More useful tips

A very long time ago (too long ago I can't remember who sent this to me!), I received the following wonderful tips via e-mail.  Hope you'll find them useful!

PRETTY NEAT LITTLE TIPS

 

Bed Sheets 
After drying my sheets, I put both of the neatly folded sheets and one of the pillowcases in the other pillow case. 
The next time you change sheets, you just take out the one pillow case with the sheets and the other pillow case inside. 
No need to look for matches. 

Reheat Pizza 
Heat up leftover pizza in a non-stick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. 
This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. 
I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works. 

Easy Deviled Eggs 
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal the bag and mash till they are all broken up. 
Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up, mixing thoroughly. 
Cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze the mixture into the egg.
Then simply throw bag away when done - easy clean up. 

Expanding Frosting 
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with  your mixer for a few minutes. 
You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. 
You also eat fewer sugar/calories per serving. 

Reheating Refrigerated Bread 
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. 
The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. 

Newspaper Weeds-Away 
(I actually used this method in both GA & FL - even kills off grass!) 

Start by putting in your plants.  Work your normal nutrients into your soil. 
Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go, cover with mulch and forget about weeds. 
Weeds WILL get through some gardening plastics.  They will NOT get through wet newspapers. 

Broken Glass 
Use a dry cotton ball to pick up little broken pieces of glass - the fibers catch one s you can't see! 

No More Mosquitoes 

Try using Skin So Soft bath oil from Avon

Mosquitos hate it or
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. 
It will keep the mosquitoes away. 

Squirrel Away! 
To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. 
The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it. 
To keep them from eating all of your bird seed, add red pepper flakes to the seed. 
The birds aren't bothered by it, but the squirrels hate it! 

Easier Thank You's 
When you throw a bridal/baby shower, buy a pack of Thank You cards for the guest of honor. 
During the party, pass out the envelopes and have everyone put their address on one. 
When the bride/new mother gets ready to write out the thank you notes, they're all addressed! 

New Bike 
If you purchase a new bike for your child, place his/her picture inside the handle bar before placing the grips on. 
If the bike is ever stolen and later recovered, 
You can remove the grip and there is your proof who actually owns the bike. 

Flexible Vacuum 
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge, add an  empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum hose. 
It can be bent or flattened to get into those narrow openings. 

Reducing Static Cling 
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. 
The same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. 
Place the pin in seam of slacks and - voila! - static is  gone. 

Measuring Cups 
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill it with hot water. 
Dump out the hot water, but don't dry the cup. 
Next, add your ingredient (such as peanut butter) and watch how easily it comes right out. 

Foggy Windshield? 
Hate foggy windshields?  Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. 
When the windows fog up, rub with the eraser!  It works better than a cloth! 

ConditionerUse your hair conditioner to shave your legs. 
It's a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. 
It's also a great way to use up the conditioner that you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair... 

Good-bye Fruit Flies 
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass and fill it to ?" with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid - mix well.
You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever! 

Get Rid of Ants 
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. 
They eat it, take it "home" & can't digest it... so it kills them. 
It may take a week or so (especially if it rains) but it works... 
and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed! 

Sand Gone 
Take baby powder to the beach. 
Keep a small bottle of baby powder in your beach bag. 
When you're ready to leave the beach sprinkle yourself and kids with the powder. 
The sand will slide right off your skin. 

Music to a child's ear

Many years ago, a famous realtor in my area sent me a refrigerator magnet.  Besides advertising his company and contact information, he included a nice piece of blurb.  Here it is... magnet unearthed after years buried in a drawer... and words of wisdom finally immortalized in cyber space...  Thank you, Ryan Searle!

41 Ways to Praise a Child

(1) You're the best

(2) You're amazing

(3) You're fantiastic

(4) Outstanding

(5) Excellent

(6) Awesome

(7) You're special

(8) I'm proud of you

(9) I knew you could do it

(10) Fantastic

(11) Well done

(12) You're catching on

(13) Now you've got it

(14) You're on target

(15) You're wonderful

(16) You're perfect

(17) Remarkable job

(18) You're a winner

(19) You're important

(20) You're phenomenal

(21) You figured it out

(22) Super work

(23) You brighten my day

(24) You're on your way

(25) You rock

(26) Way to go

(27) You're sensational

(28) Terrific

(29) I love you

(30) You're a treasure

(31) That's incredible

(32) You tried hard

(33) I trust you

(34) You made my day

(35) You're responsible

(36) You're sensational

(37) Great

(38) You mean a lot to me

(39) Wow

(40) You make me happy

(41) You're growing up

Beware of baked beans

This anecdote, received in 2008, has got to be the funniest ever e-mailed to me.  The decision to post this fictitious tale wasn't easy as it touches on a rather sensitive subject.  What made me decide to share it is the Randy Jackson (American Idol judge) phrase that echoed in my head:  "Just keeping it real." 

If anyone feels disgusted after reading this, my apologies.  But if it brings a chuckle to your day, you have my appreciation.

Baked Beans

One day I met a sweet gentleman and fell in love.  When it became apparent that we would marry, I made the supreme sacrifice and gave up beans.

Some months later, on my birthday, my car broke down on the way home from work.  Since I lived in the countryside I called my husband and told him that I would be late because I had to walk home.  On my way, I passed by a small diner and the odor of baked beans was more than I could stand. With miles to walk, I figured that I would walk off any ill effects by the time I reached home, so I stopped at the diner and before I knew it, I had consumed three large orders of baked beans.  All the way home, I made sure that I released all the gas.

Upon my arrival, my husband seemed excited to see me and exclaimed delightedly: "Darling I have a surprise for dinner tonight."

He then blindfolded me and led me to my chair at the dinner table. I took a seat and just as he was about to remove my blindfold, the telephone rang.  He made me promise not to touch the blindfold until he returned and went to answer the call.

The baked beans I had consumed were still affecting me and the pressure was becoming most unbearable, so while my husband was out of the room I seized the opportunity, shifted my weight to one leg and let one go. It was not only loud, but it smelled like a fertilizer truck running over a skunk in front of a pulpwood mill.  I took my napkin from my lap and fanned the air around me vigorously.

Then, shifting to the other cheek, I ripped off three more.  The stink was worse than cooked cabbage. Keeping my ears carefully tuned to the conversation in the other room, I went on like this for another few minutes.

The pleasure was indescribable. When eventually the telephone farewells signaled the end of my freedom, I quickly fanned the air a few more times with my napkin, placed it on my lap and folded my hands back on it feeling very relieved and pleased with myself.

My face must have been the picture of innocence when my husband returned, apologizing for taking so long.  He asked me if I had peeked through the blindfold, and I assured him I had not.

At this point, he removed the blindfold, and twelve dinner guests seated around the table chorused: "Happy Birthday!"

I fainted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are your habits brain-damaging?

This interestingly informative piece came from my BFF Josie and I was instructed to share with the people I care about…
                       

BRAIN DAMAGING HABITS
            
1. No Breakfast?

People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.
           
2. Overeating?

It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power.
 
3. Smoking?

It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.
 
4. High Sugar Consumption?
Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.
 
5. Air Pollution?
The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.
 
6. Sleep Deprivation?
Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.
 
7. Head covered while sleeping?
 Sleeping with the head covered, increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.
 
8. Working your brain during illness?
Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.
 
9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts?
Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.
        
10. Talking Rarely?
Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain
 
           
The main causes of liver damage are:

1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause.
 
2. Not urinating in the morning.
 
3. Too much eating.
 
4. Skipping breakfast.
 
5. Consuming too much medication.
 
6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and artificial sweetener.
 
7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.
 
8. Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of liver.
 
9. Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store.
           
We should prevent this without necessarily spending more. We just have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating habits and time condition are very important for our bodies to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to "schedule."
           
Because:
           
Evening at 9 - 11pm : is the time for eliminating unnecessary/toxic chemicals (detoxification) from the antibody system (lymph nodes). This time duration should be spent by relaxing or listening to music. If during this time a housewife is still in an unrelaxed state such as washing the dishes or monitoring children doing their homework, this will have a negative impact on health.
 
Evening at 11pm - 1am: is the detoxification process in the liver, and ideally should be done in a deep sleep state.
           
Early morning 1 - 3am: detoxification process in the gall, also ideally done in a deep sleep state.

Early morning 3 - 5am: detoxification in the lungs. Therefore there will sometimes be a severe cough for cough sufferers during this time. Since the detoxification process had reached the respiratory tract, there is no need to take cough medicine so as not to interfere with toxin removal process.

Morning 5 - 7am: detoxification in the colon, you should empty your bowel.
 
Morning 7 - 9am: absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, you should be having breakfast at this time. Breakfast should be earlier, before 6:30am, for those who are sick. Breakfast before 7:30am is very beneficial to those wanting to stay fit. Those who always skip breakfast, they should change their habits, and it is still better to eat breakfast late until 9 - 10am rather than no meal at all.
 
Sleeping so late and waking up too late will disrupt the process of removing unnecessary chemicals. Aside from that, midnight to 4:00 am is the time when the bone marrow produces blood. Therefore, have a good sleep and don't sleep late.
 
 
TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH

The Baby Boomer virus

The following information popped into my cyber mailbox in 2005.  My BFF Josie and I know this virus too well...

I thought you would want to know about this e-mail virus. Even the most advanced programs from Norton or McAfee cannot take care of this one.  It appears to affect those who were born prior to 1965.

Symptoms:

1. Causes you to send the same e-mail twice.   Done that!

2. Causes you to send a blank e-mail!  That too!

3. Causes you to send e-mail to the wrong person.  Yep!

4. Causes you to send it back to the person who sent it to you.  Who me?

5. Causes you to forget to attach the attachment.  Well, darn!

6. Causes you to hit "SEND" before you've finished.  Oh no -- not again!

7. Causes you to hit "DELETE" instead of "SEND."  And I just hate that!

8. Causes you to hit "SEND" when you should "DELETE."  Oh No!

IT IS CALLED THE "C-NILE VIRUS."

Mackay's Moral

A good friend of mine forwarded this thought-provoking article written by a nationally syndicated columnist.  Thanks, Mary!

When getting a paycheck means taking a pay cut
By Harvey Mackay

It's a great opportunity, maybe even your dream job. All the stars are lining up -- the company you've admired, top-notch staff, terrific benefits, ideal location. You've aced the interview, and you know you'd be a perfect fit. What more could you ask for?

Maybe that's the wrong question. Maybe you should be asking, what less would you be willing to take?

A 2009 CNN Money report says, "With more than three job seekers for every opening, more workers are having to take significant pay cuts to find employment."

Current employment figures are not much brighter. Experts predict we will not see job numbers improve to pre-recession levels for at least five years. And even though unemployment benefits have been extended, they are no match for a rewarding, fulfilling job. That's a message I hear repeatedly as I release the paperback edition of my book, Use Your Head To Get Your Foot in the Door: Job Search Secrets No One Else Will Tell You.

Many are out of work through no fault of their own and can't afford to wait for the dream job to open. Others discover the jobs they had weren't right for them -- too much responsibility, too many hours, burnout or philosophical differences. Whatever the reason, plenty of qualified people who are looking for jobs have real challenges convincing interviewers that they can work for less and be content.

Shrinking company budgets force managers to get maximum bang for the buck while finding ways to maintain or grow business. Hiring decisions have greater impact when fewer employees must carry the load. A bad hire can be disastrous.

Try to explain to a hiring manager that you are interested in taking a job that includes a pay cut, and a number of questions pop up. Were you overpaid at your last job? Will you jump ship the minute a more lucrative opportunity is presented? Will you be able to survive on a smaller salary? If you are such a bargain, why hasn't someone else hired you already? Are you willing to work harder for less money? Do you have some ulterior motive?

Hiring managers look for competent people who are confident in their abilities. Your biggest selling point, surprisingly, isn't your price tag.

You have demonstrated that you are flexible, willing to take on a new challenge, bring great experience with you and can't wait to get started. You are prepared to work as hard as you can to advance the company's goals. The interviewer is starting to wonder why any company would have let you slip away.

The biggest mistake you can make at that point is to show any bitterness about your situation. Instead, seize the day by radiating your most positive face. Your last company's loss will be your next employer's gain!

As an astute person, you know that salary negotiations come much later, after you have convinced the interviewer that you are the best candidate for the position. Be honest when you are asked why you are willing to work for less.

"I know that the market can't support my previous salary, so I have committed to downsizing my lifestyle. I decided having a vacation home was becoming more work than pleasure."

One cautionary note: Don't apologize for showing interest in a lower-paying job. Your worth can't be measured only in dollars.

A pay cut may mean a better job, or the path to one. Keep your options open! When you are less focused on money than on opportunity, you may be pleasantly surprised at how profitable that opportunity can be.

Mackay's Moral: The difference between survive and thrive is keeping your options alive.

Top Tunes for the Baby Boomers

This amusing piece was forwarded by Josie (my BFF).  Thank you, sistah!

Some of the artists of the 60's are revising their hits with new lyrics to accommodate aging baby boomers who can remember doing the "Limbo” as if it were yesterday.

They include:
Bobby  Darin ---
Splish, Splash, I Was Havin' A Flash

Herman's  Hermits ---
Mrs.  Brown, You've Got a Lovely Walker

Ringo Starr  ---
I Get By With A Little Help From Depends

The Bee Gees ---
How  Can You Mend A Broken Hip?

Roberta  Flack ---
The  First Time Ever I Forgot Your Face

Johnny  Nash ---
I  Can't See Clearly Now.

Paul  Simon ---
Fifty  Ways To Lose Your Liver

The  Commodores ---
Once,  Twice, Three Times To The Bathroom

Procol  Harem---
A  Whiter Shade Of Hair

 

Leo Sayer  ---

 You Make Me  Feel Like Napping

The  Temptations --- 

Papa's Got  A Kidney Stone

Abba ---
Denture Queen 
"You  haven't seen my teeth have you Wilma?  

Tony Orlando  ---
Knock  3 Times On The Ceiling If You Hear Me Fall

Helen Reddy  ---
I Am  Woman, Hear Me Snore

Leslie  Gore---
It's  My Procedure, and I'll  Cry If I Want To 

And  Last but NOT least...

Willie  Nelson ---
On the Commode Again

In case you didn’t notice it the first time around - Depends now has a new motto!

A lesson in Spanish

I have stored quite a lot of forwarded e-mails, many funny, some informative.  It has never ceased to amaze me how people out there can think of creative ways to brighten our cyber mailboxes.  May you enjoy this one!

A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.

“House” for instance, is feminine: “la casa.”
“Pencil,” however, is masculine: “el lapiz.”

A student asked, “What gender is 'computer’?”

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether “computer” should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.

The men's group decided that “computer” should definitely be of the feminine gender (“la computadora”), because:

1 No one but their creator understands their internal logic;

2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;

3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and

4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself sending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

(THIS GETS BETTER!)

The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine (“el computador”), because:

1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;

2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;

3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

The women won.

Send this to all the smart women you know...and all the men who have a sense of humor.

Red bats for prosperity

Not many people like bats nor would anyone I know ever consider making those creatures a household pet.  As weird as it sounds, bats are symbols of serious money in feng shui.

According to the most popular feng shui author Lillian Too, “Although often associated with witches in the West, bats - especially red bats - have signified abundance n prosperity, happiness and longevity to the Chinese for many years. Bats are usually painted cinnabar red, the color for joy, and expected in fives to represent the five blessings from heaven; wealth, health, longevity, love of virtue and a natural death.”

Long before I learned about and started practicing feng shui, I had red bat symbols gracing my walls.  At that time I wasn’t aware that those were the feng shui-blessed bats that should be displayed in the home to attract good fortune.  Call me intuitive because I seem to have the knack for buying wall decors that carried auspicious significance!  Hallelujah!

After being taught the significance of red bats, I went shopping for bat decor a few years ago and found a metal bell designed with five bats encircling a prosperity symbol.  At that time I didn't realize that such a design was very auspicious in wish-fulfilling desires. Looking back, I feel confident that a mystical force drove me to find it because the item was in a most un-feng shui section of the store:  the gardening shop.

According to http://chinesehoroscop-e.com/astrology/feng-shui-bats.php:

Chinese admiration for bats began thousands of years before Christ. Sometimes people view the Oriental world as an interplay between active and passive forces (male and female). Bats were thought to embody the male principle while the flowers and fruits are the female. These creatures (were) also often displayed with the peach, a popular female fertility symbol. The peaches, being one of man’s favorite fruits were first cultivated in China about 5,000 years ago. Before that, these fruits relied on bats for dispersal of their seeds.

In the Manchu period, bats were very popular and used everywhere. They were painted onto vases and walls, worn on the robes of the emperors and carved into furniture and thrones.

Bats of a thousand years old were found in caverns of the hills in China which is silverish in color and are fed on stalactites.  They attained very old age and that is believed by ancient scholars because bats lived deep in caves and also because “they swallowed their breath”. While the longevity of bat remains unsolved, researchers have confirmed that these animals far outlive other mammals of similar size. And because of this, bats have become a symbol of longevity.

In feng shui applications, bat is used as a wealth cure and considered a symbol of wealth because the word bat “fook” has the same pronounciation as “prosperity” in Chinese. Bat also came to represent longevity and happiness, so it is an auspicious symbol in Chinese culture.

Groups of five bats is said to be more powerful formula for abundance and fulfilment of dreams. Five bats have long been used by Chinese artists to represent the five blessings: prosperity, long life, love of virtue, health and a trangquil, natural death. These bats are often bright red and encircle a stylized caligraph known as the symbol of prosperity. This popular bat motif can often be found embroidered on expensive clothing, this to imply that a person’s prosperity had resulted from virtuous lifestyle.

The bat is also sometimes depicted biting a golden coin and this plaque is enhanced by a mystic knot and red tassel. It is hung normally in the front portion of your house or at the maindoor or any chi entry points in order to invite wealth, health, good fortune and natural death at a ripe age. A pair of bats brings double happiness.

The bats can be hung in the West or Northwest to activate the element of metal for a happy family and mentor luck to gain support from helpful and important people. You can also place them in your living room, library, reading room, bedroom, kitchen, dining and business premise. Hang them on the outside of your door and window to ward off disease.

After enjoying the blessings of displaying red bats in the home, I developed a brand new respect for these creatures.  Bats don't scare me anymore.  In fact, red bats are regarded with much fondness and will be in my home to stay. 

credit:  http://www.fengshuimall.com/



Retirement blues

The other day I overheard a funny exchange between the bus driver and one of the female passengers.  The driver was sharing the news that he recently purchased an 8’ x 12’ greenhouse when the lady asked him:  “If you don’t mind my asking, how old are you?” 

The driver replied: “I’m 73.”

The lady said:  “My… you don’t look your age!”

Driver:  “That’s because I’m still working.”

The driver’s remark gave me a mental giggle.  Come to think of it, at that age people should be sitting in their rocking chairs, taking it easy and pondering on how life had been nice to them.  But the hard reality is, due to today’s economic battles, people are working over and beyond their age retirement expectancy.

One woman I work with is very positive that she’ll be in the workforce forever.  I advised her not to think that way because it might become her reality.  However, she said that there was no choice because if she opts to collect her government pension at the designated age, she can’t really expect to receive money that would comfortably support her.

I know a couple who have been retired for quite a while now.  Thirty years ago, they migrated to America from another country.  When they retired from their long years of employment, they decided to sell their house and possessions, pack up and return to their homeland where their U.S. pension checks can multiply and allow them to live like millionaires.  They are among the blessed citizens of America who can have the option to spend their retirement dollars in a country where the currency exchange rate would give them a life of prosperity.  If you are among the lucky ones with this kind of possibility in your retirement future, count your blessing!

Until a few years ago, I haven’t really thought about retiring and collecting Social Security.  Recently, however, I can’t help but consider this subject with some serious thought.  I have more than paid my dues in the corporate jungle and enjoying the fruits of hard work while I still can doesn’t seem like a very bad idea.  My BFF Josie is planning to retire in a couple of years and possibly work part-time.  I wish I could say the same, but I have to continue working until my mortgage payments become a thing of the past.  This is a time when I wish that I opted for leasing versus buying a home.  Because the home values depreciated significantly in recent years, many homes have become liabilities rather than assets.  My worst fear is dying with the home mortgage still unsettled.  Like most people, I’d like to leave something of value behind.

I’m sure that many senior citizens who find themselves trapped in their financial hole aren’t happy working the grind until they drop.  But it’s not a choice that they can really control unless their portfolios can take care of them.  Unfortunately, the tough economy dictates their prolonged employment so that they can cope with their personal financial challenges.

On this unpleasant note. I wish everyone well and hope that a gentler, kinder economy will not be far behind.

Did you know that...

Drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional "pain relievers."

Colgate toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns.

Before you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple if curiously strong Altoids peppermints will clear up stuffed nose.  They'll clear up your stuffed nose.

Achy muscles from a bout of flu?  Mix 1 tablespoon of horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil.  Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil, for instany relief for aching muscles.

Sore throat?  Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day.  The vinegar kills the bacteria.

Cure urinary tract infections with Alka-Seltzer.  Just dissolve two tablets with in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms.  Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost instantly -- even though the product was never advertised for this.  (Note:  Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine is not the same and contains aspirin, which can cause stomach bleeding if you have ulcers.)

Honey remedy for skin blemishes... Cover the blemish with a dab of honey and place a Band-Aid over it.  Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile, and speeds healing.  Works overnight.

Listerine therapy for toenail fungus... Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine mouthwash.  The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails looking healthy again.

Easy eyeglass protection... To prevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small drop of Maybelline Crystal Clear nail polish to the threads of the screws before tightening them.

Coca Cola cure for rust... Forget those expensive rust removers.  Just saturate an abrasive sponge with Coca Cola and scrub the rust stain.  The phosphoric acid in the coke is what gets the job done.

Cleaning liquid that doubles as bug killer... If menacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can't find the insecticide, try a spray of Formula 409.  Insects drop to the ground instantly.

Smart splinter remover... Just pour a drop of Elmer's Glue-All over the splinter, let dry, peel the dried glue off the skin.  The splinter sticks to the dried glue.

Hunt's tomato paste boil cure...  Cover the boil with Hunt's tomato paste as a compress.  The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the boil to a head.

Balm for broken blisters... To disinfect a broken blister, dab on a few drops of Listerine... a powerful antiseptic.

Heinz vinegar to heal bruises... Soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for one hour.  The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process.

Kill fleas instantly.  Dawn dishwashing liquid does the trick.  Add a few drops to your dog's bath and shampoo the animal thoroughly.  Rinse well to avoid skin irritations.  Goodbye fleas.

Rainy day cure for dog odor... Next time your dog comes in from the rain, simply wipe down the animal with Bounce or any dryer sheet, instantly making your dog smell springtime fresh.

Eliminate ear mites....  All it takes is a few drops of Wesson corn oil in your cat's ear.  Massage it in, then clean with a cotton ball.  Repeat daily for three days.  The oil soothes the cat'sskin, smothers the mites, and accelerates healing.

Quaker Oats for fast pain relief... It's not for breakfast anymore!  Mix 2 cups of Quaker Oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the microwave for 1 minute, cool slightly, and apply the mixture to your hands for soothing relief from arthritis pain.

The above tips came to me hundreds of e-mails ago.  May you find one, or all, useful in your life!