What’s even more disappointing is the fact that some of the people that go to the meetings seem to claim that they will give you a free offer of some kind, in order to drum up business for themselves, but when you contact them and ask them to do it, they don’t even call you back! For example, there is a guy there that is a home insulation contractor that goes every week and will stand up and tell people that his company will perform a free energy audit and he hands out business cards with the web page address of his company, saying that they have a list of energy saving solutions on their web site, but when I tell him that I want to schedule an audit for my house he never gets back to me! I have even gone to his web page and filled out the request form and they don’t get back to me! Is that any way to run a business?

My mother has a very handsome grandfather clock in her living room.  The clock is standing in a corner, lonely and unused. The clock has been there for about the past twelve years now, a silent sentinel, quietly standing watch over the room.

I have told her that I feel bad that this gorgeous clock is not being used. She told me that the ticking sound “bothered her” so she stopped using it. I asked her if I could have the clock for MY living room because I have always found the ticking sound of a clock to be a comfort. I think that one of my other sisters will probably end up with it as an inheritance piece instead – she has always favored them.

In addition to the san diego bathroom remodel I’d like to put one of those bump-out windows in the kitchen so I could have a small herb garden right above my kitchen sink. My kitchen is a little bit on the dark side, and I think changing the window would help to brighten up the room.

These new technologies are very important to me because they will help us to slow down the pollution that we contribute to the ever-growing pollution problem. Ever since I can remember the teachers in my schools have been encouraging their students to reduce, reuse and recycle, and find ways to promote the conservation of our planet. Sometimes I wish that I had been able to go to college to get a degree in conservation and make my living in that field; I feel so strongly that too many people are trashing our planet. When solar energy becomes mainstream, I think it will be a great leap forward in preserving our planet!

Prior to meeting Marty and Sasha, I had never seen custom address plaques as pretty as theirs were. When we had moved in here and met them I remember asking them where they had bought their residential address plaques because I wanted to buy some just like them for my mother’s house and give them to her as a gift to replace the old plaques that had faded and rotted out over the many decades that she has lived in her house. Vandalism is such a senseless act; I don’t think I’ll ever understand how destroying someone elses property brings pleasure or fulfillment to anyone.

One of the reasons for that is I remember when we moved in that there was insulation on the walls in the basement, but it had gotten wet and was mostly torn down. The insulation was just the standard pink fluffy stuff that loses its insulation value when it gets wet. I think that if we could get a professional consultation with some insulation contractors that we might find a better type of insulation for the basement and seal up some of the energy leaks that are happening since we had to remove that old insulation that had gotten wet. I think that in the long run it will make the house more comfortable and end up saving us some money on the energy bills.

I’m thinking about trying to make the curtains fit the theme somehow.  I’ve already told my hubby that he has to help me with the curtain rods – I told him that they somehow have to have a “motorcycle feel” to them, which means that they will have to be chrome and will have to suggest either motorcyle exhaust pipes or motorcycle handlebars.  I’ll be curious to see what he can come up with!

I’m not quite sure what I will sew to hang off of the curtain rods, I’m thinking about something made from denim squares cut from old blue jeans, or maybe something made from faux leather, or maybe something from very silvery-chromy shiny fabric.  Maybe try to make some tie-backs that look like motorcycle chains…….

Suggestions welcome!!!!!

I really enjoy seeing the occasional decorative mailboxes that pop up among the old rusty ones. Some of the more popular ones around here seem to be the John Deere tractor mailboxes, but I have also seen some that look like school buses, and some that look like animals (most specifically cows) and from time to time an airplane.

My favorite ones, however, are the ones that have been hand painted. The reason I like them the best is that somebody was using their artistic creativity to decorate the mailbox. I value handmade things much more than mass manufactured things.

My British cousin tells me that she uses a website at workbidder.co.uk to help her find the kinds of services that she needs.  From Handymen, Au Pairs, Beauticians, Gardeners, Artists, Teachers, and Typists, the website helps the homeowners find the people that provides the services.

I looked at the website, and it looks like a great service!  I’ll have to see if there is a similar one for the USA! Hmmm… maybe Angie’s list?

So, I never wanted fruit trees in my yard.  That was before we saw some peach trees in bloom at our local Wal-Mart.  They were on display at the front door, and they are gorgeous!  We bought two of them.  I hope we can put the fruit to use!  I DO like peaches, but I don’t know if we are going to have to spray them or anything to do with caring for them!  I just know that the flowers were breathtaking to look at! 

I was looking at some of the Arrow sheds sold online as kits and was thinking that the next time that we have to replace one of our sheds that I’d like to get one with an attic. I like the idea of a little bit of extra storage space up above.

And yes, I have called them often to come repair things, and the repairs ended up being free because of the contracts.  The drawback has been, however, that usually when the appliance breaks down and I call Sears I have to wait a week or more before they will send a technician out to the house to see what the problem is.  And as often as not, the technician is not prepared to actually repair the appliance, only diagnose it.  And then he/she has to order parts, which take a week or more to come in.  The part is supposedly shipped to me, and when the part arrives I am supposed to call them and schedule an appointment for the repairman to come back to actually fix the appliance.  That appointment is also at least a one to two week wait.

That particular incident that I’m describing above resulted in my having no clothes washing machine to use at home for over two months because for some reason the order for the replacement part did not get sent in, and after waiting three weeks for the part to arrive I called Sears to ask them for a progress report.  So they had to order the part again, which was a delay.  I do not enjoy doing laundramat duty, and I had a household that generated ten loads of laundry every week.

So, I have mixed reviews for their appliance repair service.  It did save money, but they are very slow in coming out to fix the appliances.  If I used a local appliance repair service, I am sure they could have come out and repair the appliance within a day or so.

Also, they have advertised that they repair/service all makes and models of appliances, whether purchased at Sears or not and that is not true.  I did call them once to repair my water softener system that was NOT purchased at Sears, and they refused to service it.

My husband, being a big fan of shiny metal things, was lobbying for using only stainless steel tiles for the wall treatment. Although I agree that placing stainless steel tile behind the stove top would probably be the smartest choice in respect to being the easiest to keep clean, I am reluctant to continue that treatment all the way around the kitchen.

When I think of having a stainless steel look on the walls, in addition to the stainless steel appliances we already have, I feel that having that much stainless steel would make the kitchen look too much like the kitchen area of a diner. Too much stainless steel would make the place feel cold and industrial; a look that I do not care for.

Although I would love the look of wallpaper on the walls, I know that the wallpapering skills available in this family are slim to none, so I’m thinking that a semi-gloss paint would be the next best choice because that should be relatively easy to keep clean.