Top 10 First Aid Mistakes

From cut fingers to electrical burns—what you should and shouldn't do in a home health emergency.
By Temma Ehrenfeld Newsweek Web Exclusive

Thank heavens for emergency rooms. But sometimes the first aid measures taken on the scene before a patient arrives at the hospital can make all the difference, especially if the ER is crowded. (On average you'll wait 45 minutes before seeing a doctor, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and longer in urban centers.)

We asked two experts, Dr. Tom Scaletta, the outgoing president of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, and Denise King, president of the Emergency Nurses Association, to identify the 10 most common first aid mistakes—and what you should do instead.

1. Cut finger.

It's surprisingly easy for a person to amputate part of a finger—for instance, while chopping vegetables or using an electric saw.

Don't try to preserve the loose part by placing it directly on ice.
Do wrap the severed part in damp gauze (saline would be ideal for wetting the cloth), place it in a watertight bag and place the bag on ice. Then be sure to bring the bag and ice to the emergency room. The patient will be going into surgery, so he's best off with an empty stomach. As for the wound on the hand or body, apply ice to reduce swelling and cover it with a clean, dry cloth.

2. Knocked-out tooth.

Don't scrub the tooth hard even if it's dirty (a gentle rinse is OK)
Do put the tooth in milk and go straight to the ER; there's a chance the tooth could be reimplanted.

3. Burns.

Don't apply ice or butter or any other type of grease to burns. Also, don't cover a burn with a towel or blanket, because loose fibers might stick to the skin. When dealing with a serious burn, be careful not to break any blisters or pull off clothing stuck to the skin.
Do wash and apply antibiotic ointment to mild burns. Head to the hospital for any burns to the eyes, mouth, or genital areas, even if mild; any burn that covers an area larger than your hand; and any burn that causes blisters or is followed by a fever.

4. Electrical burns.

Don't fail to get medical attention for a jolt of electricity (for instance, from lightning, a power line, or home electrical cords), even if no damage is evident. An electrical burn can cause invisible (and serious) injury deeper inside the body. More than 500 Americans die every year from electrical burns.
Do go to the ER immediately.

5. Sprained ankle.

Don't use a heating pad.
Do treat a sprain with ice. Go to the ER if it is very painful to bear weight. You might have a fracture.

6. Nosebleed.

Don't lean back. And after the bleeding has stopped, don't blow your nose or bend over.
Do sit upright and lean forward and pinch your nose steadily (just below the nasal bone) for five to 10 minutes. If the bleeding persists for 15 minutes (or if you think you are swallowing a lot of blood) go to the ER.

7. Bleeding.

Don't use tourniquets! You could cause permanent tissue damage.
Do apply steady pressure to the wound with a clean towel or gauze pack and wrap the wound securely. Go to the ER if the bleeding doesn't stop, or if the wound is gaping or caused by an animal bite. To help prevent shock, keep the victim warm.

8. Ingestion of poison.

Don't induce vomiting or use Ipecac syrup (unless instructed to do so by emergency personnel).
Do call poison control, and bring the ingested substance with its container to the ER.

9. Being impaled.

Don't remove the object; you could cause further damage or increase the risk of bleeding.
Do stabilize the object, if possible, and go to the ER.

10. Seizures.

Don't put anything in the victim's mouth.
Do lay the victim on the ground if possible in an open space and roll the victim onto his or her side. Call 911.

And when else should you call 911? Whenever you see or experience chest pain, fainting, confusion, uncontrollable bleeding or shortness of breath. The medics can get to work on arrival.

How to avoid common birth control mistakes

Accidents Will Happen
Chances are, you aren't using your birth control correctly ... and what you don't know could hurt you.

By Maggie Koerth-Baker for MSN Health & Fitness

One day, in the middle of a college class, Kady Ellison realized that she hadn't taken her birth control pill that morning. Or the three mornings before that. Assuming that the important thing was to just take the pills and wanting to correct her mistake as soon as possible, she downed all four tablets at once as soon as she got home.

It seemed like a reasonable plan at the time. But later, after talking to a doctor, Ellison found out that she'd actually made two mistakes.

“What I should have done was start a new pack and wait a week before indulging in sexual behavior,” the 20-year-old now says. “For about a week after that I was an absolute emotional train-wreck, and it was probably the scariest thing to happen to me in the beginning of my first semester of my freshmen year away at college.”

Chances are, whether you've realized it or not, you've been in Ellison's shoes.

“Most women miss a pill at least once a year and for some it's even more often than that,” says Dr. Kate O'Connell, an OB-GYN with New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center.

Dr. Vanessa Cullins, Vice President for medical affairs at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, adds that studies have shown only 28 percent of women actually use their oral contraceptives correctly—taking them at the same time, every single day.

Mistakes can make babies
That's a big problem. Hormonal contraception works by tricking your body into thinking that it's already pregnant, thanks to increased levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. This keeps you from ovulating, or releasing fertilizable eggs from your ovaries. In order to limit the amount of side effects, there's only so much hormone in each pill—just enough to get you through a little more than 24 hours. After that, hormone levels start to drop back toward normal and you run the risk of ovulating. Which means you run the risk of getting pregnant.

When used perfectly, contraceptives have a failure rate ranging from less than 1 percent to 3 percent, according to various studies. Imperfect use ups those numbers considerably. Dr. Ruth Merkatz, director of clinical development at the Population Council, says that, with “typical use,” the pill has a failure rate closer to 8 percent.

Granted, that's still a far, far lower risk of pregnancy than you'd get without any birth control. On average, women not using any protection have an 85 percent chance of turning up pregnant within a year. But if a woman doesn't want to be pregnant, that relatively measly 8 percent can be the difference between the lifestyle or level of health that she wants and the decisions or changes that she gets stuck with.

That's something Lorri Robinson learned the hard way. When she was 21, she and her husband ended up confined to bed with the flu. She was on the pill, but not long after that week of bed “rest” she found out she was pregnant. Her son is now 28. "I never did get to find out exactly why the BC didn't work. And really, it was moot--it didn't work, now I was pregnant, and that was the issue to deal with."

Follow the rules
It's because of situations like Robinson's that birth control experts say it's important for women to be honest with themselves. “Each woman must do her own self-assessment about what birth control method works for her and with her at that particular time period in her life,” Cullins says. “The pill might work very well when you're young, but as your life gets busier you might do better with an IUD or implant.”

Medications are also a factor—some can interfere with how hormonal birth control works. Of particular concern are certain classes of antibiotics, St. John's Wort, and some of the medications taken to treat seizure disorders. Women should know how anything they're putting in their bodies will affect their birth control.

Finally, it's important to follow the instructions for birth control use and know the proper way to handle an error before it happens. It's also crucial to realize that proper use may vary depending on the method of birth control, or even the type of pill, so you can't assume that you know how to use everything simply because you've been on birth control before. The best thing to do is to talk with the gynecologist or nurse practitioner who prescribes your birth control. He or she can help you wade through the legalese of the package instructions to get to the practical, simple things you need to know.

Tech-Savvy Tricks
Having trouble following your birth control instructions? Technology can lend a hand. Dr. Kate O'Connell, an OB-GYN with New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center, recommends:

Cell phones: Set up automatic text messages or calls through a Web site or your phone's settings. It's a great way to remember to take your pill, and to take it on time.

E-mail: Send yourself a message containing instructions for what to do if you miss a pill or make another birth control mistake. That way, no matter where you are, you don't have to guess at the best way to handle your situation.

Maggie Koerth-Baker is a freelance writer and a contributing editor to mental_floss magazine. Her work has appeared in the Associated Press, AARP: The Magazine, and Health.

The Big Investment Mistakes Made in Retirement

By Shelby Smith

Taking too much risk with your investment:

We all want the highest interest rate possible and the lowest risk possible - unfortunately these are competing objectives. High rates always spell high risk BUT high risk does not always spell high rates. You should know that risk and reward are traveling companions: if you want low risk you've got to settle for low rates and if you want the chance of making high rates you've got to accept high risk.

Most people work a lifetime to save enough so they can have a comfortable retirement - the last thing in the world they want is to lose their retirement nest egg in bad investments. So why is it that most retirees have all their money in mutual funds, stock, bonds, a diversified portfolio of securities, variable annuities, etc.? All these things carry the risk of loss - yeah I know that "in the long run" you'll do a lot better than with a safe money alternative. BUT, in retirement you don't have a long run. A great economist once said, "in the long run we're all dead".

In the closing years of the 1900's and up until 2002 the stock market was roaring upward - would-be-retirees were making loads of paper profits and looking forward to retirement next year. Out of the blue came the dot.com bust and a market meltdown - over the next two years the S&P lost half its value, the DJIA sank like a rock and the poor NASDAQ stocks lost 80% of their value (that's where most of the dot.coms were traded). Instead of retiring, or continuing to be retired, many "risk taker" had to change plans or go back to work as Walmart greeters, taxi drivers or whatever they could get in the depressed employment environment. Can this ever happen again?

Look around you: sub-prime problems, foreclosures shore to shore, the dollar losing ground at an alarming rate, inflation picking up, real estate activity grinding to a halt, economic recession being mentioned often, bank stocks losing half their value, major corporation turning to China and the UAE for capital infusion to stay solvent, record federal deficits, commodity prices shooting upward and lots more of gloom and doom. I don't want to be negative...but there are storm clouds gathering and you don't have an risk umbrella if you've put your retirement money in the market.

The first big mistake retirees (or would-be-retirees in the red zone before retirement) make is they have taken too much risk with them retirement money.

What can you do? Find a financial adviser quick if you don't know how to lower your risk without one. Examine every retirement investment you have and make sure the money you'll be using in the next 10-15 years is in rock solid saving places like bank CDs (for use in years 1 - 5) or fixed annuities (for use in years 6 - 15). If you don't like either for-the-first-half-of-your-retirement money, you can continue to keep your money at risk and hope for the best.

Putting your money only in short-term bank CDs:

Many of you have all your retirement money in 6-months CDs because you want safety and are afraid you'll need it all very soon. The good news is that you've got safety and ready access...the bad news is that this is costing you a king's ransom.

Generally, the longer you commit you money the higher the rate of interest you'll earn - that's why 5-year CDs pay more than 3-months CDs. You should space, or ladder, your money so that it comes due at about the same time you think you'll need it. Yes, you may guess wrong sometime but the penalty will be a lot less than if you always keep your money short and liquid.

Let's say you now have $150,000 in short-term bank CDs that you've earmarked for retirement. You think you'll need about $15,000 a year of this money to cover expenses above your Social Security, pension (if you have one) and other income. Here how a CD ladder could work. Put $15,000 in a money market account (can get anytime you want without penalty), $15,000 in a one, two, three and four year bank CD. You now set so that every year for the next five you'll have access to $15,000 (plus interest which will keep you up with inflation) to cover your needs.

What do you do with the other $75,000? Why not look into a five year tax-deferred fixed annuity? You'll pay no taxes on the interest you earn in the annuity until you withdraw it (that means triple compounding: interest on principal, interest on interest and interest on money you would have paid in taxes) and you'll have rock solid safety because your principal and interest is guaranteed by a major insurance company. The same insurance company that insures you home, life, health, business, car and everything else of value. Oh yes, you'll probably get a much better earnings rate than if you put the money in a bank CD.

Yes, you will lose the opportunity to hit it out of the park with a high flying stock your brother-in-law told you about but you'll also avoid the risk that goes with that high flying stock. When you annuity matures in five years you an annuitize (take an income) over the next five years or do another 5-year bank CD ladder.

Retirement is a time to keep what you've got rather than trying to double or triple your money in a short period of time. But, you can err by being too safe and too liquid with everything in short-term bank CDs. Retirement is also a time to reassess your risk and make sure you can afford the worse case outcome. That's why money in the market don't make sense unless you've got a lot more money than you'll need for retirement.

If you think the market can't turn around and bite you, check out the following links:

http://www.fool.com/investing/dividends-income/2007/03/21/a-market-crash-is-coming.aspx
http://mutualfunds.about.com/cs/history/a/marketcrash.htm
http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/richricher/26878

Also check out my blog: http://www.theretirementpros.com/blog

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shelby_Smith

Internet Dating Online - Don't Make These 3 Mistakes

By Daryl Campbell

To say that online dating is changing the relationship process is an understatement. While no one believes that it will completely replace the offline meeting places of bars, nightclubs and everyday environments, the benefits of internet dating online are quickly surpassing the traditional dating rituals. From the privacy of your own computer, you can specify the exact type of person you are looking for, get a plethora of individuals to choose from and chat extensively to find out if the two of you have compatibility. If not then you move on the next one. All without having to buy more drinks or waste gas.

Is it really possible to find that special someone? According to Online Dating Magazine there are now over 120,000 marriages per year that are a direct result of online dating. If you are looking for a long term relationship, dating online can be a terrific resource. However like anything else, it must be used properly. That is why you must do your best to avoid the following mistakes:

1. Insistence
You are anxious to meet the other person. They on the other hand are taking it a bit more slowly. While it is possible to find a happy median, being too aggressive is not the way to go. It can come across as obnoxious and scary. Insistence on arranging a face to face meeting may cause the other person's alarm to go off. In turn, they might come to the conclusion that it is better to be safe than sorry and cutoff all contact with you. Play it smart and be patient.

2. Perfection...NOT!
The word perfection should only apply to taking an exam. When it comes to relationships there is no such thing, No matter how long or hard someone tries to get something perfect it will never happen. You do the best you can and move on. If you expect perfection out of your self you are going to run into occasional disappointments but expecting flawlessness from a potential online dating partner is a formula for disaster. The other person is not going to answer all of your questions exactly like you want them to because there is no such thing as one hundred percent compatibility. Expecting perfection is not realistic and you are only setting yourself up for a failure if you want to go that route. Online or off you must be ready to accept the humanity of the other person and that includes their difference of opinion on certain topics.

3. Lying
No matter how small or insignificant you consider it, lying is still lying and trying to build a relationship on it spells trouble. Yes you want to make your dating profile and your online chats interesting but you can do that without deceiving the other person. One of the great positives and negatives of online dating is the anonymity it provides. Some people have taken that to mean they can exaggerate or tell a blatant falsehood when it suits them. Guess what? In the overwhelming majority of cases, the truth always comes out. So be straight with the other person. After all, you would not be thrilled if you found out they were also lying.

Online dating has so much to offer and it can be lot of fun as long as you keep certain things in mind. Stay away from being overly aggressive, expecting perfection from the other person (and yourself) and lying about who you really are. Keep these things in mind and just maybe you will find that special someone in cyber space.

Article written by Daryl Campbell. Get more free online dating and relationship tips, tools, videos and up the minute information along with the free report.101 Romantic Ideas. It's all at The Dating Tip

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daryl_Campbell

Top 5 Mistakes People Make In Email Marketing - Part 2

By Aurelius Tjin

In the last issue, we looked at one of the mistakes most people make in email marketing. In this edition, we’ll be looking at the last four mistakes most marketers, service providers and product creators make. In this article I must emphasize that you will get both the mistakes and the solutions. Do not just know them. Do them. I repeat; Do them. They could literally save your campaign and not only put more money in your pocket than you could have ever thought; it will create for you, a loyal following of customers and clients who trust you.

1. Bombarding your subscribers with the Buy Immediately cliché. Marketers are always looking for ways to make more money. This is a good thing in itself. But when you are dealing with your clients, it is best to not go overboard. The reason most clients sign up with your newsletter, ezine or your opt-in list is because they think you could offer them pure value. So, if you deviate from this path –providing high quality information- you are bound to lose quite a number of them and it can be hard to gain their trust again. If you used the tell-a-friend method of promotion, you are bound to have a community of friends on your list and as word-of-mouth form of advertising is the fastest means to get the word out, so also is it the quickest way to lose your subscribers. So, offer high quality information. Give them valuable nuggets. This singular tactic is responsible for needless losses in millions of dollars online. Avoid this by all means by providing high quality write ups and content.

2. Sending emails too frequently. Your customers are not robots without emotions. Unnecessarily flooding their inbox with adverts of various products in the name of email marketing will get you off their list of information providers even when you offer good information. Recent research has shown that people who use their emails frequently are attached emotionally to them. So, cluttering their inbox with repeated ads, will seem like cluttering up their homes –and you know how that feels. If you must send an email twice a day, you must have a darn good reason handy as doing otherwise is sure to hurt your email marketing campaigns.

3. Not replying to emails. Many marketers are guilty of this. There may be a legit reason like being too busy or swamped with tasks for this. While that is acceptable, you should realise that genuine customers may really need more information or clarification from you as regards your products, recommendations, or just need plain advice. Always make time for your clients, as this is very important in your email marketing campaigns. It bridges the gap between you and them. It bolsters the business relationship you might have created with them. If you are too swamped, delegate the job. Get a secretary or someone to attend to your mails frequently. It would not cost much to do this. At least you are sure to keep your clients satisfied and loyal and ultimately, make more money through email marketing.

4. Not creating emails in HTML, text, or PDF formats. You newsletter or ezine is an important part of your email marketing campaign. According to Email Labs a company specializing in email marketing research, less than 20% read their emails in HTML format. According to this research, over 65% say they prefer their email messages in either text or PDF formats. Does that mean anything? Do not create just one format. It won’t cost you much to create them in the said three formats. With this alone, you’ll have covered the whole market and given your subscribers options to read your message.

Aurelius Tjin is The Publisher of The 'Unstoppable Internet Marketing' Newsletter With Over 20,000 Readers. Discover His Secret Strategies To Skyrocket Your Internet Marketing Business. To Get Your Free Subscription, Go To http://www.UnstoppableInternetMarketing.com

Top 5 Mistakes People Make In Email Marketing - Part 1

By Aurelius Tjin

The advent of the internet has made communication so much simpler than it would have been without it. It is easier to get the message out on your products, services or company. The speed of information that the internet provides is simply astonishing. Because of the ease of use of the internet, the average individual has an email address enabling him to contact anyone across the globe with just a few keyboard punches. The marketing sector has cashed in on this unique opportunity and is using email marketing to get the message out about their products, services and company.

Unfortunately though, people are not putting as much effort as they should into their email marketing efforts and campaigns. The attention given to direct mail or a press release in the news media is far higher than what is given to mail marketing.

If you are using the internet as a means of marketing, you should know that you are not dealing with robots. You are dealing with real people in a real world who have as much tendency to ignore your ads as they would in reality. Exploring the full potentials of email marketing is still far away. People make certain mistakes in the use of email marketing as a means of getting the word out on their products and services. To be very successful in your email marketing campaigns, it is advisable that you avoid making certain mistakes which seem to abound everywhere on the internet. If you are desirous of tremendous results, and want to get on the exclusive 2.1% of people who are making tons of money from their email marketing campaigns, there is need to focus on the seemingly little things.

I have always been a proponent of watching for the little things. It is those really small things that can either make or mar an individual. Companies make elaborate plans on email marketing campaigns. They get the best software, buy or build the list et.c but leave out the very important things such as email format and so on. To avoid unnecessary losses, try not to tow these steps:
Sending your clients poorly written offers. Unfortunately, even the big guys are guilty of this act.
I am a subscriber to various ezines and newsletters online and have found that even among the so-called gurus, there is always one who makes the same mistake. What happens when you send poorly-written emails containing your offers is a huge loss of sales. Imagine what it would be like if Wal-Mart’s adverts were poorly written. Imagine how much sales McDonald's could lose because of poorly written emails. Treat your customers like kings and queens. Prepare well-crafted offers for them. The subconscious mind picks up these things. For instance, you'll find you hardly notice things when they are perfect. But once something is amiss, or wrong about that thing, you automatically notice it. So it is with email marketing. Your offers have to be crafted so well that even your clients will be very impressed.

In the next issue, we’ll be examining the four remaining mistakes made by marketers in email marketing. Please stay tuned.

Aurelius Tjin is The Publisher of The 'Unstoppable Internet Marketing' Newsletter With Over 22,000 Readers. Discover His Secret Strategies To Skyrocket Your Internet Marketing Business. To Get Your Free Subscription, Go To http://www.UnstoppableInternetMarketing.com

How To Get Your Ex Back - Learn Mistakes of Your Love Life

By Michelle Jordan

How to get your ex back is most common question after breakup but one of main mistakes most people do is not learning from their mistakes. First thing that comes to mind after hearing those "I need some space", "Can we be just friends?" and many other variations of how our beloved ones decide to breakup with us is usually "Why does this keep happening to me" or "What have I done wrong again?".

If this is something you have ever experienced then I have great news for you. There is a way to stop such situations happening again and if done correctly even get your ex back. Possibly even any of those ex lovers that rejected you at some point and you might just need to decide which one best choice. In most cases you will favor most recent romance partner which is quite obvious choice but let me tell you that chances are much greater if you try someone who you haven't seen for a while and those negative feelings you ex had at the time of breakup might be forgotten already and proper approach could lead you back in very good relationship.

But before understanding how to get your ex back first you need to understand why this keeps happening to you and what to do about this. Here are few things that you should avoid doing if you are trying to get your ex back on your own or by advice of your friends:

1. No begging - Don't even think about this one and it includes trying to call or any contact at all. Right now your presence for your ex will just decrease your chances of restoring a relationship and especially begging will be turning off even more that will kill any future chances for getting ex back.

2. No promises about changing - This might seem the obvious solution at first to ask your ex what exactly went wrong and promise that you will not be doing that anymore but in reality even discussing this will make things worse let alone solving the problem. Actually such behaviour will make your value as lover even lower in eyes of your ex.

3. No ultimatums - This possibly could be the worst mistake usually done before the breakup if you engage your ex and give an ultimatum like choose me or that other thing you are so obsessed with because of which you don't have time for me anymore. If at this point your ex didn't yet have courage to breakup with you then this is perfect reason to just do it and make your chances of fixing things miserable.
use to learn how to get your ex back and it doesn't matter if it's your girlfriend you recently lost or your boyfriend that possibly found new person more interesting than you.

What I found very helpful was "Don't break" ebook that I found on the internet. It also included checklist of possible reasons why relationships go wrong to help analyzing my breakup reasons, audio instructions on how to plan my comeback and members area where I could share my problems with other people in similar situation and author of this program who helped me individually which possibly was a turning point for me to actually try this out.

Visit "Don't break" to learn more about how to get Your ex back!

How To Get Your Ex Back

Do You Make These Five Mistakes Hosting Your Afternoon Tea Party?

By Sharon Mahoney

An afternoon tea party owes its roots to Anna Russell, the Seventh Duchess of Bedford, who began a simple event with friends in the 1840's. The idea caught on with more royalty and soon even the working class held tea parties across London. These tea parties are still very popular today across the world and carry proper, formal traditions.

Having your own tea party is a great way to connect with friends, family and neighbors.
However, you can be easily embarrassed if you don't watch out for five common mistakes. When you hold your tea party, do you make these five mistakes?

Invitations: What Not to SayIf you want your guests to arrive prepared, make sure their invitation states that they are invited for an afternoon tea party. Don't put down the wrong date or the wrong time. Don't invite your guests for a cup of coffee. A tea party serves tea. It may seem silly to point this out, but you would be amazed how easy people get off track.

Timing: When Not to Schedule the Tea PartyDon't schedule the tea party in the morning or evening, or even the early afternoon. Depending on the region, afternoon tea is served from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Henry James wrote, "There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as an afternoon tea." Make sure to schedule the party at an afternoon time that will give your guests a chance to take a break during a busy day and socialize with each other.

What Not to DrinkDon't serve coffee, lemonade, wine, beer or other drinks at your tea party. You would be surprised how often an afternoon tea party is planned without thought to the beverage that will be served, the tea. Since there are different tastes, offer your guests a wide range of black teas from around the world. Make sure that you have enough tea to go around;
don't be embarrassed by not having enough to drink. Keep your guests' tea cups full of tea, your trays filled with delectable treats, and be a gracious hostess.

What Not to EatDon't serve pizza, popcorn, cotton candy, spaghetti or other entrees at your tea party. Traditionally, a full Afternoon Tea serves very light, delicious and small treats, like tea sandwiches, cookies, scones, cucumber slices, and even sardines. An afternoon tea party should include a variety of bite-size, dainty sandwiches with the crusts removed, a variety of home made cakes and pastries, freshly baked scones with whipped cream and jam.

What Not to UseDon't set out styrofoam or paper cups and expect to please your guests. And if you have a motley collection of tea cups, keep them in the cupboard. An afternoon tea is a formal affair, so it's time to put out your finest china, shined silverware and best linens. If you would like a memorable tea party, when you invite your girlfriends, ask them to bring their favorite tea cup and saucer.

Steer clear of these five mistakes and your guests will have a pleasant time at your party.
Lastly, don't get caught up so much in the details that you forget to have fun. An afternoon tea party is a social event for you to bond with your friends. Make sure to drink deeply of the gift of your relationships.

Sharon Mahoney is a lover of teas and sharing a relaxing cup of tea with others. Learn more about afternoon tea gift baskets at Sharon's website, www.tea-gift-basket.info.