Home and Garden Articles
posted on 7 February 2012
My Dream job is to be able to raise, and breed numerous reptiles, such as snakes, bearded dragons, geckos, monitors, and more. Doing this would require a good bit of investment money, for cages, bedding, and food for all the animals. Building cage racks would be the most efficient way to house the animals, and be affordable since I'd be building them myself, and spending hundreds on materials instead of thousands on pre-built designs. I'd need to buy in some plumbing and heating supplies to control temperatures too. Of course my electric bill would go sky high as well paying to heat every single animal living in my house. For extra cash I would also build custom snake and reptile enclosures and racks, and pawn them off to craigslist or post ads in the pennysaver and newspaper. All in all, it would be quite an enjoyable and lucrative business, that I wouldn't exactly call work. |
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posted on 1 February 2012
I am a lover of all things bookish. I love to look at them, to read them, to buy them, to collect them, even to smell them! Books are, to me, one of the most essential elements of my life. I have a buffet hutch cupboard I love to fill up with books, as well as numerous book shelves. Yet, I find my current set up does not support such a love. I have no room specifically for my books, both for reading and storing them. Instead, they are stored on a variety of bookshelves all over the place. Some of my books are even - *gasp* - in storage! All of this is unacceptable to my bookish tendencies. Therefore I have a plan to redo one of the rooms of my house to make it into a library study. The first goal is to create an enlarged window so as to allow more natural lighting into the room, something I find especially conducive to reading and writing. I would put a simple wood desk and chair, a leather chair and footrest, as well as a few lamps throughout the room. There will be no fluorescent lighting. I would then building bookshelves as high as possible and building to cover all the walls, thus covering three-quarters of the wall space of the room. Thus I would not only have a place to study without the interference of technology - there would be no computer in the room - but I would also have sufficient bookshelf space for all my books as well as space for future additions. It would also give me sufficient space to sufficiently organize my collection according to subject. |
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posted on 2 January 2012
Here in France, I am still surprised by how many religious icons, statues, crosses and religious artefacts can be found in any small village.
Living here in Northern France, there are still many small villages which I drive through, with perhaps only two or three hundred inhabitants, yet they still preserve a unique sense of identity and charm. I am always amazed, how on entering many of these villages one is immediately greeted by a large cast iron cross, often with two or three life sized religious statues, depicting maybe a saint or other religious icon. These are often placed in the village square or next to the church.
Also, there are the statues and war memorials erected after the first world war to commemorate the very many soldiers and servicemen lost in the first and second world wars.
I always find myself drawn to reading these tragically long lists of lost soldiers from these small village communities. |
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posted on 8 December 2011
Spring is not only the season when the plants are beginning to thrive, but the animals are also becoming more excited because of their mating season, and there are lots of insects and bugs in the air. It is not uncommon to walk into your apartment and see that an ant hill has appeared on your kitchen floor, molds in your closets or bugs under the bathroom tiles. Bugs like flies - easy to deal with using fly killer sprays and zappers. Other bugs, not so easy. This is a thing that you always need to anticipate during this season and be prepared to react in a event of bug pestering. I once had a similar problem when I moved in a new apartment, in a building with that had park with tall trees right behind it. At first I thought that was a good thing because tall trees protect you from the summer heat, but I didn’t expect that the insects would feel the same way too. The whole building got pestered with these big bugs with horny protrusion on their head, and tiny antennae. Most of the tenants were horrified. Finally we held a meeting and decided to call a pester control. They came almost immediately, but they told us that we have to vacate the apartments for a day until the spray they were using wears off. They came in a van, and they wore masks on their faces and carried tiny tins in their hands that looked like fire extinguishers. I took out all my valuables, for just in case. In a day they were done and there were no bugs in the apartment or the building afterward. |
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posted on 10 November 2011
My first question about pest control is why there is such a price difference in regard to service? Contracting a service was a "luxury" for me, so I held off my first year in my own home, and instead bought things like fly screens. But when huge gray striped round spiders kept on popping up... and even worse when I thought I'd killed a few only to see loads of itsy bitsy spiders jump off Momma's back and run all over the place, I knew it was time to call the professionals! And guess what? I ended up paying the most expensive service in the area. Was it worth it? I don't know. The fumigator was nice, talkative and sounded authoritative, explaining to me that the poisons he used were natural and harmless (derived from a flower) to animals. Even so, he told me to not let my dog out. He sprayed all over the house the first time. And somehow, I found myself signing a one year contract. And it was pretty effective: No more blackwidows, no cockroaches, very few of those loud crickets that were all over the place last year. But guess what popped up again and again? Right! The wolf spiders! I was NOT happy. This went on through two series of sprays. And then... I quit seeing them. I still don't see them. They just came for their third spray, and I don't see any kind of vermin, my dog is still doing fine, and my multiple wild birds that feed outside are still alive too. So I am happy... except for one question: Would I have the same result if I had contracted a service for half the amount? |
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posted on 16 October 2011
There are numerous changes I'd like to make to my house, the first and most substantial being to convert the basement into a habitable area. I have a dream of being able to just hide away down there, bookshelves along one wall, a couple of comfy chairs, and just being able to relax. I'd add some trendy stair parts to the stairs descending to the cellar too. Similarly, I'd like to expand up into the attic, add a skylight, perhaps even turn it into the master bedroom, or a study - I feel the view would help me to think. There are a couple of rooms that could do with a fresh coat of paint, and just generally freshening up. I'd also replace quite a lot of the old fixtures, replacing them with the sleek, modern designs available these days - this includes light fittings, bathroom/kitchen taps, and so on. Finally, I'd fill the place out with top of the range gadgets, partly for the convenience they bring, but also in part to show off to friends and relatives! |
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posted on 13 October 2011
I had this unbelievable experience about 20 years ago in Italy. In all these years every time I see the word “pest” I still feel my flesh crawl. I was a young graduate then and worked as a translator for a company. In 1992 I accompanied a VIP group to visit Rome and the host booked us a star hotel (I don’t remember how many stars it got but the hotel looked elegant and warm). As the only female member of the group I was given a newly refurbished room. I was rather pleased. However, when I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet, I saw long lines of ants around my bed! Half sleeping, for a brief moment I thought I was back in China. Then I realized that’s Rome, one of the most popular tourist spots in the world! Surprised and angry, I ran down to the reception to complain. But the handsome Italian receptionist, half sleeping also, told me calmly that the hotel was full and the only thing he could do was to give me some bed bug sprays! |
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posted on 30 September 2011
When you find yourself at work all week being indoors, you want to have an outdoor escape that is going to be relaxing and inviting. I happen to live in the desert and the heat and plenty of sun can get you back inside quickly. This is why I would love to have a covered patio to protect everybody from the sun and make it easier to be outdoors. With the summer temperature over 100 degrees for 3 months in a row, having a misting system is really a must. And since a barbecue is wonderful way to have family over, getting a built-in gas grill with side burners and even a mini frig would really make this an inviting area to want to enjoy. And with the harsh climate here, having the large cactus and even colorful rose bushes around the backyard to bring color is what my eyes would love to see very soon. The final touches are going to be the patio furniture with lots of pillows and cushions so my guests can all be comfortable while they're at my house. I've been part of a self build before, so I don't see these backyard projects as anything too daunting. |
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posted on 16 September 2011
When it comes to pests of the insect variety the worst part about them is when they get into your home. You can use barrier protection like door fly screens, but once they're in, they're in.
A great way to keep them down to a minimum, especially in your home, is with the addition of great pest control. Commercial pest control services offer the convenience of someone else taking the time to spray down your house and yard with pesticide, which is great. However, they do cost more than doing it yourself. The do it yourself pest control is great too, at your local home improvement stores there are so many choices and varieties to choose that is becomes a lot easier to get the kind of pest control that will suit your needs. There are even eco-friendly brands of pest control, which are less harmful to people, kids, pets, and the environment. Whichever choice you ultimately make for pest control you can feel good knowing that the pests will be less likely to give you trouble after the pest control process. |
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posted on 8 September 2011
Local electricians are handy men and at some point of time at work or at home, we would need their help. For jobs bog or small with regard to electrical issues, it is best we bank on electricians who live or work close to where we are. With them arriving at our doorsteps in no time, we pay less and the issues are solved instantly.
You can always bank on your local electricians for tips and advise. Hence keep them in good books and refer them around. For your goodwill being created they would oblige you with whatever needs you may have in future and at major discounts, since you have given them more business by referring them around.
Local electricians are found in every corner and street, keep their numbers handy and call them as and when the need arises, they will be there to help you no doubt. We hope now you know why keeping the experts in good books are so important! |
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posted on 1 September 2011
Recently we added two rooms to our house, and once the construction was over, we suddenly had a huge ant problem when we had none before. Why or how, we didn’t know but we were fighting them in several rooms of our house. In our last house, we just had a small problem with flies, and they were dealt with using some roller blind fly screens. But ants? They would be on the kitchen counter or in the dishwasher in the blink of an eye. They’d march in the front door and hide under the living room rug. We used several types of spray, most of which made us all gag with the smell of them, and while they killed the ants, they didn’t seem to prevent them from coming back. We tried setting out the kind of poison that they would take back to their nests, but it didn’t seem to have any effect, either. We even set out the liquid traps, which would be clogged with ants by the morning with even more swarming around. Worried about our pet cat, we tried many organic methods, too. But in the end, they just keep finding ways in the house and minuscule tidbits to rush to. |
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posted on 29 August 2011
Sometimes you have to make a tough decision about whether hiring a contractor makes sense. In these tough economic times, there isn’t a lot of extra money for those little do-it-yourself projects that are piling up around the house. Some jobs can be tackled by amateurs more easily than others, such as painting, installing blinds or even pulling up or laying carpet. However, areas such as plumbing or electricity can be daunting, so it might be best to leave those jobs to professionals. Also the jobs where you need to know your hardwoods from your softwoods - where sheer experience is necessary - you have to hand those to the professionals. I found that out the hard way, when I decided it was not going to be very difficult to replace some plumbing components under the kitchen sink. How tough could it be? Turn of the water, unscrew the old pipe and screw on the new one. Maybe 30 minutes of work at the most, right? Wrong! This do-it-yourself project turned out to be a nightmare. In addition to the $29 I spent on the replacement parts, I ended up shelling out an additional $375 when I accidentally broke of an adjoining pipe and punched a hole in a tube that somehow connected to the dishwasher. After cleaning up buckets of water that spilled onto the floor, I realized that I needed to call in a plumber to fix the original problem and repair the rest of the mess I made. In the future, I think I will keep my do-it-yourself projects to painting walls and pulling up carpets. I refuse to touch another plumbing project and I won’t even go near the circuit breakers. Sometimes money is well spent, even though it doesn’t seem like you’re buying anything tangible! |
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posted on 21 August 2011
The best thing about hiring a movers is that they will carry all the burden moving. Booking a full service moving will allow you plenty of time to relax and ease your moving stress. This is the best service for people who does not want to deal with the stress of packing and the whole moving experience. Basically, the mover will take care of all your moving needs. They will be the one to provide all the necessary materials like boxes, crates, markers, wrapping papers and etc. They will also do all the hard work like disassembling, assembling, packing, unpacking, loading, unloading and transporting. You can go to your new address and wait for the mover to deliver your belongings. You will be able to prepare your new home and make necessary arrangements like hooking up your new phone. We all know that there are plenty of things to set up in your new house. Having a full service mover is the best solution to solve all your moving problems. |
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posted on 8 August 2011
When I mean conquer the sun, I mean properly harness its power for our own uses. Imagine all that energy at our disposal. It's been long-established that the sun releases far more energy than man could ever use - but we simply don't know how to harness it yet. The humble solar panel is doing a good job in 2011, taking a lot of the strain off the national grid and allowing us to "delegate" electricity generation to the sun for small appliances around the house. It will take some time, but I can see a day when we will get all of our energy from the sun and we'll look back on the days when we used fossil fuels as the dark ages of energy consumption. I just hope that day is sooner rather than later - for the sake of the planet and to help reduce our power bills! |
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posted on 23 July 2011
When hiring the services of any NYC Movers, you should be very careful about who is handling your items. Here are a few pointers to ponder on before the NYC Movers come and start their jobs
1. Do the NYC Movers teams have insurance? What would happen if your items get damaged while the process of shifting is on? Who would pay for it!!
2. Do the NYC Movers have good experience in handling exotic plants, frisky pets and valuable of fragile nature? You need to know that, since you would be travelling with them and not leaving them behind.
3. Where did the NYC Movers work last? Get the customers details for a back ground check to know if they are happy with the job done by them or not.
4. Finally, check BBB to know if the NYC Movers teams are reliable or not. Check with the kind of feedback and resolutions left behind by the customers. |
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posted on 20 July 2011
After trying everything you could to fix the plumbing woes at home, if the problems don’t stop, you would be an annoyed homemaker. If success is to be achieved and that too in one shot, it would be best to have the able hands of a plumber. Most of the tools available with these experts wouldn’t be available with a home maker.
Thank your stars since more drain and plumbing issues have causes not too complicated, and with simple home techniques you can sort them out. But if there are reasons you are unable to manage the fix all by yourself, it would then be wise to call a plumber for the same.
To find a plumber, you could speak to family and friends for references. At work speak to your colleagues, and surely someone would recommend you to experts around. Remember folks, blocked drains are horrible and to ensure that the plumbing at home has a back up, it would be wise to have a plumber come and inspect the plumbing system on a regular basis. |
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posted on 14 July 2011
It is really fortunate that someone invented the internet because it made not only communication and exchange of information so much easier but even shopping as well. I used to detest buying stuff because I hate falling in line and since I am a bit impatient, I find it very hard to tolerate annoying sales persons who keeps following you around like you are wanted thief as well. At least now it is so much more convenient because I no longer have to go outside and bear all those things in the comfort of my own home, I can choose and purchase the things that I need, like a practical shoe storage solution for my son’s room. I recently noticed that my kid’s shoes are slowly piling up in one of the corners of his room that it looked really messy, so when I had the time I immediately searched for ideas and solutions to this problem online. I have already found the kind I want now all I have to do is see which online shop provides the best deal. |
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posted on 10 July 2011
My parents will be celebrating their thirtieth wedding anniversary so my siblings and I decided to prepare a romantic dinner for two at my place. I invited my friend who is a chef in a fancy hotel to prepare the meal, my sister is in charge of the decorations, I will be in charge of making sure that they will arrive on time, and my brother will take care of the kitchen lighting to give it a more romantic ambiance, we all agreed that this is very critical so he better do a perfect job. We are all so excited because this will be the first time that we will be doing something like this for our parents. I decided to also prepare a short film depicting their love story and once I created a rough draft my siblings were impressed because according to them it does not only tell a good story but it also captured the feelings and sentiments of our parents. We are all hoping that they will have a grand time on their special day. |
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posted on 8 June 2011
In building something, one usually considers the materials to use, the advantages and disadvantages of each and other factors. This is true when building a house, a computer and even cooking food. The materials we use can affect the outcome. So in building the bathroom one must also consider the materials. This is very important when you are choosing the Bathroom Flooring. The material you use depends on several factors. One of the most important factor is how will it be affected by water. Will it be able to keep moisture out? Will water be easy to flow in it? These are just some of the factors. And some of the materials that you can consider for the flooring are rubber, vinyl, tiles, linoleum, stone and bamboo. Each of these has their each advantage and disadvantage to consider as bathroom flooring. Where your bathroom will be located can also be a factor in the choosing between these materials? |
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posted on 1 June 2011
Buying a school bus is almost becoming compulsory in all schools. There has been a rise in crime rate which has left parents worried for the safety of their children, and this has pushed them to transferring their kids to schools which will pick them at the gate and return them there safely. For this reason, many schools have been left with no choice but to buy school buses for their schools to avoid losing students. When drivers are being employed for this kind of job, they should be in a position to maintain cleanliness at all costs so that the bus can stay for along time without going for service because it is being well maintained. The seats used in these cars are supposed to be cleaned, this is why upholstery cleaning is being sensitized. The school should provide the necessary equipments that are required for cleanliness, and making sure that they are of good quality will save it a lot of unplanned budget for a long period of time. Cleanliness is a quality that should not be assumed. |
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