It is that time of year again, in the great Northeast. Leaves are turning and peak will be upon us soon. It is almost time for the annual migration of the leaf-lookers. Cars going fifteen miles per hour in a fifty-five zone, sudden changes in direction without the benefit of direction signals and the famous stop on a dime and gawk out the windows stunt. You just never know quite what to expect. (more…)
If you are looking for ways to save yourself a little cash or a place where some corners can be cut, I would like to recommend that you do NOT consider reducing your home insurance coverage or getting rid of certain aspects of your policy. After the year my husband and I had in 2007, I can unequivocally say that homeowner’s insurance can certainly be a life saver. (more…)
As the mother of four boys, including one that just turned 14, one that will soon be 12 and a set of six-year-old twins, I would like to give Fabreeze my official stamp of approval. (more…)
I know, it probably sounds crazy to you, my loyal readers, that I would bother to write an entire blog post about a noodle strainer. To think that such a simple device would warrant an entire post probably sounds absurd, but I truly believe that my strainer deserves the accolades and recognition that a full blog post provides. (more…)
Shopping for flooring for my kitchen remodeling project was certainly an adventure. My husband and I thought we had picked out the perfect laminate flooring for the kitchen from Lowe’s, but it was well before we were actually ready to install the flooring. So, we decided to wait on purchasing it. (more…)
Moving into a new neighborhood, our yard and landscaping was young and sparse. The shrubbery, small and newly planted, outlined the perimeter of our house. The trees reached only a few feet tall. I’ve never had a green thumb; in fact, I once killed a cactus. I knew I’d need some guidance to keep these plants alive and thriving in the Texas heat.
Everyone loves a clean house. When the maids and butlers complete their daily chores, we can enjoy the comforts of a sparkling clean home, without the worry of the drudgery of doing it ourselves. The smell of fresh flowers, picked daily, enhance the ambiance of the dream. A smile crosses our faces and quickly turns to a frown, as we open our eyes and realize the smell is not fresh flowers, but none other than the cat box we forgot to clean, for the last three days. (more…)
Every weekend the ritual begins. Each of us starts a lawn mower and begins the pleasant task of trimming the grass. Round and round in circles, enjoying nature at its best, listening to chirping birds, enjoying the sunshine; more like getting a sunburn, hoping the high decibels from the lawn mower does not cause hearing loss and wishing the grass would mow itself. Once we finish the main lawn, the worst begins, trimming around trees and various other obstacles on the lawn. Lawn mowers are not designed to make tight circles around tree trunks, nor pointy noses to get in between the exposed roots.
I don’t consider myself to be a shy or introverted person, but when it comes to calling service professionals I become nervous. I’m not sure why it happens, I just don’t like calling them. It seems here lately I’ve had many opportunities to face this particular demon head on. I’m a school teacher, which allows me to have my summers off. Somehow it seems that all of our home improvements fall during the summer, and obviously I’m the one to handle them seeing as I’m home. (more…)
No, deck fighting is not a new martial art form. Deck fighting for me started with a plywood deck using ¾ inch exterior plywood. It took a few years for it to deteriorate, but I couldn’t keep paint on it, so it always had that needy look. I decided to replace it when a rather heavy friend of mine darn near broke his leg. You see there was a soft spot in one corner of the plywood and that is the exact spot my friend decided to stand. The top of my friend was above deck, but his leg up to the calf ended up below deck. Fortunately, I have good friends and didn’t get sued.