INSTALLING VINYL REPLACEMENT WINDOWS ON THE SECOND FLOORWritten by John Rocco
I hope all of you had a nice Thanksgiving Holiday. Sometimes we get so busy in our lives that we forget how fortunate we all are to live in greatest country on this earth. Those brave men and women in our armed forces make it possible, so keep them in your thoughts and prayers.If you have a two story house, and you are going to replace windows on both first and second floor, there are little tricks that you can use to make upper floor job a bit safer and easier. If windows are replacement style frames, you install them from inside house, so only thing that you will do different than first floor windows is to use an extension ladder to caulk exterior. So, let's talk about doing retrofit style windows on second floor. You can usually remove old window from inside house, but if you have a picture window, you have to use extension ladder to remove stops holding glass in place. Then, you can go inside house and cut glass free from frame using a utility knife. Put a tarp on ground below window, to catch any glass pieces that may fall during removal. Also, don't forget to keep people and animals away from area below window. Once you are ready to install new window, you can do it from inside house. Remember, when installing retrofit style frames, you install them from outside and raise them into place. Instead, carry window upstairs. If it's a slider, remove screen and sliding panel. Then, using a helper, you can angle window frame through opening, extending retrofit lip completely outside of opening before pulling window back toward you, and installing window as if you were outside. Have your helper hold center bar while you put a screw into top center to hold frame in place. You can do entire installation from inside. The only time you will need to go on extension ladder is when you're ready to caulk exterior. Make sure you put a generous amount of caulk where top of frame meets stucco or exterior material. You don't want any water getting past new frame, otherwise it can work it's way through wall and down through ceiling or walls. You would be surprised how easily two people can install an 8' wide by 5' tall sliding window on second floor if you remove sliding panels and screens. In fact, my helper and I did one 10' wide and 5' high. That was biggest one I ever did on second floor. You can run a bead of caulk on outside face of old frame before installing new frame right from inside room.
| | Scented Candles – Take Me AWAY!Written by M J Plaster
Remember old Calgon commercial—"Take me away Calgon!" There's only one thing that can take you away faster than a Calgon bath, and that's a scented candle. Whether you want a breath of fresh spring air, or you want to transport yourself to a South Sea paradise minus hassle of airport security, crowded, delayed flights and lost baggage, grab a scented candle, and travel wherever your imagination leads. Smell is a powerful sense, and you can use it to alter your mood within seconds with flicker of a candle. In fact, why not keep a supply of scented candles in bathroom when you don't have time to luxuriate in bathtub. Envelope yourself in fragrance while you shower, dry and blow-dry. Close your eyes and think of each season: winter, spring, summer and fall each evoke special "scentual" memories. If it's dead of winter and you've already suffered through 73 days of snow cover, light a piña colada candle or a seaside candle and pop in your favorite Beach Boys CD. Inhale scents of summer and forget about cold for a few divine moments. Select a delicate floral candle or maybe a rain forest scent to remind you that April showers are right around corner. If it's 102° F in shade, there's nothing like a pine-scented candle to send a quick shiver up your back. Longing for fall? Light a pumpkin candle to evoke Harvest Moon and bounty of autumn. Whatever occasion you'd like to recreate, it's only a candle away. That's power of sense of smell. Holidays are incomplete without candles. If you think back to your favorite holiday gatherings, your mind will probably wander to your favorite scents. Think about your favorite Christmas tree, and you're bound to remember crisp smell of pine or cedar. The traditional holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Year provides a natural cornucopia of fragrance. From pumpkin pie to peppermint ice cream to vanilla, scents of holiday season are everywhere. Perhaps you use an artificial tree instead of a fresh-cut tree each year. Simulate scent of a Frazier fir with candles. Artificial trees are getting closer to their natural kissing cousins with each passing season, but they remain "flat" without accompanying scent. They just can't bring smell of Christmas into a home like real thing. Light a few pine or cedar candles, and voila—you may never miss genuine article.
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