Opening your own enterprise evokes a battle between exigency and excitement. Watching your business ideas be born into reality is a proud, but nerve-wracking experience, which can make legalities and formal matters seem complex.

I’m constantly researching little house plans and have come across quite a few that I absolutely love. Of course narrowing down my choices to just one will be the fun part. However, trying to estimate how much it would cost to build a particular house plan is tricky from a consumer’s viewpoint.

Reading the business section of any newspaper is depressing to say the least; stocks continue on a roller-coaster ride, much of Europe is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, student loan defaults are up, and a drought grips much of the mid-west. I can’t help but be an optimist when I think, is self-employment the answer to our troubled economy?

“Maxed Out” is exactly how I’ve been feeling – not financially really, but time wise. Maybe it’s because I over-commit myself, or perhaps it’s that I can’t say “no”, or just that I really need a vacation.

Front yards define and compliment the style of a home if done right. However, they’re often an under-used space mostly because of privacy issues. Yet, with the right landscaping, front yards and be just as welcoming and secluded as their counter-part, the back yard.

Kio Stark is the author of Don’t Go Back to School and grad school drop out who is researching how people learn independently.