Do You Live Life on Default Or Do You Participate in Your Life

It's incredible the number of people who do very little or no planning in their lives. Who is in charge? What is there to be gained from wandering about life from experience to experience without having any idea of where you are going? I like to think of it as though there is an auto-pilot flying your life - sometimes you'll get something that you really want or arrive somewhere you really want to be, but most of the time, you are simply going to get what you get.

In order to live your life with a sense of direction, you have to make some decisions. You have to decide:

• Where you are going
• What you want to be, do and have
• How active you are going to be in pursuing your goals

I'm a firm believer that there is no pre-determined purpose to our lives and that ultimately, it makes no difference if you live your life set to default, or if you take an active role in your life's direction and purpose. I do get the sense that to live our lives set to default is to miss out on some of the wonderful journeys we are able to create for ourselves. If you constantly find yourself arriving at a new destination, that you didn't pre-plan or intend to arrive at, then surely you've simply been a passenger in your life and not the driver. Ultimately though, if you understand that you have the choice to participate or sit back and let it happen, then you make the choice from an informed position. There are many people who are unaware that they do have the choice to participate in life and it is these people who have the most to gain from reading these words.

So rather than being a passenger, decide where you wish to go, who you wish to be and what you wish to have in your life, and then take action and make it happen.

Dan O'Neil offers Life Coaching and personal development training services in the UK. He specialises in helping people improve their confidence, self esteem and work-life balance. Dan also writes a popular personal development blog.

Ice Dams - House Remodeling Ideas

There is nothing like winter in Michigan when 12 or 14 inches of snow pile up overnight and its Saturday morning with nowhere to go. But soon there looks like an ice flow from an Antarctic glacier hanging over the edge of your house. Now you start to worry about the gutters you didn't clean last fall because the freezing temperatures came even before the leaves fell. Well good news: Full gutters do not cause ice dams!

Ice dams are caused for two reasons: Heavy snowfall and poor design, insulation and ventilation of the roof and attic of the home. When snow stacks up on the roof and temperatures remain well below freezing, the snow melts from the bottom next to your roof. The heat lost from the house through the roof causes the snow to melt and run down under the snow pack to the eves where it refreezes and starts to stack up and hang over the edge. Water will pool behind this wall of ice and eventually work its way under the shingles and leak into your attic, through your ceilings and even down the walls into the basement! During the winter your gutters are filled with snow and ice and do not drain at all. Many people experience water in the basement when we have a sudden rain in the winter before their gutters have a chance to thaw. The water runs right off the roof, over the gutters and drains down the basement walls.

Many houses were built over the years with short eves, or that portion of the roof that overhangs the wall. Some houses have no eves at all! This type of design does not allow for much soffit ventilation. Look under the eves to see if you have grates or vents installed. Generally the more you have the better. These vents let cold air get sucked into the attic by the warm air heated because of poor insulation in your attic. This air is then vented through roof can or ridge vents. Now look at the roof of your house. How many can vents do you see? A ridge vent instead looks like very thick shingles along the peak of the roof. "Can" style vents are now being thought as better than ridge vents that have been popular recently.

So here are two things you can do to lessen the impact of ice dams: First, check your attic insulation. This is not complex work but very demanding physically. You'll have to be able to crawl and scoot your way around the attic without putting your foot through the ceiling. Lay the rolled, bat or loose insulation carefully but do not block the soffit vents from the inside! Go into the attic and turn off the lights and you should be able to locate the vents by the light coming up through the grates. Wear protective clothing and a breathing mask. Second, increase the number of soffit vents under the eves. This may be a job for a contractor and is not that expensive considering the utility costs you'll save.

So OK, you'll get to that insulation and venting thing ASAP but you have water dripping trough the ceilings now. You need to act right away: First, drill or push a sharp tool through the ceiling where ever you see water stains. This will drain water into a bucket and decrease the amount of damage to the ceiling. The small hole can be patched latter and touched up with paint. Next get some calcium chloride to put on the roof. (Calcium chloride is a salt that will not damage your shingles and be easier on the plants below) Spread the calcium along the top of the ice dam concentrating it in several places to melt a "trough" to drain the water away. You can also pack panty hose with the calcium chloride and lay them across the ice dam (and no, this is not the time to make jokes about your wife's skinny legs! She's mad enough about the ceilings already)

Never go on the roof or allow anyone else to go up there; this is lunacy! Roofs are dangerous, even deadly on a warm dry day, don't take the risk! It will be a mess but throw the salt up from the ground or step ladder if necessary. Never use an ax, hammer or hatchet; this will damage the roof for sure. And never, ever use a torch! (Beyond lunacy!)

Because ice dams are caused by certain weather patterns everybody and his dog is buying snow or roof rakes after a heavy snowfall. If you are lucky enough to find one of these light-weight tools at the hardware you can rake the soft snow from the roof too. This is also a good preventive measure if it can be done soon after a snowfall.

Mother Nature will have the last word but taking action now and being prepared to deal with ice dams quickly and safely will reduce much of the damage and danger to you and your home.

Frank Kalinski is a licensed builder in the State of Michigan and has run a gutter repair service for five years. Now doing home residential rental inspection for property owners he has seen many homes and how people live in them. He sees many products and designs years after construction; some things work well and some not. Simple, basic, tried and true generally last the longest and are most economical. Please visit my new web site at http://frg-s.com/

How to Refinish Coffee Tables

Coffee tables, due to their size, are great to keep around and use for many years. They receive a good deal of punishment, though, as they can be used for a variety of activities. Serving drinks, playing cards, and eating while watching television are all suited to coffee tables. A quality finish will stand up to regular wear and tear, but you may find that the day comes to strip the old finish and apply a new one. Coffee tables are good to work with as they usually don't have a large surface area and are fairly simple in design. Many of them don't feature tricky corners or ornaments.

The first step is to remove the old finish. A bristle brush, a good mask, and a chemical strip will be necessary. The chemicals will give off powerful fumes, so be sure to invest in a high quality mask. Apply the strip with the brush and scrub vigorously. Most coffee tables will require this step to be repeated once or twice.

After letting the fumes evaporate, move in with a paint scraper. Be careful here, as you do not want to damage the wood. Doing so will create another problem that is not remedied quite as easily (coffee tables can be fixed with filler, usually). After the old finish is stripped completely, you can start the next step.

You have a lot of freedom here, as there are a number of stains and finishes that can be applied to modern coffee tables. Determine what look you want for the table, and decide on a product that matches it as closely as possible. Some even contain a finish and sealant together. These can be very useful. Whatever you ultimately choose, determine if a sealant will be necessary. If the finish you use does not contain one, purchase and apply it separately. Follow the instructions on the product label, as there are specific methods for various substances. Some are even designed for coffee tables.

FeelMoreHuman.com offers a wide selection of coffee tables, console tables, and other coffee tables at great discount prices. Visit RogueStatus' blog for details.

Considerations When Building a Backyard Pond

Liner ponds are probably the most widely used as you can create the size and shape you want (within the constrictions of the chosen site). The pond is dug out and an underlay is put down first to protect the pond liner from sharp objects that could puncture it and cause a leak. A concrete 'collar' needs to be constructed around the shape of the pond to give rigidity to the area if people are likely to stand on the edge of the pond. The paving or other material you chose to put around the edge of the pond will camouflage the concrete and the pond liner.

Rigid pond shells offer a convenient and trouble-free method of creating a pond. There are several different shapes to choose from and are light enough to enable you to move it around until you find a suitable position to place it.

Make sure there are no tree roots or drains nearby that can interfere with the pond. Check for any damage i.e. holes or cracks before putting it in the ground.A patio pond can be created using any form of rigid shape and a wall can be created around it. There are new shaped materials on the market that can be used to create the walls making job this much easier. The materials can be dry laid and this means you can move the pond in the winter. As you lay the walling ensure that it is level and upright as it would be unstable and could be dangerous and even fall over. If you want to add lighting or a fountain it's a good idea to site it close to power points.

You can learn more about wildlife and fish ponds by visiting my site http://www.backyardponds.info

Practical Affirmation - Focused Action

Everybody knows what an affirmation is, right? A little recitation you say a few times in the morning to make the mirror happy. Positive thinking. A gimmick. A cynic might perceive affirmations as naive self-deception or even as lies.

Sometimes it seems that way, doesn't it? You've chanted the phrase, "I am abundance and prosperity" a boatload of times and still have trouble paying the bills. You've affirmed, "I am the possibility of energy and vitality" and still you're exhausted. You've ranted, "I love and believe in myself!" with the best of 'em, but your self-esteem just doesn't take off.

Yet we also hear the magnificent success stories. Is there a trick to this affirmation game?

Yep. Sure is. And you're about to learn what it is.

Besides the actual language of the affirmation, there are a few more things that need to happen in order to bring the deal to life. Today, we'll be looking at action. Sometimes people get this part backwards, as I hope the following snippet will illustrate:

Me, to wellness coaching participant: So how has your self-image project been coming along?

Participant: I haven't done anything.

Me: We wrote out your action steps for the past week in your planner. Did you follow them?

Participant: Nope. Haven't even opened it.

Me: Why not?

Participant: Low self-esteem.

No amount of affirmation is going to overcome the refusal to take action. The average person, once they say they're going to do something, will set an internal expectation that they're going to do it. Sometimes something happens and it doesn't get done -- ever.

Typically, at that point the person will make up a story in their head about why they didn't do it. Next time a similar situation comes up, something like this will begin to play on their internal tape loop: "I didn't feel like doing it last time, so I didn't. I'm still alive. I survived without doing it last time. Guess I can survive without doing it again now. I'm off the hook!"

Off the hook, yes. Happy? Not a chance.

The person who gets caught in this feedback loop has just conclusively proved to himself that he is a liar. He said he was going to do something, and then let himself off the hook without following through. He is still alive, but he feels like a schmuck.

He also doesn't have the tangible outcome that the action would have produced.

This is what happened to Joe, who was recently laid off from his job as a carpenter. Things are tight. But his sister told him not to worry. She even helped him out by suggesting a calming affirmation:

"My family is securely provided for. All our needs are fulfilled."

Joe started saying the affirmation, just like his sister told him. The next night while spacing out in front of the TV, Joe got a brainstorm. "We've got a big backyard," he thought. "I'll plant a vegetable garden! At least we won't be hungry."

Next time Joe was at the store, he picked up a few seed packets. When he got them home, he read the directions on the back. Plant in well-prepared soil.

Joe, not being an experienced gardener, wasn't sure how to prepare the soil. He never got around to figuring it out and didn't plant the seeds. Now, 2 months later, he's short the cash he spent and has nothing to show for it.

"These affirmations don't work!" he moans. "I said it and nothing happened! Still no job, and we've about tapped out our savings."

As I tell the story here, it's pretty obvious that the affirmation really could have worked. Joe had the insight he needed. He just didn't follow through with action. To make matters worse, his mind is now telling him, "You're a guy who doesn't follow through. No point thinking up any more bright ideas, is there?" The door to creative solutions has slammed shut.

Oh yeah. Joe's job counselor says he has low self-esteem.

Had he planted the garden, chances are that Joe's self-esteem would have weathered the storm just fine. How come? Well, instead of eating frozen chicken nuggets and popcorn for dinner, he'd be fat and happy on fresh garden produce. The nutrition alone would have given him a boost. But that's just the beginning.

Had he planted the garden, Joe would have earned the right to think of himself as a resourceful individual who seizes inspiration, trusts his instincts, and follows through. That mental state would most likely have him think of a few other things, too, beyond the garden. He would most likely have followed through on some of those inspirations as well. Might even have gotten himself another job by now.

Focused action is one of the key factors that brings affirmation to life. Why not make a plan and try it?

Elizabeth Eckert coaxes, cajoles, and gently guides the creation of healing intent. She's the founder of http://www.wordcures.com and author of Word Cures: How to Keep Stupid Excuses From Sabotaging Your Health. Align your whole self for health ... starting today! Share "Arielle's" real-life success story and optimize your own natural healing energy.

Frozen Pipes - Home Advice For Repairs

First, it's important to know which pipes are frozen. If your water will not drain, this means your drain pipes are frozen. If no water comes out of the faucet, this means that your supply line pipes are frozen.

DRAIN PIPES:

What to do: If your sinks, toilets, showers or tubs will not drain, this means that your drain pipes could be frozen. If your drain pipe is frozen, open cabinet doors or cut into your walls or ceilings to allow the heat from your home to get to the pipes. To heat your pipes faster, a hair dryer is a great way to warm them up. Please use the hair dryer with care - if water starts leaking out, the hair dryer can short circuit.

Why it happens: Many times pipes freeze due to finishing off a basement. When the basement was unfinished, the pipes were exposed to the heat of the home. Once the basement is finished, the sheetrock and insulation blocks off the pipes from getting heat from the home. If the pipes freeze, the could cause damage to newly finished basements.

How to prevent it: A simple precaution for preventing frozen drain pipes can be as easy as cutting a 6x9 return air grate in the area to allow warmth into the joyced cavity. Always remember to insulate your pipes from the cold, but not from the heat in the house.

SUPPLY LINE PIPES:

What to do: If your water will not come out of the faucet or shower head, this means that your supply line could be frozen. Your pipes could be burst, so first you must shut your water off at the main. You will want to get heat to your pipes. The best way to heat them is to open cabinets and doors, cut holes in the walls and use fans or hair dryers to warm them up. Again, please use care when working with the hair dryer, if it gets wet, the hair dryer can short circuit. Warming the pipes is important, and the extent of the damage cannot be determined until they are mostly thawed.

Why it happens: Many times pipes freeze due to recently finishing off a basement or a change in insulation. The pipes in your home need to be insulated only from the cold on the outside, but not from the heat on the inside. If your pipes are insulated from the heat inside your home, they have no way of staying warm.

What do do after the pipes are thawed: If after the pipes are thawed, there are non leaks, many times full operation is returned. Sometimes scale and sediment move through the lines because of the glacial-like action of ice, which pushes sediment into blocked pipes. Because of this, ariators and shower heads may need to removed and cleaned for them to work completely.

If a leak develops because of burst pipes from ice, turn the water off again, and call a plumber. It is helpful to know exact location or even cut open walls to identify the exact location of a split pipe.

How to prevent it: If you are worried your supply lines are going to freeze because of past history or evidence to support that, some plumbers may recommend letting run to keep the water flowing - similar to a water tower. Please do not do this! This can be just as dangerous. The water usually cannot go down the pipes fast enough and it can develop layers of ice and plug the pipe, causing an unattended running faucet to overflow the sink. Another way to prevent a freeze is to take care of those leaky faucets. The dripping into the drain can cause an ice buildup and eventually cause a frozen pipe.

Amanda Klecker - Zell Plumbing & Heating

http://www.zellplumbing.com

Self-Awareness - The 3 Keys to Achievement - Attitude, Action and Acknowledgment

"Learn to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want." ~Anonymous
Most people want to achieve success but it is important to be mindful that the definition of success may be different for each individual. In order to achieve what you want there are three important elements - attitude, actions and acknowledgments.

Attitude

The first step is to assess your attitude and how it helps or hinders your achievements. If negative beliefs keep popping up, it generally results in an unproductive outcome. Negative thinking can consist of constant worry, "what if" scenarios or not trusting yourself to manage and cope. Constant negativity tends to block creativity. When you assume the worst it is hard to think and complete things. Have you ever had one of those days when doubt keeps cropping up. Eg. "I'll never complete this project on time." or " I don't think my boss believes I am capable." With these kinds of thoughts on your mind, how effective will you be in completing your work?

A positive attitude contributes to a belief that you have the ability to handle situations. It does not mean that you always have a "happy, nothing can bother me attitude", but rather when stuff happens you are able to deal with it. You want to make sure that you do not magnify the positive and minimize the negative and thereby don't see the reality of a situation. As you move up the career ladder you will need to be able to accurately assess both the positives and negatives and then make decisions.

Actions

Actions are your behaviors, the things you do which move you toward your goals. Taking action is an important step towards achievement. People sometimes assume that only big things count as taking action. However it is often the small, steady actions which contribute to you reaching your goals.

Inaction is paradoxically a form of action. If you have difficulty or avoid making decisions because you want to be sure you only do the "right" thing, you often end up doing nothing. You may also choose to do nothing because you have determined that it is the right decision at the time.

Sometimes fear may prevent you from doing or trying things that will lead you toward achievement. Perhaps you have a fear of public speaking, but you need to develop the skill in order to move your career or business forward. It would be important to begin to take small action steps, doing things that will make you more comfortable with speaking in public.

Maybe you have difficulty saying "no" which results in you constantly taking on additional assignments leading to being overwhelmed. Your action might be to begin saying "no" or a variation of "no." This might be something such as, "that would mean two projects to be completed at the same time, which would you like me to work on?" or "In order to do that I would have to delegate some of my other work. Is that OK with you?"

Acknowledgments

Paying attention to what you have completed or accomplished and expressing gratitude for what you have and towards others are powerful strategies for moving you forward in your life.

There may be people you know who have difficulty accepting a compliment. They might either ignore or minimize it. This generally relates to someone's self image. If you do not consider yourself "worthy" of positives then you tend to discard them. This may be a remnant from childhood when perhaps you received a lot of criticism. It is important to remember when you disregard positive feedback, you are conveying a message of disrespect towards the person who is offering it.

Acknowledging and expressing appreciations is also important. Walking down the street and saying hello to people, holding a door open or saying thank you are small ways of acknowledging others. When you do things for others or have them done for you, how does it impact your mood?

Evaluate your definition of success. The three components of achieving the life you desire are your attitude, your actions and acknowledgments. Perhaps now is a good time to become more aware of how you use these qualities in your daily life.

Copyright 2008, Gail Solish. All rights reserved.

Visit http://www.actualizeyourgoals.com for more tips and information on communication skills and developing positive business and personal relationships. You can also subscribe to the monthly newsletter, Actualize Your Goals.

Garage Presents A Golden Opportunity

The garage is a wonderful storage area. Even though the space is limited, it still presents great storage opportunities.

The garage is a great choice when it comes to improving on storage space. There are many ways to go about this task.

One way is to purchase a modular storage kit that has parts and components that you can switch up to assist in solving many storage issues. Another choice is to add to the garage. If you have too much stuff stored in your garage, a modular storage kit may not give you the needed solution. Reduce the clutter of seasonal items and items by placing some of them in a basement.

Some of the solutions that are available are cabinets, storage units and more shelving. . If items need to be protected from dust and moisture then cabinets are perfect. Shelves will give you more space and they are less expensive than some of the other options.
Nifty clear containers for storage can be purchased for very low prices.

Think of how great it will be the next time you are thinking about pulling out your bike and you don't have to search for it in the garage. Consider what it would be like not having to get up an extra hour early just to locate your fishing equipment in the garage. Just think about how great it will feel to walk into the garage and know exactly where things are. Imagine all of the time and stress you can eliminate by cleaning out the garage.

Put like items with like items. This is the best way to keep things in their place. By separating everything into categories you will be able to go into the garage and know that whatever you are looking for will be in a certain spot.

Use you imagination when deciding what to do with your garage. It is a great place for storage but it can be so much more. Clean out the garage and find that extra space you have been longing for. Change it into a place of relaxation or a neat storage area.

When you are cleaning out your garage, toss out those items you never use. Do not flip through every magazine or search through old bags of clothes you haven't seen in years. All of the stuff that you have not used in the past year should be thrown out. If you have not seen it in a year, you really do not need it. This can be a difficult part of the organizing process but once you do it, you will feel so much better. Months later you will have forgotten all about whatever it was you threw out.

Focusing on latest developments in woodworking benches, he works almost entirely for http://www.insidewoodworking.com . You might see his contributions on garage writings bench plans over at http://www.insidewoodworking.com/workclam/workbenchplans.html and various other sources for garage contributions bench plans knowledge.

Kitchen Backsplash Tile Designs - Home Tips

Creating breathtaking kitchen backsplash tile designs is not something that can raise one's hackles. Right? Quite the opposite, actually. With the staggering array of designs in glass, metal, ceramic and stone to choose from, your rather cavalier approach to this very serious task could prove to be the harbinger of gloom. To add to your consternation is the deluge of fabulous colors and spectacular finishes that demand their pound of flesh, a la Shylock.

Discard That Antiquated View

Most homeowners don't really care a fig for the kitchen backsplash, and treat it with an air of disdain. You may like to dismiss it rather nonchalantly as just another too-generic-to-be-effective, functional feature of the kitchen, but the fact remains that this small but supremely significant space can actually transform your kitchen from dull and dreary to dazzling and delightful.

Today's tile designs are more than just the protection that your inanimate wall deserves. They can become the supreme inspiration behind the most artistic of all creations.

Challenge The Natural Order

The best part about tile designs is the simply mind-blowing choice that's available to homeowners. Thankfully, you are liberated from the constraints of the ceramic tile designs. Here's how you can bring about a Renaissance of sorts in your vapid space:

• Metal tiles: Copper, tin or stainless steel, you are treated to the dual benefits of style and substance. And the fusion of a metal backsplash with other metallic features of the kitchen like the faucets and cabinet handles is a marriage that leaves a sterling impact. Retro, modern or country, kitchens will never be the same again.
• Glass tiles: It's their sheer brilliance that causes a flutter. These tiles are ideal for those that are keen to look beyond their inherent advantages of ease of installation and low-maintenance, and want their kitchen to shine and sizzle.
• Stone tiles: Your research on tile designs for the backsplash is incomplete without their redoubtable presence. They leave no stone unturned in sweeping you off your feet.
• Ceramics: The numero uno choice that seems to have carved a niche for itself in the world of tile designs. With a gargantuan range of colors, sizes and prices to choose from, they have made unimaginable leaps to the frontline.

These tile designs certainly have what it takes to gladden the hearts of many.

See exactly how you can easily generate 100's of BRILLIANT Kitchen Backsplash Design Ideas ... F-A-S-T ! See http://www.TrulyLovelyHome.com

Asphalt Shingle Roofing - The Facts

Is it any wonder why almost 80% of homes in North America use asphalt shingles as the roofing material of choice. The prevalence of asphalt shingles has created a vast assortment of fittings and fixtures designed to work with them. Items such as a multitude of flashing configurations, edge products, and almost every skylight manufactured has an appropriate base configuration for a weatherproof connection with asphalt shingles. All of the material that you need for a proper installation, such as the shingles, tarpaper, nails, vent boots and chimney flashing are available at any home improvement retailer.

The primary attributes of asphalt tiles are:

• reasonably priced (economical),
• require very little maintenance,
• versatile,
• provide excellent protection on steep sloped roofs,
• are weather and sunlight resistant,
• easy to cut,
• can be nailed by hand or with powered nailers.

There are two different types of asphalt shingle base material construction - composition and fiberglass. Composition shingles use a base material termed organic felt, which is a blend of paper and wood fibers. Fiberglass, on the other hand, uses a base that is comprised of a fiberglass mat. In both cases, once the base material is produced it is soaked in an asphalt compound. In numbers sold, fiberglass leads the market. They are less expensive, weigh less because they are thinner, have a longer wear life and have a better fire rating than the composition base shingles.

Average cost of a shingle roof is $50 to $150 per square, installed. Removal of old shingles will cost between $30 and $50 per square.

Both types of asphalt shingles are manufactured with embedded mineral granules. Seeing the granules in your eaves trough (after the initial installation) is a sure sign that you need to repair or replace the shingles.

Where just a few years ago asphalt shingles were only available in simple tab configurations in blacks, grays and browns, the manufacturers have expanded their product lines to include a vast array of colors, profiles and with the use of laminate coatings have created as assortment of eye pleasing textures. Special chemicals are also being blended into the shingles to make them mold and algae resistant. Although these additional features do increase the price per square, asphalt shingles are still the most economical roofing material available.

Drawbacks:

The serviceable life of asphalt shingles is the lowest of all the roofing materials. Although they are available in numerous grades designated by the expected life, from 15 to 50 years they often need repair or replacement long before their supposed life has expired. The hotter the climate, the shorter the life of asphalt shingles. Many of the asphalt shingle problems that are encountered by homeowners are a direct result of two factors:

• poor initial installation
• damage due to sever weather

Poor installation usually occurs in the area of deck preparation, and not providing adequate flashing around items that are protruding through the roof such as vent pipes and chimneys. Other poor installation methods are not using the required amount of nails per shingle and nailing in the wrong area of the shingle. There are many fly-by-night roofing companies that will quote low prices, because they won't be around to stand behind the workmanship. Choose a roofing contractor carefully.

Roof Repairs:

You should inspect your shingled roof and all the flashing at least once a year and after any major storm such as a hurricane. Hurricane winds will remove entire shingles and lift others. Sun and rain can cause asphalt shingles to crack. You should also go into the attic and look up, any sign of daylight means that there is a hole. When inspecting the roof look for shingles that have lost the granule minerals - bald spots, cracked and/or curled.

If you have to make a roof repair, choose a warm day so that the shingles will be flexible and unlikely to crack when lifted. The roofing cements also spread easier in warmer temperatures.

You will know when you have a roofing problem when you see beige spots appearing on ceilings and walls close to the ceiling. Beige spots are a sign of water damage.

Maintenance:

Roofing cement is the equivalent of duct tape for roofs. It will repair most leaks, cracked or torn shingles, patch flashing around vent pipes and chimneys. You can also use the roofing cement to cover nail heads that have been exposed.

Shingles fade with age so any replacement shingles used will most likely be visually obvious. Shingle over damaged ridge shingles, by nailing down all the corners of the old shingle first - do not remove them.

If you have to replace an entire shingle, lift each of the tabs and pry the nails out of the shingle of the one that needs to be replaced. Remove the top corners of the replacement shingle and very carefully, without damaging the tarpaper, slip it under the existing shingles.

Use roofing nails (large head, galvanized) to fix the new shingle to the roof decking. Use roofing cement to cover the nail heads.

Planning and knowledge are the keys to any successful home improvement, remodel or landscaping project!

For additional information on roofing materials for your home or other renovation projects, including landscaping, visit Renovation Headquarters

Stair Building Codes - Home Building

The stair building code was created for building safety. Before the building code and local city enforcement (Building Inspectors), anyone could build a house. This meant Uncle Earl who had just watched a couple of his friends build a house down the street construct some sort of a dwelling. The next step for Earl would be to help these guys for a day and now he is a professional home builder. You get the point.

Stair Building Codes create the safety needed for one of the most hazardous areas of your home. You might know someone who has fallen down a stairway?

I lived in a house I built for 15 years and I redesigned the stairs from a winder design to a T shaped set of stairs. Both sets of stairs were built using the local stair building code for my city.

Wow I could not believe how many times my family members fell down the stairs. I even fell down once. I was amazed. When I switched from the winder to the T shaped stairway there were less accidents. My point is that even using the stair building codes this is a dangerous part of your house.

Having a professional stair builder install your stairs is great advice. Take it. For example this happened to me on quite a few jobs. I get a set of plans from a architect who has been designing houses for over 40 years. I looked at the stairway to find out that he has designed a stairway that is too small for the length of this part of the home. If I build the stairs using the plans that by the way were approved from the local building department, I could have a problem.

You are probably asking yourself how does this happen. Aren't these people experienced professionals. Of course they are. They probably have the U.B.C. (Uniform Building Code) in their office somewhere. Everyone makes mistakes here and there but this is one area of the home where safety is a big concern.

Just look at it like this. The stair building code was designed to improve the safety and reduce the number of accidents while using the stairs. Over the years I have seen stairs poorly designed and constructed. These stairs create problems for the owners of the buildings not just the people that use them. Did I mention lawsuits. This is one area where a lawyer will have a field day.

As a building professional I advise you to use the stair building code first for safety and second to avoid lawsuits. Get an idea from some of the pictures I have taken over the years on problems with stair building.

Use common sense while building or remodeling your home. It goes a long way.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs books and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry. Stair Building Articles

Popup Blocker Software Awareness - Knowing What's Available

In the world of Popup Blocker Software there used to only be a few available. Today, this popup blocker software is everywhere. Many of the major Internet based companies have a proprietary version of a popup blocker program or an IE 7 or Firefox browser plug-in (usually a toolbar creator like Google uses) that often has at least one feature the others don't. Amongst the many popup blockers available are Stopzilla, safari, Comcast, Mirar, IE 7, CID and a plethora of private label brands for thousands of different software companies.

Many of the popup blocker software programs work the same, after all there are a finite list of ways to create popups there for there are a finite list of ways to block them. Popup Blocker Software is however getting more sophisticated due to the popup marketers getting cleaver with their code and methods. In some cases they actually get around the Popup Blocker Software by tricking you into installing an adware or malware program that locks onto known popup blocker software programs and deactivates them. You won't often know it happened until you get popups that are un-blockable.

They usually come packaged with those free screen savers or pirated programs and run in the background during the setup routine. They use a combiner program that is basically a program that creates a third executable file that's only job is to simultaneously run two programs and it is masked as the free program.

The first program is launched and has a graphical user interface, this is the actual free program. The other program runs 100% invisibly and won't even show up in your task manager list! Since the program you downloaded ran perfectly you never suspected what happened until later when you can't track it back to any software you installed.

You could have ran 10 programs and just that one was infected. Sometimes the program is a dll file and so it doesn't run until you do something in the free program that calls that file and runs a set of routines that cause havoc on your computer as well as unstoppable popups even those that take up your whole screen.

Software is getting more sophisticated utilizing the latest in artificial intelligence routines to spot an attack on the programs startup routine in the registry and other things these malware programs to do avoid being detected.

The malware creators are however running out of tricks that work as the Popup Blocker Software is not just looking for known algorithms and HTML code that creates them, they are working proactively to become alerted when aforementioned malware is installed and trying to circumvent the Popup Blocker Software protections!

This is not often included in the free popup blockers however which gives you a reason to pay for this software, but most popup blockers work incredibly well unless you install malware, so if your careful about what you download you should be OK with the free versions which essentially block all the ways a popup could possibly get in.

The malware programs use the same tricks, but by deactivating the blocker programs or creating a rule within it white listing itself, it circumvents these protections. Always make sure your popup blocker program is running, don't assume it is, just look on the toolbar where it usually shows up if it isn't there and you can't get it to run, scan your computer for malware, the best tool is a free program called Spybot search and destroy (you can Google it).

Hi...My name is Hwang Keum-OK...for more great information on popup blockers, check out http://www.popup-blocker-reviews.com - Again, that site is: Popup Blocker Reviews. Up-to-date and useful -- I highly recommend it!

Understanding Faithful Followers

Yoga Meditation 101: Breath Awareness and Posture

What do you think of when you hear about Yoga meditation? Do you picture a Yoga teacher, Guru, mystic, monk, or priest, guiding a group through meditation? Are you a bit confused about the whole process of Yoga meditation? Lets look at one of the many types of Yoga meditation and the benefits of daily practice.

There are many types of Yoga meditation, but all of them are similar to branches on a tree, leading to the same trunk. When you attend a Yoga class, you may be guided by your Yoga teacher, through meditation, in a variety of ways, but you will usually develop a favorite method of Yoga meditation.

Most likely, your favorite method will be the form of Yoga meditation, which brings you the most success. You cannot force yourself to meditate. Usually, a state of Yoga meditation will occur through focused observance and non-effort.

Breath awareness meditation is the first method, which I teach to beginning meditation students, and to students of Yoga. A beginner Yoga student can easily grasp the concepts of breath awareness and realize the deeper benefits of meditation.

Drawing the spine, into the straightest line possible, is the first goal, because poor spinal alignment is counter productive to meditation, and is not helpful for proper breathing. Many beginning Yoga students may have difficulty sitting straight, without a back rest. Some cultures have no difficulty sitting on the floor, while others sit in chairs, or on furniture, which brings them off the floor; and these Yoga students are used to back support.

If a Yoga student is sitting on the floor, in an uncomfortable position, he or she may not be able to concentrate on anything more than discomfort. Therefore, consider using chairs as a Yoga meditation prop. If you use a chair with a straight back, and lumbar support, this is ideal for seated Yoga meditation.

There is also another Yoga meditation posture where chairs become a handy Yoga prop. Place a chair at the head of your Yoga mat. Lay down on your Yoga mat, with your feet facing the chair. Then place your lower legs on the seat of the chair. You will want to adjust your body, so that the lower legs are parallel to the floor, the upper legs are perpendicular to the floor, and the back is flat.

Now that you have settled in, take some time to observe your breath, without trying to change, force, or lengthen your breathing cycle. Most Yoga students will try to control their breath, but the secret of Yogic breath awareness meditation is non-effort and observance.

Take the time to observe your breath, without effort or judgment; this will allow you to filter out conscious thoughts about your breath, noises, or your next task. Once you have put the distractions of life aside, you will notice that the cycle of your breath expands.

This is just the beginning of the many rewards you can reap from Yoga meditation. The Yoga meditation methods you learn from your local Yoga studio will reduce stress, calm your mind, and possibly lower your blood pressure. A life with less anxiety, and worry, is well worth the time it takes to practice Yoga meditation.

Copyright 2006 Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Crimes Solved With Psychic Power

The Devil and the Mystery

Most Christians know more about the devil than they know about "The Mystery." Even so, they do not know any more about the devil than they should know. They should know more about him, so that they can truthfully say, with Paul, "We are not ignorant of his devices" (II Cor. 2:11). Certainly every Christian should know more about "The Mystery." God wants every Christian to know "The Mystery," and to make it known to others (Eph. 3:9). You say, "Then it would no longer be "The Mystery." Certainly not. Why after over 2,000 years should this divine truth still be a mystery so far as ninety-nine per cent of God's people are concerned? Can you answer this question? It is true that the devil doesn't want any one to understand or even study this divine truth. But is not God's will to be desired by Christians more than Satan's? Doesn't God's power exceed the devil's power? Satan is mighty. God is almighty. Genuine spiritual Christians know that God's power exceeds Satan's power.

But let's take an inventory. As we take in the world-wide political situation, the distress of nations, with even the so-called Christian nations on the verge of bankruptcy and destruction, we may wonder that Satan has such power after 2,000 years of Christianity. But we believe that Satan knew what he was talking about in Luke 4:6 when he told the Lord Jesus that the kingdoms of the world were under his control. The Lord was right when He called Satan "the prince of this world."

When we consider the millions and millions of people of the world religiously, and see what the devil has done to them, surely we give a hearty "Amen" to the statement of I John 5:19, "the whole world lieth in [the evil one]." In his tricks to keep sinners away from the saving gospel of Christ, Satan is called "the god of this [age]" (II Cor. 4:3,4). To accomplish his purpose with people who want some kind of a so-called Christian religion, the devil transforms himself into an angel of light and instructs his servants to pretend that they are missionaries of Christ (II Cor. 11:13-15).

Then let us consider what the devil has done with Church members who are actually members of Christ's Body, God's one and only Church today. Note God's instructions in Ephesians 4:3-6:

"Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one Body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling: one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

Meditate"the unity of the Spirit." Where is it found? One faith, one hope of your calling, one baptism. One Body. How many sects and denominations? Several hundred. How many bodies? One Body. Note Ephesians 1:20-23:

"Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in [the heavenlies]. Far above all principality and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church, which is His Body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all."

Christ is in the heavenlies. Christ is the one Head of His one and only Church, which is His Body, "the fulness of Him that filleth all in all."

No matter how loyal, zealous sectarians may defend and contend for their denominational churches, the student of the Word of God knows that "denominationalism" is absolutely unscriptural. There is one, and only one, true Bible Church and that Bible Church is denominated, The Body of Christ, "the fulness of Him that filleth all in all." In Ephesians 3:6 that one Church is called the "Joint-Body" (see the Greek).

Members of Christ's Body are seated with Christ in the heavenlies and are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:6 and 1:3). One reason why God wants all men to see "The Mystery" is expressed in Ephesians 3:10,11:

"To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in [the heavenlies] might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

The Mystery then, is divine truth concerning "the heavenlies" and "according to the eternal purpose which God purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." By searching the Scriptures we find that this divine message was not in fulfillment of prophecy, but was a spiritual program predestinated by God before the foundation of the world.

We have seen how Satan works politically as "the prince of this world"; how, as "the god of this age" he blinds the unbeliever to keep him from believing the gospel of salvation. In Ephesians 6:11-20 we learn of Satan's spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies, his opposition to the message and the messenger of "The Mystery," divine truth concerning the heavenlies. Note Ephesians 6:11,12:

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places [in the heavenlies]."

And note Ephesians 6:19,20:

"And [pray] for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak."

Why was Paul a prisoner of Rome? Hear his own words: for "the mystery of the gospel." Read this again in Colossians 4:3,4 and hear his testimony in Ephesians 3:1-3:

"For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles. If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which is given me to you-ward: how that by revelation He made known unto me the Mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words)."

Note God's Word in Ephesians 3:9:

"And to make all men see what is the [dispensation] of the Mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God."

Here we see "the dispensation of the grace of God" and the dispensation of the Mystery are linked together. This glorious truth was made known by revelation to the Apostle Paul, who became the prisoner of Jesus Christ for the Gentiles. Do we appreciate what he suffered for us? Let's get into the Book and try to understand the message for which he suffered.

While Paul knew that religious men were opposed to "The Mystery" and were determined that he should not preach that divine truth, he knew that he was not wrestling against flesh and blood; that his real opponent was the devil as the ruler of world darkness in the heavenlies.

Paul wrote in II Corinthians 4:3 and 4 that Satan blinded minds. But note his request for a very specific prayer in Ephesians 1:17,18:

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints."

Paul did not want minds blinded to "The Mystery." He knew that it required a special spirit of wisdom and revelation to comprehend that particular glorious truth.

Yes, the devil succeeded in getting Paul in jail for "The Mystery," bound as an evil doer unto chains. But from his prison cell he wrote: "The Word of God is not bound."

God wants you to know and to make known this glorious truth...which should have ceased to be a mystery more than twenty centuries ago.

This article originally appeared in the Berean Searchlight, the free monthly magazine of the Berean Bible Society. For over 60 years, the Berean Bible Society has been proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery.

Carl Jung

How to Get What You Really Want - Wayne Dyer Video

I love Wayne Dyer and here's one of his great videos

What are you going to change today about your life? Make a list of things that you're not happy with about your life and start making the new habits that you need to create the life you deserve and desire.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a personal development article library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

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Feng Shui For Troubled Times

Authentic Feng Shui balances both visible and invisible energies. This is a critical difference from hobbyist or "do it yourself" Feng Shui that concentrates on changing what is visible about your environment - the arrangement of furniture, for example. In contrast, a professional practitioner of authentic Feng Shui also manages the powerful unseen energies in an environment and this is how it is possible to bring about almost miraculous results.

Still, with the economy pumping so much uncertainty and anxiety into the environment, it's important to do all you can to create a supportive and protective environment. If you can't immediately tap the expertise of a professional Feng Shui consultant, here are some common-sense ways to address - and improve - the visible energies in your home or office.

1. Create a clean and orderly environment. With all that's going on in the outside world, it's smart to make your interior world as stress-free as possible, and that starts by removing all visible signs of clutter, unfinished tasks, disorder and disrepair. There's no need to put on white gloves and spend every spare moment cleaning. However, the cleaner and clearer your rooms, the better air currents - and energy - will flow. As a result, you will feel calmer, safer and more productive. The reason is that everything, from a piece of paper to a dirty pot in the sink, has an energetic vibration. When there are too many objects in a room, there is simply too much vibration. This makes it difficult for you to concentrate and can leave you feeling anxious, pressured and cranky.

2. Lighten your rooms - and your mood. With so much bad news coming at you from every direction, it's easy to feel down and depressed. Did you know that spending too much time in dark rooms can actually contribute to depression, aching bones and other ailments? Let the sunshine in! Sunlight actually stimulates the optic nerve and tells the brain whether to produce serotonin (the wake-up, feel-good hormone) or melatonin (the time-to-sleep hormone). Sunlight is also a natural disinfectant that warms, brightens, and kills mold, mildew and germs. Light is a yang (vibrant) energy and in these tough times you want to bring in all the light you can to tip the balance away from living in an overly yin environment. Add a skylight if you can! If not, pull back the blinds, clean your windows, and turn up the lights. Full-spectrum light bulbs are wonderful since they reproduce the quality of natural sunlight and its positive effective on your body and mood.

3. Make peace with your dcor! Conflicting colors and patterns not only conflict with each other - they can put you in conflict with your environment. Their warring vibrations constantly jar your eye, making you feel anxious and irritable. Plus, constantly looking at conflicting colors and patterns will strain your eyes (creating fatigue and headaches) and, over time, put pressure on your liver. Headaches, anxiety and health issues are the last things you need: make it a priority to surround yourself with colors and patterns that are in harmony with one another - and with you.

4. An eyesore is an eyesore. Anything that you see in your environment that bothers you will eventually depress your immune system. Get rid of those eye sores: chipped dishes, torn clothing, frayed or stained furniture, etc. And if you have an "eye sore view" from your window, immediately hang sheer curtains to block the view while still filling your room with beneficial light.

5. De-clutter your mind. A cluttered home or business creates a disorganized mind. And a disorganized mind usually does not handle stress well, nor can you think clearly. Clutter literally clogs your home with energy that may cause depression and an out-of-control feeling. Not being able to find your things can subconsciously send the message that you're failing. Sometimes you allow clutter simply because you are just too exhausted to do anything about it. The irony is that it is often the clutter itself that is inciting this feeling of fatigue. Free yourself from clutter so things can begin to open up in your home - and in your life.

Remember, what's visible in your environment is always a manifestation of what's going on inside. The good news is that you can also use this principle in reverse! When you feel inner turbulence, use that anxious energy to transform your external environment: clean, clear away clutter, brighten, and beautify! You'll be amazed at the immediate changes you begin to experience in how your environment looks and in how you feel.

(c) 2008 Rupal Mehta Turner

Feng Shui and Vaastu Expert Rupal Mehta Turner publishes "The Prosperity Report," a biweekly ezine that reveals Feng Shui and Vaastu secrets for a thriving business and personal life. If you're ready to improve your finances, health and relationships by using the forces in your environment, get your FR*EE tips now at http://www.ClassicalFengshui.com

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Developing a Landscape Plan

It is not always easy to visualize certain aspects of landscape design without a plot plan that is scaled-to-size. If you're moving into a newly constructed home, your builder or contractor may have some initial design specs that include landscaping that can save you some time. In all cases, arming yourself with an accurate plot plan will save money (and maybe headaches) down the road.

If you don't have a lot survey or a mortgage survey to begin with, your local town office for a plot plan. You may find it easier to create your own site drawing. If hiring a professional landscaper, he or she will prepare a plot plan. Meanwhile, you can take measurements and begin your own. If new to your location, it will help you to familiarize yourself with the site. If you simply desire a landscape overhaul, drawing your own plan will help you to be more creative, think outside the box.

Using graph paper, decide upon a suitable scale. Tape several pieces of graph paper together and use a larger scale if need be. Typically, a scaled-to-size plan will be 1" to 8 feet or 10 feet. Depending upon your graph paper, it may be easier to choose a ratio that corresponds to the size of the squares on your grid, i.e. five squares equals five feet. Remember, this is just a rough draft. Later, you can pencil in and erase on paper or edit, add, and delete on a computer-generated program much more easily and much less expensively than a mistake in your yard.

Start by drawing in the boundaries of your lot. Next, add the dimensions of your house and other buildings. Draw in existing walkways, driveway, water features, decks, high traffic areas, etc. It's is always wise to add in the location of your windows and doors, bearing in mind access, what you want to see when you look out the window, privacy, etc. Draw in existing driveways, walkways, fences, etc. Think about your desires for your new landscape while you draw in the details of your existing landscape. Note the shaded areas as well as those that get more sun. It is also useful to note any relevant property setback requirements as well as features of abutting neighbors that may affect your landscape.

If you're considering adding a hot tub outside, you'd likely not want it placed in full view of your neighbor's picture window. Also, if you plan to add plantings, consider the potential growth of those plantings: imagine designing your site around a tree sapling, but failing to take into consideration that this sapling will grow to a much larger height and width? A benefit of drawing your own existing site plan is that it will open the door for new ideas and help you to evaluate the feasibility of your wish-list items.

Article from The Landscape Design Site. For more ideas about garden design, landscaping, weed barrier fabric, and small gardens, visit http://www.the-landscape-design-site.com.

Attic Repairs

Feng Shui - How to Have Healthy Lighting in Your Home

Proper lighting is one of the Feng Shui cures used for enhancing the chi energy in a space. Light uplifts oppressive energy from low ceilings, transforms the energy in a dark space, elevates the energy in a room, and activates stagnant energy.

Most people spend 90% of their time indoors and, most likely, with poor incandescent or fluorescent lighting. It's great to have natural light shining in, but you need to be aware that windows block some of the wavelengths present in sunshine from reaching your retina and nourishing your brain and body.

Having insufficient lighting in your home is considered bad Feng Shui, and your health and well-being will be impacted. There's compelling research that poor lighting can create depression. This problem grows as the winter months bring shorter and shorter days. Sunlight Starvation affects millions of people and causes the feeling of "Winter Blues." And in more severe cases people develop S.A.D. or "Seasonal Affective Disorder."

There is a solution. Make sure every room in your home is properly lit. Also, change all your bulbs to full spectrum. These powerful light bulbs produce clear, brilliant white light that simulates the exact color of sunlight at noon. There's an overwhelming amount of research showing its positive impact on health, human behavior, learning and longer life. Changing the light bulbs in your home is one of the simplest things you can do to improve your health.

Using full spectrum lighting will:

• Enhance your mental awareness, concentration and productivity
• Improve your mood
• Help with your visual clarity and color perception
• Improve your sleep
• Boost your immune system
• Give you more energy
• Reduce eye strain and fatigue

Feng Shui Health and Wellness Specialist, Sheri Ruston, can teach you how to create a supportive environment within your home and within your body to dramatically improve your health, well-being and mindset. Sheri's innovative healing approach combines her wisdom of simple Feng Shui principles along with her health expertise which she learned on her journey of healing her body from a 35 year autoimmune disease. To receive her Free Special Report: "47 Feng Shui Tips That Will Immediately Improve Your Health" and her Free bi-monthly ezine packed with "how to" information, visit her at http://www.fengshuiyourhealth.com

Wrong Attic Insulation