Sunday, August 21, 2011

Interesting Facts

1. Restroom tip: The first stall is usually the cleanest. Most people, seeking privacy, skip it.
2. Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married.
3. The top 6 reasons for being late to work: 1)traffic 2)oversleeping 3)procrastination 4)household chores 5)car problems 6)having sex.
4. Dr. Seuss coined the word "nerd" in his 1950 book If I Ran the Zoo.
5. Where does the word CONDOM come from? Dr. Charles Condom (1630-1685)
6. Sound familiar? Gorillas stick out their tongues when they're angry.
7. Traffic report: Accidents rise 10% in the first week of daylight savings time.
8. Life span: A butterfly lives for about 6 months.
9. In 1980, the yellow pages accidentally listed a Texas funeral home under Frozen Foods.
10. On an average day, 102 people visit the Dr. Pepper Museum in Waco, Texas.
11. In Cleveland, Ohio, it's illegal to catch mice without a hunting license.
12. Men are three times more likely to than women to commit suicide after an unhappy love affair.
13. There is a town in Newfoundland, Canada called Dildo.
14. Sleepwalking is hereditary.
15. Four health clinics around the world specialize in bad breath. (Two are in Philadelphia.)
16. Amazing fact: 20% of the people in human history who lived beyond age 65 are still alive today.
17. Virginia has more ghosts registered with the Ghost Research Society than any other state.
18.Q. What U.S. symbol was first used as a television test pattern? A. A dollar sign
19. Playboy's Playmate of the month was originally called the "Sweetheart of the Month."
20. It takes 100,000 gallons of water to make one automobile, car manufacturers say.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

New Uses for Old Things

-At a party, stash ice in a colander set on top of a bucket or a bowl. Water will drain out, and guests will get only the solid stuff.

-Use a clean toothbrush to remove stray threads of silk from freshly shucked ears of corn. The bristles will lift them away quickly and efficiently.

-Tuck a few needles, pins, and thread into a matchbox for an instant sewing kit.

-Cart condiments to a backyard barbecue. Slot flatware, ketchup and mustard in the compartments for easy transport.

-Have an old cassette case hanging around? (Oh, you know you do.) Coil iPod earphones and tuck them in to keep wires uncrossed.

-Use a lifeSaver as birthday-candle holder. (Candies in the original rolls provide the best fit―LifeSavers sold in big bags are larger and don’t work as well.)

-Forget unruly plastic bags that seemingly regenerate under your sink. An empty tissue box keeps them neatly corralled and ready for use.

-A hard plastic soap case is the perfect size to protect a camera stashed in a carry-on bag.

-A supermarket bag, tightly secured with a rubber band, will keep a brush (or roller) moist for a day or two in between painting sessions: the end of dried-out bristles.

-No more worries of camisoles, sundresses, and other slippery garments slipping off hangers when you wrap the ends with rubber bands.

-Save a countertop with an old mouse pad turned trivet. (Make sure it has a nonplastic coating.)

-No more oops! moments when painting, if you cover doorknobs and hardware with aluminum foil.

-That straightening iron works on more than rambunctious hair: Use it to press between buttons, where a regular iron won’t fit.

-When traveling, eliminate clunky bottles for nonprescription meds from your purse by popping the pills into a contact-lens case.

-Assemble a spray-cleaner arsenal by installing a rod in the closet or underneath the sink and then hooking the bottles onto it by their triggers.

-A clear hair elastic binds blooms together for a better arrangement in a wide-mouth vase. Stretch the elastic around the stems, then let the flowers fall naturally.

-Make no-mess pancakes with the help of a ketchup bottle: Pour in batter, then squeeze out precise portions.

-Rubber bands give little fingers a better grip on a chilly or slippery glass.

-An unused glass case makes a convenient storage spot for nail files, clippers and other manicure essentials while on the go.

-The cardboard tube from a spent roll of toilet tissue is a wonderfully simple tool for keeping extension cords tangle-free.

-A lemon works to remove tough food stains from a plastic or light-colored wood cutting board. Squeeze on the juice of one half, rub it in, and let sit for 20 minutes before rinsing.

-Slide bobby pins onto a hem to hold pleats in place as you iron them.

-Stick a sparkler in Play-Doh, then light it up. The container protects hands from flying sparks, preventing burns.

-Change dirty water in a flower vase by using a turkey baster to suction up the liquid without disturbing your arrangement. Add fresh water directly from the tap.

-Silence cabinet doors that slam with cork sliced into thin disks and glued onto the inside corners.

-Give Easter eggs a year-round use (and save on resealable bags) by filling them with snacks like crackers or Cheerios.

-Cut down on the amount of potting soil needed by crumpling plastic bags to fill the bottom of a deep pot (just be sure that you don’t cover the drainage hole, if there is one).

-Organize bills―arranged in the order in which they need to be paid off―in an unused napkin holder.

-Boost a meager bouquet to new heights by inserting short flower stems into plastic straws to give them greater stature.

-Shower-curtain hooks provide sturdy storage for heavier items, like purses.

-Liberally apply cooking spray to both sides of a plastic or metal shovel before clearing away snow, and ice will slide right off instead of building up.

-Stop tweezers from going astray by installing a magnet on the inside of the medicine cabinet and they will always be at your fingertips.

-Give cocktails extra pop with lollies in complementary colors subbed in for stirrers.