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Holiday charity is timely now
On the first Saturday of the month, as promised, we check our Time Flies file and offer a suggestion of something to do to lighten the load come holiday time. June means it's six months till Christmas. Have a "half-holiday" celebration and do something in the spirit of the season for the charity of your choice. The homeless are just as hungry now; shut-ins are just as lonely. Some food pantries say they're seeing more clients than ever, and donations are down because of the poor economy and the fallout from 9/11. So write that check, collect those canned goods or fill a bag at the grocery store this weekend. The nursing homes and soup kitchens that were overwhelmed last December with fruit baskets, pies, cookies and candy might welcome an unexpected treat this time of year.
Kids' furnishings, a step above
The Little Surfer step stool lets a kid search for the endless wave or step up to the sink to brush teeth. The step stool, 61/2 inches high, gently rocks back and forth. It's $40 from Levels of Discovery, which also makes handcrafted wooden kid-sized rockers, chairs, tables, toy chests and other furniture. Visit the Web site at www.levelsofdiscovery.com where you'll find a retailer locater that includes several outlets in the Tampa Bay area. The Schoolhouse Rocker $125, with a flip-up desk, pencil box built into the arm rest, abacus and music box that plays the A-B-C song, received this year's Innovation Award from the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association. And there's also a brightly painted "Time-Out Chair" ($100) complete with a built-in timer.
Kilz now comes in colors
Do-it-yourselfers are familiar with Kilz, the primer that seals, resists mildew and covers stains. The company has just introduced a line of paints in latex flat, semi-gloss, satin and high-gloss for interior and exterior use. There are 243 "Kilz Casual Colors" the company says are guaranteed to cover in just one coat, in addition to more than 1,000 other colors available in the line. Kilz paints come in a cube-shaped container that's easy to lift, pour and store. The paints are available at Wal-Mart. Information: www.casualcolors.com or toll-free 1-866-275-5459.
Correction
Homes at Live Oak Preserve, a new community in New Tampa, will range in size from 1,200 square feet to 4,000 square feet. A story last week gave an incorrect range of sizes.
- Compiled from staff and wire reports by Homes editor JUDY STARK