Category: Local

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Holidays underway and winter storm

Been really busy lately as is usual for this time of year. Between sick kids and trying to get everything done for holiday shopping and the local food and toy collections, I barely have time to breathe. The house is fully decorated though, so that is one thing I no longer have to worry about. Not that the lights outside are likely to work well this weekend. The winter storm that is coming through is supposed to have lots of ice, so we will more than likely lose electricity. We had no electric last night for a few hours and it was not a good thing, especially with a sick child.

I am really glad we have a fireplace so we don’t have to worry about not having heat. It won’t be able to heat the entire house, but I can close off a few rooms and keep it relatively warm in here. That will go a long way to heating things up. Cooking might be a problem. I am digging out the camping gear just in case. That way if we need it to cook, we will have it ready.

I have plenty of candles and canned goods that can be quickly heated up, as well as lots of crackers and snacks. We will be okay through this. I am worried for people who don’t have the supplies and resources that we do though. I hope a shelter or two open just in case they are needed. I am also reaching out to a few people that I think my need our help. I will feel better knowing that their kids will be warm if they come to my house to stay for a couple of days or so. Other than that I have done all I can. Stay safe in the storm people.

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City water

I hate city water, but never more than now. Seriously, they have made some definite changes to our water and I am so not happy about it. There is so much chlorine in the water that it is messing up my hair. This makes me go through so much more conditioner because I am trying to equalize it and it is not working at all. Even my hairdresser noticed the difference and asked if I had changed shampoo’s or somthing. Definitely not good. I decided to call our local water company and find out what the deal was. Why did they change our water? The answer was basically that they were forced to up the chemicals due to the heavy rains and since our winter weather is mostly rainy, it was here to stay. Great! Just what I needed to hear.

I cannot handle the water as it is right now, so I guess I am going to have to think about putting in a water filtration system. I thought about ones just for the bathrooms, but apparently of the four available, that is not one of them.

  • A pitcher filter only gives you clean drinking water. That is good but certainly won’t help my hair any.
  • A sink or faucet filter only services that particular area
  • An under the sink filter is about the same with only doing that sink
  • A whole house filter will service the bathrooms and showers, but of course is much more costly.

Since my main concern is for my showers and bathtubs, I suppose that I will have to bite the bullet and spend the money for the system. No one in the house is happy about the changes made by the water company as the children have complained that their eyes hurt after taking a shower. You know when that happens, there is way to many chemicals in the water. I had this problem once before when we lived in our old house. We didn’t own it so weren’t about to spend the money for a filtration system for it. Now that I own my house though, I can justify the expense and it will add value to my home as well.

Environment Masters in Jackson MS have come highly recommended after much research, so I have decided to go with them. I have a few friends and family members who have used them and still do for repairs etc… At least I know that my home will be taken care of correctly. I should have done this a long time ago.

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Blood Services

You gotta love irony. This is too funny. I guess whomever it is that owns this car must work there, and definitely has a sense of humor. That is the kind of person I like to work with, someone who can laugh at themselves and have a little fun.

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Roof leaks

Roof leaks are caused by many different things. Detecting them before they do any major damage can be a problem, because you generally do not realize it is leaking until visible damage has occurred. Most often you will notice a discoloration in the ceiling or wall near the ceiling depending on your paint of course. If you have a really dark colored paint on the wall, and it isn’t showing up in the ceiling, you may not find out about it for a very long time. That in itself can be bad.

Doing regular roof leak detection on your own, for missing or worn out, cracked shingles is the first step to preventing water damage to your home. Sometimes it can be as easy as banging a nail back in to keep it from leaking, other times a professional is needed to assess your roof and to make sure it is in tip top condition. One major reason for leakage is incorrectly installed flashing around chimneys, exhaust vents and such. This usually only happens from low quality work or a poorly done DIY job. Peak Roofing Systems in Frisco, TX have specialists for roof leak detection to help you find those leaks that are not readily apparent.

Just because one area is wet, doesn’t necessarily mean that is where the leak is. Water naturally rolls downhill, so the leak could conceivably be elsewhere and usually is. If you have found the leak by the usual means, ie it’s coming through the ceiling, you need to get that repaired right away. Here’s the tricky part. The leak is fixed, but the damage caused by the leak needs to be addressed. Sometimes it is as simple as a little paint and either drying out or replacing the wet insulation. However, if the damage is extensive, it may take more work. I should note that any damage done in or near any electrical outlet, box etc..should not be attempted by you yourself. An electrician should handle drying out and taking care of that. Only then can you replace the drywall and paint the areas needed. With any luck, your leak didn’t extend down to your carpets, but if it did, the first thing you should do is open the windows to allow air to in to help dry them out. Even if it is only in a small area.

You don’t want to end up with mold, because that is almost impossible to get rid of. You can also use a wet dry vac or rent a shampoo machine to suck the water out of carpets. They will dry much faster that way. My personal experience with this actually came from a tree limb that landed on top of our own roof. It did no visible damage and we were relieved and thought all was good, until months later. In hindsight, we should have had the roof checked out immediately to ascertain if there was damage to begin with. It certainly would have saved us a lot of money, because our damage was extensive later on.

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Charity drive

We are doing a charity drive for the school. It will include a small carnival/fair with some small rides, various local vendors and an animal show as well. Everyone is so excited since this is the first year we are doing this. Usually we have a bake sale, but the profits had dwindled so much that it was pointless to continue. The suggestion for the fair came from the children themselves, so they are inordinately proud of this achievement. The fact that they get to help as well has them over the top. Make sure you come out this weekend and have some fun with us.

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The county fair

The county fair is this week and I know that the kids are really wanting to go. It is a relatively small fair in comparison to some, but we really like it and it doesn’t tax your wallet too much.

There are plenty of ride to keep the kids happy and the animal shows are really great. Don’t forget the awesome food that they always have as well. If you are in our area, you should go and check it out. We will see you there!

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Summer went quick

Fall is almost here and you can tell by the temperature. While there are still many hot days, the nights are rapidly cooling and it won’t be long before sweater weather has arrived. I have already see some of the leaves start to fall off of the trees. Seems like it has started a little earlier this year. Hopefully it doesn’t get real cold too quick. I would like to enjoy a lengthy fall. I like it when we can turn off the A/C and not have to turn the heat on yet. Perfect weather for open windows is always my favorite. Not too hot and not too cold.

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The trees

Well I am having some tree work done next week. The weather is nothing but thunderstorms all week and there are already branches down. I know that there will be a lot more, but there is no reason to start with it still raining. First thing Monday morning they will come and lean it up, as well as cut down any branches that need to be taken down. We used to do it ourselves but started hiring someone else because honestly, they have professional climbing gear and it is much easier for them to do.

This will also get our trees ready for the winter season that will be coming along shortly. That way if we have any ice storms this year, I won’t have to worry about it then. It will all be taken care of. I learned my lesson with that a few years ago when we had a large branch come down on the hood of one of the cars. Now we don’t take any chances. I wouldn’t want one to come down on one of the kids when they are outside, so it is best to be prepared. You might want to take a look at the trees in your yard and see if they need to be trimmed so that you don’t have problems with it later.

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Summer is in full swing

Summer is in full swing and we are having a blast. Between our times at the pool or the river and the ever present BBQ’s, we have been constantly on the go for the last week. I made the decision to see that we spent as much time out of the house this summer as possible and I am keeping that promise. Last summer was rather boring for all of us and we really don’t want a repeat of the same. I know that the kids are having lots of fun and even when we are home, they are outside having fun. The neighbors have a pool and the neighborhood kids are pretty much camped out there.

The mother of those children says she doesn’t mind and the rest of us go spend an hour or two helping referee the kids as well as helping with snacks and such so she doesn’t have to bear the brunt of the cost. I know how it is to have the neighbor kids at my house to hang out. They will eat you out of house and home in just a couple of days..lol

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Walmart

I have a love hate relationship with Walmart. I love to hate it, but I always end up having to go there. The only reason I hate it, is because I can go there for one thing…ONE THING and still walk out having spent a hundred dollars. I end up seeing stuff on sale that the kids need or for the house and that is it. Next thing you know the cart has a bunch of stuff in it and it’s not even FULL, but still costs a hundred bucks. Grrrrr….