HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boudreaux’s Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am an incessant sun screen user in the summer. In the past year, I have become very conscious of the chemicals in sun screen and have ditched a few that contain titanium dioxide and now use one with zinc oxide exclusively. Not only am I not burning, but I noticed any redness from dermatitis on my face is no longer red. Sure, it could be the Vitamin D of the sun, but I attribute it to the zinc. Because of the thick consistency, I am hesitant to use it elsewhere on my body.

There is another product that uses zinc oxide, Boudreaux’s Butt Paste, which is a diaper rash cream. It is also good for razor bumps, and I have heard some folks using it for prickly heat and psoriasis. I am not surprised, also, to hear folks using it for their scalp. The first time I heard about it was actually when I ran into someone who used it for their dog. The dog has alopecia and was always suffering from a raw tail. His tail would wag so much and beat against chair legs that the skin would be very dry and it would crack and bleed.

The ingredients are natural and contain zinc oxide and balsam oil. Just make sure you don’t have a balsam allergy before you try it.

Right now, you can receive a free sample if you send a 6×9 self addressed envelope stamped with $1.39 in postage to:

Boudreaux’s Butt Paste
1600 Brian Drive
Columbus, IN 47201

Let me know what you think of it.

P.S. Balsam Pear plants are poisonous to dogs and cats.  The Balsam pine will upset stomachs if large quantities are consumed, but is not fatal, especially in the sparing amount in a tiny dot of paste.   Of course, keep all topical applications out of the reach of children and pets, even if non-toxic in normal use.

Hillarys Blinds has been well known throughout the UK for over 40 years for their made-to-measure blinds and other window coverings. Did you also know that hillarys blinds doesn’t only give your home a new look, but also gives back to the community? For one Red Nose day, £212, or $318 as of this writing, of each order was donated. Red Nose Day is a telethon to benefit Comic Relief, a charity created by comedians to aid famine relief in Ethiopia. Children in Need and Cancer Research is another recipient of corporate and employee generosity.  Book sales, charity football games and raffles generated over £2200.

Another £18,000 was generated in a Charity Duck Race.  How does one race ducks? Over 8,000 yellow rubber duckies sailed down the River Trent in Nottingham during the Riverside Festival.  Entrants paid £2 to enter a duck, and the individual who picked the lucky duck who crossed the finish line first won a cruise.  Certainly, much of the raise is sheer chance, but it sounds like a lot more fun than purchasing a ticket and comparing your numbers against those that the announcer called.

Next time you are shopping for window coverings and are interested in patronizing a company that gives back, waddle on over to Hillarys.

While health insurance is something at the forefront of public concern in the US right now, there has been a drive for more carriers to provide private health insurance in the United Kingdom. The UK has a system that is somewhat similar to what lawmakers are proposing. It’s a single payer set up. Why is private insurance needed? There are procedures that government health insurance does not cover, and more so, it helps the sick jump up on the waiting list or avoid the waiting list altogether for care. I am not talking about elective surgeries such as face lifts that are not medically necessary, but perhaps expanded treatment options for routine as well as critical illnesses and injuries.

While perusing some of the supplemental health plans, individuals can opt for private coverage for as little as six weeks for transitions or when they know they may be taking on additional health or injury risks. There are also plans which include travel coverage to receive treatment from specialists, psychiatric treatment or cancer care coverage.  The coverage could be invaluable if there is an unforeseen medical condition.

I wish that more people would take a look at what is going on in the UK and Canada before they jumped up and down over health care reform without reading it. Taxes will go up to cover the cost of the plan, but in addition, everyone’s pocket will STILL be hit when they purchase extra insurance. The issue is not really health insurance, but access. Some physician practices only take you if you have certain insurance because they are not set up administratively to take cash or checks or debit cards. If there were more safeguards at state level to make it illegal to turn away a paying customer who has the funds but not the correct insurance, there would be a great savings. Low income children, who have been at the forefront of the media attention, already have coverage through medicaid.  In other words, health care reform is needed, but a single payer health system may be something that one needs to take care what one asks for.

My dad works for a non profit organization, and often they are lucky to have very knowledgeable volunteers who have retired. They now have time for some honest to goodness brainpicking. However, sometimes, in order to pick a brain, he needs to describe what is occurring. He is really at a loss at how to describe something to those giving him tech support. That is when my phone rings. It usually would involve me saying, “No, your computer didn’t develop a mind of its own like Hal 9000. I can probably help, but I would really need to sit in front of the computer and see what you mean.”

Remote PC Access Software, where I could literally take a look at his work computer from my home, through the internet. I could not just access, but control his PC in order to set things right. In that sense, it is much more complex than merely sharing a file. On a larger scale, IT departments of companies sometimes have capability to do this. Of course, Proxynetworks.com has software that is set up for one computer to act as the master with many host computers. Of course you could also purchase software for a peer to peer situation, a master with many host computer, or more than one master computer.

I could sign up for a free trial, and later on, purchase the software. It may seem steep to someone to think about purchasing this sort of software it for personal use. However, I have considered the amount of money through the year normally spent on doodads for my dad, and have also weighed the number of hours of work he loses from describing a “thingamabob.” It is probably the best investment I can make. After all, there was also a “crunching noise” that is equally as nebulous. Since, I have come to find out that the “crunching noise” was just the computer loading and is nothing to fear. No rodents have taken residence.

What is this mysterious spectre? No, its not a Titanic-exhibit-gone-creepy.  Rather, it’s the new Ghost Ship at Morey’s Piers. Nope, no rotating midway Viking ship here, but rather an interactive haunted house. For your next volunteer amusement park “thank you” or wish granting trip for teens, there is finally something more at the park for those not of the faint of heart, but the too faint of stomach or faint neck for roller coasters.

Someone near and dear to me is looking at sinks for the kitchen and the bathroom. Last time I looked for and installed sinks, I remember that the bead of caulk that was around the rim kept pealing off and there was always that tiny space between the porcelain and the back splash that would fill up with water. I didn’t think about undermount kitchen sinks. They look very clean to the eye, as the sink rim doesn’t come over the counter, but mounts underneath. I think the water is less likely to splash the counter that way. Maybe its just my imagination.

In the past, I have had stainless steel. One would think that would be more sanitary as far as washing dogs in the household sink. However, the water spots drove me crazy. Granite sinks deliver the durability and ease of cleaning that I was hoping for. In fact, they are treated with bacteria killing silver ions that eradicate 99% of bacteria. Since granite pieces are ground up and used, it is also very environmentally friendly.

I am going to make a suggestion to my friends to consider an undermount kitchen sink. It will surely fit the needs of a dog, kid and cooking family.

Last weekend, we were playing “name that tune.” A friend’s phone rang and the Dukes of Hazzard theme played. Why didn’t our phones play something other than blips and beeps? His came with a bazillion ring tones and we were shouting out the titles or artist as he went down the menu. There was everything from recent stuff like Katy perry California girls, to David Lee Roth’s California Girls, to Chopin. The game broke out when he tried to look for the Imperial Death March from Star Wars to alert him to when his boss called. There were a few that made us feel like old fogies. We just never heard of them, even though the music was “current.” Then again, we listen to the radio at weird times during the day, as if that were any excuse. Luckily, those were free, but we almost got carried away with the temptation to download other snippets.

If you or your child has access to ringtone and game downloads, use caution. “Just one tune” can add up into hundreds of dollars. If you must update ringtones and games, get a subscription service that gives you unlimited access or alerts you to your quota. Since the “text donating” became popular with Red Cross donations for Haiti, folks have been more aware of the hidden costs of texting and getting apps, etcetera, but one can never be reminded too often.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Glidden. All opinions are 100% mine.

A few years ago, I participated in a shelter renovation. A small rescue group was willed a small building, and they were determined to turn it into a shelter. This allowed the key volunteers to house pets at a central location where approved and potential adopters could easily schedule a time to see them without disrupting the routines of the families involved. It also allowed other individuals who could not be a foster home due to pet limits or work schedule to volunteer. The building would be open for visitors. Some paint was donated, but there was not enough of any cheery color to paint a room. Since money was tight, there had to be a way to create the effect we wanted with as little wasted paint as possible. I remember one color turning out to look too much like a doctor’s office.

Now, Glidden offers paint testers and extra large paint chips. The paint testers contain enough paint to get a good sized square on the wall to see how it would actually look in your room. You can squint at it in different lights, and solve the dilemma of a color drying lighter or darker. There are also extra large paint chips. The tiny little one to three inch squares are nice, but its too hard to visualize the big picture. You may not want to come home with a dozen paint chips and samples, but when the field has been narrowed down to two or three, they will break the tie.

After you have chosen the wall color, go to Glidden.com.  There is a handy Room Painter tool where you can test drive coordinating colors for trim, alternating walls, or adjoining rooms.  Be as outrageous or as subdued as you want.  Then, jot down the colors and go shopping.  You could even take a screen shot of your masterpiece to pitch to other folks at the organization or your toughest critics: your family.

I read much of my current events on the internet, but I revel in curling up with a good magazine.  Magazines take my blurry eyes away from the computer and often cover a subject more in-depth.  Occasionally, a magazine is interactive with coupons to cut or lines to fold to make patterns or templates right from the pages.  I often clip out the best tips and keep them in a binder when I am working on a project.

If you order your magazines or renewals through THIS LINK, up to 40% of your subscription price is donated to Saving Shelter Pets, Inc. The fundraising goal is $1,000.  At the time of this writing, donations have reached the $600.00 mark.  If you are looking for a way to help an organization with proactive programs to help save lives, or were going to renew your subscriptions anyhow, please consider renewing them this way.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Freschetta. All opinions are 100% mine.

Pizza is the darling of staff meetings, volunteer appreciation parties and afterglows of a-thons. What’s an “a-thon?” A walk-a-thon, bike-a-thon, read-a-thon…you get the drift. It gets pretty expensive and many times leftovers are wasted. When they sit in the sun or are left out in a meeting room for hours, someone may have a big stomach ache. A best, they dry out, at worst food poisoning could ruin someone’s day.

Here’s another idea: Instead of ordering too much pizza, figure out who is there and who is actually going to eat the pizza right on the spot. Then, open up a few packages of Freschetta FlatBread pizza and make them to order. Garlic and spinach appeals to sophisticated tastes. A 5-cheese pizza will satisfy the most picky eaters, but you can also get a few of them and load them up with your own toppings. There is someone who always wants anchovies or pineapple. They can BYOT (bring your own toppings), or you can get creative and see what’s in the fridge.

If you’d like to try the new Freschetta FlatBread CLICK HERE for a $1.00 off coupon. You will be required to enter your email address to take advantage of the offer.  However, as a trade off, you may receive additional coupons and offers as they are introduced in the future if you opt-in to receive them.

I was visiting some relatives over the weekend, and just couldn’t keep track of the different toys my cousins’ kids had. Many of them were based on the concept of “collecting.” To really play with the characters, you needed to purchase all of their accessories and worlds. My brother and I had action figures and dolls, of course, and they had friends and accessories. However, I saw none of the kids playing imaginatively with a single character. They felt that they couldn’t play without having the rest of the set there. I guess gone are the days of using dental floss as grappling hooks and boxes as mansions.

I was happy to see HABA, folks who have been making toys since the 1930s, still made old fashioned toys. You can add on to them, such as buying more ramps and obstacles to this marble set up, but they are complete as they are and inspire kids to construct and problem solve. I remember getting a marble to go up a small hill with something similar when we were little.  The trick is that the rails are farther apart going up the hill, the so marble is naturally inclined to fall into the larger space.  At least that’s the theory.

Toys are not just spit out by a plastic injection mold. Rather, there are carpenters and designers on staff. The toys have won numerous awards and are free of lead paint.  I am definitely going to look into these simpler toys rather than give in to the laundry list of plastic characters and accessories when the birthday lists are passed around to me this year.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of FriendGiftr. All opinions are 100% mine.

Gift cards are always a popular item at charity auctions, There were a couple that did very well at the Saving Shelter Pets, Inc., fall online auction as well as at a few auctions that I was in attendance at live for different charities. They are almost surefire, as bidders will initially hedge their bets on snagging the gift card for less than face value. If it goes for less than the monetary amount, the charity still wins, but most of the time, the folks bidding don’t mind bidding up to face value or slightly above. An overlooked purpose of gift cards is to donate them outright to the charity for their own use. Office supplies, cleaning fluids and groceries can all be procured without the lengthy process of tracking down the volunteer with the check book when the folks holding down the fort need them.

FriendGiftr is a relatively new site and service that sells gift cards through Social media, such as myspace, Bebo, Facebook and even your mobile phone. If you and the recipient are both on Facebook, you can send them a gift card through an app. With the number of grass roots charities on Facebook these days, it is so easy to send them some love. I fished around on the FriendGiftr blog (though I wish the verbiage was a bit more prominent on their main site:

We also let you exchange the gift card or split it across multiple merchants, so you can get the gift card you really want (after all, most of us at one point or another got a gift card we just really didn’t want, and therefore never used; however, we’re trying to solve this by empowering you to pick the gift card you really want after it’s been bought for you).

If the gift card is not something they can use for an auction or for supplies to help their bottom line, they can also exchange the card at FriendGftr for something more appropriate. There is a whole list of possibilities, including Drs. Foster and Smith, CVS, Travelocity, and more for a group to use or to pass along as incentives. Of course, it goes without saying that it will be easier this year come Christmas time to send gifts to your 31 cousins you keep in touch with on Facebook.  The only negative I see is if they got the notification email and didn’t redeem it because they thought it was spam.  All the more reason to send the recipient a follow up note.

Have you been gifted with a card? If so, I’d be curious to see what your notification email looked like.

I bought a nice bed for my dog on sale at Marshall’s, but I’d like to find one for my younger dog, too. Every time I look, I can never find something comparable. Everything is pink or pink cheetah or pink camouflage, or just is poorly sewn. I am a bit of a purist, and that just won’t do for a dude dog. A “Made in China” tag also stops me in my tracks. There are some things that are just not made in the US anymore, such as rubber rain boots. I don’t mind spending a little more, especially something that is not filled with something my guy is allergic too, but I should be able to find a fabric pet item that doesn’t cost $100 from some specialty catalog.

I recently found some Sherpa pet beds that are made in the USA over at Overstock. I sort of have forgotten about that site. When they were new, I checked it all the time, but in the past few years, I don’t think I have been there once, but now I’ll be checking. The bed is $19.99 for the 27″ size. Be careful. There is a rectangular bed shown in a similar fabric that is NOT made in the United States, and there are other round beds that are international.

I’m going to surf around for some Overstock coupons to see if I can pinch a few more pennies. I’m not cheap; I’m frugal.