When it comes to outdoor furniture, there’s no shortage in the choices available to you the buyer.Among the many styles, materials and types of furniture available you can easily craft your ideal patio setup. But as far as the dining table, you want one that will work best with your space and needs, since this is hopefully an item you will get a lot of use out of. A picnic table set and a patio table set are similar but different enough to note, each with certain advantages and disadvantages.

What are they made out of?

Picnic Table Set: This is one category in which there is really no difference between a picnic table and a patio table, and it’s more of an issue of choosing which material you like best rather than type of table. Classically, patio furniture and picnic tables are made out of strong, weatherproof woods, such as cedar, teak, shorea and cypress. However, you can also find many more models crafted from iron, aluminum, concrete, stone and poly resin.

Patio Table Set: See above

Seating

Picnic Table Set: Seating is perhaps the main drawback of picnic tables because it focuses more on function than form or comfort. With almost every picnic table you find, the seats consist of two backless benches that run the length of the table along either side. Some of these benches are already attached to the table so it consists of one big unit. The problem with attached benches is that they can be more difficult to get in and out of. At the same time, a lot of people dislike the idea of communal bench seating, and prefer their own personal seat that they can move around at will.

Patio Table Set: Patio table seating is both more comfortable and you have more styles to choose from. Patio table chairs are oftentimes modeled after regular wooden chairs with armrests and backrests, but there are many other styles, including barstools and bucket seats that are also common. In general, having a backrest is better for lumbar support and the individual chair shape cradles the body and relieves some muscle pressure.

Where can you put them?

Picnic Table Set: The classic place you can find a picnic table is out in the park or some other grassy area. Their design allows for more variety of where to put it, and space willing, it can work equally well up on your deck or patio.

Patio Table Set: Because of how they are grounded and designed, patio tables really do best on hard, even surfaces. Wooden decks, stone patios and concrete areas work well, but grass can make the unit unsteady.

How are they grounded?

Picnic Table Set: The sturdier and less likely to topple over of the two kinds are definitely picnic tables. The base of a picnic table almost always consists of two A-frame legs on either end with a runner beam or beams adding extra support. This is one reason why picnic tables can handle bumpier terrain, but it’s also a necessity for tables that are longer.

Patio Table Set: Patio tables have bases that resemble those of any indoor table; the usual shapes are some variation on four straight legs at each corner. Also common is a thick, central column with a weighted base that’s typical of round tables.

Source by Tonya Kerniva

Decorating with sports art is an ideal way to show your enthusiasm for your home team or favorite player! Sports art can give your sports themed room a finished and sophisticated look. Your man cave can be decked out in no time with a few well placed autographed fine art prints or canvas giclees.

Theme rooms have always been popular in decorating and today they are an easy answer for those who struggle with how to decorate a room. At times a spouse may have different ideas for that rec room or man cave but once you both settle on a sports theme it becomes easy. Easier yet if you both are rooting for the same teams! You love team A and she loves team B? No Problem! Nothing wrong with some good natured competition. Perhaps a line down the middle or ‘end zone’ is in order? Each gets a side to decorate as they see fit? Family and friends will have to choose sides when you are entertaining in your newly decorated sports room or man cave!

A line down the middle with opposing team colors sounds to chaotic? That may be so, but decorating need not be difficult. Decorating with a sports themes make choosing colors easy! Simply pick your favorite teams colors and use them on the walls, pillows, covers for bar stools or drapes! Now if you have a spouse who is bold enough to root for that ‘other’ team maybe a neutral color will be in order and simple highlights of favorite team colors will be quite enough.

Autographed sports art can be a good investment as well as being great image of a beloved player. Even for a child’s room a fine art print or canvas giclee will last them a lifetime and be a possible investment for the future. An autographed fine art print is not a sports collectible that mom can inadvertently toss out either! We all have heard the stories of autographs that go for big money years down the road, no guarantees but there is that possibility. If you are purchasing for the investment sake, make sure your autograph is the real thing! Professional sports artists prints and canvas giclees should come with a certificate of authenticity and a photograph or video of the athlete signing the piece and be licensed by the NFL or MLB if football and baseball are your sports of choice. An autograph while a player is young or before he is traded can often be worth more in the secondary market in the years to come. Some players severely limit their autograph sessions or price themselves out of the market with outlandish signing fees when they become the next superstar.

A professionally framed fine art sports piece will give your room that final finished look. A fine art sports print can give the room an air of sophistication while keeping the sports theme both fun and elegant. If you have chosen to keep your room more neutral in color you can still bring in colors of the favorite team with matting choices when framing. A double mat can give you many options even for those who are a bit more timid with color. Using the second or inside mat can give a ‘reveal’ of the team color for a more subdued look. Though canvas prints are usually more expensive, canvas giclees that are gallery wrapped do not necessarily need to be framed and there can be a cost savings by not framing a canvas print.

It depends on the look you are after when deciding on a print or canvas giclee. Framed and matted art is more traditional but often a canvas giclee can look like an original painting without the price tag of an original. Have fun decorating your sports room or man cave! You have a lot of future seasons and memories with family and friends in that room! Make it special with fine art sports prints on your wall.

Source by Sally Nica

Are you confined to a wheelchair? Do you know anybody confined to a wheelchair? Is it hard for you to get up and down from the toilet seat? Do you like to be independent? Do you like to travel? Does urinating make this impossible and embarrassing for you? If your answer is yes, read on.

A few years ago I had emergency surgery on my knees and I could not walk for a few months. I never felt so helpless in my life. In the past I was always able to jump out of bed and go to the bathroom on my own without any trouble. When I was wheelchair bound I felt like a rolling dead person. My independence was snatched away from me.

Suddenly, I needed assistance to just get in and out of bed. I had to be assisted into a wheelchair where I spent my entire day until I was helped back into bed at night.

I required help to get to the bathroom every time nature called. Something so ordinary and simple had turned into a major production, especially since I lived in a mobile home.

SUDDENLY HANDICAPPED…. HELP!

The most embarrassing problem was just going to the bathroom. I had to lose my dignity when someone else had to help me stand, disrobe, and help me sit down onto the toilet. I felt humiliated and helpless.

When I needed assistance, I had to call a friend who came over for potty patrol. I was not completely useless. I had my mind, my hands and arms. All I was missing were my legs.

My friend had to wheel me down this long narrow hallway and then squeeze me into a small bathroom which was never designed for a wheelchair. I had to hobble painfully a few steps and then I had to be partially lifted onto the commode.

DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?

SECRET:

I was lucky. I remembered back to when I was younger and used to transport my elderly aunt to her doctor’s appointments. She used this little external urinal that enabled her to stand and urinate, or she could use it while sitting in her wheelchair.

I remember when she first learned about this new fantastic, small urinal that drastically changed her life. It was a device made for women that can be slid inside your clothes and had a tube that slipped into a reusable vinyl bag.

I called her about my problem and she told me where it could be purchased. I ordered it immediately, and re-entered the human race.

Presto, now the deed is done right from my wheelchair and nobody needs to know. I can do it by myself without assistance.

I CAN URINATE BY MYSELF FROM MY WHEELCHAIR WITHOUT ASSISTANCE! YES!!!

I CAN URINATE BY MYSELF WHILE IN MY OWN BED AT NIGHT WITHOUT EVEN HAVING TO GET OUT. YES!!!

I had the long tubing run into a jar during the night and I could urinate easily and freely without leaving my bed.

AIRPLANE TRIP:

During my last month confined to my wheelchair I had to make an unexpected trip by airplane to see my sister. I at first panicked for the simple reason I did not know how I was going to urinate while on the plane.

After a few minutes I realized I could use my little urinal device discretely in my airplane seat and nobody would ever be the wiser.

I covered my lap with a blanket, used the collector bag, tied the neck into a knot, and when done, put it into the “barf” bag and asked the flight attendant to dispose of it. She asked if I was feeling better, and with a big sigh, I could honestly say yes.

OUT OF CHAIR, INTO LIFE.

When I was able to walk again, I still had difficulty getting up and down from the seat. This time I had the answer. I could stand and go using my little secret.

WOMEN’S ANSWER TO MAN’S ONLY ADVANTAGE!

REASONS WHY YOU NEED A URINAL:

1. It slips discreetly under clothes and has a tube which directs the flow into a vinyl disposable/reusable bag.

2. It is external, easy to manage, and small enough to fit in your purse.

3. It gives you independence during the day and night.

4. You do not need to be lifted out of your wheelchair to use.

5. When in a store or restaurant you can use your urinal and aim the plastic tubing into the toilet.

6. Can be used sitting in your seat on an airplane.

7. Can be used sitting in your seat in a car.

8. Can be used in bed by attaching a long hose to disposable plastic bags or jar.

9. Can stand and urinate.

10. Can be used by adults and children.

THIS CAN BE USED… ANYPLACE, ANYTIME…

WOMEN! WAKE UP:

All women and some men need to know about this device and how it can help people with difficulty toileting. Become independent in this tremendously important part of your daily living.

Thank you for reading my article. Please let me hear from you.

Copyright 2006 Linda Meckler

Source by Linda Meckler

Basically I am a novelist. I have written one terrorist thriller entitled “Nine Lives Too Many” and a suspenseful, modern ghost story called “The Daemon in Our Dreams.” I have a new novel forthcoming which deals with rice queens. Most of my fictional activities are chronicled on my website http://www.senneffhouse.com . Every once in a while I like to go back to where I started as a writer in the field of travel writing. My roots. I particularly like travel writing with bits of humor interspersed. Here’s a sample:

If you’ve ever been on a cruise ship, perhaps you’ve met my friends. After a while, you just become one big, dysfunctional family.

Cruising Chester: “I’ve been on every major cruise line and cruise ship in the past 15 years, and believe me they’re not alike. There is less vibration on the Costa Romantica than the Carnival Spirit. The Crystal Harmony has great deck chairs, but they are not as comfortable as the ones on the QM2.”

Pilot Boat Phil: “I take pictures of the pilots and pilot boats in every port. I have a collection of over 200 different pilots. And I rate them. When the seas are rough, and they make a smooth transfer, they get a 10. If the ship stops to pick them up, they don’t get a good rating. The best one ever was in the English Channel. The pilot brought a sheepdog aboard with him. Boy, the way that dog jumped from the pilot boat to the ship was incredible.”

Lecturing Larry: “Excuse me. Did I hear you say you’ve never been to Monaco? The population is 31,719; the area is three-quarters of a square mile; the national budget is …”

Betty the Barracuda: “My sign is Gemini, and your sign is Taurus. You know what that means. I love the way that gold chain of yours nestles so nicely in the black hair on your chest. If you hadn’t told me you were on Medicare, I’d never have thought it. I was thinking mid-40s.”

Grandma and Grandpa Klutz: “And this is a picture of our grandson climbing up the drapes. Isn’t he cute? And this is our granddaughter Debbie pulling Pluto’s tail at Disney World. Isn’t she adorable? And this is Betty’s kid …”

Travel Agent Teddy: “What did you pay? Oh, too bad. I could have gotten your cabin for $300, including port charges, airfare and transfers. I always get three category upgrades for my clients. Next time call me. My number is 800-SAVALOT. I always send a bottle of Norwegian champagne to a client’s room.”

Boring Brad: “Uh, I was in this place in 1964, and they had, uh, a good beer in a place at some beach, and, uh, I think I went swimming here. Maybe not …”

Booze Cruise Betty: “What’s the next port? Do they have a Jolly Roger booze cruise? Did you have those scrumptious Manhattans at the captain’s reception? Is it 9 a.m. yet? I’ll have a margarita, light on the salt. Louie, the bartender on the pool deck, makes great Bloody Marys.”

Fred and Ginger: “We’ve been on hundreds of cruises. They call us the king and queen of ballroom dancing. We dance before dinner, after dinner, at tea dance, at the captain’s reception, in the ship’s atrium. You name it. We can do every dance from the samba to the tango, jitterbug, whatever. Fred’s a podiatrist, and I work for Saks Fifth Avenue in the shoe department. We’re ballroom dancers extraordinaire.”

Claude, the Wanna-Be Captain: “The ship lists three degrees to starboard. The stabilizers need readjustment. Last night the captain got two degrees off course, and we lost 20 minutes in our trip plan.”

Ralph, the Restaurant Critic: “The food on Celebrity is slightly more ostentatious than the food on Costa. The dinner rolls on Princess have more body than those on Carnival. Royal Caribbean’s corned beef hash for breakfast is coarser than the hash on Norwegian Cruise Line.”

Seasick Sam: “I’m wearing nine patches. They said to wear one on your navel, so I am. Last night I thought I was going to die. I haven’t even seen the dining room, and we disembark tomorrow.”

Camcorder Calvin: “Would you let me in next to the rail? I just want to shoot an hour of footage of that glacier. Do you mind holding my lens cap? Please keep your voice down while I’m doing my narration.”

Dine-Around Julia and Jesse: “In the morning we have fruit and muffins in the Lido, waffles in the dining room, bouillon on deck at 11, lunch in the Lido, tea and cakes at four, hot hors d’oeuvres in the bar for cocktails, first-seating dinner in the dining room, pizza at 10 in the pizzeria, salads and desserts at the midnight buffet, and before we go to bed, we order BLTs from room service. Neither one of us has ever had angioplasty.”

The Light-Tipping Lewises: “We don’t believe in all this tipping nonsense. We haven’t seen our room steward on this whole trip. We’re putting $3 in an envelope for him. Hey, why tip a ghost? The waiter was snippy and slow with our appetizers. He doesn’t deserve more than four or five bucks. We heard that the busboys are very well paid, so we’re skipping him. Tipping is getting way out of hand on these ships. I can remember when a good waitress appreciated a quarter.”

Bingo Bertha: “I always go to progressive bingo. I get seven cards for each game, and I can poke out those little holes faster than they can call out the numbers. If they don’t have bingo in heaven, I ain’t going. They better have a stack of bingo cards waiting at the pearly gates. My charm bracelet is made up of bingo items, and my bed sheets are embroidered with bingo numbers.”

Lifeboat Drill Lenny: “Hey, you’ve got those straps on wrong. Hey, you’re missing a whistle. Hey, your light isn’t working. Hey, Mister, that strap is supposed to come up through your crotch. Hey, ma’am, please don’t drag your straps through the halls.”

Preparedness Patsy: “On a seven-day cruise, I pack my bags for disembarkation on the fourth day, and I have my luggage in the hall on the fifth night. I’m always the first one off the ship.”

Dolly, the Queen of Disasters: “I’ve read every book and seen every movie about the Titanic, the Lusitania, and the Andrea Doria. My room steward told me we’re taking on water. The bartender said there was a secret meeting, and the captain told the crew to get the lifeboats ready. They’re all going to sneak off early in the morning and leave us to die.”

Me: I never get seasick; I’m not pedantic, not a cruise maven, not a glutton. But you know what? I do think that the fruit selection they give you in the cabin is better on Royal Caribbean than Princess, and the ship’s newspaper on Celebrity is more literate than the one on Carnival.

Source by John F. Rooney

The reception venue is the most important choice you will need to make about your wedding celebration. The location will set the tone, influence the menu, and of course determine the cost of the reception. Hotels are among the most popular sites for weddings; this is a look at the pros and cons of hosting your wedding in a hotel.

Pro: Easy to Plan. A hotel will have all of the tables, chairs, linens, china, and so on that you need for your wedding reception. Some hotel ballrooms have special features like grand chandeliers, which are great if you plan to wear a formal ballgown with crystal bridal jewelry. You will not need to worry about any type of rentals, which makes both planning and day of wedding logistics much easier.

Con: Cookie Cutter. It can be hard to personalize a hotel wedding. You will have little control over the decor, the menu, and the timing of the reception. Since you will be required to use their restaurant for the catering, the menu options will be limited, and may be fairly predictable. If food is a priority for your wedding, the hotel experience may not be for you. It is also not the best choice for the bride who loves wedding details with a handcrafted charm like unique bridal jewelry and DIY centerpieces.

Pro: Very Convenient. The best thing about a hotel is the convenience for you and your guests. After the reception, the newlyweds can just head upstairs to the honeymoon suite. If the guests want to keep the party going, they can hang out in the hotel lounge or bar. Sometimes the parents of the bride or groom opt to rent a suite where a drop in after-party can take place. You can reserve blocks of hotel rooms for your guests, saving them money and eliminating the worry about drinking and driving. And in the morning, the post-wedding brunch can be held right there in the same hotel. Most hotels even have free shuttle service to and from the airport for out-of-town guests.

Con: Multiple Weddings. A hotel generally hosts more than one event at the same time. Having two receptions going on side by side can tend to detract from the intimacy of your wedding. You may hear their music, you might run into another bride in the ladies room, and if your party is better, you may even have guests from the neighboring wedding wander into yours. There is also something less than elegant about the event board in the hotel lobby that lists your wedding as one of many events. It can make it feel less unique and special.

Pro: Experienced Staff. Since hotels routinely host weddings, conferences, and other functions, the staff is highly experienced at organizing large events. If you want to greet your guests with welcome bags when they arrive in town, the hotel desk can hand them out at check in. They will also have the large kitchen needed to handle special requests like Kosher or vegetarian meals for guests. You can expect your reception to run smoothly, with little work on your part.

Con: Less Personal Attention. Unlike a smaller venue which will be concentrating on hosting a limited number of events, a hotel has many functions in the works every weekend. This means that the site coordinator will have less time to devote their personal attention to you and your wedding. The bride who wants a lot of input on planning her wedding from a coordinator may not get what she is looking for at a hotel. On the plus side, if you are comfortable letting the hotel run your wedding according to their established formula, it is likely to come off without a hitch.

Source by Guy Antonelli