The production of wine from start to finish is known by most as simply wine making. The scientific name however is referred to as vinification. The process of course begins with the selection of the grapes, and ending with bottling the same wine that adorns our dinner table’s. The actual science of wine making is called enology, and encompasses all aspects of wine making. However, enology is usually not considered to include the study of vine growing and grape harvesting, which in itself is called viticulture.

Wine makers around the world still pride themselves on what the majority of their ancestors have passed on throughout history and through the generations. Of all thing’s to consider during the creation process, the first step has always been the most important. And that is the selection of the proper grapes, out of over five thousand varieties, that will be used to fill that ever popular bottle. These various type’s can also have an impact, depending on location, as to the time of harvest, as well as the amount of time needed for fermentation.

With thousand’s of varieties of wine alone, wine maker’s have quite a challenge keeping up with demand. Worldwide, there are tens of millions of acres dedicated to wine vineyards and that number grows every single year. Knowing what type of grape to grow, how long it should be worked,when it should be picked, as well as weather conditions are all variable’s that are taken into account by the wine makers. Once the grape is actually picked is where the fun really begins.

From separation of the juices from the skin and allowing them to ferment over weeks at a time, to transferring them to another fermenting pot, the process at time’s can take close to a month. All of this occurs before bottling is ever considered. After the wine maker’s have achieved the right taste, the wine is bottled and then racked, and allowed to age. Aging of the wine in some instances can take upward of twenty year’s for some of the more finer varieties.

For something to last six millenia, is an accomplishment in and of itself. Continent’s move thousand’s of miles, rivers are formed and dry up, canyon’s even erode away. This natural effect of time however did not have a negative impact on wine making as we see it today. Today, even though we are much more advanced as a society, wine making still retains some if not the majority of it’s original creation methods.

Hey, you want to look like a Pirate for Halloween!? Well, get a load of you! With the overwhelming success of those funny Caribbean Pirate movies I can certainly see why you would!

But, making an adult pirate costume is a lot of fun and probably alot easier than you’d think! Just follow this checklist and you’ll soon be on your way to pirate costume heaven!

First things first — Your Clothing: The clothes are by far the most important aspect of any realistic adult pirate costume! First let’s go through the items you will need to get and then we will explore where to find them.

Pirate’s Pants: Your pants will need to be black, although gray and brown are also options. There are two different ways in which you can do your pants. The first way is to get black pants that are a little tight. Do not get them so that they are too tight that they are uncomfortable, but tight enough so that they are snug to your butt. The second way its to get striped pants that are quite baggy. After you get these pants you will take them and cut the bottoms of the legs off so that they are just below the knee. You should cut the bottoms in a jagged or zig-zag pattern, so that they look old or well-worn.

Pirate Skirt: If you are a girl, all you need to do is get a pirate skirt instead of a pair of pants. The skirt can be long or short. If you choose a long skirt, the best is to get a “peasant” type of skirt. If you choose a sexy short one, it is best to get something knee length so that you can take some scissors and tear up the bottom to cut it shorter and to make it look tattered and old.

Pirate Shirts - Now, the pirate shirt is going to be “dirt simple.” All you require is a white long sleeved button-up shirt or two (depending on what each of them has on it). You will want to make sure that the shirt is not too, too dressy and not too expensive — you wouldn’t want to ruin a good shirt for this — actually, the baggier the better is the way to go, and you’ll want to leave a couple of buttons undone from the bottom.

The Pirate vest: For the pirate vest, you are looking for pretty much any black or red vest, should do just fine. You’ll want to avoid anything that might have designs on them, unless it’s just a striped pattern or something which would go with your costume — don’t be afraid to jazz it up a little! If you can’t find either of these colors, and you can find white, you should be able to dye it. You can find “RIT clothing dye” at almost any drugstore in the USA. They are easy to use even if you have never used it before!

Pirate Vest - For the vest, you are looking for pretty much any black or red vest. Try to avoid it if it that might have multi-colored designs on them, unless it is just a striped pattern or something which would still suit your “fancy” — think “Prince.” If you cannot find either of these, you should dye the vest red or black.

Remember, accessories are very important to any pirate costume!

Pirate Wig, Bandanna or Costume Hat: For long or short hair, these are great ways to accessorize your pirate costume. Find yourself a sexy pirate costume hat, and put the bandanna or wig (w/ or w/out dreadlocks, like the guy below) on your head under it!! Your bandanna could either be black or red. You do not have to wear the hat, if you don’t want to. You can just wear the bandanna, or the dreadlocks wig. If you have longer hair, you might consider putting a few braids in your hair here and there to give it an “authentic” pirate’s look!

The Pirate’s Trusty Sword: Of course, you’ll want to get a “toy” (for safety) pirate sword or maybe even a pirate hook for your hand. Besides, how can you have a realistic pirate’s costume without them??

Pirate’s Belt: There are 2 things you can do for this. You can find a belt, which should be a wider belt with a big, big buckle, and should be black/reddish, depending on the colors of the rest of your get-up. You can also choose to wear a flashy pirate’s sash. This should be red, usually, but black will work as well. Remember that both of these will be tied on the outside of your white button-up shirt.

Pirate’s Belt — There are other things you can do here. You can, for instance, find a very wide belt with a big buckle; belt should be black or red, given the color of the rest of your outfit. You can get a flashy pirate’s sash. This should be red, but black will work. Both of these will be tied onto your shirt!

Earrings and Jewelry — If you have pierced ears, then a gold earring will be a great addition to your costume. Any other jewelry is completely up to you. Wear whatever you think looks good. Remember that pirates were extra flashy, so anything you have (even if its fake) will work!

Your Home: The first place you will want to check is your own house and closet! You never know when you might have some clothing or accessory that will suit your pirate costume just fine!

Local Thrift Store: The second place you will want to check out and the most important is your local thrift store! Go to places like the Salvation Army and Goodwill and any other stores in your area that are secondhand and dig in! You would be surprised at what you can find there.

Local Garage Sale: The third place is at garage sales! This is similar to going to a thrift store–the only difference is you are most likely going to pay even less! These days, you can find a shirt or pants for 25 cents, and who can argue that! Arrrghh!!

Costume Store: Usually, costume stores are a great place to shop for anything in your costume. There are some items that may be harder to find — such as the hat — that you may need to look at a costume store for. But in order to save money, I would leave that as a last resort.

Toy Store: The last place you will want to go to is a toy store. These can include anything from Walmart to your local “Dollar store”!

There are a few websites listed that will give you some visuals on different pirate costumes so that you can come up with some pirate costume ideas of your own. Have fun creating your pirate costume — of course, you could also explore Lady Pirates and remember, keep your creativity flowing and have fun!

Many people enjoy making their own handcrafted jewelry these days because it’s a fun way to create something beautiful and useful at the same time. Most home made jewelry is created with beads bought from an online beading store or craft store, but there are more people who are pushing the bounds of jewelry making by using alternative materials to create some amazing jewelry.

Using your own handmade beading supplies can present some unique challenges, but it can also lead you to create some amazingly unique jewelry! The first step is often figuring out how you’re going to mount your items on a string or chain and the next challenge is working out how you’re going to make it both beautiful and wearable at the same time! By using unique jewelry materials you’ll be able to get some wonderful cheap beads.Here are some surprising materials you can make jewelry from:

Make Jewelry Beads From Beans or Large Seeds: You can make all sorts of interesting beads from dried beans and seeds. Think about coffee beans and other large seeds or beads that could easily be threaded on a string. After drilling holes you’ll also want to seal your new jewelry beads with some sort of sealant spray.

Paper Bead Jewelry: This fun idea dates back from the Victorian times when making beads out of paper was a popular pastime. All you do is cut out strips of paper and roll them around a coffee stir. You may want to seal these as well so they don’t fray and get damaged at the first hint of moisture. You can play with different types of paper, different colors and even different shaped strips of paper when making your beads.

If you run your own custom jewelry business, then you know how expensive beads can be. Making your own beads is a great way to save money on your costs while still producing amazing jewelry. Since you already know how to make your own handcrafted jewelry then you probably already possess the knowledge and even the tools to make plenty of affordable beads that can be turned into beautiful jewelry!

Right now for most Americans money is getting a bit tight. We all still want to have those great family trips that we take every year, but we have to watch how much we spend. Well I just had a great time with my family in New York’s Catskill Mountains that didn’t put us all in the poor house.

I was in the Catskill area with Family for the Christmas Holidays. My younger Sister has three kids. Which makes me an Uncle and I always enjoy spending time with my two Nieces and Nephew, The Youngest is 6 years old and the oldest is 13 years old. Now when the age gap is that far apart it can make finding something they all want to do very difficult. Well We where also looking for something to do that not only the kids but us adults could enjoy as well.

It took some time but my younger Brother came up with the idea of Snow Tubing. It sounded good to me. The Kids loved the idea and so did my Sister, Her Husband and even my Mother. OK so then came the part where the money comes in. I called up Windham Mountain to get their Snow tubing times and rates (http://www.windhammountain.com/mountain/tubing) . When they told me their snow tubing rates I was surprised as they where not too bad $20 a person for two hours $25 for four hours and they had a Friday night special of only $15 dollars from 4pm to 9pm ! Only $15 for Five hours, I was sold as it just happened to be Friday.

So the group of Nine of us piled into two vehicles and we where off to do some tubing on Windham’s 650 foot snow covered snow tubing slope. We where Lucky as the weather was warm for December in the Catskill Mountains. The Slope was perfect, there where about ten lanes to slide down and the Snow Tubing staff kept the line moving.

Let me see if I can explain how everything went. When we got up to the Slope we grabbed a large canvased covered Snow Tube then picked a lane. We could go down the lane in groups or by ourselves. I have to say my first trip down caught me by Surprise. It has been a few years since I have been sleigh riding but I know I never went that fast down the old hill. Now hearing me say how fast the slope is, may make you think you or your kids might be scared. Don’t worry about that, I saw kids as young as three years old tubing down the Slope and they were loving it!

At the bottom of the hill there are mats placed at the end of every lane to slow you down safely, Along with attendants ready to help you if you needed it( I didn’t see anyone who needed any help). Now anyone who has gone Sleigh riding as a kid remembers the trip down the hill was always the fun part, It’s the walk back up that is work. Well not at Windham’s snow tube park. The canvases that cover the snow tubes have long straps that hook up to a conveyor so all you have to do is sit in your tube and then slowly slide back up the Slope! The Straps also make it perfect so the attendants can spin you (only if you ask nicely) as you are sliding down the slope.

After about three hours of snow tubing everyone but my brother and his girlfriend was getting tired. So we went into the large Ski lodge, which is only about ten feet from the snow tubing lanes. While inside the lodge we all enjoyed some nice hot Chocolate while sitting by the Fire place.

I am not a big fan of winter activities, But I have to say we all had a great time even if we didn’t make it the full five hours. Life can often get a little crazy and too fast paced, Every once in a while we all need some affordable old fashion family fun, (With a few modern convinces of course)

I am LJ James AmericanBikerX.com Radio Show BikerLowdown.com

When you think of a snow globe you see a clear glass sphere containing a heartwarming scene highlighted by flaking snow. It is a sight that will catch a child’s or even a grown-up’s attention, curiosity, and to some extent, approbation. But even the most meticulously made snow globe comes from a humble beginning.

A snow globe is actually easy to make. You can even pull up things at home to create your very own snow globe. All you need is a few things and a little know-how. For the basics here are the materials you would need to collect:

A clear glass jar with a tightly sealing cover - This may range from a variety of shapes and sizes. Used materials like a pickle jar, salsa jar, mason jar or whatever you can get your hands on will do.

Waterproof decorative supplies - These are what you will need for your scene. Best to think of a theme so that you know what you will need to collect. A variety of things would suit your needs like tiny figurines, baked clay, plastic things - go wild.

Crushed eggshells or glitters - This is what you will be using for snow. Remember to boil the egg and remove the film inside if you will be using egg shells. If you choose to put in glitters make sure they are not too small because they will just float.

Clear sealant (aquarium sealants work well for this project)

Glue gun or waterproof glue (to be used to attach decorations within the globe)

Distilled water or mineral oil

Glycerin (if distilled water is used this will be the additive to make the snow fall slower)

A bigger jar cover or a wooden circle (this is optional but will be very helpful as a base)

Crafts dcor material (to be used to finish your snow globe)

These are the materials you would wish to collect if you want to make your own snow globe. Keep in mind that your imagination is the only limit here and these are just examples of what you can use.

For the procedure you can do things a bit differently if you wish. Mix it up depending on your preference.

Attach your scene on the inner part of the jar lid using a glue gun or waterproof glue. Make sure you make them stable enough to withstand a good shaking. Let the glue dry well before exposing it to the liquid environment. Also make sure they are elevated so that they are at a good visible level.

Put your liquid medium in the jar but make sure to leave some space. The scene decoration will displace some of the liquid.

Put your improvised snow. If you are using egg shells you can crush them by using a rolling pin. Roll it over a bag with egg shells of about 2-3 eggs. Zip locks work well for this purpose.

Put some sealants on the inner rim of the jar lid before screwing it shut.

Carefully screw the lid on your jar with snow and liquid.

Seal the outer part of the lid with a bit more sealant.

Finish up your project by decorating the outer part.

And there you have it. Your home made snow globe.

Managing images online rather than sorting through piles of pictures in boxes and photo albums is made easy with the use of image hosting services. It is a breeze for people to snap photos with their digital camera and then to upload those images onto their computer at their convenience. Photo hosting services take the guess work out of managing and sharing photos.

Rather than saving photos on the computer, people frequently opt to use an image host to store their pictures. Image hosting makes it possible to store pictures that can be printed, emailed or loaded onto other sites at any time. Many photo hosting services make it possible for individuals to order prints of the pictures in their photo album.

An image host allows people to share their photos with family and friends who live far away. Image hosting users can allow friends to access their photo album online. They can also host images with a photo hosting services in order to print or email their favorite pictures at any time.

There are many free photo hosting services available on the Internet. Image hosting services make it possible for anyone to easily organize their photos. New photos can be uploaded or removed at any time. Some individuals even host images that will be used to sell items on Ebay or other auction websites.

It is a breeze to take photos saved at an image host to post on websites, social networking sites, online auctions and other classified sites. Some social networking sites or online classified sites offer their own photo hosting services. However, they usually limit the number of images that can be uploaded to the site.

It does not matter if someone is a young or old, everyone can benefit from image hosting services. The services can be used to upload images for personal or professional use. Some photo hosting services offer printing services as well. These services make print copies of photos available or allow individuals to order personalized products with their favorite photos. No one needs to sort through pages of print copies of photos when they can manage all photos through an image host.

When my brother and I first started live action role playing, we did not know much about it. We had heard good things about it being a lot of fun and we thought it might be something that we could really get into. The first few times we played, it was with just a few people and it was alright, but we wanted more.

We went online and found a larp forum so that we could learn more about this hobby that was starting to become such an important part of our lives. We drank in as much information as we possibly could and then we started adding to the forum as well.

The best thing the forum did for us was find us a CT larp group that we could join. Now we can virtually play whenever we want as there are always several people interested in a game. We both love it and it is great that we found some common ground that we could go and do together.

When it was time for our annual Sunday School picnic this year, I was asked to come up with some fun ideas to keep the kids entertained. I had a fabulous time putting together some obstacle courses, making the difficulty of them vary according to the ages of the children.

One of the suggestions that were brought up was that we rent some inflatable slides to put out in the church parking lot. I thought that this was a great idea and it turned out to be the highlight of the event for several of the kids that were there.

After the picnic, my kids asked me if we could get one of those slides for our yard. I explained that it would take up entirely too much room, but I am glad that they enjoyed themselves. We may just have to make the slides a part of our annual event.

Once in awhile, I like to treat myself to a day of pampering.  Now, I am no girl, so I don’t mean a pedicure, or anything like that.

Rather, I like to treat myself to a day of being rich and famous - or at least the illusion of being rich and famous.  What I do to fulfill my fantasy is rent a Philadelphia limo to drive around town.

From there, I go out for a day on the town, full of dining in fancy restaurants, and usually catching a show.  I don’t do it alone, and I make sure to invite my closest friends to come along.

We go along with the illusion of wealth and make sure to dress up for the part.

At the end of the day, we end the night at an upper class club and then call it a night.  Needless to say, living the good life for a day is a lot of fun.

I heard on the radio the other day that there would be a big show coming to town.  Now, when I usually think of a "big show", I think of a music performer or band coming to town.  But this big show was slated to be something different.

What it was going to be was a troupe of fire eaters, jugglers and breathers that were coming to put on a show at our town arena.  We haven’t had a show this exciting in years, and I was sure that I needed to get in on it as it might be the only chance that we would have to see such a thing.

So, I went down to the box office to buy tickets, only to find a line down the block.  I knew that I wanted to go really bad, so I stood in line for five hours to get a ticket.

I just can’t wait to go see the show in a couple weeks when they are in town.  I am sure that it will be the most amazing thing that I will ever see.  I just know it.