Celebrating Life With Style

Celebrating our families and our lives is just as important as celebrating a birthday or a holiday. Many times we get caught up in the fast pace of life that moments which could be celebrated pass us by faster than we would like to admit.

There are many ways to celebrate - some examples we are very familiar with are birthday parties, celebrating a holiday, an anniversary, or a graduation. However, each day can be celebrated with style just by making small changes in our routine, i.e., by using special pottery pieces to serve our every day meals, preparing food in a new way and making it gourmet.

We can create the special feelings of hospitality, warmth, and welcoming in our own homes with our families and friends. Using chef-selected foods, beautiful table top products, wine accessories, and lovely home decor to make moments stylish and memorable can be very easy and uncomplicated.

Gourmet food preparation can be made simple by using sauces, seasoning mixes, flavoring syrups, spreads, and specialty toppings. Many people hear the word gourmet and think it must be complicated. There are chef inspired foods which make it quite easy to have gourmet foods at home. Some examples are: place two teaspoons amount of Mountain Berry Wasabi Mustard Spread in a pretty little bowl to use a dip for pretzels. Or, use the Wasabi when cooking salmon for delicious compliment. Also, mix together a can of fire roasted tomatoes, black beans, and shoe peg with a packet of Summer Salsa Seasoning Mix for a delicious dip with corn chips.

Home decor products help to add a little more style to your home along with a touch of comfort to your family. Place a Compliment Jar on an end table as a pretty decorative piece which also serves as jar for collecting compliments you write about a family member or a friend. Imagine the good feelings this could generate to those special persons about whom the compliments are written. What a wonderful tradition for uplifting the people we love.

Serving dinner can be so special when a little attentional is given to presentation. When you present your family with a delicious meal served on beautiful pieces, they are bound to ask who is coming for dinner. When you tell your family this meal is for you because you are special, what an incredible relationship building moment.

Celebrating with style does not have to be complicated. Take a little time to celebrate each day with style!

Women are the Executives of their Homes. Everyday living includes taking care of the home, the children, a husband and a job, whether inside or outside the home. Visit http://home-executive.com/ for helpful information on making your life as the Executive of your Home a little bit easier.

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Use Crown Moulding To Decorate Simple Homes

If you want to decorate your home with beautiful architectural designs, you can choose crown moulding. These decorations have intricate designs and can be easily installed on the ceiling and the walls.

Different Designs Available

In traditional homes, decorations for the ceiling and walls would be made out of wood. Such items are very heavy and difficult to install especially at the ceiling. Nowadays, intricate ceiling medallions and wall decorations are available in lighter materials which are easy to fix. You can check on the internet for manufacturers of different home decoration items. By installing ceiling decorations and crown moulding, you can make your plain and simple home look exquisite. You can check the website of the manufacturer for the different designs available which make ordinary homes into special ones.

There are a wide variety of designs and colors available, so you can choose an appropriate decoration as per the size of the room. The color of the room is important to select an appropriate wall and ceiling decoration. It is a good idea to choose decorations for the walls according to the ceiling decoration. The wall decorations are available in the form of strips which can be easily fixed on the wall where it meets the ceiling. The decorations have to be fixed with the help of a strong adhesive. You can choose crown moulding with floral designs or geometric patterns as per your choice.

After selecting an appropriate design, you can place an online order for the decorations. You can choose both ceiling and wall home décor items if you want your home to look ornate. Otherwise, you can install only wall decorations along the ceiling on all four walls to beautify the interiors of the room. Generally, homeowners select ornate home furnishing only in special areas of their home like the sitting or dining area. Such decorations help separate the area from the rest of the house and also give the space a special touch. It is important to consult an interior designer who can suggest the right size, color, and design of the ceiling and wall decorations so that room looks beautiful. You can pay for the selected item online by your credit or debit card or via PayPal online payment.

Items are Easy to Clean and Maintain

The company takes the responsibility of shipping crown moulding to the desired location for which delivery charges have to be paid by the client. If there is an outlet of the company in your city, you can ask the dealer to deliver the item at the desired address. Especially, bulky items like decorative columns which are used to make the balcony and porch look attractive are easy to deliver from nearby outlets. Although these home decorations are bulky, they are not as heavy as wooden columns and ceiling decorations. Also, the costs of fiber decorations are less than their wooden counterparts and are easy to clean and maintain. You can check the costs of the different decorations displayed on the site and choose an exquisite design which is suitable for your home and budget.

By selecting crown moulding and other home decorations, you can improve your home interiors at reasonable costs.

Use Crown Moulding of suitable color and design to decorate the walls of your home. Choose Ceiling Medallions which are lightweight and easy to install.

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Fun and Easy Art Projects for Kids

Most children simply love to create art projects. Drawing, painting, and making crafts tend to be fun activities for children and wonderful methods to practice small motor skills and coordination. One added advantage is the fact that once your child learns to love art from a young age it becomes an appreciation that can be carried throughout the remainder of their life. If you'd like to help your child exercise his or her creative skills whilst enjoying a great time, here's two fun and easy art projects to try.

Art Utilizing the Hand

If you want a craft project that's fun, fast and inexpensive, it's hard to beat hand art. All you need is a pad of paper, a box of crayons, and your child's hand. The first thing to do is to take a crayon and trace around your own hand onto a piece of paper. Then, use your creativity to transform your hand tracing into something entirely different. Although most people have traced their hand and transformed it into a turkey during the Thanksgiving season as a child, there are plenty of other creative and fun things you can do. One example would be to draw a face within the palm portion and then make the fingers into a spiked hairdo. You might like to turn your paper upside-down after making the hand tracing. The fingers might become a space monsters legs or even an insect. This can be a creative and cheap way for you to spend an afternoon. Make sure that you take a couple of the child's favorite hand tracing pictures and display them in picture frames.

Paper Towel "Tie Dye" Project

Your youngster can create numerous pieces of dyed artwork through the use of some plain white paper towels, water, some rubber bands or twist-ties, paper clips, a few small bowls, plus some watercolor paints. Start by placing a vinyl tablecloth or plastic drop cloth over the table to protect the surface. Fold a plain white paper towel in a fan-fold fashion. Then, use the rubber bands, twisty-ties or paper clips to restrict the folds in a few areas. Pour a small amount of water in each bowl. Add a different color of watercolor paint to every bowl while using the brush. Dip different parts of the folded paper towel into every color. The paper towel absorbs the colored paints, and the locations that have the paper clips, rubber bands, and twist ties will remain white. When you have added enough different colors, blot the folded towel gently with clean paper towels to remove excess moisture. Then, take off the rubber bands, twisty-ties and paper clips to disclose the tie dye thing of beauty. Lay your beautiful creation flat to dry. You can also cover the painted paper towel using a clean paper towel and iron it to eliminate the folds. This beautifully colored tie dye art looks nice when displayed in picture frames, adding plenty of color and design to your room.

With some new ideas to try, have some fun getting your child going on an excellent project. Be sure to frame the end product so that it can be proudly displayed!

Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames. Display your favorite photos in one of our black 5x7 picture frames. Shop online and see our fashionable picture frames now or call 800-780-0699.

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Post College Survival Techniques

Clearing college comes with a feeling of achievement and relief for many after years of toil, late night studying and exams. Everybody leaves with the promise that comes with graduating; well paying jobs, financial independence and all the time in the world to do whatever you want. However this bubble quickly bursts when you realize that life out there is actually very difficult. The promise quickly turns to days of foreboding as jobs are harder to come by. Below are a few tips that can help you make this post college experience easier.

Avoid Debts
The credit cards booths installed in colleges are there for a reason; to make you spend. The college days are full of fun especially the numerous parties, camp outs and hikes. There is the silent war that is always in campuses, with competitions on who has the latest gadgets, shoes bags and the rest. You might graduate with thousands of dollars in credit card debts for things you could have done without. The trick is to avoid using the credit card as much as possible except for serious emergencies only. Note that latest pair of high heels is not an emergency at all. Opt for buying stuff using cash as it is far much more painful to hand over a stash of hundreds than a simple card swipe.

Take any Job
While many dream of landing a job the moment they graduate, this is very far from the truth. Jobs are very hard to come by, even the low paying ones. Getting a post college job in your field of interest may not be that easy. Since you need loose cash to take care of small expenses, it is recommended that you settle for any job that shows up to help pay your bills as you seek a better job elsewhere. As you seek your dream career, that shift at the restaurant will teach you a lot about working hard, interacting with people, saving money and organizing your time.

Keep contact
It is important to keep your inner circle of friends after college. Here are friends in campus that you were close with, and you would help each other out in the hard times. At this point in life, it is very important to know that the post college depression and stress you are facing is universal as been alone can be very depressing. You can meet up and exchange experiences.

Grad Schools
Though the idea of more studying does not appeal to many after years of grueling study, a grad course is not a bad idea after college. Though you may be cash strapped, may grad schools will offer tuition scholarships.it usually takes two or three more years, a period which can easily be wasted at home. Other than increasing your chances of getting a well paying job, it saves you the post college stress of hanging around the house trying to figure out what to do.

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Making A Statement With Your Flooring Renovation

There are several home renovations that you can do in your home that will make a statement. One of them for certain is your choice of flooring. No matter what you choose when initiating a flooring renovation in your home makes sure that the change reflects your family and lifestyle. Taking these things into consideration allows you to have flooring that will with stand the beating your family will put the floor through and will make sure that you love the look of it because it will be with you, hopefully, for an extended periods of time.

Flooring can be a good chunk of a room renovation. It is advisable that if you have the money you complete all flooring renovations when you purchase your home before you move into it. This type of renovation becomes much more of a hassle as you live in your home and accumulate the goods a household does over time.

There are so many types of flooring available today how do you choose? This is all personal preference. Look at what is the most important item to you when looking into this renovation. Are you worried about function? Do you need the flooring to last forever? Are you looking for something comfy to be under foot? Would you like something more modern? Are you concerned with resale? All these things will help you narrow down your choice in flooring materials.

Option With Flooring and Benefits and Drawbacks

Laminate flooring is a great option for families with small children and pets. It is the same look as hardwood without the expense and upkeep. You don't have to worry about the moisture and scuffing that happens with real hardwood. Laminate is maintenance easy too. If you sweep and mop regularly you will avoid the dirt lying around to scratch the laminate. Of course there are consumers who don't like faux material. If you are in the market to sell you might choose a different material to appeal to the masses. It is definitely possible upon inspection to tell that laminate is laminate not hardwood. This could be a disadvantage for some people.

Hardwood flooring is a very versatile well liked material to use in flooring renovations. In is incredibly valuable to the resale of your home, easy to repair and can be maintained fairly easy. It is a material that will stand the test of time. However, it is expensive to purchase and if you have animals be careful because their nails will scratch the surface. Hardwood floors are also not the best place to sit and get comfortable so make sure if you have wood floors in your living space and small children get ready to purchase a throw rug.

Cork flooring is good for homes that the subfloor is uneven as it is easy to be installed on all types of surfaces. It is an all natural material and fits within the ethical flooring range. It holds sound well and is a perfect material to use as an insulator. Disadvantages include that it does require maintenance. If you don't seal the cork flooring every five years it can lose its waterproof quality and can also be stained more easily then if treated. Sharp objects can puncture the seal so that is also something to consider when laying a cork floor.

Carpet flooring is very versatile and has a great number of styles, colors and textures to choose from. Carpet is easy to install and comes in various price ranges to fit into all budgets and lifestyles. You do need to keep up on regular maintenance which includes steam cleaning bi-yearly and spot cleaning when necessary. It is a wonderful flooring option if you have young family members who spend a lot of time playing on the floor.

Vinyl flooring is inexpensive and fairly easy to install. It does require an even clean surface for installation. The one thing is that vinyl wears down and loses it sheen quickly. It is best used in rooms that don't receive a great deal of traffic or that wear is not necessarily a huge issue such as mudrooms and basements.

Ceramic flooring is great for the easy of cleaning and resilience. It is very strong but can be cracked if something heavy is dropped on it. Installation is normally fairly straight forward. The ceramic tiles can be purchased in various colors and is family friendly. Ceramic works well in kitchen/dining areas and bathrooms for its ability to repel the moisture that those rooms often attract.

Flooring renovation options are really a personal choice and should be made with your family in mind. If you have a pool and wet kids running in and out all day carpet and hardwood are most likely not great choices for you. However if you are a home with older children who are more careful and don't tend to spill carpet and hardwood are great options that look beautiful and tend to hold for long periods of time under normal use and conditions.

If you have enjoyed this article on flooring renovations from Kevin Germain at CPS visit our website http://www.jfcremodeling.com/ today where you will find useful information on our flooring renovations.

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How to SAVE Money on Rising ENERGY Costs!

A Sunny Future for Household Energy?

Homeowners and renters alike will no doubt be worried about the news that energy company Swalec is the third firm since June to increase its household electricity and gas rates. The company, part of Scottish and Southern Energy, is, amongst other things, blaming the wholesale price of energy in order to justify the rise, which will mean that the cost of household electricity will increase by 11% and gas will rise by 18% in September.

Why is the cost of household energy increasing?

Quite simply Swalec has had to increase its prices because, it says, the wholesale cost of energy has increased, the price of electricity has increased by 23% and gas by 40% since the last price-increase by the company in 2008. The cost of distributing energy has also increased by 14% according to estimates by Ofgem. Finally energy companies state that government implemented schemes such as the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and the Warm Home Discount that require capital investment by energy suppliers is increasing their costs.

What will the effect on households be?

About 5.2 million electricity customers and 3.6 million gas customers could be affected by these changed across the UK. An increase in out going bills could tip more homeowners into the red in an already struggling market where more and more people are finding it difficult to keep up to date with their mortgage repayments. In particular people on pay-freezes and pensions will be hit hardest as their income will fail to meet the rising cost of living in Britain. Ofgem have estimated that, based on the average household fuel consumption, duel fuel bills could increase to £1,265 a year. Since the announcement the company has stated that another increase in the cost of electricity and gas will not occur again until August 2012 at least. Although the news comes as little comfort to the families now contemplating the idea of having to struggle to pay bills that are continuing to rise.

What are the alternatives to just accepting the rising cost of fuel for your home?

With the cost of electricity and gas rising, the return on investing in home-generated heating and electricity is greater than ever and thanks to the government's feed-in tariff there has never been a better time to invest in renewable home-energy generation. Solar panels in particular are a great option for homeowners with the money to invest.

Is it a good time to invest in solar panels?

Yes. Previously factors such as the amount of sunlight your roof gets or the amount of time you plan on spending in your current home could have put people off investing in solar panels, but thanks to advances in technology and an increase in the volume of sales the cost of installing solar panels has dramatically decreased. A solar panel installer commented that after being in the business for five years, the prices have been continuously decreasing: today a system of PV solar panels that cost £20,000 just two years ago would now cost £13,000. In addition inflation means that you get an even higher return through feed-in tariff payments, which works out at a guaranteed annual return of around 10% depending on how it is calculated.

Across the market the cost of installing solar panels is rapidly decreasing with reduced prices recorded in large UK solar companies such as Solarcentury and British Gas. On top of which the panels themselves are 10% more efficient so you get more for your money. Industry expert, Wondrausch, suggests that now is the time to invest in alternative electricity and hot water home generation, in particular solar panels. So whether or not the future of household energy looks sunny or expensive, the truth is becoming more and more apparent - renewable energy is the only future that will be sustainable - for the environment and for our purse strings.

Kieron Bolton, Director of propertyadviceblog.com invites you to visit our website to find UK Mortgage Brokers who can offer today's Best Buy mortgage products at the lowest possible rates. You can also compare over 5000 Conveyancing Solicitors, hundreds of Home Insurance providers and learn more about making your home energy efficient to save money on your Energy Bills. By visiting our site you'll receive a FREE copy of 'The Essential Property Ebook" together with Free impartial property Advice for all your property and real estate needs.

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Burried Alive

Hoarding is an old disease which is on the increase everywhere around the world.

Compulsive accumulation does not discriminate, it strikes rich and poor, thin or obese. There are people who live in houses worthy of millionaires, which they filled with objects from top to bottom. Compulsive accumulation has captured the imagination of many people in A certain Canadian city last September, while a low-rent high-rise building was devastated by fire. Reports have also revealed that the public health department of the City had already expressed its concerns about the building where the fire started and had even ordered the complete cleaning of 20 of those apartments in the same building because of fire hazard reasons.

What causes people to become Hoarders?

This behavior is known as an obsessive-compulsive disorder. The sufferer builds up and is unable to get rid of various objects, which among normal people, could be deemed unnecessary. Compulsive accumulation can interfere with the normal operation of a house you cannot prepare food in the kitchen, sleep in your bed or use your bath because they are literally filled with objects. Finally, the compulsive accumulation exposes the sufferer and his family into considerable emotional pressure. The problem may not bother the person who is affected; however, it can cause anxiety among people who live under the same roof. What is it that causes a certain person to fill her home from top to bottom with objects enough to render it unsafe and uninhabitable? There is no absolute answer to this question. The first researches on this condition started only about 10 years ago. The experts, however, identifies several possible causes, including an obsessive-compulsive disorder, a loss or deep mourning, or a misconception of the real value of things.

Some solutions.

Unfortunately, hoarders are rarely seeking help. They often have little awareness of their problem. The majority of them do not see any problems living in a house filled with objects from the cellar to the attic. Some may even feel shame, and even had to suffer the reproaches of their family members, who could no longer take it anymore, who criticized them and even moved elsewhere because they could no longer live under those conditions. More advertising to publicize the affective disorder, especially thanks to two reality shows helped bring the problem to light. It all helps to encourage people to call for help. A woman on one of those reality show had two young children, her house was a real fire hazard place and unfit for children to live in. She was told by authorities to clean up or her children would be taken away from her. Guess what! They removed her children from her and she decided to keep her objects and let the children go. (this is how deep this problem is for those affected people. No easy solutions to this problem. This is a hard thing to comprehend. Throwing any of their things away will breaks their hearts! They really need help, but most of the time will refuse help. For the family, its like being buried alive, your life is put on hold. That is why the name of one reality show is called Burried Alive. Professional organizers do not have all the experience necessary to help compulsive accumulators. Those who can know that it's not enough to empty the house, put everything away and make it livable or soluble. We need to see things differently, to obtain harm reduction. Not allow objects to land on the stove or in the bathtub and bring the site at a level of cleanness and safety that complies with certain standards.

Finding help.

Rid the place of these items usually causes an intense despair among those affected. The relatives of these people should also not attempt to put order in secret, without the main interested person knowledge. This approach can be incredibly traumatic for those affected and researched has revealed that it does not work, often a trauma like this can cause medical problems, physical or cause serious mental health problems. You cannot carry out surprise attacks. It is recommended to work with a professional organizer, together with a therapist, so that the person can receive psychological support to overcome his or her problem and also benefits from concrete help to put some order in his or her life. The people living with such a person must be supported also. We must help them to practice techniques to encourage the person who suffers from compulsive accumulation without rejecting that person.

Rodolphe Cote is a Canadian he is a free lance design draftsman who also wrote many internet articles about various subjects including an article about the 17 year emergence of cicadas an insect that most people do not know much about. He is now doing internet marketing. His website is Rudys Health Products

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Eco-Friendly School Shopping

"I would buy you a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils:" One of my favorite lines from a slightly-cheesy movie, You've Got Mail, due to the fact it highlights what used to be one of my favorite times of year. Yes, as an extremely nerdy child, the finish of summer brought a slight sense of sadness but also excitement over gathering up school supplies and finishing up my summer reading list (like I stated, I was a nerd!).

A huge distinction in shopping lists since my days at school is the emphasis on eco-friendliness. With a growing emphasis on environmental awareness in school curriculums (a lot of schools now have their own gardens!), it only makes sense that parents and students seek out "green" items for their back-to-school shopping.

And although your child could not attend school's as environmentally progressive as Bali's Green School, there are nonetheless plenty of factors to do to make back to school a green event:

Go back to school with bamboo! Investing in this sustainable resource is especially valuable for the college-bound as bamboo clothing and bamboo sheets are wrinkle-free possibilities that call for fewer washings than traditional fabrics. Think of all of the water and quarters saved!

Select an eco-friendly backpack and/or laptop bag. These goods are toxic-free, PVC-free, chlorine-free, carry no ozone-depleting chemicals and are clean to recycle.

Decide on your paper wisely. If you're lucky enough to attend a laptop-equipped school, then you're already saving reams of paper. However, if pen and pad are nonetheless necessary, make sure to purchase notebooks made from recycled paper (look for FSC certified paper if achievable). And keep your fingers crossed that one day soon, this eco-friendly rewritable paper is going to be widely accessible for students!

Even laptops have their drawbacks. Although they undoubtedly minimize waste, the trade-off is an increase in energy use. Make sure to turn off laptops when not in use to conserve energy and try your hardest to buy electronics from firms that implement green initiatives like Dell's commitment to use locally-sourced packaging for their goods.

Pack a smart lunch! Choose local and organic ingredients whenever you can and always use a reusable lunch box and water bottle. Take it one step further and use a bamboo water bottle from a company that purchases carbon offsets as part of their manufacturing process.

Is your school close? Whenever feasible, walk or bike together with your child to school. And while the large yellow bus might not seem the most eco-friendly, it's basically car-pooling for young children and will lessen the amount of cars en route to schools not to mention the number of idling vehicles waiting to drop youngsters off. Plus it is a great way for children to get to know one another, so if at all possible, head to the bus stop!

Go Solar! Think of how many batteries your child will go through with calculator usage for years of math classes, no matter whether they're calculating sums or just spelling out funny words on them. Obtain a solar-powered calculator for school and save a lot of money and waste!

Douglas Michaels Jr. writes educational articles for Green Earth News, the authority on everything Bamboo. For more information on Green School. Check out Green Earth Bamboo for bamboo sheets, bamboo clothing, duvet covers, towels and baby products, all made from the world's most sustainable and renewable resource on the planet.

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How to Equip Your Kids for a Day in the Sun

If you learn your children are going to be out in the sun for any length of time, I'm sure that you're going to be concerned about the exposure and what it can do to the health of your family. After all, many of us are concerned about the increase that is seen in skin cancer and other serious problems that occur as a result of overexposure to the sun. When you are going to be out and about in such a way, reach for the right type of clothing instead of for the sunscreen. Why is this so important?

First of all, the right type of clothing can provide the protection that is necessary from the sun for your children without making them uncomfortable. In fact, much of the swimwear and other clothing that is available can provide 50+ SPF protection without compromising the ability for your skin to breathe.

The different types of clothing that are available which can produce this effect includes hats, swimwear, active wear and almost any other clothing that could be worn out in the sun. There is also another reason that you may want to be concerned, however, about the type of protection that you were giving to your children.

Although it is not generally discussed, it is important for you to understand that if you're putting some type of sunscreen on your child, you are actually putting an unnatural chemical onto their skin. Although it may help to keep them from getting sunburned, there is also some speculation as to what these chemicals are doing to your child's skin as well. You certainly would not want to leave your child completely exposed to the sun, so that is why it is important to make sure that you are protecting them with clothing as much as possible. You may still need to use some sunscreen on occasion, but by providing the right type of sun protective clothing for them, you cut down on the amount of exposure that they have to sunscreen.

If you are going to the beach and plan on being active, it may also be to your benefit to get sun protective clothing that also has rash guard characteristics as well. There is nothing quite like the rash that is experienced when you go skidding across the sand after a wipeout. When you take a look around at some of the items that are available, it might surprise you with exactly how stylish they are while at the same time, giving you the protection that you need. These items can also be combined for babies with swim diapers, providing the ultimate in convenience when you are in the water.

It doesn't matter which family member you are trying to protect, one of the best things that you can do when they are going to be out in the sun is to get them UV clothing and make sure that they wear them. When you make the right choice in UV clothing, it is comfortable, breathable and can be worn all day long without any difficulty. Best yet, it will allow them to enjoy the outdoors without you having to worry about their health and the health of their skin.

Ethan Howekamp is the author of this article, and is always equipped with a rash guard and swim diapers when he takes his kids to the beach.

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From the Grocery Store to Your Home

Transporting your freshly purchased foods from a nearby grocery store or butcher shop is usually not a questionable issue under normal circumstances however what happens if you must drive an hour or two to reach your home with your purchase?

My wife and I often shop at the local military base with is about an hour's ride from our home. In the winter months this short distance may present no particular problems involving keeping our food in a safe and comfortable condition however during the summer season these various fresh or frozen meats can quickly deteriorate and spoil.

To prevent that from happening we have explored several solutions to the problem. The first and perhaps the least expensive remedy was to purchase a supply of thermal insulated bags to keep the cold products in a cold state until we reached home. Actually, in the middle of the blazing summer heat these are not bad items to take shopping with you even if going 15 minutes from home.

The second solution would be to employ a cooler similar to those used during the summertime to keep drinks cold. The only problem with this is that often frozen items do not fair well on the long trip home.

Several years ago we purchased a small cooler/refrigerator specifically to keep food cool during emergency trips in our BOV. Since our bug out vehicle was an SUV, it came equipped with a 12 volt outlet in the very back of the car where we would plug the cooler unit in. It was approximately the same size as most medium size coolers and had a switch to select either hot or cool temperatures.

One quick hint to try in cases such as these is several hours prior to going on your trip make what is known as freezer bricks. These are squares of ice that will maintain a cold cooler as you travel. After purchasing your food stack the freshly purchased foods between them to maintain the freezing process. If you do not have anything to make the bricks with try using plastic drink bottles or possibly Tupperware containers. I have used this technique years ago and it worked out fine. In a pinch you can even drink the frozen water from the bottles when it thaws out. They are great when you use those individual packs of drink mix to flavor them.

This idea is not only good for those times when you go shopping but also for when you are traveling for pleasure. By doing this the food will last you well into several days of your trip. You can also use gallon freezer bags to make blocks of ice which will extend the cold environment another 14 hours.

As a last solution you could place a slushy ice mixture in your cooler. If you decide to take this route be certain that all your foods are enclosed in air tight and waterproof containers. You don't want water getting into your cold foods.

Copyright @2011 Joseph Parish
http://www.survival-training.info/

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Remembering Loved Ones On All Soul's Day

First Recall

What usually comes into our minds when the month of November in the Philippines is approaching? Is it the long holidays? Travel? Family reunions? Or the memories of our departed love ones? All Saints Day celebrated every 1st of November and All Souls' Day a day after.

In this fast and 'instant' age where internet, communication gadgets and various events from the past month compete with our attention with family traditions and events, remembering our loved ones in the cemetery or memorial parks seemed quite a challenge nowadays. It really takes our precious time to spend in the place where the departed are laid to rest. More if your current location is far from where there are buried. It's either boring or time-consuming.

A Different Get-Together

Yesterday, November 1, All Saints Day my husband's immediate family members headed by my mother-in-law and siblings led the preparation in visiting her departed husband, their brother, nephew, grandmother, mother and even cousin-in-law all in one place which looked like a garden from a distance. We went there before lunch and from then on relatives begin to arrive and an instant reunion took place. Not to mention computer games and indoor games co-existed in the said event for the dead. Ironically in my mind there is not a bit of excitement staying in the cemetery. Worst, I am not in favor of staying even there for a short while in a place surrounded by tombs and graves.

Out of the laughter and the usual greetings, chats and updating of what's going on in the family affairs, I was tasked to take pictures of each love ones' tombs. I find it quite morbid and melancholic as I am used to taking lively and colorful photos before.

Bring to Mind Love Ones Who Went Ahead

Never did I realize that there was a deeper reason to be more than just taking pictures of tombstones. It's made me remember that these people once roamed the place where I am standing and now they're at least six feet below the ground locked in a cold and lonely cemented box. It is morbid to think about tombs anyway. But beyond the melancholy of it all, it made me think and remember that the very reason most of the people who are visiting the dead are not just there to pay a visit but it is a way of expressing their love despite of the reality that the very people they come to visit cannot and will not be able to interact and exchange greetings with them anymore. Such unconditional love that brings them back to visit their departed love ones, exerting efforts to even clean the tomb's surrounding even if the grass are more than six feet tall. Still the effort to beautify the place and even put flowers is there. That is on top of the usual scheduled family get together.

I passed by a lonely looking tomb without any usual decorations but a certain old woman sat and quietly stayed beside the grave. I don't know what was she thinking or contemplating but what I've understood was her act of love was louder more than any words she might have spoken from a distance. Something touched my heart witnessing the old woman sat beside her love ones' grave.

Insensitive To Remember

How insensitive I was. I even forget the memory of my own departed family members even. Was so selfish to think more of the convenience compared to even spare some time this time thinking and reminiscing how they loved and took care of me. I asked myself, what if I am in this place now. How will my children remember me at this time of the year? Will they have the time to recall or even visit my place of rest?

A radical person like me sometimes need to be reminded that there is a need to be deep-seated with family values especially in calling to mind people who were part of my life and who were instrumental in making who I am now. Honoring our departed loved ones is something that I need to teach my children as well. But what can I give if I don't have that mind set of remembering the people who went ahead of us? Remembering our loved ones is not only just remembering but it is a way to honor them.

After the quick self-assessment, I thank God for his love is everlasting...He gave me the opportunity to reset my mind set on the issue on remembering family members and friends who were once a blessing to me. How ungrateful I am, I realized. But thanks be to God, I was given another chance to change the way I think.

Choose To Honor

For this two-day experience of mine immersed in a place called cemetery, it did not only reminded me of the need to be grateful and thoughtful but was able to improve my selflessness attitude which is an essential of true love.

And most of all, was able to come across with the recollection of God's great love in unselfishly giving His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die for me in the cross and gave me another chance to live a life full of blessings and unmerited favor. That I was once 'dead' spiritually and separated from His grace. That I was no different from the very departed loved ones but because of His love, God remembered me even before I came to this world.

Remembering to honor is respect. He's love for us and the need for us to love is worth remembering, day after day in our lives.

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