Lifestyle Fashion

Clay Cookware – Where to Buy in the US

The popularity of clay cookware is increasing as more people realize its health benefits. How conventional cookware has been poisoning our food is no longer a secret. Tired of dealing with health problems ranging from common illnesses to chronic and life-threatening illnesses viz. diabetes, blood pressure, cancer, etc., we finally get back to our roots. The ancient practice of cooking in clay utensils is still the only healthy option for a simple reason: there is no other material to make kitchen utensils as pure, totally natural and healthy as clay in nature.

The next important step is where to buy clay pots and pans in the US The market is flooded with so many types of cookware that claim to use clay as a raw material, it is normal for anyone to get confused. The most common clay kitchen utensils that we can find in the market are:

1. Ceramic cookware – Pottery has been on the market for a while and is often marketed as a kind of earthenware cooking utensils. Ceramic is actually mixed with a number of chemicals, glazed more, and coated with more chemicals to add shine and color. Therefore, unfortunately, ceramic cookware does not provide the unique benefits of cooking in all-natural clay. If you are looking for a truly healthy cookware, ceramic is not!

2. Imported kitchen utensils – There are some imported varieties of clay cookware on the market available at a much lower price. The biggest problem with these is that you can never be sure of the composition of the clay used. Also, they are probably inexpensive because they are made with additives to reduce the time it takes to make them. If the clay is not pure, it is not healthy!

3. Pure clay cookware – Pure clay is primary unglazed clay that is sourced from uncultivated, non-industrialized land in the U.S. This all-natural material is further tested for metals and chemical contaminants before it is used to make cookware of clay. It is interesting to note that the raw material does not have to go through a mechanized process so there is absolutely no use of additives. The pots and pans are made by hand using the ancient method of throwing clay on a potter’s wheel and using skillful hands to shape usable pots and pans.

Unlike many raw materials on the market, we have clay test results to check if it contains any contaminants. By cooking in pure clay, the nutritional value and natural taste of the food is preserved, so you get 100% non-toxic and nutrient-rich food.

To further support this claim that pure clay cookware is the healthiest, healthy cooks recommend running an alkaline baking soda test (a simple home test that only requires baking soda and water), in any pot. of cooking and check if it leaks.

If your cookware doesn’t pass the alkaline baking soda test, don’t worry, get pure clay cookware to cook the healthiest foods.

Pets

Everything you need to know about the Goldendoodle!

Today’s dogs are a very important part of a family environment. They keep us entertained, they put smiles on our faces, they are our children’s best friends, they are there for us to talk when we feel alone and have no one else! They love us unconditionally and bring an abundance of joy and love to the family. I have no doubt that since the beginning of time dogs have been known as man’s best friends!

Goldendoodles are no exception. A golden squiggle is a cross between a golden retriever and a poodle. Breeders is Australia started breeding this cross in the mid-1980s and North American breeders have been breeding it since the mid-1990s. They were first bred in Australia as guide dogs for people in need of a Biggest, allergy-friendly dog!

Goldendoodles are amazing and healthy family dogs for so many reasons!

First, the mix between a poodle and a retriever gives the squiggle a quality known as “hybrid vigor” (the offspring of genetically different parents), which means that mixed breed dogs tend to be healthier and live longer. than purebreds. This is because most genetic traits are recessive. Golden and Poodles don’t have many diseases in common, so if both parents don’t have a particular trait for a certain disease, puppies can’t get it. This is why many mixed breed dogs, including the goldendoodle, are healthier than purebreds. You still have to choose your breeder carefully and make sure they are running all required health tests, temperament tests, and researching lines thoroughly before breeding your dogs, but in general, mixed breeds are genetically more robust!

Goldendoodles also possess many qualities of both the poodle and the dorado. Most goldendoodles are friendly, highly intelligent and goofy dogs who love to be part of the family. They love to swim, play fetch, and interact with people. They are very sociable dogs and they love to be active and have fun. I have donated dogs as therapy and service dogs and the squiggle excels at this type of work! As a breeder, I hear hundreds of stories about how smart these dogs are and how they are the best of their class of puppies and how they are the best dogs my clients have ever owned.

Most doodles have very low or non-shedding fur. This depends on the dog and the type of coat it has. There are 3 different types of coats, wool (which is a tight curl and the most hypoallergenic), fleece (which is wavy and is generally still very poorly detachable and hypoallergenic) and hair (which is straighter and generally sheds more). An experienced breeder can usually tell when puppies are 6 to 7 weeks old what type of coat they will have as adults and the breeder will help you find the right puppy for your needs. Goldendoodles’ fur will continue to grow and can be 3-8 inches long if left unclipped. A scribble requires regular brushing or they will tangle and should go to the hairdresser for a clip every 4 months or so!

Goldendoodles also come in many colors and sizes depending on the poodle used. In our kennel we breed blonde, gold, apricot, red, black, silver, and ghost doodles. We also have 3 different sizes, standard (anything over 21 “and 50 pounds and up), mini (13” to 20 “and 25-49 pounds) and tiny (12” or less 10-24 pounds).

Their life expectancy is usually around 12-15 years for standards and 14-17 years for minis.

Scribbles also come in many different generations and depending on what you are looking for, one generation may be better than another. F1s are a purebred dorado mixed with a purebred poodle. This generation is usually the healthiest and has the most “hybrid vigor” traits. F1b is a backcross and is a goldendoodle bred with a poodle. These types of goldendoodles are usually better for people with severe allergies, as the f1b generally has a curlier coat than an f1 (note that this is not always the case and your breeder will be able to help you with this). F2 is a goldendoodle bred back to a goldendoodle. Puppies in an f2 litter tend not to sway as much in one direction or the other. They seem to be a nice mix between the golden and the poodle (sometimes, but not always in an f1 litter, some puppies will lean more towards a golden, some more towards a poodle and some will be in between), f3 (f3 and above is also known as multigeneration) is y f2 golden doodle with f2 golden doodle and f4 is f3 golden doodle with f3 golden doodle. The more you reproduce them with each other, the more the hybrid vigor trait will be lost. A seventh generation (f7) goldendoodle is eligible for registration as a purebred (this has not been done as far as I know).

As I mentioned before, goldendoodles are healthier than most purebred dogs, but breeders should still run all tests on parents. Better to wait for a good quality puppy from a great breeder than to support careless breeders who just want to raise as many puppies as possible without worrying about the breed as a whole.

If you buy your golden doodle puppy from a one-time breeder, you can end up with many health problems and expensive veterinary bills.

Necessary tests for breeding golden retrievers

1. Hips (HD) OFA or Pennhip or OVC

2. eyes (CERF) Required annually

3. Hearts … tested and certified by OFA

4. Elbows (OFA)

Necessary tests for breeding standard poodles

1. Hips (HD) OFA or Pennhip or OVC

2.OFA elbows

3. Eyes (CERF) required annually

4. Von Willebrands (vWd) DNA or blood test (bleeding disorder)

5. Sebaceous adenitis (SA) skin disorder

* Thyroid malfunction: not required, but highly recommended for all breeding dogs.

Necessary tests for the breeding of miniature and toy poodles.

1. Hips for HD and Legg-Perves disease OFA, Penn hip or OVC

2. Knees to dislocate the patella

3. Eyes (CERF) required annually

4. Blood or DNA test for Von Willebrands disease (vWd)

* Thyroid malfunction: not required, but highly recommended for all breeding dogs.

I have given you a brief description of the squiggle. If you have any further questions about this breed, you can visit my website. These dogs are becoming very popular and I have no doubt why. They are amazing with children and can live in almost any type of environment. The best way to describe these amazing dogs is “Little People in Fur Coats.”

Real Estate

Moving House For Profit: 7 Tips For Moving House Success In Any Market

1. Get Ready – Now that you’ve decided to start investing in homes for a profit, it’s time to properly set your goals and expectations in your mind. Calculate how much cash you have available for this investment. Make sure you have enough money to cover a twenty percent down payment, the home remodel, and enough cash on hand to cover the monthly mortgage payment until the property is available. I know it sounds overwhelming, but I’ll show you how to cut down on your startup cash and remodeling funds. It always makes sense to write your plan. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, it just has to make sense to you. You cannot know where you are going without a map to navigate.

2. Identify a good property to invest in: Now that you have an idea of ​​its address, it is time to consider the type of property that would make a good investment. Find out if you want to buy a single-family home that needs work or a multi-family home where a condo conversion might be your intention. For our purposes here, we will discuss the single family home move. If you do not have access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in your area, find a reputable real estate agent who can provide you access to the MLS. It is wise to have a buyers agent because it does not cost you money. The buyer’s agent is compensated by the broker’s agency. Once you have access to the MLS, you can start looking for properties. I like to search by zip codes in areas that I know have desirable neighborhoods. In a down market like the one we find ourselves in now, there are many dilapidated houses in great neighborhoods. Those are the houses that will always sell first. You should focus on bank-owned, short-sale, and foreclosed homes on the market. Keep in mind that no matter how much the seller asks for the house, what matters is whether the project makes sense. I usually calculate the price I will pay for a house after calculating the amount of work that needs to be done and how much I can sell it for. Remember, the market tells you what a home will sell for, not a price tag.

3. Property Inspection and Analysis – Before you can make an informed offer, you need to know two things. You must first know how much it will cost to bring the home to its highest and best condition. You should appeal to the type of buyer who is most likely to buy the home. You should have a reputable contractor meet you at the house so that they can give you an idea of ​​the costs involved. Now add 20% just to account for unexpected costs. Once you know your cost, you should check with your real estate agent to determine what similar homes have sold for and see which homes you will compete with. Now that you have a good idea of ​​the future selling price and the cost of construction, you can now use basic math to add the cost to the purchase price and then subtract that answer from the estimated future sale price to determine if there is a margin of profit enough for this move to make sense to you. Tip: Don’t forget to add the sales commission to your cost if you plan to hire a real estate agent.

4. If the numbers work, get funding! – Once you know there are enough profit after your acquisition cost, estimate the remodel and cost to sell. Now you know how much you should pay for the house. Before bidding, you must obtain your financing. This is my area of ​​expertise as I have been a mortgage broker for several years. There have been many changes in the mortgage industry since mid-2006. Money is a little harder to come by, but it is still available with a down payment and a decent credit history. The guidelines are always changing, but right now, in late 2008, a minimum 20% down payment is required to purchase investment property and the borrower must show income and assets to qualify. If after the 20% down payment, remodeling money and cash to cover the monthly payments, you don’t have much money left, you should consider a partner for the deal. You may not be a fan of long-term partnerships, but when you’re changing ownership, you’d be looking for a 4-6 month partnership, not a lifetime. If that works, you can always buy more properties to sell in the future. It also helps to divide risk and tasks. Just make sure your expectations are set correctly. If you’re going the partner route, I suggest opening a joint bank and financing it with 6 months of mortgage payments, including taxes and insurance. If you have any more questions about financing, I’ll be happy to answer them. I will provide my office contact information at the end of this article.

5. Remodeling / Rehab Phase – It’s time to repair this house and get it back on the market as quickly as possible. Now you need to get your contractors in to begin the construction phase. Keep in mind that cheap labor will almost always be more expensive. Make sure contractors get the proper permits. The last thing you want is a forced work stoppage because the required permit was not withdrawn. Also, if these workers do not know the code or do not compile it, it will usually cost twice as much to correct a code problem. By now, you should have a detailed list of everything that needs to be done. Breakdown by major systems such as heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical, and any other systems that need repair or service. Then go room by room and make a list of what needs to be done in each room. Joint compound and a fresh coat of paint are very helpful. Just be sure to use modern, neutral colors that aren’t offensive to anyone. Be sure to inspect the exterior of the home for repairs and touch-ups. The patio must be clean and properly landscaped. Be sure to check in with contractors daily to make sure everything is on track – don’t just assume everything is on schedule. Finally, take advantage of the use of credit from Lowes and Home Depot to avoid payments and interest for six to twelve months. You should be able to buy most materials with that credit. Just be sure to pay off the full balance when the interest-free period ends or you’ll be hit with all the increased interest.

6. Sell your home quickly – Now that your home is complete and ready to go on the market. You should already have an idea of ​​how much this property will include in the list, but you need to check the value once more. The best way to do this is to have an appraiser or real estate agent do a comparable market analysis. If you don’t know an appraiser, call your mortgage broker and ask them to use their appraiser to help determine a range for you. I do this for my mortgage clients as a free value-added service, it’s just good business practice. You may want to sell your home yourself and that’s fine, but you need to have time to show it off and also be able to list the property on your local multiple listing service. If you are trying to avoid paying a full real estate commission, a local real estate agent will usually make a “entry only” listing for a nominal fee. If you don’t have the time or don’t want to deal with the hassle of listing the home yourself, hire a real estate agent to list your home. You should have already added the sales commission rate to your figures beforehand. When calculating value, be sure to look not only at similar homes that have sold, but also at your competition. Your home should be a good deal when the average buyer compares it to others in the same price range. Lastly, if you don’t get enough screenings after a week or so the house price may be too high, don’t be afraid to lower the price. Sometimes a small profit is better than no profit. That is why you should buy the property you want to invest as low as possible and estimate the remodel as accurately as possible.

7. Plan for Your Profits – If you correctly priced your newly remodeled home, you will remember and will soon close. If you have planned correctly, you should make some profit. It would be wise to have a solid plan regarding your earnings. Here are some options; You can simply take the profits, as well as your initial investment, and place them in your bank. In that case, you have just created a taxable event or, in other words, a long-term or short-term capital gain, depending on how long you’ve owned the property. That option is better if the profit gain was minimal. If you made a significant profit and were planning to trade another property, you can defer your taxes through a 1031 exchange. Basically, a 1031 exchange is a tax code that allows you to defer capital gains tax to a later date, reinvesting your earnings on another investment property within a certain period of time. There are rules that must be followed for the trade to be valid, but considering the benefit, it could be worth it. The advantages of doing a 1031 exchange include having more money available now and more purchasing power. It means not paying taxes while building your real estate investment business. You can invest your earnings, just like investing a home. Here’s an idea, why not switch houses until you have enough down payment funds to switch to a 30-unit apartment building. Then you can turn your money into cash flow. You can defer paying taxes until after you sell the last property and take the money. It is always wise to speak to an accountant when making tax decisions, so always consult a professional CPA when it comes to tax law, that’s money well spent.

I leave you with one last thought; Use professionals from start to finish. Licensed professionals may seem like they cost more, but they will save you money if they get the job done on time and correctly.

Shopping Product Reviews

Lego Marvel Superheroes

Marvel has been doing quite well lately. Last year’s summer blockbuster the AvengersIt broke numerous box office records and Marvel successfully merged with mega-corporation Disney; Things have been going the Marvel way for quite some time. Unfortunately, it’s been a while since we were gifted with a quality video game based on the Marvel Universe. With Lego: Marvel SuperheroesTellTale Games hopes to change that. In many ways it is the best Lego game yet, but at the same time it oversteps in certain respects.

As the great adventure begins, he will learn that the ever-looming Lego version of Galactus is closing in on Earth and sending the Silver Surfer to explore the planet. It goes from bad to worse when Doctor Doom and other fellow Marvel villains decide to take advantage of the situation. Not only are the Avengers sent to take over the task, but you also have characters like the Amazing Spider-Man, the X-Men, and even Howard the Duck trying to put down the planet-feeding disaster.

As huge Marvel fans, Telltale offers a gripping story. Obviously these guys see and read all the Marvel stuff. You’ll get a lot of jokes between the characters about certain movies they’ve been in and even an achievement with Captain America and the Human Torch (played by Chris Evans in their respective movies). It was great as a fan of the Marvel brand to play something the creators were equally interested in. Also, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments between the Hulk and Tony Stark.

You can only get so far with a great story in one game; you also have to supplement the software with great playability. Unfortunately for some, Lego: Marvel Superheroes It is not derived from the same Lego game formula that was forged in the past. You’ll find the same recognizable puzzles, the same brick collected with just a coat of Marvel paint. Even as a huge fan of Marvel comics, I have played this game before. From Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings and even the DC brand, it’s all the same basic scheme.

That being said, they do try to add a few other elements to the worn mechanics. For example, there is a pretty cool skydiving feature when you’re in the Helicarrier mission hub. I spent too much time getting all my characters out of that thing. It also adapts the free roaming gameplay of Lego Batman 2. My biggest complaint with this game is the horrible controls when you swing, fly or run in the Lego version of New York. You can’t go anywhere precisely and the game map is atrocious. If you want to unlock most of the characters, you have to do it in free New York so that you are forced to fight with terrible controls.

Speaking of characters, this game has the largest selection of all the Lego sets. My nerdy senses were definitely tingling as I could unlock Superior Spider-Man, Daredevil, and even strangers like Squirrel Girl. As with many Marvel entertainment products, this game not only features Stan Lee cameos, but you can also unlock Stan the Man. He can use all of Spider-Man’s powers, as well as becoming a Hulk version of itself. It definitely breaks the game from a balance point of view, but who cares? Excelsior!

All Lego video games are made to play with your friends. That’s not to say it’s not great to play alone, but you’ll get more bang for your buck if you replace your terrible AI teammates. There were several times when my computer-controlled allies got in my way and negatively affected my experience. I encountered this problem with almost every Lego set and it’s a shame they haven’t solved this. The most regrettable and almost unforgivable sin this game commits is lack of cooperation online. Current systems have been out for almost eight years and have yet to incorporate this feature. This game is also coming out for PS4 and Xbox One, maybe we can look forward to seeing it there. However, don’t get your hopes up, as that is not likely to be the case.

We have been given quite a few Lego sets over the years and most of them were wonderful to play with. This game is no exception; there are some bugs and stuttered frame rate issues, but it’s nothing to catch up on. As with all Lego software products, the latter is better than the former. Lego: Marvel Superhero It hardly changes any of the old Lego formulas, but with such a rich database of heroes and villains it’s easy to miss. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to unlock Howard the Duck.