home improvement – Allyson Daniel

October 1, 2015

Things that Should be Kept in a Fireproof Safe

While there are many efforts that you can take in order to protect your home from fire, there is always a chance that a fire can break out, no matter what preventative methods you have taken. Just look at the recent wildfires in California. Countless people have lost their homes and the valuables that were inside to these fires, and it was completely beyond their control.

While you may not be able to completely protect your home from fire, you can protect some of your valuables. If you live in or around Portland, safes Portland Oregon are the best way to secure your most precious items from fire.

While you may wish that you could put the contents of your entire home into a fireproof safe, unfortunately, you can’t; but what items should you put in a fireproof safe? Keep on reading to find out.

Essential Items to Keep in a Fireproof Safe

What items are a must to keep in a fireproof safe? Here’s a look at some of the things that you are definitely going to want to keep in this protective piece of equipment.

Insurance policies. You are definitely going to want to keep all of your current insurance policies in a fireproof safe. This includes any and all home insurance policies, as well as life insurance policies. These are extremely valuable and should they be damaged, it can be difficult to get new ones.

Birth certificates. You are also going to want to keep all birth certificates in a fireproof safe. This includes yours, your spouses and the birth certificates of your children. If these are damaged, you will never be able to get an original again.

Social security cards. Along with birth certificates, you should also keep social security cards in a fireproof safe. Should they be damaged in a fire, they can also be difficult to replace.

Passports. A passport is a valuable piece of identification, and it is also a memento that many people like to hold onto. Keep it protected from fire by keeping it in a fireproof safe.

Important legal documents. If you have any important documents, such as documents that illustrate power of attorney, living wills, health care proxies, you are going to want to store them in your fireproof safe.

Keep these valuable items protected from fire by storing them in a fireproof safe.

June 23, 2015

Creative juices

My brother has a really large living room with lots of large pieces of furniture. He has several recliners and a very large sectional sofa. For several years I’ve been wishing that I had room for a sectional sofa in my smaller house, but I didn’t think it was possible until my best friend Suzie told me about a website that she found. She told me that you can design your own sectional furniture at ClubFurniture dot com. I just went onto that website and was pleasantly surprised to see a pretty good selection of sectional sofas with a chaise on the end for smaller spaces.

I think that I just might buy one of them! The sofa we have in our living room now is too large for the space, and doesn’t have a chaise. I love the idea of having a chaise on one end of the sofa – I love putting my feet up, and if we have a chaise section I could do that and still have room on the sofa for other people to sit!

May 20, 2015

Now this is a pretty neat gift

My father is one of those people that has to know what the 5 day forecast for the weather is so he can plan the next five days. Well I couldn’t believe it when I found a 5 day Wireless Weather Forecaster by Brookstone. That is absolutely the most perfect gift I can get for my father. It’s also something that hopefully no one else would think to get him.

One year I got him a scale model of an Indian Motorcycle like he used to have and my sister got him the same thing but it happened to be a different color thank goodness. Well I bet that won’t happen again this year.

October 11, 2014

Well I checked him out

I found a web site that tells you if there is a child molester in what ever radius you choose. There was no Charlie Benson listed which was a relief to me. I even looked up the number he gave me and it is registered to a Charles Benson so I think he’s okay so far.

Then I found a web site that lets you check criminal records. Again, no Charlie Benson. This seems so far to be just a nice older man who is lonely and wants a family to love. I’m going to take it slow and easy and see if I can learn more so I can really make sure my kids are safe with him. You just can’t be too careful these days with yourself and especially your children.

September 23, 2014

I need new faucets

This is a great house but some of the faucets need to be replaced. I have always known that Delta faucets are the best so why would I settle for anything else? After all, I don’t want to have to replace them again anytime soon and with them, I won’t have to. They have a good selection for kitchens and bathrooms. I may as well just see which faucets aren’t Delta and replace them while I’m at it.

June 4, 2014

Big Day for Spiders

Had to do some yard work over the weekend and I cannot begin to tell you about all the spiders I saw. There were brown recluse spiders under my trailer tarp, orb spiders in the bushes that I had to trim, tiny brown spiders in the tree that drops low over my driveway now, a black widow in the grass, and even a white spider that crawled out from the retractable dog leash that I picked up. I’m not afraid of spiders but I don’t like them and I am going to call the pest control company or head out to the hardware store to buy some pesticides. It just seems like last weekend was all about spiders.

May 23, 2014

Saving on groceries

I read an article on MSN Money central about feeding a family on $100 a week. If I spent that much a week on food, I wouldn’t be able to pay all the other bills before now so I’m used to being tight with groceries.

There are better way to save money on food than they talk about. I buy a lot of chicken and hamburger but we still eat well. We have a little garden and Grandpa has a big garden so we home can and freeze a lot of vegetables so we don’t have to buy that many vegetables. Mom is great at making different things with the same old meats. You just have to find recipes that everyone likes and use your imagination a little. I’ve learned to be a pretty good cook from trial and error mostly, and a lot of help from Mom.

Using coupons helps a lot, too. I have a “coupon-swapping” friend, Joann, and we try to get together at least twice a month to trade coupons. I enjoy catching up with her, and we always find we save a lot of money by swapping off the coupons that we clip from the papers.

May 4, 2014

Visiting my grandparents

I used to love to visit my grandparents house when I was a child. They had the most beautiful old grandfather clock I had ever seen. I loved to hear it chime. In fact, as a child, I would run into the sitting room where the grandfather clock was when it would start chiming just so I could hear it better. I loved that clock. My parents now have it and it will be mine to keep in my home when they are gone which I hope will be many years from now.

February 17, 2014

Maintain your septic system to avoid problems

In the small town of Seaford Delaware, there is a lot of rural areas. Many people have septic systems rather than city sewage. For those who do, it is important to know how to keep your septic system up and know the signs of trouble you may encounter. There are four ” Red Flags” that you should be aware of that could spell trouble for your system.

If you haven’t had your septic tank cleaned or inspected in two to three years, you could have a problem and be unaware of it.
If you have standing water or mushy areas in your yard, then your drain field is not draining properly
Backed up or slow toilets are a clear sign that you probably need to have the tank drained
That “nasty” smell you cannot identify is probably your septic overflowing or backing up.

If you haven’t had your septic inspected, or have noticed any of these problem areas, then you need to look up seaford septic tank cleaning and take care of this right away. There are many companies to choose from, and you can get estimates over the phone most of the time. Occasionally, they will want to look and then let you know what you are dealing with.

There are ways to keep your tank in good “health” with a few simple products that will keep it from clogging or backing up. You can start with the simplest product available. A product with bacteria or yeast is safe for your system and will help keep if clear longer. Do NOT use chemical additives as they can damage your tank and/or your lines, this goes as well for chemical clog removers. Hot water or a drain snake are the best things to use to clear a clog from your pipes.

There are two different kinds of filters that can help keep your tank in good health. One is a filter that attaches to the drain line of your washing machine. This will help keep lint from getting into the septic tank and clogging it up. The filter should be cleaned at regular intervals. You can also put a filter on the exit side of the tank. This will keep solid material from getting into your drain field. You can also use a different kind of bleach, called oxygen bleach to help keep food and dirt from getting into your tank. All of these products are available at your local Seaford stores.

There are certain jobs that you should not attempt to tackle on your own as you well know. You don’t attempt to fix electrical problems, especially those anywhere near the main breaker box. You don’t take on major plumbing problems and you should NEVER try to repair or clean your septic tank yourself. The gases inside a septic tank are highly toxic and can kill you very quickly. A professional should always be consulted for any septic system work that needs to be done. Regular maintenance and inspections will keep your system healthy so you won’t have any problems arise.

February 11, 2014

Landscaping is the final touch

You have decorated or remodeled the interior of your house, spruced up the exterior of it, but still have one thing left to do to be truly satisfied. Landscaping your yard to make it a showplace of it’s own and compliment the house as well. It takes a lot of research to figure out just exactly will look good in your yard with the given space you have to work with. Some people know exactly what they want, while others haven’t a clue. Make sure to clean up your yard of all the stuff that needs storage first. You might want to invest in a garden shed for this if you don’t already have one. You yard will look much better without all that clutter and leave you with the space to do your landscaping.

Choices

Figure out where you want your paths and the general layout. Keep in mind that this may change slightly as you do the landscaping as well. Choose your plants and flowers with an eye towards color all year long, not just for the spring time. Many plants and trees bloom a various times of the year and if you choose the right ones, you will have lots of color in your yard year round. If you plant in groups so that it looks more natural, you will have a much better looking yard. Nature is the best blueprint you can use.

Flowers

Buy flowers that will bloom each year and not have to be replaced like perennials, certain shrubs and vines. There are also bulbs that you can plant in the fall, that will come up at spring time and you will have a sudden burst of color. Iris, tulip and daffodil bulbs can be planted in the fall and have this effect. You may want to choose flowers that will attract hummingbirds or butterfly’s. Morning glory’s, Bee balm, and verbena will attract both hummingbirds and butterflies to your yard and garden.

Trees

Trees can be a great addition to your yard and also double to shade the house during those summer months. Fruit producing trees, such as Apple Trees, Cherry Trees and such are always a plus. They look great and give you fruit as well. Flowering trees like the Magnolia and Dogwood trees are undeniably beautiful, your spring and summer yard will have blooming trees that seem to last and last. Evergreen trees that never lose their color are great for winter color.

Rocks and Pots

You can add to your landscaping, with large pots and rocks or boulders. Large pots (not small ones) are as important as what goes in them. They can be pricey but are a good investment and will look amazing. Rocks are best found in your area. Most times you won’t even have to pay for them if you ask around to see where you might locate construction sites. You can also go to a quarry and buy them cheaper then you can from your local hardware store.