Get ready for the D2L challenge!

As you know, we've posted the Core Competencies on D2L. Now is your chance to show off your D2L prowess!

You can copy and paste this list to a word document and put your answers on it. Please send to me via e-mail (gina.peek@okstate.edu).

Go to D2L and do the following tasks to be eligible to win an educational tool.

1. Go to the “profile” and fill out the fields. Be sure to include a picture of yourself!
2. List 5 members of one of your issue teams.
3. Find the Core Competencies. Find the modules that I have created. List 3 of the module titles.
4. Find the Educators Resources. Find one item in the dropbox folder. Write the name of the item here:_______________.
5. Pick one of your issue teams. Locate one item of your choice and download it. Write item name here:                ______.
6. Select one of your “courses.” Look at the news tool. Search for a news item. Copy and paste that news item here. If there isn't a news item, then respond N/A.
7. Select the “course” OCES-Extension-FCS-Educator-Resources - OCES-Extension-FCS-Educator-Resources. Find resources that I have posted. Tell me the name one of posted item.
8. Open a word document and write a quick idea of what you want Gina Peek to work on (safety team or housing related). Upload the document to the Educator Resource dropbox. You’ll get feed back.
9. Choose one of your “courses” and look at the classlist. Is there someone on the team that you don’t know? Put their name here:                                     .
10.  Send me a note from D2L. Put in the subject heading, "This is a note sent from D2L."

DUE: Friday, February 14, at 12:00 pm

The winner will be announced at 10:00 am on February 17.

Bed bugs grant project launching MONDAY!

What a great Extension conference! It was great to see everyone. I got a few ideas from the social media session. Please stay tuned for new things from me.

In the meantime … Enjoy this picture of bed bugs! We showed them at the conference. 

If you  are  you part of the bed bugs grant project, get ready. We're going to launch on MONDAY. I will be in touch!

Will the king sized bed fit or not?

Some of you commented on the post about the bed failure, getting my money back, and subsequent purchase of a new bed.

Some of you have considered purchasing a King sized bed, but had valid concerns about the size. What would it look like in the bedroom? Would it be too large for the room? Well, you can see what a king sized bed would look like at your house without actually having to make a purchase.

From a square footage application, you could take sheets of paper and tape them together to create the "plan" of a bed. You can lay the paper out and see how it would look in the room. You could purchase cardboard moving boxes to simulate a more 3-D feel.

As a reminder … 

• A king bed measures: 76" x 80"
• You should leave at least 37" - 39" between the bed and the wall
• Allow more space for walkers. Wheelchairs require a turning radius of 5 feet.

Happy space planning!

GP

Cleaning the toilet!

As promised, a blog post about a toilet.

I've told you all before that my house was built in 1965 and has been through some harsh realities. Needless to say, the toilet needed more than a general cleaning due to the mineral deposits let in the bowl. It's easy to see the discoloration in the bowl (Picture 1).

I purchased a pumice scouring stick, which claims to be able to scour off the unsightly discoloration. I bought mine at Lowe's for $2.98. As always, I am not endorsing this particular product. It's just what was available for my use.

Weblink to product: http://www.lowes.com/pd_210456-14242-210456_0__?productId=3549232


I got to work! I donned my yellow rubber gloves and began scrubbing. I realized the task would be easier with less water in the bowl. So I poured a bucketful into the bowl to make it flush, retaining a lower water level (Picture 2).

Joy of joys … the scouring stick worked! Toilet perfection (Picture 3).

I know that it's vulgar to write about such a home necessity, but this is a difficult cleaning issue that many households are likely to face.

Plus, I am over the moon with excitement about this product …

Until next week…

GP

Consumer victory!

Dear FCS,

This is a tale of consumer victory.

I bought a new mattress with my first paycheck from OSU. Despite needed and dreaming of a new mattress for awhile, I had a budget to contend with. After testing every mattress in Stillwater, I chose a king-sized, Sealy (brand) Mansfield cushion firm (model). As you can imagine, I was thrilled. Enough room for my Basset hound to stretch out lengthwise. 

Fast forward about two years. The mattress began sinking on each side, enough to make sizable dents. I contacted the store where I purchased the mattress. The owner assured me that he'd be able to help me document the case as product failure. Fast forward. The store went out of business.

I then contacted another retailer in town. This time, the retailer helped me document the issues and work with Sealy. I had to take a series of photos (about 10) and fill out a substantial amount of paperwork. The picture is from the report.

Just one of the pictures used to document mattress failure

After some time... success! Sealy determined that the product was a failure and gave me a replacement value! From start to finish, this process took about one year.

I chose apply the mattress replacement value to a new Tempur-Pedic mattress. I am the happiest sleeper in Payne Co! My cat Trixie Belden is very happy, too.

Trixie Belden and the new mattress

Until next time!
GP

Article from 1921 and Basic Housekeeping Adobe Connect on Monday

Basic housekeeping coming up!

Writing in 1921, Ellen Potter talked about the importance of community in raising children. It was written that the public school system played an enormous role in helping to secure positive outcomes "Courses in home economics will lay the future foundation for intelligent home making, which is the only basis on which child welfare can be made secure."

This is a PERFECT segue to Monday's Adobe Connect training. I chose this article because a number of you had indicated that you associate a clean home with basic health, welfare, and safety principles.

This training will focus on basic housekeeping. I have assembled a number of materials for you to use (PowerPoints, fact sheets, etc.) Indeed, basic housekeeping is not something that is inate. Instead, it is something that must be taught. I have also noticed that basic housekeeping skills may be forgotten over time.

Source: Potter, E. C. (1921). Community measures to conserve child life. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 98, Child Welfare, pp. 16-27.

See you Monday!

Adobe Connect
Date: July 1, 2013

Title: Basic housekeeping for low-income clients

Time: 10:00 – 11:00 am 
Please use the following link to connect: http://dasnr.adobeconnect.com/r2w98s1tbtm/. 

Lead in unlikely places

All:

Are you familiar with Restoration Hardware? It's a home goods store ($$$) that has a multitude of products, ranging from tableware to art. I needed a matching pair of lamps and hunted until I found two within my price point. Restoration Hardware had two that were DEEPLY discounted and fit my needs perfectly.

The lamps arrived. I was thrilled to see lightbulbs included in the package. The bulbs are compact fluorescent (CFLs) and feature the ENERGY STAR label. I was happy about this as CFLs manage energy better relative to incandescents with similar output.

I was not as thrilled to see the sticker label which reads:

WARNING:

This light bulb/lighting product has one ore more soldered electrical connection points on it's base that contain LEAD or lead compounds... 

Please take steps to minimize handling of the base of this product. 

Please do not place the base of the bulb in your mouth."

This is a fine example of the lead in consumer products ... You can find lead in the most unlikely places!