1. Fill up your car or truck in the morning when the temperature is still cool. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground; and the colder the ground, the denser the gasoline. When it gets warmer gasoline expands, so if you’re filling up in the afternoon or in the evening, what should be a gallon is not exactly a gallon. A one-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for businesses, but service stations don’t have temperature compensation at their pumps.

2. If a tanker truck is filling the station’s tank at the time you want to buy gas, do not fill up; most likely dirt and sludge in the tank is being stirred up when gas is being delivered, and you might be transferring that dirt from the bottom of their tank into your car’s tank.

3. Fill up when your gas tank is half-full (or half-empty), because the more gas you have in your tank the less air there is and gasoline evaporates rapidly, especially when it’s warm.

4. If you look at the trigger you’ll see that it has three delivery settings: slow, medium and high. When you’re filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to the high setting. You should be pumping at the slow setting, thereby minimizing vapors created while you are pumping. Hoses at the pump are corrugated; the corrugations act as a return path for vapor recovery from gas that already has been metered. If you are pumping at the high setting, the agitated gasoline contains more vapor, which is being sucked back into the underground tank so you’re getting less gas for your money.

Hope this will help ease your ‘pain at the pump’.

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

6. 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 to worry about pets or small children being harmed!

7. If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two, Viola! It unseals easily.

8. Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. This was featured on a cooking channel and it really works.

9. Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, 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 mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

10. 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.

11. Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can’t see easily.

12. Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep mosquitoes away. Another remedy is to spray yourself with mouth wash.

13. 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. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

14. Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ** ta da!–static is gone.

15. Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry cup. Add your ingredient such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

16. Use 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 you bought but didn’t like when you tried it in your hair.

17. Can’t afford to pay high prices for pot pourie? Trim some of the tops and buds off the flowers of your choice. place in a glass jar with the lid loose but covering the opening. Add Rosemary, Thyme and cinnamon and then shake it good. Open the jar. As the flowers dry out, they will fill the room with scent.

18. 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 less sugar and calories per serving.

19. The heating unit went out on my clothes dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink, ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material – I’m sure you know what your dryer’s lint filter looks like. WELL….the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn’t go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that’s what burns out the heating unit. You can’t SEE the film, but it’s there. It’s what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free – that nice fragrance too. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box, well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to catch fire and potentially burn your house down! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer last at least twice as long!

20. Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in 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 plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

21. 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.

22. To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2″ with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Article by: matthew

Having a backyard swimming pool ensures tons of summertime fun for the whole family. I have many memories of waking up as a child and heading straight out to the pool after breakfast, only to return to the house well after the sun had gone down. Talk about having active kids!

Sad to say, many kids who have a pool of their own do get to a point where they may not see the benefit of the pool on its own. What’s that saying? We take for granted the things which we see all the time? Unlike other children’s’ toys, we can’t pack up the pool and put it away for a month, only to bring it out later to the fanfare of a brand new toy. No, we’ve got to look at other ways to punch up the fun of the pool area to keep kids seeking out the fun that is offered there.

One sure fire way to easily bring new life to your days spent enjoying the outdoors and the water is to add a special basketball hoop to the area. Kids of all ages love the challenge of shooting the ball from the water to the hoop hanging overhead. It never takes long for swimmers to get into a lively game that will keep them busy for hours.

Hoops that are made for around the pool come in composite materials, plastic, acrylic or fiberglass. All materials used to construct poolside hoops are weather resistant as well as UV resistant. Adjustable heights can be easily obtained in many models, making it easy to accommodate just about everyone. Many poolside hoops will range all the way up to 10 feet in height. Wow! Some designs have “wings” on the sides which will return balls that don’t make it into the net. This is helpful because it keeps you from needing to leave the pool to chase down runaway basketballs.

Bases on poolside hoops are considered to be portable. They can be filled with water or sand and rolled into a storage unit for times when you may not want the hoop out. These features make a unit like this very functional as well as family friendly! And because your backyard area is just another part of the home, giving it as much function as it can have only increases the good times you can have at home.

A pool table, also known as a billiards table, is a table in which many different billiards games are played. Most billiards tables consist of a flat hard surface covered by some type of fabric, and is surrounded by cushions on all four sides. Billiards table are usually on four legs above the floor, but tabletop and portable versions are available at certain stores.

Most pool tables are made out of slate, which is a strong material that can avoid breaks pretty easily. Other parts of a pool or billiards table include the pockets, pocket liners, and table spots. Even though billiard tables are built with sturdy accessories, they sometimes need to be replaced to ensure the best game play possible.

Table pockets may sometimes need to be replaced due to damage caused during the game. There are many different types of pockets available, and they can differ in color, size, and style. They can be purchased from almost any sports or pool specialty store, and can be made of a number of different materials. They can even be purchased just to add a little decoration to the table, since they come in many different styles to suit anyone’s needs. They are not very expensive, especially when comparing the cost of the pockets to the cost of replacing an entire billiards table.

Sometimes the corners of the tables need to be replaced, due to wear and tear that occurs during a game. The corners and rail castings usually can be purchased in a set, making it easy to purchase an inexpensive product to protect your pool table. They are usually made out of a hard metal like chrome, to ensure the table is protected and looking better than ever. They can easily be cleaned and polished, ensuring they will do their job for a long time.

Because accidents occur, sometimes the cloth on the pool table needs to be replaced. A drink can get spilled, or maybe even some food. No matter what the problem may be, it is not rare for someone to have to replace the material. Once the material is replaced, it is also important to replace the marker for the cue ball. Small pool table spots can be purchased, and can last a long time during constant game play. Because they can be purchased in rolls, there is no need to have to worry about purchasing anything expensive. A roll can be found for pretty cheap, and the spots can be replaced very easily.

Other replacement parts are also available from sport or pool specialty stores, such as pocket liners or table feet. Because a pool table is not a cheap item to have, it is important to keep up with the maintenance and to replace parts when needed. Although replacing parts on a pool table can cost a little money, it ends up being much cheaper than having to replace and entire table. As long as the pool table is maintained on a regular basis and not mistreated, the table and replacement parts should last for a long time without having to be replaced. Those who use a pool or billiards table for other purposes usually have to end up replacing certain parts if not the entire table.

The common fungal infection on the toe nail is due to sweats and warm around the toe while wearing shoes, as kind of fungi that can grows well in moist warm atmosphere. This sort of atmosphere appears in swimming pools floors while walking on these funguses penetrates into the skin and affects the toe nails. This atmosphere continues by wearing shoes and not by keeping our toes dry which rapidly increases the growth of the fungus around the toes and affects the toe nails.

Several costly and effective toenail fungal treatment chemical products available around the world, which treat fungi for longer period to get cure and needs to spend huge amount. Many of these products leave side effects on the skins which need to spend separate time and amount to cure such effects.

Home remedies for treating fungi are more effective and needs to spend fewer amounts and less time to cure the infection. Truly home remedies made it possible to cure fungal infection within a week. There are several home remedies for treating toenail fungus among those the most cheapest and effective way of treating fungus is by vinegar for toe nail fungus.

The citrus concentrate can quickly destroy the fungus through its antibacterial property. The citrus burns the fungus and removes the dead cells that got accommodated on the nail surface which results as patches on the nail. It first removes the patches and slowly removes the dead cells inside the skin invokes the regeneration of new cells which induces growth of inner fresh skin which retains the normal nail condition back.

This natural citrus concentrate which is highly present in vinegar for toe nail fungus kill the fungus on the toe nails. Take a clean cotton ball dip it well in the vinegar rub it on the affected nail in and around the surface. These citrus concentrates deeply penetrates inside the skin and kill off the fungus. One more remedy, soak your toenails for approximately 10-15 minutes in warm water with mixture of equal proportion of vinegar and dry your toes thoroughly.

Vinegar for toe nail fungus deeply cleanses your nail deep inside the skin. Since, this fungus grows under the nail and rapidly increases its growth according to the moist atmosphere around your nails. Since vinegar for toe nail fungus keeps your nail dry even after applying which reduces moist atmosphere. Vinegar for toe nail fungus can be applied on your toe skin at nay time, even at any condition. Apply twice a day as per the infection ratio for best results and faster treatment.

Once treatment gets over, to avoid the return of infection keep your toes dry, wear clean cotton shocks. Keep your shoes dry by spraying a little amount of powder inside your shoes. If your shocks get wet keeping replacing your shocks with dries one. Make proper ventilation for your toe’s skin to take breath a better way to avoid toe sweats. Don’t walk over wet floors with fare foots wear sandals.

Some years ago I traveled to England several times a year. To return home, I would catch the train out of Stoke-on-Trent to London to fly out of Heath Row. Occasionally, Dave Harold would be on the train. The first time I saw him I asked if he was going fishing with that long case and all. He laughed and said that it was a pool cue. My associate poked me in the ribs with his bony elbow and told me that Dave was a world-class snooker player. My fishing pole comment was a big joke around Stoke-on-Trent after that.

One thing I learned from Dave Harold was how to slip off the Train in London with no hassle. We just grabbed our bags and followed Dave Harold. A porter, recognizing the famous snooker shooter, would grab all the bags and whisks us out of there. It was like being a celebrity. We would share a cab to the airport.

Of course “rubbing noses” with Dave Harold a few times couldn’t help but make me a better snooker player.

Actually, I haven’t played snooker since high school. It is a game with a lot of red balls that you are supposed to do something with. As I remember, there was numbered balls too and you had to shot a red ball between shooting the numbered balls in consecutive order. That is what I remember. But you must remember that I went off to the Koran War which forced such important information back into the recesses of my mind. But still, once a snooker shooter, always a snooker shooter. But there are no numbered balls in real snooker. Following are some guides to playing the game:

1. Learn to Talk Snooker

This is important so you must learn the terminology.

address: This is not the address of your home or the snooker parlor. It’s all that wiggling you do when you are getting set to take a shot at the cue ball hoping it will hit something good on the table. A rear-end wiggle is a nice touch for the ladies.

angle: There are two very important angles. One is the angle of incidence and the other is the angle of reflection. This is geometry which gets screwed up if you put spin on the ball.

angled: This means that the jaw of the pocket has penned you in. There is nothing you can do about it. It is a lot like getting “snookered” when you can not even get a non-obstructed line on the ball.

back-spin: When the ball hops off the table and hits you in the teeth.

baulk: You are not playing snooker, you are playing billiards. Well, maybe.

Black Ball Game: I don’t remember any black balls back in 1947.

Butt: One end of the cue stick and-what you must keep off the table.

Well, so much for the terminology. You really don’t need all that much. We had none at all back in the good old days.

2. Learn the Rules of Snooker

In snooker, they say there are red balls and colored balls neither of which are numbered. (Gee, I don’t remember that in Utah.) There is also the cue ball that is “white” in Utah. The game is played on a huge table (6′ by 10′ in England). There are only 2 players so it is not a very social game. The striker must hit a red ball first if there are red ball on the table. The striker shoots as long as he is “potting” (pocketing) the balls that are not white. If a spot on the table is “occupied,” it is occupied. If the ball flies off the table and hits your big toe, you are allowed to scream, “ouch!” without penalty. If at the end of the game, you have pocketed more stuff than your opponent, you may be the winner (consult Dave Harold on scoring).

3. Meaningful Hints and Strategies

ONLY if playing for money, if your opponent gets ahead of you, buy him or her one of those greasy hamburgers with French fries at the refreshment stand. Forget to grab a napkin. Make sure your opponent keeps his grubby, greasy hands off your cue stick. Just as your opponent has finished his or her “address,” say, “I’ll get you a Coke®!” Say it in a loud voice so the cue puts enough back-spin onto the cue ball to flip it off the table and hit your opponent in the teeth. You should now win by forfeit.

I would like to give you a demonstration of my shooting skills but I can’t find a snooker table in Idaho although I suspect that Tom Hanks has one up the road north of here in his complex. I have not received an invitation to visit him for a barbecue. Bruce Willis may have a snooker table. I haven’t heard from my pal, Bruce, either. Well Tom is busy suing his construction company and fighting the Idaho judicial system which is preventing him from doing it. Bruce still has his local airport project.

Well, that should do it!

Fly Old Glory!

Having mastered the basics of table football, there are all sorts of Foosball trick shots to practice and with which to amaze opponents. Descriptions of the following trick shots assume a 1-2-5-3 formation.

The “Bank Shot” utilises the 5-man rod (the third rod from the goal). Use the middle player on the 5-man rod to pin the ball to the table. Pick the side of the table from which to bounce the shot. Move the man slightly to the side of the ball opposite your chosen wall so that the player touches approximately one third of the ball. Rolling the wrist towards the floor will push down on this third of the ball. The ball should strike the side of the table wall, rebounding at an angle towards the goal. This is very similar to a “double” shot in snooker or pool; the table wall being used instead of a cushion to produce the required angle.

The “Rebound Smash” requires controlling the ball with the closest man on the 5-man rod. Obviously, this player will not be lined up with the goal. Push the ball about 1″ and strike it into the goal wall at such an angle that it will rebound back towards the middle man on the third rod. Move the middle man to receive the rebounded ball and (hopefully) wallop it into the goal. This shot requires plenty of practice, as the pace of the ball bouncing from the end of the table makes it very easy to miss.

In order to perform a “Snake Shot,” pin the ball to the table with the middle man on the 5-man bar, near the centre of the table. Hold the handle of the rod close to the inside of the wrist. Choose the position from which to shoot. Push / pull the rod to get the ball rolling sideways and follow it with the man to the correct position from which to make the shot. Spin the rod hard, with an upwards pull of the arm, rolling the handle until it catches in the fingers. This will spin the rod backward (anticlockwise), propelling the ball into the goal. Be certain to keep a grip on the handle; this will keep the rod from turning more than once, an illegal move in foosball.

The performance of trick shots intable football can be aided by tacky, padded, foosball wraps which help in gripping the handles of the table. Other extras which can enhance the playing experience of table football include counter-balanced players with a wider tournament-style foot pattern, allowing for enhanced ball control, ground urethane balls which roll truly and are easier for gripping and accurate shooting and automatic ball return. Some high quality Foosball tables feature solid wood handles (often maple) which provide superior grip and prevent slipping, thick, chrome-plated steel rods to withstand bending and split bearings for more smoothly sliding rods (and easier cleaning).

Additionally, laminated playing surfaces are resistant to damage, independently adjustable leg levellers ensure straightforward installation on the most uneven of floors and aluminium supports make the table more stable.

I have worked for 3 different linen vendors that actually manufacture in the US. I can say they operate very differently from each other and the products they make.

LOOK BEYOND THE QUOTED PRICE. I cannot stress this enough. I worked for a company that on a surface had a cheaper price for the same item as the others but the bottom total would make them higher. Not disclosing hidden costs and some not even in the fine print actually made this vendor much higher than the other.

There is also the fact that when someone is much lower than the others it has to come out of something. Nobody stays in business losing money so you must ask yourself why are they so much cheaper?

Some important questions to ask when you want to do business with a tablecloth manufacturer:

o First made sure that they actually cut-n-sew on the premises. If not they are an importer.

o Secondly, ask if this price is based on any quantity or their everyday prices.

o Ask if there is any costs for doing business, such as, maintaining a yearly sales volume or buying in certain quantities.

o Ask if there are any additional shipping & handling charges, such as using your own freight account number or drop shipping.

o Ask if any additional items such as labels whether there is any charge for this.

o Ask if the price is for both cash and credit.

o Compare not only if the fabric is the same but how the cloths are finished. There are different merrow settings where the edge threading is tighter. While a looser merrow-edge may not mean it is manufactured poorly it may be the difference in how the edges perform through laundering.

o Ask about the return policy and how they handle problems. Some vendors are willing to work with customers even when the problem is the customers and some vendors are unwilling to work with customers unless they are doing volume business.

o Ask if the prices on your order are subject to change without your being notified.

o Ask if the vendor sends confirmations prior upon receipt of an order.

o Ask if you can have your account assigned to a sales person instead of customer service. While you may place orders with customer service having a sales contact can be invaluable to finding out how to grow your business.

Research vendors with other facilities and make you sure find out all the details for doing business. If you have one large order and may not purchase for several years it may not matter. If you are looking for a relationship with a vendor and plan on purchasing on a regular basis then who and how the vendor operates may make the difference in your business and your bottom line.

Vegetable and fresh food gardens are the rage this year. With all the focus on green living and organic foods, it’s not surprising there is a push towards growing our own food. If you’ve ever eaten a fresh picked tomato, you’ll know that the flavor just doesn’t compare with store bought. In fact, most people probably don’t realize how good vegetables are supposed to taste.

For those of you who have never attempted growing anything beyond a few token geraniums or hanging planters, food gardens are not that difficult. If you devote some time to planning, you’ll be shocked at how easy it is.

Your first consideration should be in the type of plants you want to grow. One tomato plant can yield as much as 10 lbs. of fruit, so you don’t need many to get a good return. Plus, depending on the type of plant, allows you to harvest throughout the season. Other plants such as carrots, radishes and corn produce only once.

The varieties you choose will have bearing on the size of your garden and vice versa. You can use a regular plot, or build raised beds, or even fill a balcony with containers of edible plants. Most vegetables require a minimum of 6 to 8 hours of full sun. Much less and they won’t be as hearty as well as being susceptible to disease. You can budget your sunny space by placing some vegetables in part sun such as peas, lettuce and spinach.

Your garden will have to be watered regularly, especially during dry spells. You may want to consider using soaker hoses or a sprinkling system set up on a timer.

Good soil will produce a heartier crop of more nutrient rich plants so it’s worth spending some effort in this area. Use a moist, well-drained soil that has been fortified with compost. A good way to test it is to soak a small area of soil, wait one day and then dig up a handful. Give it a good squeeze, and if water streams out, you may have a drainage problem that would require adding additional compost or peat moss.

If, when you open your hand, the soil falls apart, not forming a ball, then you may have too much sand. If the ball holds together and doesn’t come apart easily, you may have too much clay in the soil. Adding organic compost or peat moss will solve both of these problems. Ideally, you want the soil to form into a ball and break into crumbs when you disturb it.

Garden Design

There are two basic design when planting in the ground versus raised beds or containers – row cropping and intensive cropping.

In row cropping, you have number of plants, single file in long rows, with room for walking in between. Although most people automatically plant this way, this style is generally used in large gardens where room is required for large equipment. This design, tends to use up a lot of space for walking paths and this eats away at your planting room.

Intensive cropping is where planting is done in wide bands up to 4 feet across. Since this design reduces the space needed for walking, the planting bands should not be any wider than you can reach to weed your garden.

Another version of intensive cropping, divides the garden into small zones (about 4 x 4 feet), throughout your yard. Depending on the size of plant at maturity, you can use one, four, nine, or 16 plants. If you leave part of the area unplanted, then you can add a second planting when the first is finished. It’s common to plant lettuce, radishes, green onions, carrots and beans several times a season.

Raised beds are an excellent planting method, especially if you have poor soil drainage. They also help to keep the weeds down and restrain your plants from creeping into other areas of the garden. An easy way to create the bed is to place your frames right on existing lawn, line with plenty of newspaper and top with soil. The newspaper will break down, and attract worms which will provide plenty of natural fertilizer.

No matter which method you choose, once you’ve loosened the soil, rake it, water it and let it rest for a few days before planting.

So you fancy yourself as a Ronnie O’Sullivan. You have room for a snooker or pool table. Which one do you choose?

Remember a billiard, pool or snooker table is a piece of furniture. If you opt for a fold away table it doesn’t much matter, which you choose, as it folds away after use. In that case go for a functional table with as many features as you can afford, such as ball return etc. For a permanent table look for the same things you would look for in any piece of furniture as you are going to have to look at it all the time. Then consider the quality of playing the game on the table. Make sure it fits your idea of fine decor, as a good table will last for many years. Generally speaking for a good permanent table look for quality construction viz: a slate bed and responsive cushions. As usual you get what you pay for, so get the best you can afford.

The colour of the cloth, which is made of wool, is up to you, generally the cloth comes in red, green and blue. The only thing to worry about here is whether the balls show up against the colour. Green is the traditional and safest colour to choose. The cloth should be kept clean and you can get treatments to extend its life.

UK Pool tables come in various sizes; a full size English pool table is generally thought of as a 7 ft table, whereas a full size snooker table is a 12 ft beast for which you need a considerable amount of room. We have a room size guide on the site to enable you to gauge which size of table you can fit into your games room.

American pool tables are generally larger at 9 foot, also they have larger balls than snooker as well as larger pockets and require the larger tipped cues to play the game with. The American game is getting more popular in the UK.

How about an outdoor pool table or snooker table? These tables are pressure treated wood for weatherproofing, or fibre glass frames with specially treated waterproof cloth. The wooden tables are coloured to match your decking, either green or brown, and all outdoor pool tables come with a cover for the winter, so you could leave it outdoors in the winter. The wooden outdoor tables can be marked out for Snooker or Pool, and we have tables in various sizes from 6 foot to 8 ft. Just imagine, having a barbecue and pool tournament outside on your decking in the summer, sounds great to me.

Did you know we supplied the pool table for Russell on Big Brothers Little Brother?