How to tell if someone is lying

How To Tell If Someone Is Lying (courtesy of 5Min.com)

How do I tell if someone is lying to me? There are a lot of indicators of why somebody might be lying, and we could actually do a whole session on this, but here are some indicators that somebody’s lying:

First of all – do they only show one emotion? Have you ever met somebody who says how are things going? Oh, great, great, great great. Everything is always great. Oh, and you’re great, and everything! Well, here’s the thing. We all have down days, we all get upset with one another. If somebody’s showing you only one emotion, chances are, they’re not being up front.

Here’s another indication…if they’re not giving you the details. Do you ever ask someone a question, and they don’t really answer the question? Or, they give you kind of a vague answer? Or, they get defensive or make accusations back? In other words…and you think to yourself, “they didn’t answer the question?” Chances are, they’re covering up for something, and therefore, they are lying.

So, there are many indicators, but those are perhaps 2 big ones that I see often and we need to pay attention to. And then, of course, push forward, or walk away from the situation if you can, or, deal with it another way. Legally, of course, but the key is to do something about it, if it’s going to affect our life.

How To Manifest Anything (courtesy of TheRealPaulVHarris)

Hello! I’m Paul V Harris, and you can reach me at Clear.com/PaulVHarris, or you can find me at DrInspiration.com. You know, I have, I’ve been doing this video newsletter or this video blog, for about a year now, and I’ve had some amazing responses. And, there was something that occurred to me that I haven’t been telling you where I’ve been doing these videos! The video has always got the same kind of background in them, and I was like, “whoa! What do I need to do to change this up?” And, it occurred to me that I should tell you where I’m doing it! And, it also occurred to me that I’m manifesting this place out of nothing…which was absolutely amazing.

You know, I remember years ago, when I was driving my old motor home down the road, and I’d see these guys with these big diesel pushers driving down the road, and the first thing that came to my mind was “that’s how the other half lives”. Has anybody ever thought that? Now, anybody watching this video, have you ever thought, you see something going down the road and you think man, I’d really like to have that, and I just don’t believe I can ever have it. Well, you know I thought the same way. I thought the same way.

I drove down the street – I live over here in Courts Hill, and I kept driving by this motor home every day. And, I’d look at that motor home and I’d go “that’s the motor home I want some day”. That’s the motor home I want some day. Every day I’d drive by this motor home, just sitting there. And, to make a long story short, my buddy comes down the street and says there’s some people around the corner, you know, where that big motor home is, and they wanna sell that motor home. And I just went yea, whatever, you know. And I didn’t go over there or do any follow-up. And then, this lady down the street tells me hey you might want to go over and take a look at that motor home because they’re selling it. So now, that’s 2 people that have told me about this motor home over there that’s for sale. And I still kinda blew it off and didn’t pay attention, and then another friend of mine – unrelated to these other two – these people don’t know each other – comes down the street and tells me about this motor home around the corner that’s for sale. And at that point, it’s like look…3 times I’ve been told about this motor home – I’d better go over there and at least take a look at it!

Ok now, I was, I wrote down everything I wanted in a motor home. You know, my wife and I were sitting down – what are all the things we want in a motor home, should we decide to upgrade? Should we decide to move in to a better motor home than what we’ve had – our little 1989 34′ Bounder that we’ve been killin’ for 15 years, every time we take it out, overloading it and all that. And I said ok, I want a diesel, I want , I want 10,000 barrel tow rating, she wants a dinette like this, she wants a brown interior because we always go to the desert. And, we go over to look at this motor home – and we talked about how much we wanted to pay, and it’s like ok, we know we want a motor home that’s from $125 to $150,000 and that’s way, way out of our price range, for something that we don’t use that often. I said ok, I’m willing to pay $75,000. And that’s a pretty substantial discount, right?

So, we go over, we look at this motor home – it’s brand new! This thing is like, it’s got 14,000 miles on it, it’s been put underneath a shaded storage its entire existence, it’s hardly been used, and the lady says, “oh, you know, I’ll take $74,000.” And, it’s amazing how we manifest things in our life, just by looking at it every day. You know, that’s why it’s so important for us to write down we want – specifically, what it is we want. Now, there are things on this motor home that I didn’t write down, that I wanted, that I saw, in other people’s motor homes, and I was like, wow look at all this extra stuff! It’s like, you can never sell somebody less that what they want. You can always sell them more. This fit my criteria to the absolute perfect, and that’s where I’m doing this filming – inside of my motor home! Because, it’s the only place quiet! I have kids, it’s the summertime, my grandfather’s here, my mom’s here, and it’s quiet – I can do my videos…it’s like my office. It’s an amazing place to be, and let me know what you think about manifestation. Let me know about the things that you want to manifest in your life. Just take this video, embed it in your blog, post a comment, let me know that you’re alive – just take action, and you can manifest everything that you want in your life! If I can do it, you can do it!

How To Make a Bunk Bed (courtesy of buildeazy.com)

How To Roast Garlic (courtesy of EHowFoods.com)

To roast garlic, first start with your oven set to 350º.

Next, take a head of garlic, and go ahead and cut off the top part of the garlic, so it’s exposing the cloves.

You’re gonna next set that into a little foil bowl, on a sheet pan, with a roasting rack.

Next, add a little olive oil on top of your garlic cove.

And then, we’re gonna add just a little bit of salt.

Next, we’re gonna set it into the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until it gets really soft to the touch.

And that is how you roast a head of garlic!

Learn how to make delicious tamales (courtesy of AllRecipes.com)

Tamales are as beautiful as they are delicious! Wrapped and steamed in leaves, this authentic, Latin-American treat can be made in so many variations – just like the American sandwich! Served as a special occasion food, in part because they take time to make, tamales are steamed, cornmeal dumplings filled with moist, flavorful filling, all wrapped up like a gift, in a corn husk! First, let’s take a look at what goes inside a tamale, from the inside out.

Filling. This is traditionally meat – braised beef or pork – but, you can pack tamales with chicken, roasted veggies, cheese or seafood.

Masa dough. The dumpling or breading of the tamale, is made from ground corn flour, lard and salt. This doughy mixture is cooked into firmness through steaming.

The wrapper. Tamales are wrapped and cooked in a plant leaf – dried corn husks, fresh corn husks or banana leaves are common wrappings. This non-edible layer holds the tamale together as it cooks, and it gives the tamale its distinctive, authentic look. Before you get started, be aware that tamales take a fair amount of time to make. Some tamale makers suggest you may need as much as 2 days.

Day 1 – You cook the meat.

Day 2 – You assemble the tamales.

Others suggest that you make the tamales all in one day, and make a party out of it! Invite over your friends and family to form a tamale making assembly line. Either way, here are the tools to make tamales:

A dutch oven to cook the meat
Large capacity, 16 to 20 quart steamer to steam the tamales
Tongs
Knife, spoon or spreading utensil of your choice

Step 1 – Prepare the filling. Most tamales are filled with braised pork or beef, in a sauce of spices and dried and crushed chilies, but you can use chicken, roasted vegetables, cheese, beans or seafood. Even make dessert tamales, filled with a sweet mix of fruit and nuts!

Traditionally, you simmer a large, 3-4 pound piece of pork or beef roast in a dutch oven with onion, garlic and enough water to cover the meat. Cook the meat on low heat until it’s tender and cooked through, for at least 2 hours. Ideally, you want to be able to pull it apart with a fork.

Once you’ve cooked the meat, you can ad spices and seasonings. Typical choices are chilies,
chili powder, garlic powder, ground cumin, black pepper and salt. Well, here’s how you season the cooked meat. Heat a splash of corn oil in a large pan. Heat on medium-high and add seasonings of your choice. Add the pulled, cooked meat and mix with the oil and seasonings.

Step 2 – Prepare the husks. Soak the dried corn husks in water for about an hour, to make them pliable.

Step 3 – Make the masa. Traditional tamale dough is a mixture of masa, lard and salt. Fresh masa is dried corn that has been cooked in lime water, soaked overnight and ground up while still wet. You can buy fresh masa. It makes the lightest, fluffiest tamales! Or, you can make your own masa, using Masa Harena – flour from dried out masa. If you use Masa Harena, you add liquid – either water or meat broth, to moisten it.

For light and fluffy tamale dough, whip the lard and salt with an electric mixer for a few minutes. If you don’t want to use lard, you can use the same amount of vegetable shortening. Add masa and continue to whip, adding water or broth, until the mixture is the consistency of soft cookie dough. How do you tell if your masa mixture is moist enough? Here’s a test. Drop a small ball of dough into a glass of water. If the dough sinks, it needs more liquid whipped into it. If it floats, it’s ready to use!

Step 4 – Wrap it up! Open up a corn husk or leaf and lay it on a cutting board. Spread a layer of masa dough, about a ¼ to a ½ inch thick. Then, spread a tablespoon of filling down the middle of the masa dough. Carefully roll up the husks so that the masa dough completely covers up the filling, and the parcel stays in tact. Use a strip of husk to tie the package closed. Pretty, isn’t it?

Step 5 – Steam the tamales. Stand the tamales upright in a steamer basket. Turn the water to high and steam over boiling water for 45 minutes. Remove the tamales from the steamer with tongs, taking care not to burn yourself. Arrange the tamales on a platter, and Dig In! Remind tamale newbies to remove the corn husk before eating!

Make a lot of tamales and freeze the excess. Tamales can be frozen for up to 6 months. Wrap them in a heavy, resealable plastic bag. To re-heat, thaw tamales in the refrigerator, and steam or microwave them until they are heated through.

If you’re craving tamales, set aside some time, invite over friends and family, and get rolling! Tamales are easy to make, when there are lots of hands to help!

How To Make A Silver Retro Christmas Tree (courtesy of Threadbanger.com)

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, and welcome to Décor it Yourself! Every year, Will and I bring home a cut tree, but, this year we wanted to be a little greener and save some green, by bringing home a live one and showing you how to make your own retro tinsel tree!

First, gather a bunch of wire hangers and straighten them all out.

Fold 4 of them in half, then fold in half again, and reinforce the joint with galvanized wire.

Now, take out 4 pieces of thick wire, measuring 64 inches. Wrap the entire length of the 4 metal pieces in galvanized wire to create a strong structure.

Take your “L” shaped feet and attach to one end of your thick wire, to create the stand. Wrap until all 4 feet are secure.

Wrap the entire pole in tinsel, starting at the bottom. Once covered, wrap with galvanized wire.

Now, you’re gonna make your branches. You’re gonna cut different lengths of wire from your hangers, for the tiers of your tree.

Once you have your wire cut to the length it needs to be, wrap the entire piece with tinsel. Bend some tinsel over the end so it covers the sharp end of the hanger. Then, wrap that end with galvanized wire a couple of times, to secure the tinsel.

Now, wrap the entire branch with the wire until you reach the end. Then, secure that end the same way you did the first.

Bend one end 3 inches up at a 90° angle. You will need:

10 – 21” branches

8 – 16” branches

6 – 12” branches

5 – 10” branches

5 – 9” branches

4 – 8” branches

3 – 6” branches.

You’re going to attach your branches by placing them on the trunk, like so. It helps to mark where you’re going to attach them by marking them with a piece of wire.

Use a friend’s help to hold all of the branches of that tier in place. Wrap around all of them at one time with wire. Be sure to wrap all the way to the end of where the small parf of the L reaches the trunk.

We started with the bottom tier of the branches. Next, do the top tier, then measure the space in between to evenly distribute the rest of the tiers.

Once all tiers are securely attached, you’re going to finish your base. Take a square piece of wood, big enough for all 4 legs to fit on. Screw mending plates to each leg, about 2 inches from the trunk.

Paint your feet white to complete your stand.

Fold the branches in different directions to make it lush. Decorate, and voila! You have a retro tinsel tree for under $30 that you can use year after year!

A whole bunch of you asked for Christmas tree alternatives, so when we come back, I’ll show you plenty!

Welcome back! Another great tree alternative is a rosemary bush in the shape of a Christmas tree, that you can also use when cooking your holiday meals.

For small spaces, use a wall decal for your tree, as featured in Apartment Therapy.

Ingrid from Wood and Wool Stools has a cool tree alternative, as seen here. Read last year’s Threadbanger blog for these DIY trees by Venest. Our own viewer, Isabel, made this tree alternative out of a vintage body form. Awesome work, Isabel!

What are you doing for your tree this year? Going eco and green with a live one, or making your own? Send in photos so we can see them. Thanks so much for watching! I’ll see you next wek, and remember, Your Nest Needs You!

How To Make Christmas Photo Ornaments (courtesy of Howcast.com)

Decorate your Christmas tree with this keepsake ornament featuring a photo of a loved one. You will need:

Photo
Scissors
Transparent ornament with a removable top
Pencil
Cotton swab
Glue
Decorations
Acrylic paint
Paintbrush
Ribbon

Step 1: Cut out the photo you want to use into a circle that measures about 3 inches across.

Step 2: Remove the hanger and cap from the bulb. Then wrap the photo around a pencil, making sure the photo is facing outward.

Step 3: Holding the photo around the pencil, slip it inside the bulb. Release the photo from the pencil.

Step 4: Position and straighten the photo with a cotton swab.

Step 5: Get creative and glue small shells, colored tinsel, colored sand, and even popcorn to the inside and outside of the ornament. Gluing decorations inside will also help keep the photo in place.

Step 6: Write the date on the back of the ornament with acrylic paint, and a message if you like. Finish by tying a bow around the top of the ornament and give it as a gift to the person in the picture or hang it on your own tree.

Did you know? Ornaments on the 2008 National Christmas tree were made with holographic film to make the tree look lit all day!