Abstract Home Vol. 4 issue 6

LIVING QUARTERS

The market for artificial grass is growing quickly. It is being driven by a com-

bination of better manufacturing techniques combined with an in-creasing awareness of the longer term environmental and eco-nomic benefits. Originally it was limited to large sports clubs, but now you are just as likely to see it on your neighbour’s garden.

The benefits really fall into 3 dis-tinct groups:-

1Lifestyle and ease of use. There is no doubt at all that

in our busy lives time becomes more precious as we seek to jug-gle all our responsibilities. Mow-ing the lawn can take 2 to 3 hours out of your week and that is for a normal size garden. Artificial grass needs very little mainte-nance and can free up a lot of time. It is worth mentioning two distinct types of users who also find it very valuable:-

a. Older people who cannot physically mow their lawns.

b. Holiday home owners who are not always “on site” to look af-ter their lawns.

2Environmental issues. As our weather grows warmer

there will be more pressure on restricting water usage. Hose pipe restrictions can really de-stroy a natural lawn, but artificial grass will not be affected. Anoth-

er benefit from artificial grass is that it actively helps the environ-ment. As well as substantially re-ducing water usage we also get –

a. No carbon emissions from petrol driven lawn mowers.

b. No fertilizers needed.c. Pollution from water runoff

carrying chemicals into the drains is minimized.

3Special circumstances. It always surprises people to

know the varied circumstances when artificial grass can be ben-eficial. Here is a brief list:-

a. Dog runs. It can’t be dug up, it’s easy to clean and keep sterile and there will be no muddy paws. This makes it a favour-ite at dog kennels.

b. Swimming pools. It is very useful as ground cover be-

yond the “splash back” area. No muddy areas to carry dust and dirt into the pool, no ruts from the sun loungers and stays green whatever the weather.

c. Roof gardens. If your roof is not strong enough to sup-port a natural turf cover then artificial grass will fill in very nicely. It also means that you don’t need to worry about the grass clippings.

d. High wear and tear areas. Very often, especially with chil-dren, you can end up with parts of the garden where constant usage will not allow grass to grow properly and bald patches which can turn to mud cause real problems. Carefully laid artificial grass can blend in with surround-ing features and help over-come this.

If you live alone, different rooms of your house repre-sent different sides of your

personality. Whether it is done through the use of the colour or the contents in the room, eve-rything about it represents your individuality. One of the tough-est decisions you may need to make is deciding on what col-our to paint any room, depend-ing on the number of windows, flooring and if it’s a room that is heavily frequented. Read below for an easy way to determine the final colour.

Blue- Blues work well with a lot of natural light so this may be better for your bedroom. Be wary of the shade since dark blue can make a room seem small and crowded while baby-blue may be a bit childish. But with the right shade, the bedroom is the per-fect place for blues as the colour is very warm and calming.

Yellow- Yellow tends to brighten up a room and can also brighten up your mood. It can be used in any room of the house especially the living room or bedroom because of the posi-tive effect it has your mood.

Green- Green has a very natu-ral feel to it and can make you feel very free. The right shade is needed as dark greens can work well only in natural lighting and light greens can be used to brighten a room. Green can also be used to make a room bigger so these are perfect for living-rooms, bedrooms and kitchen.

Black- Blacks should be avoid-ed. If they are to be used, they should be used in combina-tion with other colours such as silvers, greys and maybe dark-blues. But remember, the darker the colours the more claustro-phobic the room gets. Addition-

ally, black adds a certain ‘goth’ feel and has been known to cause headaches.

Red- Red represents a sign of confidence and shows that you are a strong individual. It works well with any light but depend-ing on the shade it can ‘trap’ heat. It works well in the bed-

room and can be used in com-bination with white or as an ac-cent colour.

Pink- Although pink may seem a bit ‘girly’, it is perfect for the bedroom as if gives it a bright, airy and friendly feel. It’s very welcoming and provides a very calming effect.

White- White is best used in the bathroom. It gives any room a very spacious look and differ-ent shades can be used together to give an overall, complete look.

Browns- Similar to the blues, the shades are important for browns, as the wrong shade can cause any room to look dull or boring. This can be used in the kitchen or dining room; the perfect shade being beige, de-pending on the flooring and the amount of natural and artificial light available.

Identifying The Right Colour Scheme

Outsmart The Dry Season With An Artificial Lawn

www.abstracthome.com MAY 2013 ABSTRACT HOME 1

The leaky pipes have been check and you certainly dealt with those dust bun-

nies as soon as they hopped into your home. However, there are several home maintenance issues people tend to overlook. It is im-portant to deal with them early, because the things mentioned in this article can come back to bite you in the behind (right where your pocket is)

Inspect Your RoofIf you detect a drip in your house from a leaky roof, loads of dam-age may have already been done to your house. Don’t wait for a roof failure to check on the con-dition of this top most part of your shelter. Periodically get on your roof and inspect it. Once you (or someone brave) is up there, check for soft spots in the roof. These spots will eventually develop into holes and leaks that can cause serious damage and cost thousands of dollars. It’s not that difficult to patch flaws in the roof, and certainly a lot cheaper than replacing the entire roof and repairing water damage in your attic and home.

Cleaning the guttersWhen it rains, gutters route the

water from the roof to where it can safely drain away from the house. By doing so, they pro-tect siding, windows, doors, and foundations from water damage and help prevent flooding in low areas. To effectively do their job, gutters must be clear of leaves and debris. If they aren't, drain outlets will dam up and rainwa-ter will fill the gutters, overflow, and eventually pull gutters loose from their mountings.

Replace the batteriesin your smoke detectorsYou never know when you'll need them. Sometimes, it’s a matter of

life or death, so take the time to change the batteries now. This should go for your alarm system too. Make sure CCTV cameras are working and there are batter-ies to facilitate your alarm’s ring.

Check Your AC UnitsIn addition to maintaining your air conditioning filters, your overall air conditioning unit should be checked regularly to ensure you are getting optimal performance. A properly ser-viced air conditioner will do a better job of dehumidifying your home and will save you money on electricity costs. Other aspects of temperature regulation should also be monitored. We don’t commonly have elaborate heat-ing systems like temperate cli-mates, but we have water heaters. Flush out your hot water tank every six months to get rid of sediment and mineral deposits, which will help your water heater operate more effectively.

Vacuum yourrefrigerator coilsThe coils you’ll find on the bot-tom or back of your refrigerator conduct the hot air from inside the unit. If they're coated with dust, they do the job less ef-

ficiently and cause your fridge to work harder. That means a higher electric bill for you. Use a vacuum cleaner hose or a brush to clean the coils.

Service YourGarden Power ToolsDuring the dry season, you have less work to do maintaining the yard since grass hardly grows. During this downtime, prepare for your peak lawn care period. take your lawnmower, trim-mer, and other tools to get their blades sharpened and fluids re-capped off. You may not view this as home maintenance, but how do you maintain your yard without them?

Monitor Your YardSpeaking of yard maintenance, be sure to inspect for driveway cracks and rotting tree branches that can pose threats to your family and home. A crack on an interior wall may quickly gar-ner your interest, but outdoors tends to go by without any main-tenance. Furthermore, if a tree fell on your roof, you’d have to spend thousands of dollars to fix it whereas cutting a branch might just run you a hundred bucks. Food for thought.

LIVING QUARTERS

Overlooked Home Maintenance Tips

ABSTRACT HOME MAY 2013 www.abstracthome.com2

The transition of a potted plant from its container and its growing environ-

ment into your garden is what we call transplanting. The future success of any plant depends on a smooth transition. Several plants suffer transplant shock because they weren’t properly made to adjust. Here are some tips to ensure your plant sur-vives transplantation properly.

Choose The Healthiest PlantsYou're paying your hard-earned money for your trees and shrubs, so you have a right to demand

the very best plants your money can buy. Inspect them carefully before buying. Check for evi-dence of insects, diseased foliage or stunted growth. Avoid plants that have experienced obvious physical damage like nicks, cuts, broken limbs, tattered leaves or those that are clearly spindly and weak. These plants are al-ready under stress from being moved alone; the last thing they need is other stresses on top of the stress of transplanting.

Make Sure The Time Is RightDon't transplant seedlings into a larger pot or new surroundings until they have one or two sets of true leaves. This allows seed-lings to develop enough roots to be self-supporting even if a few roots are lost in the process. It's

also a time when seedling roots are fairly straight and compact, making them easy to separate from nearby plants.

Manage Watering PatternsNewly planted trees and shrubs do not have the kind of root systems they need to handle drought or excess water stresses. So, ensure they experience nei-ther of these in their first year or two. Keep the soil evenly moist throughout the entire growing season by watering when nec-essary, but not watering when it's not necessary. A good mois-ture check is to stick your finger about an inch into the soil near the base of the plant. It should be detectably moist - if not, it's time to water. In addition, wa-ter the plants to be dug and/

or transplanted the day before your do it. This insures that the whole plant will be hydrated, leaves and all, when it's time to transplant.

Give The HoleSome AttentionA plant transplant is as suc-cessful as the hole the plant is to be transplanted to. Be sure to dig a big enough hole to en-sure easy transplanting. Then water the hole before you place the transplant into it. Place the transplant into the hole and fill it halfway with water. Allow the water to settle the soil around the roots and then finish filling the hole. Lightly firm the soil around the transplant. Don’t be too compact as the soil needs to breathe.

Let’s face it. Trash cans are dirty and where anything dirty resides, odours are

not far behind. These tips will help you to deal with trash can odour.

Empty QuicklyInstead of keeping a large can in your kitchen, try a smaller one instead. A smaller one means that you'll be emptying the trash more frequently so that odor doesn't have a chance to devel-op.

Use Dryer SheetsDryer sheets make another great anti-odor tool for your trash. Toss a dryer sheet into the trash can and stinky odors will be a thing of the past. It doesn't even need to be a new dryer sheet. Used dryer sheets still have plenty of ability to block odors in your trash.

Baking SodaConquers Most ScentsBaking soda can work wonders at preventing odors in your trash cans. Baking soda can be sprin-kled in the bottom of a trash can or directly into the trash to help absorb stinky odors. As an add-ed bonus, baking soda is great for scrubbing out your trash can to remove odors that may have seeped into the trash can.

These additional tips can help prevent odours from emanating in the first place.

• Clean up food and drink spills inside and outside your trash can as soon as possible.

• Every once in awhile, take your trash can outdoors, squirt in a bit of dish soap, and fill the trash can with water from your garden hose.

Allow the soapy water to sit for awhile before emptying it out. Once it's emptied, leave it outside in the sun to dry.

• Always rinse out and clean any materials you're dispos-ing of before throwing them into your recycling bin.

• Vinegar is also great for get-ting rid of nasty stains. Com-bine vinegar with baking soda for extra cleaning. A lit-tle lemon juice can help get rid of both the trash smell and the vinegar smell after-wards.

• Most of all, separate food waste and non-food waste. Purchase a compost pail or a similarly airtight container for food waste, and take it out to a trash can in your ga-rage when it's full.

LIVING QUARTERS

Tips To A Successful Plant Transplant

Conquer Can Odour


One of the negative ef-fects of rust is the transformation of

once good-looking items to old and ignored pieces. This is true of cars, walls and patios too. Sometimes, it can affect not just a part but the entire surface or item. Rust occurs when metal faces prolonged contact with water, and com-bines with oxygen in a process called oxidation. The process corrodes the metal, dissolv-ing it into the chalky reddish-brown substance known as rust. Not only does it mar the appearance of the object, but it breaks it down and can even-tually eat a hole right through it.

The first method one may choose to rid items of rust is to manually remove it. You can use tools to scrape off rust. If you have any steel wool or wire brushes available, you can use them to scrub loose flakes of rust off the metal. This meth-od is most useful for slightly rusted pieces. Heavily rusted pieces will require more drastic measures as scraping will only

remove about 50% of the rust.There are also chemical

alternatives to rust removal. However, these harsh, toxic and sometimes expensive chemicals can be avoided if we opt for natural options such as the ones discussed here.

Salt and Lime: Sprinkle a lit-tle bit of salt on the rust, then squeeze the lime over the salt until it is soaking. Let the mix-ture sit for 2-3 hours and then remove the rust with the lime rind. This can also be done with a lemon.

Alka-Seltzer: For clearing rust off aluminum items, fill a tub with clean water. Next, soak all the aluminum items in the water. Put a few Alka-selt-zer tablets in the tub. Shake the tub so that the water mixed with Alka-seltzer tablets rub off on the entire surface of the aluminum items. Let the items sit in this mixture for about five minutes. After this, rinse them with clean water and make them completely dry with a towel cloth.

Potato and Dish Soap: Cut a potato in half, and then dip the cut end in dish soap or baking soda. Then apply the soaked end to the rusted area and rub. To keep going, just cut the po-tato's top layer and re-apply the soap.

White Vinegar and Flour: For brass items, an effective method is to make a paste with a cup of vinegar, one teaspoon salt and enough flour to form a thick paste. Cover the brass item with this paste and let it sit for half an hour. Next, take a clean cloth and rub the brass surface with it. Rinse the brass item with water and using a towel cloth, make it dry. Repeat the entire process, till the brass becomes shiny and clean again.

Cola: Does Coke really remove rust? If you’ve ever dropped a penny in a glass of Coke, you were probably impressed (or alarmed) that the penny came out clean. Coke contains high levels of phosphoric acid (a common ingredient in store-bought rust removal products)

and can be used for rusted nuts and bolts or even corroded bat-tery terminals. However, it can be quite a challenge to clean up since it is so sticky, so you may want to try a different method first.

Borax and Lemon Juice: Mix together equal parts Borax and lemon juice. Apply the re-sulting solution to the rust by spraying or dabbing it on (if the object is large), or by submerg-ing the object in a bath of the solution (if the object is small). Allow the solution to soak in for 30 minutes. Then, rinse the object off; and dry thoroughly. The process can be repeated if the rust remains.

These tips are true methods for getting the upper hand in the rust removal fight. However, it should be noted that as always prevention is better than cure, so keep objects clean and dry to avoid rust. As a final tip, make sure to dry the item thoroughly after removing the rust! We wouldn't want all of your hard work to be undermined.

LIVING QUARTERS

Rust Removal Tips


Whenever I go to the bank I marvel, “How on earth can

people work here? Dealing with customers all day, supervisors walking around everywhere, no munching or chewing gum, NO FACEBOOK? Faint!”

My friends remind me that not everyone is a night-owl, own-way, blood-type-LATE sort of person. And because I am so much more mature than my icky friends, rather than resort to name calling I have learnt to appreciate the differ-ences in personality types.

Choosing a career that doesn't suit your personality leads to an unhappy you, no-body wants that. Along with your soul and reasonable quality clothing outlets, finding a career that fits your personality (lucky you if it’s one that involves the big bucks) one that makes you want to get up in the morning instead of growl in despair, is essential to your lifespan.

Everyone has preferences, your personality has traits, strong and not so strong points to be considered when decid-ing on your choice of career – this will very rarely be that job straight out of school. What career would fit me best? Per-sonally, I know which won’t work at all for me: anything that involves being in an office all day, anything that involves deal-

ing with rush hour traffic – I’ll never make it to the office for 8. So maybe something more au-tonomous for me, like, say writ-ing, wink.

Readings on the whole she-nanigan identifies six personal-ity types according to Holland’s theory: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional.

Realistic people are the more hands-on people, prac-tical and straightforward. They prefer working with concrete objects. Careers compatible with this personality type: elec-trician, orthodontist, surgical technologist, biomedical engi-neer.

Investigative people are ana-lytical, intellectual, and scientif-ic. Typically, they like to gather a lot of information before mak-ing decisions and question ideas that aren't backed up by ration-al data (that annoying person at the meeting.) Compatible careers: professor, software de-veloper, physician's assistant, veterinarian, librarian.

Artistic people are creative and imaginative but they can also be strong problem solvers, since they bring an intuitive mindset, and we’re better than everyone else! Compatible careers: land-scape architect, graphic design-

er, director or producer, interior designer, editor.

Social people often end up in "helping" professions where attributes like patience, empa-thy, and generosity make a dif-ference. They're often strong team players good at achieving consensus. Compatible careers: school psychologist, mediator, nurse, physical therapist, social worker.

Enterprising people are com-petitive, energetic extroverts with bundles of energy and no time for the nitty-gritty – they want to see end results. They often end up as entrepreneurs or group leaders, and prefer to delegate the pieces of a project while focusing on the big pic-ture. Compatible careers: ex-ecutive, financial manager, sales rep, sales manager.

Conventional people, also de-scribed as orderly, are not what you’re thinking. They're not necessarily bland though they do tend to be reserved, care-ful and efficient. These are the folks who handle all the min-ute details that keep the busses running on time. Compatible careers: accountant, actuary, fi-nancial planner, technical writ-er, building inspector.

These aren’t cast in stone, in-

dividuals vary greatly and many people are a combination of two or three different types. A few people might feel they don't fit into any of these categories but whatever your idiosyncrasies, it’s simply better if you match your job to your personality, for a happier you. Some jobs have a high flexibility factor using a wide variety of mental functions and these match many personal-ity types.

Also it is worth considering careers that aren't a direct match for your personality preferences, because you can provide a dif-ferent perspective to others in that field or doing a job that too closely suits your preferences may not provide enough per-sonal development for you.

So ok, you’ve been doing your job over 7 years, you do it oh so well and think it’s too late to start something new. We come up with bundles of excus-es when we choose right? You decide, do you want to growl or smile at the Monday morn-ing sunrise? Special note to my ladies: I BEG OF YOU: be-ing clerks and typist is not in our genes (really, ask a scien-tist) so dream on, we all have to start somewhere, start not die. You should know though, once you’ve gone above your first M.Sc. the corporate world has no idea what to do with us, tough huh?

HOME OFFICE

Finding The Job For Your Personality


This draped chandelier helps to set the required

mood at this dining space

ELEGANT IDEAS

Let’s Get Luminous

11www.abstracthome.com MAY 2013 ABSTRACT HOME

A little lamp light is all you need for a cozy night around the coffee table

ELEGANT IDEAS


A unique window treatment option provides this room with all the natural light it needs

ELEGANT IDEAS


Your fixtures need not be extravagant when they can be functional. These

mirror lights work

ELEGANT IDEAS

14 ABSTRACT HOME MAY 2013 www.abstracthome.com

A beautiful ceiling design is enhanced with these fancy fixtures

ELEGANT IDEAS


KITCHEN

Eating healthy is great. Eating healthy for cheap is even better than great.

However, the two hardly seem to go together. Eating healthy is usually costly, but there are some cheap things that are really good for you that you can keep close in the kitchen.

Oats: Oatmeal is a great addi-tion to a hearty breakfast, but you can also cook sturdy steel-cut oats in chicken broth for a savory side dish. Better yet, mix oats with ground turkey to stretch your meatballs. This high fibre food is also filling and great for you and the best thing is it is really cheap.

Peanut Butter: Throughout childhood, peanut butter was as universal as Sesame Street. Even today, spooning some out of the jar is a good time, and adding a dollop into a punch or oatmeal positively feels like a treat. And

though PB is high in fat, it’s a good kind.

Garlic: Ditch the bottled and powdered stuff if you want to reap more of the myriad health

benefits. Pungent and tasty, gar-lic can help lower cholesterol and blood clots, plus it can have a small effect on high blood pressure. Crush or chop it to re-lease more of the antioxidants.

It can also be used in herbal teas which are great for cardiovascu-lar health. A string of garlic is less than 6 bucks at the grocery.

Broccoli: Broccoli is like a toothbrush for your insides. Full of fiber, it will provide you vi-tamins A and C, plus fiber and a host of antioxidants. Broccoli is a superstar in the nutrition world and it is actually pretty cheap most times of the year. It can go a long way in creating a tasty side dish or salad for less than $15 bucks.

Bananas: Are there better-rounded fruits? Absolutely. Ber-ries will single-handedly protect you from every known disease and fight off communism. But they are inordinately pricey lit-tle buggers (especially out of season), and for the money, don’t compare to a good old Cavendish banana. Lesson: Al-ways listen to the monkeys.

Helpful Microwave Tips

For many people a micro-wave is just a glorified popcorn machine. For

my great grandmother she still stares at it and wonder why she can’t see the news. However, a microwave has the ability to do a lot more than produce but-tery kernels or re-heat leftover meals. Try these microwave tips and tricks and really start get-ting bang for your buck from your appliance.

Increasing A Lemon’s JuiceWant to get the most juice from fresh lemons? Try these handy lemon-squeezing tips and tricks

and you'll have more juice than you ever thought possible. Be-fore squeezing fresh lemons, warm them in the microwave oven for about 40 seconds. You'll get twice as much juice from each and every lemon.

Re-crisping ChipsThere's no sadder fate for a po-tato chip than ending in soggy oblivion. But with a microwave, that problem can be solved. If your chips have lost their crunch, place them on a paper towel and microwave for a few seconds. The paper towel will absorb the excess moisture and make your chips crisp again.

Sterilizing SpongesYou can zap your kitchen spong-es, dish cloths and anything else that's small, made of fabric and needs to be de-germed in the

microwave. Putting them on for two minutes is enough.

You might consider zapping your dog's favorite chew toy or bedding if it's small enough (and not made of something that will melt). Of course, putting any-thing in the microwave isn't a complete substitute for a proper wash, but it only takes a couple of minutes and will kill anything on the fabric, so you can use it for everyday cleaning.

Loosening Brown SugarIf your brown sugar has become one solidified mass, you can mi-crowave the package for about 20 seconds (although I would recommend putting the brown sugar in a glass bowl, rather than microwave a plastic bag) and the sugar will soften. Don’t let it go too long over 20 seconds or else the sugar will liquefy

Extending Milk Shelf LifeIf you want to extend the fridge life of your milk you can microwave your milk (before the expiration date) in the car-ton or a microwave safe con-tainer on high until (with the aid of a kitchen thermometer) the milk reaches somewhere between 160 and 175 degrees F. This gives you about an-other week of use, but don’t let the milk boil, or else the flavor becomes greatly compromised.

TomatoesWhen making a fresh tomato sauce, you know you'll have to deal with the chore of peeling the skin off. The microwave can make that just a bit easier. Pop them in for 30 seconds (let rest for two minutes) and the tomato skin will slip off easily.

Five Cheap Foods Every Kitchen Should Have


Maybe we had a little rain recently, but the dry season is by no

means over. We know that when it gets hot these days it can be scorching. What better way to keep cool than to relax and sip a refreshing drink. We know mauby is one of the best warm weather drinks, but here are a few more. Take your pick from alcoholic or virgin.

MANGO MINT LASSI

Ingredients1 large mango - peeled, seeded, and diced3 tablespoons brown sugar2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint1 teaspoon freshly ground star anise1 teaspoon freshly ground carda-mom1 tablespoon lime juice2 cups plain yogurt3 sprigs fresh mint for garnish

DirectionsBlend the mango, brown sugar, chopped mint, star anise, car-damom, lime juice, and yogurt in a blender on high speed until smooth. Pour into glasses and garnish with fresh mint sprigs to serve.

SMOOTH SWEETICED TEA

Ingredients1 pinch baking soda2 cups boiling water6 tea bags3/4 cup white sugar6 cups cool water

DirectionsSprinkle a pinch of baking soda

into a 64-ounce, heat-proof, glass pitcher. Pour in boiling wa-ter, and add tea bags. Cover, and allow steeping for 15 minutes. Remove tea bags, and discard; stir in sugar until dissolved. Pour in cool water, then refrigerate until cold.

OLD SCHOOLPINK LEMONADE

Ingredients2 cups white sugar9 cups water2 cups fresh lemon juice1 cup cranberry juice, chilled

DirectionsIn large pitcher combine sugar, water, lemon juice and cranber-ry juice. Stir to dissolve sugar. Serve over ice.

MELON CHILLER

Ingredients1 cantaloupe, halved and seeded1 gallon water2 cups white sugarIce cubes, as needed

DirectionsScrape the cantaloupe meat lengthwise with a spoon or a melon baller and place in a punch bowl; add the water and sugar. Mix thoroughly until all the sugar is dissolved. Chill with the addition of plenty of ice cubes.

ITALIAN CREAM SODA

Ingredients8 fluid ounces carbonated water3/4 fluid ounce passion fruit flavored syrup3/4 fluid ounce watermelon fla-vored syrup

1 fluid ounce half-and-half cream

DirectionsFill a tall glass half full with ice. Fill to 2/3 with carbonated water. Pour in watermelon and passion fruit flavored syrups, and then float the half-and-half cream on top. Stir when ready to drink.

HOUSE PARTYSANGRIA

Ingredients2 cups lemon juice2 cups orange juice2 cups white sugar2 cups brandy4 cups red wine4 cups club sodaIce cubes, for serving

DirectionsCombine the lemon juice, or-ange juice, and sugar in a pitch-er. Stir until sugar has dissolved completely. Add the brandy, red wine, and club soda. Serve in glasses with ice.

PEPPY GINGER PUNCH

Ingredients9 cups water, divided1/4 cup minced fresh ginger1/4 cup honey or pure maple syrup1/4 cup molasses3/4 cup lemon juice1/4 cup cider vinegarFresh berries, mint sprigs or lemon slices for garnish

DirectionsCombine 3 cups water with ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-

high heat. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and let infuse for 15 minutes.Strain the ginger-infused water into a pitcher, pressing on the ginger solids to extract all the liquid. Add honey (or maple syrup) and molasses; stir until dissolved. Stir in lemon juice, vinegar and the remaining 6 cups water. Chill until very cold, at least 2 hours or over-night.Stir the punch and serve in tall glasses over ice cubes. Garnish with berries, mint sprigs or lemon slices, if desired.

JAzzY JUNE BUG

Ingredients3 cups ginger ale4 tablespoons grenadine4 tablespoons orange juice3 scoops orange sherbet

DirectionsBlend together ginger ale, gren-adine, orange juice, and sher-bet. Pour into ice-filled cocktail glasses. (To make a version with alcohol, add white rum.)

MINT TISANE

Ingredients1bunch fresh mint1 bunch fresh lemon verbena (optional)3-6 cups boiling waterSugar (optional), to taste

DirectionsPlace 1 bunch mint and 1 bunch lemon verbena (including stems) in teapot. Pour in boil-ing water and allow steeping about 5 minutes. Add sugar, if desired. Serve in small Moroc-can or other clear tea glasses.

Delicious Dry-Season Drinks

RECIPES


What To Do Before Your Wedding

Are you recently en-gaged? Don’t drift away in mental bliss yet.

There are some things to ac-complish before your wedding day. Read on and see.

Resize Your RingYour stunning sparkler is per-fect in every way, except for the wiggle room (or maybe it’s a lit-tle tight and turning your fin-gertip a not-so-Tiffany-blue). Get it resized ASAP—after all, you’ll be showing it to everyone and the last thing you want is to lose the thing an hour after you get it. The process can take just a few hours or, at most, a few days.

Pick A DateAfter “congratulations” and “let me see your ring,” here’s the first thing people will ask: “When’s the wedding?” Your answer doesn’t have to be true, but it should be agreed up and rehearsed by you and your boo. It’ll save you lots of headaches if the two of you come up with a vague-yet-specific answer, like “We’re shooting for early 2011” or Just before next Christmas.

People appreciate feeling like they’re in the loop, and they’ll also put the event into their mental datebooks. Plus, it’ll give you and your guy a little direction as you start planning.

Visualize A Guest List.Before you even begin the venue search, nail down this magic number. Planners want to how many people you’re in-viting so they can pair you with spaces (ballrooms, tents, etc.) that can accommodate head count. Packages are also priced in ranges based on guest mini-mums, so this will help you with the next step: budgeting.

Create A Budget And SaveIt’s easy to get carried away planning for the happiest day of your life, but ask yourself, do you want to be paying for the wedding years after the honey-moon, or would you rather go house hunting?

Decide Your Honeymoon DestinationSit down with your fiancé and decide on where you want to take off after the wedding. Try

to amicably reach a consensus. Make sure that wherever you choose is reasonably within budgets. Too many people focus on the wedding and not what is to come for the marriage.

Register with a StrategyRegistering for wedding gifts is often a long and grueling pro-cess. But it can also be fun! Af-ter all, you're essentially creat-ing a giant gift wish list. To keep from feeling overwhelmed by all the choices in the store, do some preliminary research on-line with your boo and preview items before you go. If your fi-ancé doesn't know much about fine china or kitchen electrics, it's OK to take your mom or maid of honor to help you reg-ister for these items instead. Your spouse-to-be will prob-ably be a lot more opinionated when it comes to registering for their specific type of gifts.

Spend Timewith Other CouplesNothing is better than taking a night off from wedding plan-ning and spending some quality time with your friends. Sched-

ule a BYOB game night, make your famous onion dip and or-ganize a competitive girls vs. boys game of Catchphrase. Or, host a themed potluck dinner and have guests bring their favorite Italian, South-ern or Mexican dish (you get the idea). More importantly, feed off the energy of the other couples. It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad. Watch them and learn because your marriage is around the corner and you want it to be lasting.

Take Care of YourselfEven though you're on your way to being a full-time bride/groom; don't give up on all of your extracurricular activities. Continue doing what you love and what makes you sane. Try your best to stay organized, and make lists of responsibilities so you can stay on top of deadlines and goals. Focus on one inter-est at a time. Keep fit and don’t stop going to the gym because you are caught up in the eupho-ria. If you haven’t been working out, start. The earlier the better since you want to look perfect in your wedding attire.

BRIDAL


Mother’s Day is here and you owe her big time. That does not

mean you should muster up your life savings to pay her back for all the school books she bought you. It just means that you should at least put some thought into what you are getting her. She’s not getting any younger and neither are you. You never know how many more oppor-tunities you have to make your mom smile. We have some gift ideas for various moms that you should consider. Which type do you have?

For the Art Lover: Create meaningful artwork. Home-made Mother's Day gifts are among the most meaningful, not to mention cheapest. For a fam-ily art project mom will enjoy, make a collage by having each family member leave a hand-print on a canvas. You can have it beautifully framed for extra effect. If she’s a grandmother, she’ll love to see the prints de-tailing all the generations. If not, there must be a gallery she’ll want to visit.

For The Green Thumb Mum: The best of all ephemeral arts—which it is much more than a science—is gardening. A beau-tiful garden, what with all the work that goes into it, can be the most satisfying of hobbies. And if your mom is into it, chances are she’s getting ready to start right around now. And Moth-er’s Day is the perfect time to get her set up with the best tools and help bring her garden to the next level.

For Techies: 4G and android technology is all the rage right now. A good bet for a gift would probably get one of the latest Android smart phones. Can somebody say Blackberry Z10?

A Galaxy Tab or a Kindle Fire is also another great tech op-tion. If your mom loves to share photos and you think her cam-era phone isn’t doing her justice, she is probably not as cute as you think she is. In any event, get her a nice digital camera. There are so many options online it will make your head spin but it’s worth it for mommy. Remem-ber, moms of today aren’t like last generation’s mothers who don’t even know how to turn the pc on.

For the Beauty Conscious: There’s nothing like a relaxing and rejuvenating spa treatment to have you feeling and looking your best. A spa gift certificate is a great choice as it offers sev-eral options. From massages to makeovers, you can get it all in one package. This is also a great gift for the overworked mom.

For Fitness Freaks: Fitness is something your mom has un-derstood to be one of the fun-damental parts of a healthy life-style; something she cherishes. When you got up early on Sat-

urdays to watch cartoons, she was already out on her daily run and is still one of the healthiest people you know. Help her spice up her routine with some sweet new gear. Just make sure she won’t outrun you on your next workout together.

For Fashionistas: Accessories/jewelry is a smarter buy than clothing as you don’t really have to worry about fit as much. They can be simple or very elaborate. If you must purchase clothing, there is no limit to what you can cop. The trick is not falling vic-tim to purchasing flimsy imita-tions. If you can’t afford the de-signer gear form overseas, there is a host of local designers who offer great options for a fraction of the price. Local is the in thing now (Shouts to Anya).

All in all, Mother’s Day shop-ping doesn’t have to be a pain. Just make simple decisions and they should turn out to be smart. The more you over-plan a present is the more trouble you encounter with the end re-sult. Hope we helped.

Marvelous Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

FAMILY


Almost as important as which high heels you buy is how you shop for them! Here are some tips to keep in mind when shopping for heels to make sure you end up with the per-fect pair for you.Have your feet measured so you know your exact size. Sometimes your feet can actu-ally be two different sizes! To get your feet measured, just go to the shoe section of any good department store. Most of them should have tools to measure your foot and find your perfect size.

Realize that you may be different sizes in different brands. Depending on the cut of a shoe, you could be a 7.5 in one brand and an 8 in another. Similarly, know what size you are in European sizes, because many quality shoe brands use those.

Try on shoes at the end of the day. Believe it or not, your feet can change sizes throughout the day, and they

swell a little bit by the end of the day. Try shoes on after walking around and you’ll get a picture of your true size.

Walk around in the shoes before you buy them. Okay, a no brainer, but worth men-tioning. You should do some laps around the shoe area in the shoes before you even think about buying! And re-member to shop at stores that have good return poli-cies – every shoe is going to be comfortable at first, but maybe not after an hour! Buy shoes somewhere with a de-cent return policy so you can wear them for a while and see they stay comfy before com-mitting.

When going shoe shopping al-ways try to carry a friend that can give you a second opinion, make sure that friend is what we call a true “fashion friend”. Someone who knows a thing or two about fashion, what’s in and what’s not. Happy shoe shopping!

Finding a few moments to ourselves proves quite a daunting task these days.

With places to go, people to see, presentations to make and happy hours to enjoy, getting dolled up sometimes becomes more of a hassle than it’s worth…or so it seems.

When you add up all the minutes it takes to select an outfit, accessorize with the right purse and appropriate jewelry, dry and style your hair, apply makeup and dash out the door, before you know it you’re run-ning late again. The problem is this: You want to look great but you don’t want to spend a near-lifetime getting ready.

The solution? Pick and choose which elements of your appearance are most important to you. Once you’ve prioritized, you can really achieve the look you want in less time. Here are some quick and easy beauty prep tips…

DO:Carry a powder compact at all times. If you don’t have time for makeup, you’ll be happy to at least dust some powder on your cheeks and forehead. If your company throws a last minute photo shoot at you, your com-pact will save your tail.

Keep a tube of lip-gloss or Chap Stick handy at all times. Not only does it make you so much more kissable should your sweetheart pop into the office for a surprise visit, but you’ll be keeping your smack-ers safe from chapping, split-

ting and the dryness associ-ated with both hot and cold climates. Even without a true color lipstick, lip-gloss can make you feel sexy and it’s so worth it.

Invest in some hair accessories, especially claw clips, hairpins and other barrettes. Even if you don’t have the time to fashion a new look, twist your hair back and pin it to your head for a sweeping look. Some hair clips will allow you to pile all of your hair on top of your head effort-lessly. This comes in very handy when you don’t have time to dry your hair completely.

Make your manicures last longer by applying clear pol-ish every so often. With such a busy schedule, it is amazing you have your nails done in the first place. To keep your pretty look alive as long as possible, apply a clear topcoat daily to prevent the nail polish from cracking and chipping.

DON’T:Even think about doing your makeup “in the car.” Even if you are stopped at a red light, the minimal time you have between lights isn’t nearly enough to ap-ply mascara, let alone founda-tion or anything else. Especially don’t try to paint your nails in the car!

Go too heavy on the hues… If you’re doing a dark, intense look for your eyes, avoid going high-impact on your mouth. Good luck!!!

Beauty On The Go

POWDER ROOM WARDROBE

A Girl’s Guide To Shopping For

High Heels

www.abstracthome.com MAY 2013 ABSTRACT HOME 23

Taking care of your joints is vital to keeping you ar-thritis pain free when you

get older. Of course there are several recommendations and even myths about how to keep your joints in working function, but these supplements can help you in that regard.

GlucosamineGlucosamine is a natural chemical compound found in the body. As a supplement, glucosamine is most often used to ease the joint pain caused by arthritis. Glucosa-mine helps keep the cartilage in joints healthy. But natural glucosamine levels drop as people age. This can lead to gradual deterioration of the joint.

There's some evidence that glucosamine sulfate supple-ments can help counteract this effect, although experts aren’t sure exactly how they work. Specifically, glucosamine has been shown to help ease the pain of mild to moderate os-teoarthritis of the knee. Glu-cosamine may also help with other joint pain caused by osteoarthritis. However, the scientific evidence of glucosa-

mine's benefit to other joints is not quite as solid.

ChondroitinChondroitin is a naturally-occurring component of most connective tissues and has been proven in numerous studies to help your joints in 3 ways when taken as a supplement:

• Reduction of symptoms of arthritis such as pain and swelling

• Improved function and mo-bility

• Reduced medication re-quirements (i.e., anti-in-flammatory and pain killers)

Chondroitin has also been shown to work well in tandem with glucosamine.

Omega 3Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Ome-ga-3 fatty acids help reduce the wear and tear of the joints. These fatty acids prevent the enzymes called collagenases from damaging the joints. Omega-3 is popularly used as a supplement for the knee joints and is known to reduce inflammation and strengthen the tendons.

Four Cardio Exercises For Prime Fitness

If your want to lose weight or keep fit; the best bet is a good cardio workout. Of

course some strength condi-tioning is important too, but cardio really gets the calorie burning ball rolling. Good car-dio is the basis for the fitness needed to move on to other things. Here are four of the best cardio exercises.

Running/Power walkingRunning may seem tiresome but it’s more beneficial than you think. It actually im-proves your overall health. It also lowers the risk of getting diseases as it improves the immune system. Doctors rec-ommend running to prevent ailments such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obe-sity.

Jumping RopeJumping rope should not just be a favorite activity among children; this activity burns a high number of calories as well. A 160-lb. person who jumps rope for an hour burns 730 calories. Try variations to this exercise to keep it inter-

esting, such as skipping over the rope and jumping from side to side as you twirl the rope. Lift your knees as high as you can to burn even more calories.

SwimmingIt's a whole-body exercise, so you're getting some muscu-lar strength and endurance, as well. If you have a prob-lem with weight control, the pool is an appropriate place to start as it's easier on the joints. It's also a good alter-native for those with arthritic or orthopedic problems.

Biking/spinningAnyone can benefit from a cycle program, indoors or out. During spin or cycle classes, you go at your own pace and are able to control the resist-ance to suit your fitness level. Outdoor cycling combines fitness and fun, and can be easily worked into your day, such as commuting to work. Stationary bikes allow you to exercise in the privacy of your home which assists those who are afraid to hit the streets.

The Top 3 Joint Supplements

HOME GYMMEDICINE CABINET


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Once you get a turtle as your pet, you should start learning how you

can properly take care of it. Since there are different kinds of turtles, you must know the specific needs of the one that you bought. Below are the best 4 tips in caring for any kind of turtle so that they will get the proper turtle care and live a longer life:

Make them feel at homeThe right environment is es-sential for your turtles. But before doing so, you might want to know first more about turtles and what their needs are in an environment. There are some turtles that require either dry or wet en-vironment but here are also others that need both.

Give the suitable turtle dietDo not forget to give am-ple amount of food to your turtle. This would help your turtle have a healthier as well as longer life. More often than not, turtle diet is more on fresh vegetables particu-larly the lettuce. However, it is recommended that you try to make a research about turtles to know which turtle

diet would suit your pet.

Proper turtle careand good maintenanceTurtles are just like any other pets. As the owner, you have the responsibility to attend to them on a daily basis. Al-though maintaining a turtle is actually not that hard, proper turtle care is still important. You should be aware if there changes in the behavior of your turtle which might be because of environmental or health problems on your pet. Spending a few minutes of your time is one of the tur-tle cares that all owners must do. This is to know easily if there are changes happening in the turtle.

Make sure thayou are dedicatedIf you would read about tur-tles you would know that they have long lifespan. Usu-ally, they live from 30 up to 50 years. There are even some who can reach their hundredth birthday. There-fore, you must have a com-mitted turtle care so that you may nurture and cherish your pet as both of you grow old.

Finding reasonably-priced airfare can be one of the most difficult tasks when

booking a flight. From scouring various airline sites and making numerous phone calls to book-ing agencies, you’ll definitely need a vacation after trying to plan one. Plus with the different travelling options available such as chartered flights versus one-way reservation and economy class versus business class, you may forget to enjoy the experi-ence. Shopping around for the best deals on airfare can be very frustrating but it doesn’t have to be; try these tips below when booking a flight.

1Buy tickets early. Es-pecially during peak pe-riods such as the July/

August vacation, as the ticket prices usually go up a couple days before the flight date. Also, if flying internationally it is ad-vised that you book a couple of months in advance but there are some exceptions.

2Buy tickets late. If the airline is getting diffi-culty in filling the seats

on the airplane, they may adver-tise a special rate and drop their

prices, closer to the flight date.

3Shop around. Never book the first flight you see. There is a very good

possibility that another airline has a cheaper rate.

4Use your frequent flyer miles. Airlines reserve a small number of seats on

their airplane as reward travel for persons with frequent fly-er miles. Remember these go quickly so redeem your points.

5Be flexible. Yes it’s good to trust the prominent airlines but trying a new

airline with much more reason-able pricing should be an option. Also, don’t be afraid to shift around your travel dates; an ear-lier or later travel date may help you save money.

PETS

Five Ways To Find Travel Deals

Do You HaveA Pet Turtle?

TRAVEL


Sharp and rough objects are a bane to vehicle own-ers when it comes to ruin-

ing a car’s paint. Deep and long lines of scratches are difficult and costly to repair. Many vehi-cles are not safe when parked in an area where there are frequent passers-by. Belts, buttons and denim rivets are often the cul-prits that cause deep scratches on a car’s paint. Let’s not even start on runaway grocery carts. However, that is just the tip on the iceberg when it comes to ruining your car’s paint finish. There are other things that can pose a threat to your paint job. In fact, the sun’s UV rays are currently doing a number on your paint and you don’t even know it. Here are some more things that can wreak havoc on your paint.

Bird DroppingsUV rays would take years to corrode the paint. But bird-droppings would only take some days to destroy the paint fin-ish, as they have very high acid levels. Just look at the number of ruined marble statues in pi-geon-infested areas and you'll see what we mean. Not only

that, but birds eat seeds and bits of gravel that can scratch your paint. It is better to clean them as soon as possible. Another thing the vehicles are always ex-posed to is the chemical abuse of the air pollutants. This type of damage can also simply be coped up with frequent washes. Often the first rain of the season is highly acidic. So it's a good idea to wash your car, immedi-ately after the downpour.

Dirt and Stones A lot of car paint damage can be caused by small stones or rocks hitting the surface of your car. This can be for a number of reasons including loose road surfaces. Sometimes unavoid-able you can still prevent this by driving carefully on unsurfaced roads and surfaces that have re-

cently been redone. Using dirty cloths or sponges can cause scratches and chips as there may be small stones, grit or dirt in them. If there is dirt or similar substances on the cloth, then they may be accidentally rubbed across the paint causing unnec-essary damage.

Idle HandsWe've all seen "wash me" writ-ten on a car's finish, but the well-intentioned tagger actually just made things worse. Dirt acts like sandpaper when it's dragged across paint, and it can make the marks last long after the dirt is gone. Get yourself a long-handled duster and wipe down your car every day to prevent ac-cidental sanding. If it's too late, most small scratches come out with a polish or scratch remover. Just always be sure to clean the car well before waxing or polish-ing.

Rain WaterBoth acid rain and regular rain-water (and other sources of water) can dissolve paint over time. Water is known as a uni-versal solvent because it can dis-solve more substances than any

other liquid. Whenever the car becomes wet, it should be dried with a towel or chamois and not allowed to air dry.

Natural substancesTree sap, splattered insects and other natural elements contain compounds that can erode the paint on a car. Avoid parking under large trees where sap and bird droppings may be preva-lent. In terms of bug splatter, try to wash it off as soon as possible to alleviate damage.

Gas and Other fluidsAlthough brake fluid and pet-rol are used on the inside of the car sometimes they can come in contact with the exterior of the car eventually deteriorating the paint. If they do come into contact with a car’s paint they can cause the paint to peel off revealing the under-layers. En-sure when filling your car with fuel to not allow spillage onto the paint work of the car, if this happens immediately wash the petrol off of the surface. Brake fluid is extremely damaging to a car’s paint so be extra care-ful when topping it up as it can cause stripping.

Threats To Your Car’s Paint Job

GARAGE


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Abstract Home Vol. 4 issue 6

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Transcript of Abstract Home Vol. 4 issue 6