What should we do with all the stuff we have in our house if we do not have enough storage space or closet? Should we simply close our eyes and throw it or should we buy decorative boxes to hide? This seems to be my biggest problem. Waiting company and so I tried to clean, but I still run into the same problem I had for a long time. I have new items that I want to read the paperwork, I want to finish, some form of art or computer project that I want to work on, or things that I brought from the shop that I have laying around the living room or dining room. As I begin to clean, I must first do something with all these “extras.” Then I began to collect everything and take it to “table” in my room where nobody goes, but me and my husband. The problem with that is that whenever I have company, which is always where the “extras” and eventually “the table is now piled so high that I forgot some of the mess below . Well, now I have to put it all away but I have nowhere to put it. This is one of the greatest challenges of my life. I wish I had more space to keep things that are important to me, but my house is simply not big enough. So I have to decide what I want to keep and what I need to throw. Unfortunately, many years of marriage and education have left me way too much to store. This leads to problems with parts of my house is a mess, even if the “stuff” is very important to the family, and many plans and projects that are left unattended, but must be taken. Examples of some of the things I’ve collected this year: the birthday cards from my children, Valentine and birthday cards from my wife and new clothes that do not need to return to the store. I have a box of memories of my children and 12 years of photos I started to sort of Christmas presents for each of my children. I have not finished the job but I still “Plan” to get it. There is a bag of baby clothes for a baby shower, plus a bag of clothes (some new and still have price tags on them), another bag of gently used clothing and assorted stuff that I made to give away to charity. All these things always end up in my room every time the company has, somehow, they never caught they belong to or taken from my room. Let us discuss my plan. I have not finished the job but I still “plan” to get it. There is a bag of baby clothes for a baby shower, plus a bag of clothes (some new and still have price tags on them), another bag of gently used clothing and assorted stuff that I made to give away to charity. All these things always end up in my room every time the company has, somehow, they never caught they belong to or taken from my room. Please read further in the second part of this series.
You are currently browsing all posts tagged with 'Part'
This Year’s Selection of Christmas Mobiles – Part Two
Following on from my previous article, where I was providing insights below influential in the mobile phone market at Christmas, we Äôll now focus on three of my five top picks for late this year. Apple iPhone (8GB exclusive O2) Apple, the prestige of the AM in the computer and the world of music through his iPod seems to have translated well in the mobile phone industry. Despite the iPhone, specifications aos drawing fire for being a little late, with 2 megapixel camera, compared to 3. 2 or 5 megapixel phones offer more to the party – and no 3G data – it still holds its own with an innovative touch interface. It also doubles as one of the players most ubiquitous MP3, recently, the iPod. With the latest iPod MP3 player means that the user-unfriendly media functions of other mobile phones are overshadowed by this phone. The iPhone has other unique features such as dimming the backlight when it detects that the user has the phone to the face in a call and be able to watch videos in widescreen on its 3. 5in screen simply by pressing the phone on its side. While in no way perfect, the iPhone is a very stylish mobile phone and credibility that many people find attractive. LG KU990 Viewty (All Networks) The LG ÄúViewty, Au, like her, to aos other even a little crazy named models – Shine Slide, chocolate? ” – Is drop dead gorgeous. The design is in cahoots with the iPhone, the adoption of a large touchscreen for keyboard and slim design. Many hail this phone as what the iPhone should have been, with a 5 megapixel camera and even DivX video playback. It seems so similar to the iPhone that could be his twin. As this, the camera, aos video function is a nice addition and potentially hilarious in that it can shoot video at 120fps, meaning that when playing you get perfect playback in slow motion. The phone can also take MicroSD memory cards that are becoming the industry standard with sizes up to 8 GB for photos, music and video. With only a few years in the industry under his belt, LG has quickly made an impression. Its mobile phones are designed specifically for the style conscious, so that Prada has lent its name to one of the previous iterations of this model. With its perfect balance of style and substance, the future of LG in the mobile sector seems positive. SonyEricsson K850i (O2, Orange) SonyEricsson has always been a slight advantage in the mobile market. Being from two technology companies equally successful, and Sony Ericsson, it has had much experience to draw upon. This was evident in its Walkman phone range delay, and the Cybershot from which this device is the latest version. The K850i is like many other handsets with a camera phone with 5 megapixels, so the pictures are guaranteed superior quality. It also has both Xenon and LED flash and a BestPic function, so there is never a bad picture again. While not strictly a Walkman phone, it still works competently as an MP3 player with the ability to download podcasts and favored by high rates of speed HSDPA data. Like most other mobiles in these articles, it is fully functional 3G phone with a pinhole camera on the front of the phone for video calls. The keyboard, while inventive, has received mixed reviews with some people claiming the keys are too small and the directional pad integrated into the keyboard a little awkward. Despite what the phone is still attractive to come in two color ways: black with silver and light green with dark blue velvet. So this is just a selection of the many feature packed mobile phones on offer on pay monthly and pay as you go mobile phone tariffs. Now more than ever, owners of phones are able to get great deals on equipment that will replace many of our old players and MP3 digital cameras, and our mobile phones. With one hand many phones also offer cashback is now as good a time as any to upgrade to mobile news. So treat yourself this Christmas and see the offers of mobile phones on offer!
Bird World – Part 3
The Cowbird Molothrus bonariensis of North America is a pure parasite. During the breeding season it is very promiscuous, mating quite randomly and not forming lasting pairs. The female lays her egg in the nest of a smaller bird and, as with the Cockoo, the Cowbird’s egg hatches before the others in the nest, the nestling grows faster and soon starves its nest-mates out even if it does not actually crowd them out. During the summer months, the Cowbird is usually to be seen following, or even riding on, sheep and cattle to catch the insects disturbed by their feet.
Many of the whydah groups are also nest parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of the small waxbills. Not only do their eggs resemble those of the waxbill, their young have the same markings in their mouths as young waxbills as it is by these markings that the parent birds identify where to put the food and without them the nestling whydahs might starve. Only the male Long-tailed Window Bird, or Whydah, Diatropura progne has the long black tail from which it gets its name.
The Fantails are a group of nearly forty species of closely related birds found only in south-eastern Asia, the south-western Pacific and some Australasian regions. They are relatedto the Old World fly catchers and are easily recognized by their habit of cocking their tails. The Rufous Fantail Rhipidura rufifrous is shown here on its nest, fanning its tail. It is found in Australia, the Solomons, New Guinea and a few other islands, in a variety of habitats, including jungle, scrub and mangrove swamps.
The European Wren Troglodytes troglodytes , the only species occurring in Europe, is known in North America as the Winter Wren to avoid confusion with the other nine species found there. It is thought that the wrens evolved in North America and only colonized the Old World from the New, via the Bering Straits, either during or just after the Ice Ages. In many parts of Europe, the Wren is called the ‘king’ of birds (this may have originated from confusion with the Goldcrest) and there are many superstitions and rituals connected with Wrens. On Christmas Day in Britain, the Wren was once hunted and then stoned or clubbed to death. This ritual has obvious connections with the Christian ritual of death and rebirth, centred on Christmas and the New Year.
The cock Wren, in spite of its small size, is one of the loudest songsters in the dawn chorus, and is often heard breaking into a short snatch of its trilling song even in the middle of winter. At the onset of the breeding season, the male Wren builds severalnests and the female then selects one in which to lay her eggs. The nests are domed and of fairly flexible construction; as the youngsters, which may number up to about fifteen, grow in size, the nest will stretch slightly to accommodate them.
Embossed Metal Christmas Ornaments (Part 2 of 2)
pattibehan.blogspot.com Learn to antique the embossed metal ornament I make in Part 1 of this video with Ranger Hellmuth Studio Paints and then prepare the ornament for hanging. For printable instructions, visit my blog. www.pattibehan.blogspot.com
4 Comments on Embossed Metal Christmas Ornaments (Part 2 of 2)
What a Mess – Part 3
The scattered items that have been collected includes everything that has caught my eye when I was in different stores, touched my sentimental journey of my family and children’s past and been collected but is now mixed with all the stuff I have started at various times to organize. I bought 4 new photo albums, one for each child and 4 collectable boxes for the keepsake items for each kid, as well as scrapbooking supplies to finish the projects. With Christmas around the corner, I am not going to be able to finish those projects but I will be adding more stuff as I get present and wrapping paper for Christmas. Once again, the stuff will be piled up with all the “extras” and the problem will be compounded. I think it is time to hire a professional to come in and help me get this task under control. As most of my house is organized, I just can’t seem to get the bedroom done because there is always something new happening. It may be time to box up all the pictures and keepsakes and give them to each child to do for themselves. It certainly is time to take all the charity boxes and bags to a collection center. And any of the things left, discard. Then I will be able to really clean my bedroom, and the first thing to go is the collection table. Next, I am not going to buy anything new unless I get rid of something first. Finally, I will not start a project unless I am willing to finish it right then. It’s either time to follow this plan or put out money for a professional. I think it would be wise to not get in knee deep with ideas and plans once I have everything, in every room, cleaned and organized. Pretty good plan, right?
Clearing Clutter From Your Home – Part 2
This is continued from part one of this article series. Please read that before you read this article. What can we do with the collection of things that we have saved over the years that have turned into clutter? Sometimes the stuff is new, even with tags still attached while other things are gently used and have been collected to give to charity. Every time you clean the house, you have to either clean around the stuff or move the stuff to clean under all of it. Many times you will have projects half finished and others that have not been started but the materials for those projects have been bought are waiting to be used.
We have gathered up all the scattered clutter so now it is time to do something with all of that stuff, the “extras”. I need to decide what to do with all those “extras”. Those collections of scattered clutter and are zapping my energy because I just don’t know what to do with it all. Although I want to organize everything, I keep running out of time because there are always new projects and responsibilities that come up. So, it is now time, finally, to decide what I will do with all the scattered clutter that has been taking up space in my home.
The scattered items that have been collected includes everything that has caught my eye when I was in different stores, touched my sentimental journey of my family and children’s past and been collected but is now mixed with all the stuff I have started at various times to organize. I bought 4 new photo albums, one for each child and 4 collectable boxes for the keepsake items for each kid, as well as scrapbooking supplies to finish the projects.
With Christmas around the corner, I am not going to be able to finish those projects but I will be adding more stuff as I get present and wrapping paper for Christmas. Once again, the stuff will be piled up with all the ‘extras’ and the problem will be compounded. I think it is time to hire a professional to come in and help me get this task under control. As most of my house is organized, I just can’t seem to get the bedroom done because there is always something new happening.
It may be time to box up all the pictures and keepsakes and give them to each child to do for themselves. It certainly is time to take all the charity boxes and bags to a collection center. And any of the things left, discard. Then I will be able to really clean my bedroom, and the first thing to go is the collection table. Next, I am not going to buy anything new unless I get rid of something first. Finally, I will not start a project unless I am willing to finish it right then. It’s either time to follow this plan or put out money for a professional. I think it would be wise to not get in knee deep with ideas and plans once I have everything, in every room, cleaned and organized. Pretty good plan, right?
Hello From Nova Scotia – Part 10 – Victorian Heritage in Yarmouth
Another long and exciting day was coming to an end: from my early morning interview with Patrick Redgrave, the owner of the Garrison House B&B in Annapolis Royal to my learning experiences at the Bear River First National Cultural and Heritage Center to my drive along the Evangeline Trail with a quick stopover in Digby, a drive through the Acadian communities in Clare County and a quick peak at the unusual Yarmouth Lighthouse, I had finally made it to my destination for the evening: Yarmouth, a town of about 8,000 souls on the southwestern tip of Nova Scotia.
The weather had taken a turn for the worse, fog had rolled in off the Atlantic Coast and rain was surely going to fall tonight. From the Yarmouth Lighthouse I drove along coastal roads and causeways into town and was able to locate the tourist information office on Main Street. Although it was closed the map on the outside gave me an opportunity to locate my abode for the night: the MacKinnon-Cann Inn, a historic bed and breakfast.
I located Willow Street and parked my vehicle in the gravel-covered courtyard behind the large mansion where I was going to stay tonight. Two friendly gentlemen welcomed me right away and helped me carry my luggage inside:Neil Hisgen and Michael Tavares, both co-owners of the MacKinnon-Cann Inn.
Neil graciously helped me carry my suitcase upstairs to my room. All seven guestrooms at the McKinnon-Cann Inn are named after a 20th century decade and decorated accordingly: there is the 1900s Room, the 1910s Room, the 1920s Room, and the decades of the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s are represented as well. I parked my luggage in a superbly appointed and beautifully decorated guestroom and headed downstairs to chat a bit more with the owners.
Michael, wearing simple jeans, a sweatshirt and a backward-facing baseball cap, looked like he had just finished painting something as evidenced by the paint splatters all over his clothing. He was just taking a break from working on a renovation project next door: a Victorian house he had just recently bought which he was in the process of restoring. I found out that both Michael and Neil are originally from the United States, and they also own another large Victorian brick mansion, the Charles C. Richards House literally up the street. Michael and Neil just purchased another recently restored blue-coloured Victorian mansion that is still empty and will be turned into a private home in the near future.
Now, not only am I a travel writer, but I also have a strong interest in real estate, heritage buildings and architectural preservation. I was excited when Michael told me he would have some time tomorrow to sit down with me to tell me more about the four properties that he and Neil had purchased and restored right here in Yarmouth. He went on to say that he does most of the work himself and loves getting right in there and getting his hands dirty.
I wanted to get a lay of the land of the Town of Yarmouth and Michael was so kind to draw me a map for a wonderful local walking tour which would allow me to capture some of the beautiful well-preserved and recently restored Victorian architecture of Yarmouth. So off I went with my hand-drawn map and indeed the Collins Heritage District features an extensive concentration of beautifully restored Victorian properties.
Along streets with names such as Collins, Clements, Park, Forest, Willow and William Streets I was admiring beautiful properties featuring unique Victorian architecture. Some of the distinguishing elements include widow’s walks: lookout rooms at the highest point of the house which would allow wives of sailors to look out for the husbands’ ships in the age of sail. Ornately carved and painted verandas are another typical decorating feature of the late 19th century. Windows with intricate wood work and ornamentation are also a characteristic feature of this era.
After my brief architectural tour I walked down on Main Street which features many business offices, retail stores and a few dining establishments. Most of the restaurants and bars are located along Water Street. Yarmouth was a major ship building centre in the past during the Golden Age of Sail. Today it is still a local hub of the fishing industry, but tourism is playing an increasingly important role.
Yarmouth serves a community of about 70,000 people located in the three counties of Yarmouth, Digby and Shelburne. One of Yarmouth’s major attractions is the ferry service to Bar Harbor and Portland, Maine. “The Cat” is North America’s largest catamaran and a high speed connection between Yarmouth and Bar Harbor, Maine – a three hour journey, while the route between Yarmouth and Portland, Maine, takes six hours.
Outdoor adventurers will also find lots to do in the Yarmouth area: from hiking to fishing to various seafaring adventures there are abundant recreational activities in the area. Culture lovers will find a variety of music, theatre and crafts events, interspersed with a few museums including the Yarmouth County Historical Museum and the Yarmouth Firefighters Museum, enhanced by a smattering of galleries and historic architecture.
After a long, exciting and action-packed day I was rather exhausted and just picked up a little snack before I headed back to my welcoming home at the MacKinnon-Cann Inn for the night where I relaxed in my beautifully appointed guestroom, watched some TV and took advantage of the in-room high-speed Internet connection. I would need a good rest for tomorrow for the biggest day of five-day Nova Scotia whirlwind tour: a trip along the Lighthouse Trail to the historic town and UNESO World Heritage Site of Lunenburg.
For the entire article including photos please visit
http://www. travelandtransitions. com/stories_photos/yarmouth. htm
Keepsake Christmas Decorations – Part 1
Some of the best Christmas memories I have is taking time with my children to make Christmas decorations. We have made decorations for the house that we still use today. It’s wonderful to remember activities that we shared as we created decorations for Christmas. Ideas for creating your own keepsake decorations are fun for the whole family. We love to make wall decorations that add Christmas memories and color to our home. A fantastic keepsake decoration is ‘Rudolph’, a deer with antlers made in the shape of your child’s hand. Make sure to put the date, child’s name & age on it. A perfect complement to Rudolph is a wreath with your child’s picture, which is detailed in Keepsake Christmas Decorations, Part 2. DEER WITH HANDS ANTLERS Materials: light & dark brown, & white construction paper, scissors, red marker and glue. The first you need to do is to draw around your child’s hands, with their arms crossed and laying on the light brown paper. This will let the right thumb be pointing left and the left thumb will be pointing right. Have the tips of their little fingers about an inch apart. After tracing the hands and the area between the little fingers to the wrist (which forms a “U”), add the antler’s bottom by drawing a line between the thumbs that matches the width of their hands (about 2″). Make it parallel to the line formed between the little fingers. Sideways, the form will be a “C” with fingers aiming out. Then let the child cut out the image. While they’re cutting, you may fold a piece of light brown construction paper (from top to bottom, making a 4″ x 6″ piece). Next draw a slightly elongated shape with slight points at the folded end. This is where the finger “antlers” will be glued. While the child is cutting out this shape, you need to cut 2 white “egg” shaped circles the size of a silver dollar, 2 dark brown quarter-sized circles, and a half dollar sized red foil circle. These are for the face. Cut out white candy cane about 2″ (hook) and 5″ long, and draw on about 12 diagonal lines for the red stripe, which can be colored with the markers. Now it is time to glue everything on and make the keepsake memory of the antlered deer, using your child’s hand. Take the light brown oblong shape and glue the “antlers” on the folded part with the slight points. Next glue on the oblong white shapes about 2″ to 2 & ½” from the bottom, on either side of the “face”, with at least 1″ between them. Now glue the dark brown circles in the middle of the whites and glue the red foil just below the eyes, in the middle of the face. With a black marker, make a mouth, slightly curved, almost the shape of the bottom of the “face”. Glue on the candy cane angling from the mouth. You now have ‘Rudolph’ with your child’s “handmade” antlers, a wonderful keepsake in the future of what size your child was this year. Â
Keepsake Christmas Decorations – Part 3
Do you enjoy making Christmas decorations that you can hang on your walls to add bright colors as you  celebrate the holidays? In Keepsake Christmas Decorations, Part 1 and 2, we made Picture Wreath with your child’s picture and a “Hand” made Rudolph. In Part 3 we will make a really beautiful keepsake wreath. This is a great project that is easy to make and really adds Christmas feeling and Christmas smell to your home. I made a keepsake Christmas wreath that my friends always say looks pretty and smells good, too. When they find out that I made it, they want to learn how to make one, too. With Christmas just around the corner, it’s time to gather some materials and make one for your own home. Materials needed: 6″ grapevine wreath, 3/8″ red satin ribbon, ¼” fancy satin ribbon (red and green), 2 or 3 small red silk poinsettia flower pedals, a miniature red berry branch, 2 or 3 sticks of cinnamon, a piece of eucalyptus, scissors, straight pins and a hot glue gun. First, cut a 2″ piece of the fancy red ¼” ribbon and glue the 2 ends together and set it aside. This will be the hanging loop. Drop a piece of glue on the back of the wreath and pin down the 3/8″ red ribbon. Start wrapping, from the pinned section, the red satin ribbon around the wreath at an angle, about 1″ between each wrap.   When you get all the way around the wreath to where you started on the back, place a drop of glue by the pin and lay the red ribbon across it. Remove the pin and secure both ends with a straight pin. Leave a 6″ tail and cut the ribbon. Next, take the fancy green ¼” ribbon and, beginning where the larger red ribbon started, pin the green satin ribbon beside the first pin and wrap it around the wreath, just beside the red ribbon. Secure the end of the green ribbon the same way as you did with the red ribbon. Again leave a 6″ tail and cut the ribbon. Give the glue an hour or so to dry. While the glue dries, take the 3/8 red satin ribbon and cut an 18″ piece. Take the eucalyptus and break it into 3 pieces, about 8″ each. Gather the 2 or 3 sticks of cinnamon, the 3 pieces of 8″ eucalyptus and tie them together using the 18″ piece of 3/8″ red ribbon. Tie them tightly together and make a bow, like when you tie shoes. Pull the bow open until the loops are each about 2″ long. This will give you a nice piece of ribbon hanging off the Christmas cluster. You may remove the pins and turn the wreath over, putting the glued area on the bottom. Now you can take the Christmas cluster of cinnamon sticks and eucalyptus and glue it to the front of your wreath. Using the glue gun, attach the cluster to the front of the wreath, at a slight angle. Because the cluster will be heavier than ribbon, take 2 pieces of 8″ red ribbon and also tie it onto the wreath, one under the poinsettia and another under the bow. Break off a few small pieces of the red berry branch and glue it under the bow. Take the small poinsettia petals and glue one on the cinnamon sticks by the bow and the other under the bow. While holding the wreath, look and turn it so that the Christmas bow cluster is about 8 o’clock, then find the top and glue the holding loop. You have just made a beautiful Christmas wreath that is sure to be a keepsake for years to come. This is a great gift idea, too!
Keepsake Christmas Decorations – Part 2: Picture Christmas Wreath
Christmas memories always include the time I put aside for my children to make Christmas decorations. We love to make wall decorations and have many keepsakes of past Christmases, some 25 years old! Remembering the activities that we shared making the decorations makes the holidays more special as you lovingly place your decorations on the walls. In the last article, Christmas Keepsake Decorations – Part 1, you saw how to make a “Rudolph Handmade Deer”, using your child’s hand for antlers. A perfect companion keepsake to place beside it is a Picture Christmas Wreath, using your child’s picture as the centerpiece.  Materials needed: white poster board, red felt, scissors (both regular and Z edged), glue, green tempera paint, red wooden beads, tape, a protractor or 2 different sized bowls, some newspaper, and a picture of your child. If you can get your child’s picture in front of a Christmas tree, then it will really be cute! Doing these kinds of Christmas activities can make a family feel closer and helps make wonderful Christmas memories.  The first thing that you should do is draw 2 circles on the white poster board. The largest should be about 7 or 8″. The smaller circle should be 3 & ½ to 4 & ½” and centered in the middle of the larger circle. Let your child help you by cutting out the shapes. Use craft zigzag scissors to cut the outside edge on the larger circle like small Zs. Cutting the inner circle might be hard for children and they may need you to start the cut.  Next, lay down newspapers and let your child paint the larger circle with green tempera paint. It will be cute to see the ‘evergreen’ look or their brush strokes when it dries. While the paint is drying, take the 3 & ½ ” square cut red felt and draw a bow on it. The bow should use most of the square. The bow looks like a butterfly and the ribbon will be like an upside down V, about1″ wide and 1″ long. You should practice a few times until you get the design you like, then copy to the red felt square, and cut it.  Once the paint dries, you’re ready to assemble the wreath.  Turn the painted side down and tape the picture over the hole in the middle. Turn it over and check to see if the picture is centered. If the placement is good, then turn it back over and glue the edges to the wreath. Cut a 5″ circle from the white poster board and glue it over the picture, on the back.  You are now ready to finish the Christmas wreath. Attach the red bow with glue to the bottom of the wreath. Glue 5 red wooden beads on the wreath, like holly berries. Your child’s masterpiece is complete and ready to display alone or with the Rudolph Handmade deer. We enjoy making wall decorations that add Christmas spirit, memories and color to our home. If you and your family enjoyed this activity, then you can always use the remaining supplies to make other wreaths, and give them as Christmas presents from the child or family. More keepsake memory decorations will be explained in Keepsake Christmas Decorations
