...I'm the Gingerbread Man! But everyone knows where the Gingerbread Man hides out. That's right: his Gingerbread House.
Yes, folks, it's Gingerbread House-making Season. It's time to pre-heat those ovens, mix up some icing, and start building!
Like any good new home construction project, the building of a Gingerbread house must start with a floor plan. Check out this guide to building an abode fit for Sweet Street. You'll find floor plans, building tips and construction steps. We won't hold it against you when the hard hat is dusted off for this one.
For a little added inspiration, take a second to ingest this cute little Gingerbread Dreamhouse action figure sequence.
Got a Gingerbread House worth bragging about? Add it to our MyProjects section. Good luck!
Looking for a small way to give this holiday season? We have a great idea: Sears Hometown Stores has launched their Food Drive, which will run until the end of 2009. At each of the 950 stores located across the country, customers will have a chance to donate non-perishable canned and boxed foods and other needed items, like diapers, power towels and so on. Customers can drop donations off at donation boxes located at their nearby Sears Hometown Store.
Donations will be distributed to local shelters, food kitchens, after-programs, and similar organizations with an eye out for the needy.
This is the fourth year of the initiative; the past three years have seen over a half a million in food items collected and donated. It would be great to see folks step up and make contributions to their local Sears Hometown Store Food Drive and try to crack the million food item mark. In these recession years it's hard to question that need is as great as it has ever been.
Be safe this Halloween by carrying a flashlight.
But not by carrying one of these from Target.
The firm has received eight reports of flashlights overheating and melting, including one report of burns to the hand.
This recall involves two types of Halloween-themed flashlights: the mini flashlights and flashlights sold with stencils.
Mini Flashlights: The mini flashlights have a key ring extending from the bottom and were sold in a pack of three colors: orange, green and black. The orange and purple packaging has “Mini Flashlights (3 Pack)” printed on the front and “DGI,” “Made in China” and “DPCI# 234-02-1813” printed on the back.
Standard Size Flashlights: Also included in the recall are standard sized flashlights with a black handle and an orange top. The flashlights were sold with six stencils in various colors and images: a pumpkin, ghost, spider, cat, witch and skull & cross-bones. “Flashlight with Stencil” is printed on the front and “Tien Hsing,” “Made in China” and ”234 02 1838” is printed on the back of the packaging.
There's only one thing scarier than a "Nightmare on Elm Street" movie marathon, and that's a clogged drain. Yep, Hitchcock's got nothing on backed-up plumbing.
This is a busy time of the year for the folks at Roto-Rooter, according to their latest newsletter. Why? Because amidst the excitement of carving up the pumpkins and positioning the ghoulish gourds on the front steps for all to see, few people actually stop and think, "Wait, maybe putting these pumpkin guts down the sink isn't such a good idea."
It's understandable. Who wants rotting innards sitting in the trash can for days on end? It's much tidier just to wash the stringy, smelly slop down the drain and be done with it.
Unfortunately, the pulp and seeds soon harden, clogging the drain and disposer. The resulting plumbing bill is enough to scare the socks off of John Carpenter.
So, follow Roto-Rooter's advice this Halloween season. Don't put pumpkin guts down the drain, in the garbage disposal or in the toilet. Wrap them up in newspaper and throw them in the trash, or even better: compost them!
The company that redefined "clean" is taking the flu head-on, by giving away 1,500 free shots at the South Central Family Health Clinic in South Central, Los Angeles, on Wednesday, October 21. The free flu shots will be available from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM, and both adults and children will be eligible.
Clorox seems intent on preparing its faithful customers for Outbreak 2010, with an entire page on their site devoted to the latest flu strain.
With homeowners sealing up their windows, doors and walls against the oncoming winter and all its accompanying germs, viruses, and what-have-you, it's a good time to evaluate the indoor air quality (IAQ) of the home. Now might be a good moment to consider an air purifier, or run down this list of the top 10 contributors to poor indoor air quality.
In the meantime, are you getting the flu shot and/or the H1N1 shot this season?
Most people care enough about energy efficiency that they'll make some changes to their own home to lower the bills a few bucks. But wielding the caulk gun at a stranger's house? Isn't that extremist? The volunteers at HEET don't think so. The Massachusetts-based organization combines weatherizing techniques and good ole-fashioned barn raising sensibilities to kill a few birds with one big good-will stone. Improve a home's energy efficiency? Check. Teach participants skills on said topic? Check. Build community? Check.
Their most recent "barn raising" (yes, they really call them that) attracted the attention of fellow blogger Martin LaMonica, who joined 40 others to help weatherize a leaky New England house before Old Man Winter starts his blowing. You can read all about his experience on his CNET GreenTech blog page.
Great concept, great cause. I wonder how many of these groups are cropping up across the country. Have you helped raise a barn lately? What are you doing to winterize your house this season? Get great tips for winterizing on a budget.
As the snow begins to melt and the icicles drip to reveal branches of the tree again, the scene gradually turns into an airborne nightmare of pollen and particulate matter, gusting about the spring air. For those with allergies, this is the worst time of the year.
Luckily, PollenTEC is here to the rescue. It has partnered with a European textile company to produce screens that are designed to block allergens from entering your home while letting in fresh air, so you don't have to shut all the windows and doors on a windy day.
The European Center for Allergy Research Foundation (ECARF) has tested the screen on several tree allergens, which are the most prominent triggers for allergies, and their findings verified that 100 percent of grass pollens, 99.71 percent of birch pollens, 93.1 percent of stinging nettle-pollen and 90.9 percent of ragweed pollen were filtered through PollenTec screens. So, if you're anticipating another nose-sniffling, poofy-eyed season, PollenTEC might be able to help.
