Patriots' TE Rob Gronkowski (ankle) returned to practice Wednesday on a limited basis.
Gronk is still listed as very Questionable for Thursday's game vs. Colts.
Colts' WR T.Y. Hilton (hamstring) has been ruled OUT for Week 5 at Patriots.
The Patriots bounced back from a loss in Jacksonville where they looked inferior on both sides of the ball by stomping out Miami's illusions on Sunday.
For the second straight season, the Patriots have started 2-2, which has welcomed in the naysayers and attracts those eager to sprinkle dirt prematurely on Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the most successful football franchise we've seen this century.
The months after losing to Philadelphia in Super Bowl have been filled with drama, acrimony and speculation over trade talk and the potential retirement of Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. There have been no answers over why Malcolm Butler was scratched against the Eagles or why other popular players weren't brought back. After Matt Patricia's Detroit defense dominated New England on Sunday night in Week 3, all the noise started up again.
The Patriots needed to handle business last week to throw on the noise-canceling headphones, officially putting the past in the rear-view mirror now that we're a month in and games are the primary focus.
New England avoided hearing all about how the sky is falling by dominating the Dolphins at Gillette Stadium in a game they entered in danger of falling three games behind the pace in the AFC East had they lost. Instead, they scored the game's first 38 points, breaking things open in the second quarter behind a pair of Tom Brady touchdown tosses and a James White TD run, one of two scores on the day. Rookie RB Sony Michel supplied the exclamation point with a 10-yard fourth-quarter TD run and wound up with 112 yards on 25 carries. He's carved out a major role, which is fitting since September ended with the emergence of a new cast of characters.
Beyond Michel's emergence, Cordarrelle Patterson rattled off the big catch-and-run that was representative of exactly what the Patriots hoped he'd bring to the table with his blazing speed. Josh Gordon debuted and contributed. Even though he's still working his way back from a hamstring injury, the attention he commands makes him an effective decoy even when he's not getting the ball. Former Colts first-round pick Phillip Dorsett scored for the second time this season, joining Chris Hogan and White with multiple receiving touchdowns. Gronk found the end zone first to open the season but hasn't scored since and is dealing with an ankle issue but was cleared to play on Thursday morning.
With Julian Edelman also returning from suspension to make his season debut, there's no longer a responsible way to say that Brady lacks weapons. There may be new faces in play, but the argument can be made that Gordon's acquisition gives him his most talented receiver since Randy Moss, while Patterson gives him his fastest target.
It's easy to write that we should all forget about "Deflategate" as a driving force here, but there may still be some residue in play.
Although this is only the second meeting between these teams since the accusation that New England's quarterback conspired to doctor footballs in the 2014-15 AFC Championship Game was levied, that's ancient history now.
Consider who is involved here. Bill Belichick is a known grudge-holder. Brady doesn't need a reason to run up a score, but he's long been among the NFL's most competitive performers and had to serve a four-game suspension in '16. He hasn't seen the Colts since. This will also be the first time the Colts come into Foxborough since the scandal, so you're likely to see a fan base that scans the internet for slights to pack a little extra for an old accuser.
Indianapolis is far removed from the days where it could be counted among New England's threats. The Colts are still bringing Andrew Luck back after missing all of last season, but he looked more like his old self in Sunday's OT loss despite losing T.Y. Hilton to an in-game injury. Luck rallied the Colts from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit despite working with the likes of Ryan Grant, Chester Rogers and newcomers at tight end (Eric Ebron, Mo Alie-Cox) and running back (Nyheim Hines, Jordan Wilkins).
Before Luck was injured, he was handing off to the legendary Frank Gore. He's now working with a pair of rookies, who despite their talent, haven't made life any easier from a continuity standpoint. This will be a learning experience for many of the Colts, who will be going through a short week situation – on the road, no less – for the first time.
Indianapolis is expected to be missing as many as seven starters and will be entering a venue where sympathy will be hard to find. Check out the injury report below for details. There's a chance that we could see showers throughout this game and the potential for wind gusts of over 20 miles per hour exist, which could work to the Colts' benefit in slowing New England down. Luck is 0-5 against Brady.
The Patriots opened the regular season a 1-to-8 favorite to win the AFC East, which suggests an 88.9 percent chance of continuing their dominant run of 14 division titles in 15 years. Although the Dolphins got off to a great start and went up two games, New England's odds never really wavered, moving to 1/4 (80%) before improving following the weekend's conquest of the Miami. The Colts were the AFC South's biggest longshot to open the season at 4/1 and has seen that number reach 10/1 after a slow start.
The Patriots also opened as the AFC favorite (3/1) and the Super Bowl favorite (6/1) for the entire league. Kansas City (5/2) has supplanted the Pats as the AFC's top dog, both in the standings and for futures purposes. Only the L.A. Rams (9/5) and Kansas City (6/1) have better odds than New England (8/1) to win the Super Bowl. Indianapoilis has the same odds as the Browns (50/1) to win the AFC, better than only the Raiders (100/1), Jets (150/1) and Bills (500/1).
As far as this matchup is concerned, the Patriots were installed as a 8-point favorite when the Westgate's early numbers were announced but opened this week laying 10. There are a few 10.5's out there and we may see this dip to 9.5 in the offshore market. The total opened at 55.5 an quickly was bet down to 53/53.5 before settling in at 51. Team totals have been set up with the Patriots number at 31 and Indy's at 20.5.
New England is a massive -500 favorite on the money line, while Indianapolis will get you +400/+425 on your investment.
Hilton's absence for Indianapolis will make the most noise but isn't the only issue that the eam will have to overcome. Starting corner Kenny Moore and backup Quincy Wilson will miss this game with concussions, while Nate Hairston (ankle) should play, possibly doing so only because the team is so thin in the secondary. Safety Clayton Geathers, one of the top tacklers, is questionable with a knee injury, while linebacker Darius Leonard is dealing with a knee issue.
Up front, Indy is hoping to have left tackle Anthony Castonzo make his season debut despite no practice time at all this season, so his availability is something to montior. Versatile Denzelle Good is out, away from the team due to the death of his brother earlier this week in South Carolina. Center Ryan Kelly, whose botched snap helped contribute to Sunday's loss, is questionable. Tight end Jack Doyle (hip) and RB Marlon Mack (hamstring) also remain sidelined.
The Patriots are in much better shape entering a game on a short week, but did have to put RB Rex Burkhead and rookie LB Ja'Whaun Bentley went on injured reserve. Tackle LaAdrian Waddle (illness) and corner Eric Rowe (groin) join Gronkowski (ankle) as being questionable. Defensive linemen Danny Shelton (elbow), Geneo Grissom (ankle) and Adam Butler (leg) are also all dinged up.
Of the props available below at BetOnline.ag I'd ride the first score being a touchdown and will trust Indy's Adam Vinatieri to best his successor in New England, Stephen Gostkowski, for the game's longest field goal.
Westgate Vegas opens its advance lines for the following week on Tuesdays and Week 6 currently has the Colts liisted as a 1-point road underdog at the Jets. The Patriots will be back in the national spotlight, hosting the Chiefs on Sunday night for a showdown that's going to be among the season's most hyped. New England has been made a 3-point favorite.
Last edited by StarDust Bum; 10-04-2018 at 01:39 PM.
Green Bay has some issues at receiver with Randall Cobb (hamstring) and Geronimo Allison (concussion) both on the wrong side of questionable ahead of Sunday's game in Detroit. In addition, Jimmy Graham (knee) missed practice on Wednesday and Davante Adams (calf) was limited — both are expected to play but clearly, neither is at 100 percent.
With skill players dropping around him like flies, life isn't getting easier for a hobbled Aaron Rodgers whose numbers have been quite pedestrian so far this season as he has yet to break the 300-yard passing mark. This week, he plays an underrated Lions passing defense that ranks second in the NFL, giving up just 171.8 yards per game. Sunday is trending towards being a tough day for Rodgers and we're leaning towards the Under on his passing yards total of 299.5.
Through four games, Denver Broncos fans can't be overly thrilled with the Case Keenum signing. He had an up-and-down opener with 329 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions, but since then he hasn't thrown a touchdown, has thrown three interceptions, and has passing yards totals of 222, 192, and 245 — and that 245 came against Kansas City, a team that had allowed opposing quarterbacks 375.6 passing yards in the first three weeks.
This week, Keenum and the Broncos head to New York to take on a Jets unit that ranks second in passing defense DVOA. It's much easier to run against the Jets (16th in rushing defense DVOA) and the Broncos will likely plan to use a lot of Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay. We're fading Keenum and taking the Under 260.5 on his passing yards total.
Last week, we suggested betting on Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen to score a touchdown at any time and, admittedly, it missed badly as the Bills were shut out in Green Bay. This week, Buffalo returns home to take on a tough Tennessee defense but we're going out on a limb and making the same bet again this week and there are a few reasons why.
First, Allen is really the only rushing option in the red zone with eight carries inside the 20 on the season — the rest of the Bills (LeSean McCoy, Chris Ivory, and Marcus Murphy) combined only have five. Second, the Titans have given up yards to quarterbacks on the ground so far this season with Deshaun Watson running for 44 and Blake Bortles for 27. Finally, the odds for Allen to score a touchdown at any time were set at +700 last week and will likely be similar this week, meaning bettors can afford to miss this one a few times before it hits, and it will still turn a nice profit.
If you like shootouts, look no further than the Atlanta-Pittsburgh game on Sunday that has a total that opened at 55 and has since been bet up to 57.5. Both teams are stacked on offense and hurting on defense, meaning points should come early and often. Oddsmakers are expecting huge games from just about everyone, but Pittsburgh tight end Vance MacDonald might not be getting the respect he deserves on the props market.
Since his debut in Week 2, MacDonald has been an important piece of the Steelers' offense with lines of 3-26-0, 4-112-1, and 5-62-0. He's also received a steady five targets each week and is running a pass route on 80.6 percent of his snaps, the highest rate of any tight end in the NFL. He's one of the few players who doesn't have an inflated total for Sunday and we're liking MacDonald to go over his Over 3.5 receptions total.
Last edited by Udog; 10-06-2018 at 10:19 AM.
San Francisco running back Matt Breida is listed as "limited" but is fully expected to play on Sunday at Arizona. This is great news for bettors as opposing running backs are cashing in against the Cardinals. Seattle running back Mike Davis rushed 21 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns against Arizona last week, Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen combined for 114 yards in Week 3, Todd Gurley and Malcolm Brown combined for 88 yards in Week 2, and Adrian Peterson went for 96 yards in Week 1.
The Niners' offense will likely want to be a bit more cautious with C.J. Beathard at the helm, especially on the road, meaning they'll likely lean on the running game. That should mean a lot of touches for Breida, who has been a little banged up but has established himself as a far better option than Alfred Morris. In fact, Breida ranks third in the NFL in rushing with 313 yards. His rushing yards total of 62.5 this week, however, doesn't seem to reflect that he's been one of the top backs in football this season. Add in the fact that he's going against a rush defense ranked 31st in the NFL and we're taking Breida's Over with confidence.
Baker Mayfield makes his first home start on Sunday as the Browns host the Baltimore Ravens. The top pick in the 2018 draft had a mixed-bag debut last week at Oakland, throwing for 295 yards and two touchdowns but also had two fumbles and two interceptions. The passing yards total was nice, but his turnovers were a huge factor in Cleveland's loss. Last week, we had suggested taking Under 260 for his passing yards total, which was obviously a losing bet, but we're going to fade Mayfield for another week. This week, however, it isn't as much of a bet against Mayfield as it is a bet for his opponent.
The Ravens defense ranks first in both passing-completion percentage against, limiting opposing quarterbacks to 53.85 percent, and in opponent passing yards per attempt at 5.0. Baltimore limited Ben Roethlisberger to 274 yards last week and that was the highest passing yards total the Ravens have allowed in 2018. It's going to be a struggle for Mayfield on Sunday against a good defense and we're taking the Under 262.5 on his passing yards total.
What is Miami doing with Kenyan Drake? His carries have steadily declined, from 14 in Week 1 all the way to just three in Week 4 as he seems to have fallen behind 35-year-old Frank Gore who received 11 carries last weekend. Sure, the Dolphins had to abandon the run early in their loss to the Patriots but Gore out-targeted Drake three to two and, to make things worse for Drake backers, Gore even received the only two red-zone carries of the game. Drake is younger and clearly more talented in 2018 than Gore, but he seems to have fallen out of favor with Miami's coaching staff and we're taking the Under for his rushing yards this week total until something changes.
Every football knows the Jacksonville Jaguars have one of the top defensive units in the league, but it's worth noting how incredibly tough they've been on tight ends. In Week 1, the Jags faced one of the league's better tight ends, Evan Engram, and limited him to 18 yards on two receptions. In Week 2, they faced arguably the league's best tight end in Rob Gronkowski and limited him to 15 yards on two catches. In Weeks 3 and 4, they limited four lesser-known Titans and Jets tight ends to a total of six catches for 51 yards.
This week, they face one of the best again in Kansas City's Travis Kelce who has been an absolute monster since laying a dud in Week 1 with lines of 7-109-2, 8-114-0, and 7-78-1 in his last three games. The Jags, however, obviously scheme to not allow tight ends to beat them and that's likely to happen again on Sunday. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has weapons all around him and he's not going to force feed Kelce if the Jags blanket him all day. We're not sure if the Jags can completely shut down the Chiefs, but we're confident that they'll slow down Kelce. We're taking the Under 73.5 on his receiving yards total.
Sometimes, a bet doesn't need an in-depth analysis. This is one of those situations. Here's what LeSean McCoy has done so far this season in terms of attempts-rushing yards: 7-22, 9-39, DNP, 5-24. Tennesee, meanwhile, ranks 12th in terms of yards from scrimmage allowed to running backs. Not elite, but certainly good enough to stop McCoy on single-digit touches. Perhaps McCoy is still ailing from his rib issue or perhaps the Bills are just preparing for life after LeSean as they rebuild. But until he starts getting a decent amount of touches, we're taking the Under for his rushing total — which is set at 58.5 for this week.
Last edited by StarDust Bum; 10-07-2018 at 12:28 AM.
-- The Rams are 10-0 ATS (6.6 ppg) since Dec 24, 2000 as a favorite off a game as a favorite where they allowed at least 22 first downs.
-- The Seahawks are 0-10-1 ATS (-5.1 ppg) since Oct 05, 2015 when their last two games have gone under the total and they won the last one.
-- Teams are 10-0 OU (9.3 ppg) since Oct 25, 2015 coming off a loss where Kirk Cousins threw at least 40 passes.
-- The Vikings are 10-0 OU (12.6 ppg) since Nov 11, 2001 as a dog coming off a road loss that went over the total by at least seven points.
-- The Ravens are 0-13 OU (-9.5 ppg) since Sep 18, 2005 as a road favorite coming off a game where they had at least 250 passing yards.
-- The Raiders are 0-13 ATS (-12.50 ppg) as a dog off a home win in which they had a takeaway margin of at least plus-two.
Last edited by StarDust Bum; 10-07-2018 at 12:29 AM.
Sometimes a good offense is the best defense. And when you're hemorrhaging points like the Atlanta Falcons, you had better have a damn good offense.
Atlanta, which is 0-2 SU and ATS in its last two games despite scoring 37 and 36 points respectively in those losses, hopes the return of stud running back Devonta Freeman can make its sixth-ranked offense better. And by better, we don't mean more points (God knows that's not the issue). We mean balanced.
The Falcons have run the football on just 38 percent of their offensive snaps, forced to pass the ball in blow-for-blow slugfests with teams like the Panthers, Saints and Bengals due to their injury-plagued defense giving up massive gains. Last year, the Falcons ran on almost 44 percent of snaps and while their time of possession was just over 30 minutes, they weren't dealing with the missing pieces on defense like they are in 2018.
Atlanta has a time of possession average of only 29 minutes (21st) this year but with Freeman back in the mix for the first time since Week 1, this offense adds a new wrinkle, can chew up some clock and give their struggling stop unit a few extra breaths on the sideline.
Week 5 seems like the ideal time for Freeman to return, since the Falcons are getting a field goal on the road facing a Pittsburgh team that gives up almost 116 yards on the ground per game and could be without its top tackler in linebacker Vince Williams.
The Steelers have similar issues as the Falcons but haven't had the offensive chops to stay competitive when the defense fails to show up. They've been outscored 71-30 in second halves so far this season, including going scoreless in the final two quarters versus Baltimore last Sunday – a game in which the Ravens (not a great running team) rushed 30 times for 96 yards and dominated the football with more than 35 minutes of TOP.
Throw in the disruptive – and impressive – play of Atlanta's second-year defensive end Takk McKinley, whose five sacks put him among elite pass rushers like Khalil Mack, DeMarcus Lawrence, and J.J. Watt, and we get an overall better – and more balanced – showing from the Falcons Sunday.
My memory isn't great (too many hits to the head and a stockpile of child-induced sleep debt), but I've got to think this is the first half-point underdog selection in the long-running history of this column for ***********.
The line for this Broncos-Jets game is all over the place: opening Jets -1, jumping to -2.5, then coming down to a Pick'em and crossing over with a rare half-point hook on the home side. And with all the tie games and overtime affairs in 2018, who knows? It might come in handy.
This is a tough spot for the Broncos, who cross the country on short rest after a gutting loss to the Chiefs Monday night. Denver is one of the worst bets on the road, going just 5-12 ATS away from Mile High since 2016, and is far from the team it used to be.
The Broncos defense is a ghost. This unit posted 79 takeaways between 2014 and 2016 and put fear in the hearts of any offense unlucky enough to find Denver on the schedule. Last season, they managed just 17 total takeaways – among the lowest in the league. And so far this year, Denver has only three takeaways.
The Jets aren't doing a lot of things right, but they are starting to put a little fear in the bellies of opponents. New York has 10 total takeaways on the season (6 INT/4 FUM) – tied for third most – and despite a one-sided loss at Jacksonville, managed one interception, four fumbles and two recoveries last weekend. Cue Broncos QB Case Keenum, who has thrown six picks to just three touchdowns in four games.
The Cardinals have gotten so close to their first victory of the season the past two weeks, they could smell the glory (which smells like a mix of aftershave, new sneakers and the old-school charcoal BBQs). Arizona was very much "in it" against Chicago and Seattle, and while it didn't pick up the "W" it did cover the spread.
The Cardinals come to the Bay Area getting four points in this NFC West matchup, facing a Niners team that looked much better than it was in Week 4's close loss to Los Angeles.
San Francisco totaled 27 points despite losing starting quarter Jimmy Garoppolo the week before, but a closer look shows one touchdown came on a pick-six in the first quarter and other TD was on an 82-yard catch-and-scamper from TE George Kittle – a strange play in which the plodding Kittle was surrounded by three defenders and somehow broke away to find the end zone (a play only the Chargers could allow...). Replacement QB C.J. Beathard had two interceptions and the 49ers blew a 14-0 lead out of the gates. I expected the loss of Jimmy G to really bleed through this Sunday.
As for Arizona, rookie Josh Rosen is playing well (very patient and smart) heading into his first road start and could've had a bigger Week 4 if not for some bad drops from his receiving corps. Do-it-all running back David Johnson is starting to heat up after a slow start to 2018, amassing 173 total yards of offense and two touchdowns the last two games.
The Cardinals moneyline is out there around +165 – for those bold enough (and craving the scent of aftershave/sneakers/BBQ) – but I'm comfy taking more than a field goal with a hungry Arizona side.
Baltimore (-3/45.5) at Cleveland, 1 p.m. ET, CBS: The Browns are undefeated in Cleveland, something we haven't been able to say about them entering a third home game since 2004. One of those games ended in a tie and they're still looking up at most of the division, but progress is progress. One of the teams atop the AFC North are these Ravens, who have been among the NFL's stingiest out of the gate, surrendering 16.2 while averaging over 30, giving them the conference's largest point differential, second only to the Rams. Joe Flacco is averaging over 300 passing yards per game after tossing for 363 in last Sunday night's win over the Steelers, looking rejuvenated by the addition of Robert Griffin III and Lamar Jackson.
Former Ravens backup Tyrod Taylor was expected to start this game opposite his ex-mates but lost his gig a couple weeks ago after being banged up by the Jets. Rookie Baker Mayfield took the reins, led a comeback win to end years of suffering and doesn't figure to be handing the job back to Taylor, barring injury, any time soon. If not for a controversial call that took away what would've been a game-clinching fourth down out in Oakland, the Browns would be 2-0 on Mayfield's watch. He's got the locals excited, so Baltimore will look to keep the crowd from becoming a factor as they try to win a sixth straight game in this series. The Browns last beat the Ravens at home in 2013 and have won only two of the last 20 meetings against their divisional oppressors. Cleveland woke up to thunderstorms and may see rain be a factor all afternoon. The Ravens are relatively healthy and get CB Jimmy Smith back from suspension. The Browns have cleared WR Jarvis Landry, who has been dealing with a knee issue.
Jacksonville at Kansas City (-3/49), 1 p.m. ET, CBS: Significant drama has surfaced to make this juicy matchup even spicier, but weather is likely to play a huge role with thunderstorms potentially part of the equation all afternoon. Jaguars star corner Jalen Ramsey went to the well early on the off-field mind game work he attempts to put in before games begin, and it's not like he's run into many situations where he bites off more than he can chew. Tyreek Hill has averaged over 50 yards per game on touchdown grabs over his careers and is second in the NFL in yards per target, so he'll test Ramsey vertically with his speed and might wind up playing decoy to open the middle of the field for tight end Travis Kelce, RB Kareem Hunt and fellow WR Sammy Watkins, who has been cleared to play after aggravating a hamstring injury last week.
Jacksonville RB Leonard Fournette wasn't as fortunate, unable to return from the injury he reaggravated last week in a 31-12 rout of the Jets. T.J. Yeldon has proven to be a capable replacement and polarizing QB Blake Bortles has stepped up when he's had to in his absence, putting together his best outings in games without the franchise back. This will be the team's first road game since a 20-15 Week 1 win at the Giants. They were 4-4 SU and ATS last season but won in Pittsburgh in the playoffs and then covered in New England, so they've shown up on the road when it's mattered most. Jacksonville's defense is surrendering an NFL-low 14 points per game while Kansas City is averaging a league-high 36.25 points, so this is going to be a tremendous battle of wills. Chiefs DE Dee Ford, the team's top pass-rusher was listed as questionable, while safety Eric Berry is doubtful.
Tennessee (-5.5/40) at Buffalo, 1 p.m. ET, CBS: The Titans are one of the NFL's surprise 3-1 teams, sporting a point differential of just 75-73 and utilizing some smoke and mirrors to produce their success since they've managed to overcome Marcus Mariota being well below 100 percent due to an elbow injury that has prevented him from slinging it downfield effectively, turning him into a game manager. The defense has played well enough to justify that strategy but must overcome the absence of starting safety Kenny Vaccaro (elbow) and LB Wesley Woodyard (shoulder). The combination of new head coach Mike Vrabel and veteran coordinator Dean Pees should spell trouble for rookie QB Josh Allen, but it remains to be seen whether the loss of key personnel can be overcome on the road.
Allen crashed and burned after a dominant performance against the Vikings, losing in Green Bay 22-0 in a performance where he managed a QBR of 5.1, the third-worst showing in the NFL so far. Backup Nathan Peterman's Week 1 disaster remains the lowlight, so the rookie appears to be in no danger of losing the gig he wrestled away. Allen threw for one score and was picked off twice in a 31-20 loss to the Chargers in his only home game to date and will have RB LeSean McCoy, WR Kelvin Benjamin and TE Charles Clay available to him after all dealt with injuries throughout September. Safeties Micah Hyde (groin) and Rafael Bush (shoulder) are each nursing injuries that have them listed as questionable, so Buffalo may have to overcome a vulnerable secondary to pull off an upset here. Rain is likely to be part of the equation, so this one could get sloppy.
N.Y. Giants at Carolina (-6.5/43.5), 1 p.m. ET, FOX: Cam Newton and the Panthers were off last weekend, so they'll look to benefit from an early break on their bodies against a Giants team that underachieved significantly in September and arrives in Charlotte banged up. Offensive line help arrived for Carolina in the form of newly acquired tackle Marshall Newhouse and the return of guard Trai Turner from concussion protocol, so the team is optimistic that it is in the best shape up front than it has been since losing tackle Daryl Williams at the onset of training camp.
New York's offensive line issues have been well-documented, compounded this season by the loss of center Jon Halapaio to an ankle injury. Eli Manning doesn't need any help performing below expectations, but he's certainly gotten it from a unit that has largely been pushed around. Odell Beckham, Jr. and rookie Saquon Barkley have big-play ability but haven't gotten enough chances due to the mess up front and under center. The Giants defense played well despite the absence of top pass-rusher Olivier Vernon, but the bottom fell out last week against Alvin Kamara and the Saints in the fourth-quarter of a 33-18 loss. Vernon remains out against the Panthers, but LB Connor Barwin and CB Eli Apple are healthy enough to do battle against an offense likely to ride the legs of Newton and Christian McCaffrey, who can of course burn you via the short passing game. Weather issues aren't expected here.
Denver (PK/42.5) at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m. ET, CBS: The Broncos have been a dreadful road team of late, losing 10 of 11 and failing to cover in any of those setbacks, which includes a 27-14 in their only regular-season team outside Denver thus far, a 27-14 loss in Baltimore. They'll be out of their time zone, which is worth remembering since they've also dropped their last six "early" games under Vance Joseph, whose seat is getting awfully warm. He'll have to overcome a short-week situation here too, coming off a disappointing 27-23 loss to the Chiefs at Mile-High. QB Case Keenum's honeymoon is over too, a reminder of how fickle the NFL can be since this team opened 2-0 after divisional home wins against the Seahawks and Raiders.
The Jets are hoping to reverse a recent lack of success against a Broncos team they haven't beaten since 2010 after suffering a 23-0 loss in Denver last season. This is only the third meeting between these teams at Met Life Stadium and the first since 2002, when starting QB Sam Darnold was all of five. The rookie has found life difficult following an exciting Monday night debut Detroit, failing to produce more than 17 points in losses to the Dolphins, Browns and Jaguars. Von Miller and Co. figure to get after him, so it's a plus that preferred target Quincy Enunwa will play despite a hip issue. The Jets will have corner Morris Claiborne out there too, but will be without fellow starter Trumaine Johnson and list safety Marcus Maye as a game-time decision.
Atlanta at Pittsburgh (-3/58), 1 p.m. ET, FOX: Only the Bucs and Raiders have given up more points per game than the depleted Falcons, who have seen their season sabotaged by injuries on that side of the ball and a schedule that has offered no sympathy in the form of a reprieve. After losing two starters in a season-opening loss in Philly, the Falcons have been carved up by Cam Newton, Drew Brees and Andy Dalton at home in their dome. The Steelers are up next, and even though Le'Veon Bell remains away, the Steelers still have plenty of weapons to inflict damage with. Vic Beasley will try to play through an ankle injury, but DE Derrick Shelby and corner Justin Bethel join DT Grady Jarrett , LB Deion Jones and safeties Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen as observers. DE Takkarist McKinley was disruptive in his return last week, so Atlanta's hope is that he and Beasley will be able to generate enough pressure that the team doesn't have to blitz and leave itself vulnerable to Ben Roethlisberger's arm and vision.
Antonio Brown has complained about not getting the ball enough downfield, so look for he and Juju Smith-Schuster to try and work deeper routes against a compromised group. The Falcons have surrendered an average of 37 points in their last three losses, while Pittsburgh was shut down last week, scoring just 14 against Baltimore. The Steelers also lost a 42-37 shootout against Kansas City in the home opener, so they'll be looking to snap a run of seven straight games where they've failed to win and cover the spread, a stretch that dates back to Nov. 16 of last season. Their last outright win came in the 2017 regular season finale against the Browns last New Year's Eve. The 'over' has prevailed in seven of the last nine at Heinz Field and three of the four games both teams have played this season, so it's not surprising to see this as the highest-scoring total of the day by far.
Green Bay (PK/51) at Detroit, 1 p.m. ET, FOX: The Lions have had a favorable schedule, playing a Jets team starting a rookie QB, a young 49ers team riddled with injures and the disjointed Cowboys. They lost to all three but somehow managed to destroy the Patriots, making New England look as bad as we've seen them over the past few years. The Lions are a riddle as they greet the Packers for their NFC North opener. They've got talent across the board but tend to be their own worst enemy. It won't help matters that top pass-rusher Ziggy Ansah won't be around to try and harass Aaron Rodgers, who has settled in despite playing through a sore knee and has managed despite an inability to move as fluidly as he's accustomed to.
The Lions won't have corner Quandre Diggs or guard T.J. Lang either, which definitely makes them vulnerable against a Packers defense that comes off blanking Buffalo but is looking for their first road victory of the season. WR Davante Adams has been cleared to play and should be a factor, but Randall Cobb won't be able to play through a hamstring issue and Geronimo Allison will be a game-time decision after not practicing Saturday since he's in concussion protocol. Rookie corner Jaire Alexander, who has quickly emerged as one of the NFL's top newcomers, will attempt to play through a groin issue and is someone else whose availability must be monitored. It wouldn't be surprising to see young RBs Kerryon Johnson and Aaron Jones play huge roles here, which could impact the over run these teams are on against one another, having topped the posted total in five straight. The Lions are looking for their third consecutive win over Green Bay, something that hasn't occurred in this one-sided series since 1991.
Miami at Cincinnati (-6/48.5), 1 p.m. ET, CBS: Who had this one as a battle of division leaders when the season started? The Dolphins failed miserably in their attempt to put their foot on New England's throat last week and now hit the road again looking for better results against resurgent Cincinnati. Dalton is playing the best football of his career, while counterpart Ryan Tannehill comes off the second-worst showing from a QB this season in last week's loss. Miami has been able to hit big plays via the passing games in spurts thus far but seeks out consistency and more involvement for RB Kenyan Drake, who was expected to play a much larger role than he has to date, losing carries to veteran Frank Gore last week. The offense will be forced to deal with a Bengals defense that should be rejuvenated by the return of emotional leader Vontaze Burfict, who has served his four-game suspension.
The Bengals also get back top RB Joe Mixon, who missed time with a knee injury but is back at the right time since Giovani Bernard was injured last week. TE Tyler Eifert was lost for the season in Atlanta and speedster John Ross aggravated a knee injury that will keep him out this week, so other pieces will have to step up around A.J. Green and emerging fellow wideout Tyler Boyd. Miami will be missing Cameron Wake off its defensive front and may not have back DE Andre Branch back either. WR DeVante Parker missed last week's game with a quad issue and is also likely to be a game-time decision as the Dolphins continue to be riddled with injuries throughout all of their position groups.
Oakland at L.A. Chargers (-5/52.5), 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS: Jon Gruden picked up his first victory since returning to the sideline courtesy of a Derek Carr-commanded comeback against Cleveland last week, but anyone who watched that game saw how close the Raiders came to slipping to 0-4. We'll see if returning from the brink invigorates this group, especially since x-factor Amari Cooper warmed up down the stretch alongside TE Jared Cook as the offense opened up. With the Chargers still missing Joey Bosa, Carr should have time to inflict damage, although he will have to deal with DE Corey Liuget, who is returning from suspension and offers an immediate upgrade from what L.A. has been featuring up front.
Philip Rivers' protection is up in the air since tackle Russell Okung hasn't practiced and is questionable with a groin injury. With fellow tackle Joe Barksdale still out, the Chargers would love to see Okung out there to keep a Raiders pass rush that has been non-existent from finding life. This is a swing game for L.A. which doesn't enjoy much of a homefield advantage in Carson and will likely have to deal with a large contingent of Raiders fans. A win puts them over .500 and firmly on the road to playoff contention, while a loss drags them back with the also-rans in the AFC West, so we'll get to see whether this group has some killer instinct to them. The Chargers have rolled to wins in 21 of the last 29 games against Oakland.
Arizona at San Francisco (-3.5/40), 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX: - Young quarterbacks take center stage in this battle of two of the NFL's worst teams, a 49ers squad that lost Jimmy Garoppolo for the season and a Cards squad that has gotten off to a nightmare start under first-year head coach Steve Wilks. Arizona is winless and already had to deviate from the original plan of letting rookie Josh Rosen watch and learn from veteran Sam Bradford. As the only 0-4 team in the NFL, Arizona is unquestionably the league's disappointment, averaging just over nine points per game. Rosen did pick up the team's level, which led to last week's decent showing in a 20-17 loss to Seattle.
The Niners got a solid showing from backup QB C.J. Beathard in last week's 29-27 loss to the Rams but they were behind most of the afternoon and saw multiple offensive linemen injured. That should give you pause if you're looking to fade the lone winless team on sight. Center Weston Richburg, tackle Joe Staley and first-round pick Mike McGlinchey are dealing with knee injuries that may keep all out of this one, though Staley is the least likely to play and the rookie should suit up. Running back Matt Breida has been upgraded to probable despite concerns over his shoulder, but promising young WR Dante Pettis is out against and speedster Marquise Goodwin is questionable. Safety Jimmie Ward's status is similarly in doubt due to a hamstring issue, but Richard Sherman's calf ailment has healed sufficiently for him to play. Can the Cardinals take advantage of all the injuries? Rosen will have Larry Fitzgerald (hamstring) in the mix and has seen RB David Johnson improve every week as the rust has been worked off.
Minnesota at Philadelphia (-3/47), 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX: This rematch of last year's lopsided NFC Championship features two different starting quarterbacks than the ones who took the field in January. Former 'Skin Kirk Cousins is very familiar with the Eagles but lost both times he ran into last year's group following a season sweep in '16. He's had an up-and-down start to his Vikings tenure, so all eyes will be on how he handles leading a new group in a hostile atmosphere he knows well. Offensive line has been a major obstacle for the Vikes, but he should have every starter in place for this test against a talented Eagles front seven. Dalvin Cook has been dealing with a hamstring issue all season and is doubtful to be able to be out there. Latavius Murray should get the bulk of the carries as a result, but hasn't been as productive as the second-year back out of FSU, which means we'll likely see Minnesota lean on Cousins and the aerial attack more.
The Eagles have been involved in one tight game after another. All four September contests were decided by six points or fewer, so this is a big swing game for Philly when you consider that their level of competition hasn't exactly been the cream of the crop. Fletcher Cox has been upgraded to probable despite ankle soreness but Halti Ngata is questionable and pass-rusher Derek Barnett is listed as doubtful, so the Eagles may be thin on numbers in an area that's typically a strength. Not having versatile backs Darren Sproles (out) and Corey Clement (questionable) available hasn't helped Carson Wentz develop much of a rhythm, but this will be the healthiest that top target Alshon Jeffery feels entering a game this season. The Eagles are perfect at home thus far and have won 11 of 12 straight up at Lincoln Financial Field. The under is 6-1 in Philly's last seven home games, including wins over Atlanta and Indianapolis this season where opponents have averaged just 14 points.
L.A. Rams (-7.5/50) at Seattle, 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX: There's been little to slow down the Rams thus far, but Mother Nature is about take her shot at ending L.A.'s run of 30-plus scoring games that has seen them improve on their tally from the week prior. After a 38-31 win two Thursdays ago to open Week 4, L.A. has had plenty of time to prepare for the new-look Seahawks defense as they attempt to put the clamps on the NFC West by moving four games up on everyone in the division when you include the tiebreaker they would hold.
With apologies to Seahawks defenders like UCF alums Shaquem and Shaquil Griffin, the cold wet rain that is expected to fall in Seattle may provide a bigger assist than anything else, especially since LB K.J. Wright is doubtful to return from the knee injury that has kept him out the past few weeks. Safety Earl Thomas was lost for the season, LB Mychal Kendrick was solely a temporary band-aid, already serving an indefinite suspension. Pass-rushers Frank Clark and Rasheem Green are questionable, while speedy Dion Jordan should play for a depleted group that will have to keep Todd Gurley from getting going since he's taken a backseat to the Jared Goff-led passing game of late. The Rams hung a 42-7 beating on the Seahawks at CenturyLInk Field last season after being held to just 10 points in their lowest-scoring performance of the season at home on an early October day just like this one. If history repeats itself, I'd expect weather to play a large role. The Seahawks will have Chris Carson in the mix, so look for them to try to control possession regardless of the elements. L.A. comes in healthier than most of the NFL's teams, though kicker Greg Zuerlein remains out.
Dallas at Houston (-3/45), 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC: Although neither one of the Lone Star state's teams has stood out this season, the Cowboys and Texans squaring off makes for a compelling Sunday night matchup due to the desperation involved. Houston fortunate last week, blowing a second-half lead in Indianapolis and putting itself in jeopardy of an OT loss -- then a tie – before Colts head coach Frank Reich graciously lost on a gamble that allowed them emerge with their first victory of the season. Back home after disappointing in the opener with a loss to the Giants, look for Deshaun Watson to have finally worked enough the rust off to trust in this game against a depleted Cowboys squad that has managed to open 2-2 despite suspect offensive line play, a struggling passing game and the absence of defensive catalyst Sean Lee. Avoiding a 1-4 start should have Bill O'Brien pulling out all the stops in front of what should be a wild crowd set to drown out Dallas fans. The Texans will have WRs Will Fuller and Keke Coutee available to help offset the absence of top RB Lamar Miller, who is considered doubtful to play. Alfred Blue will get the bulk of the carries, but expect Watson and the passing game to handle the bulk of the load offensively.
The Cowboys got out of Detroit with a win thanks to a last-second field goal and pieced together a sharper-looking offense than we've seen from them to date. Ezekiel Elliott (knee) and Tavon Austin (shoulder) will both be in the mix to try and help Dak Prescott build on the success and avoid Houston's feared pass rushers by getting the ball out quickly and moving the pocket. A revamped offensive line is a major question mark and center Travis Frederick isn't coming back anytime soon after landing on IR last night, so escaping H-Town with a win and a record above .500 would be an immense accomplishment that will keep the naysayers from sprinkling dirt on beleaguered head coach Jason Garrett for at least another week.
Last edited by Udog; 10-07-2018 at 10:14 AM.
It's been back-to-back weeks of 'under' plays cashing for me on SNF as the shootout that everyone was expecting between Baltimore and Pittsburgh a week ago lasted for a single quarter before those old style Ravens/Steelers slugfests broke out.
Admittedly, I was surprised to see Pittsburgh get blanked in the 2nd half for the second consecutive week, and when that happens two weeks in a row it starts to become a matter of coaching and how resistant the Steelers offensive coaching staff seems to be to adaptation. Whether or not that becomes a story going forward remains to be seen, but it's on to this week's matchup as we've got another AFC vs NFC battle like we had with the Patriots/Lions two weeks ago.
This may be a AFC vs NFC game where bad blood doesn't really exist, but bragging rights are on the line in the state of Texas with this one as both teams look to gain ground in their respective division races. Both teams are coming off tight victories last week, and for Houston it was their first one of the year and it was slightly gifted to them. It's always interesting to see the spreads for games when both teams are coming off W's, but here it's basically the generic 3-point home field advantage for the Texans.
The line has basically held between a flat 3 and 3.5 all week (big difference I know) as this appears to be a SNF game that doesn't particularly have the appeal of the past few. That's easily understandable here as neither team has done much to instill much confidence in backing them in the betting market, but that doesn't mean we haven't seen improvement from both teams, at least on one side of the ball.
Dallas put up their season high in points last week with 26, as RB Ezekiel Elliott got a steady does of the football and his success on the ground started to open up more things for QB Dak Prescott in the passing game. That should be the gameplan early on for Dallas here, but when you consider that Indy's Andrew Luck threw for 464 yards and 4 TD's against this Texans secondary a week ago, chances are Dallas' success in this game will end up being on the right shoulder of Prescott. Luck torching this Texans secondary was not an isolated incident either as Eli Manning nearly had 300 yards passing against Houston the week prior, and that Giants offense has been disastrous the first month of the season.
On the flip side, Deshaun Watson is starting to look more and more comfortable on that reconstructed knee, as it was the third straight week he threw for 300+ yards. That vaunted Texans offense that so many bettors – and especially fantasy football players – fell in love with around this time last year is starting to show signs of reemerging soon. Considering this Texans defense has allowed 27 or more in three of their four games this year (and 20 to a Blaine Gabbert led attack), they need all the weapons they can get to just have a chance in these games.
That brings me to the total for this game and the number of 45.5 still seems a bit short. Houston's offense is starting to click again, and with the Cowboys allowing 24 points in their last two outings, we should see the Texans reach that number at a minimum here. The 413 yards per game Houston averages – including outgaining their opponents by an average of 31.5 yards per game – suggests that there won't be too many steps backwards for Watson and company in the foreseeable future, especially when Matthew Stafford threw for 300+ against this Cowboys secondary last week.
At the same time, the Dallas O-line – still a major strength on this team – shouldn't have too much concern containing a Houston pass rush that has largely been ineffective all year. That gives Prescott more time to look downfield to find the best matchups – because Houston will load the box plenty to try to stop Elliott on the ground – and with all the success past opponents have had through the air against Houston this year, Prescott should be no different.
So while the majority of bettors have spent the past two SNF games pounding the 'overs' in games that were perceived to be easy shootouts, I think this is the week – when there is plenty of hesitation in the air regarding both offenses/teams - that we finally get the high-scoring game to cap off a full Sunday of NFL action.
The Redskins (2-1 SU, 2-1 ATS) were one of two teams to have their bye week in Week 4 as Washington will be well-rested heading to the Big Easy. Washington rebounded from a 12-point home loss to Indianapolis to pound Green Bay in Week 3 as short home underdogs, 31-17. The Redskins jumped out to a 28-10 halftime lead behind two touchdown passes from Alex Smith and two short touchdown runs by Adrian Peterson.
The future Hall of Fame running back rushed for a season-best 120 yards, while Smith put together his second multi-touchdown passing game of the season. The Redskins improved to 2-0 SU/ATS as an underdog this season, but own a 6-6 ATS mark when receiving points since the start of 2017. Washington moved to 5-2 in its past seven home games against teams outside the NFC East, while scoring its most points at FedEx Field since dropping 42 on Green Bay in 2016.
The Saints (3-1 SU, 2-2 ATS) return home following a pair of road victories over the Falcons and Giants. New Orleans scored four times in the second quarter, but none of those scores were touchdowns as it led New York, 12-7 at halftime. The Saints pulled away in the second half thanks to a pair of Alvin Kamara touchdown runs to beat the Giants, 33-18 to cash as 3 ½-point road favorites.
New Orleans put up seven scores for the second consecutive week, while Kamara reached the end zone three times in a game for the first time in his career. Drew Brees threw for a season-low 217 yards and failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in 2018. Brees is one of two starting quarterbacks that has yet to throw an interception this season along with Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes.
The Saints have struggled to cover numbers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome this season by failing to cover against the Buccaneers and Browns. Granted, both those games closed with New Orleans laying 10 points each, but the Saints own a 2-5 ATS record in its past seven home contests. However, the Saints are 5-2 ATS since the start of 2017 as a single-digit home favorite with one of those non-covers coming against the Redskins last November.
Washington has covered six consecutive matchups with New Orleans dating back to 2006, including last season's 34-31 overtime defeat at the Superdome. The Redskins grabbed a commanding 31-16 fourth quarter lead on Kirk Cousins' third touchdown pass of the day, but the Saints would even things up in the final three minutes. Brees hit Josh Hill for a short touchdown pass, followed by a Brees to Kamara 18-yard connection. Kamara ran in the ensuing two-point conversion to tie the game at 31-31, while Wil Lutz knocked in a 28-yard field goal to win it for New Orleans in overtime.
The Redskins cashed as 9 ½-point underdogs, while the past five meetings with the Saints have sailed OVER the total. Washington last won in New Orleans in the 2012 opener, 40-32 in Robert Griffin III's coming-out party as the Heisman Trophy winner threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns (including an 88-yard strike) in the victory.
In spite of several high-scoring outputs, the Saints are 2-2 to the OVER, as last week's game against the Giants barely finished UNDER the total of 51 ½. The Redskins went UNDER the total in each of the first two weeks before busting out for an OVER against the Packers. Washington started last season with a 5-1 OVER mark on the road, but each of the past three games away from FedEx Field have gone UNDER. The Saints are currently on a 5-2 OVER run the last seven home contests, while scoring at least 31 points five times in this span.
The Saints are winless in their last three Monday night affairs since 2015, including home defeats to Detroit (2015) and Atlanta (2016). New Orleans fell in the Monday night opener at Minnesota last season, 29-19 as its most recent Monday victory came in 2014 at Chicago. The Redskins haven't fared much better on Mondays by posting a dreadful 1-8 SU/ATS record since 2014, including a pair of losses to Kansas City and Philadelphia.
The Saints opened up as seven-point favorites, but that number has dipped down 6 ½ at some books and even down to six at a majority of outfits. The total opened at 52 ½ and has stayed steady at that number with several books bumping the total up to 53.


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Another ATC that I did last night. I was thinking about Easter when I was working on it. :) These are so fun to work on! They can be limiting because they're so small, but they're also sort of freeing, because you don't have such a big area to cover.
So, here are a couple of the things that I've done recently. The Valentine was done, mostly, with alcohol inks. They are SO cool to work with!! This was a glossy sheet of paper. I cut the heart out and started playing with the alcohol inks (from Ranger/Tim Holtz). I used the Blending Solution and the Copper Mixative, too. Those are fun, fun!! The thing with alcohol inks is that they are very wet. I tried some on an ATC (artist trading card) that was made for acrylics and it just soaked through. Now that I've left it to dry, overnight, it has dried, but the coloring soaked through to the back of the card. So, they're for using on non-porous surfaces - glossy cardstock, glass, acrylic pendants, etc..... Here is a great video, with Jennifer McGuire, that shows how you can use the alcohol inks, along with glossy cardstock and the pendants!
This next little piece is an ATC - Artist Trading Card. Remember, they are 2.5 x 3.5 and they are meant to be traded, never sold!
But, first, this ATC. It's an "acrylic" ATC, which means that the paper will stand up to acrylic paint. It has texture to it, which you can see....little tiny squarish-looking things in the background. I put a thin layer of Gesso (pronounce "jesso") over the whole thing. Then, with my finger, I rubbed on some acrylic paint. Some just cheap acrylic paint that you get from a craft/sewing store and some was from Claudine Hellmuth. I let that dry... since I rubbed it on, it was pretty thin....so, it dried quickly. Then, I took a piece of this new Washi tape (that I just bought at Collage, in Portland, this weekend!) and put it down, vertically, on the left side. You can find lots of it here. Tim Holtz has it on his site, of course, but since I bought this one unwrapped, as an individual roll, I'm not sure who the manufacturer is. It doesn't appear to be his, now that I'm looking. Well, I'm stumped... I have no idea who's tape that is!! If you know, please leave a comment and let me know! It is all black and white and is a floral design... just a bunch of flowers.
I cut the butterfly wings apart, so I could lay them how I wanted them. I used Mod-Podge to glue them down and then placed the girl with the lamb over them. Then, I thought of what I might want this ATC to say. I printed up a bunch of things like, "Happy Spring", "Happy Easter", "Enjoy the Beauty of Spring" and the one that I ended up using. I print them out on cardstock and I usually print each line out in different colors, not knowing exactly how it'll look against the piece. I space out the letters so that there is enough room when I cut them out so that they aren't right up against the edge of the paper. I print them and cut them with my Fiskar's paper-cutter. Then, I use Tim Holtz' Distress Inks -I've mentioned them here before because I love, love, love them!! I just dab the applicator around until they're lightly covered. I used the Tea Dye one, which I use a lot. Then, I took the Fluid Chalk cat's eye, in Warm Red, again, and just dabbed it along each edge of each of the paper words. Once I figured out how I wanted them to be placed, I used Mod-Podge (yes, most collage artists can't live without Mod-Podge!) to glue them down. I added a little shimmer to the butterfly wings with Ranger's Stickles, in Crystal color, and voila!! Done!
OK... so, you've found the Letterbox. You stealthily take it out of its hiding place and open it up. Take out the items, which are usually in plastic bags, if they're out in the elements. There should be a log-book, a rubber stamp and a stamp-pad. You take out their log-book and stamp your rubber stamp into it, then you can put your "trail name" in there, along with the date, and sometimes people write where they're from or a little note to the Letterboxer who put it there. Then, in your log-book, you stamp their rubber-stamp; you add where you were and put the date. It's a fun activity and a great way to see the great outdoors that are around you! These are everywhere!!! We've carved our own stamps before, but you don't have to.
The family that we're going to visit today... the mom of this family is an avid Letterboxer.... she carves her own stamps. So, the LATC's are Artist Trading Cards, but with a letterboxing stamp on it. I'm excited to see that! She'd asked me to bring some of my ATC's, sort of a show-and-tell, but I've given all of mine away, either as gifts, in a swap or in a contest! I made one for her, so she can see what it is I do. I hope she likes it!
Just in case you're thinking that I can only do one quilt pattern.... :) I started doing that Bricks 'n Blocks one because I just loved how it looked and it was so easy to put together! Usually, when I'm making a baby quilt, I'm giving it as a gift and I've waited until the 24th hour to start it!
So, anyway, I kind of fell into that one quilt pattern...also, because I knew it so well. I don't have to think much about the sizes of anything. You just add more rectangles/squares if you want it to be wider and/or longer. (I've never made a quilt for any of my own kids.....isn't that awful?!) Someone at my local quilt shop, where I have shopped for 30 years, once said to me, "Oh, you must work better under pressure", because I was in there picking out fabric about two days before I needed to have a Thanksgiving dress made for my daughter! Really... do you think that's it?? That I work better under pressure? Is that the case with all procrastinators?? Hmmm.......OK, let's go with that!
So, anyway, this was a "rocket" quilt. I love the bright colors and the "space/rocket" motif.
A hand-written letter challenge.... will you join me?
I saw this on the Crane Stationery Co. Facebook page and I'm going to try it.
This woman knew that I loved to write, so she grabbed it up and gave it to my mom, to pass on to me. How cool was that?? (I wonder if you could still do that.... if it would make it through the Postal Service??) I was actually 14 at the time, but I wrote back and told her that. She was fine with that and we are still friends all these years later! Let's see... you don't know how old I am, so you don't know how many years ago that was! 35 years ago!! And, this pen-pal-wanna-be lived in Sweden! So, that was even *more* cool! I've had the good fortune to actually meet her, face-to-face; but it was when my twins were about a year old and my oldest was 3.5 years. We did make it over to the beach and to a holiday festival up in Portland, but I felt badly that we couldn't show her more of this beautiful state! We were actually also just recovering from a serious flu, which her boyfriend ended up getting. :( So sorry, Magnus!!
"When I write back, I find that I slow down and write differently than I do with an email. Email is all about the now. Letters are different, because whatever I write needs to be something that will be relevant a week later to the person to whom I am writing. In some ways it forces me to think about time more because postal mail is slower. 'By the time you get this…' It is relaxing. It is intimate. It is both lasting and ephemeral."
That is so true. I hope you'll join me in this effort. Think of how fun it is to get mail, too! There's so much non-personal mail these days... magazines, catalogs, junk-mail, bills.... how many personal letters do you get? Wouldn't you love to put a smile on someone's face by sending them a hand-written letter? It could even just be a postcard, from your town, to say hello.
OK... yes, I could go on and on about the benefits of letter-writing, but I really should get off of here and, well, go write a letter!


Gone But Never Forgotten... The Marathon Continues.
Yesterday afternoon, thousands of people gathered in Los Angeles to say their final goodbyes to the late Nipsey Hussle. As we all know, his life was taken all too soon after a gunman — alleged suspect Eric Holder — shot him outside of his own clothing store. The entire nation has been in mourning since his murder, an indication of just how influential Nipsey was to friends, family, fans, and his community. Nipsey will be forever missed.
The program for his Celebration of Life contained tribute letters from peers like Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar. During the memorial, Karen Civil also read a statement from Barack Obama, who says he was introduced to Nipsey's music through his daughters. See their letters on the pages that follow and join us in lifting Nipsey's loved ones in prayer.


text:
- Hot Topics
CNET's new Print Magazine, not in Spanish for now
What: CNET, an online-first source of consumer technology news and reviews, will launch a new print magazine that will be distributed through newsstands across the U.S. and Canada.The magazine,which will carry articles of its own rather than recycling content from cnet.com., has a cover price of US US$5.99.The arrival of CNET in print could begin a trend to go back to traditional forms. A Spanish-language magazine is not in the plans for now.
Why it matters:With this move CNET joins a small but growing list of digitally native publications that have plunged their toes in print like Pitchfork (that launched The Pitchfork Review) or Politico (that launched a free bimonthly magazine).
CNET, which began life as a digital consumer portal of news, information and reviews largely generated from tech magazines that are barely still available in print, is now a print magazine. The publisher, which is now a part of CBS' CBS Interactive division, has unveiled plans to launch a new quarterly print Cnet Magazine with a Nov. 3 premiere issue cover date, hitting newsstands in the U.S. and Canada now.
CNET Magazine has secured prominent placements with the country's lead newsstand sellers, including Barnes & Noble, Hudson News, Walmart, Target and Costco, among many other retailers. The quarterly magazine's premiere issue, which runs 128 pages and is dated winter 2014, features the rapper and actor LL Cool J on the cover and has a cover price of US $5.99.
CNET will print about 200,000 copies of the inaugural issue of the magazine, which will carry articles of its own rather than recycling content from cnet.com. The magazine is anchored around four main sections: You, Your Home, Your Ride and Your Work. Every section offers CNET's accessible, eclectic and knowledgeable take on technology.Among the first issue's articles are "The Ultimate Tech Gift Guide," "Driving Reinvented: The 2014 Tesla Model S" and "Should You Wait for the Apple Watch — or Not?" Sources at CNET en español told Portada that there are currently no plans to produce a Spanish-language CNET magazine.
The issue includes ads from well-known brands in categories that include automobiles, electronics, packaged goods and technology; among them are AT&T, Ford, Gillette, GMC, Hewlett-Packard, HTC, Intel, Lenovo, LG, Porsche, Roku, Salesforce.com, Samsung, TiVo and Toyota. Saatchi & Saatchi was the Publicis Groupe agency that created the full-page ad in the premiere CNET issue from Toyota, for the 2015 Camry.
According to Lindsey Turrentine, editor-in-chief of CNET Reviews, the magazine "It's complementary to what's online," as it gives readers things they can't get online, such as bright photography, long form articles and a 24-page gift guide.
Digital-first magazines
With this move CNET joins a small but growing list of digitally native publications that have plunged their toes in print like Pitchfork (that launched The Pitchfork Review ) or Politico (that launched a free bimonthly magazine).
However, in general it is completely the opposite.These days, most publications are moving from print to web. The transition from print to digital has clearly hastened. Companies like International Data Group (IDG) (which this year shuttered Macworld Magazine) and Wired, are nowadays digital-first magazines.
Wired magazine, which started as a print only publication, now has approximately 50% of its revenue coming from digital sources.
With this move CNET joins a small but growing list of digitally native publications that have plunged their toes in print.
"The future for this brand is multiplatform. We know the audience wants to experience CNET in multiple ways. This is a project we talked about for a number of years, and it got momentum in 2013, the best year in the history of CNET," said Jim Lanzone, president and chief executive of CNET parent company CBS Interactive.
"Cnet Magazine will extend the Cnet brand and leverage the print medium to showcase Cnet's renowned reviews, storytelling, amazing photography and access to the people making a difference in the tech world," stated Mark Larkin, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cnet.
CNETInternational Data Group (IDG)Mark LarkinWired
Sports Marketing Bits: FDP, NBCUniverso. Sun Broadcast Group-Yahoo Deportes, LAFC replaces Chivas
Another major network grabs a video play: RTL Group buys Lifestyle Network StyleHaul
ONLINE VIDEO ROUND UP: Pongalo, Ooyala, Twitter and More…
Nokia Does Not Tap an Agency but a Mag (Wired) for Content Marketing Campaign

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Illuminating a twilight world
Ben Shepherd, Juliette Pattinson
Provides an introduction to the book 'War in a Twilight World: Partisan and Anti-Partisan Warfare in Eastern Europe, 1939-45'.
War in a Twilight World: Partisan and Anti-Partisan Warfare in Eastern Europe, 1939-45
German-occupied Europe
http://researchonline.gcu.ac.uk/lss/147
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Illuminating a twilight world'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
warfare Social Sciences
Eastern Europe Social Sciences
Shepherd, B., & Pattinson, J. (2010). Illuminating a twilight world. In War in a Twilight World: Partisan and Anti-Partisan Warfare in Eastern Europe, 1939-45 Palgrave Macmillan. http://researchonline.gcu.ac.uk/lss/147
Shepherd, Ben ; Pattinson, Juliette. / Illuminating a twilight world. War in a Twilight World: Partisan and Anti-Partisan Warfare in Eastern Europe, 1939-45. Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.
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Shepherd B, Pattinson J. Illuminating a twilight world. In War in a Twilight World: Partisan and Anti-Partisan Warfare in Eastern Europe, 1939-45. Palgrave Macmillan. 2010


In 2008, France had just under 8,700 listed campsites with almost 935,000 pitches*. The Vendée was still the leading department in numbers of campsites (364) in front of Charente Maritime and Finistère. Let's see how camping in France had changed in 2008.
In 10 years, the number of campsites open all year round had fallen significantly (around 850).
As regards accommodation, the situation had fundamentally changed since 1998. The English brands and their indestructible models had practically disappeared from the new market, to the benefit of the French manufacturers. IRM applied the "indoors-outdoors" concept with kitchens opening wide onto the terrace. Breton manufacturer Louisiane presented a prototype of the Taos from which would emerge the "3rd generation mobile homes" that all the manufacturers went on to add to their range through the seasons: Key West at O'Hara, New Valley at Rapidhome, Lagoa at Trigano, Atlantis at Samibois, etc. This would be accompanied in the years to follow by the development of hotel services.
Since 1998, as reflected by the development in accommodation, campsites had become outdoor hotels. In the space of ten years, the campsites had substantially moved upmarket. Clear proof of this was the swimming pool which had turned into an aquatic area at the centre of campsite life. Interviewed in Le Caravanier, which became Camping Caravaning, a site manager summed up this transformation very well. "A simple swimming pool isn't enough. To attract families you need to offer water slides and water play areas, and even an indoor swimming pool".
Services benefited from this move upmarket. In 2008, growing numbers of campsites had an actual restaurant often supplemented by a take-away service as well as a grocery store, a cash machine, a laundrette, bicycle hire (some even had car hire) and a bakery (bread vending machine or more).
By the same token, the wash blocks with "hot water you pay for and shower tokens" had practically disappeared. Managers had no hesitation in investing hundreds of thousands of euros to turn them into living areas with baby areas, family shower cubicles, etc. Finally in 2008, discussions began on the new classification and the future 5th star.
Caravans: the surge in the "camper van layout"
In January 2008, the Camping Caravaning magazine highlighted one of the key trends at the time, the growing success of the "Camper van layout" (permanent longitudinal bed, a dinette at the front and a bathroom with a separate shower) and the "French-style layout" with a transverse bed at the rear. Four brands, offering models with both layouts, were involved in this: Caravelair, Sterkeman, Hobby and Bürstner. Furthermore, to attract families, the brands offered models with a storage hold. Also, although economical models still occupied a sizeable share of the market, there was a real demand for high-end stylishly designed models which were very well equipped.
The towing vehicle stars in 2008 were French. In the columns of the January edition of Camping-Caravaning, they wrote "The force is with it" referring to the brand new 150hp Renault Laguna 2.0 dCi. The following autumn, for the testing of the Citroën C5, the magazine headline was "It makes the Germans scared". Furthermore, alongside the MPVs such as the Citroën C8, there was a surge in SUVs like the Renault Koléos, Audi Q5, Ford Kuga and VW Tiguan.
- January: Hike in the price of oil with a barrel more than 150 dollars. In view of terrorist threats, the Paris-Dakar Rally was cancelled. Death of the singer Carlos.
- February: Marion Cotillard received an Oscar for 'La Vie en Rose'.
- March: Riots in Tibet put down by Beijing with bloodshed.
- June: Death of Yves Saint Laurent.
- August: Olympic Games in Beijing. Ten French soldiers were killed in an ambush in Afghanistan.
- Global stock market crash. Large banks failed, including Lehman Brothers.
- Jean-Marie Le Clezio received the Nobel Prize for Literature. Death of Sister Emmanuelle.
- November: "Yes we did". Barak Obama was elected President of the United States of America.
- Camping France is celebrating its 20th anniversary!


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Nadia Nadim was told to choose between becoming a doctor or a footballer. She chose both.
Posted 6 December 2018 6 December 2018 Communication
Born and raised in Afghanistan, Afghan-Danish striker for Manchester City Nadia Nadim knows as no other what it means to build a new life in a new country. Her father was brutally killed by the Taliban when she was only 10 years old, and she was left with her mother and four sisters, in a country where dreams are not allowed. However, her mother was a clever woman and found a way to get them out.
When she lived in a refugee camp in Denmark, she saw girls playing football for the first time. She was shocked and amazed and knew she wanted to play this game. Every day she got closer to the fence of the football club. There was only one issue: she didn't have a ball! She knew that some of the balls that were shot across the fence into the woods were not found again, so she went looking for them with her friends.
Football became her obsession and she dreamt about becoming a football star every night. "For the first time I has something pulling me forward." Years later, when an important exam was on the same day as an important football camp, Nadia was told that she couldn't be a doctor and a football player. She had to choose between one of them.
Two years later, she has played 48 professional football games and she is now one semester away from being a doctor. Talk about bridging the gap! Nadia shares her story to show how important 'the spark' is, whatever it is that drives you. "Life puts you in situations where you don't want to be and you'll feel it. It doesn't matter who you are, what you've been through or where you're going. When you get it, use it. Use it as fuel for your dreams. And when you dream, dream big."
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Stage Flavour searches new and existing art in the fields of contemporary dance, performance art, physical theatre, experimental live art and undefined art.
Present your artwork to a small audience and receive feedback in an informal situation. Have your work documented on video by Stage Flavour and sent to you for your own use. To appear on the Stage Flavour website's program in order to be able to use as a reference for your artistic activities. Communicate and encounter with other persons active in the field of artistic research.
Stage Flavour does not offer budget or travel expenses. For curating full evening work showings we advice you to join the Artist Commons. For international artists we'll try to find accommodation when necessary, but cannot guarantee this for everyone. The venue provides the possibility to make use of: a space, sound amplification, a microphone, a few stage lights, a video projector. Stage Flavour is run by artists and only offers a milieu with a minimum of technical possibilities. Artists are expected to do their own light and sound, help each other or come with a person to help.


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Town, The: Interview with Star/Director Ben Affleck
September 8, 2010 by EmanuelLevy
The new heist movie "The Town" stars Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, and Jon Hamm. Affleck directed and co-wrote the film, in addition to starring in the central role of Doug MacRay. The film is being released by Warner Bros. on September 17.
He comments, "It's interesting because, on the one hand, you have this outer shell of a heist movie, but, at its heart, the story is about a guy who's dealing with being stuck in a place he doesn't want to be and wants to change his life, which was much more compelling to me. It's about how rooted you are in how you grew up and also about children paying for the sins of their parents. I think that's something many people can identify with, even those of us who can't necessarily relate to the criminal aspect."
Affleck offers, "It served as a kind of revolving door. People would go to prison and their families would move there, and, as they got out and then went back in, a community developed around it. It was hypothesized in the book–and we included it in the film–that robbing banks became a trade that was passed down from fathers to sons."
"We did a ton of research," Affleck recalls. "We went to prisons and talked to former bank robbers and also met with guys at the FBI who were counterpoints to Agent Frawley, the character played by Jon Hamm. We started incorporating what we learned into the architecture of the story to bring in as much detail and verisimilitude as we could."
On his character Doug
When we meet the character of Doug MacRay, he and his crew are in a van outside the Cambridge Merchant Bank, seconds away from their next robbery. In Affleck's words, Doug is "banging against the walls of his own life, still doing the stuff he knows is bad for him but unable to change."
Affleck continues, "He had a shot at a different future–he had a chance to play pro hockey–but he self-destructed. He got addicted to drugs and spun out, so instead of getting out, he came back and, in spite of himself, ended up even deeper in it. That's where we find him. He's cleaned up a bit, in terms of getting sober, and he wants to leave, but he can't escape his circumstances."
"Part of where he is in his life is a function of how and where he grew up," Affleck relates. "His mother left; his father was in this life; and Doug wound up doing the same thing as the friends he grew up with. It doesn't excuse it, but hopefully you see the shades of gray in the reasons he ended up where he is. It's not just cut-and-dried."
Accents and accuracy
"It's fairly nuanced, so the accent can be pretty hard to get," Affleck says. Nevertheless, he recommended that his cast to do more listening than learning, so to speak.
Despite the fact that Renner had followed the director's own advice, Affleck admits, "I was amazed at how quickly Jeremy got the accent down and how natural he sounded. I don't know how he did it; he was incredible."
"The trickier part of our research," Affleck allows, "was getting into the mindset of the Charlestown underworld, but we found people who were willing to speak to us. Although every conversation ended with, 'Don't tell anyone I talked to you,'" he laughs.
The infamous skeleton masks
The skeleton masks, seen in the opening bank robbery, were inspired by surveillance footage of an actual crime. Affleck recalls, "We were touring FBI headquarters and they had a big blow-up of a security camera image of a guy in a track suit wearing a skeleton mask. He was carrying an assault rifle, but it was the mask that made it creepy and scary."
"We wanted it to feel almost claustrophobic–to make you feel like you're with the guys in the car as they're speeding down these narrow streets and things are rushing by," the director states. "The cool thing is they're wearing masks, so we didn't have to worry about coming in close to the stunt drivers. We could really push the limits to make it more viscerally entertaining."
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When you are designing a creative playroom space that your children will love, there are some great products available to help make the space both functional and organized. Kids have a LOT of stuff. To stay sane as a parent, we need to find storage and organization solutions that will be easy for kids to find what they are looking for, and even more importantly, have a home for it when they are finished playing with whatever it may be. This list will contain some of my favorite items for organizing a child's playroom.
Before we dive into things, it is important to first know your organizing style — or more importantly the organization style that will work best for who will using the space — your kids. Some people like to visually see everything they own, whereas some people like items to be concealed in a basket or tote that is not transparent. On top of these two organizational styles, some people like to have things covered with a lid, while others opt for no lid — keeping things that much more quickly accessible. These are important things to consider before you start purchasing storage and organizational solutions for your child's playroom. This list will contain items for each of these organizational styles — you can then decide what will work best for your family.
Open storage shelving is great for kids. It can be beautiful, while being extremely functional. When you are looking at open storage solutions, it is best to look for something that is low to the ground, or something that can be easily reached by your little ones. You don't want them climbing up the shelf or on a chair to get things out to play with. DANGER!
Like any large piece of furniture, it is always a good idea to anchor the unit to the wall for added safety. You do not want their to be any chance of the furniture piece falling on your child and hurting them. Another important thing to note, is to keep the heaviest items down low, and the lighter items up top. This will also help prevent any possible injuries when your child tries to take out their toys to play with. With open storage shelving you can use a variety of storage bins to help further contain and organize your child's toys — more on this below.
Closed storage shelving is great for keeping things out of site and contained when they are not in use. If you don't necessarily have a space dedicated for your child's play, and instead you have a shared living/play space, you may opt for this type of storage to please both parents and the children. You can purchase freestanding storage units with cabinet doors that close to conceal toys inside, or if there is adequate closet space in the room, closet storage solutions are also great to hid toys behind a closed door when it isn't playtime.
Again, if you opt for a freestanding unit, remember to anchor it to the wall, to avoid potential injuries. Again, much like with open storage shelving, you can use a variety of storage bins to help further contain and organize your child's toys. If it is a shared space, keep mom and dad's storage up high, and kid stuff down low for them to access easily.
Every play area should include a place for all of your little ones favorite books. Floating bookshelves are a great option to create a cool reading nook in the corner or your child's playroom. I like the idea of using floating bookshelves instead of standard bookshelves, since they will be fastened safely to the wall, and you can see the front covers of the books as opposed to just seeing the books spine.
If you have a very large collection of book, or maybe you do like to just see the books spine — you may opt for a regular bookshelf. You can get short bookshelves that run along the wall as opposed to the taller varieties, so that your child will easily be able to reach all the books on the shelves.
Anyone can get behind something that serves more than one purpose. Functionality is key! A good example of this would be a storage bench, that serves as a bench for seating as well as a place for additional storage. These would be great in a child's playroom. Maybe your child's playroom will have an area for crafts. A bench seat with storage would be a great seating option for at the table — much more useful than a little stool or chair.
Additionally, maybe the table itself will have built in storage. This would be another multi-functional item that allows for much needed additional storage of all of our little ones copious amounts of stuff!
Every child loves to show of their pieces of art work. Setting up an art hanging wire on a wall with close pins to hold up their art is another example of a double duty item when you think of it. Not only will it showcase their creative pieces of work, but it also would allow it to dry (if it was a painting) for instance.
There are hanging kits you can purchase, or this can be a very quick and easy DIY project for you or your handy significant other! You might even want to keep an additional storage tote close by for holding on to other pieces of art, so that they can constantly swap things out as they complete more pieces of art.
Anything to keep things off the floor, is a good thing in my opinion! Peg boards are great for this, and they allow you to really maximize the wall space in the room for storing things. Peg boards are great for kids craft areas — to hold all of their crafting supplies, or I have even seen them used to hang play tools or Nerf guns!
The options are endless. You can purchase pegs for hanging items up and even wire and other small storage items that can hold even more loose items. Buy some simple trim to fit around the peg board to jazz it up and make it look even more Pinterest-worthy! Super functional and can be surprisingly stylish too!
Open storage baskets are get for allowing kids to easily access the contents within, and equally easily toss them back in when they are finished playing with them. There are a myriad of product options when it comes to open storage items including rattan baskets, plastic bins, and canvas totes — to name a few. Another really neat and super inexpensive option would be to buy wire waste bins from your local dollar store. These are great for tossing in toys (that don't contain super small pieces that will make their way through the wire mesh).
There are so many options that will satisfy whatever organizing style may be. If you do opt for something this is non transparent — you may wish to pick up some labels to say what is inside of each baskets. Or, even if they are transparent, you may still wish to label the storage item so that kids will know exactly what it is that goes back into that bin (in case the entire contents of it gets dumped out).
Closed storage solutions are ever so slightly less easily accessible for kiddos, but the nice thing about them is that it forces kids to put thing away snugly inside so that the storage bin lid fits on top to conceal everything neatly within. When it comes to closed storage solution, I really like the look of clear plastic bins with lids on top.
Kids can see exactly what is inside, and should the container fall, the lid will still keep everything inside. It is also allows you to stack more than one container on top of each other neatly. There are also some really great closed storage options with lids that aren't clear. You can really get creative and pick fun designs that add a pop of color to the room, but still keep all the toys out of site, and out of mind when they are not in use.
Stuffed animals! Every kids has them, and they can be quite big and bulky to store. I really like to us large canvas totes to store my little ones stuffed animals. They are easily accessible and they can quickly be tossed in when they aren't playing with them.
These large totes are also a great place to store ball and other sporting toys and equipment that wouldn't really fit into smaller storage solutions. Or, if your child's playroom has a reading nook or media center, this is also a great place to throw blankets and quilts for when they want to get warm and cuddly!
If your kids love to build with Lego, many of the specialty building sets come with instruction manuals. These instruction manuals often get damaged or lost in all the playroom chaos. A great way to keep instruction manuals contained (whether for Lego or any of their other toys) is by keeping them in a binder with plastic sleeves.
By storing them in a binder, they can easily be accessible as needed, and you will never have to go on the hunt again! Binders with plastic sleeves are also great for containing keepsakes like pieces of art, or even activity pages or card collections!
My little one has a selection of board puzzles. It was always a challenge to keep them tidy and keep all of the puzzles pieces together. I saw this idea on Pinterest and fell in love with this storage solution. Legal-size poly envelopes are perfect for keeping these board puzzles neatly contained and organized. Place the completed puzzles inside, and should they get tipped on their side or upside down, the pieces are all still contained, at least!
You can then store these sleeves of puzzles on a puzzle rack/shelf, or you can keep them in their own storage bin with all of the other puzzles you may have. Absolutely brilliant!
Another (slightly less expensive) option for storing items with smaller pieces would be to buy some Ziplock bags (of various sizes). These are wonderful for keeping toy sets with tiny pieces all together, and they often take up less space than the box or packaging the toy came in.
Label the outside of the Ziplock bag with the contents, and again, these bags can them be stored in their own bin with other similar toys. Hopefully this will put an end to missing or mismatched toy pieces thrown about everywhere!
This is another fairly inexpensive storage solution for keeping toy sets with tiny pieces neatly contained. The think that I like most about these tackle boxes is that they are functional and not that bad to look at either. These boxes will lay flat, and you can stack more than one on top of another.
These are great for storing Lego, mini cars or toy trains, jewelry making or other crafting supplies, or even extra batteries for keeping on the ready for when your little ones toys run out of juice! Such a functional storage solution for a child's playroom!
Closet shoe organizers are another inexpensive storage solution that would make a great addition to your kids playroom. Whether you want to store Barbie dolls, action figures, or crafts supplies, these are perfect for the job! You can hang them on the back of a door, on a wall, or inside a closet, and they will keep everything neat and within arms reach.
I would suggest getting shoe organizers with a clear pouch so that kiddos can see what is inside, and which pouches are empty. It may be difficult to see shorter items that fall deeper into the pouch otherwise.
I don't know why but it always seems that cardboard puzzle boxes always seem to get banged up and look like garbage once kids get a hold of them! A really great alternative storage solution for these items would be plastic food storage containers. You can cut the box to keep the picture, or take a photograph of the box's picture to keep with the puzzle pieces in its new storage container.
And for people who really don't like the look of a bunch of random color and sized boxes, this will be a great way to make things look more streamlined! The plastic will also be far more likely to stand up to wear and tear than the cardboard box would,too. Win win!
Much like puzzle boxes, playing card boxes always seemed to get ripped and damaged with frequent use too! Plastic Soap boxes are great for playing cards — another winning idea I picked up from Pinterest!
Plastic Soap Boxes can be purchased at any local dollar store, and should stand up to wear and tear far better than the cards original boxes. You can then store these soap boxes inside another storage bin with all of the other cards your little ones may have!
Many kids like to play dress up. Whether it is pretty dresses and costume jewelery, or super hero Halloween costumes — theses are things many of us can admit to having kicking around our house. Instead of throwing them in a lump in a toy chest, keep things neat and tidy by installing a simple wall coat rack or a small coat rack with hangers.
Little ones can quickly do wardrobe changes, and then hang things back up quickly and easily when they are done. This will help keep the outfits looking better and easy to find!
What kid doesn't love to color? I know my little one does. I try to keep a selection of coloring books and activity books handy for him and when any of his little friends come for a visit. A great way to store these coloring books is in wire file racks.
If your child has a arts and craft area in their play room, these wire racks can easily be fastened to the wall near their crafting station. Or, if you use the peg board idea mentioned earlier, you can easily attach a wire rack to the peg board for easy access to all of their little coloring books! I hope that some of these storage ideas have inspired you to organize your little ones playroom. Get your little ones involved in the process, and hopefully this will help them stay motivated to keep it looking as beautiful as the day you finish it! Good luck!