I miss our old Christmas Tree. It was our first tree together. It was starting to show the signs of age and the wear and tear became obvious. Still, I was sad. After Christmas last year we took all the ornaments off and Lori took the tree to the curb by our trash bins. I had taken a few pictures of the tree still decorated. This year I even had an ornament made from Kodak Gallery with the picture of our old tree. It now hangs on our new tree.Lori had called me from work shortly after Christma... Read Full Story

I was talking to my Mom the other day and she was telling me about the contractors that had come over. She's in the process of doing a few renovations to her house and was getting some estimates. The majority of the contractors looked at what she wanted done, gave the written estimates, but proceeded to inform my Mom that she could have other minor renovations done to. Apparently there are some areas of the house that need to be updated and a little more on the contemporary side. My Mom ... Read Full Story

Find the most updated collection of Black Friday 2009 deals, Black Friday online sales, coupons and Black Friday Ads from top retailers right here at DealTaker! DealTaker has compiled the most popular Black Friday deals on this page. Feel free to browse and view the Black Friday ads from Walmart, Kmart, Sears, Toys R Us, and many, many more! Click HereAndiamo Bravo Collection Single Compartment Wheeled Laptop Briefcase, BlackFor the avid business traveler, a rolling laptop briefcase is vital ... Read Full Story

You've all asked for it, now it's here! Printable Grocery Coupons are available on DealTaker!Click HereThe Fabulous FoursomesGet four of everything with this one! The Fabulous Foursomes feature four of each: Top Sirloins, Omaha Steaks Burgers, Chicken Breasts, Gourmet Franks and Stuffed Baked Potatoes. Perfect to have on hand and great for grilling any night of the week, this combo is sure to be a favorite with family and friends. Order now and get The Fabulous Foursomes combo SHIPPED FREE!Wa... Read Full Story

The past couple of months have been hectic, stressful and extremely busy and we are on the go from the time we get up until the time we go to bed. Lori has been busy working on the other house and getting things situated with Mom. I've been busy with work and what little time I do spend away from the computer is spent working on the other house or catching up on things at this house. This weekend sistacuzz drove in from out of town and spent the weekend here. For the first time since the ... Read Full Story

I sat at my office desk earlier today and it suddenly hit me that in a couple of months I won't be living in this house any longer. With everything that's been going on...work, projects, renovations, and getting everything in order, I lost sight of something so simple. We will no longer be living here. We will be living next door. How odd will it be to see someone else living in this house that we've called out home for 4 years. We had next to nothing when we first moved into this house.... Read Full Story

Tuesday we spent most of the day over at the other house tackling the renovations in the two rooms upstairs. Our goal is to be at phase 2 by the end of this month. We had to rip the carpet out of one of the rooms and finish scraping a portion of the wall. While I scraped, Lori started the task of pulling the carpet. She discovered that there were three layers...a carpet her father had put down over 20 years ago, a carpet that had been put down over 60 years ago and underneath that was so... Read Full Story

My grampie passed away almost 15 years ago. My grandparents were only a few months shy of celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Almost a year after his death my grammy called. Shortly into the discussion she made this weird noise. There was a pause. After a few moments she was sobbing uncontrollably. This took me by surprise. I had never seen or heard my grammy cry. Through the tears she told me how hard it was without my grampie. She missed him and told me that he had been her best fr... Read Full Story

Most of the places that I have lived in has had floors that were carpeted in most rooms. I always viewed carpeting as a feature that gave a room a sense of warmth and comfort. When I moved to New York back in my late 20's, the apartment that I rented had hardwood floors. The landlord gave me an option to have carpet installed. After debating for a couple of days, I opted for carpet. Two weeks later I regretted my decision. You could say my turning point was at that moment. I left my ap... Read Full Story

Normally I am a very tidy person and housework is something I do on a daily basis. Those that know me can tell you that I'm slightly obsessive about it. I take after my mother. I find it hard to relax or even concentrate if there is any disorder to the house. If someone were to stop by unexpectedly I wouldn't be embarrassed. I've always taken pride in that.I sat at my desk today and looked around. I cringed. The house is a complete mess. There is enough dust on the coffee table to wr... Read Full Story