Gadabout Media

Random Household Tip: Towel Rack

Gayla Baer — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:31:17 +0000

Try replacing the bottom screws of your towel racks with cup hooks – This will provide a place to hang small towels or washcloths.

A Personal Journey To All Things Thrifty

Gayla Baer — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:07:55 +0000

Over the last year, my kids and I have learned to live life a little more on the frugal side – but still, I long for more.

I want to be one of those ladies I see on television who go to the checkout lane with a cart full of $300 worth of groceries and upon presenting her handful of coupons, the cashier asks for a shiny nickel to cover the cost.

I want to be one of those people!

Today I spent some quality time researching books on the art of couponing.

With my little Amazon Gift Certificate in mind, I set out to get the two best books I could find for FREE!

At the moment I anxiously await the arrival of the latest additions to my own library:

America’s Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money: Your Guide to Living Better, Spending Less, and Cashing in on Your Dreams

and

Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey: Save Big Money & Make the Grocery Aisle your Catwalk!

Surely I can find valuable information that will keep my money in my pocket!

Do you go to extraordinary measures to save your family money? What do you do and how can I do it too?

Are You a Savvy Traveler? Or Do You Overpack?

Mary Emma Allen — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:07:04 +0000

Luggage image: sxc.hu

Most of us overpack when traveling. We think we’ll need far more than we actually use while on a trip. I know I’ve been guilty of this. Gradually I’ve whittled down the clothes I take and have a couple of basic outfits that can be added to or subtracted from.

(I’ve always found it easier to pack for my husband, because he started with only basic outfits and one or two pairs of shoes!)

Since the airlines have been charging for those shipped bags (unless you’re in the frequent flyer category when they’re usually still free), I’ve tried to take only what will fit into my carry-bag and computer/business bag (and the same for hubby). I realized, when packing previously, I often had a number of items I didn’t wear. It was nice to have a back-up in case something was damaged or soiled beyond wearing. But this never happened. So I carried along stuff I didn’t need.

Here’s a good, quick-to-read article, How to Avoid Overpacking, that will give you some common sense basic tips.

Also a CD: Pack Your Bags! Tips & Tools for Savvy Travelers

Family Trips Before School Starts

Mary Emma Allen — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:59:08 +0000

A few days before my granddaughter left for college, she and her brother spent a fun day hiking together. They were pleased it didn’t rain as predicted, so they could hike to the highest waterfalls in NH’s White Mountains rather than going to the movies. They came home tired but exhilarated and with many photos to remember this day.

(They referred to AMC’s Best Hikes in the White Mountains before deciding where to go.)

I rode along recently when my daughter took my grandson to the orthodontist, an hour and a half drive each way. We came home the longer route, through the mountains, and had a great time traveling at a slower pace, enjoying the scenery and reminiscing about former trips to this area where my daughter once worked at a youth conservation job.

Many families have been taking short trips, often day trips in their local area, before the youngsters go back to school. What have you been doing for family fun before school starts?

(Hiking image: sxc.hu)

Exploring South Africa Through Soccer

Mary Emma Allen — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:29:52 +0000

Soccer World South Africa (Explore the World Through Soccer) opens up this country for kids and their parents.

Soccer Image: sxc.hu

It’s also recommended at Travel for Kids as a good resource if you plan to travel there. Travel vicariously if you aren’t planning to go to South Africa in the near future. Learn about the country and the sport of soccer there.

“Explore the World Through Soccer” is the subtitle and gives you Ethan’s view as he travels through South Africa playing soccer. You’ll gain insight into the country and into the role soccer plays there. Co-author Ethan Zohn (with David Rosenberg) is a soccer player and guides you through this country.

There also are activities you can do that are related to the country and soccer.

Have fun exploring!

Time for Preserving Travel Memories

Mary Emma Allen — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:08:48 +0000

I have so many photos, so many memories, so many different places I want to save in thought and pictures.

Traveling image: sxc.hu

But where do I find the time? That’s the question many travelers ask as the photos pile up (in actuality or stored in digital camera or computer) and those memories swirl around in their heads.

When we get home, the routine of our daily lives enters in, and the travel memories are put to one side. As I was sorting through files and boxes (getting ready for yard sales and our daughter’s family’s move to a home of their own), I realized I had even more memorabilia than I recalled. Now to find the time to do something with it.

Set aside 15 minutes each day to sort and organize. That all adds up in productivity.
Decide how you want to save. In a scrapbook, photo album, collage, altered books, on the computer. You may start with one phase, then move to others as you learn new techniques.
Plan one evening/afternoon a month to get together with family and/or friends to work on albums and travel journals.
Keep a travel journal, even if only a few jottings per day, as you travel. If you haven’t done this, begin jotting down memories, if only a few moments a day.
We can start with small blocks of time and don’t have to put off until we have an afternoon, a whole day or a week. Then the task won’t seem unsurmountable.

How do you preserve your travel memories?

A few tools of the trade:

Bonnie Zink — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:40:07 +0000

Some knitting supplies you might need:

Tools of the knitterly trade.

Knitting is one of the oldest hand crafts. Since, the year 1527, when the first knitting guild was created in Paris, men and women have been knitting for pleasure and for profit. Knitting creates cloth from threads and yarns by interconnecting loops using a pair of needles. Across the centuries knitters have come to rely on a few simple tools that has made the process of creating cloth easier. Here are a few simple tools that every knitter ought to have in his or her toolkit:

Yarn: Yarn comes in balls or skeins, also known as hanks. Yarns are available in varying weights, length, dye lot, and fibre content. Most patterns suggest a yarn that best pairs with the completed item to be knit. Ball bands are important. They tell the knitter how to care for the yarn and suggest a needle size to achieve the appropriate gauge for that yarn. Visiting a local yarn store, such as Prairie Lily Knitting and Needlework in Saskatoon, SK, will give you a glimpse into the yarns available to knitters.
Knitting Tools: Besides yarn, there are a number of tools available to knitters that make the process easier.
1. Knitting needles are the most obvious and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials. It is advisable to acquire the best needles that you can afford. The better the tool; the better the result.
2. End or needle protectors are rubberized caps that fit on the sharp end of a knitting needle. These protectors keep the knitting from falling off the end of the needle as well as protect the knitter from being stabbed by a wayward needle.
3. Sharp and compact scissors are a necessary tool to clip yarn.
4. Crochet hooks can help a knitter rescue a dropped stitch.
5. Darning needles are necessary to graft stitches and perform a number of darning and embellishment techniques.
6. Knitting needs to be measured. Rulers, seamstress tape measures, and other measuring tools are part of a knitter’s toolkit.
7. Stitch holders are necessary when a knitter needs to hold a group of stitches off the needles and continue working.
8. Various stitch patterns require tracking repeats. These are more easily accomplished with a set of good quality stitch markers. When in a pinch a simple paper clip will mark a place for increasing or decreasing along a row.
9. Storage bins are a must for every stash owner. Plastic bins keep the moisture away from yarns and the moths out. Bins are stackable, some are see through, and all will safely house and protect your yarn stash for years to come.
10. The Internet has fast become an invaluable tool in a knitter’s toolkit. The Internet offers knitting communities for tips and support. Knitting patterns for almost every type of project can be found through a few Google searches. Knitters can freely share and compare their completed objects and receive ideas for the next item to be cast on the needles. One of the most popular and useful internet communities is Ravelry: a community and pattern database where knitters from all over the world come to meet and discuss all things knitting.

Once you have the proper tools in your knitter’s tool box, the process will become more enjoyable resulting in expert knitting worthy of a guild presence.

Happy Stitching.

Bathroom Cleaning Tip: Bathroom Tile

Gayla Baer — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:37:37 +0000

Just as if you were rubbing wax onto a luxurious automobile, rub ordinary car wax onto your ceramic bathroom tile to clean and refinish.

Try letting it set for about 10 minutes then buff or polish to bring out a beautiful and sparkling clean shine.

Do Your Travel Photos Invade Others’ Privacy?

Mary Emma Allen — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:14:01 +0000

Do you think about your privacy and that of others when you’re posting photos on the Internet…on your blog, web

Cell Phone Camera; Image: sxc.hu

site or social media wall? Do you consider that someone else may not want their or their children’s photos up for everyone to see?

I’m very concerned about all the photos that are posted by parents, family members and friends of children and families on social media sites and blogs. It’s so easy for people without good intentions to seek out these people and children. Some people think I’m paranoid when I mention this. However, I consider it an invasion of privacy, when you post photos without permission.

(And with the advent of very small digital cameras and camera phones, it’s easy to take photos without the subjects noticing.)

One mom I work with said she no longer lets family members and friends take photos of her children. In fact, she’s stopped attending family gatherings and get-togethers with friends if she has any indication they will be taking photos. So many people don’t realize they should ask permission before posting photos. In many cases, they should get written releases. (I come from the journalism world where this is required by editors.)

I was told that this mom wasn’t considering her family and friends’ feelings when she refused to let them take photos, or when she didn’t attend gatherings. What about her feelings and concerns though? Perhaps they could discuss the situation and come to a happy medium. Taking photos for printed scrapbooks and for exchanging is one thing. Posting them on Internet sites is another.

I was shocked last year, after a family reunion, when one of the teens attending, posted posed and informal photos she took of children and adults on her FB wall. I know some of the people attending wouldn’t have wanted their photos on the Internet, neither posed family shots nor the informal ones. They thought photos were being taken for the traditional uses.

I also was surprised recently, after attending a cookout at friends’ home, to find that their teen daughter had posted photos of all of us on her FB wall and identified us. I’d seen her taking informal photos of the group but I thought it was for memories since one of the moms and her children were returning home in another state. I hadn’t realized the teen meant to post the photos.

When I attend a family function, a gathering at a friend’s home or a church function, I’d like to think formal and informal pictures won’t be blasted unexpectedly across the Internet. Even when you block your FB wall or hide tagged photos (as someone suggested), they still appear on someone else’s wall or site. And as we learn in this New York Times Magazine article, The Web Means the End of Forgetting, they’re actually there forever.

Do you give thought to your own and other people’s privacy when you post photos? Do you think about your children’s safety? Do you realize that legally you need other’ people’s permission? That you generally need a written release from parents of children? Do you want the whole world to have access to your privacy?

These are just some topics to consider and discuss as we’re caught up in the rapidly escalating world of the Internet and technology. Share your thoughts.

Kim Kardashian’s Perfume to Appear on “The Apprentice”

Eliza — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 22:38:22 +0000

For all those Kim Kardashian fans out there, you’ll be happy to hear that we’ll get a tiny slice of Kim on “The Apprentice” later this fall. Kim told everyone earlier on her website news:

My fragrance was the subject of one of The Apprentice tasks at the Perfumania chain in NYC and the episode will be airing in November!

No, Kim won’t actually appear on “The Apprentice,” however her newest perfume, ‘Kim Kardashian’s Eau De Parfum,” will be. In case you haven’t tried it, head on over to read Michelle’s review of it at: Celebrity Fragrances: Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Aniston.