My brother is one of those people always looking to make a fast buck – much of it on ebay. You know the type: sell a kleenex used by a star; a so-called moon rock; a potato chip that looks like a chicken. Well, we found a food embosser and stamped his morning bread before it went into the toaster. And behold! The Holy Toast stamper made a clear impression of the Mother Mary. He thought for sure he was going to make a fortune – before we brought him back to sad reality. But it was fun!

In my line of business I chop onions and garlic constantly. Well, you know your hands stink for hours after doing that. My friend gave me “magic soap” -a little stainless steel oval sphere that you use to wash your hands like any other bar of soap. Voila – no more stink! I don’t know how it works – I only know that it does. One of my favorite kitchen handy gadgets.

Mom is 86 and her cognitive powers are diminishing. She is adamant about living at home so we are constantly on the lookout for gadgets that enhance her independent living. We found a temperature controlled faucet light which changes color with the water temperature. When you turn the faucet on, the water looks blue but the color changes to red when the temperature gets to 89 degrees, alerting you that the water is getting hot! The gadget is a universal adapter that fits most faucets. I imagine this would be good for young children as well.

In this age of high tech, its a pleasure to come across a good old fashioned mechanical toy. I don’t mean “simple” but rather “mechanical” as opposed to electronics. This little (approx. 6 1/2″) blue  MXYKikker wind-up toywalks using its tiny stainless legs with plastic feet – six of them – moving in a circular motion and will climb over small objects. Its cute, fun, and was probably some MIT student’s mechanical engineering project.

My neighbor has a koi pond but keeps losing his fish to the cats in our community. I recently went away on vacation and as a “thank you” to him for watering my plants and watching over my house I gave him 3 realistic looking floating Koi Toys to replace his fish. Not only do they look real but they light up providing a beautiful effect at night. When I saw him a few days ago he told me he was very grateful – not only does he not have to continually replace his expensive fish but he no longer has to worry about chemical balance, algae, food impact, etc. “Much easier,” he noted, “and the glowing goldfish are more dramatic.”

Recently in the grocery store I was fumbling for coupons from my handbag when I realized I had forgotten an item on my list which I had put back in my purse in order to place my purchases on the conveyer belt. I was frustrated as were the people behind me. On my way out of the store a lady handed me a little blue gadget and said, “Here, I think this  list caddy will help keep you organized.” She was right! The little grocery list holder clips to the handle of the shopping cart for easy viewing and holds your grocery list and coupons as well as a pen or pencil – all the while your hands are free to shop. The little plastic clip has a tiny magnet so you can attach it to your fridge to accumulate your coupons during the week. Only a couple inches big, it fits easily in your purse. A great personal organizer and a handy gadget.

Talk about stupid stuff. Hard candy suckers that contain real scorpions – the perfect gift for that real tough guy or little kids whose diets are partially made up of a variety of bugs anyway. Just the same must have been created by someone who was overrun by scorpions and didn’t have enough to do. Scorpion suckers

scorpion candy suckers

- Great gag gift worth the shock value .

Dress up your flip flops

Summer is here!!! Time for shoes to go back in the closet and flip flops to make an appearance. Dress up the simplest pair with these uniquely created charms just for flipps. There are silver painted ones, bubble bobbles, and little rubber charms too. There are animals, fish, and flowers; suns, faces, and romantic themes. I have 3 or 4 attached to the straps of my flip flops for a little spark and fun. Kids and adults alike love these little handy gadgets. You will too.

I recently had surgery and my neck is almost totally fused. I am unable to press my chin to my chest – i.e. look downward. This precludes me from reading, buttoning my shirt, or even tying my shoe laces. I came across these prism glasses that are angled in such a way as to allow me to see everything below my chin without bending my neck! Likewise I can lie flat in bed and watch TV or even read as if the image were straight ahead. The glasses may look a bit odd and unusual but don’t let that hide the value of them. They are truly a unique product.

I go to the putting green every Tuesday (we play nine holes on Thursdays) with three lady friends. I was getting a little bored with my Tuesday morning get-togethers until I found these animal imprinted golf balls - zebra, leopard, giraffe, and tiger prints. What a conversation piece – not to mention the advantage of their distraction.

I told my husband about the balls so he went online to see the other options available. Since he is a financial planner he got a kick out of the golf balls imprinted with a $100 dollar bill design and green and white tees – all shrink wrapped in a nice wooden box. He gave them as gifts and his clients love them.

Handy Dandy Pepper Roaster

Living in Arizona has certain advantages, one of which is early spring weather. In February, I put in a garden which includes, among other things, jalapeño and bell peppers. Anyone who has planted them knows they are very prolific so I am on a constant lookout for recipes. I enjoy stuffed bell peppers and LOVE jalapeños stuffed with crab and cream cheese. But getting the ingredients inside and keeping them there can be nearly impossible so this handy gadget, the  Handy Dandy Pepper Roaster is a godsend. The peppers stand upright so stuffing them is easy and ingredients don’t fall out while cooking. The jalapeno pepper griller comes in a variety of sizes and shapes ranging from as few as 6 large holes and as many as 24 small ones. Some are square, others rectangular and all are heavy duty steel – perfect for the oven or BBQ. One is even round, ideal for a dutch oven. Also available is a special corer – essential when working with jalapeños to avoid that biting sting from the seeds. For the faint of heart someone told me to soak the cored peppers in milk for a few hours to cut the heat. Rinse, then drain and stuff. The corer can also be used for tomatoes. So… I am looking forward to a summer filled with a variety of stuffed peppers – bell or otherwise – roasted with my jalapeño pepper griller. Now all I need are recipes. Any ideas?

Last weekend (4/14) I attended the Bicycle Festival in Mesa, AZ. As I was strolling down a street filled with old bikes, new bikes, and every possible bicycle part and accessory I came across noginsox. What are noginsox you ask? Well… they are foam helmet covers – they say to promote kids wearing their helmets. Anyway they had spike ones, cutsie ones,and even lighted ones. I was so intrigued I bought one – a T-Rex, and they’re right. They ARE fun.

Did you know that there is a whole song about recycling? It’s called “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!” and my eight-year-old has been singing it ad nauseam for the past three days. He’s learning all about recycling in school and the damaging effects landfills can have on the environment.

This has naturally made him curious about ways in which our own family can improve our recycling. He did some research online and found a product called Twist and Spout. It’s a gadget that turns any old soda bottle into an ergonomic pourer or watering can. With my help he ordered a set online using his allowance. He cannot wait for them to get here so he can start being a better recycler.

I’m grateful that in my early 80s I’m still able to live independently. I was worried that my daughter would insist on my moving in with her. Don’t get me wrong; I love my daughter and grandchildren, but I’m old not incapable- in other words, I enjoy my freedom. To put my daughter’s worries to rest, I agreed to purchase a cell phone so she can get a hold of me when I’m out and about.

Unfortunately, I found that holding the tiny cell phone to my ear for extended periods of time was uncomfortable. I did a little searching online and found a website that specializes in independent living aids. On the site they featured an easy to hold handset. The handset looks like a standard landline receiver and it fits right into the 2.5 mm earphone jack of my cell phone. Gripping the handset is far easier and makes chatting with my daughter for long periods of time more comfortable.

This past summer I traveled to five weddings in two months. That’s a lot of weekends on the road! Most of the weddings were held in locations several hours from where I live, so it was cheaper to drive than to fly.

In order to keep my dress attire wrinkle free, I installed auto clips in the back seat. These clips gave me plenty of space to hang my suits, dress shirts, and ties. No matter how long I spent in the car, when it came time for the ceremony, I always looked sharp.

If you are bored with the average skidoo and inner tubes for water fun, there are other alternatives. It is always fun to try out the latest water gadgets that are new and unique. Let’s face it, who doesn’t love playing in the water. Trying new and unique things is not just fun for kids but adults as well.

Have you ever heard of an aqua skipper? The aqua skipper has no engine, no noise, and better yet no air pollution. It is also a great way to burn calories, because you are the operator. It is easy to carry and will be hours of fun on the water.

Since the beginning of time, people have been inventing gadgets to make their lives easier. When you think of gadgets, surely the first thing that comes to mind is gadgets for electronics. With all the latest devices that are coming out, from the Iphone to the Ipod it is only natural that there are gadgets to go along with them.

Cool gadgets like these are also known as accessories to your electronics. There is nothing like adding new accessories with your new toys. When you purchase expensive new toys cool gadgets is something that you definitely need to look into.

My mother is preparing herself for when she gets older. She has informed my sister and I that she will not go to an assisted living facility. Stubbornness is the one thing that she will never run out of. She is determined to be able to take care of herself.

Since she is so determined to maintain her independent living situation, my sister and I made sure that her home was equipped with what she needed. Independence is important to everyone. We wanted to make sure that she was comfortable to take care of herself like she wanted.

A human-powered hydrofoil is a small hydrofoil boat propelled entirely by the muscle of its operator. Other designs, for example pedal-powered and propeller-driven models exist. These are the fastest water-based vehicles propelled solely by human power. They can reach speeds of up to 34km.

Aqua skipper is a light, one person hydrofoil. A common design for human powered hydrofoils consist of a large hydrofoil at the stern end that is used both for propulsion and keeping the vehicle above the water, connected to a smaller foil at the bow used for steering. Riders operate the vehicle by bouncing up and down on a small platform at the stern, whilst holding onto a steering column. Aqua skippers are currently being made in the USA.

Ethanol, in alcoholic beverages has been consumed by humans since prehistoric times for a variety of hygienic, dietary, medicinal, religious, and recreational reasons. The consumption of large doses of ethanol can cause drunkenness. Ethanol impairs judgment in humans. It can also cause reckless and irresponsible behavior.

Since people are drinking alcohol more and more there has become a need to check with alcohol tester in people. The first practical roadside breath-testing device intended for use by police was the drunkometer. Today it’s called a breathalyzer. Police officers use this device for estimating blood alcohol content from a breath sample.