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Need kitchen counter bar stools? Read on to find some great online retailers of kitchen counter bar stools with terrific selections at a range of prices sure to suit your wallet.

To ensure comfort and that your kitchen counter bar stools do not sit under your counters unused, first measure your counter tops. Then, if the kitchen counter bar stools you’ve fallen in love with measure at least a foot from their seats to the bottom of your counter, you’ve picked a winner!

Color, styling, and fabric texture of kitchen counter bar stools set the pace of the design d

What happened to 2005? Didn’t we just have Christmas and New Years? I’m still processing what happened at Christmas 2004!

Last year I discovered that there are LifeSaver candy canes and precooked half turkeys. I also noticed that the ornaments and decorations that I have been buying for the last few years has grown into quite a collection. Major projects had been completed before the holiday break and I wasn’t pressed for time. I could decorate my house and enjoy my Christmas tree.

I could send out my holiday greeting cards on time and in the right spirit. Christmas 2004 was the first time I managed to pull off the whole thing without a hitch. Even as a single person, I could have a full, unique holiday season with dignity. My life would never be the same.

In 2004, I was able to accept and decline invitations with my head held high. I had my own plans. Things to do, people to see, a nativity scene with a little light to turn on when the sun went down. Sympathy wasn’t necessary. I was not a prodigal, but an independent woman making her own traditions.

During a flight back from one of our external campuses, I gave my seat to a little girl so she could get a sky view of the Christmas lights in Lubbock. The magic of Christmas and the magic of childhood are made for each other.

My growing collection of Christmas sweaters allowed me to dress the part for a week and a half leading to the holiday. One of my resolutions was to have enough sweaters for two weeks in 2005. Some day I would have a different sweater for each day of December. Reindeers, bells, sleighs, snowmen, I was open to all of the options. I found out that velour was much easier to maintain than velvet. I rediscovered my love of fur collars. There is a whole section in the closet just for sparkly stuff. Who knew the holidays had so many levels and facets? I could handle it!

I was feeling really good about myself, then something happened. In fact, a lot of things happened. The next thing I knew it was time to do it all again. I picked up my Halloween candy at Family Dollar this year and found it next to Santa Claus mugs. The season for pumpkins and orange, fall leaves lasted about a week! It was time to talk turkeys again and choose recipes for the annual covered dish parties. People were already wearing their holiday sweaters and ties!

The drive back from Dallas this Thanksgiving left me tired. The tradition of decorating the house over the Thanksgiving weekend could be put off until 2006. After all, its just me here and I don’t mind. It won’t hurt anything to put the tree up the next weekend. I noticed something on the news about sending out holiday cards in time for Christmas. My impression is that you have around ten days to work with. I put my address book on standby.

Then I got an email from Amazon.com. They offer free shipping and guaranteed delivery before Christmas if I order by mid-December. They used to just sell books, now they sell everything. Cool, one stop shopping and I still have a week or two to work it out.

I have a two week break for the holiday and a major project to finish. Maybe I can play Christmas music in the background. This year is not working out like I thought.

Other people seem to be on top of things. The lights are up, the music is playing and the Christmas spirit is everywhere. I saw a “Happy Birthday, Jesus” sign that gave me some perspective. It is not about me and how many traditions I can manage from year to year. It is about celebrating what we believe. My beliefs about the routines that make Christmas official are officially bogus. I’ll be lucky to get half as much done as I did in 2005, but I will celebrate anyway.

Dr. LaMar researches, writes, and speaks about mentoring relationships among professional women. She also consults with growing businesses about how personality and processes can affect workplace dynamics. Her books “God Provides The Sacrifice: Women Discuss Making Their Hardest Decision” and “Drama Free Workplace” can be purchased in e-book format and paperback from her web sites or by calling 806-203-4094.

http://www.DrLaMar.com
http://www.DramaFreeWorkplace.com

http://www.PhenomenalWomansGuide.com

[tags]Christmas, decorate, sweaters, Santa, single, career, projects, holiday, time management, blah, pray[/tags]

Hardwood flooring is one of the most attractive features of any home, but a hardwood floor in need of refinishing is anything but beautiful. If your home has hardwood floors that are in need of attention, it is important o refinish them the right way.

The first step to take when considering refinishing your hardwood floors is to assess the condition of the floor and to determine if you can do the job yourself or if you need help. In most cases, hardwood floors which have been kept clean and waxed on a regular basis will be easier to refinish. Hardwood floors that have been neglected for many years may need to be replaced.

For those who want to tackle refinishing their hardwood floors on their own, there is a great deal of help available. There are a number of excellent books, and a number of videotapes and DVDs as well, which explain how to refinish hardwood floors from beginning to end.

It is important to pay attention to the instructions before refinishing the floors. It is important for instance to use the proper chemicals, as some chemicals can damage delicate hardwood floors. It is also important to use the right cleaning materials and cleaning techniques, since the wrong ones could damage the floors.

It is also important to create a realistic budget for refinishing the hardwood floors. It is important to determine if it would be more cost effective to buy or rent the products and tools you will need. If you do not plan any additional projects it may be cheaper to rent the tools rather than buying them.

It is also important to contact several professional contractors and obtain quotes form them for the refinishing of the floors. In some cases it may be simpler and even less expensive to have someone else do the work. Even if you are unsure if you can afford a professional contractor, it makes sense to at least get an estimate or two.

Whether you decide to do the refinishing project yourself or hire a professional contractor, it is important to sketch out what you need, and what you want the finished floors to look like. Doing so will help you keep the project on track. It is also important to carefully track expenses, and to track your progress. Keeping track of your expenses will help you stay within your budget, while tracking your progress can help the project to move forward smoothly.

Brooke Sikula is a freelance writer based in Ventura, CA and writes on a wide range of topics from home improvement to credit repair and everything in between. She is a regular contributor to http://www.get-home-improvement.com and http://www.credit-card-faq.com

For more information and advice on home improvement projects, check out http://www.home-improvement4u.com

[tags]hardwood,floor,refinish,clean,home,improvement,project[/tags]

Housecleaning tips usually discuss the importance of dusting your home. But this one gives you the inside scoop about a place you often don’t think to include on your dusting route. That’s the kitchen.

When you think of cleaning the kitchen you think of grease and food. But you’ll find a lot of dust and grime settling in the kitchen on top of the stove hood. Clean this frequently. The easiest way is with a paper towel and some window cleaner or all purpose cleaner. Just make sure you don’t have any food sitting on the stovetop or closest countertops while doing this job because some dust will fall there. So after you clean the stove hood, you’ll need to clean the stovetop and countertop, also using paper towels and some spray cleaner.

Use a stool to climb up high enough to see and dust the top of the refrigerator. Using your dust cloth, pull the dust in a forward motion to start so that more of it doesn’t fall behind the fridge. You want to pull out the fridge to clean behind it, including its coils, and the floor but not as often as you generally just dust the top of the fridge.

Every now and then you’ll also want to dust the tops of the top kitchen cabinets, another favorite concealed place for dust to settle. This also calls for a sturdy step ladder. If you have a hand vaccum, you can plug it into the socket on the kitchen counter and just suck up the dirt with the attachments. Otherwise, you can still do it by hand with a just slightly damp cloth to grab the dust.

The tops of the curtains, drapes or valances in the kitchen also catch a lot of dust, especially if you have a ceiling vent blowing near them. Fortunately, a lot of kitchen curtains are easy machine washable styles that also are easy and quick to take down and hang back up. But that doesn’t necessarily mean yours are so. You should wash or dryclean your curtains, drapes or valances periodically following their individual care instructions. Consider using the vacuum cleaner dust attachment along with a step ladder for in-between quick dust jobs at the top of the curtains or valance. Or knock the dust to the floor or counter with a hand-held professional feather duster and then vacuum it up.

Another place in the kitchen that cobwebs hide is at the base of the lower kitchen cabinets—like that indented spot where your feet settle when you’re using the sink. This is the small inset part usually where the cabinets meet the floor. Reach under there with a broom to knock those cobwebs and debris to the floor. And then sweep the floor.

These housecleaning tips don’t cover all the dusty spots you’ll find in your home or kitchen, but it’s a start. And these are some of the most unobvious places that will keep your dust allergic friends sneezing and itching if you don’t tend to these dust hideaways.

Karen Fritscher-Porter is a nationally published freelance writer who writes about home organizing and housecleaning tips. Read more at her website http://www.EasyHomeCleaning.com

[tags]housecleaning tips,cleaning kitchen,clean your kitchen,house cleaning,dusting solutions,dust your ho[/tags]

The ideal house is the one that is organized and is pleasing to look at. No matter how big or small it is, the orderliness of the house is what is important. Organizing a house is not an easy task. You will need extra knowledge on how to properly organize your dwelling.

There are many considerations that you will take in organizing your house. The furniture that you have in your house is one of the things you have to look into in organizing it.

One of the easiest ways in organizing your house is by doing it by parts. Meaning, you do the organizing for example in the kitchen first, then next on the living room and so on and so forth. Doing this will help you put everything in their proper places.

The kitchen is one of the busiest parts in the house. This is where you prepare your food, wash the dishes, keep the utensils, etc. The kitchen is where you find almost 30 percent of the house equipments. That is why organizing your kitchen is something good to make it more user friendly. One way to organize your kitchen is by installing cabinets where you can keep all utensils and other kitchen equipments. Installing cabinets is a very good thing to make your kitchen look more clean and orderly.

However, there are things to consider in choosing a kitchen cabinet. Check out the following for the considerations:

Consider the kitchen that you have. The layout of your kitchen will greatly help you choose which kitchen cabinet best suit for it. Consider also the family’s cooking habits.

Ask for professional advice. Asking an interior designer or an architect will surely be a help in choosing the best cabinets for your kitchen. These people are expert at which styles, materials and specifications of the cabinet are best for your kitchen.

Consider the existing kitchen appliances that you have. You might need to include them in the draft of your kitchen. This will help you make a good design with the kitchen cabinet.

Check you personal preference on the materials of the cabinet. What wood a cabinet uses is an important thing to ask. You have the right to choose the wood that will be used for the cabinets.

Make sure that you do not over design your kitchen and add hassles in doing kitchen works. Keep in mind that you are organizing your kitchen to help you not burden you.

Khieng ‘Ken‘ Chho is author and owner of Custom Kitchen Cabinets. For related articles, visit Ken’s website: http://kitchencabinets.wicwoc.com

[tags]kitchen cabinets, cabinet refacing[/tags]

Millions to be spent and millions to be lost - these are some consequences facing hotel owners that have hotel remodeling plans. Although there are daunting factors involved, many hotel owners still go through with their hotel remodeling plans for the benefits that would follow the renovation.

Hotel remodeling, unlike home remodeling, can’t be done pertaining to just one room or one area. Hotel remodeling involves a renovation of a great portion of the hotel and sometimes, even the whole hotel itself. This type of renovation can be best exhibited and explained by using or analyzing the recently renovated Marriott Hotel in Missouri.

The original hotel which was completed back in 1985 has not had any renovations to its guest rooms in the last 10-years and has not had any renovations done with its bathroom since it was built. A large empty space in the hotel grounds also has a future use that is yet undecided.

Although the hotel is still fairly new compared to some of the historic hotels in New York, the hotel renovation of the Marriott complex was decided to be able to face competition from the newer and sleeker luxury hotels that popped up in recent years. This means that the hotel owner needs to create a new inviting look for its interiors and rooms which could be done with carpets and artwork. The untouched bathrooms are also getting renovated with granite countertops and a more dramatic theme. The Marriott hotel also takes a step forward with technology by having wireless internet available to over 50% of their guest rooms.

In the hotel remodeling of the Marriott complex, the owner of the hotel seeks to attract business through conventions that would like to use the hotel as their grounds and accommodations. This would provide a wide advertisement for convention-goers to book rooms in the hotel. This in turn would give the Marriott hotel complex a larger demographic when it comes to hotel guests and those wanting to return to the hotel should they come around the city once again.

The cost may be great but the benefits cannot be denied when it pertains to hotel remodeling. Although the benefits of hotel remodeling would come in gradually, in the long run, the renovations would help create a greater return for hotel owners and administrators as well as providing customers and guests quality accommodations and services that could keep them coming and coming back.

Milos Pesic is an expert in the field of Remodeling and runs a highly popular and comprehensive Home Remodeling web site. For more articles and resources on Home Remodeling related topics, Remodeling Contractors, Home Remodeling Loans, Remodeling Ideas and much more visit his site at:

=>http://remodeling.need-to-know.net/

[tags]home remodeling, contractor remodeling, kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling, remodeling[/tags]

If you have designed your garden in such a way that you have areas of paving or gravel, you may want to liven these up with some well-planted containers. Equally, if your garden is very small, some strategically placed pots full of colourful flowers may be what you need.

Choosing Your Containers

• Pots are an obvious place to start. They come in all shapes and sizes, glazed, terracotta, hand-painted, stone (real or fake), plaster - you name it. If you intend to leave your pots outside all winter and you live in a cold climate, don’t forget they must be frost resistant. There’s no point buying hand-painted containers in Spain then expecting them to survive a winter in Scotland!
• Troughs look good against a straight wall but you need to choose your planting carefully because I’ve found that many plants quickly become pot bound in a trough. For example, in a trough 24inches (60 cms) long, I have just ONE verbena which is doing very well but it’s foliage reaches to each end and I originally thought that the trough would take at least three plants.
• Wooden containers. You can buy these or make them yourself if you have the skill and you can add a trellis for something to climb up the centre. You can use small split logs for a rustic effect or normal wooden planks for something a little more formal. Don’t forget to leave drainage holes. The wood will last longer if you apply a wood preservative and line your container with plastic. Many wood preservers are coloured these days so your container could be blue or green or whatever you like. The easiest to construct is obviously square, but if you’re a little more adventurous, you could try octagonal or triangular. Divided containers are great for growing herbs.
• Hanging baskets, wall hanging half baskets or pots or hanging pouches are lovely for trailing plants and can create quite a show in summer.
• Basket-shaped or amphora-shaped pots look great but are quite hard to plant and maintain.

• If you have a talent for construction, you could build your own pots or raised beds with bricks or decorative blocks.

Planting Your Containers

There are so many different plants suitable for container gardening that I would need a complete book to name them all. Suffice to say that a small shrub will grow ok in a large pot but won’t want to share will a stack of other things. Annuals are great for containers but will need to have the spent flowers removed to encourage further blooming. Herbs and alpines are good too but be careful of the sun/shade needed. Be careful also of herbs like mint which can take over a whole flower bed, never mind a pot, left to its own devices.

Unlike, traditional borders, container plants are planted very close together so you need to bear a number of things in mind.

• Buy proprietary compost. Garden borders can, to an extent, obtain nutrients from the soil itself plus leaf mulch and other naturally-occurring organic matter. Containers cannot so buy the best compost you can afford.
• Container plants need a whole lot more water than those in beds. Don’t think that just because it rained all day, much moisture will have penetrated the foliage - it probably won’t. In the height of summer, hanging baskets and the like (unless they have a water reservoir) will probably need watering twice a day. So you have a couple of choices; set up an irrigation system for your pots (optimum but pricey) or add a moisture retaining product to your compost (you will still need to water once a day). These are available at garden centres and take the form of a powder which you hydrate into a gel or water retaining balls which look like polystyrene, either of which you mix with the compost.
• You will need to feed container plants more often. You can choose a compost which has already had sufficient nutrients added to last a season which is a good start for annuals. You can also buy slow-release pellets which you mix into the compost in the dosage recommended by the manufacturer. The alternative is to apply a liquid feed once or twice every two weeks throughout the growing season.
• OK, so you have your container and you’ve mixed the correct amount of water retention medium and feed into your compost as required, now for the planting.
• Try to design the planting on paper or in your minds eye before you start. Remember that trailing plants such as balcony geraniums or surfinia petunias need to be planted around the edge of the container.
• If you’re using baskets, line them with moss and/or a plastic liner. Fill one third with compost, plant the first “layer” of plants which will poke out of the sides of the basket, add the second third and finish with the top “layer”. If you’re using tubs, don’t forget the perspective - tall at the back or side against a wall or fence and smaller at the front.
• Groups of pots look good together, particularly if they’re colour co-ordinated and the addition of a few well-placed pebbles or coloured ornaments completes the effect.

All you need now to enjoy your container garden is a strategically placed table and chairs and a nice chilled glass of white wine!

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Gardening

[tags]gardening, garden planning,container gardening[/tags]

In the winter months, freezing rain and snow may cause damage to many homes across the country. With the high rise in cost for heating this year, many homes could save hundreds of dollars by simply preparing their homes for the harsh weather by winterizing, or prepping the home for winter.

How could you protect your home for the winter months? Winterizing your home is much simpler than most people think.

Start Winterizing Your Home by Sealing Leaks

One of the best ways to begin to winterize your home is to actually check the exterior of your house for cracks. A crack along the outside of your home lets heat out, making it more difficult to keep your house warm. Even houses with siding around the outside could have cracks along the fireplace, or even under the eaves. Windows and doors are the most popular areas for cracks.

Once you’ve located the problem areas, you can fill the cracks with a caulking compound. Apply a generous amount of caulking directly into the cracks and smooth the caulking out with your finger or a tool. Be sure to seal the crack completely as you smooth out the caulking.

Winterizing your Home by Protecting your Pipes

Pipes that go unprotected can freeze and burst with time. Broken pipes can cost thousands of dollars to replace. Avoid unnecessary costs by caring for your pipes properly in cold weather.

To start, identify any water hoses that may be hooked up. These hoses that are filled with water should be removed and emptied and put away during the freezing weather.

Next, outside faucets or piping can be protected from cold weather with heat tape. You can purchase heat tape from any local hardware store. Wrap the tape around exposed outdoor pipes and this should be enough to keep your faucets from freezing. If you have an outdoor pump system, even if it’s in a shed, it could still freeze up and cause problems if the weather is well below freezing. Use a heat lamp in the late evening hours to prevent freezing.

Winterizing Your Home with Insulation

Finally, if your house is lacking proper insulation, you could save hundreds of dollars on heating costs by getting it installed. Contact a professional installer and get an estimate for putting in insulation or get an evaluation if you don’t know if you need insulation.
Even if your home does have insulation, have it checked for any damage caused by leaks.

Insulation is inexpensive to have installed. You can do it yourself and save money by going to your local hardware store and getting the supplies.

Don’t forget to check the attic space for proper insulation. Many homebuilders may skip putting insulation in the roof to save on building costs, but this form of additional insulation significantly reduces heat releasing through the attic.

These simple steps are often overlooked, but could save thousands of dollars on heating costs and repairs to your home. Most of these things you can do yourself. Talk to your local hardware store for more ideas on how to winterize your home.

Suave Brachowski writes for Maintenance Made Simple, a provider of home repair franchises. They are a full bodied home repair and remodeling company that offers quality craftsmanship at cost effective prices for its consumers. They are also a resource for homeowners who are looking for competent contractors to do a specific home repair or remodeling job. Their aim is to make the task of finding a qualified tradesman simple. For more information visit http://www.m2simple.com.

[tags]home improvement, home maintenance, home remodeling, home repair, home repair franchise[/tags]

Due to seasonal changes in weather, many plants have adapted to survive harsh conditions through a process called dormancy. Seasonal environmental changes, such as day length, temperature, and drought, stimulate the transition of a plant from active growth to dormancy in the fall and then reverse the process in the spring. This natural process is essential to the health and survival of our garden plants. We do not want to use gardening practices that interfere with this cycle.

Gardeners should not fertilize in late summer or fall. Fertilizing can stimulate new growth that will not survive the cold winter months. It is okay to fertilize plants in more temperate areas where they will grow throughout the fall and winter.

Gardeners should not water in the fall, unless they are is suffering through a severe drought. Mother Nature will usually take care of herself at this time of the year. If you are having an extremely dry fall, moderate irrigation is appropriate. Excessive watering in the fall can promote new growth and delay dormancy.

Time of year and length of dormancy varies for every location. In the south dormancy starts later and ends earlier. Further north dormancy starts earlier and ends later, and every year is different.

When novice gardeners receive dormant plants, whether they are trees, shrubs, or bulbs, they often misinterpret the dormant plants for being dead. They are not, they are just resting. Even experienced gardeners may plant a dormant plant in the garden or a pot and become concerned that it has not started growing. Usually the plant is still dormant and just needs a little more time to kick off. We see rather large differences among different plants; even different varieties will break dormancy several weeks apart. One good way to check a dormant plant to see if it is still viable is to lightly scratch the bark with you thumb nail or a knife. If you scratch and expose a green layer, the plant is fine!

In the spring when the air temperature has warmed the ground might still be cold or even frozen which will delay a plant from coming out of dormancy. Also, many plants need a certain amount of daylight to start showing signs of new growth. Be patient; dormancy in plants is a peculiar thing, but this is how Mother Nature has taught them to survive.

Cottage Farms Direct
Check us out at http://www.cottagefarmsdirect.com
Click here to determine your hardiness zone: http://www.cottagefarmsdirect.com/hardiness.asp

[tags]gardening, dormant, dormancy[/tags]

Genesis Of Koi Fish (Part II)

Carp Fish ( Cyprinus Carpio) in Japan referred as nishikkogoi, nishi mean fish with many colour and goi mean carp fish.

Effort to get new type of koi fish done/conducted by Japan breeder, besides effort to increase quality from koi fish type that founded.

In the year 1875 through long process born new type koi fish, what is named by ASAGI. Asagi represent type of koi fish with dusty blue colour mixed red, red colour there are at body side, side head and the fin.

Same in the year also found type of koi fish which called KI UTSURI. Ki Utsuri represent black colour koi fish that having pattern yellow.

Yielded Tricolour Koi in the year 1912-1926 named by TAISHO SANSHOKU. Afterwards born type of SHOWA SANSHOKU, OGON, GINRIN and also GOSHIKI.
After through long journey born various existing type of koi fish up to now. Various the type koi fish for example SHOWA SANSHOKU, OGON, GINRIN, GOSHIKI.
Community of Koi fish Japan in the year 1904 surprised with appearance of koi fish which don’t have scaly. Koi Fish which don’t have scaly come from German. By society of this Japan koi fish named by KAGAMI GOI.

Koi Fish which don’t have scaly represent result of cross bred between carp fish of Japan by carp fish of Germany. From crossed breed of Kagami Goi will be yielded koi fish with half of body have scaly and half again don’t have scaly named by DOITSU NISIKHI GOI.
With the experience, research into, attempt and also the long effort emerge various type of koi fish such as those which we recognize up to this time. type of Koi fish for example Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, Showa Sanshoku, Mono Utsuri, Bekko, Asagi, Shusui, Koromo, Goshiki, Hikari Muji, Hikari Moyo, Hikari Utsuri, Tancho, Kin Ginrin, Doitsu, Mono Kawari etc.

The Author is mas ars owner of koleksi-koi-lokal.blogspot.com and koi-carp-online.blogspot.com and koi-online.blogspot.com

[tags]koi, pond, fish, garden[/tags]