Life in the Fast Lane or

Do You Need to Slow Down? Are You Moving too Fast!

We lead stressful lives, most of us. We are constantly trying to juggle home, job, family and social lives to the best of our ability. Well, I am here to tell you one real basic tenet of making life work for you. SLOW DOWN! Believe me, I do know about the hectic pace of a full-time career, raising children, taking care of a house that is our home, trying to make time for our parents and friends, doing charity work or being active in social networks. But ask yourself these questions:

1. Do you have affluenza? This “ailment” is characterized by swollen expectations, feverish consumption, rising debt and constant fatigue. Our grandparents and parents called it “keeping up with the Joneses!”

2. Do you keep buying bigger houses, rather than remodeling or repairing the one you are living in because you care about how others’ see you?

3. Do you have trouble making choices about what to do with your life? Your home? Your relationship with children or grandchildren?

The Gallup Organization survey last fall found that Americans already consider themselves hardworking, stressed, and underpaid by a full-time work week that averages 46 hours. In fact, the higher their socioeconomic status, the less content workers are with their leisure time. This is NOT to say you are doing anything “wrong” with your life – only that you can change your motivations for doing things the way you are just based on what YOU like, what YOU need, and what your FAMILY wants. It is not about living better with less, it is about living the life you truly want to live, in an environment that supports and nourishes you.

How does this apply to home fix-its? I am SO glad you asked!

Making the most of where you live now, by taking care of repairs, and doing remodeling rather than moving, is the first step in living an awakened life. Once again I recommend you take a walk through your home, with a notepad and camera. Jot down what works and what doesn’t in your furniture, walls, room purpose, and family needs. Snap pictures of problem areas, or areas you really like and don’t want to change. After you are done, meet with your partner, kids or anyone else who shares your home (no, doggie opinions don’t count!) and go over the things you found, the things you’d like changed. Get some input on how they see it. If no one shares your home, then ask a caring friend for their ideas.

In order to spend less money and less time on household things, you need to be proactive in its care. Letting things go is never a good idea, whether it is home repairs, your relationships or your finances! In fact, there are things that can happen if uncared for – including dryer fires, mold and mildew, increased allergens due to inadequate screens or overloaded heater filters – that can affect your health and well-being.

The next step is to prioritize. Take care of electrical problems, mold/mildew occurrences and potential difficulties FIRST. Uncertain of what should be first? Give us a call, and let us help you put it all together. Even if you plan to tackle some items on a do-it-yourself basis, you need to be aware of what needs to be done and when.

Consult past newsletters that discuss seasonal items on which to focus. For fall, these include heater vents and filters, gutters and downspouts (and water drainage on your property), having windows and doors airtight for reduced utility bills, pipe insulation, fireplace and chimney readiness, and last minute yard cleanup. Won’t it be a load off your mind to have these things fixed, updated and off the to-do list?

By taking care of repairs, problems, seasonal updates and ongoing cleaning and attentiveness to your surroundings, you can minimize the time you spend on less desirable activities, and more time with the things that are the most important to you – friends and family! In addition, these “done tasks” will lessen stress, reduce further spending for delayed repairs, and allow you to fully enjoy your home and environment. With Halloween about gone, it will be time for Thanksgiving and Christmas or Hanukkah, and having a home that is clean, fixed and homey will get you off on the best foot for your holidays. Remember, The Fix-It Professionals are here to help!

?>

Are You Ready for the Halloween and Autumn Season?

Bewitched & Spooked – Halloween Ideas for
Our Home,Yard & Hearth!

It is so much fun to decorate for Fall – although the weather remains warm, our spirits are moving into the slower mode of Autumn. It is a time for fun, for family, and for food!

What kinds of things do you like to do at this time of the year? As you decorate and putter around your home, do you find yourself thinking about things you’d like to do around your house? Are you enjoying the ambiance and comfort of your surroundings? (Remember, The Fix-It Professionals are a year-round, full service company: we are here to help whenever, and wherever we can!)

Here are a few Halloween ideas for you to consider, embrace or enjoy!

SPOOKY SPIDERWEBS Add some spider web to your decorations; just drape it over pumpkins, flower arrangements and even around your door. Add plastic spiders and bats, another great place to let your imagination run wild!

WITCHES CAULDRON To create an easy yet eerie Halloween decoration, find a black plastic cauldron and fill it about half-way with hot tap water. Add a chunk of dry ice (look in phone book or online for local vendors) AND a glow stick or two which are usually available with Halloween costumes and decorations.

BE CAUTIOUS when handling dry ice, it can burn skin easily. Handle with gloves only, and do not allow children to touch. Ten or 15 pounds should be plenty. Buy it within 24 hours of your expected use, and store in a Styrofoam ice chest until you use it. Break it into five-pound chunks with a hammer. Keep water hot. Add dish detergent if you want bubbles! Place on a water-proof surface.

IN YOUR HOUSE, you can do all kinds of things to create a charming fall or Halloween atmosphere. Decorate your tables with pumpkins and gourds. Use fall bouquets (sunflowers, mums, and assorted grasses) to brighten your rooms, and bring the scents and colors from the outside to your interior decorating. Remember, the idea is to create an environment that speaks to the season, is comfortable to be in, and tells your personal story – use family treasures (vases, place mats, candle holders etc.) to bring together old and new in your decorating.

SOLAR GHOSTS can be created easily by draping cheesecloth over your solar lamps. Hang the lamps in an area that gets plenty of daylight – and don’t use poles, so that your ghosts sway and flutter in the wind! Add plastic bats, a few pumpkins and/or jack-o-lanterns and voila – instant spooky!

MOST OF ALL – enjoy your Halloween decorating. Include all your family members, and friends, and create a Halloween atmosphere that will be remembered!

Stay safe during this season as well. See the QUICK FIX-IT TIP on safety.

?>

Just Imagine! Fall Decorating to Beautify your Home

Just Imagine!  Fall Decorating to Beautify your Home

 

What are you going to do to spruce up your home for fall? Do you like to decorate for the season? Do you want to start doing something different, indoors and out, to celebrate the beauty of fall? I was working on a project for Soroptimists, and needed to find an inspirational message for an upcoming meeting on the topic of “Just Imagine!” As often happens, along the way the thoughts I found tickled some motivations for this week’s newsletter!

As adults, we sometimes stifle our imaginations, our sense of fun, and our enthusiasm for life. Nowhere is that more evident than in how we decorate our homes for the seasons. It doesn’t matter if we have children or grandchildren or if we are single or in a partnership. Decorating our homes expresses our delight in our home environment; for the season, and for our neighbors and friends, who can enjoy the beauty we present.

How can you get started in doing justice to the season of Autumn? Just imagine…

Think about the colors you relate to Fall. There are still greens, but they are musty and muted colors now, deep and rich. Yellows and Golds are vibrant at this time of year, and oranges and reds capture the eye. Visualize textures, the rough and nubby feel of winter squash and pumpkins, the dryness of stalks of corn, the roundness of berries on wreaths. What inspires you?

Warm hues give rooms a rich, autumnal look. A palette of cocoa, rust, and gold evokes the spirit of the season; you can use these colors in throw pillows, blankets and accessories such as flowers, wreaths and groupings of pumpkins or gourds. Try something different and bold – paint one accent space (over the mantel for instance, or your front door) in a spirited shade of rusty red, and use that as the take off point for your color scheme for a particular room. Paint is inexpensive and easy to change seasonally – make the colors in your room pop!

Do you want to focus on your outdoor environments? On what area would you like to focus? Your front porch? Window boxes or planter beds? Have you considered the variations possible in lighting, plant-groups and wreaths? Do you want bird-feeding stations? Fall is the ideal time to start feeding birds for winter enjoyment as well. Let your creativity flow – make wreaths, collect pine cones and leaves for display, and tuck small touches into areas like the bath or entry hall.

For planting outdoors, this is a great time to clean out your planter boxes. Plant fall plants in colors you love; mums, violas, Heleniums, and even ornamental kale and pepper provide delightful color splashes. If you want to have your planter boxes ready for spring as well, tuck some spring bulbs in your box as well, when you remove the annuals after fall is over, your bulbs will already be in place, and bloom for you in the spring! Tuck small gourds and squash, as well as pumpkins in among the foliage, and make or buy scarecrows, hay bales and/or other Fall decorations to add in with the live plantings.

Let your imagination off it’s leash; dream and create in your mind, and make that come to fruition in your garden, in your rooms, and on your porches. Let The Fix-it Professionals help design, create and install features in your home and garden to enhance the beauty of the season. This is the perfect time of the year to install outdoor lighting, which will create the ambiance you want this Fall and Winter.

?>

How Much Wood Could a Woodchuck Chuck if a Woodchuck Could Chuck Wood?

Getting Outdoor Wood Surfaces Ready for Winter

 

Do you find it hard to keep on top of the upkeep of your patio and garden areas? Is the weather and heat wreaking havoc on your once-attractive decking, planter boxes and benches? What about your fencing, is it sagging, falling down or propped up with a beam? We understand that, we have a deck of our own, complete with wooden furniture!

It has been so hot lately that it is hard to believe that October starts tomorrow, and fall, followed by winter, is already here! But ready or not, here it comes! Be ready for the cooler days and wet weather that is right around the corner by getting your outdoor wood materials “signed, SEALED and delivered!”

Here are some ideas to insure that your decks, fences, benches, planter boxes, gates and all wooden outdoor surfaces are ready for winter weather.

1. Clean wooden surfaces of dirt, stains, and wear. UV light (i.e. the sun) breaks down the top levels of wood. You don’t want to apply any coating or sealant until the wood looks fresh and new again. We recommend a quick wash with either a power pressure washer or a stiff bristled broom. If you use a pressure washer, get one that delivers 1,200 psi (pounds per square inch) of pressure or less, with a spray nozzle that fans an arc of water of about 25-40 degrees. This needs to be a QUICK wash, since softer woods, and the grain of the wood, can be damaged or eroded by power sprays. If you use a stiff fiber bristle brush (heavy duty push broom), scrub the surface with a mix of water and laundry detergent, rinsing afterward. With both techniques you need to allow the surfaces to dry for several days (we recommend a week to ten days) before applying any finish.

2. Discolored. If your deck or planter boxes (or whatever wood surfaces you are working with) is graying or looking dark and splotched, an acid wash is recommended. You will need to buy pre-mixed oxalic acid deck brightener, or buy the oxalic acid crystals and prepare the solution yourself. BE CAUTIOUS! You MUST wear protective clothing, eye protection, and gloves to be safe. If this method appeals to you, but you don’t want to try it yourself – please give us a call, we can do it safely and efficiently, with the proper tools. Again, after acid washing, your wood surfaces must be allowed to dry completely.

3. Ready for sealant. Now your wood surfaces are prepped and ready for the next step – sealant. There are many ways and methods of sealing. Some of these are:

*Clear Sealant

*Tinted Sealant (which is what we recommend)

*Wood paint

*Wood stain

Take your time in applying sealants and stains; if done correctly, the sealant or stain will save your wood for years to come,and save you time and money in the long run.

4. Don’t Forget Other Surrounding Items. Remember, clean and treat ALLyour outdoor wood – planter boxes, benches, and even your fencing and gates. They will benefit greatly, last much longer, with attentive care.

5. Replace or Fix. If you have broken boards, (or if you have a few loose screws!) NOW is the time to replace and fix them, so that when the cleaning and sealing is done, all the boards will look the same, for your continued enjoyment in future years.

Working in our yards, on our patios and decks, keeping our fencing sturdy and our planter boxes functional may be an ongoing task, but by starting now, and taking your time to do it right, you will have a yard of which to be proud!

?>