Little Giant Ladder Review

My husband likes his Little Giant ladder. He has had it for over five years now. He used to use a wooden ladder, but he wanted something lighter weight and also more versatile. His search led him to the Little Giant ladder.

One day, when we were out driving around during the pre-Christmas season, he noted that the person we saw, hanging up Christmas lights, was using a Little Giant ladder. I commented, "That would be a good idea to do a page about." He agreed and also consented to an interview:

Why did you want a Little Giant Ladder?
I wanted a ladder that was versatile. The Little Giant ladder is lightweight and easy to configure.

Is there any particular reason that you chose the model that you purchased?
It was the right size for my house.

Now that you have a Little Giant ladder, what are your thoughts about using it?
It's easy to handle, and gives me a ladder to reach to spots of my house that I need to work on.

Did it meet your expectations?
Yes, it did.

What is your most favorite feature about the Little Giant Ladder that you selected?
It's the easy adjustment of the height of the A frame ladder.

Are there any other features that you would like your ladder to have.
No, it's a good ladder that does what I need it to do.

Thank you for your answers. Is there anything else you would like to add?
No, just somebody to carry it would be nice.

The ladders come in a variety of styles and have also have a variety of accessories, making them a truly versatile ladder that works on uneven surfaces too.



Cheryl Paton

Using the Garmin GPS means I don't have to have multiple maps in my lap

I use to do the job of the Garmin gps. When my husband and I went on trips, he did most of the driving and I acted as navigator with various maps in my lap; sometimes I had two and even three maps laid out in my lap at the same time. Yes, in big cities, there were maps that only covered a small area, so I had two smaller area maps as we moved from one area to another, and then also a larger map to see where they lined up. And when you're talking multiple lanes of traffic going on, it wasn't always an ideal situation.

Life has gotten so much easier now. We type the destination in to the Garmin gps, and the let it do the navigating. What a blessing.

The model that we purchased was the Garmin nuvi 1200. Since then, there are new options. Voice directions are nice and they can be muted if you like. It's nice having a video display of the car and the roads.



Be sure to purchase the update package to keep current with new roads, etc. Before a trip, my husband will download the update so that we know the directions are the most up to date.

Cheryl Paton

Purchase Custom Postcards Online

I have purchased a variety of custom postcards online from Zazzle, a print on demand (POD) company, and found them to be of great quality. With being able to customize them with party details right online, they were convenient and easy to personalize. I liked the print quality and would recommend them to others.

Custom postcards online can be purchased to share particular themes, be specialized for Save the date notices, serve as invitations, and so much more. Many can be easily personalized on template forms before placing your order. If there is no template form, you can also click on Customize to personalize them.

Postcards are a nice way to let others know that you are thinking of them.

Array of White Flowers Thinking of you Postcards

by CherylsArt

Save the dates are a great service for weddings and other events that require extra planning for guests, such as when they need to make travel plans and hotel reservations.

Purple Yellow Diamonds Butterflies Save the date Postcard

by CherylsArt

New address postcards are an easy way to let family and friends, etc. know that you are moving or have moved.

We're Moving, change of address postcards

by CherylsArt

You can also design your own, do it yourself, DIY postcards by uploading your own image and adding your own text.

DIY - Design Create Your Own Postcards

by CherylsArt

Design requests are also accepted at my store, CherylsArt on Zazzle.

Cheryl Paton

If you're giving online gift cards as gifts, they may need online activation

Gift cards can make wonderful gifts, especially when they're given with thoughts of the receiver in mind. For instance, a restaurant gift card is most thoughtful for someone who likes to eat out and has a favorite restaurant. A movie gift card can be great for someone who likes to go to the movies, and so on.

However, some receivers of online gift cards may not all have a computer; and some online gift cards require online activation. And the most wonderful gift card to receive is one that is also ready to use. So do a littler extra effort, and if you're giving online gift cards, check out the activation part and take a few extra steps for your extra thoughtful gift.

These Amazon gift cards come in a variety of denominations and they have no expiration date.


Cheryl Paton

World Sight Day - Take steps to improve vision naturally

World Sight Day is held in October. For 2022, the date is October 13. Hallelujah, that's a fine day to celebrate. You see, I have been improving my own vision naturally, and I see much better now than I did years ago.

People are improving their vision through eye exercises.

One thing that has helped me is to look beyond my clear seeing zone, and then to notice what I do see; and to do that from time to time throughout the day. If you want to give it a try, look ahead and notice what is the most clear item that you can see. Then look a bit beyond that item, or closer to you if you are wanting to adjust your vision the other way. Then just notice what you do see. It doesn't have to be clear. Just notice. Do you see the general outline of something, perhaps space in between the letters or lines. Then note in your mind what it is that you see. Part of this re-training of your eyes is also re-training your mind that you do see things.

Another thing I've done is to rotate my eyes around in circles, first in one direction, and then in the other. Take a look at the photo at the top of the page to get the idea. It's as if you are drawing a big circle with your eyes, going from right to left, and then from left to right.

Eyes need to relax as well as exercise, and not just when one is sleeping. Before doing this exercise however, make sure that you wash your hands thoroughly first. Then rub your cleaned palms together a few times to generate some heat, and then place your cupped palms over your closed eyes for several seconds or more. There is no pressure to use here, in fact, there should be enough space to blink or open your eyelids if you want. Eyes can appreciate this extra relaxation.

I made a chart that illustrates various exercises that I have done to improve my vision. You can find the chart at my CherylsArt store on Zazzle.com. If you have any questions, you can ask them below.

Eye vision exercises poster, I give thanks for... Poster
by CherylsArt

I give thanks for my eyes, vision exercise poster

by CherylsArt

Stones Into Schools - A Positive Step For Peace and Education

I read this inspiring book, Stones Into Schools, by Greg Mortenson. Greg originally wrote Three Cups of Tea, and picked up where his previous book left off. He went back to Afghanistan to fulfill a promise - to build a school. People that had one time been considered to be the lowest of the low, wanted a school. They risked their lives to travel through the harshest of winter conditions, on horseback, just to meet this man, Greg Mortenson, and to make a request. Build us a school. They wanted more for their kids than what they had had.

This recollection of events is told from Mortenson's point of view; the book is a tale that keeps you interested, and cheering on for more schools.



Cheryl Paton

Accordion Clothes Drying Rack Review

I can finally say that our laundry area is set up for convenience and efficiency. In between our washing machine and our dryer, stands our accordion style clothes drying rack. As I take out the clothes from the washing machine, I can easily throw them into the dryer, or hang them on the drying rack that is sitting right there.

I usually reserve the drying rack for bras and other fine washables. It makes it more convenient and also helps these finer fabrics to last longer.



Cheryl Paton

Painting People in Acrylic with Lee Hammond

When I first started painting people in acrylic, I looked at the photo and made my best guess with the skin paint colors that I had on hand. Once I got the book, Painting People in Acrylic with Lee Hammond, I branched out of my comfort zone and explored new possibilities. I added orange, blue and red; not the normal colors I had normally added when painting skin tones.

With the practice exercises of painting spheres, my blending techniques also improved.

If you're looking to take your skin painting skills in acrylic up to the next level, I recommend this informative book by Lee Hammond. It covers tips for painting skin as well as fur, brush maintenance, blending techniques, and more.



Cheryl Paton

Are the dishes in the dishwasher clean or dirty? - Dishwasher Magnets

This is a question I used to get asked a lot. That is until I designed and purchased a dishwasher magnet. Of course, it has to be manually turned either up or down, but the learning curve is worth it.

Now my daughter and I both use it. How about you? Will a dishwasher magnet make your life simpler? It can as long as you and the others in your household adjust to the learning curve of turning the clean or dirty side up, as appropriate.

Here is a link to various dishwasher magnets that I designed. There is a bit of a variety - from abstract designs to baseball, and ones for animal lovers. I had purchased one of the large round magnets and we have been using it for several years now. The large magnet is easy to grab and turn around.

I made the designs and Zazzle.com, a print on demand company, does the printing on the magnets, and the shipping.

Dirty Clean Dishwasher Magnets
by Cheryl Paton

There are also dirty clean dishwasher magnets available at Amazon.



Sometime so simple has also made our lives simpler.

Cheryl Paton

Plastic Artist Palette Can be Good for the Environment

I use a variety of artist palettes when I paint, i.e. a clear one if I want to do color matching, a closed lid one for longer term projects, and a plastic well one for most of my acrylic painting projects.

I use the plastic well one the most, as it is small; that works well for my space. I usually paint on canvas sizes that are around 8-1/2 x 11 inches, so it also holds pretty much the amount of paint that I need.

The other thing I like about the plastic wells, is that once I'm finished painting, I set the palette aside and let the paint air dry. (I actually have several of these in case I'm working on multiple projects and/or at different times.) Once the paint is dry I peel the dried paint out of the wells. Most of the paint peels off pretty easily, and the rest I do a few scrapings with my finger nails. That might seem a little rustic, and sometimes a little time consuming; however, I'm keeping less paint from being washed down the drain. Then it's only what is coming off of my brushes that goes down the drain, so I see that as an environmentally friendly thing to do.



Cheryl Paton

Word Puzzle Game, Bananagrams Product Review

My family likes playing word puzzles; if there is paper on the table when we eat out at a restaurant, we usually grab the crayons and play hangman. Then I came up with the idea of hangman on Post It Notes.

Play Two Games of Hangman Per Sheet Post It Notes

by Cherylsart

My daughter and I also like playing word search puzzles. So I was much intrigued when I read someone's post about Bananagrams; so much so that when I saw the game at our local book store, I purchased one for myself.

Bananagrams is a letter title game in which the players put together crossword puzzles. It's different than Scrabble, in that each player builds their own individual puzzle. The thing that I like about playing Bananagrams is that there is no timer, and every once in awhile, for various reasons, you get to grab more letters; and it's all in fun.

When there are less letter tiles in the grab pile than there are players, the first player with no remaining tiles shouts Bananas! That person is the winner of that hand as long as all of their words are spelled correctly. The other thing I like about Bananagrams is that there are no letter scores to add up.

There are several alternative ways to play the game, for instance, there is a variation for playing in restaurants, not having to grab from the center pile, and playing the game singly. You could also make it more challenging by limiting the game to making only words in a certain category.

If you like word puzzle games already, and/or like making words from letters, Bananagrams can be a hit for you.



Cheryl Paton

Laundry Hamper Sorter Review

We used to have what we called laundry day. We sorted all the clothes on our king size bed in various piles, by color. And then we carried each laundry basket full of dirty clothes down the stairs to the laundry area. I wanted a new system and to have a clean bed - whether we were doing laundry that day or not!

We purchased two 3-section laundry hamper sorters, and it was the answer to my prayers. I now carry lighter loads of laundry down stairs and sort them in to one of six different colors, right into the mesh bag. When a bag is full enough to do a load, we do that load, whatever day it happens to be; and we just roll the hamper sorter over to the washing machine.

I like the mesh design, as it allows for better air flow for the dirty clothes, and helps any damp ones to dry; i.e. towels.

Since this unit is on wheels, we easily wheel the needed one over to the washing machine, and then roll it back to the side to keep it out of the way for walking through.

I would definitely recommend a laundry hamper sorter on wheels. You can easily wheel the clothes over to the washing machine.

I also pinned in cloth labels (I just cut it from some left over fabric we had.) to identify each type of clothing that was to go into each mesh bag.

Other styles are available. I like the mesh style bag because I think it helps air things out.



Cheryl Paton