GROWING A GREENER WORLD

Summer is officially here and with temperatures on the rise, now is the perfect time to be outdoors! A 2012 study conducted by NASA revealed temperatures all across the United States have been hitting all-time record highs and rising! The Month of July is typically the hottest month of the year, and with the average household using about 60% of their daily water use on gardens and lawns; Now is the perfect time to learn about water conservation and what we can do to protect our landscapes while saving millions of gallons of water this summer

 The EPA estimates that about 7.8 billion gallons of water – or anywhere from 30 to 70 percent depending on the region – are used outdoors in the U.S. each year. And as much as half of that is wasted due to inefficient watering methods. Today’s homeowners should know the methods that allow them to efficiently utilize their natural resources, which as a result saves them money on their utility bills and minimizes their time spent on upkeep.

Learning how to properly maintain and keep lawns and landscapes healthy, green and thriving is not easy as temperature rises in summer, especially for the water conscious landscaper.  Certified Landscape Professional and Master Gardener Joe Lamp’l of ‘Growing A Greener World’ shares his expert advice to help bring out the green in everyone’s yards. Joe Lamp’l offers consumers water conservation tips and techniques to help build consumers’ master garden or landscaping plans, such as:

•          Simple tips on how to keep yard and garden weed free
•          Ways to keep your lawn and garden healthy while minimizing outdoor water consumption and maintaining sustainability. 
•         Which plants help achieve optimal water efficiency
•         Easy methods to properly water our yards 
•          Tips you can share that will benefit everyone when they start to tackle their lawn and landscape

Dog Disasters, Cat Catastrophes and Animal Accidents Expose Hidden Cost of Pet Ownership

Plan Ahead for Your Online Hereafter

Plan Ahead for Your Online Hereafter
Asset Protection Lawyer Offers 3 Steps to Take Now

Now, you really can live forever, but that’s not necessarily a good thing.
Many of your online accounts – from automatic bill payments to eBay – may remain active after you pass away, unless you take steps to ensure they don’t, says attorney Hillel Presser, author of “Financial Self-Defense (Revised Edition), ”www.assetprotectionattorneys.com.
Automatic bill pay, for example, can theoretically keep tapping your bank account long after you’re gone or, at least, until your money is.
“It’s important to make sure your online bank and shopping accounts, even your social media, can be closed out, or that your loved ones are authorized to access them,” Presser says. “You may ask, ‘Why would I care if I’m gone?’ I can tell you from experience: because it can create real headaches, and more heartache, for your family.”
Bank and shopping accounts will be vulnerable to identity theft, which would affect your estate if someone opens credit cards in your name. You might have valuable intellectual property, like domain names. They may need access to your health records, particularly if you died under questionable circumstances, he says.
There’s the sentimental stuff – photos and emails -- that your family may want as a remembrance of you, and the libraries of music and ebooks, which may represent a considerable investment on your part.
“The problem is, even if you provide a family member with all of your accounts, log-ins and passwords, they may not be legally allowed to access them,” Presser says. “In many cases, they may be violating the accounts’ terms of service or violatingfederal privacy and computer fraud laws. Some states have laws governing online materials, but they’re different and which of your accounts are covered depends on where the provider is located.”
What can you do to ensure your family isn’t left with a virtual nightmare after your passing? Presser offers these tips:

• Create a list of all of your accounts, including log-innames, passwords, and answers to any security questions. Obviously, your list will need to be securely stored. Since you’ll need to update it regularly as you add accounts or change passwords,  it will be easiest if you keep the list on your computer in a password-protected folder. Some versions of Windows allow you to create protected folders, but you may need to get third-party software to do this, such as freeAxCrypt. Remember to create a backup of your list, whether it’s on a jump drive or printed out on paper. Store the backup in a secure place such as a safe deposit box. Do not put password information in your will, which is a public document.
• If you have a Google account, set up the new inactive account manager. In May 2013, Google became the first site to give users an option for choosing what becomes of their content if they should become debilitated or die. Under the profile button, click “Account,” scroll down to “Account Management,” and you’ll find instructions for “Control what happens to your account when you stop using Google.” You can select how long the account should be inactive before your plans are set into motion; choose to whom you want to offer content, such as YouTube videos, Gmail, Google+ posts, Blogger and Picasa web albums, or whether it should simply be deleted.
• Appoint a digital executor. Perhaps the simplest way to ensure your online life is taken care of is to appoint a digital executor – a tech-savvy person who will be willing and able to carry out your wishes. Authorize the person to access your inventory of log-in information and spell out what you want done with each account, whether it’s providing access to loved ones or business partners, or deleting it.

The digital world has grown and transformed so rapidly, the law hasn’t kept up, which makes managing your digital afterlife challenging, Presser says.
“Until there are more consistent laws and procedures governing this area, it’s best to plan ahead, leave clear instructions and be sure you have a list of accounts where your estate lawyer or a loved one can find it and access it,” he says. “It will make a world of difference to your survivors.”

About Hillel L. Presser, Esq., MBA

Hillel L. Presser’s firm, The Presser Law Firm, P.A., represents individuals and businesses in establishing comprehensive asset protection plans. He is a graduate of Syracuse University’s School of Management and Nova Southeastern University’s law school, and serves on Nova’s President’s Advisory Council. He is a former adjunct faculty member for law at Lynn University. Complimentary copies of “Financial Self-Defense” are available through www.assetprotectionattorneys.com.

Delicious Dehydrated Food Recipes!

Zucchini Chips

Try this healthy alternative to potato chips

1. Slice Zucchini into ¼ inch

2. Dry in a Excalibur Dehydrator at 105F until crispy

3. Eat the chips plain, dip in avocado or guacamole, or add to cold raw soups or salads. Makes 1-10 servings.

Vegan Cheese Dip

You’ll be amazed how delicious homemade cheese tastes when you try this dip!

Ingredients:

1 cup macadamia nuts, soaked for at least 15 minutes

1 chopped bell pepper

Cayenne pepper to taste

Sea salt to taste

Directions:

 In a blender, combine all ingredients into a smooth sauce. Add sea salt and cayenne to your liking

Salmon Jerky

Make this Salmon jerky your own with a mixture of your favorite seasonings!

Ingredients:

1 Cup Salt (not iodized)

2 ½ cups Light brown sugar

¼ cup Soy sauce

1 gallon Water

Salmon filets, skin removed

Cayenne pepper, optional

Directions:

1. Place salt, brown sugar, soy sauce, and water into a pot. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

2. Slice salmon lengthwise (not across the width) into strips ¼- to ½-inch thick. Place the salmon strips in the cooled brine and refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours to marinate.

3. Drain the brine. Rinse the salmon with clean water and let drain. Pat dry with paper towels.

4. Spray dehydrator racks with vegetable oil. Place salmon strips on racks, not touching so air can circulate. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper to taste. Dry to desired doneness according to dehydrator manufacturer's recommendations.

5. The drying time could take 8 hours or more, depending on the method and how dry you like the jerky.

6. Store salmon jerky in an airtight container or ziptop bag.

Tropical Fruit Roll

This tropical fruit roll is easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups Chopped mango

1 cup Raspberries

Directions:
1. In a food processor, puree mango and raspberries.

2. Spread out to ¼ inch thickness, as evenly as possible, on a leather sheet or a drying tray lined with parchment paper, leaving it slightly thicker around the edges. Dry at 130°F.

3. Leather should be evenly translucent, with no visible moist spots, and should still be flexible.

4. Use very ripe mangos for best flavor and texture.

These recipes are provided courtesy of Excalibur.

Make your car last longer with these great tips

Less than 11% of car owners plan to limit mileage on their primary vehicle to fewer than 75k miles, with the vast majority (68%) planning to drive that vehicle for 150k miles or more, according to a recent AutoMD.com survey(1). Meanwhile, strained new vehicle inventory and a challenging economy have inspired more and more consumers to turn to used vehicles, which all adds up to a lot of older metal driving up and down our highways.

AutoMD.com’s team of automotive experts have put together tips to help consumers keep their elderly vehicles spry and energetic, and to help buyers of more mature, high-mileage vehicles know what to look out for before purchasing.

AutoMD.com’s Top Five Maintenance Tips for the over-75,000 miler
1. Keep Up With Service
2. Looks Are Still Important! Even After 75
3. Timing is Everything: Replace That Belt
4. Take It Easy When You Drive
5. Support those Tires

AutoMD.com’s Top Five Things to Look for Before Purchasing a High-Mileage Vehicle
1. Know the Owner
2. Follow the Paper Trail
3. Looks Count!
4. Get Under the Hood
5. Road Test

Happy Picnickers Reward Players with Points, Food Safety Slip-Ups Can Spoil the Fun

What’s one way to ruin a perfect picnic? Yep, food poisoning. Just in time for grilling season, Perfect Picnic for iPhone and iPad launches today and is available now for free at the App Store. Download here.
Developed for kids ages 8–11, but fun for all ages, Perfect Picnic turns players into masters of their own picnic park  - building out a park filled with outdoor kitchens, grills, trees and more. They earn “income” by renting out barbeque spots and keeping their visitors happy.

Players can build the most awesome park in town by making sure their visitors have a good experience and easy access to supplies for a delicious and safe cookout. The more successful they are at helping their visitors, the more they can improve the quality and increase the size of their park.

But nothing spoils the perfect picnic like harmful bacteria living on dirty hands, food that has sat out in the sun too long and undercooked meat. Players’ entire park operations can go off-track if they don’t help their visitors learn to:

• Wash their hands to reduce risk of contaminating food;
• Use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of hamburgers for safe consumption;
• Keep their coolers filled with ice, so picnic perishable foods stay chilled to 40 °F; and
• Keep a “clean scene” by keeping food preparation surfaces clean.

The game has been produced by the nonprofit Partnership for Food Safety Education, which works to help consumers keep important safe food handling practices top-of-mind and take action to reduce their risk of food poisoning.

“We wanted Perfect Picnic to be fun and provide great brain food for kids, too,” said Shelley Feist, executive director of the Partnership for Food Safety Education. “Players learn fast that a sick visitor is not a satisfied visitor, so helping picnic goers practice smart and safe food handling practices is a sure way to earn a reputation as the best park in town.”

“Perfect Picnic is an engaging, fun opportunity to help kids learn about food safety, not to mention discover what it takes to be a great park manager,” said Mike Robach, vice president of corporate food safety, quality and regulatory affairs for Cargill, the corporate sponsor for the development of Perfect Picnic. “We hope it will inspire life-long healthy behaviors.”

To learn more about safe food handling, visit www.fightbac.org.

Home Theft Protection Guide

The Family Handyman’s Home Theft Protection Guide

Don’t let a burglary spoil your summer getaway this year. It’s easy to protect your home and prevent theft by taking a few simple steps to secure and reinforce service doors and windows.

To keep your abode safe, The Family Handyman provides strategies that are fast as well as cheap, and will really reinforce your home security:

·         Don't leave your remote in the car - Thieves know right where to look for your garage door opener remote—clipped to the visor in your car. To avoid giving them easy access to your garage, take the remote with you when you leave the car. The handiest way to do this is to replace your big remote with a small keychain version (sold at home centers or where you bought your garage door opener). Match the remote to the brand and year of your opener. Then follow the instructions for programming it.

 

·         Scare away thieves with motion detector lights - Replacing light fixtures with ones that have a built-in motion detector is an easy way to make your garage and house more secure. Burglars will be reluctant to jimmy open a door or window when they're working under a bright light. Or, you can add a standalone motion detector that connects to your existing lights.

 

·         Cover windows to stop prying eyes - To prevent burglars from “casing the joint,” cover glass so they can’t “window shop.” Use curtains, shades or blinds. Or apply a translucent film to the glass that obscures vision but still lets in light. Plastic film like this is available in several patterns from the window covering department of home centers as well as at full-service hardware stores and window covering retailers. It’s also available online (search for “privacy window film”). Installation is simple. Follow the instructions included with the film you purchase.

 

·         Bar the windows to prevent break-ins - If they can’t simply enter through an open door, burglars will often try to come through windows because most are relatively easy to pry open or break. Breaking a window is their last choice because of the noise. To eliminate this, make sure to lock windows if possible. If you have windows that you don’t open, screw them shut. But for the ultimate window security, add strong bars across the window so that thieves can’t get in even if they pry open the window or break the glass. Make your own window bars for a fraction of the cost of factory-made bars.

 

·         Disable the overhead door – The latch trick! When you go away on vacation, unplug the garage door opener. If you don't have an opener, padlock the latch or disable the door by putting a bolt through one of the holes in the garage door track. This will prevent someone from coming in through the overhead door while you're away.

 

·         Keep the garage door closed and use a timer - Leaving the garage door open is practically an invitation to burglars, in addition to the fact that it’s pretty much a storefront window display of your possessions to anyone driving by. But if you’re like a lot of other people and tend to forget to close the door, or have kids who forget, there’s an easy solution. Install a device that signals your garage door opener to close the door after a predetermined amount of time. You can set the amount of time that elapses before the door closes, or override the control if you want the door to remain open. One more point: When you’re leaving for work, don’t just hit the remote button to close the door and then drive away. Wait until it closes to make sure it doesn’t reopen.

 

Please visit The Family Handyman for more home theft protection tips to secure your garage and keep your home free of burglaries this winter.

Additional DIY tips, product recommendations and more can be found online at www.familyhandyman.com.

FREE Recipe from the new 101 Stovetop Suppers - Pasta a la Drini

Pasta a la Drini

This recipe was shared by Catherine Alesandrini from French Village, Missouri. She writes, "This is a great, healthy one-pot meal that's on the table in 30 minutes. It's so versatile...adjust the herbs and spices to your family's taste!

16-oz. pkg. Italian turkey sausage links

28-oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1/8 t. red pepper flakes

dried oregano and dried basil to taste

10-oz. pkg. frozen broccoli, cooked

16-oz. pkg. whole-wheat penne pasta, cooked

Place sausages on a grill pan over medium heat. Cook until browned and no longer pink in the center; remove from pan and let cool. In a large skillet over medium heat, combine tomatoes with juice and seasoning; bring to a simmer. Slice sausages into bite-size pieces and add to sauce. Add broccoli and pasta to skillet. Return to a simmer and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until heated through. Serves 4 to 6.

Win $1,000 in Brand New Bombay Company Furniture, Accents, and Decor!

The Bombay Company is giving fans a chance to win $1000 in brand new Bombay Company furniture, accents, and decor. Enter for your chance to win via the link below.

CONTEST LINKhttps://www.bombaycompany.com/spree-contest
About Bombay

Founded in 1978 as a niche specialty home goods retail concept, the Bombay Company grew to approximately 350 retail stores and nearly $600 million in annual retail sales volume. Even after closing all U.S. retail store locations in 2007, the brand continued to score at the top of national consumer surveys as one of the most recognized home brand names in the U.S.Less than 2 years later, Bombay re-emerged. Wil Hollands was brought on as President of the brand to implement a multi-channel retail strategy, re-establishing Bombay merchandise at specialty and mass retailers online and throughout the nation. "The Bombay name is still one of the most recognizable names in home furnishings." Hollands said. "Demand continues to be high for our products because of the unique and unexpected twists we design into classic pieces, and the fact this is a true lifestyle brand."

In September 2012, Bombay unveiled a new e-commerce website at bombaycompany.com. The new site offers a range of Bombay’s signature pieces including furniture, accents and decor, gifts, textiles, seasonal and holiday items. The site features more than 450+ pieces, which range in price from $20 for accessories to $1,500 for investment furniture products
Connect with Bombay

www.bombaycompany.comwww.facebook.com/bombaycompany
www.twitter.com/bombay_company
www.pinterest.com/bombaycompany
www.youtube.com/bombaycompanyus

Knowing When It's Time To Let Someone Else Make The Pies Is Important

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Mrs. Smith's for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am a woman who knows her weaknesses - in the kitchen anyway. I can make crepes like nobody's business, but ask me to make their clunky cousin, the pancake? Forget it. I make the best pizza dough ever, but pie crust? Nope.

Fortunately there are solutions for my problem. If I have fresh fruit and if I find myself in a position that requires me to bake a pie, I just use refrigerated crust. Sometimes though {take this year of horrible cherry, apple and peach harvest for example}, I would just buy a canned filling, a refrigerated crust, and make a pie from that.

Now what is the point of that? Is that even home made anymore? I think not.  And when we get into the whole deep dish pie category - I don't even own a deep dish.  I am OK with that, because you know how often I need to make a deep dish pie? Approximately once a year.  Letting a deep dish pie pan hang out in my already crowded kitchen does not make sense for an annual occasion.

Let's look at cherries, for example.  President's Day is coming up and there will be a mad dash  from people like me who are overly thematic for cherry related recipes on account of the cherry tree that George Washington did not lie about chopping down. Or something.  

One delicious, easy option would be to make the Cherry Pie with Butter Fudge Sauce from Mrs. Smith's Signature Deep Dish pies. 

The fudge sauce just sits politely on the side to satisfy the folks with such cravings; but doesn't have to be spread over the entire pie by any means.

Anything with the word "Dutch" is bound to be a hit in West Michigan, so I would be remiss if I did not bring the Deep Dish Dutch Apple Pie With Carmel Sauce to your attention.  This thing looks ridiculously delicious.

If you are one of those amazing pie crust makers, I tip my hat to you.  If you are not, come over and sit by me.  We'll eat some of these pies instead.

Follow Mrs. Smith's on Facebook and Pinterest for more pie-related ideas.