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Category Archives: Home Improvement

A home energy audit can save you money

by Mary Anne

Ever since we moved into this house I’ve been wanting to have a home energy audit done. According to the description of the house in the real estate listing, there is 12″ of insulation in the attic and 6″ of insulation in the exterior walls, but I still would like to have some professional home energy auditors come to the house and give it a thorough inspection.

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.


Every pool should be fenced in

by Mary Anne

Whenever my sister-in-law starts talking about the new in-ground swimming pool that she is planning to have installed at her house later this summer my thoughts return to a time in my life when my ex-hubby and I had just gotten married and had bought our very first house. It was a charming old cape style house with dormer windows on the second floor, a fireplace in the living room, a two car attached garage and an in-ground pool. The problem we had, though, was that the fence pool was missing a gate and so there were times that critters found their way into the pool. I can remember one day finding a snapping turtle in our pool! I was none too happy about that discovery, I’ll tell you that!


The wood gazebo

by Mary Anne

I wish that I could explain it, but I’ve always felt that there is a romantic charm intricately linked within a wood gazebo. When I drive by a park that has a gazebo in it, I think of Independence Day celebrations in my past when I would be taken by my parents to the town’s largest park where a band would be sitting in the gazebo, playing uplifting celebratory songs. We would take a picnic with us and spread a blanket out on the grass and eat, while enjoying the music until dark. Then the fireworks would begin. Sometimes I think it would be really great to have a gazebo in my own back yard, as part of a beautiful garden.


Redecorating the master bedroom

by Mary Anne

I’m pretty sure that I mentioned that I’m planning to redecorate the master bedroom at some point in time, and that I’m trying to do it in a “Harley Davidson” theme to make my hubby happy!

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!!!!!


Decorative mailboxes

by Mary Anne

One of the things that I enjoy about living in a rural area is seeing all of the different types of mailboxes that line the side of the roads. Some of the residential mailboxes are old, rusty, beat-up and look like they are ready to fall apart the next time that the wind blows. But having lived here for six years, and seeing those same old rusty beat up mailboxes day after day I know that they are NOT going to fall apart that easily. But still I wonder why in the world the family that lives in the house that gets the mail delivered in that box does not do something to fix it so that it looks a little bit less trashy!

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.


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