November is a perfect time to paint your home – a relative calm before the holiday storm. Why not try one of the hottest trends in home decorating – a painting technique called colour zoning to easily and inexpensively add impact to any room.

The colour zoning technique allows you to add a splash of striking, noticeable colour without the hassle – and expense – of painting an entire room, since you need only paint a small area. Essentially, it involves emphasizing certain decorative elements or creating clear separations between rooms like living and dining rooms with vibrant colour.

With colour zoning, you can make that favourite piece of wall art or furniture really stand out by painting a circle or triangle behind it, identify the start of the dining area by adding a bold shape on the wall, add instant impact to a foyer by painting one section of wall with a contrasting colour, paint a wild headboard behind the bed, add a ‘medallion’ on the ceiling around a chandelier, make the fireplace pop off the wall with colour – the sky’s the limit!

All you need is a little imagination and simple tools – and maybe a few tips, like these:

• Use paintings and fabrics in the room for colour inspiration. Hues from the same colour family give a look of sophistication. Varying intensities of colours from the same colour sample card gives a more harmonious feel. Contrasting colours -  the ones opposite one another on the colour wheel  - make for an eye-catching, lively room. 
• Use no more than three colours. Too many can take away from the effect by making the area look too busy.
• Use texture, too. Using a high gloss or flat paint can increase contrast and add impact.
• Circles and curved lines tend to invoke a light and fun feeling. Squares, rectangles and any sharp edged shapes create a more formal look.
• Since this technique involves graphic elements, quality is critical! Lines must be straight. Use the necessary accessories like good painters tape, rulers, tape measure, stencils, etc.
• Map it out. Start with a drawing or photo of the area. It’s important that it be to scale. Try different shapes and sizes - and colours, of course.
• Don’t be afraid to overlap shapes and colours.
• Transfer your design to the wall using a light pencil. Use tape for straight lines.

See http://www.sico.ca/en/Couleur_Zones.asp for examples and ideas.

One common complaint of low-flow showerheads is that they can become clogged easily and that the ‘low-flow’ becomes but a trickle. This may be attributed to the thinner channels that the water has to pass through, which can become clogged with calcium and other mineral deposits more easily.

No worries! There is a simple and green way to clean that showerhead - without the need for toxic chemicals and unnecessary purchases. Common white vinegar will do the trick.

Simply remove the shower head and let it soak in a solution of half water and half vinegar for a half day or so. Or if you would rather not remove the shower head, half-fill a plastic sandwich bag with the solution and fit it over your shower head, securing it with a rubber band.

Rinse the showerhead thoroughly when done - be sure to run water backwards through the head to flush out any loosened deposits - and all should be right in the world again. If not, repeat.

“I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, "Mother, what was war?”
~Eve Merriam

Don’t forget to turn those clocks back on Sunday, November 6 at 2 a.m. as Daylight Saving Time ends. It’s all designed to save candles – or at least that was the original reason.

You see, in the 1770’s, resourceful ole Benjamin Franklin, while an emissary to France, calculated that the citizens of Paris could save 127 million candles per year by simply adjusting their clocks to take better advantage of the available sunshine. He suggested daylight saving time as a solution, though his idea wasn’t adopted until the early 1900’s. Canada initiated it in March, 1918.

Some other Franklin 1770’s suggestions;

A tax: "on every window that is provided with shutters to keep out the light of the sun".

Energy rationing: "Let guards be placed in the shops of the wax and tallow chandlers and no family be permitted to be supplied with more than one pound of candles per week."

A curfew after dark: "Let guards also be posted to stop all the coaches that would pass the streets after sunset, except those of physicians, surgeons, and midwives."

Community alarm clocks: "Every morning, as soon as the sun rises, let all the bells in every church be set ringing; and if that is not sufficient, let cannon be fired in every street, to wake the sluggards effectually, and make them open their eyes to see their true interest."

"And some there be who no memorial have;
Who perished are as though they’d never been.
For our tomorrows their today they gave,
And simply asked that in our hearts they'd live.
We heed their call and pledge ourselves again,
At dusk and dawn - we will remember them!"

From Remembrance – a hymn for Remembrance Sunday, by Charles Henrywood

Commemorated in 2007 as an official United Nation’s World Health Day, World Diabetes Day is celebrated every November 14, which just happens to be the birthday of Canadian Sir Frederick Banting, co-discoverer of insulin. The day is marked by honouring and celebrating Diabetes Champions.

Did J’a Know these Diabetes Facts;

• Today, more than 9 million Canadians live with diabetes or prediabetes.
• Type 1 Diabetes is a non-preventable autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas.
• Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body does not effectively use the insulin that is produced,  usually appearing in adulthood.
• Canada has the sixth highest incidence rate of type 1 diabetes in children 14 years of age or younger in the world.
• Over 300,000 Canadians live with type 1 diabetes, and that is expected to rise by 3 to 5 per cent every year, with the greatest increase in children age 5 to 9.
• Prediabetes is a term for blood glucose levels that are not quite considered diabetes yet.
• Approximately 25 per cent of people with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within 3 to 5 years.
• Many people who fall into the prediabetes stage can delay or prevent the development of diabetes by changing their lifestyle.
• If not properly managed, diabetes can result in a variety of complications including blindness, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and limb amputation.
• By 2020, it’s estimated that diabetes will cost the Canadian healthcare system $16.9 billion a year.

This year’s Grey Cup happens Nov. 27th. Many Canadians think the best part of the Grey Cup each year are the parties. If you are playing host/hostess to a Grey Cup bash this year, consider these tips to ‘kick it off’ right;

• Encourage guests to get into the spirit by giving a prize for the best ‘Fan-atics’ – devout, crazily-dressed fans; coloured hair, body paint and all. (jerseys or other team gear make great prizes)
• Designate a bartender and give them a referee striped jersey to wear. Give them a ‘red flag’ to throw at their discretion.
• Decorate your TV room with colours of the competitors and anything with a CFL team logo on it. 
• Play a trivia game of Grey Cup facts. Check out this site or this one as possible sources.
• Get the kids to chalk-off the driveway - mark off the yard lines from the curb to your front door.
• Post a sign on the lawn with your home’s ‘venue name’, like Jones Field or Lee’s Stadium.
• Set up friendly football pools – check the net for ideas – and make them 50/50 pools with proceeds given to a local kids football league or charity.
• To quench thirsts, beer is an obvious must-have. But also consider Caesars - alcoholic and non - since they are Canadian - invented  in Calgary in 1969 by bartender Walter Chell.

Before you reach for that spray can of penetrating oil, think twice. While products like WD40 are very versatile, using them as a lubricant in place of oil and grease can be a bad idea in some situations and possibly even make the problem worse.

WD-40 was developed by the military in the 50's as a rust preventative solvent and de-greaser to protect missile parts. It became a popular household item when marketed as a cleaner, rust-prevention agent, squeak-stopper and more.

But while spray oils can stop squeaks and work as a light lubricant on small items like hinges, locks, and toys, using it as a lubricant on parts and machinery that are subjected to high speeds and/or heavy load is not recommended. Spray oil is purposely thin so it is able to penetrate, but that also means its less-lubricating. In fact, the ‘solvent’ aspect of the solution means that when you use it where heavier oil or grease is required, it can actually rinse away some of the existing lubricant and dry out the area, making it more susceptible to wear.

“Don't use a big word where a diminutive word will suffice.” ~Anonymous

“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” ~ Albert Einstein

“Don't you hate when your hand falls asleep and you know it will be up all night.” ~Steven Wright

“You might be a redneck if... the blue book value of your truck goes up and down depending on how much gas it has in it.” ~Jeff Foxworthy