Easy Life Tips

December 09, 2006

Games that make Fun on Christmas Day

Games that make Fun on Christmas DayGuess the dinner - Have all the people who are not working in the kitchen do a smell test and try to figure out what's on the menu for dinner. Sure, turkey or ham or roast beef might be an obvious choice and an easy one if they are traditional in your family, but what's the potato smell? Is it a hashed brown casserole, or baked potatoes? Are they mashed with sour cream or garlic? Are there brussel sprouts for dinner or squash, or both. The winner, or the person who most closely guesses the items on the menu, gets a taste test.

Board game fun - Bring out the most kid-like board game you have. This might be one that was just opened that morning or something you already have. Get the men in the house (not the boys, but grown men) to sit down on the floor and play the game. A great picture can be had when the fathers and grandfathers are on the living room rug playing Candyland or Chutes and Ladders. Better yet, bring out a princess game and enjoy watching the men get dressed up like princesses as the game goes on. As a secondary activity, pit the kids and dads against each other in a game of monopoly or cards. The kids can play with their dads on a team or the dads can play against the kids. Either way, it's sure to be fun.
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December 08, 2006

Digital Christmas Shopping Guidelines

Still others who are Christmas shopping for a grab bag gift might consider purchasing a joke gift and including a gift receipt along with the item so the participant can exchange the item for something they would prefer. For example you might want to purchase a CD or DVD to contribute to the grab bag but selecting a CD or DVD which will be appreciated by all the participants and which the participants do not already own can be difficult.

However, it might be fun to purchase a CD from an artist most people would be embarrassed to own or a DVD for a cheesy movie and include the gift receipt so the recipient can return the embarrassing CD or DVD for a CD or DVD they really like. All of the participants will get a laugh out of seeing the embarrassing gift and the participant gets to return the gift so everyone wins in this situation.

Finally when Christmas shopping for a grab bag gift, you should consider purchasing a gift card or gift certificate as a gift. This gift will likely appeal to all of the participants in the Christmas gift grab bag and will help to ensure the lucky participant who selects your gift will be able to use the gift card to purchase something they really want or need.
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December 07, 2006

Should I remodel my Bathroom?

Although it is nice to know what a bathroom remodeling project can do for your home, you may also be wondering what it can do for you. As stated above, homeowners often end up benefiting, in a number of different ways, from a bathroom remodeling project. Many of these benefits are, in a way, related the appearance of your home or bathroom. Since bathroom remodeling projects almost always result in something better, you, as a homeowner, may feel proud of your new bathroom. In fact, you may feel as if you got a whole new bathroom. Since there is a good chance that you will be pleased with the changes, you may find yourself more willing to invite your friends or family to come into your home; thus resulting in a whole other set of benefits.

As you can easily see, there are an unlimited number of benefits to having your bathroom remodeled; benefits that may not only apply to you, but to your home as well. If would like to reap many of the above mentioned benefits, you are advised to get started today. The sooner you start your bathroom remodeling project, the sooner you can be pleased with the end result.
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December 06, 2006

Ideas for Best Kitchen Remodeling Project

A putty knife is another tool that you may need to use, when remodeling your kitchen. Putty knifes are ideal when replacing a kitchen countertops or when retiling your kitchen floor. They are great for removing unwanted or unneeded caulk or spreading around the glue that is needed to hold your kitchen tiles down. Putty knifes are common tools, but they are not as common as hammers or screwdrivers; therefore, you may need to purchase yourself one.

It may also be a good idea to have box cutters or handsaws on hand. If you are replacing the flooring in your kitchen or if you are installing a new laminate kitchen countertop, there is a good chance that you need to cut materials down to size. In some cases, a box cutter could do, but in other cases, you may need a handsaw. That is why it is best to have them both on hand.

In addition to the above mentioned tools, you may need to have a wrench, a measuring tape, a glue gun, a pair of pliers, and a ladder. Of course, it is also advised that you think along the lines of safety. In addition to the above mentioned tools, it may be a good idea to have a pair of safety goggles, a face mask, work gloves, and even a hard topped construction hat, just in case.
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December 05, 2006

How to Save Money on Christmas Decoration

In addition to dollar stores, you may also want to check out your local discount stores. Discount tores, in most cases, are a cross between a convenient store and a department store. They tend to be somewhat small in size, but most dollar stores carry a wide variety of different products, including Christmas decorations. While the prices at discount stores will vary, you should be able to find beautiful Christmas decorations for fewer than five dollars each. Of course, there will always be items that cost more than five dollars, but you may be surprised with the selection of low-cost Christmas decorations that can be found at your local discount store.

Although there is a good chance that you may prefer to have brand new Christmas decorations, it might not always be possible. If you are looking for low-cost, but specialty Christmas decorations, you may want to try shopping on an online auction website. By carefully examining which items you choose to buy, you could walk away with Christmas decorations that are slightly used, but look new.

As previously mentioned, it is also important that you keep when you are shopping in mind. For the largest selection of Christmas decorations, you will want to shop early, but for the best prices, you may want to wait until it gets closer to Christmas. In the days leading up to Christmas, some retail stores offer discounts on their Christmas supplies, including decorations. In fact, right after Christmas many of these discounts reach up to seventy-five or ninety percent off. Although shopping right after Christmas won’t help you this year, but it may be able to help you decorate your home, at an affordable price, next year.
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December 04, 2006

Some Food Tips for New Year Party

Still another less popular option is to prepare all of the food during the party. This helps to ensure the food is all fresh and is served at the appropriate temperature but it is also a great deal of work for the host. The host will not likely have a great deal of time to socialize with the guests because she will likely spend a great deal of time busy with food preparation.

When planning a New Years Eve party, you can also consider hosting a potluck event. This greatly simplifies the food preparation process for the host. If you opt for a potluck, it is important for the host of the party to coordinate with the guests to determine who will bring what to the party. This is important because you do not want everyone to bring a dessert. Likewise you don’t want everyone to bring an entrée either. Ideally a couple of people will prepare entrees and the remainder of guests will bring side dishes, salads and desserts to the party.

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December 03, 2006

How to be a Fun Wedding Photographer

A fun activity sure to be entertaining is to create a "silent photo guess" area. Here's how this works: before the wedding, someone close to the bride and groom collects pictures of the bride and groom at various stages in life. The photos should depict the bride and groom doing things, not at Christmas or with their first birthday cake. In other words, the photos should include some action, but it shouldn't be obvious in the picture what has taken place or where the person is.

Much like a silent auction, people will come along and look at the photos, then take a silent guess as to what the photos show. They can write their guess on a piece of paper and put it in a numbered basket that corresponds with the number on the photo. Reading these guesses during the reception is entertaining and sure to be amusing. The bride or groom can provide the real answers. This is a particularly fun activity at a relatively small, family wedding where the participants know the bride and groom very well.

If you want to provide an area for guests to have their photos taken but aren't thrilled with the "prom night" idea, how about having a photo corner set up somewhere in the reception hall or facility. Here, the wedding photographer will take candid shots of wedding guests. They might be couples, but could also be entire families, friends having a good time, or the groom being carried on the shoulders of the best man. Whatever the pictures end up being, they provide a fun, "let it all hang out" area for the wedding guests and a surprise for the bride and groom. Since they will likely be busy with all the reception details and having the time of THEIR lives, they might appreciate knowing their guests had a pretty good time too, as evidenced in the photos.
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