LOL, Nancy, same here! I got that free issue too, Teresa...haven't read it yet...I save all the free ones they send. One time it had nice illustrations of vegetables, saved to frame it. Forget where I put it!!!

I use 1/2 gallon and gallon plastic milk jugs as a slow watering system for gardening. Just poke a hole or two in the bottom of the jug...fill it with water (in place) and it drip irrigates whatever plant it is sitting near. It works really well as there is no runoff or soil erosion problem. The plant leaves camouflage the jug :^) I use it most in big pots or raised flower beds. Another idea that works great for us, but makes our visitors scratch their heads....I put all of my kitchen utensils in the drawer next to the stove.....upside down! That way, they don't hang and get jounced around as the drawer is opened and closed. I also put the wax paper/tinfoil/clingwrap boxes in the drawer upside down...the lids don't hang as the drawer opens. I use the cheapy dollar store clear plastic showercaps (12 for 1 $) to cover dishes/plates of left over food that are going into the refrig. I wash them after each use with dish soap and hot water and hang them over a hook to dry. They last about a year.

I recommend a teacher who will instruct you in leaded glass first and foiling second. Once you've learned how to lead, foiling is easy peasy but I've heard that folks who start foiling first rarely move onto leading. Dunno why, there are pros and cons to both methods. Also, invest in the best tools you can afford right off. Trying to solder with an elcheapo soldering iron is an exercise in frustration so get a good one! I recommend either a Weller 100P or a Haako. The biggest mistake I made when first learning to cut glass was bearing down too hard on the cutter. I read that the correct pressure is between 4-5 lbs and I was applying 20+ lbs pressure (I got my bathroom scales out and actually cut glass on it to figure that out ~ lol). Lightening up made a huge difference in the accuracy of my cuts. If you're interested in mosaics as well as stained glass, invest in a dual surface grinder. I didn't and wish I had :-( Most of all - have fun with it! Get bold, get daring, get creative in your work!

I assumed you were talking about a floor runner, like the clear plastic ones or a table runner of some kind. I guess I've heard of shoes being called "runners". Probably why they say "Runners, to your mark!" at the races. I got a freebie box which is how I first tried the Magic Erasers. I was quite impressed so I've been buying them but not using them as much as I probably could. But the same goes for microfibre cloths. Had I not received one as a gift, I probably never would have tried them. Hard to believe either work as well as they work. Interesting the mention of bleaching the grout. I was wondering what was going on the first time or two I used them on the bathroom sink. I get quite a buildup from the water and hadn't kept up on cleaning it. I used it and got it into decent shape so I decided enough for now and I'd work more on it later. I came back later that evening and it was noticeably whiter! I was wondering what was in it. Rumors flew about formaldehyde and magic chemicals and I was apprehensive to mix it with a cleaning solution until I researched it a bit. I see they have a Mr. Clean floor mop with a magic eraser head on it. I bought some of the generic erasers but haven't tried them yet. I guess it'd be hard to compare but they probably would be nearly as good if the price was enough cheaper. They also have larger sized ones IIRC. Just noticed this on the Mr. Clean site: "Its water-activated micro-scrubbers reach into the surface grooves, lifting away built up grease and soap scum."(emphasis added) so I guess wet is the way to go. I noticed if they weren't too wet they did tend to crumble quicker. Here'a a bunch more cleaning tips from the Mr. Clean site. There's also a Mr. Clean Professional line of cleaners out and I saw a demo of one of them that was rather impressive. They had a tile covered with dried soap scum. Took Zep HD cleaner and Mr. Clean Professional Restroom Cleaner and sprayed a paper towel with about 3 squirts of the Mr. Clean and did 1/3 of the tile with 3 passes. It was nearly clean. They took the Zep and gave probably a dozen at least squirts and gave it 12 scrubs and it was maybe 10% of the other side. It was impressive. Then used the Mr. Clean to clean the whole thing. They let people try the same test and the results were the same. As far as the refrigerator... anyone watch Kitchen Nightmares??? LOL So many cleaners... so little time!