Happy Holidays everyone! It's been awhile since my last post, so I thought I would start things back up with a little Christmas decoration how-to. Today I'll be making a Christmas Stocking Holder using old drawer knobs. I saw a picture of one of these in the magazine 'The Country Sampler', and knew it was right up our alley.

The Stocking Holder hanging on the Mantle

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I had something happen to my blogger website yesterday, and after looking for a solution the problem around the web, I found that a lot of people were having the same issue. For some reason, all of the page links that I added that linked to websites, were changed to javascript:;

I would type in the correct addresses again into each link, hit save, and when I reloaded the page they were all changed to the javascript again. I have no idea why this is happening or how long it is going to take to fix, so I found this work around for those of you that need your page links.
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Well hello there. I would like to share with you the latest project I just got finished with. I was standing in my shop looking around thinking about something to make. Something small - and I didn't want to pay for anything in building it (I'll break that later).

I always thought to myself how it would be nice to have some sort of message board on the refrigerator that we could write shopping lists, grocery items needed, and quick notes on. A Chalk Board! Let's do it.




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Do you have a blog with Blogger? Do you have pictures in the sidebar, page menu items up top, and Adsense boxes down below that are not centered? Are they all aligned Left or Right? Well here's a quick fix for you!

Blogger doesn't do a very good job at allowing you to change the alignment of  pre-built Gadgets (actually, you had no choice, until now) If you added an image using the Image Gadget there was no choice to align it. Follow the steps below to create a care-free blog of centered bliss.

First log into your account and go to the design main screen.

Click on Customize ----> Advanced, and scroll down to "Add CSS". There you will see an empty white box, this is where you'll add the code.

Now copy the following code and post it in the "Add custom CSS" box.

.PageList {text-align:center !important;} .PageList li {display:inline !important; float:none !important;} .Image img{ display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; } .AdSense{ text-align: center; }

Once you place the code in the CSS box make sure you hit 'Apply to Blog' to save the changes.

So what does it do? The first set of code that contains the .PageList, centers the page menu bar. The second code, the .Image, will center anything that contains the image tag (all image gadgest added in the sidebar). And the last, the .Adsense, centers, well, all adsense gadgets added. Use all 3 codes, or just what you need - it's up to you.

Hope this helps, thanks for stopping by.

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Have you been camping or fishing and wanted a cheap and easy way to smoke fish at your site?

Most fish smokers are large, cumbersome things that cost $100 or more. If you would like to be able to smoke a trout at the side of the river, you'll want a smoker that can be used with your gas or alcohol stove and is portable. This one was made for less than $20, takes no time to make, works very well and can be dropped into a backpack for a day fishing trip. It isn’t intended to smoke enough fish to feed an army, but will take about 4 reasonable sized trout fillets. Follow Instructable user lucyfanclub to find out how. Read Article »

There's nothing like a little outdoor relaxation when the weather gets warm, but if traditional hammocks are just a bit too difficult and uncomfortable for you, you can make a sturdier hammock-like hanging chair out of tree branches.

It takes a lot of work to put together, but it's more tedious work than it is difficult—as long as you're comfortable cutting up a few tree branches, you shouldn't have too much trouble with the rest. You just need to cut them into 2" long pieces, drill a hole through each one, and thread your hammock string through. You'll get something like the above picture, which is more comfortable than a regular chair or swing, but not quite as absurd as a regular hammock. Hit the link below to see a full how-to.

Make a wooden hammock from branches! by Samuel Bernier

post taken from Lifehacker.com Read Article »

One item that we often mention should go into your emergency kit is some way to start a fire. Even if you're in the woods and kindling is plentiful (or worse, it's not and the old kindling around is wet), it always helps to have something that will give your fire a boost, whether you're out camping or you're in trouble and waiting for help. This simple trick involves a couple of cotton balls and some plastic drinking straws—in a few minutes, you'll have tiny fire starting kits that fit into any emergency kit.

Making them is easy—just cut a segment of drinking straw, pull off a little cotton from a cotton ball or pad, and stuff it into the straw. Seal both ends with a little heat so your cotton won't get wet if your emergency kit does, and you're all finished. You do need to make sure to use the right kind of straw, or else the plastic may not melt and seal easily, or you can dip the ends in wax to get the same effect. When you need it, just break or cut the straw to get at the dry cotton inside and light it.

You could even go a step further and add a dab of vaseline or chap-stick to your cotton to make it easier to burn. If this isn't up your alley, maybe some char cloth is a better addition to your kit, but it's a high-maintenance option. Aside from a lighter or some matches, how do you make sure your emergency kit can always start a fire? Share your survival tips in the comments below.

This post is taken from instructables.com Read Article »

Hey all. Got our first opportunity to go camping this weekend, and we implemented a plan with our daughter that we hadn't really thought of before and wanted to pass it on to you. It's a great idea and worked very well.

My wife had purchased a book bag for our daughter that came with it's own tent and whistle. The whistle was great. On the whistle there was a compass, a magnifying glass, and a flint striker. The whole assembly was kinda cheaply made, and next time I'm gonna get her a 'nice one' like in the picture below. But what was amazing was the whistle itself. I tied a loop in it with some para-cord to hang around her neck. Keep reading below to learn how to put it to good use.

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For the first Video How-To, I decided to show you how I split firewood for the fireplace and when taking bundles to the campsite when I know that the local wood will be wet.

After cutting logs with a chainsaw I use a wedge ax to cut the logs into smaller pieces, and then use a hatchet and hammer to break those into even smaller pieces for kindling to get the fire started.

Let me know how you like this video and give me ideas for future ones you would want to see.

*remember to exercise safety when using sharp tools Read Article »

I do some reading online from time to time on different survival skills and preparedness issues, and one place I refer to is modernsurvivalonline.com. When I come across things like this I want to share it with you.

The first is the Family Disaster Supplies and Preparedness Calender. After reading below, click the link to open up the Calender.

The Family Disaster Supplies & Preparedness Calendar is intended to help you take appropriate preparedness actions and create a 3–7 day disaster supply kit before the next emergency happens. Using the calendar, your family can assemble an emergency kit in small steps over a six month period. Check off each of the items you collect or the actions you take during the week. Supplies may be stored all together in a large plastic garbage can with wheels, putting the heavy items at the bottom.

When medical supplies, flashlights and emergency items are placed near the top, they can be located quickly for inspecting and restocking. Remember to rotate your perishable supplies and change water every six months.

Review this calendar every six months. For example, each time you change your clock, review this list.

Note: You should store 1–2 gallons of water per person for each day. This water is for consumption and sanitation. For this reason the calendar repeats the need to purchase water several times.

Preparedness Calender

(right-click and choose 'save as' to save to computer)

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So you've gotten to your campsite, your unloading the truck and putting up the tent. The kids are running around, excited to be outside, the wife and dog are about to go for a quick walk, now FREEZE............

It is at this moment that we are the most prone to minor accidents like bumps, scratches, sprains and bruising, due to the fact that everyone is excited and everyone is really hands on getting the site set up and exploring the immediate area.   The first step to basic first aid is awareness.

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Were are we going to camp?

This is a familiar question. It's Friday afternoon, the kids are out of school, the family has agreed that this weekend "we're going camping". Only problem........WHERE?

While this might not be such a big problem if you've lived in an area a long time and know all the locations, if your new, or just starting out, there are a few questions that will need to be addressed, like where is the best location? Will there be any fees? Can we bring our pets? And so on.....

The first thing to do is the most obvious, what is that commercial? State Farm, "ask your friends and family". I'm sure someone has stayed at a place or knows someone who has stayed somewhere where they had a great time and highly recommends it. Take their advice.

Second would be to call around, are there parks in your area? Call them and see what they have. Check the yellow pages (who does that anymore?) or online. Hey, if you have a Verizon Android phone (advertisement you say?) there is an app available called ALOQA in there it list everything around you from restaurants to theaters to outdoor activities. It will list campsites in your area. Give it a shot.

The next (and my favorite) is to check and see what America has set aside for you to camp on (Ha Ha). I'm talking state parks and national parks and forests. I love the National Forests, they offer the most flexibility when it comes to camping. In the forest you are able to camp pretty much anywhere as long as it's, I believe, 100ft from the road. I'm not really a 'Disney World' camper, where your surrounded by people and they have every amenity known to man, so getting out in a Nat. Forest away from it all is nice.

Check a map, see what is around you, and then decide what would be best for you and your family. Follow the links below to find out about camping, rules and laws, and what's available in you area.

Reserve America - Great site to look for and reserve campsites in you area.

National Park Service -  Find Parks in your area

National Forest - Find a National Forest in your area

And when all else fails (or before you try anything else) google it! Use your resources, do a little home work, and find the place that you'll all love.

Happy Camping! Read Article »