Category Archives: Household

Isopropyl Alcohol: Top Five Uses

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Share your cleaning tips using isopropyl / rubbing alcohol

Thought:

Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.

~James Allen~

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Isopropyl alcohol, also known as rubbing alcohol, is a flammable chemical which we certainly associate the smell with hospitals and doctors’ offices.  It is used for its antibacterial and disinfectant properties as a first aid cleanser.  It also has numerous household uses. 

The children brought home a nasty intestinal bug from school!  Isopropyl alcohol was the first line of defense to kill the germs that could be lurking everywhere the children have touched!

1.  Spray and wipe down all door handles:  Use isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) to spray and wipe on all areas your sick ones might touch.  A few of the areas we might forget about where many germs can be spread:  door handles and doorknobs, kitchen cabinet handles, refrigerator, kitchen counters, dishwasher handle, toys, and all areas with items that are constantly used.

2.  Sanitize Cell Phones:  For a quick and easy way to disinfect your cell phone at home or the office, simply wipe down with isopropyl alcohol.  Simply pour a small amount of isopropyl alcohol on a soft cloth and wipe off all dirt, grime, and germs

3.  Disinfect Bathroom Fixtures:  Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol kills germs around your house but it is also a fantastic simple cleaner. Alcohol removes grime from household fixtures, give your door knobs a quick antiseptic clean with a cloth dampened with alcohol.  Pour some rubbing alcohol straight from the bottle onto a soft, absorbent cloth and wipe down the fixtures. There is no need to rinse. The alcohol evaporates, leaving chrome sparkling and free of germs.

 4.  Clean CDs and DVDs:  Cleaning the CDs and DVDs is so easy.  Those grimy fingerprints are so easy to clean with a soft cloth and a small amount of isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol).  You will be amazed how simple and shiny clean the discs will be.  Another added benefit, they will play great!

5.  Clean Computer Mouse and Keyboard:  Computer equipment is another place where one would find lingering germs.  Not only will isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) kill the germs, it will actually make your mouse work better.  The alcohol will remove any residue, crumbs or dirt that has collected on the bottom.  Use a cotton tipped q-tip to clean the keys and the roller ball in your mouse.  I also use a soft cotton cloth, spray it with alcohol and wipe the area and the outside of the computer.  

There are many more uses for cleaning with isopropyl alcohol, explore the wonderful world of effective, inexpensive, convenient cleaning right at your fingertips.  If you have a sensitivity to alcohol, or would prefer not to use it, white vinegar is a great substitute.

For more information on isopropyl alcohol and homemade cleaners, visit Amazon.com to get your copy of Cheaper, Greener, Cleaner: Ceiling to Floor Savings.  Paperback or Kindle versions available.

Advertising Slogans Repeating in My Head

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Busy Supermarket filled with frenzied shoppersThought:

 ”Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don’t have on something that they don’t need.”

~ Will Rogers~

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 Why can’t I get that crazy advertising slogans out of my head?  These advertising slogans and   little jingles are designed to do just that, promote emotional sales!  While they can be quite catchy, funny slogans, and entertaining,  they have absolutely nothing to do with the performance, convenience, quality, benefits, or cost.  The  advertising slogans used by the advertising agency use the funny slogans and  jingles to promote their products; entice us to  make an impulsive purchase based on the funny slogans or jingles.

A perfect example of having the advertising agency and advertising slogans persuade my purchasing  reminds me of a time when I was a young mother crazily going up and down each grocery aisle searching for “Poopon.”  Dena was two years old and adamant that she needed “Poopon!”  Everything I presented was wrong she continued to repeat she wanted “Poopon.” I could not find what she wanted anywhere in the store. We left the store, Dena was tearful and I was very puzzled as to what “Poopon” was and where had she come up with the idea.  I would have certainly fallen victim to impulsive buying if I could have only found the darn “POOPON!”

A few days later Dena started screaming “POOPON, POOPON, Mommy it’s POOPON!” running to the television I found a commercial playing, “Everything’s better with Blue BonnetTM on it!” The mystery solved, Blue Bonnet MargarineTM was her much need “POOPON.”  Yes, I bought the “POOPON, guilty of the purchase their brands based upon a cute or easy recognizable little tune.  The advertising agency won me over, I bought their product based upon the funny slogans.  They count on us to make an emotional purchase!”  

1971 Blue Bonnet Margarine Commerical

The advertising agency giants have their clients spend enormous amounts of money to entice us to choose their products for our purchases which increases their profit margin.  Their profits generate great dividends for their stockholders as well as wonderful bonuses for the executives.  The funny slogans and jingles are not written for artistic expression’s sake,  just to aid in influencing your decision to buy their product, known as branding, now you know why!

For more information on homemade cleaners, visit Amazon.com to get your copy of Cheaper, Greener, Cleaner: Ceiling to Floor Savings.  Paperback or Kindle versions available.

 

 


Carpets: I Do or I Don’t Shampoo?

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Family After WeddingThought:

 ”There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.”  Unknown

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Do we use the carpet shampooer or don’t we, that was the question a dear friend of ours asked as they helped decorate for Dena’s wedding and reception.  While we were working, she asked me to come see the dirty stains on the carpets.  She felt it was really noticeable and wondered if I wanted her to go get her high powered spot remover and carpet shampooer.    The shampoo would contain harsh chemicals.and I was concerned with those chemicals that would be used in her carpet shampooer.  If we used  the spot remover on the carpet we could remove the stain using harsh or toxic  chemicals that could bring about additional problems.

Our family has health challenges from chemicals in cleaning products, I first thought of the Bride, Groom, Flower Girl and Junior Bridesmaid.  Exposure to these harsh and toxic chemicals could bring on migraine headaches, allergic asthma, or sensory overload.  

The last thing any of us wanted was to make this stressful event any more so.  Our Junior Bridesmaid, Dena’s daughter has Aspergers Syndrome, she is uncomfortable when any attention is placed upon her.  Any additional triggers needed to be eliminated.  Being sure this could be more than she could handle we needed another solution.   White vinegar was a must here to to use as our spot remover.

We didn’t have the time to shampoo and have the entire carpet dry,    Thinking quickly, we just dabbed on a little  white vinegar into the carpet and just like magic, spot gone, problem solved.  We didn’t need to clean the entire room and the spot was gone from the very place they would be standing to exchanging their vows.  No need to take the time for the carpet shampooer.  A quick inspection of the carpets brought the need for the addition use of our “spot remover.”

Much to the amazement of my friend and her husband, they saw just how quick and easy it was to use white vinegar  as a spot remover for the carpet.  When I explained that you can just use white vinegar and water in any carpet shampooer, they were astonished that cleaning your carpets could be this easy.

I shared this tip; one of the advantages of using white vinegar over chemicals  in carpet shampoos is it will pull out the remaining shampoo residue and clean your carpets at the same time.  It might take a few cleanings to remove the residue depending on the amount still left in your carpets.  Your carpets will be clean, soft and refreshed. The vinegar smell dissipates as it dries.  Also keep in mind that hot water activates soap. Always rinse with cold water and vinegar.  You will love your results!

The wedding was a success, no migraines, allergic asthma, or sensory overload and no vinegar smell.  Great day!

Recently my friend called to let me know she shampooed her own carpets instead of having them professionally cleaned.   She saved over $275.00 by doing it herself and replaced the retail shampoo costing $49.00 by using white vinegar instead of buying the bottled shampoo.  Her carpets have never been cleaner she said.  She was thrilled!  And no vinegar smell!

For more information on homemade cleaners and replacing harsh retail cleaning products, visit Amazon.com to get your copy of Cheaper, Greener, Cleaner: Ceiling to Floor Savings.  Paperback or Kindle versions available.

Home Cleaning of Your Clothes Dryer from Fabric Softener Residue

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Fabric Softener Sheets can cause allergic skin rashes in many peopleI have had many instances of skin irritations which became much less frequent after I removed retail cleaning products from our home, especially the ones in the laundry.

A few weeks ago, I found that my skin began that annoying tingle and demanded to be scratched.  It drives me nuts!!  I rotated the laundry soap recipe, and re-washed all my clothes.  This did not help at all, to my dismay!  I was disheartened and tried another recipe.  Again, still itchy.  After about a month of persistent itching (which always seemed to worsen after dinner for some reason), I was getting very frustrated.  I visited the allergist to see if he could determine another cause for my skin allergy, itchiness.  Nothing to be found and I left even more concerned.

When I got home, I found a dryer sheet on the floor between the washer and dryer.  I was, to say the least puzzled, since I don’t use these at all in our home, but the evidence suggested that it had been used.  I had a neighbor that had asked to use my dryer a while back, could she have brought it?  Anything was possible, and I went to her house to ask her.  She was surprised by my query, but replied in the affirmative.

I returned home, grabbed my favorite microfiber cloth, and poured a little bit of rubbing alcohol onto the cloth, wiping out every nook and cranny of the dryer.  I repeated this a few times, and after the alcohol disappeared, I did the same with white distilled vinegar.  Back to washing all my clothes again.  Amazingly, this worked.  I guess the dryer sheets left a residue in my dryer that I was sensitive to.

I am not advocating that anyone try to replicate this experience at home, but it might be worth wiping out your washer/dryer if you are having issues of the sort.  It takes a few minutes to do, and could provide excellent results.

Do you have skin irritations and rashes of unknown origin?  Get potential relief from skin allergies with: Cheaper,  Greener, Cleaner: Helping You to Protect Your Family’s Health.

Vinegar Top Ten Uses Besides Dying Easter Eggs

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Colorful Easter Eggs in Spring Grass ready for Easter Egg HuntThought:

 “Don’t cry because it is over.  Smile because it happened.” 

~Dr. Seuss

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 My goodness how the vinegar uses have grown in our house, we now buy vinegar by the gallons.  Our top ten vinegar uses are: 

  1. Fabric Softener
  2. Carpet Cleaner
  3. Hair Conditioner
  4. Window Cleaner
  5. Degreaser
  6. Disinfectant  Cleaner
  7. Deodorizer
  8. Mold and Mildew Remover
  9. Dishwasher Rinse Aid
  10. Bathroom Soap Scum Remover
  11. And Decorating our Easter Eggs, how could I have forgotten this special use!

With Easter just a few days away, I smile at the thought of dying eggs with my granddaughters.  It reminds me of so many years ago as a young girl coloring eggs, assisting my little sisters.  Then, the truly warm memories flood my mind and bring tears to my eyes as I recall the wonderful times of coloring Easter eggs with my daughters.

Yes, I am sentimental, I cherish all those moments of the ordinary days in my children’s lives.    I am certainly blessed to be a part of my grandchildren’s lives.  There are many smiles as we do things together that you only get to do when you are a grandparent and a grandchild.  We will be creating fabulous Easter eggs.  They may not win any prizes, yet they will all be treasured as most beautiful to us.

When my children were little we were always running out of bowls to make new colors.  I went out and bought special bowls to dye our Easter Eggs; so my granddaughters have tons of bowls to make any variation to any color they desire.  When we are finished and pour our colors down the drain, it looks like a Technicolor animation turned liquid as the colors swirl going down our drain.

Funny thing about this memory, Easter Egg dying, Cole Slaw recipes, and Deviled Eggs recipes  were the only uses I had for vinegar, way back all those years ago!  Now I buy vinegar by the gallons, because of the many new vinegar uses I have discovered. 

Happy Easter Everyone!

Get more information on vinegar and homemade cleaning recipes to start saving today.  Go to Amazon.com for the paperback or Kindle version.

Easter Eggs Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs Everyday

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Pretty Easter Eggs decorated for Easter

Thought:   Things I Learned from the Easter Bunny

 Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.
Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.

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Making perfect hard boiled eggs is an underrated talent. As a little girl, I would be so delighted when I gazed out to see the beautifully colored Easter Eggs adorning our yard left by the Easter Bunny.  After our Easter Egg Hunt,  I would watch my mother and aunts prepare the Easter Eggs for Deviled Eggs, YUM, one of my favorites at Easter!  As they would peel the colored eggs after our Easter Egg Hunts, my aunt’s Easter Eggs perfect eggs;  while my mother’s were completely the opposite.   Aunt Joan really knew how to make perfectly decorated Easter Eggs.  My mother’s hard boiled eggs had a dark green color around the yolks and smelled of sulfur, as well as being difficult to peel.  The shells had to be pried from the egg whites taking chunks of egg with it.  These were not pretty eggs to say the least.  I know you’ve been there.

My Aunt Joan always had the most perfect hard boiled eggs. They were the easiest to peel and the egg yolks were always a bright yellow, without the green coating.  She made beautiful designs, she could really color Easter Eggs, (no one knew how to do this in the 1950’s except my really special aunt, or so I thought.)  I found out she did it with white crayons and, put all the cousins names on them, wow.   Fun ways to decorate Easter Eggs with your family and instructions on how to make the paper bag nest.

Make simple Easter Crafts with your childrenThis reminds me of something she would bring for us to make.  Her ideas were always so much fun!

Aunt Joan tried to teach my mother how to decorate and boil eggs, Mother just wasn’t the crafty type nor was she one to change her methods easily, even making hard boiled eggs.  Her process never changed over the years.  Each Easter we would gather at Mothers house for dinner and Easter Egg Hunts for the grandchildren.  Now my sisters and I would bring eggs our children had colored to mix with the eggs my mother had boiled. We would really busy ourselves with other tasks in hopes we were not called upon to prepare her boiled eggs that were so hard to peel!  It never failed, she would request that we did the eggs while she finished something else.

After all these years I decided to find out why her eggs had rubbery green colored yolks.  I found this youtube video with Chef John from Food Wishes which explains: How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs – Perfect Easter Eggs without the green eggs and ham, yuck!.  I learned something myself, have fun!

How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs - Perfect Easter Eggs

Wishing everyone a very Happy Easter!

Get more tips and tricks like this one and start saving money on homemade cleaners today.  Go to Amazon.com for the paperback or Kindle version.

ZOTE Soap is the Best! Finding it at Walmart was a Real Treat!

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White Zote Soap is a great whitener for the laundry and a staple in homemade cleaning and laundry recipes

Thought:

Opportunities are the result of pluck, not luck.   The people who succeed seek out opportunities, and if they can’t find them, create them.

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I almost got kicked out of Walmart today, and all for my exuberance for ZOTE soap. (Ok, a slight exaggeration, but I did get some very strange looks!) For kicks I went down an aisle that I stay away from on most shopping trips since I learned how to make laundry soap and other homemade cleaners.  Really take a look at it the next time you are at the store getting your Fruit Loops. It’s a jungle! As I walked down the crowded aisle, my eye caught a familiar and coveted white wrapper – ZOTE soap! It is a bit tricky to find, and finding it in a Walmart was a real treat. (And at a Walmart price too – $ .97 per bar of ZOTE Soap!) I began to whoop and high five my daughters, and we quickly put ten bars ZOTE soap into the cart.

Pink Zote Soap is a great whitener for the laundry and a staple in homemade cleaning and laundry recipes

ZOTE is found in the laundry aisle of a select number of stores. We have had luck finding ZOTE in Latin American grocery stores as well.  Before Walmart carried this soap, we were regulars at the Latin American Grocery not far from where we live. We do not speak Spanish, and the owners did not speak English, but they looked at us with amusement as we would walk in, go directly to soap, get 3-4 bars (more if we were picking some up for friends who had asked us), pay and leave. After our first workshop, we sent several of the women who had come to the same store. Same thing, walk in, grab ZOTE, pay, and leave. We must have given the owners reason to scratch their heads once or twice. They might have thought we were expecting some sort of laundry apocalypse or the likes. They saw demand rise, and accordingly, they raised their price.

In any case, when they went out of business, we were not happy. Each is lightly scented (neither one bothers my allergies, and I am very sensitive), the pink has a slight floral fragrance, while the white is fresh and clean. We’ve heard people talking about an elusive blue bar of ZOTE. We’ve never found it. (If you find one, let us know where!)

I love this so much – it’s unwrapped (so that it dries out and grates easier and finer)  then set in the linen closet, ready  when we need it, this will last us quite a while. Plus, it gives a nice fragrance to the towels.

Soap apocalypse, ZOTE exuberance, yes!

Saving Money vs Saving Time – “Ne’er the Twain shall meet” – or can they?

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Save time and money with Homemade Cleaning Recipes

Thought:   

I’m going to stop putting things off, starting tomorrow! ~ Sam Levenson

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You are just like everyone else, time is a surplus at you house and you spend much of your day trying to think of something to do, right? That is just the way we spend our days as well, twiddling our thumbs,  just bored to tears and trying to find anything to fill our time.

Yeah, right! We are on the move from morning until night, doing anything we can to keep on top of a family schedule that looks like several world powers trying to negotiate a major treaty. You know how it goes, don’t you?

We went into this way of life with some degree of skeptism – ok – very skeptical. Making our own cleaning recipes and supplies did not appeal to us; it seemed to be another chore that we really did not want to complete. We began to experiment with making more than one recipe at the same time, and even though more often than not, we make our recipes as we need them, we decided to take an additonal challenge to see how many different homemade cleaning recipes we could actually make in a set amount of time, in our case 30 minutes. We gathered our Fabulouly Frugal Fifteen cleaners, a timer, some spray bottles, measuring cups and went to work.

The next 30 minutes were a tremendous amount of fun, we were able to make 30 recipes in just under 30 minutes.   If you have a few minutes, you can do this. .

Now we know that that the vast majority of you won’t care, however, we thought seeing how many of your products you could make at one time, maybe to get set up for the month, might be fun.  For someone not setting up to beat the clock, realistically, they might find themselves taking 45 mins. to an hour.  But, it’s still fun to produce and prepared!

Preventing Mold and Mildew Growth in a Car After a Fish Water Flood

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Angel Fish fish tank water spilled on car floor and cleaned with safe natural cleaning recipes

Thought:

“Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least.”       - Van Goethe

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At one time, we had three aquariums in our home. As we prepared to move (and our aquatic livestock had met an occasional untimely end, leading to a fishie funeral in the backyard), I began to rehome fish, break down tanks, leaving the largest (29 gallon) to move along with us. I don’t know if you have ever moved an aquarium, let me tell you, it is not fun! Just catching the little characters is enough to drive someone to drink! (At least ours!)

I carefully drained the tank of water, deposited the terrified (and extremely annoyed) fish into buckets, and loaded it all into my tan minivan. (Yep, suburban mom to the core!) Upon setting everything up in the new spot, I knew that my next step was to go to the fish store and get some more reverse osmosis (RO) water. This works very well for aquariums, but the biggest pain is going to buy it.

When I arrived at the fish store, I was not assisted by the regular person, rather by his teenage son. Everything went very well up to the teen carrying heavy buckets and depositing them into the back of my van. We left, ready to top off the tank with fresh water. As I drove home, another car swerved into my lane, and I swerved as well to avoid the collision. With that fateful swerve, the buckets that were placed in the back of the van fell over. When I got home, I saw that the teenager had not closed one of the buckets tightly. Yes, you guessed it – flood city! Five gallons of water in the back of my van!  Not quite of the Noah’s Ark variety, but nonetheless very damp – ok – soaked!

I went in, grabbed the shop vac and went to work. Windows were left open and I was very worried about mold and mildew growth in my van.  So, now my thoughts turn to how to prevent mold and mildew? If this were in the dog days of summer, it would be different! This was late fall, with frost and cold nights. This was not going to work! After many passes with the shop vac, towels, general frustrations, the car started to dry out, but the unmistakable scent of mildew was beginning. (And to make it worse, my fiance-to-be was coming to visit and we would be in my van for transportation!)

I grabbed the tub (yes, tub) of baking soda and found another chapter for baking soda uses and sprinkled baking soda liberally onto the carpets of the car. That was helping with the odor, but for mold prevention and mildew removal, I knew I had a long way to go. Cups filled with white vinegar and a few drops of lemon essential oil (a great homemade air freshener) were put into my cup holders. (Why does a car seating 7 have 9 cup holders?) Finally, after vacuuming up the baking soda, I grabbed our Amazing All-Purpose Cleaner, (see below for recipe) and spritzed the carpets. Overnight, the odor was gone, no sign of mold ever appeared and I am thrilled with the results.

Results – did not have a massive mold removal problem, did not have to sell the van (the thought crossed my mind), and as for the visit from the love interest – he was informed of the problem ahead of time, he was pleasantly surprised that the situation was solved so easily – and he proposed. Due to a non-moldy car and vinegar and baking soda – no, probably not, but it may have helped!

Amazing All Purpose Cleaner

This is a super easy recipe!

Yields 32 oz.

Approximate cost to make – $.06

Approximate Retail Cost – $2.37

2 tsp Arm and Hammer Washing Soda

4 cups water

Combine in spray bottle, shake and spray and wipe on surfaces.


Carpet Woes Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk

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Spilled milk into carpets is a challenge to clean upThought: 

Never give up on what you really want to do.  The person with big dreams is more powerful that one with all the facts.

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As I opened the door the decaying odor assaulted my senses. I did come prepared, I brought baking soda, more would certainly be needed.  The stench was so strong,   I could not believe she wanted me to come help.  I was pregnant and had all day, every day morning sickness.  Oh no here it comes again, running back outside for fresh air,  I braced myself to enter the stench once again.  Taking a deep breath of fresh air;  not caring it was very cold; I left the door wide open and proceeded to each window.  Opening each to get a cross draft coming through the house; and taking a fresh breath at every window it was time to begin. 

I began to investigate the origin of the odor, this was of no use, the odor was so strong everywhere, I just could not tell.  As I was crawling along the baseboards, I finally found the reason.  There before me was the crusty, nasty carpet.  

My little sister had dropped a gallon of milk on the brand new carpet and let it spill out the contents.  Thinking if she did not tell anyone, no one would ever know!  Well that didn’t work out like she thought!  Oh, the thought process of the kids! 

Scrubbing, and shampooing the area was certainly needed.  There was so much spoiled milk in the carpet the shampooing seemed endless before the return water reservoir began to lessen from the nasty color I was pulling up.  After I got up as much of the milky solution as I could, the smell was still present.  Baking soda to the rescue; I poured an entire large box on the area.  Additional shampooing was needed, more baking soda was used, finally the odor vanished.  

I instructed them to leave the baking soda on the carpet until it was completely dry.  This was a job for large amounts, not just a sprinkling, this called for pouring.  Many boxes were used to absorb the nasty odor, vacuumed up and put down again and again.  Just one more use of baking soda.  

No one had to moved, the carpet was cleaned, my sister hopefully learned a lesson, Thanksgiving was saved, and I remember all this so many years ago because my baby (Dena)  was born shortly there after, six weeks early.  I’ll save those stories for other blogs.