On the Move

Do you have socks with no mates? Hats that don’t perch on heads? Purses replaced by a trendier model? Clothing your children have outgrown? Linens for beds you no longer own?

We suggest celebrating Lost Sock Memorial Day (May 9th) by donating your partner-less socks, along with other clean, usable women’s, children’s or men’s clothing and usable household items to Seamless Moves’ 3rd Annual Lost Sock Day Clothing Drive to benefit people of all abilities at Northwest Center. On Lost Sock Day, volunteers will play matchmaker and pair up as many donated socks as possible, so that they may fulfill their calling to warm chilly toes.

As you spring-clean your closets and dresser drawers over the next couple of weeks, keep a bag handy for items you no longer use. Then, take your donation to one of the donation sites listed below by May 7th, or contact Seamless Moves for pickup at 425-746-1334.

• The Stor-House and Wine Storage Bellevue, 1614 118^th Ave SE, Bellevue 98005
• WFG National Title Insurance Company, 10800 NE 8th Street, Suite 200, Bellevue, WA 98004
• Delaurenti Florist, 15100 SE 38th Street, Bellevue (Eastgate) 98006
• Home Street Bank, 6949 Coal Creek Pkwy SE, Newcastle 98059
• The Stor-House, 2829 NE 3rd Street, Renton 98056

Northwest Center, a 501(c)(3) organization, has provided services to support the rights and independence of people with developmental disabilities for 45 years. From early childhood therapy and education to adult job training and placement, Northwest Center promotes the building of a community where people of all abilities can fully participate.

If you’ve never heard of Snohomish Slew you are in for a treat and good chuckle.

On February 2, 2013, Snohomish Slew challenges Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil to a battle for the most accurate weather forecast.  What will be our fate?  Will spring arrive in 6 weeks or will we be ribbitt-ed by showers and slush? While it is true that “Phil” has been forecasting the weather for decades, there is little hope of an East Coast woodchuck giving a very accurate prediction for the coming of Spring in the Great Northwest.  Only the Frog-nosticator Snohomish Slew can croak the impending meteorological fate of our region.

The GroundFrog’s full name is actually “Snohomish Slew, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary.” Slew is named after the sloughs on the Snohomish River where his ancestor settled. Slew is reputed by townspeople to be more than 100 years old.  Truth is Slew XX is a descendant of the Great Snohomish Slew who migrated from New York to the shore of the Snohomish River.  Slew’s gift of Northwest weather prediction is a rare genetic trait.  However, some say the gift also comes from the refreshing Slew Dew that he is so fond of drinking, sometimes in large quantities.

Slew’s frog-nostication and weather prediction occur at Avenue A and First Street in Downtown Snohomish, Washington. The Ceremony is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This is a FREE EVENT TO THE PUBLIC. You can get all the details at GroundFrogday.org.

Ribbitt-Ribbitt

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

“Artificial Light,” Anderson Park, Redmond, WA by fiber artist Suzanne Tidwell, March 2012.
Photo by Tracy Zettner

November is upon us and that means Peanut Butter Lovers Month! You may think of turkey in November, but it’s also for people who love peanut butter.

According to the Farmers Almanac, peanuts were reportedly mashed to a paste by the Aztecs many hundreds of years ago. Some reports claim peanut butter was invented by Dr. Ambrose Straub, a St. Louis physician, as a protein source for his patients with weak or missing teeth. In World War II parlance, peanut butter was sometimes referred to as monkey butter.

Southern Peanut Growers, representing southeastern peanut farmers, started the celebration as Peanut Butter Lovers Day on November 4, 1990. November 4 marks the anniversary of the first patent for peanut butter, applied for by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg on November 4, 1895. It grew to a month-long celebration in 1995 when peanut butter celebrated its 100^th birthday!

Peanut Butter shouldn’t be reserved just for sandwiches, it has so much more to offer. Here are a few surprising uses:

Fixing Scratched DVDs & CDs. Work a little peanut butter onto a scratched disk and wipe away with a dry cloth. Voila!

Getting Rid of That Fishy Smell. Can’t get rid of that funky fish smell? After you’ve fried fish, put a dollop of peanut butter in the pan — it’ll absorb that lingering odor right up!

Cleaning Vinyl & Leather. Work the peanut butter in a circular motion on your leather/vinyl furniture and wipe away with a buffing cloth. As you may have guessed, this method will make your leather/vinyl smell like peanut butter. Mix it with a little perfumed oil to mask the smell.

Removing Gum From Carpeting. Similar to removing gum from hair, but without the whiny human: remove as much of the gum as you can, then rub it with peanut butter.

Removing Stickers. Rub with peanut butter and wipe away!

You can read more at 12 Surprising Uses for Peanut Butter. As for PB&J, the record for the world’s largest PB&J sandwich was won by Peanut, PA in 1993. The sandwich required 150 lbs. of peanut butter, 50 lbs. of jelly and was 40 feet long.
I wonder how many people that stuffed?

If you are a Lefty, then today is your day!  The first Left Hander’s Day was first celebrated on August 13, 1976 and was started by Lefthander’s International.

As the lefties know, the world is made for right handers…in case you haven’t noticed, many left handed items cost more, novelty coffee mugs are made with the picture or text for a right handed pick-up, scissors are made for right handers AND the computer mouse you are using as you read this is designed for right-handers.

Have you ever heard of Sinistrophobia? It is the fear of left-handedness or things on the left side.

Here are some things to ponder from Holiday Insights: During the 1600′s people thought left handers were witches and warlocks. Did you have any idea that all polar bears are left handed? Rumor has it that octopuses have but one right hand.

More fascinating fun facts from the Left Handers Club: Left-handers adjust more readily to seeing underwater, 5 out of the last 7 presidents have been left-handed, and 4 of the 5 original designers of the Macintosh computer were left-handed. Based on discussions among members of the Left-Handers Club, left-handers are generally more intelligent, better looking, imaginative and multi-talented than right handers.

So you may be asking, how can we celebrate Lefties Day? How about a Lefty-Zone? A place where all tasks have to be competed left handed…maybe the kitchen, where all righties have to do the tasks with their left hand. Some particular challenging tasks like, pouring milk into glasses, opening wine bottles, peel vegetables. Or in the office, using the mouse on the wrong side, draw or write in a spiral notebook with the spiral on the “wrong” side….You get the idea.

Of course, when Seamless Moves does an unpacking or organizing project for left-handed people, we try to make things easier for them, e.g., by placing a knife block on the left side of their kitchen prep area or putting most-used bathroom items in the drawer on the left side of the bathroom vanity.

Lefthander’s Slogan: “Everyone is born right-handed. Only the greatest overcome it”. …Brilliant Author unknown

Last week, Seamless Moves completed its 8th year of helping people have a seamless, stress-free move.

Laurie and Tracy would like to thank our AWESOME staff, our extremely professional partners and vendors and, of course, our clients who teach us new things every day and make our job so very rewarding!

SATURDAY, MAY 12th  /  Noon – 3:00 pm
Omega Office Parking Lot

FREE Recyling of: Applicances, Electronics, Electronic Scrap, Misc. Computer Items,
Cell Phones, Scrap Steel & Wire, Metal Furniture, Ink & Toner Cartridges, Small Machinery, and Building Materials. No need to erase cell phones or hard drives.

Omega Financial is a fellow BNI Bellevue Business Bulldogs member, and provider of business insurance to many individuals and businesses, including Seamless Moves.

A representative from Seamless Moves will present downsizing tips and ideas on Tuesday, March 27th, and other speakers will present the latest on the local real estate market, choosing a retirement community and how to hire an estate sale company. No cost to attend this seminar–and lunch is on us!

If you or someone you know is considering downsizing and moving to a smaller home, Merrill Gardens at West Seattle has the seminar for you! This Thursday, March 8th at 11:00 am, Real Estate Specialists Kevin Scott and Karal Cox from K. Scott Associates will discuss your concerns and challenges around selling a home in today’s market. Then, Seamless Moves will present downsizing tips and tricks to make your pre-moving tasks fast, easy and fun!

RSVP (206) 932-5480 (walk-ins also welcome). A complimentary lunch follows the presentation.

Merrill Gardens at West Seattle is located at 4611 35th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98126.

The city of Newcastle is hosting a Recycling Collection Event this Saturday, March 10th, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Renton Academy, 6928 116th Ave SE, Newcastle, WA 98059.

Please check the link above to see what they are accepting/not accepting for recycling.

New this year is a pilot project to recycle mattresses, box springs and futons of any size. The cost is $10 each.

You may recycle many different items, most at no charge, including appliances, auto parts, engines, passenger tires (first six without rims free), batteries (car, truck, marine and motorcycle), gas lawnmowers and scrap metal. Gentlemen (and ladies) let’s get going on that “honey-do” list and early Spring Cleaning!

You know them, you love them: those single socks whose mate has mysteriously disappeared in the dryer, drawer or gym locker. How long have you been keeping those orphans, hoping to re-unite them with their “sole-mate?”

We suggest celebrating Lost Sock Memorial Day
(May 9th) by donating your partner-less socks, along with other clean, usable women’s, children’s or men’s clothing, to Seamless Moves’ Lost Sock Day Clothing Drive to benefit Northwest Center. On Lost Sock Day, volunteers will play matchmaker and pair up as many donated socks as possible, so that they may fulfill their calling to warm chilly toes.

As you spring-clean your closets and dresser drawers over the next couple of weeks, keep a bag handy for items you no longer use. Then, take your donation to one of the donation sites listed below by May 6th, or contact Seamless Moves for pickup at 425-746-1334.

• The Stor-House and Wine Storage Bellevue, 1614 118^th Ave SE, Bellevue 98005
• Foot Solutions, 15230 NE 24^th St, Suite O, Redmond (Overlake) 98052
• Delaurenti Florist, 15100 SE 38th Street, Bellevue (Eastgate) 98006
• Home Street Bank, 6949 Coal Creek Pkwy SE, Newcastle 98059
• The Stor-House, 2829 NE 3rd Street, Renton 98056

Northwest Center, a 501(c)(3) organization, has provided services to support the rights and independence of people with developmental disabilities for 45 years. From early childhood therapy and education to adult job training and placement, Northwest Center promotes the building of a community where people of all abilities can fully participate.