Birthstones are precious or semi-precious gems that correspond to your month of birth. You can get them on necklaces, rings, bracelets, and other types of jewelry. The most common birthstones are: January's birthstone is garnet, which is usually a reddish color. February' birthstone, amethyst, is always purple, though it can be varying shades of purple. Aquamarine is March's birthstone and is a blue-green color. April's birthstone is diamond, which is usually clear, though it can occasionally have imperfections that make the gem cloudy. May's birthstone, emerald, is a vivacious green color and contains aquamarine, heliodor, and morganite. Moonstone is June's birthstone and is usually blue-white or peach and gets its name from the reflectiveness of the gem, similar to that of the moon. July's birthstone, ruby, can be a variety of colors, though deep red is the most common color for birthstone rubies. Peridot is August's birthstone and comes in various shades of olive green from more to less vibrant. September's birthstone is sapphire, which is the non-red version of the gem ruby, though it is usually a shade of blue. October's birthstone is opal, which usually contain a prism of different colors that are organized in spherical pockets. Citrine is November's birthstone and is a yellow to orange color. December's birthstone is turquoise, which is usually blue-green. Jade charms, especially those coming from China, are thought of as highly valuable. Often, jade charms are carved into symbolic figures that are meant to give its wearer specific power coming from the figure. Some common figures include: Bats symbolize happiness and longevity. Butterflies symbolize a long life, though they can also mean joy. Cats protect against evil spirits during the night. Fish symbolize wealth and abundance, though they can also symbolize freedom. Rats symbolize industry and prosperity. Yin-yang represents the positive and negative qualities of life. Dream catchers come from a Native American tradition of "catching" bad dreams, while letting good ones through. You can make a dream catcher if you get a kit, but they are also widely available for purchase. Since dream catchers have to do with dreams, these charms are usually kept above your bed. The feathers below the net of the dream catcher are said to filter the good dreams down to the dreamer. Dream catchers are often made with a willow hoop and decorated with pieces of daily life. While Native American dream catchers are made with arrows and beads, you can make your own dream catcher with trinkets from your own life. Certain crystals are said to have healing properties. Since the crystals have a variety of different properties, it's best to choose the one for your own need for luck. Some common healing crystals include. Abalone comes from a sea shell. It is said to be soothing and lead to a calmer behavior. Malachite is a stone designed to transform a person. It is supposed to be cleansing in order to help one regain hope. Pyrite is meant to attract financial prosperity. Its gold color is said to correspond with the monetary windfall that it brings. Serpentine is said to bring one's hormones into balance. It allows one to gain responsibility for one's life and help one heal. Sunstone is said to be connected to light and the power of the sun. The crystal is supposed to bring sunny and happy moods and to banish negative emotions. A rabbit's food is one of the more common lucky charms in the United States. Originally, a rabbit's food was an African-American folk tradition that was said to bring good luck and fortune when rubbed by the wearer. Since rabbits are notoriously fertile, rabbit's foot is supposed to be affiliated with fertility. In particular, the rabbit's foot is said to be the left foot of the rabbit. You can likely find a rabbit's foot at a variety of locations. Though it may be tempting to make your own, it's probably best to leave any wild rabbits alone. Four leaf clovers are extremely rare; the odds of finding one are roughly 10,000 to 1. If you can't find a four leaf clover, it may be fun to make your own out of other material. Each leaf of the clover is said to represent different fortunes. The four leaves of the clover are said to make you lucky in faith, hope, love, and luck. A three leaf clover is said to represent the Holy Trinity in Irish Catholicism. The fourth leaf, which is four luck, also has its origins in religion; allegedly, Eve had a four leaf clover from the Garden of Eden.

Summary: Get a charm with your birthstone. Find a jade charm. Make or buy a dream catcher. Find some healing crystals. Buy a rabbit's foot. Find or purchase a four leaf clover.

Scales are most prevalent outdoors where they infest all species of trees, shrubs, perennial plants and annual plants. When the plants are small enough and infestation is not too severe, get rid of the scales in the same way as you would houseplants. Scrub the scales off with your nail or an old toothbrush. Spray the plant with an insecticidal spray every four days or so. When the scale infestation is severe, use sharp hand pruners or loppers to trim off branches and leaves which hold high concentrations of these insects. Make the pruning cut about 1/4-inch above a leaf or at the base of the branch. Use a garden hose to spray off the pruners or loppers before using them on another plant to remove any scale insects that may be left on them. This is also commonly called summer oil or dormant oil, to kill any remaining scale insects. Spray the oil on the tops and bottoms of the leaves as well as the stems. There are various horticultural oil formulas on the market that are all equally good. They are commonly mixed at a rate of 2 to 4 teaspoons per gallon of water, but this varies. Read and follow the manufacturer's recommendations carefully. Shake the spray bottle vigorously to mix it initially and every few minutes while spraying to keep the oil mixed with the water. Spray the plants in early spring to kill any scale insects that have survived the winter before new growth starts. During the summer, spray the plants for scales in June, July and August but only if they return after the early spring treatment. Horticultural oils work by smothering the scale insects that are on the plant when it is sprayed. The treatment may have to be repeated after a week or two.

Summary: Use the same methods as those used for houseplants when fighting a small-scale attack. Prune away parts of the plant that are infested with scales. Spray the plants with horticultural oil. Keep the seasons in mind.

Sit down with your back straight on a chair. Take a piece of paper big enough for your whole foot to fit on. Place your foot flat on the paper. If you intend to wear socks with the shoe you're buying, wear those socks while measuring your foot. With a pen or pencil, trace the outline of your foot. Keep the pen or pencil as close to your foot as possible. This will help ensure an accurate measurement. You'll get the most accurate measurement if you have someone else trace your foot while you remain seated upright, but it's okay to do it yourself. After you finish measuring your first foot, do the exact same process with the second foot. Feet are usually slightly different in size, so you'll be picking shoes with your larger foot in mind. Identify the areas on your feet with the largest width. Take a tape measure or ruler to measure both widths. The first measurements will not be entirely accurate. The pencil will have created a small amount of space, making your measurements slightly larger than your actual feet. To determine your most accurate foot width, subtract 5 millimeters or 1/5 of an inch from each measurement.
Summary: Place your foot on a piece of paper while seated. Trace your foot. Repeat with the other foot. Measure the width between the widest points of your foot. Subtract to find your shoe width.