Ouch!
Hmm, it appears from all the replies that dog and / or human can be stabby little daggers! My gawd, we are not even safe from hair.
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What kind of glue and nails?
What kind of needle and thread would be appropriate? I have a kind of wicked looking set of repair needles so maybe something in there would work…
It doesn’t have to look great because we have preteen boys (two of them, which I believe to be approximately 10x as hard on the furniture as a single lad would be) and an infant so I’m pretty sure any guests we might have would just expect our furniture to be kind of garbage.
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Look up upholstery nails. They should have them at craft and fabric stores.
They’re kind of fun.
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I hear you saying I need to go to the fabric store and buy supplies for at least 3 additional projects. The children need new aprons, for instance.
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Exactly
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Yeah I would go with whatever you have on hand! If you have heavier weight polyester thread, use that, or if you have “all purpose” weight I would double it.
Oh, of course. Absolutely.
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Upholstery needles tend to be much bigger and often times curved. I’ve had success bending a normal large needle to use in such situations. You’ll want some heavier duty thread than your usual sewing. Dental floss works in a pinch and the wax treating on it makes it see up smoothly.
I would get brad nails or finishing nails. Small things. Add some white glue or wood glue to the back of the fabric before nailing it down. If you have a staple gun, those suckers are fun if more visible.
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Warning, financial question ahead.
Someone (@Bracken_Joy? @anomalily?) posted last year about inflation protected securities. Between getting ready to sell a house, and then having to go through a more stringent verification process (due to getting a temporary address right before applying) I’m just now getting around to actually purchasing them.
First question - Were people talking about TIPS or I-Bonds? I had thought it was TIPS, but in looking over the accounts and differences between the two, it sounds more like I-bonds. Except the 30 year life on I-bonds - which maybe no one takes seriously because you can withdraw the full amount after five years with no penalty. I’m now at an age where there’s a good chance a 30-year bond will outlive me, so I don’t want to mess this part up.
https://www.treasurydirect.gov/research-center/history-of-savings-bond/comparing-tips-to-i/
I had been under the impression that the sweet, high interest rate was fixed for the entire life of the bond. Reading about the I-bonds though, it kinda sounds like the rate is adjusted every six months. Is that just for people buying new bonds? If I buy these, should I expect the rate to change every six months? That sounds different than what I remember people talking about, so I want to make sure I understand correctly and am looking at the right investment.
https://www.treasurydirect.gov/savings-bonds/i-bonds/i-bonds-interest-rates/#change
Series I Savings Bonds
6.89%
This includes a fixed rate of 0.40%
For I bonds issued November 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023.
Fixed rates
The fixed rate that we set each May and November applies to all bonds we issue in the 6 months following the date when we set the rate. The fixed rate applies for the life of the bond.
Inflation rates
The inflation rate that we set each May and November applies for 6 months to all I bonds that we ever issued.
Combined rate
The actual rate of interest for an I bond is a combination of the fixed rate and the inflation rate. The combined rate can, and usually does, change every 6 months.
I bonds protect you from inflation because when inflation increases, the combined rate increases.
Because inflation can go up or down, we can have deflation (the opposite of inflation). Deflation can bring the combined rate down below the fixed rate (as long as the fixed rate itself is not zero). However, if the inflation rate is so negative that it would pull the combined rate below zero, we don’t let that happen. We stop at zero.
The combined rate is sometimes called the “composite rate” or the “earnings rate.”
Thanks in advance!
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Not sure about TIPS, but Ibonds definitely use a composite rate. Actual equation:
Composite rate = [Fixed rate + (2 x Semiannual inflation rate) + (Fixed rate x Semiannual inflation rate)]
If actual numbers help, when there was a fixed rate of 0% but an adjustable of 4.81%, I got bonds with 9.62% based on
0.0962= 0 + 2*0.0481 + 0*0.0481
(fixed part useless, adjustable very nice)
But after the sixth month the rate for the same bonds lowered to 6.48% based on a new adjustable of 3.24%
0.0648=0 + 2*0.0324 + 0*.0324
(fixed part remains useless, adjustable nice but less so)
However the new bonds I bought in that same timeframe (new calendar year) got marginally more (6.89%) based on
0.0689= 0.004+2*0.0324+0.004*0.0324
because of the extra on fixed, and that’ll hang around until the bonds get sold.
I’m horrible at predicting anything, but the withdrawal rules are
- You must keep them for a year
- If you sell within the first 5 years, you lose 3 mos of interest
So at least for me I figure as long as the rates stay at a reasonable level compared to other ‘safe’ investments I’ll leave them where they are, and if the rates drop I’ll leave them for 3mos more and then withdraw and only lose the 3mos of interest at the lowest rate.
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Ibonds mature at 30 years, but that just means that they don’t earn any more interest after 30 years. Like @kenner said, if you hold them for at least 5 years you can cash them in without any penalty.
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We saw family over the weekend and got a bunch of group shots of cousins that don’t get together often. Of course there’s no picture where everyone looks great, but is there a photo service out there that can basically photoshop one good picture out of like five different ones from one burst? Everyone’s sitting in the same pose but like one person’s talking in this picture, one kid is looking at the dog in another, then there’s the traditional “closed eyes at the wrong second”, etc.
There will probably be more than one final photo like this, I’m still getting photos shared to me so at this point I don’t know how big of a project the whole thing will end up being.
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Photographers do this all the time (though I never did Photoshop)! Just Google “Photoshop photography service” and I’m sure you can find a freelancer who can do it for you.
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Best way to get horrible stank out of sneakers?
Vinegar? Baking soda? Some sort of anti-stank product?
Natures Miracle did not work, nor did sunlight.
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Replace the insoles.
We both used to have stinky shoe issues. I don’t know if what I’m listing below helps if the smell has already set in versus prevention.
Wooden shoe trees
Charcoal bags
Switching to wool blend socks
Never wearing shoes two days in a row
Depending on the material, I have washed tennis shoes in the washing machine with a little bit of detergent and oxyclean. Shout. I’ve only tried this if the shoe is pretty cheap and I don’t care about it or if they are so far gone stinky it’s a last resort. I have also made liberal use of baking soda inside the shoe, but that is kind of messy. Where possible I have also taken the insert out and scrubbed that separately. My brain cannot come up with the word for the inside of the shoe that your foot actually stands on.
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Cheap vodka. Gets the stank out of all sorts of interesting fabrics. You’re gonna want some bottom shelf, rotgut, comes in a plastic bottom stuff. Spritz it on the offending area, let evaporate, tá da. If truly set in stank, repeat process.
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Yes! I recently started using vodka (1 part vodka, 2 parts water) and use it in my shoes and on my pits 
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The entire shoe has stank though!
The smell is VERY set in! I didn’t notice it much though until they got completely soaked during the storm in the quarter the other day.