I bought an 8' noble fir from Tree Classics in 2003, it has white lights. They didn't offer LED back then so I have no idea which kind of light is better. I've never had any problems with my tree or the lights. It arrived quickly with no problems. It looks great. Over the years I've never seen any artificial tree elsewhere that looks better. Before I ordered it, I ordered the sample branches of all the types of trees which helped me decide which type I liked the most. I liked being able to do that, it did help to look at the types before deciding. I just looked at the Tree Classics website and they do still offer that option, you just have to type in sample in the search window to find how to do it. The sample branches cost $25 which is then a credit towards any tree purchased. My tree has lasted for 6 holidays so far with no problems at all. A couple individual lights have broken every couple years when we would take it in/out of storage, but they are easy to replace with standard replacement bulbs from any local store. The tree looks great, but it does take up space and is heavy. I squish it together with bungee cords to store it in it's box each year, then when I take it out I have to separate and fluff each branch when I set it up (wear gloves). Cheaper trees with less branches may not need that. If I did it again I'd probably go a slim version to save space in the room and to make it easier to move around. I also learned to mark the places where the tree divides with some clear tape so that when I take it down I know where to pull to separate the sections, the seams completely disappear otherwise and the first year it took me forever to get it apart. Oh, and if you ever need to remove a broken light bulb, turn off the lights first! Otherwise, if you touch the wires exposed by the broken bulb you'll get shocked. Trust me!

Might as well have been home alone today, only I wouldn't have worked quite as hard and would probably have enjoyed it more. Busted my rear making a nice Christmas dinner for DH, which he finished in five minutes and went back to his garage to "putter." So then the kitchen had to be put back together. Nothing from him all afternoon, until the call, "what have you got in mind for supper?" Fed him again, and at 6:50 he goes to bed. Granted, his back hurts because he spent too much time on his feet "puttering" but sheesh! My kids are 3,000 miles away and busy with their own family and traditions, but I would really have liked a call. I am their only mom and grandma, after all! Okay, pity party over. It wasn't a bad day, after all, and tomorrow I get to go to work. YAAYY! And DH will take me out for Mexican food tomorrow evening.

We bought a fixer-upper home that was built in 1933. At some point during the life of the home, a giant beast of a wood-burning insert had been installed. We removed it, along with the broken tile hearth and replaced it with a Heat-n-Glo gas insert (and oak flooring in the hearth to match the original floors). It came with a remote control to turn it on and off and adjust the flame and fan. Even without the blower on, it puts out an amazing amount of radiant heat. It also has a thermostat setting where it will adjust the fire automatically to maintain a specified temperature. We replaced our furnace and had central air installed at the same time, so I don't recall specifically what the fireplace cost, but I believe it was right around $4500-$5000. Money well spent! Before with wood insert and once it had been removed: And after:

Getting back to the subject of furnace replacement: I replaced my furnace and A/C units last month. I upgraded to high efficiency units although it means that I won't be able to trouble-shoot and repair my furnace as I did in the past - too much electronics. Also, I must have yearly inspections made to keep the 5 yr warranty in force. I am anticipating a 10% reduction in my gas usage, maybe more. A local company did the installation and met building codes. They also pulled the building permit. I arranged for the final inspection after job completion. My old furnace was 41 yrs old and the A/C 16 yr old. What triggered this job was that the AC quit this summer. This package included: 100,000 btu/hr furnace, about 95% efficient (Replaced a 125,000 btu/hr furnace w/about 70% efficiency) 3 ton AC, SEER 14 (Replaced a 10 SEER unit) Furnace and A/C made by Carrier. Inlet and Outlet PVC pipes installed. Chimney liner (for the gas hot water heater). Added a dedicated 20 amp circuit for the furnace (reused existing 40 amp 240 V for A/C. The old 40 breakers were replaced with 30 amp breakers to match the lower demand of the new A/C. About 8 ft of new air duct was installed to fit the return duct to the new furnace. New digital thermostat installed. Installation time: 1.5 days. Cost: About $8400 Major change: increased efficiency and much reduced air flow up existing chimney. I may find that I will need to increase basement circulation. Both units work well. The real test comes for the furnace in a few months. After about 2 winter months, I will be able to calculate the fuel savings. This can not be done merely by comparing last years fuel use to the present due weather variability. My fuel bill includes degree heating days and this can be used to make a fair comparison. Calculate btu per degree-day to compare. The one missing variable is wind velocity. My heat demand is sensitive to outside wind. To reduce possible wind variation, make calculations over several months and average the results. The more months used, the smaller the wind variance. What forced this work was the failure of the A/C unit. The old unit had lost most of its refrigerant. The cost of testing and repair of the of the old unit was not a good investment. I would have had a patched unit with maybe the old compressor on a 41 yr old furnace. These new, updated units increases the sale value of the house and that is a real consideration. At our ages, we may be faced with moving out within 10 years.