Friday, October 31, 2008
Tape or Tweezers?
When you get a splinter, reach for the roll of tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put a strip of clear plastic tape over the splinter, then pull it off. Tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Winter Home& Garden Tips
A few tips on savings for the winter:
1. Set your thermostat as low as will keep you comfortable in the winter.
2. Clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month.
3. Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed.
4. Place heat-resistant radiator reflectors between exterior walls and the radiators.
Seeds You Can Start Indoors Now
Cool weather perennials such as Columbine and Hellebores can be started indoors now and transplanted outdoors in two or three months. The seeds need a chilling period and should be placed in the refrigerator for at least three weeks before planting. They can take up to a month to germinate, so don't give up on them too soon. Columbine seeds need light to germinate, so don't cover them with soil.
1. Set your thermostat as low as will keep you comfortable in the winter.
2. Clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month.
3. Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed.
4. Place heat-resistant radiator reflectors between exterior walls and the radiators.
Seeds You Can Start Indoors Now
Cool weather perennials such as Columbine and Hellebores can be started indoors now and transplanted outdoors in two or three months. The seeds need a chilling period and should be placed in the refrigerator for at least three weeks before planting. They can take up to a month to germinate, so don't give up on them too soon. Columbine seeds need light to germinate, so don't cover them with soil.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Saving Forced Bulbs
Have you ever wanted to save your bulbs and was not sure how or if? Here is what you can do to achieve your goal, it may take awhile but it is worth the effort.
Paperwhites, tulips and hyacinths that have been forced indoors don't usually rebloom the next year, even if planted outdoors. If you have forced bulbs that you would like to try to save, cut off the flower stalk and keep the bulb watered and fertilized. Keep the bulbs in a sunny window until danger of frost has passed, then plant them in the flowerbed. You will probably only see foliage the first two or three years while the bulb builds itself up enough to flower again.
Paperwhites, tulips and hyacinths that have been forced indoors don't usually rebloom the next year, even if planted outdoors. If you have forced bulbs that you would like to try to save, cut off the flower stalk and keep the bulb watered and fertilized. Keep the bulbs in a sunny window until danger of frost has passed, then plant them in the flowerbed. You will probably only see foliage the first two or three years while the bulb builds itself up enough to flower again.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Wax On Wax Off!
If you are like me, you love the look of your car after it has been polished and waxed
But waxing your car isn't the timely, labor-extensive chore you might think it is. A few hours spent a couple times a year will give your car a new look. Once you finish the job, you have the satisfaction of giving your car that showroom gleam that not only looks great but also will protect the vehicle's paint from the elements.
When to Polish and Wax
Before getting started, you probably want to know the best time to polish and wax your car. Most people do it twice a year, once in the spring to remove the ravages of winter and once in the fall to prepare it for the upcoming winter.
One way to tell if it's time to polish and wax your car is to watch what happens when you wash your car. Does the water bead up on the roof and hood or does it run off in sheets? Experts say the rounder the beads of water, the better. As soon as the beads start to flatten out, it's time to wax.
Some people also recommend applying the wax when your car is in the shade. But sometimes you may not have to have your car parked in the shade. One way to determine if it is too hot to wax is to put your hand on the car's surface. If you have to pull it away, then it's too hot to wax.
All About Paint
New cars and trucks are almost all painted with a clear-coat finish. This paint is much more resistant to oxidation. This happens when ultraviolet radiation from the sun causes the paint to gradually deteriorate into white chalky dullness.
Clear coats protect better than conventional finishes, allowing new car paint to hold up many years longer. Older cars painted with a conventional finish will face more problems with oxidation than vehicles painted with clear coats.
Although they do protect better than conventional paints, it's a myth that clear-coat finishes don't have to be waxed. They are still subjected to contamination from elements such as bird droppings, bugs, tree sap, industrial fallout and airborne pollutants.
Selecting a Wax
When choosing a wax, make sure it is the right product for your paint. Check the label to see if the wax can be used on clear-coat finishes. Most waxes on the market can be used on clear coats, but there are exceptions. Clear coat paints are quite thin and an abrasive wax may damage the finish.
Car enthusiasts recommend using a carnauba wax. It gives your car a great look, but use caution. It is the hardest natural wax available. If you see a wax that says it's pure carnauba, it means the part that is carnauba is pure, not that it's 100-percent carnauba. Start with a mild wax and go to a more abrasive product if you feel your car needs more protection.
In addition, select a quality wax. This will help you better achieve excellent results. Ask your local detailer or car dealer for recommendations.
But waxing your car isn't the timely, labor-extensive chore you might think it is. A few hours spent a couple times a year will give your car a new look. Once you finish the job, you have the satisfaction of giving your car that showroom gleam that not only looks great but also will protect the vehicle's paint from the elements.
When to Polish and Wax
Before getting started, you probably want to know the best time to polish and wax your car. Most people do it twice a year, once in the spring to remove the ravages of winter and once in the fall to prepare it for the upcoming winter.
One way to tell if it's time to polish and wax your car is to watch what happens when you wash your car. Does the water bead up on the roof and hood or does it run off in sheets? Experts say the rounder the beads of water, the better. As soon as the beads start to flatten out, it's time to wax.
Some people also recommend applying the wax when your car is in the shade. But sometimes you may not have to have your car parked in the shade. One way to determine if it is too hot to wax is to put your hand on the car's surface. If you have to pull it away, then it's too hot to wax.
All About Paint
New cars and trucks are almost all painted with a clear-coat finish. This paint is much more resistant to oxidation. This happens when ultraviolet radiation from the sun causes the paint to gradually deteriorate into white chalky dullness.
Clear coats protect better than conventional finishes, allowing new car paint to hold up many years longer. Older cars painted with a conventional finish will face more problems with oxidation than vehicles painted with clear coats.
Although they do protect better than conventional paints, it's a myth that clear-coat finishes don't have to be waxed. They are still subjected to contamination from elements such as bird droppings, bugs, tree sap, industrial fallout and airborne pollutants.
Selecting a Wax
When choosing a wax, make sure it is the right product for your paint. Check the label to see if the wax can be used on clear-coat finishes. Most waxes on the market can be used on clear coats, but there are exceptions. Clear coat paints are quite thin and an abrasive wax may damage the finish.
Car enthusiasts recommend using a carnauba wax. It gives your car a great look, but use caution. It is the hardest natural wax available. If you see a wax that says it's pure carnauba, it means the part that is carnauba is pure, not that it's 100-percent carnauba. Start with a mild wax and go to a more abrasive product if you feel your car needs more protection.
In addition, select a quality wax. This will help you better achieve excellent results. Ask your local detailer or car dealer for recommendations.
Pizza From Scratch?
Homemade Pizza
Instead of buying frozen pizzas, make your dough from scratch. A plain bread dough can be made in advance and frozen. A paste can be made with fresh or canned tomatoes & tomato paste mixed together. Top with your favorite topping and your expense should be somewhere in the neighborhood of $2.00. It can be a lot more fun to really creative with toppings, like for example have a member of the family get to choose all the toppings, which you can rotate who gets to pick each time. Also, you can have more than one person make the pizza like the kds or spouse- even invited guests!
Instead of buying frozen pizzas, make your dough from scratch. A plain bread dough can be made in advance and frozen. A paste can be made with fresh or canned tomatoes & tomato paste mixed together. Top with your favorite topping and your expense should be somewhere in the neighborhood of $2.00. It can be a lot more fun to really creative with toppings, like for example have a member of the family get to choose all the toppings, which you can rotate who gets to pick each time. Also, you can have more than one person make the pizza like the kds or spouse- even invited guests!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Thermoelectric Cooler
Wouldn't it be convenient if the family's automobile, the one used for all-in-the-family trips, contained a refrigerator and warming oven to keep beverages or food chilly cool or toast warm?
A car rigged with a refrigerator and oven would perhaps resemble an oversized mobile home rather than a conventional sedan or wagon, so the idea is obviously impractical.
The only practical way to keep foods warm and drinks cool while on the move in a car until recently was to use sloppy ice chests and leaky thermos bottles. Now, however, there's a slick alternative chest that brings properties of both a refrigerator and warming oven to a compact package that stows within reach of driver and passengers.
The Thermoelectric Travel Cooler and Warmer is the size of a console ice cooler but eliminates the hassle of either a messy ice chest and thermos -- there's no need to stock ice or contend with a breakable thermos lining.
Instead, the unit plugs into a 12-volt power socket and taps the battery for electric current. The charge powers an electric motor that cools or heats an internal metal element. Then a small fan blows air across the metal element to circulate cool or warm air through the insulated plastic chest's storage compartment.
Each unit cools to 40 degrees or warms to 140 degrees. Fruits, sodas and other soothing snacks stay refreshingly chilled, while beverages like coffee and tea -- or to-go orders like hamburgers and fries -- remain piping warm, depending on whether you use the box to chill or warm.
The interior holds even two six-packs of sodas, yet the package fits easily into a family car, while a detachable shoulder strap lets you tote it too.
A car rigged with a refrigerator and oven would perhaps resemble an oversized mobile home rather than a conventional sedan or wagon, so the idea is obviously impractical.
The only practical way to keep foods warm and drinks cool while on the move in a car until recently was to use sloppy ice chests and leaky thermos bottles. Now, however, there's a slick alternative chest that brings properties of both a refrigerator and warming oven to a compact package that stows within reach of driver and passengers.
The Thermoelectric Travel Cooler and Warmer is the size of a console ice cooler but eliminates the hassle of either a messy ice chest and thermos -- there's no need to stock ice or contend with a breakable thermos lining.
Instead, the unit plugs into a 12-volt power socket and taps the battery for electric current. The charge powers an electric motor that cools or heats an internal metal element. Then a small fan blows air across the metal element to circulate cool or warm air through the insulated plastic chest's storage compartment.
Each unit cools to 40 degrees or warms to 140 degrees. Fruits, sodas and other soothing snacks stay refreshingly chilled, while beverages like coffee and tea -- or to-go orders like hamburgers and fries -- remain piping warm, depending on whether you use the box to chill or warm.
The interior holds even two six-packs of sodas, yet the package fits easily into a family car, while a detachable shoulder strap lets you tote it too.
Workday Sentiments
I have the most romantic and attentive husband there is. I was working really hard one particular week and didn't have much time for anything else. It was starting to get to me. One day at work, I went to get my mail and noticed a handwritten envelope. When I opened it, I started to cry for two reasons: first, my husband had mailed me a poem that he had written, and second, I couldn't go home right then to show him how much I loved it. But when I did get home I must say Donna Summers 'Love To Love you Baby' was blaring all through the evening- oh, I did marry a very smart man :)
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