Budget Proposal Includes Anticipated Proposals to Change Both Tax and Spending Policies

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder called the consideration of his proposed Executive Budget a “defining moment” for the state this week as the Executive Budget was submitted to state legislators for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. Snyder commented on his budget as an opportunity to “stop living in the past and start looking to the future.”

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While the changes are mainly technical in nature, some are substantive and worth noting. Changes to the Michigan Limited Liability Company Act (“LLCA”) took effect on December 16, 2010.

The LLCA now: Read the rest of this entry »

AHH-teenage sleepovers make me appreciate Cottage Law Michigan all the more! Without a cottage succession plan what would these teenagers do when they get together for a sleepover? I often wonder how they do it, these teens manage to stay up late at all hours and then they proceed to sleep on top of each other like a litter of puppies. For them it is heaven bliss, for mom it is work in the making, especially when they decide to fix a morning batch of pancakes and syrup. They smile when I come in from outside saying, “Wish you would have come in sooner we could have used your help.” The bliss of boys who want to experiment in the kitchen. “Sorry we didn’t clean up after ourselves.” Lovely- but I do have to say I do love it, because I know where they are, safe and sound. Even if things are in disarray. Their laughter is infectious and they really are fun to be around!

I put on my classical music and began clean up time in the kitchen and for all of you sceptical people out there, it does work. After 10 minutes, I felt so calm, it’s amazing! So grab those iPods and download some classics, you will feel so calm that even a big clean up does not upset you. Classical music is suppose to be great for projects and studying, it boosts creativity and learning.

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The Mouse Adventure with The Cottage Cat “Spike” at The Depot

We became owners of a fluffy 20 pound orange and white barn cat name Spike. Spike lives in The Depot- the northern Michigan offices of The Penning Group, and formerly the law offices of Stuart J. Hollander, attorney author of “Saving the Family Cottage – A Guide to Succession Planning for your Cottages, Cabin, Camp or Vacation Home.”

Spike loves to wander around the office and visit the desk of cottage law attorney Dan Penning. He tries to grab a snack of a muffin and just sprawl on Dan’s desk top. He loves to lounge underneath the potbellied stove in the cooler winter months. He gets so close that my husband thought he might catch on fire. With all that fur, how could he possibly be anything but cold. He enjoys greeting clients when they come in and he truly does like to ‘meow’ to say hello. Spike wags his tail out of love. He struts around like he owns the place. I wonder if he isn’t part Ragdoll?

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Repeat after me I feel fabulous, I feel fabulous! I am terrific! I am terrific! There- I just powered you up for the day. Better yet get in front of that mirror and say it ten times over. Your family will think you are weird and your spouse might think you lost it but that’s ok- you’re doing this to increase your creativity and get excited about your day and your future. Now I want to challenge you to get up every day and look in that bathroom mirror and say hello you good looking thing you. You may get a good laugh but you are beautiful and you have great gifts to offer this world. So go with the positive side of life. See yourself with that victory. Every one of us has gifts and talents to soar to a new level. Get rid of that negative mindset. This is not part of your vision- besides it will only bring you down and others around you down. Take good care of yourself. Author Debbie Mandel in her book “Addicted to Stress: A Woman’s 7 Step Program to Reclaim Joy and Spontaneity In Life” says that people need to keep themselves in balance by making good choices with a healthy diet and exercise. ” Something as simple as walking will help.” Make sure you get plenty of sleep and if you are in a bad mood, call someone who isn’t. Instead of bringing others down, let someone lift you up. Download some uplifting music and by all means dance- it will lift your soul. Your friends may think you are strange but you just keep that positive spirit going. Who knows you may show up on YouTube as a dancing sensation. If you have never watched the “Ellen Show” take a few moments. She is always dancing and her merriment puts a spring in your step. Debbie Mandel also states to “Activate your sense of humor. We all take ourselves too seriously. Our friend Tommy is always having a good time, I can hear his laughter even when he is not around. Find someone like this who will get you laughing, and put joy back into your step. Marla Sloane, Ph.D.’s positive affirmation tip states “Happiness doesn’t mean everything is perfect, it means I look beyond the imperfections.” Nobody’s life is perfect and yes we all have those disappointments and down and out times. It is what you do with them, and your your reactions to them that counts. Find hope and joy. Quincy Jones, who is 77 years old, tells USA Today that music is culture’s most essential art. He states that his dream is to see hip-hop some how incorporated into education. “It’s the only one that engages the left and right brain simultaneously, the motion and intellect. “it’s the voice of God.” How amazingly well put. Jones just released “Q:Soul Bossa Nostra,” a sound track disc featuring A-list stars interpreting songs. I wonder what the world would be like if we all found music we enjoyed and turned that TV off. Right now Casey is singing to that song “All the Right Moves” by One Republic. He truly was blessed with a gift of song. He has great talent and he is healing his left and right brain by engaging in emotion and intellect. When you sing there is no stress. Music lifts your soul!

Bananas are a serous fat-burner. They have potassium and B vitamins. Enjoy that easy portable fruit. It comes already in its own protective skin. We keep this as a snack to go at the family cottage. Try a Conor favorite- one of our teens; a peanut butter sandwich with banana. It will give you the fuel you need to get all those to-do-list chores done. A great cancer fighting drink for this time of year is hot cocoa. This chocolate drink has more phenols and flavonoids than a glass of red wine and 1 cup of green tea. So say hello to hot coco! Chocolate is rich in antioxidants. Drink up for your health. Just one cup of hot coco has less than 1 gram of saturated fat! Remember to find the positives in life. Don’t feel bad about gossiping. In a British study (you have to love those British studies) gossiping makes you feel supported. They also discovered that whispering good things can boost yourself esteem. For example “she looks fantastic.” Don’t forget everything in moderation- you don’t want to be known as the town gossip. Stay hydrated with plenty of H20- drier air can lead to dehydration so don’t forget to stay sipping. Keep on believing in yourself and stay fantastic at the family cottage.

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The Detroit Free Press just ran a section on the Top Workplaces ‘10. In this article 41,000 workers spoke about the top states workplaces. Employees basically stated that 6 reasons really made a difference in the workplace. They were rated on importance factors.

The first being direction.
75% believed that organization and direction in the workplace was a key factor to the work place. They approved of the strong values and ethics.

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Spike continues to be a topic of interest around The Depot and from first time visitors.

One of the most popular questions and points of confusion is how a soft looking and fuzzy haired yellow cat acquired the name “Spike.” A consistent mindset is because of The Depot being connected to the railroad, and hence “Spike” because of railroad spikes.

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Are you a multi-tasker? I would like to think I am. I came across an empowering quote:

“The greatest things on earth have been done little by little” –Thomas Guthrie.

I started thinking about that word multi-tasking, after reading that quote, and I really began to realize that I try to do to many things at once. I recently read an article on being a multi-tasker, “The secret to doing more is doing less.” While this may seem odd, in research from the University of Michigan it shows that while we think we’re doing all the multiple tasks on our list of to-do’s we are simply forcing our brain to rebound among two tasks. This reduces our productivity by 20% to 40%.

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They like their dishes really clean

Oops I missed a spot!

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With summer approaching to the end, so do the long lazy days at the family cottage. The walks on the beach, the summer sunsets, the icec ream trips into Suttons Bay, the fireflies, the hiking of Pyramid Point all seem like a summer wonderment.

Summer seems to go by so fast but remains a glorious memory. It seems like we just peeled off sweatshirts and jeans at the family cottage. There are no long homework assignments or projects to supervise. Adventures and swimming come to an end. Summer friends head away from the family cottage vastly going in another direction. The cottage dogs are lazily snoozing on the couch. The cooler mornings take over. Soon the school buses will start taking up their lane of traffic.

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