The ML Editor

Planning to remodel, repair or build a new home? Looking for some innovative, unusual but powerful universal design features? We can help! We started collecting over 1,000 uncommon, affordable convenience built-ins in 1998, when we first began writing books and consulting to help people have truly extraordinary but affordable homes. Here are some of our favorite ideas that’ll change your life via how they enable independent living. Add any of these to your next project, and you’ll be on your way toward creating a home that’s truly beyond the ordinary!

• Motion-sensor faucets. These are especially handy where hands will often be dirty or full. They also deliver water at a preset temperature that kids or slow-to-react family members may appreciate. No more risk of getting scalded!

• A single-lever faucet control, for ease in adjusting water flow and temperature with one hand. (It’s especially inconvenient to have two-fisted, separate hot and cold controls at the kitchen sink.) This can help you reduce wasted hot water, can be visually marked so family members know where to position it for safe hot water temperatures, and is easy to use after arthritis has started to affect your fingers and hands.

• A central vacuum system. Its parts are not as heavy to push as most freestanding vacuum cleaners.

• A garbage disposal activated by a pressure-button switch that’s inches away from the faucet, so it’s accessible without your bending to open a cabinet or walking several steps to flip a switch.

• Well-planned task and reading lighting that doesn’t create shadows. Don’t forget lights that illuminate countertops or are mounted under upper cabinets.

• Lots of electrical outlets for your holiday decorations, both indoors and outside, so everything plugs in nearby. No point in having the confusion or hazards of extension cords, powerstrips or overloaded circuits.

• Magnetic drawer and cabinet locks that release and latch via a single remote-control button that controls an entire room or outdoor area. This is the least awkward and most secure type of childproof lock we’ve seen, especially if you mount the control unit high on a wall where adults can easily see and reach it while kids cannot. Grandparents with arthritis will especially applaud this system, compared to the common plastic door locks that require considerable dexterity to release. (These magnetic locks also secure drawers or cabinets in overnight guestrooms that you use when your guests are gone, or in any rental properties you own and store some possessions in.)

• Wall-mounted intercoms in every room and outdoor living area (don’t forget the garage), for talking to anyone on your property without having to physically walk over to them. This also eliminates using what might be dirty or full hands to dial and hold a cell phone you might use to call people elsewhere in the house.

• A light switch or knee-level motion sensor at the top and bottom of every stairway that controls adequate lighting from above. Motion sensors are especially handy wherever your hands are often too full to easily reach for a switch. That light from above is more important for people with vision problems than light from fixtures that are down at the stair level.

• A bathroom near the family entrance for quick cleanups for limiting the mess that gets tracked inside when someone’s coming home dirty. It’ll also prevent rushing through the house and risking a fall when nature calls while you’re working outside or just arriving home.

Like this article? Then you’ll love our books chock-full of uncommon, affordable convenience built-ins that increase your quality of life and your home’s resale value! We also offer a free e-book at www.extraordinaryhomes.com: The 34 ExtraOrdinary Home Principles: Over 70 Fabulous, Affordable, Innovative Ideas That’ll Improve Your Life and WOW You!

© Copyright 2005 by Carol Abrahamson/ExtraOrdinary Homes. All rights reserved.

Carol Abrahamson consults, writes and makes presentations about more than 1,000 of these fabulous features that can improve your life, add value to your home and make you the talk of the town. She spent years researching them via thousands of sources just so you can quickly and easily use them to create your affordable, extraordinary Home of Your Dreams. Learn more about her work via www.extraordinaryhomes.com or carol@extraordinaryhomes.com.

Most people I know hate buying ” unique Christmas gifts for him” and then they make a nutty dash at the last to the nearest retailer to buy a ” unique birthday gifts for men”. Of course the special gift they pick up then have definite pleasure assessment. But no worth to the recipient because you did not put any reflection into the purchase of the unique gift.

Gift cards can make your unique gift buying easier as you do not have to then hit every store for the searching for “unique Christmas gifts for him” .

Clothes are one thing that as a gift you can not make a mistake. Everyone you know require extensive collections of clothes. This constant need for clothes makes sure that a gift as monotonous as clothes are always the right choice welcome.

The gift of clothes can be changed into extra ordinary gifts by a little vision. Tailored special unique gifts look very good and have been known to show to the beneficiary that you have taken extra efforts in selecting the gift. The next best bet is a gift of jewelry is great when you have the time to shop, if not purchasing all your needs at an online gift shop like Shodega.com, especially if you need a “unique birthday gifts for men”, is always a great option. Click here to visit our website.

Do you love a man over the age of 40? Dad, brother, friend, spouse, lover, etc? Do you love a man whose family members have had cancer?

Then go get your phone - yes, right now and call them. Or send them an email. Ask them to speak to their doctor about
taking a PSA test. This is a simple blood test that measures the Prostate-specific antigen. It helps men catch prostrate inflammation and/or cancer. The test is not perfect, however,
in many cases it gets a man to a place they haven’t been to in a while - the doctors office. Personally this test caught a case of cancer - the worst type - in my family 10 years ago.
And the person is still with us now.

If you have a client form and ask some health related questions add ” date of PSA test” to your form for men. You never know whose life you may help, whose family you many help, just by asking and answering this question.

Want more information on PSA? Visit your doctor.
Below are two website resources, too.

www.psa-rising.com/detection/aua-psachart1.htm

www.prostate-cancer.org

© Copyright 2002 Maria Marsala is
an internationally known coach, author, and speaker. A former Wall Street trader and manager, she is the author of the ebook “Thinking of Starting a Business… Let’s Talk About What’s
Next.” Subscribe to her free ezine “Helping You and Your
Business Grow” at http://www.coachmaria.com/ebook/download.html

What is a chat room?

It’s an area of a website set aside for people to chat in ‘real’ time. In other words, messages appear on a screen as soon as they are typed, and are responded to immediately.

Let’s go to an established chat room for our first visit — Yahoo Chat. Go to http://www.yahoo.com After the home page loads, click on the ‘chat’ link, at the left side of the page right by Connect.

You will first have to register, if you don’t have a yahoo email address. If you already have a yahoo email address, then you can go straight to the chat room.

Under the ‘Enter Chat Room’ link, there are two ‘Featured Rooms’, you can choose instead. After you have made your choice, enter.

You will then be asked to enter your Yahoo ID and Password. The chat room will then begin to load.

Note: You can also download Yahoo Messenger. It’s a Free messaging service that allows you to communicate with friends and family and others. It’s useful by letting you know when certain people come online. You will download the messenger to your computer.

The messages will have the senders name in front of them, so that you will know who they come from. You type your message in a box at the bottom of the screen, then hit send.

It’s fun to chat but beware, Chat Rooms Can Be Addictive!!

If you find that you truly enjoy the chat rooms, limit yourself to one or two hours per day at them.

About The Author

Jane Fulton is Owner & Webmistress of:

http://janes-place.com If you like this article, then subscribe to her newsletters:

http://janes-place.com/sos.htm

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webmistress@janes-place.com

Cupboards and drawers should contain items that are grouped
together.

Store items where you use them. Put your plates near the table,
knives near island or cutting counter, glasses near the fridge,
and coffee items near the coffee machine.

Clean and organize your fridge and freezer just like you would
any other cabinet: grouping like items together. Search for
things that are not being used once a week on trash day. If you
don’t use it, get rid of it.

Seasonally used items are better stored in a basement or attic.

Have countless cookbooks in your kitchen? Go through and find
which ones you use regularly. The others can be stored or given
to a friend.

Only keep the glasses that you regularly use. The others can be
place in storage.

There are several specialty organizers available for cabinets.
This can help you to organize and avoid stacking.

Most of us have lists in the kitchen. They range from the
grocery list, to-do list, and notes to family. I recommend
buying a magnetic clip for the fridge to hold all of those
lists. That way, you’ll always know where it is.

No more junk drawer! Just use any type of plastic basket or
organizer for your junk drawer. Place all similar items in the
same cubby. Then, remember to clean it out once a month.

Want to get rid of those tupper ware stains? Now you can! All
you need to do is put your stained bowls outside in the sun or
in front of a sunny window for a few hours. Walaa, your tupper
ware is looking like new again. Kiss those tomato based stains
good bye

The metal coated sinks that are available in the market these days comes in wide ranges of shapes, sizes, styles and price tags. The metal coated sinks are slowly gaining popularity among people all over the world.

While stainless steel remains to be the most sought after type of metal coated sinks, the copper and the brass sinks are also in demand among people who want to have antique, elegant and contemporary look to their homes. The maintenance of most of the metal coated sinks are easy while some need extra and special care to retain its gloss,new look and proper working status.

The nickel coated stainless steel sinks are the most popular type of kitchen and bathroom sinks as it is the least expensive of the metal coated sinks and is also highly durable. The nickel coating on the steel sinks will prevent it from rusting, scratching and staining.

The chrome coating on the stainless steel sinks provides the strength for these sinks and hence prevents it from denting, cracking and chipping. Another type of metal coated sink, the enamel coated cast iron sink is the most expensive as well as the most durable among the metal coated sinks.