About House & Home: Last Minute Holiday Tips

House & Home In the Spotlight | More Topics |   from Diane Schmidt I try not to leave things until the last minute, but I usually underestimate the time needed to get something done. It would help if I at least quadrupled the hours it'll take to complete a certain task. Like if I'm planning on getting all my holiday gift buying done in eight hours, I should probably count on needing eight days instead since I tend to get sidetracked by all the super sales, like the cozy, cute sweaters that happen to be in my size.   In the Spotlight How to Clean Up After a Big Meal Cleaning up after a big meal has to be the least favorite task of all. My mother had the perfect solution. It was called children.              More Topics Thanksgiving Scrapbook Page Ideas Scrapbooking How to Rewire a Kitchen Electrical Best Way to Get Rid of Leaves Lawn Care Do Water Changes Kill Fish? Freshwater Aquariums Water Heater Tips to Save Energy Home Repair 8 Easy Ways to Add Curb Appeal Architecture 10 Ways to Lose Your Home Home Buying / Selling Black Friday Shopping Tips This is where I get a little lost. Super sales, bargains and freebies always lure me in. Even if I don't need another pot scrubber, if it's on sale, and the last one, I might have to arm wrestle you for it.   Feng Shui Thanksgiving Tips Okay, this is really what it's all about. Family, friends, good food and good company, plus some extra ingredients to ensure your holiday is the best one yet.     Sponsored Links   Feeling Under the Weather? Evaluating Your Cold Symptoms How to tell when a runny nose is just a cold, and when it might be turning into something more serious and require a visit to the doctor. More> House & Home Ads Bedroom Designs Home Interior Design Bathroom Ideas Kitchen Ideas Bathroom Designs Advertisement     Visit Related About GuideSites: Antiques Apartment Living/Rental Architecture Entertaining Home Buying/Selling Home Repair Interior Decorating Landscaping   Search About      Sign up for more free newsletters on favorite topics. You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter as batman8672@GMAIL.COM. If you wish to change or remove your email address, please visit: http://www.about.com/nl/usgs.htm?nl=househomesl&e=batman8672@GMAIL.COM About respects your privacy. Our Privacy Policy. Our Contact Information. 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2008 About, Inc.

About House & Home: Thanksgiving Planning Guide

House & Home In the Spotlight | More Topics |   from Diane Schmidt I remember my first Thanksgiving away from home. I hosted dinner for friends with all the fixings. Of course, I wasn't ready for the complicated tasks of preparing the feast. I think I spent the entire holiday on the phone to my mother who not only offered me her sage advice, but also talked me down from ordering out for pizza instead.   In the Spotlight Organize Your Thanksgiving My mother told me that much of a dinner's success lies in careful planning. I was 19. Back then I didn't plan very much so I didn't see why it was so important until some of my guests failed to arrive. I'd forgotten a key ingredient of a successful party: make sure everyone has the right address.              More Topics Free Sewing Patterns & Projects for Thanksgiving Sewing 8 Easy Ways to Have a Green Christmas Green Living Adopt an Amazon Parrot Pet Birds 7 Best Houseplants for Beginners Houseplants How to Cat-Proof Your Home Cats How to Renovate a House Home Renovations What's an Alignment? Auto Repair What You'll Need to Cook Thanksgiving Dinner I could have used this list. Instead, I had to improvise. First, my tiny apartment oven was too small to cook the massive turkey, which meant using my next door neighbor's oven for most of the day. Then, when I went to base the bird, I had to use a paintbrush that I'd rescued from the bottom of a box where I'd stashed my old art supplies.   Thanksgiving Crafts and Activities Activities are always a good idea. If I had planned some fun games for my guests to engage in while I frantically prepared dinner, they might not have noticed that things were a little disorganized.     Sponsored Links   Home Allergy Center Quick Cleaning Tricks These easy shortcuts and tips will help keep rid your home of grime, dust and other allergens. More > House & Home Ads House Magazine Thanksgiving Cookies Homes Magazine Thanksgiving Food Thanksgiving Candles Advertisement     Visit Related About GuideSites: Antiques Apartment Living/Rental Architecture Entertaining Home Buying/Selling Home Repair Interior Decorating Landscaping   Search About      Sign up for more free newsletters on favorite topics. You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter as batman8672@GMAIL.COM. If you wish to change or remove your email address, please visit: http://www.about.com/nl/usgs.htm?nl=househomesl&e=batman8672@GMAIL.COM About respects your privacy. Our Privacy Policy. Our Contact Information. 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2008 About, Inc.

About House & Home: Can H1N1 Be Spread Through Water?

House & Home In the Spotlight | More Topics |   from Diane Schmidt A friend of mine is convinced that the only way to stay protected from H1N1 is to wear the equivalent of a Hazmat suit everywhere he goes, including when he takes the dog out for a walk in the woods where he never runs into anyone. I have to admit, it's hard to know what to believe when it comes to protection. It's just good we have some answers this week from our Home and Garden Guides.   In the Spotlight Can H1N1 Be Spread Through Water? This same friend says I'm crazy for continuing to swim at our local gym. But I'm a swimmer. I live for water. So can swine flu really be spread through water?              More Topics Make Herbal Cough Drops Herb Gardens Vintage Thanksgiving Postcards Antiques Bean Bag Bear Craft Family Crafts Cozy Family Room Decor Budget Decorating Problems Adjusting to Daylight Saving Time Ergonomics Great Gift Ideas for the Home Workshop Garages & Storage Spaces Fix a Sticky Drawer Woodworking Can My Pets Get H1N1? This would add another layer of complication to the whole protection protocol especially since we have an immunocompromised kitty. I wonder if they make Hazmat suits in his size?   How do I Disinfect Bedding? The same friend contracted a bad flu bug while away on business and stayed on at the hotel for the duration of his illness, claiming the hotel had better ways to sterilize sheets so he wouldn't spread it to the rest of his family. But what if someone in your home does become ill. Is there a way of protecting the other members?     Sponsored Links   Home Allergy Center Quick Cleaning Tricks These easy shortcuts and tips will help keep rid your home of grime, dust and other allergens. More > House & Home Ads Bathroom Ideas Modern Kitchen Southwestern Decor Interior Design Tips House Design Advertisement     Visit Related About GuideSites: Antiques Apartment Living/Rental Architecture Entertaining Home Buying/Selling Home Repair Interior Decorating Landscaping   Search About      Sign up for more free newsletters on favorite topics. You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter as batman8672@GMAIL.COM. If you wish to change or remove your email address, please visit: http://www.about.com/nl/usgs.htm?nl=househomesl&e=batman8672@GMAIL.COM About respects your privacy. Our Privacy Policy. Our Contact Information. 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2008 About, Inc.

About House & Home: Keep Your Whole Family Warm this Winter

House & Home In the Spotlight | More Topics |   from Diane Schmidt I'd rather be hot than cold just because I hate layering clothes. Maybe it's because I remember what it felt like to be bundled into so many layers that you could hardly move, then having to trek to school while your snowsuit locked in the heat like a portable sauna. By the time you arrived, you'd lost at least 10 pounds.   In the Spotlight Seasonal Furnace Maintenance Last Christmas, we returned home to find our cats huddled together under the bed covers. The pilot light in our gas furnace had gone out, and while it was an easy fix, the repair guy said it could have been prevented if we'd scheduled a regular maintenance like it suggests on the friendly-reminder sticker that's displayed on our fridge door.              More Topics Before You Buy an Office Chair Furniture Pretty in Pastels Baby Quilt Pattern Quilting How to Create a Happy Home Feng Shui Architecture by Thom Mayne Architecture Internet in the Boonies Small Farms Organic Ant Control Landscaping How to Wash Sick-bed Laundry Laundry Stitch up a Cute Kids' Hat That's the one thing I do love about winter - the hats. Seriously. You can get away with wearing the most adorable, age-inappropriate (or obnoxious in the case of my husband's fluorescent ski hat) things on your head as long as it keeps you warm. So when I saw these hats for kids, I knew I just had to have one.   Cold Weather Checklist for Your Pets Thanks to this great checklist, we now have a back-up plan to keep our kitties warm should our furnace fail us again (or we fail it) or we can't get out because of record-breaking snowfall.     Sponsored Links   Home Allergy Center Quick Cleaning Tricks These easy shortcuts and tips will help keep rid your home of grime, dust and other allergens. More > House & Home Ads Nasal Allergy Relief Hay Fever Allergy Battle Dust Allergy Conquer Mold Allergy Winter Socks Advertisement     Visit Related About GuideSites: Antiques Apartment Living/Rental Architecture Entertaining Home Buying/Selling Home Repair Interior Decorating Landscaping   Search About      Sign up for more free newsletters on favorite topics. You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter as batman8672@GMAIL.COM. If you wish to change or remove your email address, please visit: http://www.about.com/nl/usgs.htm?nl=househomesl&e=batman8672@GMAIL.COM About respects your privacy. Our Privacy Policy. Our Contact Information. 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2008 About, Inc.