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Hello,
Halloween is coming up. If you have any Halloween costume ideas or crafts, feel free to share them on one of the contest pages.
Thanks for reading,
Susan
Today's newsletter contains:
Today's Photos:
Today's Tips:
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Today's Photos
| Ming (ShiChi)
Ming is a one year old ShiChi. I got her in February 2006. She loves to go for walks and bark outside at the window. She also loves to fetch her Blues Clues slipper. When she gets excited, she shakes and shakes. By Judith from Bear DE
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| Lurch - Maine Coon
Lurch is a 3 year old Maine Coon. I got him from a private breeder. His hobbies are chipmunk and bird watching. Lurch is a gentle giant and the most best cat I have ever had. He's 44 inches from nose to tail. Unfortunately I think the breeder passed along a health issue usually found only in pure-bred cats and he had to have all of his teeth except the canines removed. But now he eats dry food just like the other cats. By Lynn from Guilderland, NY
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| Sweet Potato Plant
Sweet potato plant, beautiful and easy to grow! By Christine from Sanremo, Italy
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| Decorating a Shop Light for the Sewing Room Photo
This 4' shop light is in my sewing room and looked too ugly by itself so I made a simple cover for it to match the room decor. This light does not get hot so there is no danger of fire and the dust doesn't show as much. Just measure the light, cut out strips of fabric leaving an opening where the ceiling chain goes and add a valance or other trim. By Pat Jennings from White Cloud, MI
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| Contests!
The above contests are weekly. We pick 2 tip winners and 1 photo winner at the end of each week. Each winner will win $25!
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Today's Tips
| Baby Food Mold
I have a popsicle freezer mold that has lost most of the popsicle holders, but felt bad throwing it out. Yesterday I found the perfect use for it. I made a few batches of baby food and filled each tall compartment. I then wrapped the whole thing in cling wrap. Each compartment is one meals worth of food, now I just have to pop out one section when I need to, and the meal is ready for my 6 month old. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Extending The Lifespan Of Floor Mats
If you have an indoor/outdoor mat with a black rubber border around it, you can extend its lifespan when the black rubber border gets ripped or a chunk gets torn out of it. Just cut off the entire black rubber border around the perimeter of the mat with a pair of scissors or a utility knife. It can then still be used to wipe your feet and doesn't look out of the ordinary. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| A Young Monk Arrives At The Monastery-Joke
A young monk arrives at the monastery. He is assigned to helping the other monks in copying the old canons and laws of the church by hand. He notices, however, that all of the monks are copying from copies, not from the original manuscript Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Bottle Brush Makes Dishes Easier
I don't like to wash dishes, and when I had to switch my son over to bottles, my dish-washing chore grew. However, I have found that by using my bottle brush, I can wash cups and glasses more effectively. The nipple cleaner is also very handy for dirty dishes with a small crevice. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| One Pot Meals Make Clean Up Easy
To save time in the kitchen, prepare one pot meals. This cuts down on time spent washing and putting away of your dishes and utensils, leaving more time for other things. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Reusing Heads From Power Toothbrushes
I recently found a use for the old cleaning head from my power toothbrush. The stones in my wedding ring tend to get dull and dirty from everyday wear, but now I just place an old head on the toothbrush and spin the dirt away. And once you decide to replace the entire toothbrush, hang on to the old one to be used for deep-down house cleaning in smaller places such as baseboards, corners or between the knobs on your faucets. I love to recycle items instead of trashing them! Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Keep Your Purse Out Of Sight
Ladies, when travelling in the car, don't put your purse on the seat beside you. Lay it on the floor out of sight. Friends of mine were travelling through the states and a fellow came up to the car and asked directions to some place. Their window was slightly ajar. He said, "Roll down the window so I can hear you better." My friend rolled down the window, he dove through the open window, grabbed her purse and was gone like a flash. She had all her good jewellery in her purse, all of it gone, plus charge cards, etc. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Energy Saving Window Covers
To save on high gas bills, I replaced the curtains on the Northwest side of my home with black 3 mil paper. The paper absorbs the heat from the sun and prevents the leaking of warm air inside to the outside. My solar project worked! Many of my neighbors gas bills went up 30%-50% we had a big increase in CCFs but mine decreased $5-$10 compared to the previous cheaper year! The black 3 mil paper cost less than $5 and easily paid itself back in less than a month! I will definitely be doing this again this fall! Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Measure 4 Measure Website
"A collection of Interactive Sites on the Web that calculates, evaluates, translates etc". . . http://www.wolinskyweb.net/measure.htm I found this site while I was looking to find how many calories I could burn doing certain chores around the house. The Catagories are:
And while you're on there check out his other site, 'Word Play'. You'll be treated with a variety of games including one that will take your last name and tell you how many words you can spell from it! By Laurie from Nevada Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Bird Feeder Tips
Remember our bird friends by remembering this tip for thistle. When thistle seed (also called niger) gets wet, it cakes together and the birds can't get it out of the feeder. To prevent this from happening, shake up the remaining seed in feeders before filling them. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| The Benefits of Buying Used Cars
You can save a bundle on your next car purchase by buying a used car. One of the common concerns I hear from people about used cars is that they will require expensive repairs sooner than new cars. There is no question that repair bills can be outrageously expensive but here's one way to look at it. If a new car costs you $15,000 (or more) and a five year old version of the same car costs $5,000, the difference in price leaves you a lot of room to make repairs and still come out on top. That's not even factoring the additional costs involved in insuring and financing the more expensive vehicle. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Bread Baking Tips
Tips and recipes for making bread. Feel free to share you ideas. My Bread Baking TipsThe next time you bake bread, try using leftover potato cooking water. It provides food for the yeast and a little extra flavor.Add a teaspoon of garlic powder in your flour, you'll have a lightly garlic taste which is great warm or toasted. When making bread in a cold kitchen, warm everthing in oven, including flour and the mixing bowl. Your dough will rise higher. By Randa from San Marcos TX Beer Bread RecipeI recently posted this Beer Bread Recipe. It is so simple. I have had nothing but compliments. It rises within minutes of mixing the ingredients. Simply mix together and put in the preheated oven.DirectionsStir three cups self-rising flour, one third cup sugar and one 12 oz. can of beer into a big sticky lump. Grease a loaf pan with spray shortening or rub solid shortening, oil or butter around. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Pour on as much of a stick of melted butter that will run over the top and down the sides without overflowing; bake 15 minutes longer. Let it sit in the pan for at least 10 minutes to soak up all the butter before servingBy dpcw Potato WaterMy mother-in law always saved the water when she boiled patotoes and used it in place of any liquid called for, bread was always light and fluffy. I have used this tip for years.By csidedrp Four Loaves of BreadI bake four loaves of bread at a time and do it about every 10 days. Here's my tried and true recipe for four loaves:Dissolve 2 TBSP yeast in 4 1/2 cups of really warm water from the tap. Add 4 TBSP of sugar to this right away. I buy my yeast from the health food stores refrigerated section. The grocery store yeast is almost always dead and doesn't rise. Let the water, yeast and sugar work for about 10 minutes until it's starting to foam or bubble a little. Mix in: 4 TBSP oil, and 4 tsp of salt. Add 12 cups of white flour (or 6 cups of white and 6 cups of wheat), Knead for about 10 minutes. Add a little flour if it sticks to your fingers when kneading. Let rise for 1/2 hour. Punch down and put in 4 greased loaf pans. Let rise another 1/2 hour. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. I haven't had this recipe fail yet but be sure to get your yeast from a health food store or coop and make sure it's been refrigerated. Good luck! By Pat Warm Water and a RecipeThe best tip that I can give you is to make sure the water isn't too hot when you proof your yeast. Just nice and warm, add the sugar called for in the recipe, and let it rest for several minutes (10 or 15). I am giving you my very favorite bread recipe, very inexpensive and very, very good.Loaves of Goodness
Shape dough in a smooth ball, brush surface with melted butter, cover, and let rise in a warm place till doubled. Punch down divide in two equal parts, and let dough rest for 10 minutes. Shape into smooth balls or "torpedo" shapes for Vienna bread. Place shaped bread on a cookie sheet covered with shortening (Or better yet, sprayed with no-stick cooking spray), and covered with a thin layer of cornmeal. Brush with egg white, sprinkle very liberally with sesame seed and slash tops 1/4 inch deep with a very sharp knife. I usually slash 4 cuts in the torpedo shaped bread, or do a cross hash on the round ones. Let rise till almost doubled. Preheat oven to 425F with a pan of boiling water in the bottom of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes at 425, then lower temp to 375, and bake for 20 minutes more, until a nice golden brown. Thump bread with finger. If it sounds hollow, it is done. Immediately remove to a cooling rack. By Margie Minard Salt and YeastI have made bread for several years now, with and without a bread machine. The one thing I have learned, is NEVER put the salt in with the yeast, salt kills yeast. Always put the salt in with the flour, your breads will never get hard. This was a hard lesson to learn, I had many hard loaves to throw away, or give to the ducks in our little lake.By Cricket Girl Trying a Different BreadmakerI had heavy, dense loafs. It turned out to be the breadmaker. It just made every recipe I tried that way so I got a different breadmaker.By Kathy in colorado Wheat GlutenI've experimented with various bread recipes for a good while now, and early on my loaves came out too dense to suit me. After doing a bit of research I discovered wheat gluten. That's the stuff in wheat that causes the dough stick together and stretch as bubbles form, making for a lighter, more porous loaf. Few recipes that I've seen call for this, but I use it now in most all my breads and it really makes a difference.I use a bread machine on the dough cycle, then remove the dough for the final rise and bake it on a stone in the oven. My stove is an ancient GE (1945 or so) and the temp dial cannot be trusted so I use an oven thermometer to be sure it is right. I love the machine because it saves a lot of work, but you don't need one to bake really good bread. By Alph My RecipeMy mother taught me to bake bread. She made 9 loaves a week. We always used a quart of warm (not hot) water, with 1 stick of margarine, and powdered milk to add calcium. A little bit of sugar and a little bit of salt. Make sponge dough, adding just enough flour to make a thick soup. Add the yeast mixture (warm water 1 tsp sugar) to that; let sit; when bubbles are all over start adding flour, until it cleans up off the pan.Then use cooking spray or crisco to grease pan. Let raise, punch down twice, then place in pans and raise again. The kitchen must be warm enough to let the bread raise; 75-80 is good. When it;'s doubled put in oven; I use 325 degree oven, cook a little longer, spray with cooking spray, so crust is soft, get out pans and cool on the counter, or raised sheet like the broiler pan. Good luck! By Polli from Alabama Post Feedback: Click Here |
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Syndication Spotlight
Webby publishes our tips daily! A very funny newsletter. More Information:
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New Requests
| What is octagon soap made of?
What is octagon soap made of? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Money Sheets and Comforter Set
Where can I find the novelty big money bedding sheet set and comforter set? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Making a Purse from Children's Jeans
I am looking for directions on how to make a purse out of decorated old jeans. I've seen a few around and they are really cute. They are made out of children's outgrown jeans. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Brushing My Dog's Teeth
Our 5 year old Rat Terrier needs to have her teeth cleaned. The Vet wants $250.00 for this. Has anyone cleaned their dog's teeth with the toothbrush and paste that the pet stores sell? I would be willing to try it. If so, how do you do it and how is the dog's mouth rinsed of the paste? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Diabetic Recipes
Can anyone give me some ideas on menu's for a diabetic. Exchange lists are a little complicated and a nuisance. What i am looking for, are actual meal ideas especially for supper. I appreciate all replies. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Cowgirl Cake Ideas
I am having a first birthday party for my granddaughter. Anna, who is a very special little person. We need a cake recipe or idea to make it very special. She likes bright colors and cowgirl stuff. Does anyone have any super great ideas? Thanks in advance. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Matching Paint Color
I have a new home and would like to buy some paint to touch up the walls from moving in. The builder didn't leave any touch-up paint. I know that I can go to Home Depot and have them mix the color I need but how do I get a piece of the paint off the walls? Should I go to a hidden area of my home and cut a small piece of paint off the wall? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| How can I organize my computer wires?
How can I organize my computer wires? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Schumaker Pattern #dze0439
Please help me find pattern #dze0439 by Schumaker. I have started wallpapering and I am out! Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Candle Wax on Microfiber
My husband spilled red candle wax on the arm of my new microfiber sofa. I have tried everything to get it out and so far nothing works it is a fairly large spot. What can I do? Post Feedback: Click Here |
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Repairing a Hole In My Inflatable Back Cushion
I have a pillow that is air filled for my back. I love it but it has developed a hole in the seam somewhere, nothing I have tried to seal the leak has worked. Does anyone have any ideas on what I can use? I really really love and need this pillow. I take it everywhere. Does anyone know where I can get another? It was a gift the same year I had major back surgery. I have 6 rods and 6 double pins in my spine and arthritis in my spine as well. I went to the store where it was purchased (Target) and I was told it was a promotional item. The pillow is about 12 inches square with a removal cover. Please help. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Miniature Candy Bar Labels
How can I make miniature candy bar labels? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Tiny "Slug Like" Things In My Tub
What black slimy slug like thing (very tiny) would inhabit wet face rags in my tub? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Stopping Calls from Creditors
I am having some financial problems that will be resolved shortly. In the meantime, how do I keep creditors from calling my job? I ask them not to call my job but they continue to call. Any advice? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| What Can I Use to Write on a Mirror?
I want to use a mirror as a note board, does anybody have any ideas what I could use to write/paint on a mirror that easily washes off? Dry erase markers are not dark enough. I tried one of those markers for windows like kids use to decorate cars for school spirit, but those seem kinda pricey. I am thinking there has got to be something I can use that is relatively cheap. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Cat Peeing on Bed
I am trying to potty train my new kitten and she keeps peeing on my bed! I am not home during the day so I keep her in my room with her food and the litter box. She doesn't pee on the bed then. She only does this when I am in the bed with her! Help. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Orange Tree Cut Down, Will The Fruit Ripen?
My neighbor cut his orange tree down. Will the oranges ripen still? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Craft Ideas Using Stuffed Animals
I am looking for craft ideas using old stuffed animals. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Collecting on a Debt in Australia
Stupidly, I trusted my ex-fiance and lent him over $8,000 to help lower his debts. He dumped me after receiving the money (no explanation given, of course) and has since relocated to South Australia to avoid paying me back. It went through the Small Debts Court and I have a judgement against him, but he has no assets that were deemed seizable by the idiot sheriff down there. Does anyone know how I can get a claim on his wages? I don't want to keep wasting money trying to get his debt repaid. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Craft Ideas Using Sunglasses
I am looking for craft ideas that can be made with with sunglasses. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Is Skunk Spray Harmful To Dogs?
Is being spayed by a skunk harmful to dogs? Two of my dogs was sprayed but I think one was sprayed in the mouth she was drooling really bad and foaming when it happened? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Organizing Catalogs and Mail
What is a good storage solution for keeping several different catalogs organized? I like to keep them to refer too in the future. Also I need ideas on how to organize different things that come in the mail (not bills) such as restaurant coupons, sale brochures etc., that I don't want to throw out right away. I don't have lots of shelf or drawer space. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| What do grasshoppers drink?
What do grasshoppers drink? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Permanent Marker Stain on Carpet
I have a stain in the carpet from non-washable marker. I'm thinking of cutting out the area and replacing it with a new piece so I'm looking for tips to do it right the first time. The stain is right when you walk through the doorway so it's not possible to cover it up. We are also selling this house and I want it to look nice. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Ensenada, Catalina and San Diego Travel Tips
I am going on a cruise in November to Ensenada, Catalina and San Diego. Any tips? I don't really want to book the cruiseline excursions as they seem a little overpriced, but would love any tips you might have for what to do and see in these cities. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Stye Remedies
What is the best way to get rid of a painful swollen stye in one's eye? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| How can I stop my new leather jacket from squeaking?
Please tell me how to stop my new leather jacket from squeaking. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Sunflower Theme Kitchen
I live in mobile home I want to paint my kitchen. I want to paint the walls yellow using a sunflower theme. What would be a good shade, as my curtains are solid yellow panels with green check with sunflower valances. I also want to paint my cabinets and trim but I don't know what are the best colors. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| 30th Birthday Party Ideas
My husband is turning 30. I have never thrown him a party before, I want to throw him a big party. He loves country music and we live in the country, but not sure what to do. I know we will have lots of beer and music, but not sure what other cool things I can arrange for us to do. Any advice? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Painting Laminate Countertops
I'm trying to do some remodeling without having to spend so much money. What is the easiest way to paint my laminate countertops? Post Feedback: Click Here |
Looking for a frugal solution to an everyday problem? Submit your request here: Click Here
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Free Photo Organizer From Google "Picasa is software that helps you instantly find, edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Every time you open Picasa, it automatically locates all your pictures (even ones you forgot you had) and sorts them into visual albums organized by date with folder names you will recognize. You can drag and drop to arrange your albums and make labels to create new groups. Picasa makes sure your pictures are always organized." More Information:
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More Reading
| Gifts In Canning Jars
Here are some ideas for making gifts using canning jars. Feel free to post your ideas. Read More: Click Here |
| Saving Vegetable Seeds
By Ellen Brown Collecting seeds from vegetables is all a matter of timing. If you pick your seeds too early, before they've had time to mature, they'll be thin and unsubstantial and lack the necessary food stores to survive winter storage, let alone start healthy new seedlings. On the other hand, if you wait too long to collect seeds, you risk losing them to the elements or you end up with seeds predisposed to producing late in the season. Here are a few tips for collecting and saving various vegetable seeds. Read More: Click Here |
| Oven Rice And Egg Meal
If your family is into rice as much as mine, try this. Read More: Click Here |
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