Asha Anujeeva

My mother has always had a top loading washing machine. But I noticed that a lot of the laundromat machines are front loading machines. So I wanted to learn more about why people would use one machine rather than the other type.

Front load washers have been the dominant style of new machines sold to high end consumers for several years. All of the major brands offer both styles.

The front loaders save about $150 per year in energy and water costs as compared to top loaders. They use about 70 percent less water and energy.

Interestingly, a front load washer dissolves the laundry detergent in 5 gallons of water for each load as compared to 20 gallons of water per load used by the top loading machines.

In high school, I was a member of the 4-H club for 3 years. We learned about gardening and care of livestock. One thing that I remember learning was the time we planted roses. We learned about preparing the rose bed and how to take care of the rose bushes.

Now I have put that training to good use. My roses are still blooming and they are beautiful.

With tomorrow the first day of September, our summer is about over. Actually, Labor Day weekend is the unofficial end of summer for this area.

I decided to buy some Planters and try to extend the vegetable growing season. By putting the vegetables into containers, I can move them inside the garage at night to protect the plants from frost, then move them back outside in the morning to take advantage of the sun.

Last year I tried this using one Planter and it worked very well. I had two different crop cycles of tomatoes. By planting some of the tomatoes in the containers, I was enjoying fresh, vine ripened tomatoes well into October.

I have also had great success with my Window Box Planters and am learning about raising geraniums. I especially love the bright orange red geraniums and this is my second year planting and nurturing these flowers.

When i visited my eye doctor last week, he had mentioned something that has just now started to sink in and make sense to me. I had complained about having trouble reading small print but he insists that I do not yet need reading glasses. What he explained is that my eyes need more light to read the smaller print. He suggested that when I notice my eyes straining to read something small, like the expiration date on a coupon, to put more light on the item using lamps or even a flashlight, if necessary.

So this morning I was going through the grocery coupons and pulling out any that have expired. I was having a hard time reading some of the dates, so I moved closer to the desk lamp and held the coupon under that the light. Yes! It does make it easier!

So I was worried about needing glasses to read when all I need to do is buy some new halogen lamps for the desk and sofa tables, where I like to sit and read.

Kitchen counter tops and back splashes are a focal point in every kitchen and the subject of one of the items in a recent online news article that listed materials and appliances easy to replace or upgrade that increase the value of your home.

Materials for counter tops can vary regionally, but I am a fan of tiles because of all the pretty colors and patterns. There are different finishes, different shades, and a variety of patterns that ban be used as borders or accent pieces.

I think the use of tile in other areas of the house is even more popular. I have seem some beautiful bathroom tiles used on the floor, the vanity counter top and around the bath. In my own bathroom, there are even tiles on the ceiling within the shower enclosure.

The current popular style is to use subway tiles for a nice retro feel or an urban style. Anyone who has ridden on the subway in New York City can easily recognize this style and many home improvement magazines are showing pictures of the tile work in new designer homes.

Since the weather wasn’t all that great over the weekend I took a drive around in my old neighborhood and strolled down memory lane for a few hours. The house that I grew up in is totally different on the outside these days. I’d love to be able to go inside and see how it looks in there, but I’d never get the nerve up to knock on the door and ask. But once in a great while I’ll drive by and check the place out.

The front porch is now enclosed and another house has been built where we used to play in the side yard. It was the perfect house and yard to grow up in. My mother and father took a lot of pride in keeping the place looking nice even with 5 kids running around creating havoc. My mother had the most wonderful window flower boxes in stalled in the windows on the front of the house. She was very proud of how her window boxes looked all year round. And plenty of neighbors were envious of her taste and talents and went out and purchased their own garden window boxes to experiment with, but hers always looked the best.

I often notice that when I’m driving somewhere new, and am not sure where I am going, that my GPS does not always get me to where I need to go.  I’m not sure if it is out-dated maps, or sun spots, or some crazy hacker messing with the satellite, but I frequently find that the GPS tells me that I’ve arrived at my destination, but the address plaque does not correspond with the address that I have input into my GPS.

I also have noticed that many times the homeowners have simply put new address plaques and numbers from the E-911 conversion process right beside the old address plaques.  This gets me even more confused because I don’t know which one is correct unless one is obviously really old and beat up!  I am reluctant to buy the new download for my GPS so soon after I bought it (I only bought it four years ago) because I really don’t think that the maps are updated that often to make it worth the investment.

I think that when someone buys a GPS unit, they should be provided with free maps for life.  What do you think?

I hear that it is a big issue with our emergency personnel trying to locate the address for many locations that they are called to for assistance that can be a matter of life or death. Our mailboxes need to have our street number printed large enough for them to get to where they need to be. There is now a huge variety of mail boxes to choose from. I’ve gone online to look at a new mailbox for me to put out on the street at my place. Not only do the police and ambulances need to find us, but the pizza and chinese delivery people need to find me in a timely fashion as well. I do like my food nice and hot upon delivery!

So, a word to the wise, you might want to make sure that your house number easily on your house or mail box visible for these variety of reasons. Like I said it could be a matter of life or death and we don’t even want to go there!

I’d love to win one of those magazine makeover contests. I wouldn’t be too fussy – I’d appreciate a kitchen or bath makeover, or just a beauty and style makeover would be fine too! I’d love to have some part of my house re-done for free, where the before and after photos appear in the magazine that sponsored the makeover. I’d love to have some solar energy panels installed as part of the makeover process (on the house, not on me!) I could use a little bit of excitement like that in my life!

Tameka Darrell is the author of this guest post.

If you live in a community that is family friendly and full of young and vibrant children you may be among a community of individuals that is committed to not only seeking justice for those that are victims of crime but that are incredibly dedicated to the prevention of crime. I myself being a parent of three young and lively children have made it a personal goal of mine to make sure that my home and my neighborhood is safe for my children to run around in and play in without being threatened by those predators that can make a neighborhood or home seem unsafe. My children have the right to be out and about and play with their peers in the place where they were born and I will make it so that they can have a safe place to play. Of course it is of utmost importance for us adults in the neighborhood to make this possible because an environment like this will not just materialize by itself. One of the most important ways to protect the home is with a ADT home alarm system that can be set when we are away from the home and while we are sleeping. I myself and every one of my neighbors has installed a home security alarm system as a first step it combating neighborhood crime.

This post created by guest blogger Margery Charleston

Tired of looking at outdated floors and less than appealing faucets, it was time to tackle my next Home Improvement SEARS project-remodeling the bathroom. Most of the improvements to be made were pretty simple things. It wouldn’t require a lot of work, so out came the coveralls and the tools and my do-it-yourself job began.

Things went smoothly, as anticipated. With the assistance of a few Internet print-outs and a bathroom remodeling handbook, my stuck in the 80′s bathroom became a sophisticated, cozy little place nice to look at. None of the work was hard at all, and it is a job I can proudly say I completed!

We added new tile flooring which really makes the bathroom stand out. I was amazed at how easy it was to install. Also added was a new bathroom sink. This one features his and her sinks, complete with an antique look that is fabulous. More bathroom space has always been an issue, so a new vanity was also added. It matches the sink perfectly, and the bathroom now feels like a much more warm and relaxing place to take care of business!

A few months ago my brother bought a wireless light switch for me to use on my bedside table lamp. I didn’t really feel I needed one, but it was a gift from someone who loved me, so I gratefully and dutifully plugged it in. Today I was reading the Consumer Reports Shopsmart magazine for January 2010 and saw it featured in their recall article as being a fire hazard! So I have just unplugged the switch and plan to call the toll free number and hope that they will issue a refund of some sort! I never would have know about this recall if I hadn’t read that magazine! I think maybe I should subscribe to it!

Mom was very upset over the fact that people have been claiming to come over and deliver packages and that no one was home at the time so the packages were returned.  She has been complaining to Dad for over a year that the doorbell is too quiet and there have been several times that people have rung the bell and no one heard it.  So we think that is the case with the package deliveries.  Dad finally agreed to look at the bell, telling Mom that it probably just needed new batteries.  Mom told him she was sure it was hardwired and no batteries were needed.  So Dad finally got the step-ladder and took the cover off.  He was going to prove his point that it just needed new batteries.  Well, Mom got to say “I told you so” because there were no batteries.

Going on the assumption that maybe it just needs a good cleaning, Dad has been vacuuming the dust out and is playing around with it to see if he can adjust the volume or change the chime to one that is easier to hear.  I hope it works!  This is not the time of year to have a doorbell that no one can hear!

I am amazed by how many homes I see nowadays with signs in front of their houses, and on their doors and windows that they are being protected by a security service such as the adt home security system.  It’s beginning to make me think that I need to get a system of my own – simply because I seem to be the “odd man out” without a warning sign.  Just might be letting the burglars know that my house is the only one that is safe to break into!

Of course I have a couple of dogs, a big one and a small one, and they both bark at strange noises, so that brings me some comfort.  But maybe it’s time for me to consider an electronic system as well.

I think I would like to make a plaque like this one. The words are inspiring and timeless. With all the old barns around here, I hope to find some old wood planks that would be suitable.

I have an island type counter in my kitchen that I dearly love, but it is poorly illuminated.  I need to buy an island light to put above it to help me see what I’m doing, but I want something that is really nice looking; not simply functional.  I’ve found a nice website dedicated to decorating with lights called lightingandliving.com that has hundreds of different types of island lights to choose from, but what I especially like about the website is how easy it is to narrow down what you are interested in.  You can type in your specifications into their search function and it filters out all of the ones that would not fit your specs.

Well, we’ve finally decided that this is the year to give the house a face lift.  We already have some really good vinyl siding that will look great again once we power wash it this spring.  I’m talking about getting new shutters for the house.  This house doesn’t have any shutters at all; and I think that it simply looks too stark without them.  I don’t know if there were shutters on the house before the vinyl siding was installed or not, but I think that a house without shutters just looks unfinished and “cold.”  So, I am starting to look around at other houses in the area to get some ideas of what looks good on different houses.  I’m planning to buy our shutters from the larsonshutter.com website; they have a great selection of styles and colors and hardware too!

One of the worst things that a homeowner can discover when they walk in the door after a vacation trip, or even just after a long day at work is a Sewage Backup in their house.  Of course the way they discover it is by the nasty smell in the house, along with a puddle of sewage on the floor.  If the homeowner is lucky, they discover it early enough in the day that they can get the problem fixed before they want to go to bed that night!  And hopefully they’ll discover it the same day it happened, before the mold and bacteria start to make themselves comfortable in the nooks and crannies along the seams of the pipes and the floors.

The waterrestoration911.com is a valuable resource if this ever happens to anyone you know that needs help with water and sewage problems. They have a hotline that takes calls 24/7, and they cover just about every town in the country!  They can get professional help to your house quickly to help with the cleanup, disinfection and mold control that is so important in situations like this.

My brother is renting a studio apartment and has decided that he needs a washer and dryer.  Well, you can imagine how limited his space is – so I told him that I’ve seen washer/dryer combinations that are specifically for small spaces.  These machines are a combination machine that first washes, and then dries the clothes without having to move the clothes from one machine to another – you put the dirty clothes in, and when the clothes come out they are clean and dry.  I think that is really cool!  If you are the type of person that wants to only do one load of laundry a day, that would be a major convenience to have!

With the price of gasoline continuing to skyrocket, we will be spending more time at home and less time on the road.  That means we will be spending more of our money on fixing up our place to enjoy it on our vacations instead of traveling.  I’ve heard the phrase “Staycations” tossed around a lot lately – it means people who are staying home on their vacations instead of going someplace “special.”  So, we are going to be investing some money making our home someplace “special.” 

We have a large room in our basement that we are going to convert into a home theater system.  We’ve been looking at the Precision Electronics Systems website to do some pricing and planning of the system that we want to get.  My honey wants to get some JBL cinema speakers for the system, and I’ve told him that I’ll leave that kind of planning up to him.  I’d like to get more involved in picking out the cool seating arrangements to make sure that everyone that is in the room has a great view and a comfortable seat.  And I want to make sure that we have a mini-kitchen area nearby so we can pop some popcorn and serve cold refreshments without having to go upstairs to get food or drinks.  I’m really looking forward to having this done – it is going to be so cool!