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Archived At Home with Ailsa
October 5th - September 29th, 2003. (I know, still backwards!)
Sunday, October 5th. Hey, Honey-Babe! How's your weekend?? Great, I hope! I'm not getting nearly as much done as I'd like, since I think I hurt my knees when I lifted the 8 foot tree onto the Front Entry Garden -- what was I thinking?? Man, it was soooo heavy, so instead of just leaving it and waiting for Dwight to get it, I dragged the tree up the slight incline and shoved it into place. And I was just checking to see how it would look... so now my knees really hurt!I'm not so sure a hike is such a great idea! Maybe later... However, the New Trees look fantastic, so it was all worth it!
You know what drives me up the wall? When people or companies use Statistics that are fraut with holes. I know, this might not seem like such a big deal, but when someone throws around a 'percentage of the total population who all experience the same thing', then they ought to know that their stats are right, and not made up. Not that it isn't lots of fun to make stuff up -- hey, Dave Barry (one of my favorite Funny Men!) has been making a very good living at that very thing for many fun years, now...
Here's what got me -- Dwight was reading me an article about people who sell their homes on their own versus people who use a realtor. (Of course, there's plenty of room for both, so I don't know why anyone thinks it 'one against the other'...!) The offending statement is that having an Open House when you're selling your home only results in a sale 1% of the time. Puh-leeease! What a pile of crap! Open Houses are a great way for all sorts of people to see what your house really looks like. Who cares if they're just curious -- maybe they know someone else your house might be perfect for -- the power of word-of-mouth is huuuuge! And who came up with that number? I know for sure no-one has ever asked us, much less taken an accurate poll...
We happen to sell on our own, because we always have a ton of time and lots of experience (and a great Real Estate Lawyer!). When we put the House on the Market, we offer a Finder's Fee -- why not? I think it's fair that if you know someone who wants to buy my house, why shouldn't I flip you a little 'sumpin, sumpin' for your trouble? A little compensation is always nice, right?!
As for the Open House idea, we have them pretty much every weekend while they house is on the Market, from 1:00 - 6:00p.m. I figure that I've already cleaned the house and it looks perfect, so why limit the amount of time for the Open Hous?. And we see it as a great time to read, chat, get drunk...no, no -- that an't right, I meant to say 'go over the new House Plans' -- just a little slip of the tongue! har, har!
When you're using a Realtor, that kind of time-frame won't work, but you can always have your own Open House, if you feel like it. It's your place, and you don't have to completely hand over the reigns if you don't want to. Work within your own comfort zone. The object is to get your house sold, and if you work diligently on your own or with a Realtor, it'll sell faster, and that's always good! You can click on my How To Sell Yor Home for more Tips on Selling.
Tip of the Day: Schmoooze, schmoooze, schmoooze! No kiddink! Talk to everyone you come across -- you never know who you might meet! You might make a great new friend, make a new business associate, create a new business deal, meet someone who can help your career or love-life through that new person -- it's endless! Good people skills will get you a long way, because you'll be personable and easy to talk to, and that'll find you more friends, associates and connections... see how it all works out?? It's totally worth it!
Have some Business Cards to hand out to all your new 'friends' -- now, don't be weird with this -- and you'll want to be relatively gentle in your approach so as not to cause a paper cut, since nobody likes a paper cut! Hmmm ... now I should go get you a Business Card link...even if you just have your name, contact number and e-mail address, it's a great way to stay in touch with 'new folks'. E-mail is ideal, because you can just send the teensiest of notes, and see what kind of response you get.
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(There you go! I need some more, too!)
Thanks for comin' in to see me! See you, tomorrow! Later, Baby! Ailsa!
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Saturday, October 4th. Hello, Sunshine! It's soooo nice of you to come in for a wee visit! Would you like a cookie?? 5?? That's a lot, but okay...anything for my favorite Reader!! ha,ha!
I've got a little sick boy, this morning -- poor wee Aidan woke up with a cough, so I've given him some medicine and he's watching Scooby-Doo, all wrapped up in his favorite Blankies! I asked him if he'd like some Hot Chocolate, and he said,"No Schanks. That would make it more worser..." You can tell he's the son of an English Major, no??
When Dwight was out putting more screws in the new Sunroom Deck, yesterday evening, 'The Tree Guy' came by and had a whole truckload of trees with him, so we bought six of the 6 to 8 footers. We already had the Front Entry Garden ready for trees, and we were going to try shopping for them again, some day, but having them delivered right to your Front Door -- it doesn't get any better than that! (Well, it does, but we're talking about trees, here, so if you could just stay focussed, and quit letting your mind wander back into the ditch...har, har...)
So we ran into the house, quickly had some pizza (it was, of course, frozen and ready to go!) and right back out to plant the 6 trees. They look gorgeous -- and now I need some more! Must call the Tree Guy! It is truly amazing the difference Landscaping and Plants in the House can make on the overall look of your property.
Now, here's the weird thing -- I'm terribly allergic to Trees. This makes planting, working with lumber, and most of the things that I actually do, difficult to do... but I'm always determined to get a job done, and just try not to breathe too much around the wood, then make a big batch of my Honey, Lemon 'N Onion Drink. Fixes me right up! Today I'll try to see if I can make this more palatable for Aidan (he's 4!) by adding some Iced Tea flavouring and freezing it into popsicles...worth a shot!
Today we're working on the Sunroom Deck a little more, and with any luck we'll find the time to pop out to The Mountains for a Weenie Roast, which we all love! One of my all time favorite places is Elbow River Falls, one of the most scenic parks around! Dwight used to pop me out there whenever I didn't want to live in Calgary, anymore...so we've been there a LOT! ha.ha! So we better get our firewood all set to go, so we can have a nice campfire, too! YiPeee! Doesn't that sound like fun??? Maybe you could join us! I'll bring the Marshmallows, you bring the Matches, and I'll 'Meet 'cha there'!!
Okay, I gotta go see if I can get Aidan to eat something...
Tip of the Day: (I just about forgot!) When you're getting ready for the winter (this one's for all the cold climate folks!), 'Water in' your Trees before a Frost. This is called 'Freezing them in'. Seems to work! A million 'country folk' can't all be wrong! ha,ha!
And the Fall is a great time to Plant your trees, particularly Evergreens. They'll probably be dormant, already, and you can water them in, not have to worry about scorchingly dry weather, and they'll do really well.
Remember to dig a hole about one and a half times the size of the Tree Ball (the roots all balled up...), and to 'stomp it down' after planting. It's just like what it sounds like -- you stomp your foot all around the base of the new tree!
Don't forget to remove your Watering Hose from the faucet before it freezes! This can cause some serious damage to your house if you forget... that Tip is from Dwight, and he is, as always, emphatic about it! ha,ha! Me, I'm just sayin'....
Thanks for swingin' by! See you tomorrow! Hey, I'll need to bring my VideoCamera so I can show you just how lovely The Falls are, just in case you can't make it! ha,ha! And I'll have to figure out how to fix the thing that lets me transfer my photos onto the computer -- that stoooopid computer worm in the summer ruined it!
Later, Baby! Ailsa!
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Friday, October 3rd. (Friday is Sex and The City Night up here -- WooHoo! I'm talking about the Show, of course, because I'm married... har, har!) Hi, Honey Buns! You're looking lovely, today! And smart, too -- what a combo!
Hey, I'm getting some really nice Fan Mail (!!), so I've set up a new page just for it! Cool, eh?? You can write, too, and your letter will be read a million times, too (over the course of a year, of course...!) Must remember to find out if my Site Server can manage my new traffic!
Dwight and I were out on the Sunroom Deck, yesterday Evening, just in time to see the Deer Family stroll by (Tia, the dog(!), goes crazy when they come around -- she barks her heeee-ad off, as Aidan says(!), because she just wants the teensiest taste of the deer... she doesn't ask for much!). Back to the story... the view from this deck is so spectaular that we don't want to block it with the Lattice Railing, which is perfect for the Back Deck, where we need lots of privacy, but it won't work on the Sunroom Deck, so we're playing with different design ideas that will make the Deck safe for Tia and Aidan, maintain the view and look really unique.
I drew a quick picture of my new idea for the Deck Railing on an envelope for Dwight before he left, this morning, so he can check and see if he can get some Steel Tubing, since I think that would make a cool grid pattern in between the Posts... I also suggested thick dowling (wooden poles of varying widths...) and White or Black Metal 1" Bars...
Tip of the Day: Whenever you have a 'Design Dilemma', open your mind and let it wander around a whole lot of ideas -- you'll be amazed at what you can come up with! Think of all the things you want to accomplish with your new plan, let your mind go, and it'll just come to you. Draw it out right away so you don't forget your new ideas... it's funny how quickly the ideas come, and how quickly they head out if you don't write or draw it immediately! That's how I designed this whole house, everything in it, and our next houses (when we're ready to build, again!)... it really works! You can take your time refining your ideas, but getting them on paper first is essential...
Once you get into the habit of letting your mind wander about an idea, try it with everything -- it's the best way to find your own path! You might discover some new skills you didn't know you had, and who knows how far your new-found skills will take you!
Thanks for Coming in for a wee visit! See you tomorrow, Gorgeous! Later, Baby! Ailsa!
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Thursday (Okay, now I've got the Day right!), October 2nd. Hi there, Sweet Banana Pie! I have no idea why it comes so naturally to me to 'bastardize' names for fun -- I call Dwight 'Schmimie' (pronounced schm-eye-meee!)... Here's how my brain works -- I went from Dwight -> Schmight -> Schmimie! But wait, it gets worse! It is not a long haul for me to go further with his name -- from 'Schmimie', we go to 'Schmima', which of course leads directly to 'Aunt Schmima', which I called him in Home Depot, once, and the looks we got were hilarious. Luckily, Dwight likes the whole thing, so that's good, right??
Anyhoooo... I was at the Dentist, yesterday, (my favorite Dentist, Dr. Darcy!) and he was saying that The Crest Strips really DO work! Cool, eh?? I think I have them on my Tips & Recipes Page, but I'll have to go check! It's hard to remember what all is in here after I've put it on the Site! I'll get you a link, though, so you can pick some up, too. I'll let you know how they work for me!
Here's a little tidbit I picked up from my new Hygienist, Jennifer -- poor wee Aidan has a tough time with his teeth, so Jennifer told me that the Fruit Roll-Ups that he loves sooooo much get stuck in his teeth and cause decay. Ick. That not good, as Thor the Caveman would say! So Aidan and I made a little deal that he can still have them occasionally, and he can give his teeth a quick brush after each treat. And Aidan agreed to it! You can try this, too, if you have little kids. Also, I had no idea Hygenist make such a good living -- if you're looking for a new career, check into that! No Kidding!(Or just be a Dentist ...your choice, really!)
Hey, are you watching Ellen, yet? I just about dropped when she introduced her new guest DJ -- I had to do a double-take, because he looked sooo much like a wonderful old friend of mine, Jim, who also happens to be a DJ (and a I think he's a Civil Engineer, too -- think that's his job title...). The voice was the same, the face was the same ...smile, sparkly eyes...sense of humor...I had to listen carefully to hear that his name is actually Tony. Man, is he cute! And a great DJ, too! You gotta check the show out! (Must drop Jim a line and see if he's single, for the young, single female part of my demographics! ha,ha!)
I happen to be watching Ellen right now (Elton John is on, which is remarkable!), and Ellen just mentioned that SHE likes Remy Shand, my favorite Artist, these Days... and so does Elton John! Maybe we'll see Remy on her show one day! Go Remy, Get Your Groove On, Go Remy...like that! ha,ha!
Tip of the Day: Are you thinking about a Kitchen or Bathroom Reno? A great way to quickly update your Kitchen or Bathroom is to replace or cover your current Countertops with a Tiled Countertop. There are gorgeous Marble and Granite Tiles that work really well in this space, and tons of more 'matte' tiles. Choose a smooth tile, though, so glasses won't topple over easily (okay, I'm mostly talking about wine glasses, and I'm in no position to know how many of those you go through every morning...ha,ha, ha!).
You can 'File Down' (or just saw it off) any rounded edge on your current counter.
Sand down the entire top (you want to create a rough surface) OR remove the old countertop and replace it with two cut sheets of 3/4 plywood.
Choose some nice 1 1/2 " Wooden Trim (flat in the center). Always buy Extra Trim and Extra Tiles for Cut Problems or Breaks...
Make sure your new countertop is secure before tiling.
Use a tight Grout Line for a Kitchen or Bathroom Surface -- I' say a 1/8th to a 1/16th Grout Line. Don't worry about the Grout -- it's really easy to clean. These countertops are gorgeous, relatively inexpensive, and fun to do. You'll be amazed at the difference!
Click here to See Our Kitchen Island.(It's tiled!)
(I just thought you'd like to see this House! Don't we all love looking at Houses??)
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Wednesday(!), October 1st! Good Morning, you sweet thing, you! Can you believe it's October already??? How did that happen?? Man, do you feel like time flies as you get slightly older? Weird, eh? Remember when a ten minute wait seemed to last forever, and now months fly by -- and in my case, years! What's up with that??
I got sidetracked 'on my way' to working on my site, this morning. Yesterday, I was checking out Wayne Brady's Website, and signed up for the Message Boards. It's like making new friends every day, and you never have to stop watching the Show! WooHoo!
You know what I would like to see, though? If you've been to some of the 'big' Message Boards, you might have noticed that they're all different, and some of them are really tricky to navigate... it took me agea to figure out how to Post a message, and that should have been the easiest thing to do -- and other sites have really good Message Boards, and it would be great to get back into the bit you're looking for, but it's too time consuming... maybe all the webmasters could get together for a few drinks (and many bags of Chips, since that's what webmasters live on...!)and make the Boards easier for 'Newbies' like me! There's only a few of us out there -- oh, maybe about 5 million of us! ha,ha!
Hey, speaking of a million people, thanks to all my wonderful readers passing on my site to their friends, who passed it along to their friends, my little Site will have waaaay over a million visits this coming year! WooHoo! Little ol' Meeeee! All by myself in my Office, too! With an advertising Budget of $35.00 per Year! ha,ha,ha! I am one diligent little worker! I'm determined to make this 'work', because it's all info that can make a lot of people's lives waaaay better! And that's always good, right?? So Thank you, Tank You, Schmank You Very Much for getting 'the word' out there! I couldn't do it without you! Now, if I could just figure out how to make a living at this, I'd be really happy! Click on any ad that appeals to you -- that'd be good for both of us! ha,ha!
Tip of the Day: Do you have one of those 'Low Flow' Showers? I really can't stand those things -- it takes forvever to have a Shower, so I don't know whose great idea that was...anyhoooo, I made Dwight replace the annoyink Shower Heads with the Hand Held ones -- they are great! One, they're very useful for those 'hard to get to places'...and Two, the Water Flow is much stronger! Really! And they're relatively easy to replace, too. You just unscrew the current annoyink Shower Head and screw in the new one. The instructions are actually clear enough to follow right from the package. You don't have to go with something really expensive, either -- sometimes the less expensive it is, the better it is...go figure!
The Hand-Held Shower Head that Dwight put in our Master Shower is a Grohe, Relexa Plus, Exquisit (yep, I have the box right in front of me, because I would never have remembered that!) Now, it's pretty fancy schmancy, with the Chrome Sliding Bar Attachment (that part requires a lot of fancy tools and quite a bit of swearing to install it!), but you can pick up any new Shower Head in your Price Range at your local Hardware Store. You know what? I just remembered that WalMart has a huuuuge new Home Section -- and they have a ton of Plumbing stuff -- in fact, that's where I buy my Painting Supplies -- and a zillion other things, some of them are things I actually need..! ha,ha!! Anyway, let me get a link for you to see what they have. Check to see if they have those 'Pop-Up Registers', too, since they'll save you so much in Energy Costs!
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Look what I just found?? <Generators at Wal-Mart> Cool, eh??
Here's the Link for Plumbing, Lighting, Painting, Decorating -- you'll be pleasantly surprised!
<Home Improvement at Wal-Mart>
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Tuesday, September 30th. Hi, Honey! You're Home! With Ailsa! (That's Meeee!) I took some pictures of the new potted plants I arranged symetrically along the Stair Wall in the Front Entry Area -- I'll post it as soon as I can figure out how to fix the photo-thing for my site... and I can add the new pictures of the Sunroom Deck -- the Hot Tub looks fabulous -- and some pictures I took last night when our 'Deer Family' were poking around on the hill outside of our Walk-Out. The sun was setting behind them, and it was gorgeous! Ah, the Country Life!
Hey, have you had a chance to catch the new Ellen Show? It's sooooo funny -- very cheery with great dance music! The other new (or new to me, since I'm not sure how long it's been on...!) show that is fun to watch in the morning (while I work on my Site!) is The Wayne Brady Show. He is hysterical, and his musical takes are hilarious -- plus, he's really good looking (of course, so is Ellen! ha,ha,ha!)! And if you happen to live in a country where Ellen's Show isn't on, yet, you can click on her website -- it's hilarious, too!
Tip of the Day: Freeze everything! No kidding! I don't know why I didn't figure this out a long time ago, but now when I buy pies, cakes, fresh cookies & brownies, pizza, rolls, lunch meat -- anything you would think you and your family will eat, but never do, then you end up throwing it out when you discover it in the fridge a mere two weeks later -- I divide them into individual portions (and often wrap them separately) and pop them into the Freezer. It totally works -- Everyone likes that first piece of cake or pie, then if someone wants a piece some other time, they just take out one piece. It cuts out the possiblity of eating something 'so you don't waste it'... This way, you can have a wee treat when you like (hopefully in the early part of the day, the best time for 'special treats'...). Much better for portion control and it'll save you a bunch of money, too!
As for the Lunch Meat and Rolls, I always cut the rolls before I freeze them and separate the meat into individual portions (2 or 3 pieces per 'package') so I can make lunch for Cara or Dwight as they need it, since it's no longer a daily given, what with the delicious French Fries they serve at Cara's High School!
Thanks for coming in for a wee visit! See you tomorrow (hey, go ahead and bring a thousand or so of your friends/ associates/ people you met once and can't get rid of... there's plenty of Cake in the Freezer!).
Later, Baby! Ailsa!
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Monday, September 29th. Good morning, Brilliance! That's a good name -- it suits you perfectly -- smart and shiny! Juuuuust right! ha, ha,ha! I hope you enjoyed your weekend! We worked on the Sunroom Deck, and it is absolutley gorgeous! The views from that Deck are incredible...Mountains to the West, Forest to the East...and on Saturday Evening, the Deer came withing 20 feet of the Deck! We love the Deer -- they're a nice little feature of this house, and we didn't even have to pay for them...WooHoo! (Those Deer can't count very well, anyway, so you could probably trick them into taking less, but who has that kind of time?? ha, ha!)
You know what I think I'm going to add to the site? A bit about How to Recognize an Abuser -- I am uniquely qualified with 'insider information', but if it helps one other person to avoid or get out of a difficult situation, then it's worth it. I've been going over personality traits with Cara, who is 15 and just starting to date, so it's time for her to 'Know the Signs'...It's good information for both genders, because everyone ought to be able to spot the negative traits, to prevent or stop them from continuing or to keep at arms length from someone who has them. I think I'll add that to my 'Relationship Page'...
This week I have to get back to the Grouting -- man, there's an endless amount of that! Looks like I can get through about a 10 foot squared area working on my own, and easily double that if Dwight's working with me, but he's too tired after work, so I'm further ahead to get a wee bit done at a time than nothing at all, right??
Tip of the Day: Wear Black, White or Tan colored clothing when you're working outside and you see some Wasps. Dwight was stung, yesterday, when we were working on the Deck. Luckily, he didn't have a reaction (other than some choice words that the Wasp didn't seem to respond to... he's probably heard it all, before...!). Anyway, I didn't realize that I was wearing my painting sweatshirt, which is a bright wine color (no, not just a collection of wine stains... that's a different shirt! har, har!)...so the wasps were really attracted to it. I had to run in and change to a black shirt...I think it made a difference.
Oh, yeah. I don't know for sure whether this works, because Dwight wouldn't let me try this on him(!), but I remember when I was a wee girl, we sliced an Onion in half and placed that directly on the Sting. You know I am Onion-Baking Soda Girl (my two fave 'products'!), so I would definitely try this, myself. Also, Benedryl Cream is handy to keep around if you're doing a lot of outdoor work -- Dwight is okay with store-bought anything... it's just me who likes the 'Home Rememdies'...hey, wouldn't that make a good title for a Home Renovation Book?? Must keep that in mind for when all the Publishers start calling me!
Thanks for coming in to see me! See you tomorrow! Later,
Baby, Ailsa!
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Recipes -- Cheesecake ,Cinnamon Buns, Salsa Chicken , Macaroni Salad ,Chicken Noodle Soup, Taco Spaghetti , Easy Pie Crust , Creamy Peach Pie , Great BBQ Marinade , 'Pass da' Pasta, Rosemary Steak, Onion Barley (an Aphrodisiac!), Stuffed Green Peppers, Fruit Puffs , BBQ Veggies, Apple Crumble for One , Barbequed Meatballs, Everything Else!!
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