Better meals on a tight budget

Do you need to slash your food bill?  Some things you can learn at cheapcooking.com:

• How to save money grocery shopping
• Read here for some basic strategies for cooking on a budget
• Calculate the cost per serving
• Save money by packing lunches for school and work
• Learn about home food storage so you don’t have food go to waste
• Learn how to cook dried beans
• Get some ideas on how to grill your vegetables for a simple healthy side dish
• Make your own meatballs and get creative about ways to serve them

25 Skills Every Man Should Know

You’re born without them, spend a lifetime acquiring them, and check them at the door on your way out — and for what? To survive in the wild? To get rich and retire early? No. You acquire skills so you can be a man of action, because in a world in which everyone outsources and delegates, action is what sets you apart.

Read ‘em and weep!

Less active at work, Americans have packed on pounds

Looking beyond poor eating habits and a couch-potato lifestyle, a group of researchers has found a new culprit in the obesity epidemic: the American workplace.

A sweeping review of shifts in the labor force since 1960 suggests that a sizable portion of the national weight gain can be explained by declining physical activity during the workday. Jobs requiring moderate physical activity, which accounted for 50 percent of the labor market in 1960, have plummeted to just 20 percent.

The remaining 80 percent of jobs, the researchers report, are sedentary or require only light activity. The shift translates to an average decline of about 120 to 140 calories a day in physical activity, closely matching the nation’s steady weight gain over the past five decades, according to the report, published Wednesday in the journal PLoS One.

Read it all here.

Social media creates new teen ailment — ‘Facebook depression’

Doctors say what may seem fun and innocent may actually be leading teens into what’s being termed “Facebook Depression.”

If you’re a teenager you’re most likely on a social networking site like “Facebook.” For most it’s a fun, easy way to keep in touch and find out what’s going on with friends. But new research shows a growing number of youngsters who obsess over the on-line sites may be headed down a troubled path.

The American Academy of Pediatrics warns of a new problem called “Facebook Depression.” It results from being bombarded with friend tallies, status updates, and photos of people happy, having the time of their lives, when you are not.

Read it all here.

How to have a successful yard sale

A garage sale can be a great way to clean out your closets and make some extra cash. But if paying customers can’t find you or aren’t interested in what you have to offer, your hard work can quickly turn into a wasted Saturday morning.

Garage sales aren’t complicated, but they can be intimidating if you’ve never had one before. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can follow to ensure that your garage sale is a huge success.

Read ‘em all here.

10 Nightly Rituals That Improve Your Appearance

There’s no bad time to get into habits that will help you become a better version of yourself. Here we present a rundown of the top 10 rituals to make part of your routine at night so you can be sure to look your absolute best.

Read ‘em all here!

St. Lucie County man reports wife shot AR-15 at target in bedroom closet and missed, nailing washing machine and flooding house

Officials are investigating a weekend incident during which a man indicated his wife fired an AR-15 rifle at a target inside a master bedroom closet, missing the target and blasting holes in a washing machine.

When deputies on Sunday entered the home in the 5700 block of Spanish River Road, they found “a lot of water on the floor covering most of the residence,” according to recently released St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office records.

The 21-year-old woman said she and her husband are divorcing. She said her 33-year-old spouse called on Saturday, asking whether they could “get together.”

They had a “good evening,” but started arguing on Sunday about reconciling. She said she told her husband she didn’t want to get back together because she has a new boyfriend. She said her husband “went crazy” and started shooting indoors.

She said he was firing close to her and thought he was trying to scare her. She said blood on her legs came from “the bullets hitting the washing machine and the metal shards hitting her.”

The woman, however, said she also was shooting with her husband.

Asked to write a sworn statement, she said, “I’ll try my best but I’m drunk.”

Read it all here.

Memorial Day History

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women’s groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, “Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping” by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication “To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead” (Source: Duke University’s Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860’s tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

Read it all here.

I will be the first to admit I grew up a good portion of my life never knowing why we celebrate Memorial Day.  The general feeling is that is marks the beginning of the summer season (although summer officially starts on June 21).  But now I know now is commemorates military service men and women who have died in service.  It is one of our oldest national holidays dating back to the Civil War.  So as we stir the lemonade, put on the sunscreen and fire up the BBQ pit, take a look of how to properly observe Memorial day from www.usmemorialday.org

We share some of observance guidelines so more citizens will become familiar with the proper way to observe this holiday when we remember and honor “our ancestors, our family members, our loved ones, our neighbors, and our friends who have given the ultimate sacrifice”. Please visit www.USMemorialDay.com for a wealth of information about this important day of remembrance. Memorial Day should be observed:

• By visiting cemeteries and placing flags or flowers on the graves of our fallen heroes.
• By visiting memorials.
• By flying the U.S. Flag at half-staff until noon.
• By flying the ‘POW/MIA Flag’ as well (Section 1082 of the 1998 Defense Authorization Act).
• By participating in a “National Moment of Remembrance”: at 3pm to pause and think upon the true meaning of the day, and for Taps to be played.
• By renewing a pledge to aid the widows, widowers, and orphans of our fallen dead, and to aid the disabled veterans.

Teen makes prom dress out of newspaper!

Check out the photos here.

Read it all here.