Category: home improvement

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A more secure future

There are many things in life that can be scary. One thing that really concerns me is the safety of my family. Every time I leave the house I wonder if my family will be ok. There are many bad people in the world and even when you think you are safe, you may not be. That’s why I decided to look into some Home Security Systems as a way to keep my family safe.

I started to look around online to see what I could find. After reading a whole bunch of customer’s reviews, it became clear to me that there was only one choice. I thought that going with the leader in Home Security would be the best bet. I had heard about the company called ADT and thought I would give them a call. I was glad I did because now I feel so much better when I leave the house.

One of the best features of their service is the Home Security Monitoring. This feature is available in nearly every state. This also means that the authorities can be alerted whenever any trouble arises. The system I had installed is also very easy to use. This was important as I wanted my kids to be able to operate it. They have no trouble with it and they use all the time. I am glad I decided to make the move to a more secure future!

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New ideas

One of the best things about working in a large office is that people are always coming up with great new ideas. I would like to speak about one of them. Our bulletin board is always full. The problem is that it looks cluttered and it’s time consuming to read each individual page on it. Some of the notices are vary outdated and were never taken down. The whole thing is a mess.

Somebody heard about a new idea called the Dry Erase Calendar. We all really like it so far. Basically, it’s a large wall calendar that you can mark on with dry erase markers. They can be decorated in almost any style you wish and are pleasing to the eye. Now that we have installed our own Dry Erase Calendar in our office, our notices have become a lot more usable. The mess has been cleared and it’s easy to see when important dates are coming.

Since this idea worked so well in our office, I thought that I might try it at home. I was surprised to find that they make a Dry Erase Calendar for kids. I purchased one for my son’s room and he really likes it. He likes to draw on it as well as outline his homework assignments. I’m glad to have found out about another good idea.

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All that stuff!

One thing we have a lot of is knick knacks. You know the things that we put on our shelves and seem to accumulate over the years. We have many kinds of things including but not limited too; candles, snow globes, figurines, rubrics cube, vases, and more! All these things are reminders of some place we visited or are gifts that we have received.

The bad part is that they are beginning to get in the way as we have too many to handle. I think I’ll pack some into boxes and out them in storage. The next bad thing is that it will only leave room for more! I’m sure that were going to need more shelves!

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What a wonderful Christmas

This has been one of the best Christmas’s we have had in a long time.  Even though money was tight, we were all together and that’s the best part of Christmas anyway.  It’s not about the presents even though we all got the one thing we really wanted or really needed.  It’s about the love of your family surrounding you.

Mom was home about 45 minutes before she saw the dishwasher.  She took a little time to relax before she went into the kitchen to start preparing our Christmas Eve dinner.  We always have a huge dinner and then open presents on Christmas Eve.  That way, we can go to our grandparents on Christmas day and not have to cook for a few days after Christmas.

Mom did just as I knew she would do and busted out crying.  She said “This is the best Christmas present I have ever gotten” just like I knew she would.  She even called everyone she could think of to tell them about it.  That was great because that meant she really loved it.  She couldn’t wait to use it either.  I can honestly say it has been a wonderful Christmas.  Now it’s on to a new year.

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Got Mom’s dishwasher

Every year, a couple days before Christmas eve, Mom puts together about a hundred gift bags full of fruit and socks or bedroom slippers to take to a couple of nursing homes (or retirement homes as some are called) to give to the people there.  She has done this for more years than I can remember.  That means she’ll be there most of the day.

Well we went and picked up Mom’s new dishwasher as soon as she left and now we are all installing it for her.  When she gets home, I wonder how long it will take for her to see it?  We have a big red bow to put on it so she has to see that anyway.  I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she finally spots it.  I know she’s going to cry and that’s cool.  I love to see happy tears on Mom’s face.  This is going to be the best Christmas present we have ever gotten her is probably going to be what she will say.  She says that even if we give her another sweater.  That’s my Mom.

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Family Tradition at Christmas

Every year for as long as I can remember, we always go to the theater to see either the ‘Nutcracker Ballet’ or ‘A Christmas Carol.’  We usually alternate between the two each year.  See my mother and my sister love the ‘Nutcracker Ballet’.  I have to admit as I got older, I found it quite interesting too.  Those Ballerina’s are something.  Even the guys have to be athletic to do what they do.  I’ve tried it and it’s not that easy and I’m an athlete.  Hey, don’t tell anyone I tried it, okay?

Anyway, this year it’s the play.  It blows me away how they can make you see so much on just one little stage from the shop, to the grave yard to the old school and you know the story but have you ever been to the play.  You have to go at least once because you don’t know what you’re missing if you don’t.  That would make a great gift to someone ya know, theater tickets!!  Check with your local theater.  I bet they have gift cards and they could even pick which play they wanted to see.

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What to get Mom?

I really need to come up with something great for my Mother for Christmas.  She’s the type of woman that never asks for a darn thing for yourself.  All she ever wants if something for us kids or anyone else in the family.  I have tried getting her a gift card and she only uses it on someone else.  I really want something for only her, that she can’t give to anyone else because she thinks they need it more than she does.

I got it!!  She doesn’t have a dishwasher, believe it or not and that would make her house work so much easier on her.  I just called Daddy and asked if he will help us get her one for Christmas and put it in for her.  He said that wouldn’t be a problem and knows just where to put it the easiest in the kitchen.

I found a Whirlpool dishwasher that would be perfect for her.  She’s going to absolutely love this gift and it’s just for her to make her life easier. They even have one in stock at Lowe’s and are holding it for us to be picked up on Christmas Eve. PERFECT!!

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See this is what gets me!

They’re talking on my local news about what in the world to do for the homeless population that seems to keep growing and growing.  How in the world are we going to meet their needs?  I’m just a kid in college and I have a few ideas but what does a college kid know?

I know that I have seen just in the past two months, the city tear down two buildings that could have been made into great places to actually give some real help to homeless people.  The reality of it is most people are not homeless by choice.  Some are though because that’s all they know anymore.  Not all homeless are alcoholics or drug addicts either.  Yes some of them are.  Not all homeless have mental illness but some do.

So why not take these buildings and turn them into real help for each group of the homeless.  One of the buildings used to be a three story small factory.  There’s enough room on the bottom floor to turn part of it into a thrift store and another part into something like a McDonald’s or a cafeteria type restaurant and then another part that could have been turned into maybe a training facility.  Each of those places can help the homeless learn a new job skill, give them a temporary job to help them feel that they are earning their food and shelter

On the second floor there was enough room to make several units for single mothers and their children.  Maybe even a daycare for the people that live there so they could work.  The third floor would make several units for families.  This type of place will not be for those with mental, alcohol, or drug problems.  This would be for the people that have found themselves homeless because of the economy or factories shutting down.

Of course I don’t have all the answers but I do have ideas.  They may not be very good ones but maybe someone will read this and it will grow into an idea that will work.  I sure hope so.

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Ponder this

Scientist have told everyone that global warming is happening and yet there are some that don’t believe it.  If you check back through history, sure there are warming periods and there are colder periods.  Perhaps this is just a warming period, but what if it isn’t?  What if we’re causing it just like scientist are telling us we are doing?

I don’t think this is just a warming period or warming cycle if you rather because of several reasons.  First of all, there are so many people on earth now that are using cars, motorcycles, RV’s, boats, lawn mowers and all sorts of other things that use fossil fuels.  They used natural things in a warming cycle before like their feet or a horse to get around, canoe’s with paddles, or goats and sheep to mow the grass.  None of those threw harmful gasses into the atmosphere like the ones of today do.

Then there’s all of the rain forests and natural habitats that are being destroyed all in the name of progress.  Progress of what?  Killing trees and habitats so we can have more apartments, condo’s and houses.  There are enough empty housing around that I bet everyone could have a place to live without building a new housing unit at all most anywhere.

As far as all the empty buildings that used to be department stores or factories, why tear them down only to build something else there?  Why not take these buildings and breathe new life back into them with homeless shelters, studio apartments that young adults trying to get out on their own for the first time could afford or elderly people could afford?  We are such a wasteful people that it drives me crazy sometimes.