Black Friday Apps for Finding Holiday Deals in Bothell

Happy Black Friday, Bailey Farm Friends!

If you’ve got any energy left after yesterday’s festivities, you might be thinking about heading out for some Black Friday shopping deals. Of course, you’re bound to find some amazing deals at Mill Creek Town Center and countless businesses in the Bothell area.

But in the event that you get easily overwhelmed by Black Friday options, of course technology is the great equalizer—there are numerous Black Friday apps that you can use to find the best Black Friday deals in the area. CBS Seattle rounded up some of the most popular options for tech savvy holiday shoppers:

DealNews Black Friday App The DealNews Black Friday App has been a favorite of bargain hunters for a few years now. Both PC Magazine and PC World named DealNews the “Best Black Friday Web Site,” and now you can use the app to help you navigate all the deals. Included in the app is the ability to browse both leaked and confirmed ads from all the major retailers. It’s sorted by retailer, showing you how many ads each is offering, putting all the control of finding the best deal in your fingertips. If you have a few favorite stores, check those first, and find all the rumored or confirmed ads before anyone else knows about them.

Fat Wallet
Fat Wallet is a bargain site that is helpful all year-round. You can use the app to filter by category and compare deals on similar items. Then you can select those items as favorites and share them with your family and friends, allowing you to coordinate your shopping plan and create a perfectly structured plan of attack on the big day. You’ll be able to start looking at ads for Black Friday weeks early, so start planning soon. This is probably the best app for those that like to divide and conquer, helping you master than plan with all of your shopping team.

FastMallIf your Black Friday plans have you heading to the mall, then you definitely need to download the FastMall app. The app maps out all the major shopping malls in the country (including Canada and the U.K.) and helps you track your car, find the nearest bathroom, the food court, or where all the elevators are. When it comes to helpful apps, this one may not point you towards the bargains, but it will definitely keep you sane on the big shopping day. Moms on the go are sure to love this one.

Got another Black Friday tip for shopping in the Bothell area? Head over to our Facebook page and share your gift-finding tips!

Weighing the Benefits of a Land Line in Your Apartment

Are you reading this on a smartphone? It’s 2013 after all, so it’s not too unlikely. We rely on cell phones for a lot these days—not just making calls, but also for finding directions to your favorite Bothell area businesses, doing research, making to-do lists, or just browsing the Web.

With cell phones so versatile, it’s increasingly common for people to opt to go without a land telephone line. But for some people, it can be beneficial to have a landline for emergencies, for work responsibilities, or for a number of other reasons.

ApartmentTherapy had a very informative article last week on the pros and cons of keeping a landline in your apartment—here are some letters they received from people who have decided to keep their traditional phone line:

"We have a landline because my husband is Australian and have found that making international calls isn't as reliable via cell phone."


"Cell reception in our home is typically fine, but I do use the landline when I have conference calls for work that take place during the evening hours, just for that extra reliability that cell phones sometimes can't provide."

"None of my cell phones have provided me with the comfort level (shoulder-neck-ear)..."

"Can't help adding one more important factor to consider in whether to ditch your land line as a backup - in the event of a disaster, network congestion can make cell communication difficult or impossible. (for example, Superstorm Sandy and the Boston Marathon bombings.)"

Do you still have a landline in your apartment? Tell us why it’s important to you—share it with other residents on our Facebook timeline!

Taste of the Holidays Wine Walk at Country Village

The Great Northwest and the Seattle area in particular are certainly known for their assortment of great craft breweries, but don’t leave the winos out of the mix! There are tons of great local wineries in the area, and on Saturday, you can enjoy the best they have to offer—and contribute to a worthy cause.

On November 16, from 5 pm to 8 pm, Country Village will host “A Taste of the Holidays” wine tasting event, and all proceeds will benefit the Northshore Schools Foundation. The event will feature vendors selling holiday items and wine tasting from 20 local wineries. The event kicks off the holiday season at Country Village, so you might even find a hidden discount or two!

Tickets for the event are $20 in advance, and $25 at the check-in booth—you can reserve your ticket here. And remember to Bring Your Own Glass!

Participating stores include:

Piccola Cellars at Eclectic Haven, Hedges Family Estates at An Afternoon To Remember, Robert Ramsay Cellars at Quite The Find, Davenport Cellars at Bon Sejour Home, J & A's Winery at Sankara Imports, Patterson Cellars at Heartland Interiors, Vortex Cellars at Town Hall Antique Mall, Lodmell Cellars at The Weed Patch, Dubindil Winery at Poppies, Amelia Bleu at The Village Eatery & Tea Shop, Goose Ridge Estate Winery at Cranberry Cottage, Kyra Wines at Life Solutions Healing Center, Isenhower Cellars at White House Antiques, Foxy Roxy Wine Company at O'malley & Potter, Convergence Zone Cellars at The Village Bean, Northwest Cellars at JJ Books and Gecko Wine Co. and Michael Florentino Cellars at Country Blend.

Halloween Leftover Ideas: From Chocolate Cake to Charity

With Halloween now in the past, thankfully you no longer have to stress about costumes, planning, or trick-or-treating. But one “problem” that tends to arise on the morning of November 1 is what to do with all of that extra Halloween candy.

Is this both a blessing and a curse? Nah! If you eat the candy in moderation and do productive things with the rest--like donating it, sharing it, or even using it to learn math—you can make the most of Halloween and all of the treats that come with it.

If you’d like to work your leftover candy into a tasty treat, consider one of these 50 leftover candy recipes we found at SomethingSwanky.com, including these delicious chocolate-peanut butter 7-layer bars:

Or, if you’re looking for a healthier way to get rid of your candy stash, consider one of these 15 ideas from KidsHealth.org:

1. Participate in a candy exchange. Some dentists and orthodontists (dentists who specialize in braces) offer candy exchanges. You turn in some candy and get healthy treats in exchange. Or you turn in some candy, and they pay you $1 per pound. They donate the candy to soup kitchens or to troops overseas.

2. Wouldn't it be cool if some of your candy went halfway around the world? Your Halloween candy could be included in care packages that are sent to soldiers serving their country far from home. Here are two organizations that ship packages to the troops. Heat-resistant candy only. Chocolate melts, you know! And don't forget to include a handwritten letter of support to really put a smile on a soldier's face!

3. Try reverse trick-or-treating! With a parent, make a trip to one or more local charities that accept candy donations. You'll feel great, and you'll sweeten someone else's day too. Some ideas include your local Ronald McDonald House, nursing homes, food pantries, children's hospitals, veterans' homes, or women's shelters.

4. Ask your parents if you can exchange your candy for something else — like a book or a toy. Make it fun by using a scale to weigh your stash — for example, maybe you could earn a book for every pound of candy you trade in.

5. Reduce by recycling. If you have a birthday or other party coming up, offer to use your candy to fill up goodie bags.

6. Buy fun chocolate molds at a craft store, melt down your extra chocolate bars, pour into the molds, let cool, and voilà — decorative, delicious gifts!

7. Make a special Halloween version of trail mix by tossing in a handful of candy pieces with your pretzels, nuts, raisins, and dried fruits.

8. Glue candy pieces to an unfinished wooden picture frame (you can buy them at the craft store). Add a photo, and you've got a really sweet present for someone special.

9. Did you know you can make jewelry and crafts out of candy wrappers? You can search for how-to instructions on the Internet.

10. Use the candy to fill a piñata for someone who has a fall or winter birthday.

11. Give "candy math" a whirl! Use candy corns to practice addition, subtraction, or counting by fives and tens. Hershey bars or KitKats are both great for visualizing fractions. Or, you can sort your candy (chocolate, gum, lollipops, fruit snacks, etc.) and figure out what percentage each group contributed to your total amount.

12. Donate your candy to...science? Yep, you can do lots of greatcandy experiments at home using Skittles, Lifesavers, Starbursts, M&Ms, and more. Plus, you just might want to see what happens when you leave a gummy bear in water...

13. Create a board game using candy as pieces. Or you can use candy in a sweet game of checkers or — dare we say it? — Candyland.

14. Build a candy city. With some glue (ask a parent for help if using a hot glue gun), some toothpicks, and a whole lot of imagination, you can design and construct a scene that even your Legos will envy. And it's never too early to start planning this year's holiday gingerbread house.

15. Send it to work with your mom or dad. That'll really make it disappear fast!

Interact with Other Interactive Types at SIC://2013

While our friends down in California get all the credit for high tech innovation, Seattle and its surrounding areas are quickly becoming a center for entrepreneurship as well. With Amazon founder Jeff Bezos recently showcasing Seattle inventions and talks of space tourism being based in the city, Seattle is a great place to live and surround yourself with talented, innovative people—they make pretty good neighbors, too, we’ve heard!

If you’re a professional working the creative or technological fields, check out the Seattle Interactive Conference this weekend. At the Washington State Convention Center, from Friday, October 28 to Sunday, October 30, stop by and listen to lots of great lectures on online technology and interaction—and even network yourself and meet other industry professionals. (To view the full agenda for the conference, click here.)

This year’s event will focus on the issue of transparency in the online world—here’s the full description, from the conference’s website:

This year, the Seattle Interactive Conference takes a hard look at transparency, a powerful and accelerating trend having profound impacts on businesses and consumers alike.

With the proliferation of more data and information than at any time in history, technology enables us to better monitor and measure what people are doing, where they're doing it, and how much they're willing to spend to do it. At the same time, we are seeing the promise of better user experience, human-computer interaction, and more overall knowledge, shining a brighter light on everything from return on investment to other detailed information at levels available only to insiders until now.

SIC://2013 provides a rare forum in which entrepreneurs, technologists, brands, businesses, creative leaders and consumers can directly share experiences with the digital trendsetters of today and the thought leaders of tomorrow.

To register for the conference, click here.

Falling into Healthy Autumn Habits

As the colder months approach, not only are our immune systems slightly compromised, but it can also be an adjustment to get out of those warm weather habits. The beginning of fall often means erratic weather patterns, and an unexpected 35-degree day can catch you off guard.

Staying healthy throughout the fall and winter isn’t just good for you—if we all work together to avoid illness, we can protect our roommates, fellow residents, family, and friends.

Dietician Timi Gustafson, R.D. offered some practical health advice for the fall in the Bothell-Kenmore Reporter last week, including not neglecting your physical fitness and taking advantage of healthy seasonal food:

As far as your physical fitness is concerned, you should build on the foundation you have laid over the summer – or undo the damage if your leisurely activities have led you in the other direction. Running, bicycling or swimming outdoors may no longer be possible, but there is the treadmill, the stationary bike or an indoor pool nearby. Don’t let lame excuses creep in and keep a regular exercise program as best as you can.

Your grocery list may or may not be as much affected, since today’s supermarkets stock most food items all year round, including those not in season in your region. But you can also focus on fruits and vegetables that are harvested late.

Fall is also a good time to make heartier meals like soups and stews that give you a cozy feeling when rain and wind bluster outside.

To read Dr. Gustafson’s full column in the Bothell-Kenmore Reporter, click here.

Celebrate Sustainability at the Brightwater Center’s “Ectober” Series

On October 5, the Brightwater Education and Community Center kicked off its “Ectober” sustainability series with a free kickoff celebration.

“Ectober” is a four-part seminar series dedicated to fostering sustainability and responsible resource management in the region. This is the first annual iteration of the event, with events held every Wednesday at the Brightwater Center, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Pre-registration is required for all Ectober events—the registration page is located here. Presenters include the King County Wastewater Treatment Division, IslandWood, the City of Bothell, and 4Culture.

Here’s the schedule of events to take place on Wednesdays this month:

Recycling: An Inside Look at Cascade Recycling Center
Wednesday, October 16, 2013 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM (PDT)
Get a unique insider's look at how your recyclables are sorted, packed, and shipped off to be turned into something new. Waste Management's Cascade Recycling Center, opened in 2003, serves 250,000 households in Western Washington. 12,000 tons (tons!) of recyclables pass through the recycling center each month. Learn how you can help keep the system moving efficiently and meet some of the people behind the scenes of this often talked about but rarely understood process.


Eco Movie Night - "Tapped the Movie" and "Part of the Cycle"
Wednesday, October 23, 2013 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM (PDT)
Join us at the Brightwater Center for some popcorn and a showing of "Tapped the Movie" (76 minute run time) and the premier of "Part of the Cycle" (8 minute run time).

Part of the Cycle is a beautiful short video by local artist Tess Martin, funded by King County's 1% for art program through the Wastewater Treatment Division. This is the first time the just-completed video will be seen by the general public.


Sustainable Living: Learn from the Experts
Wednesday, October 30, 2013 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM (PDT)
For our final event of Ecotober, we'll have several guest speakers as well as an entire panel of experts on various topics within the world of sustainability to answer your questions and provide you with more information.

Scheduled Presenters:
5:30 - 6:00pm - Sustainable Works Energy Audit - http://sustainableworks.com/

6:00 - 6:30pm - Zsofia Pasztor from 12,000 Rain Gardens in Puget Sound -http://www.12000raingardens.org/

6:30 - 7:00pm - Caryn Walline - Community Transit Curb your Congestion Program –

For a more complete overview of the Brightwater Center’s Ectober events, click here.