the dresser top, it could work wonders. This model is available on ebay.com for $69.99.

Can't find the dresser top? No problem. There are wall models available. Check Alpha LED. Their sales tag claims these to "communicate, inform, educate, and inspire". I like it!

What a fun way to keep the peace around town.

Have fun this holiday season. :-)

Sale at Dell Computers for a LIMITED TIME ONLY

I just received word from Dell this morning, that they are offering, for only 5 days, incredible savings on two different computers and one monitor for the holidays.

I have included the links over to the right of this post. I will also include the links below. If you are looking for a great Holiday Gift, this may be it. We use Dell Computers for our business and have had wonderful experiences with them and their service.

**Very Limited Time Offer 11-15-07 Through 11-20-07**
Save $360! Get the Dell Vostro 200 ST for only $449!

Save $350! Get the Dell Vostro 1400 for only $649!

Save Up to 15% on Select Flat Panel Monitors!

Hope this helps your holiday budget. Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Fruit from The Fruit Company

OK....it's 10:30 pm and I'm sitting here thinking about chocolate covered fruit. Why am I torturing myself! Doesn't this stuff look great!

Good night all......

Tired of the High Cost for Directory Assistance 411?

This is neat! A free directory assistance number 1-800-Free-411, 1-800-373-3411. You have to listen to a fast ad for a moment. But I sure like not paying out $1.00 or more when I need to find a number and I'm not home.

*Update......I did use this service and want to let you know, for some reason when calling from a cell phone, you have to input twice that you are calling from a cell phone. It does work after the second input. The ad you have to listen to is fast and I didn't find it obnoxious. Any feedback from others would be greatly appreciated.

Another free directory service has been launched from, of all companies, Google. This service works only for business listings. Dial 1-800-Goog-411, that's 1-800-466-4411.

Here's an update for the costs associated with directory assistance from the major cell phone providers:

$1.49Verizon Wireless
$1.75Virgin Mobile
$1.79Sprint Nextel
$1.49U.S. Cellular
$1.49T-Mobile
$1.79Cingular
$1.75AT&T
$1.50Alltel

Long distance land line carriers:

$1.25Verizon
$2.49VarTec
$2.49Sprint
$1.99AT&T
$3.49MCI

I encourage you to input the above FREE numbers in your phone's memory. This way you will always be ready when needing to get a phone number. Whoa MCI, that's some fee you are charging there!

Ceramics and Hatz?

I'm wondering how many of our clients blog? This is something I have just discovered and wow it's fun.

Did I mention that I'm taking a ceramics class at Moorpark College? This has been great fun and I plan to take the second semester class as well. I love the pottery wheel. It is my goal to get one for my home. Next will be the kiln. If anyone knows of any used equipment available in the Ventura and Los Angeles county areas, please let me know.

I recently went to the Ventura County Harvest Festival just to see the ceramics vendors. I was a little disappointed that very few actually showed up for the fair. I was told by the "Jax - Hatz" lady that the Pomona Harvest Festival, during the first week of December, is much bigger and has many more vendors. I'll be there.

Speaking of hats, I bought one. It is so wonderful that I wore it around the house with my pajamas. Needless to say, I looked ridiculous with that combination, but I loved the hat so much....well I just had to. If you do take a look at the website I posted for Jax, the one I purchased is the Cortland, but mine is brown and tan ribbed. It looks quite 1930, my favorite design era. Here is a picture of the hat on one of the models. Another interesting note about Jax Hatz is that they don't seem to crush the hair - the main reason I usually don't wear hats. I was very impressed as you can see. I highly recommend checking out their website. Enjoy.

Karen