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At Home Odds & Ends

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 28, 2008

Danger! Danger!

I've always thought of home as a haven, not a place where danger lurks under every doily.

So I couldn't believe what I read from the Home Safety Council:

"Each room of the home includes a unique set of dangers, leaving families at risk for leading home injuries including falls, poisonings, fires and burns, choking/suffocation and drowning."

It's a wonder anyone gets out alive!

Alarmist language aside, the council's point has merit. Better to take a few simple steps to avoid a broken kneecap, painful burn or something much more tragic than deal with serious regrets later.

To make it easy, the council created a new Web site,

MySafeHome .org. Users can click on each room to find the potential dangers, preventative measures and even some basic first-aid instructions. Some of the advice is no-duh: In the master bedroom, use a flashlight if the power goes out to avoid a trip-and-fall. But most of it is smart and helpful.

In no time, you can go back to viewing your home as your haven.

Put Some Toys In The Yard

Each month through September, someone's winning a dream backyard in a sweepstakes sponsored by Briggs & Stratton Corp. and more than two dozen other manufacturers.

Shouldn't that someone be you? (If it can't be me.)

Here's how it works: Enter up to once a day throughout the giveaway at www.mydream backyard.com. If you're a winner, you can choose from six themed packages that include multiple prizes (they're not all listed here, and some change depending on the month):

Gardener's Paradise (Snapper lawn tractor, teak potting bench, Fiskars tool set); Relaxation (luxury spa, teak rocking chairs, landscape lighting); Nature's Nook (composter, rain barrel, birdhouse package); Party Time (above-ground pool, teak bar set); Kids' Zone (redwood playset, trampoline); and Backyard Athlete (putting green, bleacher set, outdoor speakers).

Paint The Weekend

The painters are in town, and you're invited to their party.

The Society of Decorative Painters conference continues through Saturday at Tampa Convention Center, 333 S. Franklin St., Tampa. For $10 today and Friday (free on Saturday), browse the Expo, with its discounted products, and free demonstrations and Make-It-Take-It projects. At A Brush With Excellence Gallery, which opens at 7 tonight, view and purchase works of art.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Friday and 9 a.m. to

2 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are available at the door; print a $2 admission discount coupon at www.decorative painters.org.

Arrange And Rearrange

People who like to sample everything before they settle on anything will love designmy

room.com.

The Web site has databases full of paint colors, appliances, kitchen and bath fixtures, furniture - everything you would want or need in your house. Pick a room that most closely resembles yours and start slapping around hardwood floors (1,033 choices of Bruce) and throwing up ceilings (38 choices from Armstrong). You can share your projects online and even consult with friends.

It's fun, and it gives you an idea of what looks you may like. Or not.

Penny Carnathan

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