No, not actual ‘trash talking’… Sorry to disappoint. 😉

Reuse a plastic shopping bag as a ‘trash receptacle’ in your car. For added stability, secure the bag inside a cardboard box. Store replacement bags nearby in an empty paper towel tube or tissue box. When the bag is full, toss it into the trash can at the gas station next time you refuel the car.

Recycle old crayons that are too short to draw with to make new crayons in fun shapes.

Heat makes a crayon a little loopy; it may melt into a swirl or pool into a whirl. With this in mind, we chopped up crayons and baked them in shaped mini cake tins, making large blocks that are easy for toddlers to hold and will surely inspire older artists.

Encourage kids to come up with their own combinations—a blue-and-white blend for drawing the sky, or a mix of reds and oranges for sunsets.

Tools and Materials : old crayons, kitchen knife, mini cake tins

Crayon How-To Parents can use the knife to chop crayons into pea-size pieces, taking care to keep colors separate so kids can combine them as they like. Preheat the oven to 150°F while children fill the tin with crayon pieces, arranging them in interesting designs. Bake just until the waxes have melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the shapes after they have cooled. If they stick, place the tray in the freezer for an hour, and the crayons will pop right out.

— courtesy of Martha Stewart Kids

Next time you stop at a gas station to ‘fill up the tank,’ set the nozzle on the pump to run automatically. Then, use the ‘wait time’ to clean your car—remove trash, collect stray items, wash the windshield, etc.

Tickets for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games officially went on sale today! The 16-day event hosts the world championships in eight equestrian disciplines: dressage, driving, endurances, eventing, jumping, para dressage, reigning, and vaulting.

For the very first time in their 20-year history, the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games will be held outside of Europe… right here at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington… just a stone’s throw away from my current home in Georgetown!

If you, by chance, are planning to attend the largest equine sporting event ever held in the United States, you should definitely check out EquestrianHomeLeasing.com.

Although the 2010 WEG are expected to have over 500,000 people in attendance, the local area only has approximately 8,000 hotel rooms

OK… Exactly how is that going to work, you ask? Well…

The Barron-Slone Group of RE/MAX Dynamic Realty (whose office is located in downtown Georgetown, just minutes from the Kentucky Horse Park) has been working tirelessly in preparation.

Backed by years of professional real estate experience, The Barron-Slone Group has hand-picked a wide variety of local private homes that will be made available for lease to individuals, families, groups, and corporations during the 2010 WEG.

In addition to these extraordinary accommodations, The Barron-Slone Group has an extensive list of local merchants and service providers who are ready to show Central Kentucky’s visitors some real southern hospitality!

BTW, if you do find yourself visiting the Bluegrass, please get in touch with me… I’d love to meet you for lunch, recommend some of the best area attractions, and personally introduce you to Amy Barron and Carrie Slone!

While working in his home studio, facing a knot of cords and wires, inventor Micah Maraia envisioned a simple, intuitive system to bring order to the chaos.

That day dotz were born—"the ultimate in cord management"!

Who would’ve thought that something so practically utilitarian could be so refreshingly beautiful and colorful, too? The dotz product line is definitely my new favorite when it comes to labeling and managing cords!

Whether or not you are in the market for such a product, you absolutely must visit the dotz website to experience the super cool animations and see all the gorgeous product images!

FYI : I contacted the company to inquire about the availability of replacement punch out icons sets… I was pleased to find out that, in the coming months, dotz will have “individual cards” available for purchase online. Woohoo!