At the Fence

Hi Neighbors! I have a really neat product to share with you today!  It is from Schleich.  Schleich is one of Germany's largest toy manufacturers.  For 80 years they have been creating and hand painting toys to spark your child's mind in imaginative play.  My children have owned many different Schleich toys over the years, so I was extremely excited to get to share a few of Schleich's Horse Club creations. First off when we opened the box, we pulled out the Riding Arena ($34.99).  What child has not dreamed about owning a horse?  I did, and I actually was able to fulfill that dream, as did two of my older daughters.  What fun to sit down and practice riding skills in this covered arena.  Young minds will be able to put their horse through his paces, as well as practice jumps.  I also picture a few horse shows being held in the arena.  The Riding Arena comes with: 1 - Covering for the Arena 10 - Pieces of Fence (Mine had 16) 2 - Jumps 1 - Rider 1 - Horse 1

Completing a building project and staying safe is really important, whether you’re a professional or a novice trying to save a bit of cash. Whether you’re focusing on multiple things in the home or just completing a small task, the tips in this guide should be able to give you a heads up on what to do and what not to do. Enjoy: Keep A First Aid Kit Within Reach If you often do building projects, then it’s a good idea to keep a well stocked first aid kit within reach. It isn’t hard to hurt yourself while doing manual labour. Even if you just cut yourself, you’ll need to cover it up before you can continue with your job. Keeping yourself healthy and comfortable is a must and should be your main concern. Remain Aware At All Times If you enjoy building projects and things of this nature, you could find yourself getting lost in the work. While this is great, you also need to remain aware at all times. Know who is around you, what they are doing, and other things that will help

Are you gearing up for a family vacation or a romantic break? If you’re going on holiday in the coming months, here is your ultimate travel checklist. Whether you’re staying home or jetting off to exotic lands, this will help you plan a perfect, hassle-free trip. Papers and documentation Before you even think about booking a vacation , find out if you need to fill in any paperwork, apply for a visa or renew your passport. If you’re flying long-haul, you may need at least six months validity on your passport after your planned departure date. If your expiry date is approaching, give yourself plenty of time to get a new passport. If you’re visiting certain countries, you may need a visa. Check online for more information. It’s wise to find out exactly what you need before you even start looking for flights and accommodation. If you’re planning a road trip, make sure your insurance is valid, and you’re up to date with vehicle safety checks. If you’re going abroad, make sure you have

Image Source When the sun is shining, it’s hard not to resist al-fresco dining. A barbeque is a wonderful way to spend time with friends and family during the summer months. You may think that you are king of the grill but your garden may not be up to hosting guests. Transforming a tired outdoor area into a welcoming zone for guests doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. It won’t take all summer to do either! Use the following five easy steps as a guide to prep your outdoor space ahead of BBQ season. #1 Tidy up your Garden You don’t need to be a bonafide green fingered gardener to be proud of your garden. Mowing the grass and tidying up clutter are easy ways to get your outdoor area looking spick and span. Adding some hanging baskets or pot plants can spruce up your space without any hard work. A few improvements can make all the difference. #2 Provide Comfortable Seating Your barbeque isn’t a game of musical chairs. Make sure you can provide a seat for each of your

Hey neighbors! Have you ever wondered if your profession is considered dangerous?  Have you thought about the actual dangers on your job?  Loggers and fishermen hold the jobs with the highest danger, and yet make less wages.  Although I consider logging to be dangerous, there are other jobs I would have expected to be included that do not appear in the statistics. The majority of fatal accidents are transportation based.  I was actually a little surprised myself that the highest percentage fell into this category, expecting more to be electrical or construction based.  Second in line is falls.   Regarding falls would you believe more people died falling 10 feet or less, rather than those over 30 feet.  Amazing!  This I can see from logging and construction employment. There is a site, HERE , that has charts regarding the most dangerous jobs and some of the statistics regarding deaths on the job.  Take a moment and see if your job or a related job is listed.  And no matter where y

Hey neighbors! Now that summer is in full swing, I wanted to take a moment and mention boating accidents.  Many people are spending a lot of time on the water, especially with the heat we have been experiencing.  Although boating and other water sports are a great way to cool off and enjoy your summer, we want to remind you to practice safety while on the water. According to statistics, about 600 deaths occur each year in the US while boating.  We personally only own a canoe, but even canoeing there are safety issues.  Everyone in the canoe is required to wear a life vest.  They have each been taught how to swim of course.  They have learned safety rules, such as staying seated, not leaning over the edge to reach something, and of course to stay alert.  Even with a canoe you have to watch the water conditions and keep an eye out for submerged objects.  Once you move to a larger boat there are many other issues.  Do not drink and go boating.  Water and alcohol are not a good mix.  B

Hey neighbors! Tip has some news to share with you!  Merck Animal Health and Elias Weiss Freidman, creator of The Dogist, have teamed up together to help make more dog owners aware of the dog flu.  Tip and I must confess right up front, we did not know much about this, so we were pretty excited about the opportunity to learn more and share with our readers, about the If This Dog Could Talk tour! Were you aware a new strain of dog flu was found just last year?  I was not. The dog flu is very contagious and can be passed easily at parks, dog parks, dog shows and other events – just about anywhere you can find dogs.  It is especially important to be aware of this during the summer months, when many of us are much more likely to take our furry friends with us.   So Merck Animal Health has this really neat tour going on at three major dog parks in the U.S. The If This Dog Could Talk tour will be set up as a forum at the chosen dog parks to help educate owners regarding

Hey neighbors! This review is compliments of Heirloom Audio Productions !  You may remember a couple of the reviews we have been privileged to do in the past, but this is their newest, Beric the Briton .  My daughters have enjoyed all the previous audio adventures, and this one is no different. Beric the Briton is two enthralling hours of audio adventure.  These adventures always hold the attention of anyone who is listening.  This is based on a story from G. A. Henty.  I like that each of these stories tell a portion of history that children and adults alike will enjoy learning from. The story of Beric the Briton teaches a lesson as well as telling history. The message is about enduring and standing firm during trials and tribulations.  What an appropriate message for today.  As times get harder for christians we need to be teaching our children about these issues, and this is one great way to teach them about christians in the past who have taken a stand no matter th

Hey Neighbors! Our newest homeschool review is The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School 2nd Edition by Sharon Watson, from Writing with Sharon Watson .  As you can see by the title this is a course to improve your high schooler's nonfiction writing assignments and reports. I received both the student book The Power in Your Hands and the Teacher's Guide.  The course is really a blessing in that it is easy for my daughter to work through on her own.  She does not require a lot of oversight.  The Teacher's Guide itself is full of helpful information on grading your students writing assignments.  I like that they have included the Proofreading Marks Chart.  This chart not only shows you the different marks, but they also give examples so you know how to use them properly when grading a report.  This makes it so much easier now to read through, correct the papers and of course give a grade.  The Teacher's Guide has been a BIG help, and I feel that

When it comes to decorating your home, your walls are an integral element. They act as a blank canvas, where you can showcase your style and personality. Yet many of us are still afraid of unsure how to make them stand out. So instead we stick to the same old colors and decorating techniques and use them time and time again. Over time this can make us feel uninspired and less excited about spending time within our homes. But it doesn’t have to be this way. If you’re eager for your walls to make a bigger impact in your home, why not try these three fun ideas. Image Use an outrageous color Instead of sticking to colors you feel comfortable with, why not go out of your comfort zone instead. Painting with colors you consider to be over the top and outrageous can bring some zest and excitement back into your interiors. It will also build up your confidence and make you more eager to try new things. The best way to do this is by downloading the My Room Painter app onto your phone

Hey neighbors! Here's something for a little bit of fun.  If a yacht from a famous movie passed you on the Gulf, or out on the high seas, would you recognize it? Now, I will tell you right up front, I am not a big fan of water.  A cruise ship maybe, but anything smaller than that, I just don't know.  My daughters went on a cruise the beginning of this year, and they said you can hardly tell that you are on water.  They also said it was very beautiful, and they want to go again.  While on their cruise they passed several different sailboats, speedboats and yachts. Since I am not a huge movie fan either, I think I would fail the interesting, little quiz found HERE .  I would love to know how you do though.  Click through, take the quiz and come back and let me know how you did.  I might recognize a Disney ship, but as far as a luxury yacht, I think I would have to say no.  I guess I would "sink" the quiz. Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!  See you

When you hear the company Nielsen Massey, you most likely think of baking. Who hasn't used their vanillas or other flavor extracts at some point making cookies, cakes or other goodies? Our family uses their vanilla, almond and peppermint extracts all the time. However, we recently received a new (to us) product that you may not automatically think of baking with. Yes, Nielsen Massey also offers Rose Water , to be used in various dishes including pastries, cookies, and Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine. We actually used this in two different ways - and enjoyed both - without even getting into baking with it. I did find an almond baklava recipe that incorporates rose water that sounds absolutely yummy, so that's on our to-try list as well! My first experiment with rose water was to make a face mist. Rose water facial mists are so handy especially during the summer. Last week my sisters and I attended an outdoor Gospel concert, and this would have come in handy there. Even

Don’t get the wrong idea here. On our section of the web, we do love DIY. If there’s a problem with our home that we can fix ourselves, that’s what we’re going to do. Unfortunately, there are numerous cases where a DIY fix just won’t be possible. Instead, you’ll have to call in the professionals. There are a few reasons why this might be the case. It’s possible that the job in question is just a little too complex for the DIY nut. It might also be the case that the job could be dangerous, due to the processes involved. You may find that a mistake with the type of the repair could lead to expensive ramifications. Thus to cover all bases, you leave it to an expert. Here are a few examples of these types of jobs. Broken Garage Door You might think that you can repair a broken garage door yourself. Well, we would disagree with that analysis. There’s only one fix you might be able to complete yourself for your garage door. That would be if rust has eaten away at the metal along th