Choosing Annual Flowers

If you are a seasoned gardener,
you probably know all about
choosing annual flowers.

But, for those relatively new to the
relaxing world of planting and gardening,
here is a quick little tutorial...with pictures of the flowers...
on
choosing annual flowers.
Enjoy!

Gourmet Baskets

Feeling a bit under the weather....?
know someone else who is...?

Perhaps you Just Want To Pamper Yourself!

Try one of these
wonderfully delicious
gourmet gift baskets....the best way to sample
some deliciousness!

WD 40 Uses

Someone sent me the following
in an email.
I had no idea...so I thought I would share.

WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a 'water displacement' compound. WD-40 or 'Water Displacement #40' was formulated from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Convair Company bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts.

Here are some uses for WD-40:

1. Protects silver from tarnishing.
2. Removes road tar and grime from cars.
3. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
4. Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making them slippery.
5. Keeps flies off cows.
6. Restores and cleans chalkboards.
7. Removes lipstick stains.
8. Loosens stubborn zippers.
9. Untangles jewelry chains.
10. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
11. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
12. Keeps ceramic and terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.
13. Removes tomato stains from clothing.
14. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.
15. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
16. Keeps scissors working smoothly.
17. Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.
18. It removes black scuff marks from t he kitchen floor!
Use WD-40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring.
It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub
nearly as hard to get them off.
Just remember to open some windows
if you have a lot of marks.
19. Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD-40!
20. Gives a children's playground gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
21. Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers.
22. Rids kids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises.
23. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
24. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
25. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
26. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
27. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
28. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
29. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.
30. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
31. Removes splattered grease on stove.
32. Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
33. Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
34. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
35. Removes all traces of duct tape.
36. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.
37. Florida 's favorite use is: 'cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers.'
38. The favorite use in the state of New York , WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
39. WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a little on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it's a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.
40. Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.
41. WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.
42. Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and rewash. Presto! The lipstick is gone!
43. If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.

...And... The basic ingredient in WD-40 is FISH OIL !

Container Herb Garden Video

Healthy Weight - Beware the Saboteurs

When you start a weight loss program, you'll want to have as many friends and family members as possible to be supportive of your weight loss goals.

Unfortunately, this is often not always possible. There seem to be saboteurs in many of the endeavors we choose to take in life, including our weight loss goals.

Don't become disheartened or you run the risk of abandoning your weight loss efforts and goals.

You will need to strengthen your willpower and resist those subtle and malicious suggestions or responses they make whenever you reach a specific milestone on your path towards a slimmer body and a healthier lifestyle.

If you are not sure if someone is trying to sabotage your efforts, here are a few things to watch for.

1. They Offer you Fattening Foods
This is one neat trick that can make you fall to their plans and be a victim of these weight loss saboteurs! Over time, they may shove you with your favorite food and offer something that used to be your personal cravings. Thank them and refuse to have any of them.

2. They make Negative Comments
Some small remarks such as? You can never stick to your weight loss goals? or ? You look good being fat!? are simply some of the tactics employed by these tricky characters!

3. They try to Catch you Doing Something Forbidden
They have a habit of keeping an eye on you and then merely to jump onto something you did that is on the contrary to your weight loss program.

4. They seem to always give you Constant Criticism
They have a habit of criticizing everything you can and how you decide to manage your weight loss program.

So how do you face these 'saboteurs' in your life, even those who "think" they mean well?

If they are the people dearest to you and you can't bear to hurt their feelings, no matter what they've done to yours, you will have to learn to ignore their remarks, resist their temptings, and keep your mind and willpower focused on your weight loss program.

You can make some attempts to reassure them that things will not change and will be what it used to be in the past. What is changing is only your weight and your lifestyle and you are doing it for your own well being and your health.

Several programs that you might consider reviewing, if you haven't yet set your goals or started a particular weight loss program include:

Strip That Fat!
The Diet Solution!
Turbulence Training!

These are very different programs and you might find the one that best suits your health needs, your goals and your personality.

Good luck on reaching and maintaining your healthy weight goals!

Emotional Freedom Technique

Most of us have heard about 'The Secret'....Laws of Attraction and the such.

I, for one, do happen to believe there is some credence
to all of this.

I know that stress and negative emotions DO have an adverse affect on our health...
so...I decided to see what this "Emotional Freedom Therapy" was all about.
In short...it is a method to 'release' the negatives
in order to allow the positives into our lives.

Here is a short video that explains it a bit better...

Handy tips for cell phone users.

If you have a cell phone...

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112.

If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish an emergency number for you, and important to note... 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked.

Did you lock your keys in the car?

Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).

To read more tips, please visit this site.

How to unlock a cell phone.

Is your cell phone locked or unlocked? Do you even know? I didn't.
Apparently, some phone providers lock their phones, meaning that those phones will only work with their carrier's SIM cards.
So if you have an AT&T phone, you can be fairly certain that it will not work if you change your cell provider to T-Mobile or Sprint.
Since many of the wireless carriers provide a free phone or a highly discounted phone they did not want to be out the cost of the phone to find that later that same phone is being used with another carrier, so they got the cell phone manufacturers to design the phone that could be locked to just their service.

To find out if your phone is locked, borrow a SIM card from someone who has a different provider, install it in your phone and see if it works. If it works and you can dial the borrowed party's number and your phone rings, then your phone is not locked.

If it doesn't work, how do you unlock a cell phone? First, don't purchase any of the unlock codes that are on various sites. You can get them for free. To find out how to unlock a cell phone, go to Google or Yahoo and type in your cell phone brand, like Nokia or Samsung or whatever it is, plus free calculator. Nokia Free Calculator.

You may have to do a small download to use the calculator, but you can always uninstall it right after you use it. Once you have downloaded the software, it will instruct you how to find the unlock code.

You'll have to enter in your phone brand (like Samsung), the model (like 1234), and usually the company that provided you service (such as AT&T). You will also need the IMEI code, which you can find on the back of your phone underneath the battery, or by pressing *#06# into your phone. The code will appear on your screen, so be sure to write it down. Do be careful because you only have 5 chances to enter the code correctly before the phone locks down.

If this all seems like too much of a hassle, you can either choose to go with a phone provided or purchased through your new carrier or purchase a cell phone, independent of any carrier, that is already unlocked.

Easy to Grow Flowers - Petunias

If you want to attract hummingbirds to your garden, I've always had good luck whenever I plant several containers of petunias.
Petunias have a wide 'trumpet' shaped flower and just a couple of plants will spread and bloom like crazy.
I do not start my petunias from seeds, preferring instead to plant young plants that have one or two unopened blossoms, in a variety of different colors.
Petunias do best in full sun, but can handle partial shade, which might be preferrable in hotter climates.
Make sure the soil is well drained as, petunia roots do not like too much water settling around them, this will cause the plants to produce more stem and fewer flowers.
To keep your petunias blooming all summer long, you will want to pinch off the dried blooms once or twice a week.
My favorite petunia varieties include;
The Grandifloras. This particular 'variety' of petunias have been around for some time. They grow eight to twelve inches high and have four to five inch wavy-edged blossoms.
The Multiflora petunia flowers are smaller, only about two inches, but they are more prolific and hold up better against rain.
I have planted petunias in a flower bed as well as in containers. I do prefer the containers as the petunias just seem to hold up better and longer, plus I can arrange the containers in various heights, with all kinds of color variations that look great on the patio. I like to keep my petunias in an area that I can look out and see the hummingbirds.
For the best in planters and containers check out these "Popular Wall & Hanging Planters" On Sale Now! SimplyPlanters.com

Easy to Grow Flowers - Marigolds

One of the easiest flowers to grow, from seed or starter plants, is the Marigold.
I have planted marigolds for years...often, when I had limited room, I always managed to find enough room to grow a few marigolds.


Once all danger of frost has passed, you can find a sunny spot of rich, well drained soil and work a little worm compost into the tilled soil. When the area has been prepared, spread seeds and cover them with no more than 1/4 inch of soil. Carefully water the soil and seeds daily.
When the seedlings begin to spout, thin to about 8 inches apart.
After the plants have grown and sprouted several leaves, you can place a little mulch around each plant to keep the soil from getting too dried out.
I like to space out my marigold planting, so that I can have flowers blooming well into the fall.
As the blossoms begin to dry up, I pluck the dried blooms and place them into a paper bag (to finish drying). The dried blooms are filled with seeds that I then use for the next year's plantings. Roll the dried bloom between your thumb and fingers, to separate the seeds when planting.

Add a decorative touch to your garden with fountains, garden gnomes, garden stones and much more from OnlineDiscountMart.com!

If you decide you would prefer to plant a small space marigold container garden,Simply Planters have over 250 Styles Of Garden Planters! Most Items Ship Free!