How to Save on Air Conditioning Costs During The Summer with Homemade Window Covers

Are you getting frustrated trying to have a
comfortable temperature in your house during
the Summer and also trying to save money on
Air Conditioning?
Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions
things you'll need:
Full Size Black Trash Bags(number according to windows that you want to cover)
Velcro Tape
Scissors
Stable Chair or Ladder




1 First, Take the trash bag and flatten it out so that you can see 4 corners and
cut it (very Carefully) down the left side and down the right side. Make sure
that you cut strait down each side. *If done correctly, plastic should hang the
length of your window and cover most of the width of your window.

2 Now its time for the Velcro tape. Cut 2, 3 to 4 inch strips of equal length.
Then, remove the tape guard on one side of the velcro and tape it to the top
edge on the left side. Do the same thing with the other strip, but on the right
side. This end will be the top of your window guard. If you have blinds or
shades you should be just fine with just the two top velcro strips. If not, you
may need to add two more at the bottom.

3 Now take the new homemade window cover to a window where the sun shines
in most of the day. If you have blinds, raise them test out how your cover will fit
the window.
Now remove the sticky guard on the outside part of the velcro on the right and
left sides and press the velcro tape securely against the top left and right side
of your window while stretching the width of the plastic to the width of the
window pane. Make sure that it level.

4  Ok, Do you feel cooler yet? Now that your window guard is securely in the
window. carefully let down your blinds or shades so that the plastic rests
between the window pane and the blinds.

5  Repeat Previous steps for each window. And enjoy a cooler house and a
lower Electric bill.


Tips & Warnings:

Feel free to experiment with adhesive attachments. Duct tape left adhesive on my window so don't use duct tape.
Check to make sure the tape is secure every once in while.
It may take a while to make a straight cut in the trash bag but be patient and it will pay off.
Make sure you have good footing when trying to reach the top of the window.
No wobbly chairs.
Be careful.

How to Grow Sweet Potato Slips

If you want to know how to grow sweet potato slips then you've come to the right place. It take some patience and a little work but the rewards are great.

Difficulty: Moderate


things you'll need:
Healthy sweet potatoes
Toothpicks
Jars or small containers
Water
Sunlight

Instructions
1 First off, find some healthy sweet potatoes. No openings in the skin, soft spotsor mold. Basically if it looks good enough to eat then you are good to go. You can find them at your local farmer's market in the fall or just go pick out some at your local grocery store or use some that you grew the previous year and stored in a cool dark place all winter.

2 Grab one sweet potato, two toothpicks and a jar or a water tight container that the potato can stand upright in without tipping over. The toothpicks will serve as a platform so that the roots have room to develop. Very Carefully push one toothpick all the way through the sweet potato about half way down . Do the same with the other toothpick and therefore making a(+)with the toothpicks if looking down on the sweet potato vertically. Sometimes it helps to twist the toothpick if it gets stuck when you are pushing it through the sweet potato. Be patient so not to damage the sweet potato. You will probably break a few toothpicks in the process. If so. Get a new toothpick and keep trying. Its easy once you get the hang of it.

3 Now that that is done. Place your newly punctured sweet potato in the jar so that all four toothpick ends rest on the rim of the jar.

 4 Fill the jar with water and set it in a sunny window facing East. Check the water level about every day. Make sure the jar stays full. In a few weeks purple eyes will start to emerge from the top and white roots from the bottom. Soon after, the eyes will sprout leaves. Each eye will grow into a slip. When a vine from an eye grows to six inches pinch it off where green meets purple and another slip will grow in its place. Plant the slips in your garden In hills or rows in loose fertile soil during the summer planting season. Sweet potatoes require a long hot growing season. potatoes should be ready to harvest in about 120 days.
Happy Gardening!





Tips & Warnings:
Remember to keep jar full of water.
Don't let your potatoes get too hot or too cold they could rot. Its best to keep them indoors near a warm window with plenty of sun when trying to grow the slips.

How to Save Leggy Broccoli Seedlings

If you ever tried to grow broccoli indoors it is
quite a challenge to remove the humidity dome
just as the seedlings are breaking the surface
of the soil. Before you know it they have 2 inch
white stems with 2 tiny leaves at the top and
soon after they fall over and die. Here is how
to save those broccoli that you might otherwise
scrap and start over.















Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions
things you'll need:
Seed starting mix or potting soil for vegetables
Small ceramic pot or container to transplant your broccoli into.

1 If your poor broccoli has fallen over but the base of the stem has not withered and transparent then there is still hope! If your broccoli is planted in a generic black plastic seed starting container with separate compartments for each plant find a container about the same size as your broccoli is planted in but just about 1 to 2 inched deeper. You may want to poke two toothpick sized holes in the bottom with a knife or scissors for adequate drainage or just don't overwater it. Also have some vegetable seed starting mix or vegetable potting soil handy and a half cup of water per plant. Best to do this outside.

2 Squeeze the sides of the planter 2 at a time to separate the seed starter from the container. Then push gently on the bottom of the container to break the seed starter free from the bottom. Turn the container sideways so that the plant will come out easier. Gently grip the broccoli at the stem base. Then carefully and slowly pull it out of the container. If you are very lucky the seed starter will hold to the broccoli and come out with the broccoli seedling. Be careful not to damage the roots or separate the plant from the roots. Once your seedling is removed you should see a small ball of roots and seed starter at the bottom of your seedling. As in the picture if you weren't lucky enough to pull out the whole cube of seed starter.             I haven't been able to.


3 Now place your broccoli seedling into its new deeper container so that theleaves rest on the edge of the lid. Cover the seed starter or potting mix halfway. Then pour a small amount of water in it. DO NOT DRENCH! Just a small amount at a time just till the mix turns black. center the stem in the mix and add more mix up to about a half inch from the top. Then water again as before. center the stem and gently press down on the mix to remove air bubbles and stabilize your newly transplanted broccoli seedling. place in a sunny window and keep the soil slightly moist.


4 Place a ceramic dish under the container if you decided to poke holes in thebottom so that the water won't drain onto your window sill (Sorry, just a reminder). In a week or so your weak little broccoli seedling will blossom into a beautiful broccoli plant. Now you won't haveto start all over! ;0D Happy Gardening!

Tips & Warnings:

My battle with broccoli is just starting out but I am determined to master it. Keep trying and you too will be a master of the
mysterious broccoli...
Transplanting promotes growth.
Be careful not to break off the roots of the seedling during transplant.
Don't drown your plant. If there is more water than soil mix after watering pour the excess water out.

 Check out this relaxing Dreamscene for your desktop

                                                 Click on the Picture to see the video.

Hey Guys Checkout my review of Aldi's Specially Selected Sourdough Square Loaf on Youtube.   

Thank you so much.  :)

Click the Picture to checkout the review

                                                                               

Ok I saw this while strolling through Wal-Mart the other day.

 

I was just completely struck by surprise with the concept of putting condiments on my dog or cats' food.  Is this supposed to make the food taste better to my dog or cat?  If so, how is this even tested and who is the person tasting this stuff?  If it has to be refrigerated I would hate to get it mixed up with my human condiments...  Ok is says that it is packed full of Omega 3, 6, and 9 Glucosamine and Prebiotic which all sound good and well for the dog.  What is a prebiotic?   Well, what is a "Prebiotic"?  I asked myself the same question.  Wikipedia defines it thusly, and I quote:

"Prebiotics is a general term to refer to chemicals that induce the growth or activity of microorganisms (e.g., bacteria and fungi) that contribute to the well-being of their host. The most common example is in the gastrointestinal tract, where prebiotics can alter the composition of organisms in the gut microbiome. However, in principle it is a more general term that can refer to other areas of the body as well. For example, certain hand moisturizers have been proposed to act as prebiotics to improve the activity or composition of the skin microbiota. ^[1]
In diet, prebiotics are typically non-digestible fiber compounds that pass undigested through the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract and stimulate the growth or activity of advantageous bacteria that colonize the large bowel by acting as substrate for them. They were first identified and named by Marcel Roberfroid in 1995.^[2] As a functional food component, prebiotics, like probiotics, are conceptually intermediate between foods and drugs."  End quote. if you want more on prebiotics here is the link. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prebiotic_%28nutrition%29   Its quite interesting.

  So is this just a marketing scheme or could it be an ingenious alternative to dog treats, chewable pills, and capsules in an effort to maximize the health of our furry members of the family. I guess if it tastes good to your pet then it would be an excellent alternative to trying to hide their vitamins in other foods and risk them getting lost or wasted.  I guess I'm still on the fence. What is your opinion on the subject?