Book Then Movie: The Road

You think we have problems now just Wait till the end of civilization is upon us. With all these movies about the "end of days" it's hard to look forward to the future, but remember you never know what the future can bring. The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a short little narrative about the day to day hardships of a man and his son after the would has turned to "ash." Without any chapters the small journal like entries are followed by some dialogue between the two wonders. Lots of Danger out there on the road but you have to travel south as the winters are getting longer, darker, and colder. This book was almost to easy to finish. (read in three sittings) The movie looks good with a good director and a a fitting cast, but you don't want to feel like you missed out when someone says, "you should have read the Book first."

Make Buttons and Pins New

If you collect things, then you probably have an assortment of buttons. These could be called pins and when you have a ton of them that might be out of date or promotional reuse them. Just paint over them right? Well there is a trick to picking the right paint. Its is important to use a outdoor latex paint that works on wood, metal and plastic. Use a small brush to paint on these little pins the smaller the better. Make sure to dry every coat before starting the next. Or you can find sone stickers that fit and just stick them on. This is a way to recycle buttons and show off your stickers. Its a great day when you fined another way to recycle anything made out of plastic.

Real Coffee in a Real Cup

Everyone knows what happened in the 90's to most coffee shops. The explosion of Starbucks and other coffee chains popped up across the street from the small hometown places. Some of us remember when you could go in with a mob of friends and chat for hours over Cappuccino and snacks. When at night there might be a poetry reading, or open mike. The elimination of this is one of the problems that comes when people get there caffeine fix from chain stores. Most of the country that live outside major city's have little choice on where or how they enjoy a cup of Joe. Not to long ago one could walk in grab a pastry and sit down with a porcelain (or glass) refillable, washable and much better for the environment cup. Only in the morning when on the go did you use a paper or god forbid Styrofoam to-go cup. Yes, one answer to this is to buy a reusable cup to take in with you. This works when one in on the way to work, or school when one might have a bag to put said cup in for the rest the day. But what about when you are just stopping in for cup before a show, or meeting friends before a night on the town and don't have a big bag. Maybe your dressed up or planing to meet a date latter in the evening, carrying a bag just for you coffee cup sounds kind of crazy. The big chains do not give you a choice if you stay in, you get a to-go cup either way. It might be hard to do, but some of us seek out the small coffee shops. Unfortunately now it gets harder to find one that has real coffee cups. Even the small Internet cafe's don't give you a cup that they might have to wash. Dishes have become to hard for people these days, to much work and effort. With the sign of the times being lit up in "green" lights it seems strange that all the responsibility is with the customer. Bring your own cup if you want to be green, never mind the other 20 customers at little round tables that could enjoy coffee with out tossing out so much trash. What can you do? Carry your own cup when you can is one thing, asking everyplace if they have a real cups when your order in another. If they say no, go ahead have some coffee, at least your giving your money to a small business. But before you leave make sure you tell someone in charge that you would have enjoyed your visit more with a Real Cup for your coffee.

Thrift Stores Can Make The Holiday's Affordable

It has been hard times this year for almost everyone. This means that it is hard to scrap together cash for everyday expenses. Then we have the Holidays approaching and lists are going to be hard to fill. This is why if you start now it can be easy to find green ways to make this year the best. First it is important to make a extensive list that can fit in your pocket book. Then if your not acquainted with your towns local thrift stores go online and find out the skinny on them. When out thriftting bring your list and keep an eye out for junk that your friends and family will think is treasure. If you have little ones on the list stay away from the stuffed animals, and go over to the books. A new young couple you know could maybe use some housewares. For that one person that you would rather cross off and forget but can't, just find them a nice sweater. Grandmothers love scarfs or picture frames filled with your own photo, of course. Sometimes a nice print in a frame could fill your friends empty wall. All of these things can be found used. When you have a lot of wives or girlfriends that you don't know well a gift basket could do the trick. Just find some nice small baskets, line them with some fabric and find lots of little things to fill them with. One set could have soaps, bath salts, and lotion. Another Set could have a mug with tea, coco, and maybe some hand towels. Candles and incense would fit into either of these themed baskets. The good dollar store is the place to the find little extras you might need. Just take any basket and add anything that fits the gift recipient. Gift baskets for baby's are easy, and for the older collage bound just find some shot glass and get some shooters from the LQ. If you start looking for used gift options now you can finish your list and be ready to party through the Holidays.

Stay Tuned For More Gift Ideas Including:
Ornaments
Cards
Card holders
Book Marks
and other small crafts.