3 Tips to Help You Get Your House Ready for Winter

Fall is officially here, and colder weather is right around the corner. That means now is the best possible time to prepare your house for heavy snow, ice, and chilly temperatures. To help you navigate your home maintenance list this season, here are three tips you can use to prepare your family home for the upcoming winter season. Clean out your gutters Experts recommend having your gutters cleaned approximately twice a year: once in the fall and once in the spring. This helps to remove any leaves, twigs, and other debris that might have accumulated in your gutter system throughout the season. During the fall, leaves are even more likely to drift down into your gutters and cause serious clogs. Depending on how much rain and snow your area experiences, clogged gutters can cause a … [Read more...]

Your Female Andy Rooney

Is it just me or is the weather getting really freaky lately? Spring lasted all of a day here and then came summer. Throw in a few near biblical storms and I am beginning to think I might need hailing frog insurance.  I will not be wearing any striped stockings or ruby slippers any time soon.I put 'Remedy Oil' on my knees last night before bed. Not only does that make me sound old but it seems like something Laura Ingalls Wilder would have bought from a tinker by the side of the road.I told The Comedian that her whining "does not become her". Move over Joan Crawford. Betty Draper has apparently taken over.*Image from kenlevine.blogspot.com … [Read more...]

New Faces and Places

Maybe we have been cooped up in the house too long because of all this winter weather.  Maybe it is the seed that H repeatedly tries to plant in my head about TD branching out her set of friends.  Whatever it was, we took a trip just down the road to new horizons this week.  We went to a group play date.  Did your hand just fly to your mouth as you gasped in shock?  I know.  I broke our ridiculous and now monotanous routine of work, gym, school, work/play, neighborhood play, dinner, bed.  Wake up and do it all again. Gag, snore.  I don't know why it takes me so long to do these things.  I don't know why I don't schedule them myself. Oh right (smacks forehead) I hate entertaining.  That's why.  Hives. Hives! There would … [Read more...]

The Snow is Beautiful. Just Don’t Be an Idiot.

It is snowing in our part of the world again. White flakes big and small swirl around as heavy winds beat against the screens helping to form icy drips that coat them. All around me, I hear the same thing. A chorus of, "I hate this! I'm sick of snow!" It goes on and on in a never-ending cacophony of voices that I really do not understand.I hate winter. I hate the cold, the icy rains, sleet, slush and grayness of it all. The black, bleak branches of trees reaching up to an impervious grey sky make me shiver and bemoan winter's very existence. What I do not hate is snow. Snow to me is still a magical gift. It is Mother Nature's way of telling us to stop, look around and take a breather. The snow is a perfect way to get outdoors and see the world in a very different way. Everything is clean, … [Read more...]

Snowy Day

It is ironic that TD came home from school on Friday with the book and DVD, The Snowy Day.  A gift from her teachers we have already worn this book/DVD combo out.  We did, indeed, have a "Loaf Seven" weekend.  Mid-storm. We used my neighbors Hummer to go get pizza.  Hangovers need pizza. Blizzard be damned.The Comedian literally gets stuck in the snow.TD:  "Eeehh, it's 8:30! I want to go inside? Why is my Pep shoveling the deck?! I have the weirdest family."I am 12.  My need to build a tunnel/igloo is too strong. H and I were the only adults playing outside without our kids.  TD went inside for "hot chocoh" after only an hour. … [Read more...]

I Hear Tell of a Nor’Easter

I couldn't sleep when I got home from girls night last night.  Instead I turned on the tube and did some work.  After a few minutes I noticed that I had the local 11 o'clock news on and there was talk of a Nor'easter in these here parts.  And a bread index.  Yeah, you heard me.  A bread index.  The weatherman, who likes to be called "Topper" (don't get me started) has an image of a stack of bread loaves all piled up and he measures the severity of a storm by how many loaves of bread we should all go nutty and buy.  Apparently, we are at 'loaf seven'.  Can I coin that?  "We're at loaf seven, Captain!  She won't hold out much longer!!"  What the.... I thought.  Pffftt.. I don't buy it.I'm a New Englander. I cut my driving teeth … [Read more...]