Remodeling House

When I buy green onion, I always try to pick bunches with roots on the ends. If I don't use the whole bunch, I plant the extra. Even after being in the refrigerator for over a week, I can still get most of them to root, either indoors in winter or outdoors in summer.Since green onion doesn't keep well in the refrigerator, or dry well, this is my solution to the problem of waste. Try it. If

by Kathy Mann - Feng Shui Consultant, Author, Educator
Flowing with Feng Shui As we transition into the holiday season, the winter season and the new year, we can use Feng Shui to flow with new energies. The changes we experience affect all our senses, and all aspects of our lives.

The changes can be dramatic and subtle. All around us change is occurring significantly. Sunlight and climate variations influence us each day. Home décor makeovers to show the holiday spirit, create another vast change from the norm. Landscape changes and many exterior of homes are decorated. Smells, aromas and fragrances all around us change. Your schedule changes with parties, many people have extra work for several weeks, other business slack off with little regular work to be done. Busyness can keep people on edge. Festivities and food are everywhere you look.

All the energy, (chi) around us is different. When you consider all of this, the season brings about a substantial shift in your life, in your Feng Shui. Adjusting to these changes all at once may be a bit jarring.

So, how do we create some sense of balance, harmony and peace in this energetic gear shift? Keep some things constant, familiar and nurturing. Your bedroom is the best place to keep yourself grounded and calm. Make sure your Feng Shui is the best it can be here. Get back to basics. Bed position is crucial. Make sure you are in the commanding position. Use your very best sheets. Have your art and décor soothing, beautiful and relaxing for you are your partner/spouse/significant other. Avoid using this space to store items, extra furniture moved about or your entire gift wrapping.

This is still your space to rest, rejuvenate and make love. Keep it that way. Use calming aromas to give you extra rest this time of year. I make a blend of lavender, ylang ylang and bergamot. There are so many choices you can use. Place fresh flowers in your bedroom and your bathroom. Play calming soothing music in both these rooms while you use them.

In the rest of your home, be mindful of clutter. It may be challenging but try not to over do it. Less is more. Beauty and balance can easily be achieved. Make sure all your common pathways are smooth. If you have to move your body to accommodate decorations, your items need to be moved, not you. So avoid doing an obstacle course anywhere in your home during this season. Really step back and see how much you can visually see and enjoy. Less is more. You will see the beauty and enjoy more if you are not overwhelmed by dozens and dozens in a small space.

When you are taking out your holiday decorations and when you are putting them back, see what you really do not need or can use anymore. Let go. Give away or sell those items that relate to the holiday and those items stored away near these items. I find that if you haven't used this stored stuff in a year or two or three, chances are very likely you no longer need or desire to do so. Let go. Make room for more positive energy in the PRESENT and the near future.

Enjoy all the season has to offer. Balance your schedule. Give yourself enough time to rest, continue to exercise, pray, meditate and all activities that give you a joyful peace in life. If this means a little less time at a party, you can give yourself that gift of balance. Only you know your limits.

If you do not normally have red around your front door, this is a great time of year to enjoy that. Feel the red. See how it is a wonderful color to make your front door appealing and attractive. You may consider adding this color all year round. Flow with Feng Shui this holiday season.

Cardamom is an unusual spice that is the essential ingredient in the absolute best hot toddy ever invented. A native to India, it's best to buy the whole seeds and grind them yourself. The spice can be a little expensive, but if you like a good toddy, or hot buttered rum to the uninitiated, it's absolutely worth it. I have an ancient recipe, but I found one online that's close. If you have a

Make some refreshing bath salts to help you relax after a long day's work or shopping. Bath salts are easy and relatively inexpensive to make. Most recipes are a blend of Epsom salt and coarse sea salt. I recommend mixing them 50/50 your first time. After that you can make adjustments as you see fit. Some recipes will use either one or the other exclusively, something you might consider if price

All things normal at the beach. Thank you.

Parsley was the first fresh herb I was familiar with as a child. It was present at almost every restaurant prepared meal, sitting on the plate next to a slice of lemon or carrot curl. My mother always urged me in a whisper after every meal to eat my parsley because it was nature’s breath freshener. The variety I was most familiar with was curly, but not quite as tightly curled as the parsley we

My camera battery died after a few pics, but here's a few pictures of Damon Point. Can't wait to surf it tomorrow. Looks great. Other than the changes at Damon Point, most of Ocean Shores is just fine and will be a lot better once we get power. Take care,

Ocean Shores has held up quite well during the recent storm minus a couple houses near the jetty, a few roofs near the jetty and Damon State Park. Our biggest problem out here on the coast is the complete lack of power. We don't know when it will be back. But, other than that, things are fine out here on the beach. I've taken a few pics below that will show you a. why you need to make sure your foundation elevation needs to be above street level, b. why vinyl siding isn't all that great (unless it's properly installed), c. why portable buildings need to be built on foundations and d. why you need to make sure that your roof shingles are installed correctly.






















The last house here is a new house that I'm selling and it's about to close. This house is only 3 lots from the jetty and suffered no damage at all. Notice that it has a 50 mph roof on it, hardie plank siding, vinyl windows and the foundation/driveway are all above street level.

What a Real Estate Agent Knows that you Might Not.

When you make the decision to sell your home, you are under no obligation to hire a real estate agent or broker to help you with the sale. Nonetheless, most people prefer to hire a real estate agent in order to better protect themselves. And, it also puts them in a better position to successfully sell the home in a short amount of time.

When you hire a real estate agent, you gain access to a wealth of knowledge that can help keep you out of trouble and will help provide for a smooth transaction. Here are just a few things your real estate agent knows that you probably do not.

The Federal Fair Housing Act
According to the Federal Fair Housing Act, you cannot discriminate against someone when selling a home. The act defines seven different classes of people who are protected against discrimination. These include:

race
color
national origin
sex
religion
handicap
familial status
If you do not enlist in the help of a real estate agent, you put yourself at risk of violating this act if you refuse to sell your home to an interested buyer who may be in a protected class. In addition, you might even accidentally violate these laws without realizing it. For example, there are certain words that cannot be included in your advertisements for your home because they are in violation of the Fair Housing Laws. Some of these words include:

bachelor apartment
children welcome
couples
gentleman's farm
golden agers
handicapped
integrated
married
mature
mother-in-law quarters
professional
seniors
singles only
sports-minded

As you can see, some of these terms seem perfectly innocent. Therefore, it is a good idea to get the help of a real estate agent so you can tap into his or her knowledge and experience in order to stay out of trouble.

State Real Estate Laws
Although there are similarities in real estate laws from one state to the next, each state has its own set of rules that must be followed. If you do not understand these laws, or are unaware of these laws, you can inadvertently break the law when selling your home. In addition, by not being fully aware of your seller's rights, you might actually lose out on money during the transaction.

Taking Advantage of Connections
Aside from legal matters, a real estate agent simply has a vast number of connections making it possible to sell a home more quickly and for a higher asking price. Similarly, because people come to real estate agents when searching for homes, you are able to tap into a much larger market of interested buyers when you get the help of a real estate agent.

Because a real estate agent has experience with selling homes, he or she can also provide you with tips to help increase the market value of your home and to make the process go by more quickly. For example, small things such as painting a room a different color can go a long way when it comes to increasing the appeal of the home. By taking advantage of the agent's expertise, you just might have a much more profitable selling experience.

Chives are a personal favorite of mine. This herb was the first that Iregularly went out in the garden to snip in the evening when I was about to start cooking dinner. I keep a special pair of "herb" scissors in a kitchen drawer, together with a small wicker basket to help me harvest the night's herb choices. I have lots of snipping herbs now, parsley, oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, bay, and

Lemon balm is a perennial in the mint family. It has a light lemony fragrance that you will recognize from furniture polish and dishwashing liquid.Easy to Root and GrowIt does well in partial shade, preferring well-drained soil. Keep lemon balm moist. I prefer to keep mine near downspouts and around outdoor faucets. Lemon balm is easy to grow from stem cuttings that have been rooted water. It

Around the holidays, we see a lot of mistletoe and holly. Although these plants are not on many herb lists, I was curious to know about their curative properties if any. I'm always interested in the plants around me. It seems that every plant I investigate has a colorful history, as well as some useful purpose or other.Mistletoe (European)Processed European mistletoe has shown success in