This forum is on track to be worse than Hot Topics
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5 years ago
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blfenton
5 years agoIris S (SC, Zone 7b)
5 years agoRelated Discussions
I'm back and it's worse than ever
Comments (13)Mommabird, I know EXACTLY how you feel. We have a few things in common. I have just come back to ths after being away for a couple years. Like you, I've been unable to do much around the house and yard because of ruptured discs and a heart attack. I'm slowly getting better, but only within the last month have I been able to start carving away at my mountain of work and stuff. Being unable was the magic motivation I needed when I was finally able to do the work. That situation impacted me so much that for the first time in my 53 years I have been keeping my kitchen neat and clean, simply because I could, starting only about 3 weeks ago! I wish I could have learned this before raising 4 children and having a 31 year marriage! My 2nd biggest motivator was putting a TV in the kitchen. I found myself able to work in there all day, if needed! I don't actually watch it because I'm cleaning, or culling junk, but it keeps me company while I'm working. I had my DH carry it into our bedroom where I'm doing the same thing: deep cleaning and sorting. I'm sure everyone in North America has been living with TVs in the kitchen and bedroom for decades, but it's new to me and it's my new helper. What I did in my house was to start in the living room near the front door. I was depressed that my living room was so dusty, disorderly and neglected, so I started there. I took decorator items from other rooms and put together a fresh look. That boosted my spirits enough to keep me going. I've been a FlyLady disciple for years too, and I know she'd be proud of me for having both my living room and kitchen within 10 minutes' of being company-ready at any time. It helps that the kids grew up and moved away-- when I clean it stays that way a little longer. I don't swish and swipe the bathroom every day, but it, too, is within 5 minutes of being presentable. I now have high hopes that I can get the laundry room, mud room and back bathroom presentable and keep it that way, too. If I can do it, you can too!...See MoreHomes Sales Worse Than Anticipated
Comments (46)berniek - I'm interested in your 3 vs. 5 yr comment. Is this in part based on region or just generally based on recouping closing costs etc? I'm not bernie, but in the past it was sort of a rule of thumb that you needed to stay in a house about 5 years in order to make enough to cover closing costs, commissions, etc., and not necessarily make a profit. Unfortunately with the recent run up in prices in some areas people think that they should walk away with tens of thousands of dollars after only being in their homes for a couple of years. In fact that was the reasoning that many lenders gave to push the sale of 100%, ARMs and interest only loans. They were telling buyers that in a couple of years they would be able to refinance to a fixed rate because they would have so much equity because of rising prices. With prices NOT going up at such a rapid (and unsustainable pace) many are finding their mortgages have adjusted beyond their ability to pay....See MoreHow do you find 'hot topics' forum?
Comments (11)They are not "nice". I guess that's not fair but have thick skin if you go over there. I wanted to hear some thoughts on a subject once and posted more a a top starter with a short opinion from me, but did say I will not get into a debate, just wanted some insight/opinions from different people. A few of the more long winded posters cut me down about not wanting to get into a debate, said I should not come to hot topics if I don't want to debate...Yuck....See MoreIs this forum a choice when you post to 3 topics? Design Q Xpost
Comments (11)I can't find my old photos at the moment but at our last home we also put on a large screened porch that resembles SMH's photo. The porch had 5/4 mahogany flooring and the roofline was extended to help keep rain off the furniture. We installed 2 skylights to enhance the light both on the porch and inside the family room. Turns out that they really weren't needed. The large bay window in the family room wasn't included in the porch, just the French doors and the roof and windows were high enough to let in lots of natural light. We did have our contractor include a narrow decorative ledge that ran around the top of the walls where the roof starts to slant and then installed low voltage cove lighting. It was a great choice since it offered a little mood lighting and highlighted the beautiful wood ceiling on the porch. (darn I need to find those photos!) We also had 2 ceiling fans, speakers and a cable outlet. The kids would put a TV on a cart and place it next to the screens and watch TV from the hot tub or pool deck. Now that we've moved I do miss it. Our new place seems to have a lot more mosquitoes and when we sit on the bluestone patio in the evening we have lots of citronella candles and an electric fan to keep those little biters at bay....See MoreChi
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