So here we are and where are we? as Jeelie Piece’s staunchly ancient fpu would say.

Wherever we are, it is now officially Home. Forget the ¡Toast! me and Marmers are now well into the whole loff and have made it our very own. We have many tasteful crocheted blankets on which to snooze and, whilst some may say a cat may look at a Poäng but why would you let it sleep on it? I say poo-ey! what’s good for the bipeds is good for the kitty.

I find it a bit mystifying that we are strictly not purrmitted onto the bipedal bed, or indeed, into the bedroom, but such is Liff… White covers, I ask you…*sigh*.

Stairs are an interesting new concept to a cat brought up in Anorak Towers, a bungalow. Shame we’re not allowed up them…

In lieu of a dishwasher – as fpu says, who needs a mechanical one when you own the human variety – we have our litter tray, a loo in lieu one might say. Sometimes there’s no accounting for what bipeds say, but who am I, a mere cat, to quibble? As long as we get our three square meals, warm laps, cosy beds, nice blankies, and our lovely new Catflaps of Opporchancity, do we care? (Rhetorical. Not to be confused with Rhett Butler. Oops, thar she goes *THUD!*)

I also have my very own Pergola of Possibility, where the pu’s have thoughtfully hung the birdfeeders… Nice new Amtico christened within the fortnight. Blood does not stain it nor gralloch tarnish its loveliness.

We’ve had the odd tail-fluff and stand-off with some of the locals, but they mainly seem to know what’s what and we all rub along nicely most of the time. There are two d.o.g.s next door, but we never see them off their lead, so not a purroblem. I could take out the two of them with a Look!! Bravecat, that’s me! Whaur’s yer Mel Gibson noo?

Public purrs are due to The Cub, who passed on a crie-de-cœur re the disappearance, seemingly for ever, of iPhoto to babybiped1, who magicked it back into existence with one phone call. As Mia and I oftimes remark, you just can’t get the staff these days (though I think hers may be better qualified than mine:-)

There should be a sort of work-in-progress slide show at the end of this drivel. Kingdom Cat’s very own Housey-Housey Show. Brought to you by Cub/bb1/KC/Marmers Inc. May we all have a Lovely Liff!

Cookiecutter Cottage

Another major consideration when renovating any structure is the risk of disturbing building materials that may contain toxic environmental and health/safety hazards such as asbestos, lead paint, mold and PCBs.

When you renovate always be certain to test the areas to be disturbed to ensure you do not contaminate the structure and its occupants. Doing may cause the occupants to become ill and will expose the building owner, the business owner, the business management and the contractor(s) to regulatory (EPA & OSHA), civil and potentially criminal liabilities.

For more information on how to protect yourself and others, please contact our professional team of environmental experts.

Our website is http://www.envrisk.com
My LinkedIn profile is http://www.linkedin.com/in/envriskjimd
Our office number is 859-689-9222.

If you’re the kind of person that feels the need to feel productive at all times, this is the blog for you. Believe it or not, many of today’s home and real estate related reality shows can provide you with valuable tips and information that can be applied to bettering your own property portfolio. So from now on, you can do the ultimate in multi-tasking: Unwind in front of the TV while growing your professional skill set. Following is a round up of some of today’s most valuable home improvement and real estate shows and what they can teach you.

Extreme Home Makeover (ABC, Sunday, 8:00 C.T.)
Sure, you may not have a team of a few dozen volunteer workers to help you gut and rebuild an entire home in a single weekend, but Extreme Home Makeover still proves an invaluable point: No property is unsalvageable. Sure, we all know that while you may pay less to purchase a fixer-upper (as opposed to buying a property that’s ready to go “as-is”), you’re still looking at thousands of dollars in additional costs to transform the property. But even with repair and renovation costs in mind, you may still come out ahead by purchasing a fixer-upper and building it according to your vision.

Extreme Home Makeover proves time and time again that any home can be transformed. If you have the vision, inclination, and a team of reliable contractors on-hand, searching for a fixer-upper may be the perfect route to saving some money and creating your ideal property from the ground up.

Bang for Your Buck (HGTV, Friday, 9:30 C.T.)
Speaking of saving money, HGTV’s Bang for Your Buck is chock-full of ideas for making improvements in the most economical way possible. Check out this show for cost-cutting measures that will help you make quality improvements to your property for comparatively inexpensive prices. On this show, you’ll find tips for everything from renovating kitchens to taking down walls and creating completely new spaces. Not only this, but Bang for Your Buck also demonstrates just how valuable these upgrades and renovations can be. Each episode compares the cost of making repairs to the additional price they will add to a property’s market value, clearly demonstrating the economics of frugal upgrades.

Flipping Out (Bravo, see BravoTV.com for schedule)
Speaking of market value, although he may be a bit eccentric, a lot can be learned from Flipping Out’s “home flipper” and real estate guru Jeff Lewis. This show follows the Los Angeles-based Lewis as he identifies fixer-uppers and completely transforms them in a matter of a few months, sometimes adding up to a million dollars onto their selling price. This show not only provides a template for those who are looking to get into the business of home-flipping, but it also shows how far a little bit of vision and insight into buyers’ minds can go.

Curb Appeal (HGTV, see HGTV.com for schedule)
When it comes to appealing to potential buyers and renters, we’ve discussed the value of curb appeal on this blog before. For those of us without a green thumb, though, it can be hard to know where to start. HGTV’s Curb Appeal is here to show you how to beautify your outside, taking everything from aesthetics to logistics into account. Here you’ll find tips on everything from landscaping to creating outdoor spaces for entertaining and utilitarian purposes.

For Rent (HGTV, Mondays, 10:30 C.T.)
Finally, if you’re looking for a glimpse inside renters’ minds, you won’t want to miss HGTV’s For Rent. Although this program (which shows renters how to install temporary decorations and fixtures into rented spaces) is designed for tenants, it can be equally educational for landlords. For Rent can provide landlords with ideas for the type of quick-fix amenities renters would like to find in their units. Particularly in a tight economy or in a location where there are many competitive properties, this show can give you tips on how to really appeal to renters through economical, easy-to-install “extras.” As an added bonus, if a renter comes to you with a request to incorporate a more permanent fixture in their unit, you’ll be ready with alternative solutions that will keep your renter happy and prevent your unit from undergoing any permanent changes.

Thanks to reality home TV, gone are the days of feeling like a couch potato after a few hours of television. Now you can unwind and better your business at the same time!

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Home renovation can be a big hassle for most people, and often the cost can far exceed your budget parameters. Many home owners have trouble deciding whether to consult an interior design firm to do the designing work for them, or to do it themselves. There are many different television shows about doing home remodelling  projects, in some cases they do really good, and keep their costs down, but other times you see people who go way over budget, and in the end, the job doesn’t look that great.

You can design your home renovation concept on your own if you plan it out right, and be patient, you can find many different design ideas that you need to remodel your home for quite inexpensively, if you know where to look. One way is to browse through design magazines. If you are willing to compromise a little, then you can save yourself a great deal of money in the long run. For example, a lot of people want to have marble counter tops, but marble costs a lot of money. However, there are many different ways to get the same beautiful results, without having to spend thousands of dollars on the actual thing. There are many very good laminates that look just like marble, are easier to install, and cost a third of what real marble does.

It is a really good idea to plan ahead on any home renovation. After you have your plans made up, you should go into your local renovator, present your plans, and find out what kind of permits you are going to need ahead of time. You will save a lot of hassles in the long run. It is also a good idea to contact a renovation contractor and see if your renovation complies with building codes in your area.

The reasoning for this is that if you are in the middle of your home renovation, and don’t have the necessary permits, they can come in and actually stop your project right where you are until you have gotten the permits. In extreme cases, they can make you remove anything you may have already installed. This can not only ruin your plans, but your budget as well.

Don’t know of a local renovator that can help you? Here’s one renovator you can look up to http://www.hdbhomerenovation.com

I’ve been listening to the song, “Should I Tell Them?” by a Christian music artist by the name of Shaun Groves today. I’m posting the lyrics below so you can read them, then I’ll do some follow-up commentary.

Walking with you is not without hazards
Trippings this traveler’s curse
Price paid for falling is more than my stumble
In a world that is watching and waiting for words

But I listened when You said to go
And I set out in spite of my fears
About truth mixed with my imperfection
And the question of what to say when I got here

And now that I’m here
Should I tell them that
You are the one who has made me
And saved me and set up a home there inside
Should I tell them that I am a perfect example
Of all You can do with a life.
What should I say to them?
What if I’m failing them?
What should i tell the tonight?

Now don’t get me wrong
I’m thankful to be here
With this song to sing and a spotlight on me,
But lately I’m wondering if you are mistaken,
If you’re seeing all of me there is to see.

Cause on every face I detect
The same questions I’ve posed to you
Like do you speak through the imperfect
Are we too dirty for your light to get through?
I want your light to get through.

What should I tell them when
They’re thirsty Lord
My cup is empty Lord
Come and lead me here in this place
Cuz I’m honest, yeah, but I’m unprepared
And I’m just plain afraid

I find these lyrics to be very powerful, especially as a church planter. (I usually am not a fan of a lot of Christian music. Much of it is cheesy, insincere, or manufactured to sell CD’s. Groves, and a few other artists are pretty authentic in their lyrics, and I really like that..) Anyways, sometimes, I feel so many feelings of inadequacy, but in the end, I know God called me to do this, therefore I must.

I moved back to my hometown ,where my family and my friends are. So if this thing crashes and burns, there’s no saving face. I try to keep my ego out of this, try to stay humble, try to keep focused on God and what he’s calling me to do. But like the song says, I’m imperfect, unprepared, and just plain afraid.

So I want to be straight up in saying that I’m not the super pastor who seems to have it all together. I need help. I need God’s help. I need the help of my family, friends, and those who may become part of Renovate. In the end, it’s not about me, it about the simple gospel, and Shaun Groves states it pretty clearly – Jesus is the one who made me, and saved me, and set up a home there inside.

I’d also like to encourage not just other pastors, but other believers here. Don’t feel like you need to keep up some facade of perfection. Everyone knows that if you come off looking perfect, you’re either really fake, or just a great liar. Let down your guard and let people see the real you. They can relate to that, and in that, you make a friend, who you can then tell them about Jesus.

Also, don’t worry about your feelings of inadequacy. My favorite Christian cliche is “God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called.” What he’s asked us to do comes down to some simple concepts – be friends with people who are far from God, and tell them about Jesus. So how many non-Christian friends do you have? I mean people you hang out with, not just random people at work or school. If you’re having a hard time answering that, then I beg you to get out of your Christian bubble and meet some new people. I’ve heard a few atheists say that the reason they don’t believe in Jesus was because if what the Bible says is true, then it would be the best news on Earth. And if that were the case, then they didn’t understand why more Christians weren’t sharing the news.. Wow. Very powerful.. It’s our responsibility to do this simple stuff, and from my experience, non-Christians are pretty fun people!

If your cup is empty, allow Jesus to fill it. If you’re unprepared, Jesus isn’t.

Just be willing.

Do you have overgrown, old deciduous shrubs? Now is a good time to renovate them by drastic pruning.

Just a short post about the reconstruction of Liszt Ferenc Zeneakadémia (Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music). Today was the closing day of the building, from now on the reconstruction works will take 2 years. The Academy of Music in Budapest will reopen its doors in October 2011.

During the day today people could attend guided tours in the fancy building which will be totally renovated from 10,5 billion HUF, according to the Hungarian public TV’s news, 90% financed by the European Union.

While I was listening to the nine symphonies of Beethoven played after each other from 3 PM today (conducted by Zoltán Kocsis), I was wondering that the Academy really needed the renovation. I tried to take some photos with my mobile, well, not the best photos of the building, but to show some arguments why are we spending money on this very nice piece of Art Nouveau style built in 1907.

On this picture below you can see one of the chandeliers in the concert hall. I don’t know since how long are those nets on the chandeliers but I’ve seen them many times, and it always shocked me, that just in case if a crystal-something wanted to release itself and fall down on the audience, they are putting nets there…

Or this one. This is a famous Hungarian porcelain called Zsolnay on the wall of the Academy (still in the interior). I actually saw in the news on TV that at some corners of the building, this very expensive wall wrapper is fixed with scotch… If had known that earlier today, I surely would have taken a photo of that too, but this one’s showing an intact part of the porcelained wall.

The best recent story happened to this Academy-in-bad-condition in the beginning of October. Our famous organist, Xavér Varnus gave a last concert on this big instrument, but somehow the organ thought that it would be better to make its last concert memorable, and the engine inside of it just burned out. Varnus could give another concert later in October but he was sure it wasn’t by chance that the engine broke down at his last concert on the big organ, so he reported it at the police and according to some news sites, an investigation is going on. But probably the problem was that the organ should have been repaired or replaced before.

]]> http://blog.gardora.net/2009/11/05/renovate-rambling-roses/ Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:20:37 +0000 Gardora http://blog.gardora.net/2009/11/05/renovate-rambling-roses/

Now is a good time to renovate overgrown rambling roses: Remove all dead, diseased, dying and weak shoots.

Hello everyone! I’m Mrs. Know-it-all. I know my name sounds familiar. I used to be Miss. Know-it-all before I got married. Yesterday, while visiting a friend’s house, a very serious thought hit me. Setting up a house and turning it into a home is not an easy task, and I’m sure you would agree with me, its becoming a serious status problem. When I got married and my husband brought me into his house, it was nothing more than a 3BHK apartment with bare painted walls and expensive furniture kept around the rooms. And today when you see it, it’s nothing less than a complete home. Every room is a piece of art, a beauty to every beholder’s eyes, adorned with beautiful wallpapers complementing the furnishing and décor. What… did I hear you say “wallpapers?!” my dear, wallpapers are the most amazing things that could happen after God created the world! I have heard this from so many people! They keep telling me wallpapers are messy, old fashioned, blah, blah; blah… let me tell you dear, it’s all a myth! Don’t believe me? Ok, you tell me what you think, and I’ll tell you how true it is.

- Mrs. Know-it-all

Our house was built in the 1970’s. We are talking avocado countertops in the kitchen, original wood windows (that the cold seeps into in the wintertime), wood paneling in the den..you get the picture.

All of the bedrooms are upstairs. Due to the odd sizing of the second level of the house, the bedrooms are on the small side. Our bedroom is the largest, but it is only 9 feet by 11 feet. Much to my dismay, we cannot fit a king size bed in it.

A bedroom should be an oasis. Since I need a dresser (darn socks and underwear) and my husband needs one, too (OK, I will allow him a dresser since he gives me more than half of the small closet) the best way to dress up a bedroom is with linens. The two dressers plus two nightstands = cramped living quarters. What to do?

Thankfully Vision Beddings are having a contest and maybe, just maybe I can get a little help with our sad “master” bedroom.

I found the perfect new comforter on the Vision Bedding site. We have had the same duvet on our bed since I bought it at a Home Goods type store in 2000.

Does your bedroom need some pumping up, too? Check out the contest . Lots of prizes are being given away. What bedding would you choose?

This could be fun! Hurry, though, if you want to try to win some of their other prizes too!

Hey it’s Scott from Investors Choice Funding. If you’re an investor, you need to learn about hard money. We can help you get started funding your projects. You’ve heard of OPM – that’s Other People’s Money. Let us show you how.

This morning I had the pleasure of being a guest speaker on FSBO Radio (For Sale By Owner Radio) and shared my top 5 staging tips with the audience. You can listen to a recording of the show, above. Here they are for you to read:

1. Curb Appeal

You need to get potential buyers into your house, so make the outside inviting. Many buyers will do a “drive by” to determine if they even want to go in. Make it appear well maintained by freshening up the paint, power washing the front porch and taking care of your lawn and garden. Make your house numbers visible. Give them a polish or a coat of paint, or put some up if yours have fallen off. Ensure pathways are clear, including removing childrens’ toys, but also, depending upon the season clearing ice and snow or leaves. Give the front of your house some colour with flowers. If the time of year is not quite right for this, some planters with seasonal greens can brighten the front of your home.

2. Space

Remember you are selling the space in your home….every inch of it. So make sure the buyers can sit it and understand it. Clear out unnecessary clutter, and extra furniture. Donate unwanted items or sell them on Kijiji or Craiglist, have a garage sale, or take them to a consignment store. Pack and store items, but do not store them in your closets, basement or garage, because these are spaces you are selling also. Rent a storage locker or use a relative’s garage.

3. Fix-it

Get that to-do list completed. All of those little things that you have been meaning to do to maintain your home should be taken care of. This includes installing  trim, patching a hole, fixing a door knob, making sure the cabinet doors open and close, doors work, lighting functions, etc, etc, etc. If you cannot handle it yourself hire a professional handyman. They can do things much faster than you can and are not very expensive, especially if you pay cash. Fixing all of these items will make your home appear well maintained, and buyers won’t be making a mental checklist of all the things they have to do, and will have to pay for. This can affect the offers on your home. People want to buy homes that are move-in ready.

4. Clean, clean, clean

There is nothing more disgusting that someone else’s dirt. Make sure your house sparkles, especially in the bathroom and kitchen. Clean is not just a look, but also a smell. Use your nose to determine if your house is clean. It may not smell clean if you have pets or mould. Steam clean carpets, open the windows and if that doesn’t work, a fresh coat of paint does wonders for the smell of your home. If you don’t want to clean or perhaps your idea of clean is not clean enough, hire a cleaning service to do a good thorough clean of your house before it goes on the market.

5. Design

This is the most difficult piece for some home sellers, although some have the knack for design naturally. Make sure there is a focal point in each room….something your eye is naturally drawn to. Some rooms have natural focal points like a beautiful fireplace, or picture window with a great view. In other rooms you need to create a focal point with furniture placement and art. Keep traffic flow in mind when arranging your furniture. Make it easy for buyers to move through the rooms and make them feel spacious or cozy, depending on the room. Use colour to create warmth and evoke an emotional response from buyers. Neutral colours on the walls and colour in your decor is the best way to go.

If you do not know how to start preparing your home for sale or if you find the job a daunting task, call Katherine to help you devise a plan to prepare your home. The plan will help reduce stress because it will take your timeline, budget and skill set into consideration, and Katherine can help you find professionals to help, she can help, or can manage the entire process for you. Contact Katherine of Set Sale and Go Home Staging for your staging consultation.

Wood can give character and warmth to your home, but it can also date it. It can be difficult to know the difference, especially when you have been living with it for a long time. Many people are very attached to the wood in their home and the thought of painting it makes them shudder, but sometimes that is all that is necessary to bring your home into the current decade. Paint is a lot cheaper than new cabinetry, or ripping out walls. Let me give you some ideas about when you might want to paint it and when you might be able to leave it alone and perhaps change something else that will make the wood look better.

Oak Cabinets – Pickled or Golden

Pickled oak or golden oak were very popular choices for those of you who have it, it’s not so trendy anymore. Since kitchens and bathrooms typically sell the house, you will need to do something about the oak, and you are not likely wanting to invest in new cabinets right before you move. Sometimes just changing the other decor around the oak, makes it seem less prominent. In the picture shown here, brass knobs were replace by dark bronze and a new backsplash and counter were installed. Suddenly the cabinets look pretty good.

Sometimes painting is the best thing to do. If you cannot afford to change what is around the cabinets, then painting just might be your best option for updating. Give cabinets a good clean with TSP and a light sanding. Prime with a high quality primer and lay on the paint. I would still upgrade the hardware if you can. Sometimes just spray painting the old hardware black or silver will do the trick as well.

Another option, although more work, is re-staining in a more current shade. This does require stripping, so the amount of effort you want to put into it may determine whether paint or stain is the way for you to go.

This picture shows a bathroom that had dark oak cabinetry with dated hardware. Unfortunately, the dusty rose tile floor and other decor was not going to draw your eye away from the cabinets. A paint colour was chosen that made all of the other bathroom colours work and it definitely freshened up the cabinets. The second bathroom was similarly dated, with stenciling everywhere and oak paneled cabinetry and even an oak paneled bathtub. Paint makes it look updated and fresh.

That 70’s Paneling

I think everyone has seen this horrendous misrepresentation of wood that was used in the 70’s. You can remove it if you like, but what lurks beneath? Some renovations were often quickly and easily completed by only using only paneling. This means, if you remove it, you are going to have to drywall. If there is drywall beneath, how damaged is it going to be when you remove the paneling?

If you have this stuff, my answer is to always paint it. Fill any nail holes. Caulk the seams between the sheets. Give it a good clean and primer and then paint away in a neutral colour. The vertical strips may not even be noticed, or they might be useful in a new decorating scheme. See the picture below, and notice that you can not even tell that there is painted paneling on either side of the fireplace.

Do be careful. Some very cheap paneling is not wood, but is only a picture of wood on paper, adhered to a backing. It is advisable to use an oil-based primer over this type of paneling to seal it. You can still paint latex paint over the oil primer. Using latex directly on top of the cheap paneling, may cause the paper layer to bubble or peel.

Another popular type of paneling from  the 70’s is tongue and groove pine or cedar, often installed on the diagonal. Similar to the above mentioned paneling, this was often installed straight over studs, but it may have been installed over walls that were in poor condition. Again, instead of removing it, you can neutralize it by giving it a good clean, a light sand, primer and paint. While it probably stood out as a focal wall in the beginning, painting it out the same colour as the rest of the room, often is enough to make it disappear

Unless you want to highlight the grooves in either of these types of paneling to enhance a cottagey theme, I suggest going for flatter paints. I will reduce the visibility of texture and grooves. If you need to want to get rid of the grooves completely, you can drywall, or do a skim coat of plaster over the paneling. See the Before and After below:

Painting out the Woodwork or Painting Some

Sometimes there is just TOO much wood. Some people believe that it is not possible to have too much, but I disagree. If it seems there is so much wood that it is no longer a feature, or if there are too many different types or colours of wood going on, I suggest painting at least some of it. If you have built-in wood cabinetry, and shelving and mantel and floor and trim and baseboards, it may just be too much or perhaps too dark, depending on the stain. You may want to think about just painting out the trim and baseboards, or just painting out the mantel. This may let the other wood features really stand out and become a feature in the home. White is usually my preference, but don’t pick the standard “trim white” paint. It is often to stark and cold. Select a white that has some warmth to it and then be consistent in this colour throughout the house.

Wood Floors

If you have wood floors, I would always suggest you leave them as-is, unless they are in very bad shape. Sometimes a strategically placed area rug can help draw attention away from a worn floor, but sometimes there is no hope. If you cannot afford to refinish the floor, or if there is not enough hardwood left to refinish, painting is an option. Get advice about the best type of paint to use and make sure you give it time to cure before putting rugs or furniture on it. If you have some worn areas or scratches, stain pens, or floor restoring products can be used to make parts of the floor look better.

If you are in Oakville, Hamilton, Burlington, Mississauga or some surrounding areas and would like some advice about painting wood or staging your home for sale, contact Katherine James of Set Sale and Go Home Staging.

We’ve been thinking about it a while, and now we’re finally putting it to action. We’re renovating the blog, TOTALLY so bookmark us and check back, you’ll find something a little less haphazard and a lot more fresh.

Please help us out by doing this quick poll, any suggestions/comments are much appreciated! =)
It’s only a couple of minutes but it would help us A LOT!! (sorry about the bad format. i’m not on good terms with this thing today)

If you are looking for options that can help you to renovate your bathroom, there are many things to consider. The design of the bathroom is the worth considering thing. Particularly, the fittings and the furnishings of it are what you must keenly check.

It is one of those that can greatly affect the room’s looks and functions. It is important because they can either make it look dull, clinical and plain or beautiful, unique and elegant. According to your requirement you can choose one that can meet your requirement and pocket as well.

A large number of options of wall tiles are available in the market today. Among them you can choose the best tiles for your bathroom. In this regard, best tiles are the ones that can complement the bathroom’s fixtures and must blend well with its overall theme or design.

Renovating the bathroom is not an easy task. Some people like traditional designed tiles while others look for getting the contemporary design. However, the motive of these two groups is the same that is to renovate their bathroom in an innovative and refreshing way. Here the question arises, what options do you have for bathroom wall tiles? And what should you get among those options?

Ceramic, glass and stone tiles are the options that are classified according to the materials used. From where you can choose the one you are looking for? Among them ceramic tiles are the widely-used tiles. They are cost-effective and durable which is perfect for a bathroom due to the amount of moisture in the room. In comparison to ceramic tiles, glass tiles are more expensive. While stone tiles, which can either be marble, granite or slate, are the most costly ones. These tiles are more porous though making them prone to stain.

Without any doubt, these three common options for bathroom wall tiles are sufficient to fit in a modern bathroom design or theme. Here, it is not compulsory that an expensive tile can help you only to adorn your home in your own way. A cheap and good looking tile can also fulfill your requirement coming with affordable prices. Their design and colours patterns must also be considered.

Are available in various colours, sizes and design patterns. Among them black and green tiles are the ones that are commonly using these days. Furthermore, if you have decided to stick black tiles in your bathroom, you should avoid covering your bathroom with it as it can make it look dark. There are also tiles that come with pictures and hand painting. While using these tiles, always avoid overusing them as they can make your bathroom look busy and overloaded.

Therefore, there are numerous ideas that can apply to achieve the modern look that you want for your bathroom. But always among these options, you should try to choose the ones that can complement you bathroom giving it a translucent look. An excess utilization of tiles can make your bathroom dull and imbalanced. Hence, use them in a proper way after consulting with an interior designer.

Hey everyone! Just a quick note.. We’re moving our time for Community Group from Sunday evenings to Monday evenings at 6:30. We’re trying to be flexible and accommodate as many people as possible. This goes into effect this upcoming week, Oct 26th.

As we grow, we’ll be offering more groups at different days, times, and places around the region. If you are interested in leading or coming to a group, then let me know!

If we get enough interest and commitment, we’re more than happy to take another look at adding a Sunday night group, but for now, we’re going to Mondays.

So far, we’ve been looking in the Bible book of John. This is a great “Intro to Jesus” book, and the conversation has been going great. If you have any questions, are interested in checking out Renovate, or would just like to chat, then feel free to comment here on the blog, or email me at b3.bowers@gmail.com

Also, our Halloween Block Party is October 31, during Trick or Treat hours. We’re keeping this simple.. A bounce house and a candy table. If we have enough people, we’ll do a Trunk or Treat instead of the table. This event is more of a way for us to simply meet people and connect. If they ask questions, or conversations lead towards God or Renovate Church, then we’ll go there. If you are interested in participating, please let me know. It’ll be at my house on Halloween Night!

Thanks!

Brandon Bowers
b3.bowers@gmail.com

I wish I could update more often, because I think the things that are happening right now are worth jotting now! Since I have no time to do lengthy updates, I will just update briefly.

1) Band. Last Sunday 9 people came for practise which was an improvement! Yeah! Our president said that Cheras SGM would like to combine with us to perform and Nilai Inti College also has the same wish. WTF! Suddenly my band is so in demand! President asked us to choose who we would like to combine with, they will be coming to OUG to practise with us. Yahoo! I hate travelling to Cheras, worst still to Nilai! In the end we sorta like Cheras SGM more because they are closer to us. For me, as long as they pay some money to us to cover the hall (our practice venue) rental, I am game for anyone combining with us.  But we still have to let Cheras SGM to have meeting among themselves to discuss about the combining. Weird, if they haven’t decided it, why even ask us to combine? I hope this coming Sunday we will find out more.

2) Condo. We plan to sell the old sofa and put it up on the website. There are few people calling up my bf to express interest, I hope they can make it to view the sofa and just pay us some money to get rid of the old sofa. We have started asking contractors to inspect our place and give us quotation. I would like to change all doors, change toilet doors to folding doors to save space, build a door at the study room, rebuild the bottom kitchen cabinet, and I think the most important of all, to get rid of the old layer windows and replace them with casement windows which are push-out type.  BF think it’s gonna be expensive to renovate the windows, I think I would rather pay RM1k, to get many nights of sound sleep, then to suffer from the traffic noise. New coat of paint is a must too, smaller things like ceiling fan and power plug, and of course new electrical appliances. I will post all the quotations that I got when I have the time. My budget is 20k, and from the likes of it, it will be well within budget.

3) Low Blood Pressure. I can’t tell that if I am sick, or with low blood pressure. I still do not know what is going on with my body…

4) Books. I finished reading Arthur C Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama. I think it’s a very good book! I enjoyed reading it. I love the ideas and the possibilities that it might happen…

5) My Nokia N82 has some issues with the memory card. Suddenly almost everything in my memory card is gone! All my pics and songs are gone just like that! Even my Garmin Mobile XT can’t run. AAAAAarrrrrrrghhh! I must have my GPS! It has always been my saviour! In the end I spend an hour to download and install my Garmin Mobile XT program and maps. Luckily it worked. And luckily I often copy out my pics into my pc. So it wasn’t that bad.  I ended up reformat my memory card. Hope this time it won’t just wipe away all my files.

That’s all for the update. If I have the time I will write more details and put up some pictures.

As you may have read in Obiwan2324’s post below, the Haunted House Island is finally here!  But there’s more things in store too, like the new Tinkerbell advertisement that’s out, the new Halloween costumes, and the awesome new Halloween look on the Creators’ Blog!

Let’s start off with the cool new Tinkerbell advertisement.  Thanks for the update, Magic Sword! (Aren’t young enough to play it?  Try out Motionman95’s cool cheat:

1. Log on to Poptropica.

2. Open a new window/tab and go to this link: http://thephf.com/test.php He changed the cheat.  Now, instead, go to the multiverse room CWK63.

3. You should now see the Tinkerbell ad! =D)

Here’s what it looks like:

Need a guide?  No problem– there’s one right here:

1. Follow what the fairy in the red dress says and enter the advertisement “to give help to the fairies”.  Once you’re inside, go to the bottom right of the floor, where there’s an entrance to a forest.  You should be in front of a big tree. (NOTE: if you have a flying power from Super Power Island, or a jetpack from Early Poptropica, turn it on, because it will help.)

2. Walk to the right, and jump on the strange biting flowers when their mouths are open.  You might be thrown off once or twice, but eventually you should be able to get to the top left flower.  Jump on it, so that you touch the blue bubble-looking thing.  Now go back to the ground and go all the way to the right.

3. Now that you’re all the way on the right, jump up (avoid the thorns) and touch another blue bubble-looking thing.  Now you only need one more.

4. Go back to the huge tree and jump (or fly) to the top-right branch, where there’s 3 spiders.  Next to the one on the right, is the last blue bubble-thing!  Jump to it, so that you touch it.  Now you have all of the bubble-things! (Don’t I have a wonderful way to describe objects?)

5. Go back through the door in the tree.  Talk to the green fairy (Tinkerbell) on the left of the door.  She will give you THESE:

Enjoy your prizes, everyone! =D

Now for the spooky Halloween costumes… MWAHAHA!

The Creators posted about them on their blog…

New Ghoulish Outfits & More!

Check out the new outfits in the Poptropica Store. Also, a new mini-quest called Haunted House will be coming soon to Poptropica! We hope it doesn’t scare you too much…

They’re all in the Poptropica Store for 75 credits! =D I wish they had hand items, though… oh well! The pumpkin costume on the right has 3 different masks to put on.  One of them (the one above, to be exact) is from that Pumpkin Mask cheat! (Ctrl+Shift+P) =D

Now for the awesome new look on the Creators’ Blog! It’s very Halloween-ish, if you haven’t noticed!

They’ve gotten a brand-new, pumpkin filled, Halloween-themed, *gasps for breath* … header.  The Creators have also Halloween-ified their avatars on their blog!

That’s all the news for now, people!  I’ll be posting up a guide for the Haunted House Island as soon as I can! I’ve made the guide!  Read the post below to see it!  Until then, see you later!

-Green Seal

I recently bought some Laura Ashley wallpaper at a garage sale to revamp my old bookshelves. They are huge and hideous old things, but until I move and buy some new ones, I thought they could do with a make-over. Here’s what happened:

I had to cut a small bit to run down the side, as the shelves are so wide that two strips were not quite enough to cover the back. It has lightened up the room so much, and the pattern showing through is perfect – totally worth the effort!

(Chapter 10 was published 2 weeks ago, this is the next in the sequence – on our way to the beginning!)

9.         Breaking Up is Hard To Do or Hello, Goodbye!

So, after endless hours of thinking, planning, bending, twisting, and watching huge men first gingerly pack and then forcefully move massive pieces of furniture up flights of stairs to our new home – the deed is done!  In today’s shorthand – OOOO   MMMMM GGGGGG!!!!  Or – Ohhhhh  MYYYYYY Gooooodness!!!  This part is better handled by others, and that is what we did – Booska’s Movers are worth their weight in gold back braces.

Don’t, I repeat, Don’t even think of trying to do this yourself!  You will thank me in the morning, and the next morning, etc.  We even had them pack for us – a first for us and a true luxury also well worth the bucks.  Be Smart.  You’ve been there and done that and should invest a couple dollars into the full boat and have your Pro’s pack and move you so you can relax, sort of.  Well, no you can’t but you won’t hurt so much.

And we had to clean and empty the old house of – everything!  And I mean everything.  That is the customary way to do it and it should be done, and we did it well.  The last owner left us 10 concrete blocks and a few other assorted gems, and we never forgot that – we wanted to leave behind a sparkling place.  Don’t underestimate this part either.  It will take just under forever to empty your place of the last x years!  But it will happen.

Our good fortune was we could move in a few days before we closed on the sale of our place, so we could pace that a bit.  And, maybe most important, leave time at the end to say goodbye to the old place.  There will be emotionally hard times and physically hard times during this transition, and then there will be both together at the same time, and you will sag a bit from the weight of it all.  If you can do as we did, which let us breathe just a little extra at the end, it will help you.

The next step may be exciting and offer new possibilities, but just as there is a new door opening, there is an old one closing, and you will want to be able to stand there one last time and close it gently, with fond farewells for all that place meant to you and yours, and slide it into the world of memory with love.  However you might do it, make sure to leave a few minutes for that, by yourselves, together.   We did one last time, and out that door we walked.

 Gorlin Pools and Spas   732-323-8200    Main Number

• Our trustworthy, respectful, loyal, cooperative, sincere, responsible, effective and empathetic employees are at the HEART of our business
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Andrea Darr of Kansas City Home & Garden magazine chose my work and the construction work of Clay Lyon of Lyon Construction to feature in her beautiful magazine announcing the NARI Homes Tour. So great to see my designs on their pages once again. The home really did turn out famously. The homeowners were absolutely spectacular (see the pic) from start to finish and couldn’t be happier. It was exactly what they wanted! They communicated their wishes to Clay and I and then let us perform the magic we do best.

The article in KCH&G, titled “Family Ties” (April 09′) shows the ‘after’ shots, but I am going to give you the insiders look at the ‘before’ shots below!

We blew out the back wall in the kitchen and added the room with the arched door out on to the new deck. Downstairs, we blew out the back wall to add the indoor pool. Clay and I had such fun designing the fireplace, pizza oven and placing the Green Egg.

Thank you Andrea, Brooke Pearl and Keith Sauro!

"BEFORE" Eating Area, Hearth Room, Family Room

"AFTER" Eating Area, Hearth Room, Family Room

"BEFORE" Hearth Room fireplace

"AFTER" Hearth Room fireplace

"BEFORE" Looking through a window/wall that is about to be removed.

"AFTER" The wall has been removed and a new exterior wall built. The chair at left is for their daughter to snuggle and read. Notice the client's beautiful new desk...and her views!

"BEFORE"

"AFTER" Notice the all-season fireplace and pizza oven on the far right.

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