Frances Sanderson

If you are like me, you understand the importance of donating blood. And, if you are like me, you may feel that donating blood isn't always a convenient proposition. The blood drives are usually during the middle of the day and they take up an hour, to an hour and a half, of valuable time. If we change the way we think of it; if we knew what our gift will provide, perhaps we will be more likely to make the effort to do so.

The Red Cross Organization uses your blood for:

Disaster Services
Response to local fires; planning for major catastrophic disasters for which we are at risk; responding to major disasters locally and in other parts of the country.

Health & Safety Services
Training in CPR, First Aid, Water Safety and Babysitting.

LNA Training
Licensed Nurse Assistant training and certification.

Services for the Armed Forces
Emergency communication between local families and active duty family members.

Disaster Preparedness

Blood Services
Safe collection of all the blood used by local hospitals.

Youth Board

HIV/AIDS education
Training programs for children, teens, caregivers, parents, employers and employees. (Information taken from the Granite Chapter website, so above links are for the Concord area.)

Now, they have a program called the...

Double Red Cell Program
The Double Red Cell program is an automated system that collects two units of red blood cells, returning plasma and platelets back to the donor. Type O blood donors are encouraged to participate in the new program. Type O+ and O- blood, as well as A- and B- are in greatest demand for red cells.

Here are the NH chapters of the American Red Cross

Concord: Granite Chapter (serving the Concord area, Lakes Region and North Country) 2 Maitland Street, 1-800-464-6692

Keene: New Hampshire West 83 Court Street, 352-3210

Manchester: Greater Manchester Chapter 1800 Elm Street, 1-866-284-8842

Nashua: NH Gateway Chapter 28 Concord Street, 889-6664

North Conway: Mount Washington Valley Chapter 2936 White Mountain Highway, 356-2726

Portsmouth: Great Bay Chapter 273 Corporate Drive, 766-5440

To find out when and where you can give blood in the New England area, click here: http://www.newenglandblood.org/nh/

For everyone else, click here: http://www.redcross.org/

I am asking all of you to give the gift that gives life this February. Please post your donation here so we can all see the fruits of our efforts.

On behalf of your neighbors and myself.... Thank you :-)

Frances Sanderson, Franklin, NH REALTOR®, Certified EcoBroker^®

What Do You Do With Your Dryer Lint?

Stacey E Bernstein's artwork caught my attention. As an art lover and former art teacher myself, I was looking for something to do with my dryer lint. Doing a Google search brought me to this simple but effective website, advertising this woman's passion for lint painting. She is an art educator in Colorado. She gives instructions on how to do this, as well.

Not into actual painting? How about other lint crafts?

PlanetPals has recipes for papier mache, clay and homemade lint paper:

HOMEMADE Lint Clay

Ingredients::
2 cups firmly packed dryer lint
1/3 cup warm water
6 tablespoons white glue
1 tablespoon clear dishwashing liquid
Food coloring

Directions:
Put lint into a mixing bowl.
Add the other ingredients.
Mix thoroughly. When you can no longer mix, kneadwith hands until of a uniform texture.

Shape and model figures or cover molds with it,

Lint as Function:

In Girl Scouts, we learned to make fire starters by filling egg cartons with lint and then pouring melted wax ocer the lint. When colled, cut each egg carton into separate cubes and place in fire pit to start the fire.

One man used it to create a digital online story. Please read the entire story as it will not only give you a smile, but it will tug on your heart strings, too. What Do You Do With Lint?

Lint As A Musical?

Yes, you read that correctly. There is even Lint: The Musical.

So, if you are looking for a logical way to deal with lint, start here, but feel free to add your own.

Frances Sanderson, Franklin, NH REALTOR®, Certified EcoBroker^®

I had FUN playing a kid's game yesterday... the kind of game we used to play in elementary school. I'll explain how to play it in a moment, but first, I need to give you a little background as to why this is such a big deal and why you should read on.

At age fifty, I am not a big fan of exercise. I don't like jogging, Stair Masters or treadmills. My only daily regimen of movement involves walking the dog. I do, however, like fun. I consider dancing...fun. I think that taking a hike to get to a specific destination, such as a beautiful waterfall, or to the top of a snowy mountain just to make a snow angel... fun. I enjoy a good game of volleyball...fun. And kayaking on the pristine lake near my home (with a bottle of wine stashed away in the cubby of my kayak, as a reward)...fun.

That being said, who would have thought that I would sign up for a college gym class, right? Well, it was a bit of a deception, actually. To make a long story short, I had a gift certificate for a college class that I had given my daughter. She hadn't used it and it needed to be used by this Spring semester. Not one to waste money, I signed up for a class. It is called "Introduction to Personal Wellness". (I didn't say that I wasn't concerned about staying healthy.) Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was a gym class.

We played several name games in order to get to know our fellow students. These games stimulated our minds, while getting our hearts going at the same time. Then we moved on to teamwork... get the balloon to one side of the gym or the other; a kind of volleyball with balloons. Next, we played Tug of War. After each game, we were asked to check our pulse. Imagine that! We were having fun and our heart rates were elevating.

Next, we received the instructions for playing Blob Tag. Two players become a chain by linking one arm inside their partner's arm. The remaining free arm forms an open link by placing the free hand on the hip. Once we got this concept down pat, we were then told how Blobs are formed. One chain (pair of linked students) must now try to tag another chain. If a chain of students is tagged, they must join arms with the Chasers and thus form a Blob. Four students (The Blob) now begin chasing the other chains. And so on. (I'm proud to say, my partner and I managed to escape becoming part of the Blob.) But then, class ended...awwwww.

I left that class exhausted, but elated.

And so, here's my challenge to you for 2009: Think back to the games you played in school and play one this year. If you can't find other like-minded grown-ups to play with you, grab a group of little ones. No matter what age you are, or whether you have physical limitations or not.

Find your inner child and have fun! I double dare you!!

Frances Sanderson, Franklin, NH REALTOR®, Certified EcoBroker^®

So many people have asked me 'What is an EcoBroker^®?'. I thought I'd find a more creative way to answer the question, AND, one of my New Year's Resolutions was to become more tech-savvy. So here it is...

My first YouTube video: (Sorry, I haven't figured out how to embed the actual video yet, but I should at least get some points for trying, right? :-) Just click on the link below the graphic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqOgKDc-FF0

I'd love to hear some feedback. Don't be shy. I take constructive feedback very well :-)

Frances Sanderson, Franklin, NH REALTOR®, Certified EcoBroker®

‘On October 3, 2008, President Bush signed into law the "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008." This bill extended tax credits for energy efficient home improvements (windows, doors, roofs, insulation, HVAC, and non-solar water heaters). Tax credits for these residential products, which had expired at the end of 2007, will now be available for improvements made during 2009. However, improvements made during 2008 are not eligible for a tax credit.'

‘The bill also extended tax credits for solar energy systems and fuel cells to 2016. New tax credits were established for small wind energy systems and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Tax credits for builders of new energy efficient homes and tax deductions for owners and designers of energy efficient commercial buildings were also extended.' From the energystar.gov website.

Okay, so what can you do for the year 2008? And how do you plan for 2009.

Well, for 2008, you can check your State's tax incentive programs at the Department of Energy's website to see if your state offers any tax incentive for home or business improvements. (http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/states/alternatives/tax_incentives.cfm)

They have a link to a database which lists each individual State's incentives. If the link on that page doesn't work for you, (as it didn't for me) you can get there by clicking on this one: http://www.dsireusa.org/

Also, check the manufacturer's website for a rebate offer. I'm afraid there is not much more you can do than this.

For 2009, however, you can prepare now. Go to the Energy Star website and print out their chart for Federal Tax credits for Consumers, Home Builders and for Commercial Buildings. This will help you in determining which products to buy for the best value.

Lots of great information here. For example, did you know that there is a tax credit for builders of Manufactured Homes if they are built to increase energy efficiency of the heating and cooling system by 30%? Or that there is a tax credit available for purchasing a Biomass Stove (stove which burns biomass fuel to heat a home or heat water)?

Obviously, this isn't a complete offering for what might be out there, but it's a place to start.

I wish you all smart planning for a renewable New Year!

Frances Sanderson, Franklin, NH REALTOR®, Certified EcoBroker^®