What miserable day outside today. It is so gloomy. Good thing we had a decent day to take pictures on Sat. It was however very windy and quiet chilly, we had to eat our lunch in the car but still enjoyed the day. This is another picture I took on Sat. on the outing. I really like this one it is very colorful.

I am so addicted to “Americas Got Talent“  I don’t usually get caught up in the TV shows like that but I caught the end of it last season and got hooked. I have been following it every Tues. and Wed. LOVE IT. The ones I wanted to get in to the semi finals did YEA! I think my favorite is Grandma Lee she is too funny. I don’t know if she will make it to the end but WOW! what an experience for her at her age. GO Grandma Lee!

Til next time, Donna

Long gone are the days when eco-friendly was synonymous with tree-hugger and hippie. Today’s new shade of “green” is hip and fashionable…some even say it’s the new black. Bridging the gap between popular and fashionable culture and environmental responsibility is a critical part of supporting the environment and reversing the damage that has already been done to it. With couture clothing designers using organic fabrics and vegetable dyes, and luxury car companies producing hybrids, sacrificing quality and aesthetics are no longer part of the “green” equation. Even luxury paper products are going green!

One such company, Fish Lips Paper Designs, creates bold and modern graphics for a variety of paper products including gift wraps and note cards. All of their products are designed, printed and packaged in the USA on 100% recycled paper using soy & vegetable inks. The company uses the finest quality papers and insists you wouldn’t know the products were “green” unless they told you. Given the lack of exciting design in paper and stationary products, and the undeniable need to practice sustainability, Fish Lips’ owner and designer Kimi Chronis calls her products “Fashionably Responsible”.

According to Chronis, “buying recycled paper products is a great start but it’s not enough; what you do with that product after it has served its initial purpose is critical.” In an effort to increase the life span of their products, Fish Lips Paper Designs suggests reusing their brightly colored, standout designs for a variety of things. Here are their TOP 10 ideas:

10. Framed art on your wall – Use a single pattern or combine multiple designs to create a larger wallscape.

9. Personalize your coffee cup – Grab a reusable coffee cup that allows you to change the insert…talk about a morning pick me up?!?!?!

8. Cover your books – Be the envy of your classmates or dress up an old coffee table book.

7. Give new life to an old piece of furniture – Cover a tabletop or the inside of a bookshelf…use one design all over for a sophisticated look or smaller pieces in multiple designs for a real standout piece!

6. Make drawer liners – Your socks will thank you!

5. Picture frame matting – This looks especially great with a black and white photo.

4. Cover a boring bulletin board – Change them out every month (or when you get too many poked holes)…your “To-Do List” just got more exciting!

3. Shred it – Shred it or cut it up and use to protect packages instead of Styrofoam.

2. Scrapbooking – Cut them up and use them as pages in your scrapbook.

1. Wrap another gift – Use scraps as decorative accents on another gift in place of bows or ribbons!

You can see all of Fish Lips Paper Designs’ currently available products on their website, www.fishlipspaperdesigns.com , and in a variety of retailers across the country. The next time you get (or give) a gift that is wrapped in a beautiful piece of paper, think of this list and find a way to give it a chic new purpose!

Kimi Chronis started Fish Lips Paper Designs in 2007 in an effort to combine modern design and sustainability. With degrees in both business and design, Chronis enjoys the dual roles of being both owner and designer. She currently lives in Jacksonville, FL with her husband and two dogs. Visit Fish Lips Paper Designs!

It’s not too late to get that final grass treatment down before old man winter pours on the snow. In fact, now is an ideal time to start thinking about next year.
A winterizer grass treatment is important for the overall health of your turf. The reason for this is that snow melts in spring (obviously) and soaks the winterizing fertilizer right down into the soil where the grass can use it to recover. A solid winterizing lawn treatment will ensure your lawn is the first to green up when warmer temperatures prevail in early March.

The key to winterizing is to use a granular fertilizer that is lower nitrogen and higher in potassium and phosphorus. These elements serve to strengthen the grass root structure, creating density and thickness. A thicker lawn will resist other problems that can invade through the season.

The only thing you need to be concerned with this time of year is frost. You never want to walk on frozen grass as this can crack the crowns and kill sections of the lawn. If you are going to lay down that final fall treatment as recommended, be sure to do it on a sunny afternoon when there is no frost present on the lawn.

This post was short and sweet, but oh so important. Get out this weekend and winterize your lawn before it is covered in snow!

Whether you manage the public walkways of a university campus, or simply your one-car driveway and fifty feet of sidewalk, you need to be concerned about ice buildup during the winter.
When purchasing an ice melting product, it is important to understand that not all are created equal. Each has pros and cons associated with them. Here are the main ingredients that go into the most common ice-melting products available to consumers and property managers.

Sodium chloride, also know as “rock salt” is the most commonly applied ice melter. But it has a limited effectiveness in extreme cold and won’t melt ice when temperatures fall much below 15 degrees. The good news is that rock salt doesn’t necessarily harm concrete surfaces, but it is corrosive to metals like steel. Another big drawback with rock salt is that it causes damage to lawns and landscapes.
Rock salt is used mostly by townships and municipalities when they “salt” the roads because it delivers fair results and is less expensive.

Calcium chloride is another popular ice melting combination and can melt ice down to 25 degrees below freezing. Where I live, we need that lower temperature melting power! The cost of Calcium Chloride ice melters is usually a little more than rock salt, but the advantages are worth the extra pennies.
Calcium Chloride is also less harmful to vegetation when used in accordance with labeling on the bag or bucket. Some people would call it safe paw ice melt

Magnesium chloride is very much similar to calcium chloride. It is considered less corrosive, safer for use on concrete and less damaging to plants. It delivers similar results in similar temperatures.

Potassium chloride and urea. These are mixtures commonly found in fertilizers, but that does not mean they are safe around vegetation. Keep in mind that any ice melting product you use must be applied at rates recommended on the labeling. Are you seeing the trend here? STICK TO THE LABEL!!
Since urea alone does not contain chlorides, it is less corrosive to metals and better to use on concrete containing rebar and around steel structures.
The drawback to urea is that it does not melt ice as well as other alternatives.

Ice melting products may also contain sand or clay additives to help with traction. I’ve even seen municipalities use “cinders” to spread on roads as a way to improve traction.

So How Do Ice Melters Work?

All deicers basically work the same, but bring differing results at lower temps. Ice Melters must reach the pavement or concrete to become completely effective. Once on the pavement they begin to separate the ice from the concrete at which time air and water flow beneath it, generating heat to melt away the rest. In addition, as the ice is loosened, it can be shoveled away easier.

Ice melting products work best if applied before snow or ice accumulates. This way, ice can never bond to the concrete. Spread the ice melt thinly over the surface, following the label directions.
In general calcium chloride and sodium chloride rank the highest in effectiveness based on speed and at the lowest temperatures.

The best time to buy your snow melting products is now!

Everyone loves to party including the many senior citizens in our communities. You will find that unlike our imagination these people have a zest for living that few of the younger generation are able to match. Now that we are ready for our party we will need to begin with a theme or retirement party ideas. Now the first thing that you should do is to toss some ideas around just to see what everyone thinks about having the party in such a manner.

While some of you are deciding on the theme of the party there can be others who will need to get some retirement party ideas for food. The main thing that you must remember is to cater for the tastes of everyone who comes for the party. So you and your food party will need to hunt out the many different food desires and tastes that will need to go into the retirement party mix.

One member of your planning party will need to organize the music to turn the party into a major celebration. So the best way to begin getting ideas for the dancing and entertainment that must go on, they will need to look for various music that will go with you retirement party ideas. Otherwise you will have a total mess. Now when all of the music has been collected you can start looking for the equipment that you will need and maybe a DJ.

Now before you get carried away with the planning you will need to get your host’s interest in the many retirement party ideas that you have gathered. The party preparations can only begin if your host isn’t planning on going somewhere else for a vacation. The next item that will need to be seen to is that of the invitations. Without the invitations you really can’t have a retirement party.

So once you have all of the invitations and other retirement party ideas all ready, the next step is to get the party rolling. This is where the madness begins and where you can see your retirement party ideas coming to life. Now as the party starts taking shape you should see that you and your planning party start getting ready for the retirement party.

Now you really must not be late, otherwise you can’t enjoy all of your efforts to make this retirement party a success. Without you and your friend this retirement party would never have come to life. So the next time another friend asks you for retirement party ideas just tell them to plan on lots of fun.

Image via WikipediaAlmost everyone loves some form of art or another. A lot of women love to get their nails manicured. So why not combine the two together? Well that is exactly what has happened. Airbrush art has combined with the manicure to give women great opportunities to use their nails to show off great artwork. Airbrush art applied to the fingernails gives a great flare to a manicure. The designs are only limited to the stencils in which the artist can get their hands on and the artists imagination.

Airbrush Art On Nails
This form of airbrush art has become very popular and a lot of salons around the world are offering this to their clients. Airbrush art is also available on fake nails and are sold at almost every store that carries fake nails. You two can get in on this craze and start your own fun and exciting business offering airbrush art on nails.

Airbrush art on the nails is not for the beginner just getting started in airbrushing. The work area is very small and the artist has to have mastered the techniques involved with airbrushing. One main problem that beginners face is over spraying. Over spraying is when the artist sprays outside of the area in which they are trying to spray. When working with nails you do not want to end up airbrushing the person’s fingers. So before attempting to do airbrush art on nails gain some experience with airbrushing on larger surfaces.

Depending on the type of airbrush art you are doing will determine the type of airbrush that you need. When doing airbrush art on nails go with either the Iwata HP-A or the Iwata HP-B. These are great for airbrushing nails. Even if you do not go with the Iwata though remember to always go with named brand and never use any knockoff airbrushes. More about Airbrush Art Paints.