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Thumper is a 10 month old California King rabbit. We got him in October of 2005 for my daughter's 4-H project show.
He loves to eat, especially carrots. He loves being with my daugher. She has done a really good job taking care of it and he gets so excited to see my daughter, Micaela, he will run circles around her legs.
I have a unique and fun craft idea that's very fast and easy to do. They are alphabet magnets made from computer keyboard keys. First, visit a local thrift store and pick up an old computer keyboard - they're very cheap. You'll also want to go to a craft store and buy small (yet strong) magnets or a long magnetic strip. I also used Super glue for this project, to ensure that the magnet sticks really well to the keys.
Now, take a thin metal object - i.e. one of those metal fingernail files or a dull knife, and gently pop the letter keys off the keyboard. Once they're all removed, you're ready to start the fun stuff.
I put an old folded up rag/towel on the table, as super glue will seep through something like newspaper and get on the table. You might consider cleaning any dirt off the keys with a damp paper towel and make sure they are completely dry. Also, the back of the keys need to be cut down so there's an even back on them. That's the hardest part of this project. With a razor blade, (or dollar store scissors), carefully cut down the piece on the back of the keys so that the keys sit flat on the table.
Next, trace around the back of each key onto a part of the magnetic strip and cut it out. Super glue the back perimeter edge of the key and stick the square of magnet on. Continue with each key. Now you have a unique set of alpahbet letters for your fridge! See pictures! I hope my instructions were understandable.
If you have dandruff or flaking, and don't want to spend lots of dollars on dandruff shampoos, just add a plain aspirin with your regular dollop of shampoo, suds it in, and watch the flakes disappear. It really works!
When bathing your dog or cat, dilute the shampoo with water so it is a 1:1 ratio. Then pour the mixture in a clean spray bottle. Simply wet down your pet and then spritz the shampoo mixture where you want and lather.
You waste less shampoo and it makes it easier to really get down to the pets skin. Not to mention there is less shampoo to rinse off, so bathing is much faster.
Be sure to avoid the eyes and mouth from the spritz of shampoo.
After cutting nylon rope, heat the edges with a lighter. It will keep the ends from fraying. For hemp rope, take a little duct or electrical tape and wrap around the end.
In an effort to stay as much on a budget as possible and track my spending I have finally found an easier way. I keep my check book in my purse and use is to record my deposits and withdrawals, of course, but I also keep a small ledger in my purse.
I have all my bill and savings categories labeled at the top of the page. Every payday each category gets a dollar amount added into its slot. Some categories get 0 and others get the same amount each payday. Luxury categories might only get more than a 0 when I have a overtime check.
Every time I spend money from a category it gets subtracted. Sometimes you have to spend money from one category to cover another categories' expenses especially at first when you do not have a lot built up in each category, but at least you see where your money is going and where your spending weakness lies (like buying too many clothes for yourself or spending too much on gifts each month or fast food etc.)
The sum totals of all the categories must add up to your current checkbook balance to work. You must balance this book just like you do your check book. Do it every time you write a check or use your debit card, it is easier than it sounds and will become habit and fun once you get the hang of it.
It is an easy way to save money for insurance and other large pending bills, Xmas, vacation etc without having to have more than one account. Also it keeps more money available in your checking account for emergencies and helps keep your daily average balance higher in case of accidental overdraw God forbid.
Of course there are Christmas clubs and savings accounts but this way if you have a gift category, a christmas category, etc you have the money readily available all year and can pick up really good sale items for special people as you see them during the year and not feel guilty about it because it is in your budget! You can just store the treasure until the birthday or holiday come along. Hope this is clear. Good luck!
I'm a real estate broker and I work with many young couples buying their first home. I have a friend who just recently married and learned (the hard way), that the advice I gave her a year ago proved to be true. She spent almost a year and about $68,000 on "the perfect wedding".
I had told her long ago that the best advice I could give to her as a friend was to have a small conservatively priced wedding and to spend her real cash on a down payment for their first home. (She and hubby-to-be paid for this wedding themselves from their savings and a small inheritance), and it was beautiful BUT after their honeymoon, she called me to begin looking for houses only to find they would have to compromise their "wants" and future "needs" in this new home because they didn't have enough down payment to buy the size of home they really wanted. They seemed to take this information in stride although I know she's reconsidering the "value" of her big perfect wedding.
The bad thing is that after all that planning and expense, she and the groom were both so tense and stressed on the big day that she says most of the day (including the ceremony), was a blur. I can't imagine choosing one day over several years of contentment. Not to mention that her almost $70,000 wedding is money spent while using that money toward their home would have given her a considerable return on her investment in the long run.
I think in our society, girls are raised on what I call the "Cinderella principal" and taught that the wedding day is the most important day of our lives when in reality, having a big wedding does nothing for our future let alone ensure that the marriage will last.
If we could begin teaching our young girls to prepare for the future and to invest while they're young maybe they would be better off in the long run! Just makes sense to me!
Consider the return on your investment when doing home improvement projects. We all like saving money and sprucing up our homes to suit our needs and tastes but as a real estate broker, I see homes every day where the current owner did some home improvement which many perspective buyers consider a negative. While many people believe they will be in their current home for "the rest of their lives" the truth is that the average mortgage is 21 months.
To get the best return on your hard work or home improvement project, keep the colors neutral and select quality products when selecting items that will be "fixtures" in the home when it comes time to sell. Ceramic tile flooring can add marketability and value to your home when it sells ONLY IF the buyer doesn't look at it and think "oh man, we have to break up all of this tile to replace it!"
Another tip here is to purchase enough tile to do "future" projects if you are taking things one room at a time. Tile manufacturers are always discontinuing styles and colors and you don't want to go back when you're finally ready to tackle the family room only to find your tile no longer exists. Buyers don't like mismatched adjoining tile and don't like tile with dominant colors like pink or blue or green unless they see it as something easily replaced.
Having your countertops done in purple or your bathrooms done in aqua green tile may look lovely with your decor, but a potential buyer will see this as a fixer-upper project and will typically offer less for your home. If you want bold color ACCESSORIZE with rugs and drapes and other accents to bring in the desired color. Your pocketbook will thank you later!
My wife has been looking for hot pink or neon pink contact paper. I've been drug in to the search as well and have had absolutely no luck! Can anyone please tell me where I can find this?
Does anyone have a peanut butter roll candy recipe to share? I think it is made with confectioners sugar and milk, then rolled out and peanut butter spread on top. Roll and then cut into slices.
I have several plastic honey bear shaped honey jars in different sizes. I also have 2 dark brown plastic bunny-shaped plastic bottles that syrup came in. I would like to make some bookends or paper weights out of them.
Years ago I use to make doorstops and paperweights out of the Mrs. Butterworth's syrup bottles. I had a craft book that was special just for these bottles and I made some beautiful dolls. But these were glass jars. What kind of paint could I use on the plastic jars? My regular paint doesn't seem to want to stay on, and it doesn't look good.
Also, are there other things that could be made form them? Thanking you in advance for any help.
We have several old toys (G.I. Joe 1972), an early 40's typewriter and much more. The trouble is I have no clue about their value. The only "antique" shop around here is really a junk shop. Still cool, mind you, but not much help. Can anyone tell me how to find out the value of all this?
I have recently acquired some old lampshades (mostly the bigger sizes). I am looking for cool ways/ideas to use these! I would like to make some sort of funky outdoor lighting with them. All suggestions welcome.
My mom has some great vintage costume jewelry from my grandmothers. She wants to make velvet covered styrofoam Christmas trees with jewels and beads adorning them for gifts for her daughters and granddaughters next Christmas. How do you make these? Any help is appreciated.
I've been considering buying a duvet cover from IKEA, can anyone tell me if they like theirs? I don't want to get something that is going to shrink in the wash or need a lot of ironing.
I am hoping someone out there can help me. I am desperate for some good electrical advice. About 2 1/2 months ago my dryer stopped working. I assumed the dryer motor went bad because when you pushed the button for it to start it just hummed at you. After verifying that the belt was still good we disposed of the dryer. I was then given a very old dryer that was said to be good. It did the same thing as my old dryer did so I disposed of that one as well.
I have now just purchased a used dryer and guess what, it also just hums when the button is pushed to start it. I then took this dryer to my mothers house and it works just fine. I have replaced the breaker in the breaker box thinking there was a problem there. I have tested the voltage in the receptacle and everything tests good Any ideas what could be wrong and what I could do to fix it?
I can't really afford to have an electric company come in and find the problem. Any suggestions for a solution would be appreciated.
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