arlifeathome@gmail.com has shared: radical possibility: Easy Anthropologie Confetti Tumblers

Super Sweet DIY Confetti Tumblers from the blog radical possibility: Easy Anthropologie Confetti Tumblers
	radical possibility: Easy Anthropologie Confetti Tumblers Source: radicalpossibility.com

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arlifeathome@gmail.com has shared: Extreme Couponing Tip: Repurpose Newspaper as Mulch

	Extreme Couponing Tip: Repurpose Newspaper as Mulch Source: thekrazycouponlady.com Extreme couponers know one of the best ways to score coupons is the newspaper. Many get multiple subscriptions. After reading the articles and clipping the coupons, a huge stack of paper is left. Well, the University of West Virginia found that shredded newspaper is one of the best forms of garden mulch. It smothers weeds, improves plant growth, increases yields and retains soil moisture. Old newspapers are biodegradable, so mulching them is environmentally friendly! Most newspapers  use soybea...

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A Few Kroger Manager's Specials I Snagged Today

Got a picnic to attend today and needed some cold cuts (used my Hormel coupons).  While I was a Kroger, I found the following and picked up a free Brut deodorant (they were on sale for $1.00 and I had a  $1.00 coupon) for one of the men in my family.

 Lean Cuisine for $.75

Jolly Rancher Popsicles - $.40 a box for 6 popsicles.  The crowd at home is going wild as it is going to be really HOT today.  And, yes, I also used a coupon on these.

Michelina's Spaghetti Dinners for $.49 each

Last but not least, 3 Fiber One Blueberry Muffins for $1.00

House to House: Tips help homeowners stay cool, safe during hot weather

The following article printed in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and numerous papers throughout Arkansas is the sole product and property of the Arkansas Realtors Association.   To read more House to House columns from the statewide association, visit http://www.ArkansasRealtors.com/category/house-to-house.  

Good grief. As a write this, the temperatures in Arkansas are soaring higher and higher. Little Rock just hit 114 degrees thus becoming the hottest day ever on record in Little Rock — and records date back to 1877.

According to a news release I just received from MXenergy (they don’t serve Arkansas), the sweltering heat enveloping much of the country has caused heat-related deaths, broken at least 1,400 high-temperature records across the U.S. in July alone, and has many homeowners wondering if relief will ever come.


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Arkansas AG: Help Your Family Surf Safely on Social Networks

According to Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, while social networking and other public Internet sites provide a sense of connection and social interactivity, these sites can create a false sense of security and anonymity online. For children, these sites can pose a threat as online predators use them as a portal for finding victims.

As part of National Internet Safety Month, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel today released online
safety tips for parents and their children engaged in social networking.

"Last week, I met with an Arkansas mother whose teen daughter was killed by a man police believe
lured the girl using a social networking site," McDaniel said. "As a parent, I'm horrified that someone would reach our vulnerable children in this way. As Attorney General, I want to do everything I can to make sure other parents don't face the nightmare that the mother I met is enduring."

Social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, have exploded in popularity among Americans in recent years. According to Facebook, over 845 million users log on to its site at least once a month. Over 425 million people use Facebook's mobile products.

Although social networking sites can be valuable resources to connect with friends and acquaintances online, it is important to remember to be careful when using them because the information you post online can be used to make you or your children a victim.

Safety Tips
• Be sure to set your privacy settings to the most secure setting available. Ensure that you're sharing information with only your friends, and not with the Internet at large.
• First and foremost, make a unique password for each social media site you use. If an unauthorized individual accesses your account, they can use it to send spam to other users, scam your friends and family, or use the information to scam you.
• If you do have your profile viewable by the public, do not post information that would let someone know that your house was empty or that you are home alone. Posting that you're leaving town for a few days could be an invitation for someone to break into your home. Likewise, if you have children who use these sites, make sure they are aware that they should never indicate online that they are home alone.
• Think carefully about what information you post online. An electronic record of what you say will likely be online forever, which might come back to haunt you in the future.
• Follow the "Front Page Rule": Don't post anything online that you wouldn't be comfortable seeing on the front page of your newspaper.
• Remember that employers, universities, and even attorneys often check Facebook and other social media sites for information that you've posted online.
Tips for parents
• Understand that if your child comes into contact with an online predator, it is not the child's fault. The child is the victim.
• Talk to your child about sexual victimization and the potential of online danger.
• Spend time with your children online. Have them teach you about the Internet.
• Keep the computer in a common room of the house, not in your child's bedroom.
• Utilize parental controls available from your service provider or use blocking software.
• Always maintain access to your child's online account and monitor email.
• Teach your children the responsible use of the online resources.
• Find out the computer safeguards being utilized at your child's school, the public library, and at the home of your child's friends.
• Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they met online.
• Never automatically assume that what they are told online is the truth.

For more information about consumer-related issues, or to file a complaint, visit GotYourBackArkansas.org or call the Consumer Protection Division's hotline at (800) 482-8982.

House to House: Bees in residence cause danger to homeowners, neighbors

This week’s column was co-written by Little Rock Realtor Michelle Honea Dyer.

Last fall, neighbors alerted my friend Michelle that they were seeing bees on the far side of her home. They had small children playing in the area and wanted her to be aware so that she might have it investigated. Sure enough, there were lots of bees. Michelle called around and found a local pest control company that specialized in bees.

They came to her house and watched over several days and decided that they should try to “dust” them out. The company applied this dusting process in the late fall, hoping that it would remove them. Winter came and Michelle crossed her fingers that they had either moved on or found a new home. Nope.

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House to House: Now is good time for homeowners to inspect decks

Considering that my deck is nearing the age of 10 years, I was glad to receive a news release reminding me to check my deck for safety concerns that could lead to accidents and injuries. It’s a thought that never occurred to me and probably wouldn’t have until the damage was done. It’s also a great time to do it since we are heading into prime deck-using season and we’ll be serving more meals out there in the months to come.


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House to House: Tips help readers get bats out of belfry, other areas of home

The following article printed in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette  and numerous papers throughout Arkansas is the sole product and property of the Arkansas Realtors Association. 

I don’t know if it is the warm weather, but there seems to be a lot more news about bats in Arkansas lately. Just last week I was reading about a bat with rabies being found near the Old Mill in North Little Rock.

The good news is that bats are one of the best insect controls there is, eating up to 600 mosquitoes each in an hour. We love this aspect of bats so much that my husband and I are considering building a bat house. We are getting our plans from the Organization for Bat Conservation website atwww.batconservation.org/drupal/free_plans.

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House to House: Cockroaches produce allergens, create health risk in homes

The following article printed in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette  and numerous papers throughout Arkansas is the sole product and property of the Arkansas Realtors Association. 


For 23 million Americans — including me — spring showers (and those Bradford pear trees) bring more than rejuvenation. They bring sniffles, sneezes and wheezing that could only mean allergy season is here. But before you and I run for cover indoors this spring, we apparently need to take heed: One of the most dangerous allergens (please say it isn’t so!) may be crawling inside our homes.


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House to House: Home Resolutions Can Save Money, Grief

The following article printed in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette  and numerous papers throughout Arkansas is the sole product and property of the Arkansas Realtors Association. 


While you are busy making the typical New Year’s resolutions to exercise more, lose weight or quit smoking, why not make a few New Year’s resolutions for your home? Doing so might not just help you increase the value of your home and/or help you sell it, those resolutions might just save you a few frustrating moments in 2012.


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House to House: ARA, ASPCA offer tips to keep pets safe around holiday decor

The following article printed in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and numerous papers throughout Arkansas is the sole product and property of the Arkansas Realtors Association. The photo is by www.ARSportsPhoto.com.  

The staff at the Arkansas Realtors Association has been busy decorating our offices and our homes for the holidays.

We’ve been shopping for the “best deals” on indoor and outdoor lights, discussing how the recent rains might be impacting our outdoor lighting displays and growing more and more excited about spending the holidays with family and friends.

Like many people, this is one of my absolute favorite times of the year. I’ve always thought home never felt more like home than it does during the holidays. Maybe it’s the fire in the fireplace, the lights of the tree or the anticipation of young family members waiting for the day when all those presents can be popped open.

The one thing I’ve always missed because I have a house full of pets is surrounding my tree and my house with bright, big poinsettia plants. I always heard they were deadly to animals. Not so says the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center. Yes, eating them will make your dog or cat feel pretty awful — mouth and stomach irritations and vomiting — but the ASPCA says its toxicity is overrated.

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House to House: HouseLogic offers tips to avoid common holiday mishaps

The following article printed in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette  and numerous papers throughout Arkansas is the sole product and property of the Arkansas Realtors Association. 

This week’s column is co-written by Emma Gillaspy, an eighth grader at Bob Courtway Middle School in Conway.

At the holidays I am always reminded of how blessed I am with family. When I say “blessed,” I mean Thanksgiving with 40 to 60 of my closest relatives — cousins, aunts, new babies and lots of great stories about days gone by and our ancestors. Then there are the food “must haves” like the requisite hot sausage tradition started by my great-grandfather, and my grandmother Maxine’s chocolate cake, without which my wing of the family would probably not make it through the door.

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House to House: Apologies to Pepe le Pew — DIY deterrents may repel skunks from property

The following article printed in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is the sole product and property of the Arkansas Realtors Association. 

Dear Pepe le Pew: Your kind has returned to my neck of the woods and, as much as I enjoyed watching you on cartoons as a child, the thrill is gone.

Actually, in all fairness Pepe, it’s not you — it’s the reality show version of you. Unlike the song you once crooned to me, I am not in the mood for love. The cold hard truth is that you and your Arkansas cousins stink, and your cousins’ stink lingers far too long after they’ve left. Eau de Skunk is not a scent I enjoy. Not early in the morning as I sit on my deck or late in the evenings as I sit on my porch. Nor do I enjoy the anxiety of having my dogs smelling of skunk upon re-entering my home.

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