Thanks for the Memories

My mother moved to Las Vegas this week where she had bought another house to retire in. She will be sharing the house with her cousin and her husband. It also means that our childhood home, the house that she has lived in for over thirty years is now being sold. We loved this little house. It's where we grew up in. Even our friends say they hate to see this house. It has anchored many of us even after we had moved on out on our own. We all still had strong ties to this house. Now, those ties will be permanently severed.

Of course we know it's not really the house that we are tied to, it's the people and the memories that were in it. I know it has to be doubly difficult for my mother, but as she said, she's getting old and living by herself in this old house has gotten more difficult every year. Ever since my grandmother passed away last year, my mother has been feeling her age more and I guess she is now also feeling a vulnerability to her own mortality. I don't blame her. She saw her mother age and go through sickness.

She had started worrying what would happen if she fell or got sick and there's no one there to help her. She had considered those medical alert buttons that you can push when you've fallen and can't get up (lol) my grandmother had one so my mom's familiar with it and all the other devices made for senior safety. But it's just a different feeling knowing that there's another person in the house with you. I guess that's why, when she had the chance, she jumped on the opportunity to move somewhere where there will be someone in the house with her. Besides, she loves Vegas! We're just hoping she doesn't spend all her money at the casinos.

So as my mother makes her way to her new home, we are saying goodbye to our old home with sadness. The only comfort we take in letting the house go is that my mother is still strong enough to make a major move like this in her life. She is taking that anchor and all the memories with her, and she will now serve as the beacon for us to follow home.

At least when she's in Vegas, there will also be many other seniors that she can interact with on a daily basis. They will all probably be wearing medical alert bracelets, but that's ok. It's another phase in her life and she will adjust as we all will...

So for now, goodbye house, goodbye home. Thanks for the shelter, the laughter and the memories.

The door is open... AGAIN

Wow, time really flies when you get distracted and frustrated. Yes, worst than having a broken doorbell button, this house has been essentially on lock down for the last month and a half. It all started with work. I pulled off, singlehandedly, I'm proud to say, a three day workshop flawlessly. That took a lot of my time though and at the end of most days I was so exhausted that I could not even look at the computer anymore.

Sorry about that. But now, I am determined to get back on track and distractions be damned. Ultimately, I find that I only have to please myself and no one else. It's a hard lesson to learn when you have a family depending on you and a full time job that is completely reliant on your attention.I finally had to pull myself back and remind myself that I am one person, not superwoman, and no one else can be happy unless I am happy. There have been too many times these past couple of months when I wasn't happy. So that's ending today. So welcome back to our home, the door is again open for business. :)

Are you sleeping with the enemy?

I love pilows! My bed does not have just two pillows, it has ten! Yes, believe me, ten pillows on it. Five for each side. Why?

See, when you love to read as much as I do, you want to be as comfortable as possible when you're laying in bed with a good book. That's why I love my pilows! Some of them I've had for over ten years and they are my favorites! What I never realized is, how disgusting they could be or probably already are! Watch the segment below and see what I mean.



Scary, isn't it? My husband is borderline germophobe so he makes sure that our beddings are washed every week. When he does the washing, he also sprays the bare pillows and mattresses thoroughly with Lysol antibacterial spray. I'm hoping these measures that he has been taking has taken care of some of the problems mentioned in the video. I am still a bit wary though because our pillows are so old! As mentioned in the video, the older the pillows are, the more susceptible they are housing all the nasty things mentioned like dust mites, their droppings, fungus, mold and bacteria.

It got me thinking that maybe it's time to get some new pillows. There are new products in the market like the allergy pillow offered by Healthy Dreams. They are made with the Micrenza bio-filter which effectively keeps out the germs, mold and allergens from settling in to your pillows. They cost a bit more than the average good quality pillow but if it keeps you from breathing in harmful particles that can compromise your health, why not splurge? And if you consider the fact that a good quality pillow can usually last at least a couple of years or longer, that's a pretty good investment.

A great thing about these Healthy Dreams pillows is that they have 10-Year Warranty and a 60-Day Unconditional Return Privilege. If you've been considering changing out your pillows, these Healthy Dreams pillows are worth considering. Stop sleeping with the enemies, sleep healthy instead.

Cook's Interior Door Company

Much like the way your face is the first thing anyone who first meets you judges you by, the door is the first thing that any new comer to your home sees first. The doorway is the first impression everyone gets of your home and by association, of you.

Cook's Doors and Windows has been in business for over 80 years and it still remains a family run operation. The company is located in Los Angeles, California where they are a premier interior door company and exterior door company. They work with building contractors, designers and architects, providing them quality doors from a variety of reputable manufacturers to ensure that clients get just what they want or need for their doorways.

Cook's is also a great source as a replacement window company. You don't have to be building a major building project to avail of their services, they also provide support for retrofit or renovation projects. If, for instance, you are just looking to replace your old windows, Cook's uses the same high end door manufacturers for their windows. Check out the beautiful designs and craftsmanship of the doors and windows offered at their site.

And if you didn't already know it, another advantage to making sure the windows and doors to your home are energy efficient is that you can get up to $1500 in tax credit when you file your taxes this year! There is a little known credit called the Federal Energy Tax Credit Program which pays 30% of the product cost up to $1500 whenever you install energy efficient features to your home. This includes doors and windows that are manufactures to minimize heat loss and heat reflection. Contact a Cook's representative and they will tell you more about how to lower your energy bill and also how to earn this tax credit.

Your peace of mind

They say it's a sign of the times. That it's because the economy is bad and the holidays are here. That's what they say about the recent increase in the number of burglaries. We for one know of a couple of people whose houses had been broken into in the past month. The scary thing is, the second house was invaded while the owners were at home. They held them at gun point while they rummaged through their possessions. They weren't harmed physically. But the damage done to their peace of mind is as great as if they had been bloodied. They are afraid to go home at night now.

We've had a home security system for a while now ever since my husband transferred the service from his business to our home when he closed his store down. I must admit that we've thought of cutting out the service at times when our finances were tight. But then we hear horror stories from people we know and we become even more resolved to tighten the security to our home.

Having an alarm system is a huge step in ensuring your home security but there are also other common sense steps that you can take on your own. For instance, you can:

Secure windows. Make sure all the locks on your window work and that they are locked especially at night and when you leave the house.

Deadbolts. You'd be surprised how many homes, especially older ones, still don't have dead bolts on their doors. Make sure yours have one. My husband added one of those metal bolts that prevents your doors from being kicked in. Most standard locks are easily pried or kicked in by anyone determined to enter your home.

Clear Shrubbery. Make sure your windows and doors are not hidden by shrubbery. Thieves can use shrubbery to hind themselves while sneaking into your house.

Good Neighbors. Finally, nothing beats a good alarm system like a nosy neighbor. When we or our neighbors are going to be away from our homes for a few days, we always let each other know so that they can keep an eye out for any suspicious activities.

Let them know you're protected. Finally, let would be robbers know that your house is armed by placing your alarm system's signage around your house. They are less likely to try breaking in if they know that you have a home security system installed.

Cool Stuff

I stumbled across these bookshelves not too long ago. Aren't they neat? I would have never thought of putting books on a stair case. What a novel idea! This would be perfect if you have a limited space like us. Our house is really tiny compared to the mac mansions everyone is living in nowadays. On the first photo which is a head on shot, it looks just like any ordinary book case. On the second shot though, you'll realize that the shelves on the first shot are located under the stair step and the side walls of the staircase are also made into bookshelves.

Pop Up TV

Pop ups are almost becoming cliche' but these pop up tvs are pretty cool. Most living rooms I walk into, including ours, is dominated by the TV. We all can't afford home movie theaters so we use our living rooms for that. Nothing wrong with that, but there are times when if would be nice to be able to use the living room without the TV blaring. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to hide the thing away when not in use?

Summer Cool Down

Summer is upon us with a vengeance and the girls and I have ramped up our dream of having our own pool in the backyard. If you are also on this same daydream, then Blue World Pools may be just the thing for you.

Consider having an above ground pool for the fraction of the price for an in ground pool. It's a great way to relax after work and cool off in the summer time. It's almost hard to believe, but the price for an above ground pool starts at $349. The $349 offer is for a limited time only and applies to the 15x24 oval pool. That's good enough to cool off in, but if you'd like something more fitting for your backyard landscape and one that matches the architecture of your house, you may opt for a midline pool or the classic pool. You certainly get a lot of flexibility in design and pricing with above ground pools.

The website is very intuitive. If you want a quote, they'll give you one for free and if you just want to know if they provide service in your area, they have that information online too. Even if they don't service your area, contact them anyway, they may still be able to help you. They have live online help, so you can get your questions answered right away. Blue World Pools has been in business a long time and they have a proven track record for providing good service. They not only make sure you receive excellent service in choosing and installing your pool, they will provide assistance with financing and maintenance after the installation so that you will enjoy your pool for years to come.

Check their website, and give them a call. They may just have the solution to this summer's heat.

This post sponsored by Blue World Pools

Want to have a Green Thumb?

I've always been the grim reaper of plants (or should I say GREEN reaper?). My thumb is black and every plant I've ever had in my home was doomed to die, but I was too much of a snob to resort to 'fake' plants. That's why I married a man with a green thumb. So now he's the only one who handles plants. I handle the kids.

Here's an article that offers a new solutions to the question, How to Get a Green Thumb? The article gives some pretty compelling reasons for using silk flowers and plants to go green when decorating your interiors.

Dispose of water bottles

Today, as I mentioned before, is earth day, but everyday not just today, we try to be environmentally conscious as much as we can. One of the things we've started doing, which is also a big savings on our budget, is to stop buying bottled water. We all bring our lunches for school and we've stopped bringing bottled juices or sodas a long time ago, so it was bottled water for us. But then we realized, as we take containers full of empty plastic bottles out on the sidewalk for recycling, how much plastics we are using up and throwing away!

So my husband installed water filter under our sink and installed bar faucets to dispense the filtered water. From the tap, we can now fill re-usable water bottles for our daily dose of water! Aside from the label on the bottle, we haven't been able to notice a difference in taste, really.

Discount Bathroom Remodelling

It's spring time again and you know it's time to start thinking of things to spend your tax return on (I just got mine today :-P). I know one of the things I want to do with the extra money is to fix up some things around the house like the bathroom for instance. It needs a major remodel, but if I can even just change the window treatment and shower curtain, I'd be happy.

It you're thinking of doing some remodeling yourself, you may want to consider checking out directbuy. It's the place to get home decorating products at at manufacturer-direct prices. You can save as much as 40% when you buy direct. All you have to do is pay a small membership due and you can shop your heart out without the retail markup!

Dream On

We were out shopping the other day, and the store was having a sale on flat screen TVs. The girls immediately started babbling on how we should set up a home theater in our den with a big screen tv, surround sound and home theater chairs. I told them they needed to stop dreaming. LOL!

Instead, we went and got DVDs to watch on our ol' 25 inch.

The hives!

Last Saturday night, while I was getting undressed for bed, I noticed that my legs and back were itching. I thought it was just cause the weather had turned cold and sometimes when my skin gets dry, I start itching. This time though, the itching got worst even after I applied lotion, then they started welting up into these nasty looking red areas all over. Husband thought it may be shingles or some kind of allergic reaction. I was thinking I got welts on my behind because I was parked on my sister-in-law's bar stools for a couple of hours straight. But, it turned out to be a combination of all of the above. It turns out, I am allergic to the Italian Cream Cake that I was eating perched on the stool. The cake had black walnuts on it, and that was what aggravated the hives!

Mailboxes

The holidays are upon us again, I realized, as I eyed some Christmas cards at the drug store this morning. Pretty soon your mailboxes will be full of Christmas cards. Wouldn't you want to have an attractive receptacle to receive these bounties? There are a variety of mailboxes out there like the Gaines Mailboxes that are not only stylish but also durable. If a curbside Gaines pedestal mailbox is your style, they have a variety of styles that you may find appealing. They also have community mailboxes for apartments and businesses.

If you are into classic designs, the Original Keystone Mailbox series may be just the thing for you. The mailboxes are durable and will stand all types of weather for a long time. They are made of rust proof aluminum, and the paint will resist UV rays making the color of your mailbox last longer.

A Second Act

Electronics, particulary TVs, are probably one of the most popular Christmas presents. HDTVs, especially have gotten very popular as a means to upgrade the regular TVs in most homes. Gone are the days of fuzzy and noisy tvs, these days, it's all about high definition (HD) and flat screens. Second Act is one of the cheapest place to find high quality TVs. The carry most major brands like Sharp, Hitachi, JVC, Samsung and Hitachi among others. Most of their offerings are overstocks, factory refurbished, and open box thus they are able to offer them at highly discounted prices.

One of the features to watch for on Second Act is their Great Deal of the Day. This is a specially priced promotion that is sure to beat any price you can find for this particular item. You can subscribe to their feed to get notices of the daily deal or you can sign up to receive their notificatins via email.

Whatever type of TV you are looking for, HDTV, Plasma, LCD Flat Panel, Second Act is a good and final place to start looking.

Floor me

My sister just had wood flooring installed at her house for what seems like a lot of money to me. While she was getting estimates, we were discussing whether it would be cheaper if she bought the flooring herself and just had it installed by someone else. She said that most of the contractors she talked to were against that idea because they said they wouldn't then be able to guarantee the quality.

Too bad because iFLOOR has a variety of quality flooring at reasonable prices. The good thing is, they now also offer a warranty for flooring purchased online. See the press release below.

iFLOOR, America's largest online flooring retailer, today announced a $1,000,000 limited warranty designed to protect its customers from predatory manufacturer policies that exclude warranty coverage from online purchases.

The policy, which goes into effect immediately, offers up to one million dollars of coverage in the event that a customer's warranty claim is denied specifically because they made their purchase online. It is complimentary for every iFLOOR customer, and protects the buyer under the same terms as the original product warranty.

iFLOOR, Inc. CEO, Steve Simonson, came up with the program to combat "scare tactics" used by manufacturers of hardwood floors and laminate flooring. "Their idea is to discourage you from buying at a discount!" wrote Simonson in his blog "It's About Flooring". "This is not right! You deserve to save money! So we're going to take care of this problem once and for all."

And it would appear that federal law is on his side. Section 108 of the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Act, states that, "In general, tie-in sales provisions are not allowed. Such a provision would require a purchaser of the warranted product to buy an item or service from a particular company to use with the warranted product in order to be eligible to receive a remedy under the warranty."

Under iFLOOR's new warranty, a key provision allows for iFLOOR to "seek justice" on behalf of the customer in the event of legal action. According to Simonson, "I'm putting iFLOOR's money where my mouth is."

About iFLOOR, Inc.
Since 1998, iFLOOR.com has been the leading online and retail flooring company, with 36 local retail stores nationwide offering more than 70,000 products, including hardwood floors, laminate flooring, bamboo flooring and cork floors. iFLOOR.com is the largest online flooring retailer according to Internet Retailer Magazine, and was named by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States for the past three years. Committed to quality customer service, superior selection and friendly expert advice, iFLOOR.com enables customers to buy flooring both online and in its retail stores at a substantial savings over traditional retailers. For more information about iFLOOR, please visit www.iFLOOR.com.

###

Light up your life

This weekend is Daylight Savings Time; it's again time to set our clocks one hour back. That means it will be darker when you go out in the morning. The season of light is upon us and what better time to start considering the lighting inside of your homes too? For quality and classically designed lighting, you may want to look at quoizel lighting. Their timeless look and elegance will enhance any room in your house for years. They are not only beautiful, they are built to last. What ever type of lighting needs you may have, they will probably have just the right chandellier, wall scones or ceiling light for you. Cast a glow to your home by installing the right type of lighting.

SPONSOR POST: 10 Tips for Buying a New Home

Homes can be a nightmare to sort out once you buy them, making sure the windows are double glazed, checking the windows and doors and the possibilities of extending it’s size. Here are 10 tips you might need before you actually make the purchase

1. Hire a Home Inspector to do a survey

2. Choose between points and the rate

3. Get help from a professional

4. Do research on the property before making a bid.

5. Try to buy in a nice area with schools, supermarkets etc.

6. Don’t stress if you can’t meet an initial deposit amount.

7. Go for somewhere you can afford, don’t try to stretch the budget.

8. Decide if you are going to stay or not, if not then don’t buy.

9. Get yourself pre-approved before going on the hunt for homes

10. Check out your credit status and try to build up some funds

Cold Backyard Living

Fall is surely upon us. By the time I get home at the end of the day, the sun has set and the garden is dark. That doesn't stop me from sitting out to enjoy the twilight though. Thank goodness to outdoor lighting, we still spend a lot of time in the backyard. Now we are seriously considering getting one of those fire pits. The Clone for sure, is looking forward to roasting marshmallows.

Efficient Mailboxes

Concerns about identity theft and other forms of mail fraud have prompted many home owners to install secured mail boxes. Businesses and apartment complexes have utilized cbu mailboxes for their tenants for a long time. They provide security for the tenants and convenience for the mailman. All in all, a pretty good arrangement. Now, this security is also available for individual homes. You can stop worrying about having someone rummaging through your mailbox while you're away from home.