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Hello,
If you have any gardening tips and pictures, please send them in. We would love to see them.
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Today's Photo Contest Entries
Bandit (Chihuahua/Spitz) KING of the HOUSE
Bandit has been king of our HOUSE for a LONG TIME! He's a mixture of a teacup Chihuahua and a spitz. He loves marshmallows, mints and ice and mom's favorite side on the bed. His favorite trick is beating me to my side of the bed when I turn out the lights. He'll look at me with those big eyes as if to say "WELL-- you MOVED!"
He's a very picky eater until we discovered Kibbles and Bits Homestyle Dog Food. Nice to see an empty bowl for a change! When he came down with Arthritis we bought Joint Relief tablets and they have him back to his old self again.
By Sharon Shearer
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Hello, Just had to send this picture of my amaryllis blooming. It has 4 flowers on & all are almost open now, so beautiful! The blooms are 8" big, and the plant is 30" tall in total. It is about 4 years old and now making a baby plant too. They are amazing plants! Thanks for letting me share this with you.
Photo by Betty Reese
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Today's Tips
Tips for cleaning small appliances. Post your ideas.
You can use an old toothbrush to clean tiny spaces between buttons on small appliances like hand mixers, blenders, coffee makers, etc.
By Robin
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Curb Critters With Container Gardening!
Grow lettuce, broccoli and veggies in large containers on your sunny porch or in your yard to keep the rabbits from chewing them to a nub! :)
By Aeromama
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Tips for getting a baby to sleep. Post your ideas.
Getting Newborns to Sleep
I have a 3 month old son and I was losing a lot of sleep in the first month, My husband suggested putting him in his car seat/carrier at night because he slept longer when he was in it.
It worked like a charm and now he sleeps all night in his bassinet.
By Julie
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Tips and recipes for cooking corn on the cob. Post your ideas.
Tips and recipes for cooking corn on the cob. Post your ideas.
I have found a way to have great corn on the cob without the lengthy boiling period. Pull the husk down almost to the bottom of the ear but not off and remove the silk,clean the corn and fold the husk back.
Then microwave about 2 1/2 min for one, 5 min for two, 7 min for three and so on.
The corn tastes great and you get it so much faster! By Julie
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Out With The Old, In With The New
To avoid clutter do what I do, whenever I buy something new (say purses for instance) I have to get rid of one of my old ones. It's a deal I had to make with my husband to keep him from griping.
By Julie
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Tips for organizing your food storage space. Post your ideas.
I don't have a lot of food storage space, so organization is important. I bought several of the plastic baskets, about 12 x 9 x 6 inches. They are on the floor and bottom shelf of my pantry. In one is small spice jars, one big spice jars, one jello and pudding boxes, one pasta, one food storage bags. Canned goods are on one shelf and boxed items on another. Top shelf is for flour, sugar, tea, etc. I know right where to look for everything.
By Linda
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When my husband makes soup, he uses half water and half picante sauce. It makes the soup spicy and adds a new twist to old soup recipes!
By Crystal
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For a fun craft for my four-year old daughter, I traced her hand, then cut out lots of copies from construction paper. Then I had her glue them to a round circle (cut from an old cereal box) to make an adorable hand-wreath. It was so cute and will be so neat to look at when she gets older to see how small her hand use to be.
By Crystal
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Gift Idea - A Trip To The Dollar Store
For little kids birthdays who don't really need any new, expensive toys, give them some money (like $10) and take them to a Dollar Store where they can pick out 10 different toys that they would like. It is cheap and the kid can have fun picking out whatever they want!
By Crystal
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Saving Money on Window Cleaner
Tips for saving money on window cleaner. Post your ideas.
Don't pay extra for Windex. Wait until your auto parts store has car windshield cleaner on sale and stock up. Save dollars by refilling your spray bottles at home.
By Terri
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The Cheapest Time To Have a Wedding
Save money by having your wedding between November and April. As it's considered 'off season'. All wedding related services are less busy. Ask for 'off season' discounts.
By Terri
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Use a travel agent, who's licensed and bonded. Otherwise they could sell your information to someone who could live in your home while you're gone or rob it while you're out of town on vacation.
It's a scary thought. But my husband was listening to a radio talk show one day and a gal called in saying she worked for a travel agency and she sells information on travelers for $500 a pop to some 'friends of hers', who rob the unsuspecting client who's vacationing. Just beware. Also, the least amount of people who know you'll be out of town, the better.
By Terri H.
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Ask Your Travel Agent About Discounts
If you use the same travel agent every time, they could alert you to discounts and specials. Let them know you'd be appreciative to receive them.
By Terri H.
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Booking a Cruise - Book it Early
If you're planning on taking a cruise anytime in the next year, to get the best deal, book it 1 year in advance. Deep discounts are given to advanced booking. Also, if you were refer friends, who also book early, you could receive additional discounts for them doing so, as well.
By Terri H.
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Identity Theft Tip - When Ordering Checks
When ordering checks, have only your initials printed in the heading with your address.
When signing your checks, use your full name (first and last).
If your checks are stolen, the thief won't know your first name(s) by looking on the checks. Any checks signed with your initials are easily identified as stolen!
By Cheryl from Missouri
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Starting a Hedge With Clippings
At this time of year the trimming of my privet hedges and the ensuing clean up is a large chore, I usually can find someone interested in getting some clippings to start their own hedges. This year it will be my son and daughter in law. I have helped start at least three yards with free hedges this way. It offers me free help with the chore and provides a free hedge that will grow thick and tall within the next two years to those that help me. All at no cost, sort of like the friendship bread in a way.
By Terry McGovern
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Roasted Green Peppers With Cheese
Here's a great way to eat green peppers. Cut peppers into 1-2 in. boats. Place green peppers on a cookie sheet in the oven on highest temp and bake until just starting to soften. Sprinkle your favorite shredded cheese on top, covering peppers and place in broiler until melted.
These are great appetizers!
By Julie
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Tips for storing and organizing cookie sheets. Post your ideas.
Store your cookie sheets standing upright in a metal file holder to help stay organized and eliminate clutter.
By Robin
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Start at 5p.m. Put 1/2 cup water with 1 pkg. yeast. AFter it is dissolved add:
Ingredients:
Directions:
Mix well. Set to rise until 6:30 p.m., then knead down. Let rise until 9:00 p.m., then put in greased baking pans, little round balls and flatten with palm of hand. Let rise overnight. Bake in morning at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
By Robin
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Ingredients:
Directions:
Dissolve 2 pkgs. instant yeast in 2 cup warm water. Stir in 3 cup flour. Add 1 egg, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tsp. salt and 1/4 cup shortening. Beat until smooth. Add 3 cup more flour. Let rest, covered, 20 minutes. Knead and shape into buns. Makes about 3 dozen. Using 1/4 cup thawed orange juice, dip sugar cubes in juice until they turn yellow, but don't let them dissolve. Push a sugar cube into the top of each bun. Cover with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator to rise. These may be baked in 3 hours at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, or they may be left in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Spread with glaze over top when taken from the oven. For glaze:
Boil 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup sour cream, 2 Tbsp. orange juice about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Spread over orange buns.
By Robin
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Ingredients:
Frosting:
Cream together sugar, oil, margarine, and egg yolks. Add flour and soda alternately with buttermilk and vanilla. Add coconut and nuts and beat well. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter. Bake at 350 degrees in 9x13 inch greased, floured pan for approximately 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool. Frost with cream cheese frosting. This is a very moist cake and keeps well.
By Robin
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Cream until light and fluffy.
Add and beat well.
Add alternately 1/3 cup milk with this mixture:
Stir in 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries.
Spread in 9x13 inch pan. Stop with these ingredients mixed together:
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
By Robin
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Ingredients:
Directions:
Cream 1 cup sugar and 1 cup margarine. Add 2 eggs. Sift 3 cup flour and 3 tsp. baking powder. Alternate adding flour mixture and 1 cup milk to batter. Place 2/3 of the batter in a buttered 9x13 inch pan. Mix 1 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp. cinnamon, and 1 cup walnut pieces. Spread 3/4 of this on the batter.. Follow with remaining batter then brown sugar mixture. Over the batter drizzle 1/2 cup melted margarine. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Do not over bake. While still warm drizzle powdered sugar glaze over baked cake.
By Robin
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Ingredients:
Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
Frosting:
Put all ingredients in bowl and beat with mixer. Frost cake.
By Robin
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Tip Contest
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New Contest Prize! Now a 2 $25.00 Gift Cards
In our contest we are giving away two $25.00 Gift Cards (we will
select to winners at random) at one of the following stores: Home
Depot, Jo-Ann's Crafts or Amazon.com. If you are the winner, you
get to choose which gift card! This contest ends on April 30th,
2005.
Syndication Spotlight:
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Dear Webby's Humor Letter
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New Requests:
Shrinky Dink Instructions Needed
I was recently given a pack of Shrinky Dink plastic sheets. Unfortunately, the pack is a "refill", which means the instructions for how to use them are not on the package. Anyone know what types of markers work with Shrinky Dinks, and what temperature they should be baked at? Thanks,
Sunhat
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In visiting a restaurant I had zucchini breaded with some crumbs. How could i fix this at my home?
Anna from Missouri
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I mistakenly washed and dried an ink pen. I have in on some clothing and the dryer has ink all over the drum. I've tried kitchen cleaner to remove stans on the dryer drum with no luck. Can this be removed or is my 2 year old dryer shot? Any suggestions would be welcome.
Thanks,
Stephanie
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Fast Food Employee - Advice For Cleaning Greasy Clothes
I work in fast food, my shirts are always greasy and smelly when i get home from work everynight. I need some suggestions on how to tackle this problem. I have tried everything that I could think of. HELP!
Amy in WV
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Stain From Cleaner On Bathroom Mirror
I have used a cleaner, or something on my mirror in the bathroom that has cause a stain that won't go away. It is not a water stain. It is from a cleanser. Anyone have any ideas on how to clean it off. I have tried a lot of things, even oven cleaner. I think that made it worse.
Kathy3335 from Washington state
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Keeping Chickens Out of Flower Beds
My next door neighbor has a problem with another neighbor's chickens crossing the street and visiting her newly laid, expensive flower beds. They are digging up the plants, etc. This isn't a rural area, but there are no laws on the books about poultry in people's yards.
Any suggestions that won't harm the chickens, yet keep them out of the flower beds?
Thanks,
Holly
Editor's Note: I guess this explains why the chicken crossed the road! To eat some flowers. Sorry...
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Today's Sponsors
11 Craft Designs By House of Greathouse
Just $5.00 (including shipping) for instructions on how to make 11 unique craft designs on CD. For more information and pictures of the crafts visit:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/columnists/harlean.html
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Baby Shower Planning and Hosting
By Criss White
Planning and organization are crucial to hosting a successful baby shower. Below are some important topics to consider when planning:
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