Daily Thrifty Tips
Volume Four, Number 91, April 7, 2005
http://www.ThriftyFun.com
Hello,
We got a great response to yesterday's video clip. If you missed it, you can find it here:
Doggy Tug-O-War Movie - Buffy (Lab) and Waclaw (Pit Beagle)
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf177739.tip.html
If anyone else has a (short) video in mpg format, feel free to share it.
If you haven't submitted your pet yet, please do so on the photo contest form. If you got your pet from an animal rescue, please let us know which rescue. We want to promote animal rescue successes as much as possible since it's something near and dear to our hearts.
Enter The Photo Contest:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/photo_contest.ldml
Thanks for reading,
Susan
Enter The Tip Contest:
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Frugal solutions to everyday problems: Submit a request...
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Today's newsletter contains:
Today's Photo Contest Entries:
- I Love You Chickie!
- Safe, Fun Fingerpaint Recipe
Today's Tips:
- Micro Fiber Rag For My Swiffer
- Feeding Puppies
- Seasoning Meat
- Buy Choice Meats
- Season Beef With Garlic Salt
- Flavoring Meats Sassafras or Wild Cherry Wood
- Using Creamer as a Substitute for Milk
- "They're Busy" Joke
- Tomatoes until December!
- Masking Tape for Lint
- Antibacterial Garlic
- Tomato Paste Can Tip
- Baked Potato Tips
- Pretzel Sticks Instead of Twists
- Refurbished Decorations - Honey Comb Bell Centerpieces
- Easy Potato Soup
- Inexpensive, Attractive Waste Basket
- Instant Oatmeal Alternative
- Organizing T-Shirts
- Saving Money on Magazines
- Getting Bread Dough To Rise
- Holiday Aroma
- Key Lime Pie
- Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake
- Strawberry Mousse Pie
- Strawberry Jam
- Mom's Strawberry Jam
- Grandma's Bread & Butter Pickles
New Requests:
- Pajama Birthday Party for 7 Year Olds
- Information About Spooling for Fly Thread
- How to Keep Dogs out of Your Yard
- Preventing Growth In Driveway Cracks
- Cleaning Books
- Cleaning a Sofa Sleeper
- Non Toxic Rust Remover For a Resin Plastic Toilet
- Cleaning Burnt Sediment Of Your Coffee Pot Burner
- Always Blooming Flowerbeds
More Reading:
- Strawberries & Cream Pie (with EASY No-Roll Pie Crust!)
- The Wireless Home
- Birthstones And Their Meanings
- Marriage Proposals -- Why Doing It Right Will Make All the Difference
Search ThriftyFun Using Google: Click Here
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
Today's Photo Contest Entries
I Love You Chickie!
This is one of my favourite pictures. Our granddaughter Morgan just loved our chickens, as this picture shows! She lives in a big city, so for her, this acreage and rural living was quite different.
Any time I couldn't find her, I was pretty sure where she would be!! Yes, she was in the chicken coop, training the chickens to stay, sit, stop, speak, and whatever other tricks she could think of! It was so cute watching her, specially when she didn't know we were there.
She even gave all the chickens names, don't ask me how she could tell them all apart, but she knew! When she left, I'm sure they all missed her, all the petting and love they got. I know, we missed her too!
Photo by Betty Reese
View Article: Click Here
Safe, Fun Fingerpaint Recipe
My 17 month old daughter Ellie is testing out my fingerpaint recipe in this photo. As you can see, it is completely safe.
Mix 3 Tbs flour, 1 Tbs cornstarch, and just enough water to make a thin paste. Add a few drops of food coloring. Note: paint dries lighter, so make the colors bold.
Tape a piece of freezer paper to the table (wax side down) and have your child wear a smock or a shirt that is safe to wash with a little bleach. Enjoy!
By LynnB
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Submit a tip with a photo or a pet description with a photo and you could win a Digital Camera! You can enter the photo contest here:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/photo_contest.ldml
Today's Tips
Micro Fiber Rag For My Swiffer
I bought one of those new swiffer flat mops today and then I bought a micro fiber towel at Family Dollar in the car section $2. bucks for 2 of them and used that with the mop. It works beautifully. Picks up cat hair, dirt, dust bunnies you wouldn't believe. Cheaper too then buying those disposable towels you have to buy for the mop.
Pam
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Feeding Puppies
I read the request about "Pit Bull Eating Grass" and I am an amateur dog breeder and would like to make a few comments.
First off: Your pup is eating grass because it either needs to eliminate some discomfort or it is lacking a nutrient. If you get a puppy and it no longer has access to its mother's milk or the equivalent then you should not just give it what humans or other animals would use. This pup specifically should be being introduced to some form of dog or puppy chow.
We usually begin introducing food between 3 and 4 weeks softened with water to the consistency of runny oatmeal, progressively thickening as the pup ages. By 6 weeks it should be able to eat dry kibble and drink water. A milk substitute designed for pups may also be given as well until 8 weeks of age. But no other food or other animal milk should be given, your pup would be better off with the softened dog food alone than to be trying to digest something his body is not designed to digest.
Get your pups de-wormed, all pups are born with worms and need de-worming. And be careful with the flea bath shampoo as it is strong and I have unfortunately seen people actually poison a pet using this shampoo while trying to eliminate the discomfort of fleas.
Good luck and try to get your pup to a vet around 8 weeks for puppy shots.
By Barbie
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Seasoning Meat
When baking or grilling out meats, use a powdered seasoning rub to keep your meats juices inside for more tender eating. Barbecue sauces applied to the meat while grilling only makes the sauce burn onto the meat, before the meats actually have time to cook thoroughly.
By T.H.
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Buy Choice Meats
If at all possible, always buy choice meats as there will be less waste & better flavor.
By Terri
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Season Beef With Garlic Salt
When cooking beef, garlic salt brings more of the meats natural flavor than any other seasoning.
By Terri
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Flavoring Meats Sassafras or Wild Cherry Wood
When cooking your meats with wood for flavoring, (ex. hams or smoking turkey), sassafras or wild cherry wood brings the flavoring out best of all.
By Terri
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Using Creamer as a Substitute for Milk
Every once in a while I don't have milk for a recipe that I am in the middle of. I started using creamer mixed with hot water and the recipe ends up tasting better. Plus I don't need to go to the store for milk. We always have lots of creamer since we use a lot for coffee.
By RoseMary B.
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"They're Busy" Joke
One day, the phone rang, and a little boy answered.
"May I speak to your parents?"
"They're busy."
"Oh, Is there anyone else there?"
"The police."
"Can I speak to them?"
"They're busy."
"Oh, Is there anyone else there?"
"The firemen."
"Can I speak to them?"
"They're busy."
"So let me get this straight--your parents, the police, and the firemen are there, but they're all busy? What are they doing?"
"Looking for me."
By pakjc
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Tomatoes until December!
Cover your tomato plants with newspaper in the fall and they will survive the frosty nights. You will be able to pick tomatoes until December!
By Dee
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Masking Tape for Lint
A roll of masking tape doubles; triples; quadruples as savings for you at home. Just like the much more expensive commercial lint roller used for clothing, a roll of ($1.25) masking tape wound around your hand will remove lint as easily as its counterpart.
If you have a pet that leaves it's fur on beds and couches and in your auto just use the same easy and inexpensive technique and you'll save time and money. Why not spend your free time doing what you LOVE to do!
By Lorin Elkin
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Antibacterial Garlic
Use a split clove of garlic for an antibacterial for cuts, wounds of all sorts, athlete's foot fungus, etc.
By T.H.
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Tomato Paste Can Tip
When adding a can of tomato paste to a recipe, open both ends of the can but remove only one. Then you can use the other lid to push the paste through cleanly, eliminating the need to scrape out the can. This technique works for canned pumpkin, jellied cranberries, etc.
By K. David
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Baked Potato Tips
Tips for making good, baked potatoes. Post your ideas.
To save time in making baked potatoes or any other type of potatoes I microwave them. It takes so much less time.
By RoseMary B.
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Pretzel Sticks Instead of Twists
A tip for parents and dieters. Instead of buying the pretzel twists, buy the pretzel sticks. One serving of twists = 15. One serving of sticks = 45. Same calorie amount.
By Marcy
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Refurbished Decorations - Honey Comb Bell Centerpieces
I helped my sister with a baby shower for my daughter-in-law recently. She went to a party shop and the lady convinced her to buy these cute little laminated baby things like you'd tape up on a wall or door. Not really knowing what to do with them, I brainstormed.
I have a closet full of wedding leftovers from ones that I've helped decorate. I got out all the medium and large honeycomb Bells I had. Cut the top part of it off and paperclipped it together to make a base. Then I slid the laminated pictures into it and it made cute stand-up centerpieces.
The following weekend were two baby boy showers so we cut out the blue ones for it. I guess if you hold onto something long enough you'll find a use for it, huh?
Sharon,Ky
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Easy Potato Soup
My husband wanted potato soup one night for dinner and I thought I had enough potatoes because I always make things from scratch, discovering that I didn't and we live 30 miles from the nearest store and I couldn't justify going to town for a bag of potatoes. Anyway, I searched the cupboards and found I had some instant potatoes.
So, I cooked the potatoes (4), mashed them till they were in little chunks, added some milk and water and then slowly added the instant potatoes and then seasonings. My husband loved these. They had the chunks of potatoes he likes and the creamy potatoes too. Plus it was much easier to make and didn't take long. Yum!
By RoseMary B.
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Inexpensive, Attractive Waste Basket
Need an inexpensive but unique small waste paper basket? Reuse containers from plants or flowers, or go to you local craft store and buy a plant basket. Line it with the plastic shopping bags from the supermarket. To make it extra-special, tie a wide contrasting ribbon around it with a large floppy bow.
By Anne Skalitza
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Instant Oatmeal Alternative
My daughter likes oatmeal for breakfast but the packets are way too expensive so I have taught her to put the right amount of regular oatmeal into her bowl, microwave the right amount of water until it boils and pour the water into the bowl on the countertop. Stir, let rest a minute and add cinnamon, sugar, brown sugar, milk, fruit-whatever you like and stir.
No pot to wash, no expensive packets and no boil-over when you add oatmeal to boiling water. She can't yet use the stove but she does this easily. At first we even did the measuring the night before until she learned how-now she enjoys being independent!
By Linda
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Organizing T-Shirts
Tips for organizing t-shirts. Post your ideas.
Use for Shoe Organizer Bag
I use a shoe bag to hold my large collection of T-shirts. I roll them so I can see the design and put one in each pocket. My shoe bag has 18 pockets. Now I can find the shirt I want and wear all of them, not just the ones on top in the drawer.
By Linda
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Saving Money on Magazines
Tips for finding cheap magazines. Post your ideas.
Swapping Magazines
I save money on magazines by sharing with a neighbor. She orders one mag. subscription and I order one and we swap the mags after reading them. We agree to a week to 10 day time period from receipt to swap.
By Linda`
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Getting Bread Dough To Rise
Tips for getting bread to rise for baking. Post your ideas.
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Holiday Aroma
Ingredients:
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup lemon juice or 1 lemon (cut in pieces)
- 1/4 cup whole cloves
- Peel of 1 orange
- 1 qt. water
Directions:
Mix together, bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat.
By Robin
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Key Lime Pie
Ingredients:
- 2 cans sweetened condensed milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup lime juice
- 9 inch prebaked pie shell or graham cracker crust
Directions:
Combine condensed milk and beaten egg yolks, gradually add key lime juice. Fill pie shell with mixture. Bake in 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, do not brown. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours or more.
By Robin
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Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 4 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 1 qt. heavy cream
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 oz. white chocolate, melted, cooled slightly
- 1 qt. strawberries
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 2 round cake pans with cooking spray. Combine flour, cocoa, soda, and salt. At medium high speed beat butter and granulated sugar until smooth. Reduce speed to low. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined. Gradually beat in semisweet chocolate and water. (Batter will be thin.) Divide batter between pans. Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the centers comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pans 20 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely.
At medium speed beat cream and confectioners' sugar until slightly thick. Add melted white chocolate. Increase speed to medium high. Beat until stiff peaks form. Transfer 1 1/2 cup whipped cream to pastry bag fitted with large star tip; reserve.
Slice 2 cups strawberries. Place 1 cake layer on serving plate; spread with 2 cups whipped cream. Top with sliced strawberries. Place 1 cake layer on serving plate; spread with 2 cups whipped cream. Top with sliced strawberries. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread with remaining whipped cream. Pipe rosettes onto cake; garnish with remaining berries.
By Robin
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Strawberry Mousse Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 container (16 oz.) frozen sweetened strawberries, thawed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
- 1/2 cup cranberry juice cocktail
- 2 tsp. grated orange zest
- 3 containers (8 oz. each) frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 1 lb. fresh strawberries, trimmed, chopped, 2 cups
- 1 pkg. prepared graham cracker pie crust
- Additional fresh strawberries, optional
Directions:
In blender puree thawed strawberries and sugar; transfer to large bowl.
In microwave safe bowl, sprinkle gelatin over juice; let stand until softened, 5 minutes. Mixture will have a soft gumdrop like texture. Microwave on high in 10 second intervals, stirring occasionally, until dissolved. Stir gelatin mixture and zest into strawberry mixture. Whisk in 2 1/2 cup topping until blended.
Refrigerate until mixture is thick enough to mound, about 45 minutes. Fold in chopped strawberries. Spread in pie crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 8 hours or overnight. Transfer some of remaining topping to pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Starting from outside edge pipe topping in circular motion over pie. Refill bag as needed. Garnish with berries, if desired.
By Robin
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Strawberry Jam
Ingredients:
- 3 cups strawberries (crushed)
- 5 cups sugar
- Food coloring
- 3 tsp. vinegar
- 1 tsp. cooking oil
Directions:
Crush berries with a potato masher or bottom of a glass to get 3 cups. Put berries, sugar, and vinegar in large, heavy kettle. Stir into dissolve sugar. Cook until it boils hard. Add the cooking oil. Boil 10 minutes. Pour into a glass bowl. Add a little red food coloring. Let set overnight. Ladle into jars and freeze.
By Robin
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Mom's Strawberry Jam
Ingredients:
- 1 qt. fresh strawberries
- 4 cups sugar
- 2 Tbsp. vinegar
Directions:
Boil strawberries and vinegar for 3 minutes, then add sugar. Boil vigorously 6-8 minutes. Put in a crock and stir every now and then. Let stand 24 hours, then put in glass jars and seal without re-boiling.
By Robin
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Grandma's Bread & Butter Pickles
Ingredients:
- Cucumbers
- Onions
- 1-2 Tbsp. celery seed
- Boiling water
- 1-2 Tbsp. salt
Vinegar Preparation:
- 1 cup vinegar
- 1 cup sugar
Directions:
Slice any size cucumbers and large onions thinly. Add celery seed and salt. Pour boiling water over them and let stand until water cools; drain. Prepare vinegar - let come to a boil and place approximately 2 pints/1 quart cucumber mixture and boil again. Place hot pickles in sterile jars and seal. Repeat recipe until all cucumbers are canned. Let cool and store.
By Robin
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Other Active Topics
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http://www.thriftyfun.com/board.html
Tip Contest
Submit a tip and you could win:
New Contest Prize! Now a $50.00 Gift Card
In our newest contest we are giving away a $50.00 Gift Card 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! We figured it would be more valuable if you pick out your own prize, that's why we have decided to go the gift card route. This contest will end on April 15th.
Enter the contest!
Syndication Spotlight:
Here are some publishers that have chosen to publish our tips this week!
Dear Webby's Humor Letter
Webby publishes our tips daily! A very funny newsletter.
http://webby.com/humor
Do you publish a newsletter? Sign up for our Tip Syndication:
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New Requests:
Pajama Birthday Party for 7 Year Olds
I am having a pyjama party for my 7 year old daughter, this Saturday for 4pm to 7pm. We'll be having a pillow fight, blankets on the floor, a movie with popcorn as well as little make your own pizzas and healthy snacks. My dilemma is what kind of games and what do I get for loot bags for this age and theme... on a really tight budget?
Thanks,
Liz17 from Montreal
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Information About Spooling for Fly Thread
In a recent post about extra income, a guest poster named Alica said "I'm not sure what area you live in, but I live in the Midwest, where we have LOTS of rivers and lakes and fishing is quite
popular. I work at home for a fly company spooling their fly thread, it's just part-time." How would I find out more about this type of work?
SueWho2
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How to Keep Dogs out of Your Yard
We have a few dogs and so does my neighbor. We keep our dogs in kennels and i have 1 dog in the house that I have to walk on a leash in my own yard because the neighbors dogs come into my yard. When they do, my dog chases them down the road.
They use our yard as a potty and I have to clean their doo doos as well as our dog's. I've had it. I don't want to call the dog catcher. We've even tried talking to our neighbor! He refuses to do anything about it! I don't think it's fair that I keep my dogs under lock and his roam free.
They have even relieved themselves #1 and #2 on our deck! I'm fed up! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! We breed our dogs and had our dogs inside a fence and 1 of his dogs mated with 2 of ours. We had 2 litters of mixed breed pups because he crawled through our fence!
Erin
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Preventing Growth In Driveway Cracks
With the weather warming up in my area I am looking for something to use on my driveway cracks where the weeds come up. Last year I used Triox, but it smelled horrible for days and I was wondering if there is anything organic that I could use to prevent anything from growing in the cracks all summer?
Donna, MI
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Cleaning Books
I am looking for some advice (help) with cleaning books. These books have been in storage for 5 years and have had mice crawling all over them. There is mouse droppings and urine on them, some are old books and some are newer books. I am afraid that the older books will fall apart when I clean them.
Brian from NC
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Cleaning a Sofa Sleeper
I'm in the process of moving from my apartment to a bigger apartment, and I recently came across a couch that is in good condition. it's a sofa sleeper, and it has a "kinda old man" smell. I saw a show one time about cleaning an old couch, it required putting something on it and wrapping it in plastic.
Would anyone know what it is that I could put on it and wrap it in plastic? I would like to keep this couch and use it while I'm at this new place, sofa sleepers are expensive brand new.
Lori
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Non Toxic Rust Remover For a Resin Plastic Toilet
If anyone can help with a non toxic rust remover for my toilet. It is not porcelain. It is like a resin type plastic. The rust is hardened on and I do not like to use anything that is caustic or harmful.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
sandcrispies
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Cleaning Burnt Sediment Of Your Coffee Pot Burner
Does any one know how to keep or remove the burnt sediment off of your coffee pot burner?
kristy
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Always Blooming Flowerbeds
I had a neighbor who had the most beautiful flowerbed. Seemed like every week or something new came up to change the look of it. I always wondered what her secret planting method was. I'd love to know. Sharon, Ky
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Looking for a frugal solution to an everyday problem? Submit
your request here: Click Here
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
More Reading:
Strawberries & Cream Pie (with EASY No-Roll Pie Crust!)
By LeAnn R. Ralph
View Article: Click Here
The Wireless Home
By Mark J. Donovan
It was only a few years ago that Real Estate agents and Builders were promoting the "Wired" feature as a must have when buying a new home. Wired meant that the home not only had cable running throughout it, but also Cat-5 wire. Cat-5 wire consists of four pairs of wire that are sheathed into one bundle, and is used for interconnecting multiple computers and computer peripherals throughout the home. Electricians went to great length to run Cat-5 throughout new homes, and homebuyers paid a handsome premium for it. Now the latest buzz from the Computer and Networking world is, "Unwire Your Home", as the Computer/Internet world rapidly moves to wireless interconnections.
View Article: Click Here
Birthstones And Their Meanings
By A. Heath
A gift that incorporates birthstones is a thoughtful one for a
mother or grandmother, especially when a new baby has come into
the family. And of course, they make great birthday presents!
View Article: Click Here
Marriage Proposals -- Why Doing It Right Will Make All the Difference
By Debbie Overstreet and Susan Daniel
Proposing marriage to your beloved is a very big step. You get the ring, but then you don't know when, where, or how to actually pop the question. You want it to be an event that both of you will remember for a lifetime. Some things to consider are listed below.
View Article: Click Here
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