(NAPSI)-Letting in the sunshine could be a bright idea–especially when you update your home with energy-efficient windows. Homeowners installing qualifying windows can get as much as $1,500 back from the government under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“There’s never been a better time to replace your old, inefficient windows,” said James Ruppel, window expert at Four Seasons Sunrooms. “The government is actually paying you to save money on your energy bills.”

Four Seasons Sunrooms–the award-winning sunroom, conservatory, patio room and enclosure manufacturer–recently expanded its product line with energy-efficient windows that meet and exceed the U.S. government’s strict energy-efficiency criteria for a 30 percent tax credit. Made with the company’s exclusive super energy-efficient ConservaGlass Select technology, the heavy-duty vinyl replacement windows include, at no extra charge, consumer-friendly features such as Stay-Clean Technology, which keeps the glass cleaner longer; Glass Masking, which protects the windows during transport and installation; and a Transferable Lifetime Warranty that protects your investment for the lifetime of the windows, even if you sell your home.

The company is well known for the outstanding performance of its year-round solariums, screen rooms and patio enclosures and is is now bringing its over 35 years of experience to consumers with super energy-efficient windows.

For more information, visit Four Seasons Sunrooms.com.

After many years of submerging my hands in water, doing household chores, cleaning, diaper changing, etc., my hands have become extremely rough. They’re so rough that I’m scared to touch myself.

Wiping away tears means that I’ve got to pull my long sleeved shirt over my hands to wipe my daughter’s tears or giving a soothing back rub means that I’ve got to cover my hands first or else I might draw blood.

Lotions, Creams and Other Stuff

I tried all kinds of lotions and creams to ‘take the edge off’ of my sandy hands, but nothing seemed to work. Little did I know that the solution was sitting in my kitchen all the time.

My Rough Hand Solution

It’s so simple that I can’t believe I didn’t do it sooner. In a small bowl I poured sea salt (finely ground, not the chunks), some olive oil (just enough to make a paste) and a squirt of homemade hand soap (any liquid hand soap will do).

After wetting my hands with warm water, I apply the paste and massage the palms and backs of my hands (don’t forget to get between the fingers too). The salt helps to remove the dead, dry, craggy skin while the olive oil helps to moisturize at the same time.

The squirt of hand soap makes it easier to rinse it off with warm water. First I tried the hand scrub without the squirt of hand soap and realized that I had oily hands (oil and water just won’t mix). I needed a small amount of soap to encourage the mixture to come off of my hands.

I guess you could always omit the soap and just wash your hands with soap afterward, but the soap will serve to dry your hands out again (just what we’re trying to avoid).

You’ll be amazed at how soft your hands will become. I leave a little container of the mixture next to the kitchen sink, so at the end of the day, or at the end of a heavy cleaning session, I use the mixture to soften up again. After my hands are dry, just for safe measure, I apply my favorite hand lotion.

No More Embarrassment

No longer am I afraid to touch people. The other day in church the Pastor asked that we try something a little different. “Let’s try holding hands as we pray today.” I looked to the right and to the left and was able to confidently take the hands of the people standing next to me without fear of them screaming in pain and drawing back bloody stumps for hands.

If you have rough, dry hands, give it a try, you’ve got nothing to lose.

Earlier on I had a post on how to recycle wine bottles. Well, here’s an article on what to do with the corks.

The author provides 10 solutions on how to recycle wine bottle corks.

The only one she seems to be missing is creating a wine bottle cork board. It’s simple and easy to do.

What You’ll Need

• Scissor

• Wine bottle corks (as many as you can accumulate)

• Glue. Preferably Gem-Tac Permanent Adhesive (hot glue gun works only temporarily. Over time the corks fall off).

• Velcro or hanging ribbon

Here’s what You Do:
Take a piece of cardboard. It could be round, square or rectangle, it doesn’t matter. Cut it into the shape of your choosing (a heart would be nice).

Decide how and where you want to hang the cork board. You could use either Velcro backing or place a string/ribbon through the cardboard and use it to hang the board on a hook. You need to decide this up front. It’s easier to poke a hole in the cardboard before the cork is adhered to it.

After deciding how you want to hang the cork board, pre arrange the cork stoppers on the cardboard so that there’s no space in between each piece of cork. Get creative. Lay some horizontally, some vertically. You can even stand some on the end (just cut the excess cork so that the cork board has an even/level plane.

Now that everything is arranged to your liking, individually glue each cork to the cardboard with the Gem-Tac glue.

Once the glue is dry, hang the cork board and start using it.

Get Creative

If you really want to get creative with wine corks, check out these wine cork flip flops (scroll down to see the flip flops).