Intown Living
Handy Helpers - Common Household Items
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Here is ‘Page Three’ of our series on common household items that can do much more than you may think!
Dryer Sheets
1 ) Repel mosquitoes by hanging a dryer sheet in the outdoor area you will be enjoying.
2 ) Repel bees and bugs by tucking dryer sheets in your picnic basket or under lawn furniture. You can also rub a sheet directly on your bare skin.
3 ) De-stink your pets by rubbing them down (especially when wet) with a dryer sheet.
4 ) Freshen the air by placing a sheet in a drawer; in the waste basket; under the seat of your car; inside your luggage (especially when stored away), or where ever needed.
5 ) Eliminate static electricity by rubbing a sheet over your computer monitors and TVs. Also, lightly rub or pat clothes, stockings, hair to eliminate static ‘cling’.
6 ) Remove soap scum from shower door and tile by rubbing the surfaces with a sheet when shower tile and door are wet; then rinse.
7) Soak cookware with freshly burnt or baked-on food in warm water with a dryer sheet -or- two. Makes clean-up easier. Also works on cook tops and dingy cabinet doors.
8 ) Run a sewing needle through a sheet before sewing to prevent the thread from tangling.
Epsom Salt
1) Ex foliate skin by massaging handfuls of Epsom salt over wet skin. Rinse well.
2 ) Help draw out a splinter by soaking in Epsom salt.
Honey
1 ) Treat minor skin abrasions with honey to hasten the healing process with it’s antibacterial and anti-fungal properties.
2) Soak in milk and honey bath to smooth skin and give it a honey-milk scent. Combine 1/3 cup of honey with two and a 1/4 cup of milk. Mix thoroughly. Enjoy!
3 ) Help a hangover by spooning a few tablespoons of honey on toast for breakfast. The fructose speeds up the metabolism of alcohol.
Ketchup
1) Get rid of chlorine green hair with a ketchup shampoo. Massage into hair; let stand for 15 minutes; rinse, then wash hair again with baby shampoo.
Lemon
1) Relieve a sore throat by cutting a lemon in half; roast in an oven or on cook top until the peel is golden brown. Let cool enough to pick up; squeeze juice in a cup with 1 teaspoon of honey.
2) Whiten fingernails by rubbing a wedge of lemon on the surface of your nails.
3) Create blonde highlights by adding 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice to 3/4 cup of water and rinse your hair. Do not rinse; sit in the sun until your hair dries.
4) Remove soft cheese or other sticky foods from a grater by rubbing both sides of the grater with the pulp side of a cut lemon.
- Scott Askew
Posted in: Intown Living
Be Sure to File your Homestead Exemption by March 1, 2010
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
What is the Homestead Exemption?
All Georgia counties give homeowners an opportunity to file for a homestead tax exemption on their primary residence. To receive the homestead exemption for 2010, the homeowner must have owned the property on January 1st, 2010 and filed the homestead application by March 1st. You only apply for the Homestead Exemption once; yet it is good for as long as you keep the property as your primary residence.
If you have purchased a home during 2009 or before, this is a great time to file for the exemption! (You can file now for the 2010 credit.)
Counties generally allow homestead exemption applications by mail. You may receive a form in the mail automatically. If not, some counties allow you to download a form from its website. If you find you need to apply in person, you should take a copy of your warranty deed (if you do not have the deed call the real estate attorney’s office who handled your closing), a picture ID, your social security number, and your automobile tag number/vehicle registration. But do not wait for the County to contact you!. It is not the County’s responsibility to remind you to file. Afterall, a tax savings for you costs the County money, so they are not going to wave red flags and beg you to apply!
For more information, contact the appropriate County office:
Fulton County Dekalb County
404-730-6440 404-298-4000
www.co.fulton.ga.us www.co.dekalb.ga.us
Address: Address:
141 Pryor St, Suite 1047B, Atlanta 4380 Memorial Dr, Ste 100, Decatur
7741 Roswell Rd, Suite 234B, Atlanta 1358 Dresden Drive, Atlanta
5600 Stonewall Tell Rd, Ste 224, College Park
Cobb County Gwinnett County
770-528-8600 770-822-8800
www.cobbtax.org www.co.gwinnett.ga.us
Address: Address:
736 Whitlock Avenue, Suite 100, Marietta 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville
- Scott Askew
Posted in: Intown Atlanta Real Estate News
Handy Helpers - Common Household Items
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Continuing our series on Handy Helpers; products you probably already have that can do MORE than you originally thought!
Baking Soda
1) Extinguish a grease or electrical fire by scattering/throwing baking soda, (by the handful).
2) Clean combs and hair brushes in a baking soda and water solution.
3) Wash glass or stainless steel coffee pots, (but NOT aluminum!), in a solution of 3 tablespoons of baking soda to 1 quart of water.
4) For a badly burned, or food crusted, pan - pour a thick layer of baking soda directly onto the bottom of the pan; sprinkle just enough water to moisten the soda; leave the pot overnight; scrub it clean the next day.
5) Sprinkle baking soda on barbecue grill grates in a shallow pan or sink with just enough water to barely cover the grill grates; let soak; then rinse off for clean grates.
6) Oil leak? Sprinkle baking soda on greasy area; let stand; scrub and rinse off.
7) Shower curtain looking grimy and spotted? Soak your shower curtain in water and soda; then rinse.
8) Eliminate odor in shoes, socks, boots, slippers by sprinkling a bit of soda into them.
9) Freshen your carpeting/rugs/upholstered furniture by sprinkling them with baking soda. Allow them to sit, undisturbed for 1/2 to 1 hour, then vacuum.
10) Eliminate water rings on your finished wood furniture with a paste of baking soda and toothpaste. Dip a soft cloth in the paste and rub the water spots away!
11) Soak dried beans in a mixture of baking soda and water to make them more digestible!
Bananas
1) Polish leather shoes/goods by rubbing a de-stringed banana peel onto leather and buffing clean with a dry, soft cloth.
2) Rub scrapes (knees, elbows, etc.) with the inside of a banana peel to promote healing.
3) Remove warts by rubbing the wart with a small piece of the ‘meat’ of a banana every night; covering with a band aid and removing/showering in the morning… for several weeks.
4) Nourish your skin by mashing a medium sized banana with 1/4 cup plain yogurt and 2 tablespoons of honey to make a facial mask; leave on for 20 minutes and wash off thoroughly.
5) Tenderize a roast by adding a peeled banana to the roasting pan.
6) Wipe houseplant leaves with the inside of a banana peel to remove dirt and leave a shine.
7) Detract aphids by burying banana peels a few inches deep around the base of rose bushes.
8) Nourish ferns by the same method.
Beer
1) Beer solves most of the world’s problems unless you overdo it.
2) Use beer instead of water in your batter mix for a delicious flavor.
3) Add body and soften hair by making a beer shampoo with 1/2 bottle of beer, 1 raw egg and massage into your hair; rinse.
4) Fertilize plants with any/all half-empty beer bottles and cans. Plants feast on the yeast.
5) Get rid of slugs in the garden by pouring a bit of beer into a shallow dish; bury said dish so the lip is soil high. Empty the dish EVERY day and replace with new beer.
- Scott Askew
Posted in: Intown Living
Santaland Diaries and Other Great Shows To Get You In The Holiday Spirit
Monday, December 07, 2009
I first saw the “Santaland Diaries” at Horizon Theatre in Little 5 Points a few years ago with some friends. We had a blast! It was hysterical and right on point for the holiday season. So, it was a no brainer to kick off my holiday season by seeing it again this past Saturday night. It did not disappoint. As a local actor that performs with a sketch comedy troupe in town (shameless plug coming up later in this blog), Crumpet’s humor was right up my alley. And as an actor, I am fairly critical of theater and cinema, in general. More often than not, my complaint is: “It was just too long.” Santaland Diaries’ 90 minute, intermission-free show, flew by in no time.
If you’re familiar at all with David Sedaris’ writing and appreciate his sardonic humor, you will love this show. The story recounts his time working as an elf for Macy’s one Christmas season. Harold M. Leaver plays Crumpet, Sedaris’ elf character, as he has for the past decade when he actually was my instructor for the one drama class I took at UGA. He is supported by two sidekicks that add a little “sketch” interpretation to the monologue and get as many laughs as Leaver himself, especially Enoch King. The show runs through January 3rd, so there are plenty of opportunities for you to enjoy the sarcasm and cocktails that is “Santaland Diaries”. Visit http://www.horizontheatre.com for tickets and information.
If slightly off-color humor is your thing, then you should also check out the “Sketchworks Company Holiday Party 2” this Saturday night, December 12th, in Decatur. A $20 ticket gets you a free drink, great appetizers, live music, a silent auction and a one-hour sketch show that will make you pee in your pants. Actually, I think it’s one of my characters on stage that pees in her pants, but feel free to join in on the fun. I will only point and laugh once…maybe twice.
Unlike most of our show runs, this is one night only and is more of a party than anything else. It’s our opportunity to put on a funny-as-always show and then enjoy the company of all the great people that have supported us throughout the years. It will definitely be the most fun holiday party you attend this year. One note of caution: we are equal opportunity offenders at Sketchworks, so if you are the least bit prudish, “The Nutcracker” or “A Christmas Carol” might be the better options for your holiday entertainment. Visit http://www.sketchworkscomedy.com for tickets and more information.
And to round out our irreverent holiday humor lineup, Dad’s Garage is running “Invasion: Christmas Carol” through December 23rd. An improvisational take on a holiday classic by the immeasurably talented cast at Dad’s Garage is a must for your holiday. Even the cast doesn’t know which ghosts will show up for the show on any given night, so it should be a great and surprising ride. Every night will be different and you will never view Scrooge in the same light again. It’s guaranteed. Visit http://www.dadsgarage.com for tickets and more information.
I hope you’ll make it out to one or all of these holiday shows this year. You’ll not only have a rip-roaring good time, but you’ll also be giving back to local theater which has been hit as hard as anyone in these tough economic times. And with most tickets under $30, you won’t be breaking the bank. Enjoy! - Ashlee Heath
Posted in: Intown Living
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