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Hello,
In a recent photo submission entitled "Budget Kitchen Makeover - Before and After" we neglected to post the "after" photos! I have corrected the omission and you can now view the "after" photos at the link below:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf69699937.tip.html
Thanks for reading,
Susan
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Today's newsletter contains:
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Today's Sponsors
Together: Creating Family Traditions.
By Rondi Hillstrom Davis and Janell Sewall Oakes
If your family is important to you, and sharing quality time with them is important, you wont want to miss this incredible offer that expires at midnight C.S.T. Thursday, November 17th.
Editor's Note: Rondi has been a long time reader of ThriftyFun.
Today's Photos
Fall Decorations through a Stick Arbor
Here is my fall decoration, a stick arbor.
By Laurie from East Freetown, MA
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The garden gate as seen from the "Path" side. Area behind our house common area.
Great Granny Vi
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Daisy is a 6 month old English Bulldog. We purchased her from a breeder about 4 months ago. She likes to pester and tease our other pets (2 dogs and a cat and EAT!
Daisy receives a lot of attention wherever she goes. People just fall in love with her because she is so friendly and all it takes to win her heart is a treat!
By Melanie from Whiteville, NC
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Crafted Christmas Ornaments Became a Business
About 30 years ago I needed to make some items for our school PTA fundraiser. I bought some wooden curtain rings and some little angels at a craft store and glued the angels into the rings.
I had a good time and sold them all.
Out of those ornaments came a business that has supported me and my kids for all these years. As you can see they aren't quite as simple as the first ones.
Now I make all kinds of sports, pets, and ornaments to celebrate any milestones of the year. I still love it.
Mine are made of wood, using a full woodshop, but you could still make some with the curtain rings and little figures from a craft store. If you personalize, use regular acrylic paints and a 5/0 brush.
By Jeneene Brengelman from Cincinnati, OH
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Today's Tips
Preparing Dressing or Stuffin'
When preparing Dressing or Stuffin' (depends on where you're from, what you call it), for Thanksgiving or any other meal. Always prepare this dish either in a glass or Pyrex brand, or a roaster pan. Not in an aluminum baking pan. If you use aluminum pan, be sure to take the dressing out of this pan when putting up the food after your meal.
My sister used an aluminum baking pan to bake her cornbread dressing in one year for Thanksgiving and didn't know to take it from the pan and all of her family got sick from the dressing afterwards. She really hated it, as she'd make extras on the Dressing' to put in the freezer for later meals. Instead, after getting back from the hospital, she had to toss it all in the trash.
By Terri from NV
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Christmas Ornaments Instead of Souvenirs
When we travel, instead of buying "regular" souvenirs, we ONLY buy Christmas Ornaments...for ourselves (then every year as we decorate the tree, we remember our trip.)
We also buy them for any one else on our souvenir list...then they have something they will use every year!
For the last 15 years or so, everyone has been VERY happy with their gift!!
By Mary from Crown Point, IN
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Especially when making a big meal, like Thanksgiving dinner, have everything measured out ahead of time before you start cooking. Saves lots of time!
By Robin from Washington, IA
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If you bake your stuffing in another dish, you can make the turkey stay moist by placing an apple inside while baking.
By Gladys Hill
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Natural Looking Bird Feeders
By Ellen Brown
Q: I would like to put up a number of bird feeders this winter (got a fantastic deal on bird feed) and would like some ideas of building and making good feeders that are cheap and as "natural" looking as possible. Can you help?
Brenda from Beaverdam, Virginia
A: Brenda,
Different species of birds have different ways of feeding, just like they have different food preferences. To attract the widest variety of birds, you'll want hanging or platform feeders, a ground feeder and a feeder filled with suet.
I'm an advocate of using recycled items for bird feeders (like plastic milk jugs, pie tins and scrap lumber). An easy and inexpensive way to make the non-natural look natural is to use silicone glue to add bits of moss, lichen, bark, stones, twigs, etc., to the outside of the feeder.
Suet Feeders:
Drill 1" to 1 1/2" wide holes into a 6" to 8" long log that is 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Drill the holes completely through. If you want to add perches, drill smaller holes below the large holes to insert dowels. Secure the dowel perches with wood glue. Attach an eye hook to one end of the long for hanging and fill the large holes with suet.
For another easy suet feeder, fill a small onion sack or fruit sack with suit and hang.
Hanging Feeders:
Take a coffee can (with a lid) and using a bottle opener, punch three to four holes near the bottom of the can. Place the can on top of a saucer (like the type put under plant pots) and center both the can and saucer on top of a small block of wood. You're going to attach the saucer to the can by drilling a small hole through the center of the bottom of the can, and through the center of the saucer and screwing them into the block of wood. You can punch holes near the top of the can and attach a coat hanger to hang it from, or secure the can to a post. The lid will make it easy to fill and keep the birdseed from getting wet.
With scraps of wood and a small piece of window screen, you can make a simple ground feeder. Nail together a rectangle frame and staple screen across the frame for the bottom. Attach a 1-2 inch leg on each corner of the frame. This will keep the feeder slightly off the ground to let water drain out. This is really all you need for a ground feeder. To convert this to a hanging feeder, skip the legs and attach an eye hook to each corner so you can secure ropes or small chains for hanging. If you want to make a roof, drill holes in each corner and insert dowel rods (use wood glue). For a flat roof, simply attach a piece of plywood with nails to each dowel. For a pitched roof, attach two pieces of wood together with L-brackets. Drill shallow holes in the roof at the four corners to attach the roof to the dowels.
Other natural looking feeders that work well are hollow gourds and citrus halves, and pine cones rolled in peanut butter and birdseed.
By Ellen Brown
http://www.sustainable-media.com
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You can make 'Marshmallow Treats' with any kind of cold cereals you might have on hand, not just with crisped rice cereal.
By Terri from NV
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Contest ends November 30, 2005
Syndication Spotlight:
Here are some publishers that have chosen to publish our tips this week!
Dear Webby's Humor Letter
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New Requests
Slogan Ideas for a Beach Themed Dance
I am in charge of a big dance coming up in the first of December, and I need a good slogan or catch phrase for it. It has a beach theme, and we have ruled out christmas. If you have ANY good beach themes, I would much appreciate it if you would post them.
Gary from Utah
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Please post charities that offer help during the holiday season in Michigan.
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"In Remembrance of Jesus" Float
Our church is going to be in the Christmas parade and we are using the theme "In Remembrance of Jesus", any ideas on decorations for a float? Our youth are the ones that are going to be in it and we have a small number that will be in it. We have been thinking about using a manger scene and then having Jesus with a cross and some followers. This is like going from the manger to the cross. So any ideas would be appreciated. We only have 3 weeks to get it all finished.
Lora from Evarts, KY
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Please post charities that offer help during the holiday season in Maryland.
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Turning Down or Turning Off the Heat
This is a question related to saving on home heating bills. I live in a single family home with a basement and reside in Maryland. My new wife seems to believe that turning off our gas heating thermostat during the day while we are at work saves money. We'd come back and turn on the heat again but this takes time to reheat the whole home. As the temp's get colder, is this a good idea to save money?
Before I got married I have never turned off the heat during the winter days fearing this would freeze my pipes. Who is correct in this case?
Thanks!
- SnowMan
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Please post charities that offer help during the holiday season in Nebraska.
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I am looking for specific ways to make cooking-type oils for gifts at Christmas. I know that you are supposed to steep herbs in the oil and then put into a container. But, what herbs are good? How much of each? What combo of herbs? Can you use dried? Can you leave the dried herbs in there? What about garlic and lemon? How do you use those in making the oils? I know the basics, but I'm not sure about some of those more specific details, and I don't want to mess up someone's gift.
Thanks!
Topo Gigio from Baton Rouge
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Hope someone can offer some advice. I am attempting to clean a wall in which someone has used toothpaste as a means to hang posters. The green toothpaste has hardened like plaster and will not budge! I have tried soaking it with various cleaners and scraping (gentely) with a blade without success. Does anyone have any ideas short of having to sand it off?
Thanks for the help!
Natasha from Canada
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Please post charities that offer help during the holiday season in Montana.
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Please post charities that offer help during the holiday season in Nevada.
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Still Seeing Fleas After Terminex Has Left
Someone please put my mind at ease. When I first noticed the fleas I treated the house with a few store bought chemicals that really didn't work. I have since had Terminex here (today) and had the dog dipped and applied frontline. I also applied frontline to the cat. I have vacuumed the house at least once a day and discarded the bag each time in a plastic bag and outside of the home.
The Terminex man said that once I got home after the application and vacuumed I would no longer see any. Well I saw one. Am I going crazy, should I call Terminex back in?
I've been told by others that I will see them for at least a week or so while they die off.
Horrified from MA
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Massachusetts Christmas Charities
Please post charities that offer help during the holiday season in Massachusetts.
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New Hampshire Christmas Charities
Please post charities that offer help during the holiday season in New Hampshire.
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I have these brand new clogs which i think are made out of suede. the style is sometimes called potato shoes. so i was wearing them and it started to rain when i was walking home, and now it just looks like the raindrops on these shoes never dried up. its been 2 days? How do I get rid of this?
Allie from Washington, DC
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Quick and Easy Christmas Cookies
Just wondering if anyone has any good quick and easy christmas cookie recipes? Let me know!
Lynn from Erie, PA
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Removing Scratches from a Decorative Glass Door Window
Anyone out there have any suggestions on how to remove minor scratches on a decorative glass window on the door? The person who originally cleaned the glass evidently must have used a brillo pad of some sort. I don't want to spend a fortune just to remove a few fine marks. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Cnil from No CA
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New Jersey Christmas Charities
Please post charities that offer help during the holiday season in New Jersey.
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Please post charities that offer help during the holiday season in Minnesota.
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What are some of the different ways people have found to use shower curtains. Other than the obvious!
I have used old shower curtains for:
I think that considering you can buy them for $1 at some stores, they are one of the best buys around!
So, what other uses can they be used for?
Cookiepom from Owensboro, KY
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Please post charities that offer help during the holiday season in Missouri.
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Looking for a frugal solution to an everyday problem? Submit your request here: Click Here
Today's Sponsors
Together: Creating Family Traditions.
By Rondi Hillstrom Davis and Janell Sewall Oakes
If your family is important to you, and sharing quality time with them is important, you wont want to miss this incredible offer that expires at midnight C.S.T. Thursday, November 17th.
Editor's Note: Rondi has been a long time reader of ThriftyFun.
More Reading:
Q: We have just moved to a new home and English Ivy has covered the ground and trees like kudzu. I am in the process of cutting it from the trees near the ground and am wondering how to kill it. I am thinking that I need to cut it low with a lawn mower and then spray it. I have some Weed Defeat by Zep but don't know if it is strong enough. Will Brush Roundup be better? How about Brush Be Gone? What time of year should I spray?
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Q: If my aloe vera plant has a droopy leaf should I remove it?
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Keeping Bees Out of Bird Houses
Q: Is there something that I can put in my bird houses that will stop the Bees from building in them but will not stop the birds from making their homes in it? just love watching the birds, but am terrified of bees. Thanks in advance.
Read More: Click Here
Winter Care for Garden Tools
By Ellen Brown
After spending the winter thumbing through seed catalogs and dreaming of digging in the dirt, the last thing you want to do in the spring is waste your time (and money) shopping for new tools. Take a few minutes this fall to properly clean and store your garden tools for winter. You can use the money you would have spent replacing neglected tools to buy more plants for the garden next spring.
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