text:
Water Restrictions
Well, I guess everyone from the Raleigh metro area heard it on the news yesterday - and for those of you that didn't: as of next Friday we can no longer use drinking water outside of our homes to wash things or water plants. No outdoor watering unless it comes from a private well or rainbarrel or some similar source. It is gonna be a tough spring for me.
I feel like I'm living a scene out of "Sophie's Choice" as I toss most of my vast plant collection (my babies) into the compost pile. I'm trimming down to the bare nub. Most are replaceable and most are over represented so things will eventually come back to normal,,, but it may take a year or so for the ground water to build back up.
Before the mass execution I worked on the compost pile (it is already massive) and was startled to see that deep in the compost the soil was bone dry!!!! This is the same problem with the yard. I can tinkle on the surface and keep things just barely alive but if I dig down a few inches the soil is dry dry dry. Without any soil moisture, surface watering is just going to keep things green but not expanding and it is gonna be a whole lotta work on my part to haul water up from the creek.
John I can babysit some of your plants if you want. I have rain barrels and since I almost live in a dry lake bed we have more water than most -- in fact my area of Johnston County has gotten some good rainfall when Wake County hasn't. I always have a pot ghetto going so it wouldn't be any trouble.
It's hard to believe we're in a drought at our house. Our yard is soggy, soggy, soggy. I'm trying to get some building done and they can't even get across my yard with their equipment. Even a compact pickup sinks several inches. I don't understand it. I think it's wetter than it's ever been except maybe right after Fran. There aren't any water lines in the area that could be broken either. I don't know where it's coming from.
Alicia - I may take you up on that offer. I have some potted roses that I'm afraid to plant because it will be so hard to water them. I know you like roses so you may enjoy these guys. I got them for free so even if I lose them I probably won't cry too much. Besides my semi-shade yard isn't perfect for roses anyway. I'm thinking of repotting things into larger pots with fluffy soil so that they can handle the exremes a bit better. I'll have my people contact your people and we'll work something out.
Dana - I had a similar situation years ago. Back when we had that other drought. I had a large load of compost/soil delivered and due the dry conditions I thought it would be fine to have them drive the big monster truck across the back yard. Well it somehow got stuck in the mud!!! something about the weight of the truck compressed the soil and worked up a mess of water which caused the beast to get stuck. Took all afternoon to finally free it. I would have done better to have them dump it in the driveway and haul it back to the garden one wheel barrow load at a time!
If you were standing in my yard right now you would think that things are fine. It is only when you start digging that you notice that about 6 inches down things get very very dry.
I spent 3 hours outside this morning doing the winter clean-up and trim. We have a well, but I don't want to rely upon it for plants since we can't see how much is left! We've still got a lot of water in rain barrels for the plants, but I'm not using it.
This drought is going to put landscapers and maybe plant nurseries and retail garden shops out of business if it continues.
I've made NO plans to plant anything. I was looking at things that I need to move around, but I'm even afraid to do that as the plants are established. I think I took a big hit on some of the new varieties of coreopsis and coneflowers from the drought. It's so discouraging to think of planting and losing plants.
My lavenders, buddleias, dianthus, nepetas, and other similar drought-tolerant plants are doing great. My crocus are blooming! The Dutch Iris came up about a month ago, but fortunately haven't bloomed. The daffs are starting to poke up out of the mulch.
Hoping for a lot of rain (but no wind) tonight!
Take care.
I've also noticed that anything I pamper gets eaten by voles!!! I guess they smell the water I pour by the cupfull onto my prized babies. They have also mastered the art of eating their way into the bottom drain holes in my plant storage area and gobbling up the roots. Ding Dang D@mmit!!!!
I am so thankful I am on a private well!!! Also have a spring fed creek along the side of the property :)
John - I'd be happy to babysit as well. Since I don't have a huge garden, the water I use is minimal anyway.
This will definitely be the spring of lavender planting for me!
John, I can babysit too if I can make it to the seed swap, which I'm hoping. We have a well and space in the pot ghetto. And as wet as our yard is (it's not dry underneath - it's sopping wet all through), I don't think I'll be needing to water anything in the ground for awhile.
Be careful using your well water. Last night in a program on safety in the woods,a woman from the county talked about abandoned wells. However, she also talked about water in general, pointing out that veins that feed one well usually go to other wells, so more than one household is impacted if there is a drought or if there is contamination.We're all in this together. Just hope and pray for continuing rain. Our small lake is still not up to the original level, despite our recent good rains.
I should be fine til spring is here. Most of my collection is kinda dormant now anyway. I was growing a lot of stuff to sell at the farmer's market but that is out for this summer (unless they lift the watering ban). So I need to sit down and make decisions on what to keep and what to pitch. Most of it isn't gonna kill me if I never get them back. Since I volunteer for so many plant based events and places I get free plants all the time. Maybe I'll just have a big give away after it warms up in late April and let people just haul off what they want. I can always get cuttings later when the drought is over.
I think I can rig up some sort of system so that I can keep a few flowerbeds watered and a reduced version of my current pot ghetto - but there is no way I can catch enough rain water or haul enough water up from the creek to water everything I have now!!! Last summer some of my newly planted shrubs really suffered. This summer if I can't water with a hose I don't know how they will take it. Of course there is always the "dark of night" watering trick. But if they come up with a Stage 3 restrictions (undefined at the moment) it could be that they evaluate your usage by looking at your bill in which case they will know how much water I am using above past summers. Currently I am down to 42 gallons per day but the city wants everyone down to 25. I think its gonna be a year of indoor gardening and porch plants rather than working deep in the woods.
Yes, it is a sad day in Mudville (we wish is was muddy!), but I feel most for the plant/landscape related businesses that will bear the brunt - there's a huge domino effect about to play out. I put off fall planting, partly because of the dryness and long range forecasts, partly because I just didn't have the energy - vowed to pick up the slack and kick myself into gear in spring, but here we are - still in a holding pattern.
However, I will do some spring planting to fill in some gaps. And I will buy said plants from local nurseries to help them out and promise not to whine over the cost. Plan on using water spikes w/soda bottles on the newbies - that much house overflow water I can lug. And my two 65 gallon rain barrels are at the ready for heavy duty this year. Beyond that, hose watering was always a hated task (hauling hose just didn't work for me), good thing since now I'm 'prohibited'. Sigh.
Quick query - back last year, in the lesser restrictive time, someone posted that watering veggie gardens was exempt as they were deemed a food source ...... and the suggestion of planting veggies among the flowers was brought up (hehehe). Hmmmmm, haven't seen or heard anything about that this year - anybody else? I do veggies in earthboxes (very water conservative)in my side yard, but placing a few 'maters and pepper plants out front might be indicated. Come to think of it, squash vines could make a dandy groundcover ... Hmmmmm.......
I'm truly not tryng to get around restrictions - I practice very conservative water use all the time and will continue to do so. Just brain-storming ideas to keep NC green while scratching my gardeners' itch. Hope my thoughts are taken in the spirit in which they are offered.
Does the state determine water restrictions for the entire state or is it by town or county? Where we live ( near Hickory) it has been a pretty wet winter, despite the gloomy dry forecast by the weather experts. I have been out digging, transplanting things and just getting rid of some plants and the ground seems good and moist pretty deep. I'm sorry to hear yours isn't, John. I have been getting optimistic that they'd end water restrictions here.
Yes, bummer indeed. I was looking at Durham's restrictions, and they appear to have an allowance for hand watering with a watering can one day per week at a certain time span. Was surprised to see no allowance for that in the Raleigh rules. We are in North Raleigh, the Aqua company, and Aqua I think is well water - but can I assume that we are in the same boat as greater Raleigh?
I am right at the point of starting my veggie seedlings - and trying to decide if I even should! this is going to be in incredibly challenging season for so many.
I've been planting things left over from last year in the ground now -- they're bound to do better not watered there than not watered in little pots come July. The soil moisture seems OK, but usually this time of year it's too soggy to dig so I think my ability to work the soil is a bad omen for later in the year.
I guess if push comes to shove, I can limit the kids' showers to once a month to divert resources to the brugmansias.
craig, if you are on a well, even a community one, you'd have to check with them about restrictions. city of raleigh rules don't cover wells. especially since you have a business riding on it, i'd make some phone calls. i know they are allowing nurseries to use drip irrigation- so maybe you can get an exemption if you are on the city's system.
Wow, I saw yesterday where Raleigh will essentially run out of water from Falls Lake this summer without some tropical storm or such. That is downright scary. Here in Cary, where we pull our water from Lake Jordan, we are still under restrictions regarding automatic watering devices, but at least we can still use the hose. We set up two rain barrels this weekend in anticipation of more stringent restrictions. Now, all we need is some rain!
I was wondering about this "hand watering" exception. I assume it's ok to fill a bucket up by hose and then pour it onto your garden. But what about carrying the hose around with you, filling the bucket as you go? Or I even leaving the hose in the bucket and continuously pour it onto your garden. The whole thing seems to have a lot of loopholes to me.
This site seems to be the busiest of all. Had a moment while me breakfast is cooking. Sausage and.............
Was going to grab a couple of peach trees to put in, but.....
Anyway, what I did to save the rain is buy 33gal garbage cans and keep filling them from the "main barrel." I have my 7th one working now.
Will put tomatoes and peppers in containers this year. My peppers made it till Dec 1, before the freeze got them.
Here in Lancaster County, we're affected by the Catawba river, aka Duke Energy. Those reactors up there have priority. They are too difficult to shut down in a low water environment.
Our small town of Heath Springs is just a puppet to the "big cities!"
corin99, as I understand it, as to hand watering you MAY water straight from a hose. But it has to be HAND watered, that is , no unattended watering (ie sprinklers, or you can't just turn on the hose, lie it down and let it run. )It does NOT have to be only from a watering can or bucket.
NO, you CANNOT USE A HOSE. there was a big ad placed by the city in the n&o the other day with the rules and you can't use a hose in any form now (as of today). please don't- the first offense fine is now $1000- a steep price to pay. second offense they cut off your water. a watering can or bucket has to have come out of the house or a rain barrel or pond from what i've read (in articles they've run- that wasn't specified in the rules.). be careful out there!
Wow - that is a severe restriction over there in the triangle. I offer my sincere condolences - as I too will be getting rain barrels if the same restrictions happen here in Charlotte.
That said, we seem to be getting a steady diet of rain this year - at least once a week. I guess it's going to take a hurricane to fix our drought.
- Jerry (who lived in Phoenix for 8 years, where they've NEVER had a water restriction put into effect - "free" water from the Colorado, courtesy of US taxpayers)
I am new to NC from AZ. I was so looking forward to planting a garden and a lawn this year in the beautiful WET NC. So much for that! Does anyone know where I could get a couple of rain barrels? I searched the internet for cheap rainbuckets but couldn't find any sources. Any ideas? I live in the Triad area.
Farmer JohnSC, I know what you mean. I moved here in Kershaw to get away from the big city and it seems to be following me. :-( But I'm going to put in a rain barrel this year if the conditions continue. I'm also going to sink a well, I made a mistake when I built the house by not putting in a well then. I went to save the dollars and put in County water instead. I feel for you folks up around the Triad, I know you have it way worse than we do here. I lived in Charlotte for many years and got disgusted and gave up the second year of "no watering your lawn". I'm taking reasonable measures here, no panic yet. I put in Bermuda Grass for my lawn to keep down on watering and maintenance, I've got a brand new house with water saving features, I only run a dishwasher or laundry with a full load. IMO, our problem is much deeper than a drought. We are overpopulating this area and not building infrastructure and managing resources correctly. I currently don't have a bad situation with my yard and garden right now, we are getting regular rain and everything is doing well. But if our water is restricted due to upstream use, then during our normal dry months, I'm going to be in trouble. This is all cycles the weather goes thru here, I remember in 1986 driving to Tenn. to get hay for my horses. It was so dry the hay production here was zero. IMO we need more water production when the water is there and storage facilities to firm up our available supply.
John, if you need another plant sitter, I can help you. I'm new to NC, just moved here. But I do have space for your plants and watering will not be a problem. I'm on a private well and back up to some wetlands. Also will have a rain barrel shortly. I am about 15 miles east of Raleigh.
Hope it's okay to post this here (I'm actually surprised no one else has yet.) Tony really says it like it is.
Excerpted from Tony Avent's "Plants Delights Nursery" newsletter -
...... Back in the Raleigh area, City leaders have made an unfortunate and
less than intelligent decision to ban hand watering of plants due to the
current water shortage. Below, is a letter I have sent to both the
Raleigh City Council and the local media outlets. Please feel free to
share this with any interested party and if you live in the effected
area, you may want to contact the City Council and express your
displeasure with their recent actions.
Open Letter to the City of Raleigh
I continue to await an article that correctly shows who is responsible
for the current water shortage, but alas, no luck. Lets look at the
facts. Raleigh was 7.24" (17%) below normal for its annual rainfall in
2007. In 2006, Raleigh was 10.64" (25%) above normal in rainfall. For a
two-year period, that put us well above average. Is this the first time
weÂve had well below normal annual rainfall? Of course not. 2005, was
nearly as dry as we ended that year 5.5" below normal. What did city
officials do after that dry year? They continued to encourage growth,
sell more water, and did nothing to increase future water supply. If
look at area lake levels, you will notice Gaston Lake and Kerr Lake are
full. Jordan Lake is only down 8", while Falls Lake is 8.4' below
and Lake Michie is 7.3' below normal. Why are the differences so
dramat ic...poor planning! Being a Raleigh native, I remember in 1981
when Falls and Jordan Lakes were completed and City officials assured
Raleigh and surrounding towns would never again face a water shortage
water restrictions. Fast forward 27+ years and residents are now being
blamed for the current water shortage, and are being asked to change
their lifestyle because City leaders didnÂt properly do their job.
Raleigh officials have oversold their supply of water while encouraging
growth beyond their ability to supply water. Planning based on average
rainfall forgets to take into account that averages are just
that...averages of two extremes...below normal years and above normal
years. Imagine a business the size of Raleigh or Durham making such an
egregious error in planning. Such a lack of foresight and poor
management would most certainly result in immediate dismissal of
officers and board members, as it should.
Any farmer will tell you the first thing to do in a drought is to clean
the silt from your pond or lake, greatly enlarging your pool of
available water. Since the 2002 drought, I have watched and waited for
Raleigh and Durham to clean the silt from their water supplies, yet
driving by the lakes, this has still not been done. Without a doubt,
itÂs more difficult for a municipality, since they must work through
Army Corp of Engineers, and have the silt tested for contaminants, but
surely this should have been put on the fast track after 2002. IÂve
heard cost mentioned as a reason this didnÂt occur, but that
pass the laugh test. Compared to the loss of revenue from water sales
and the tax revenue being lost by affected businesses, this is false
economics. Having driven by area lakes, the amount of silt...i.e. rich
topsoil, in both lakes is huge, with its removal nearly doubling the
water storage capacity. The financial investment of cleaning the lakes
could be easily offset by selling the dredged topsoil to homeowners,
landscapers, and developers.
Instead, Raleigh leaders have opted to further punish homeowners and
green industry (nurseries, landscapers) businesses by outlawing hand
watering. I keep waiting for these same leaders to require all
restaurants to close or only use paper plates and cups. How about that
long-awaited ban of drinking Aquifina water, which is pumped from Falls
Lake? Yes, if the spigot to the Pepsi-Cola plant (RaleighÂs largest
municipal customer) was shut off, the water savings would be
Instead, city leaders have chosen the easy path of punishing only the
green industry...and now the power washing industry. All other
industries are only asked to follow best management practices.
It seems we need to clue the Council in that the green industry
and sells a living product that cannot be installed without water.
are the same city leaders that require our plants to be used in the
of a mandatory landscape ordinance. Imagine the outrage if our esteemed
leaders did something equally as bizarre and banned pet watering and
bathing. To not allow any hand watering for the green industry is the
same as forcing a non-water dependant business to close. WhereÂs the
common sense? WeÂre all willing to do our part, but we are not
to shoulder the entire burden for the cityÂs lack of planning.
start by cutting off the water to these same city leaders that got us
into this situation. Then, letÂs rescind the hand-watering ban and
please, letÂs think before passing any more ridiculous regulations
put so many people out of business and residents out of work...shame,
shame, shame!
-Tony Avent
ZigZag, good post!! Even though I'm far removed from the situation in the Triad, I respectfully understand what you guys are dealing with. Charlotte is dealing with much the same altho not quite as dramatic. The drought of 1986 was equally as bad on a year per year basis, yet we didn't have the issues we are now facing from our leaders, government and the worse situations for a potable water supply to residents. Tony is so very much on target about silt. There are many maintenance concerns that can be addressed instead of simply stating all residents are wasteful. I've seen this first hand by living in a property at one time above Hendersonville on an Apple Farm. The home was well over 100 years old and had a hand dug well. My supply started to run short and a man came out and removed a bunch of silt from the bottom of the well. I had great water pressure and no shortage of supply for the remainder of the two years I lived in the home. One question I have is why does the counties, and governing bodies encourage a person who lives in a rural area, miles from the city, to tap into a municipal water supply instead of digging their own well? I fell prey to this and wish I had thought it thru more before doing as I was "told" by my builder. I will be correcting that situation soon. I don't think your post is out of line at all, I do think we need to open up trains of thought and respectful debate to all things that are putting us in a situation of reduced supply and not simply look to the weather as the reason.
First Lutheran Church of Greensboro is selling 55 gal. rain barrels for $70. This is the best price I have seen around here. The church will not make a profit, according to the article in today's N&R. You have to pick them up March 15. www.nerainbarrel.com; 877-977-3135. I may get another one(already have three) but wish they were not blue!
Well I got my letter from the city the other day. It explains the watering guidelines and states the $1000 fine for your first offense and in fancy language says they will cut off your water with the second offense. Pretty stiff rules. I have read online about other parts of the country where they have BANNED the use of rain barrels!!! something about interrupting the natural flow of water. It all comes back to another post where we discussed how an environmentally progressive homeowner has to be filthy rich to do anything - the laws don't support innovation.
Yesterday I hauled water up from the creek and it wasn't so bad. Since everything is uphill I have to lug it by the bucketfull - which is not the most efficient way but I guess I am watering the woods in the process. I believe that I can limp through the summer on this system and just devote one weekend afternoon to moving water up to the garden (great exercise by the way).
I don't think I will need any plant adoptions - thanks everyone for your kind offers. I will dump a lot at the spring swap and trim a bunch back to keep things smaller and easier to move around. I am going to go ahead and plant most of what I have now, thinking that their chances are better in the ground than baking in the summer heat in a pot.
Your welcome, folks. I hesitated only
because this site is pretty careful about
keeping business separate from our
gardening pleasures. Personally, I find
Tony's well thought out, factual views
enlightening ...... and his sense of
humor, liberally sprinkled throughout
his catalogue, is really my style!
I am sorry I blew out the thread - is
there any way to edit (to break up
that link)? Maybe a manager can take
a look at it. TYIA.
While we're bashing the politicos
who have created this mess, as Tony
outlines above, I have little faith
in them for my own good reasons.
For 12 years I owned and ran a
business which was based on and
used A LOT of water. All was fine
for the first 2 years, then my water
bill skyrocketed for no reason.
Long story short, after a year of
investigations and water dept. head
scratching they decided they couldn't
figure out which meter was mine
(ummm, how 'bout the one you've been
reading and billing from for the first
2 years?). At their directive, I'd
been paying on account to keep from
going delinquent while they researched
the problem. When they gave up, they
not only refunded all the $$$ I'd paid
during that time, but they closed my business
account. For the next
10 years, I had no water bill .... but
plenty of water! This was within a
bonafied shopping center with many other
businesses (low useage) and restaurants
(high useage). I always wondered how many
other messed up connections/accounts they had.
Things that make you go hmmmmm......
Wow, I cannot believe that rain barrels are banned -- especially since water from roofs runs off so fast. I suppose the logic behind that is that the lakes will fill up faster. But still, it's rather silly. With my house it takes only 2/10s of an inch of rain to fill four 75 gallon water barrels.
In reference to the water company: The first year we moved here -2004- we tried to grow a lawn. So our water usage went up in the summer months. Went down over the cooler months. In 2005 we tried again to grow a lawn. Just wasn't working.Same thing in 2006. Last year, we decided not to worry about lawn, heck there's a drought! We got rain barrels.Use them for plants and veggies. We never wash our cars at home. Imagine our surprise when we find out the water company changed our meter. See, we go away for a week or more for the holidays, Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, We take a vacation ....but the water usage never shows any less usage. We have been practicing the mellow yellow rule, the bucket in the shower and saving all water that comes through til it gets hot and use it for flushes or heat it in a pot to wash dishes, turning off the water while soaping up.....As a matter of fact, I had knee surgery in October and was not allowed to shower for 17 days, So is there a decrease in my water usage? NO ! No matter how you do the math, Johnston county is not reading meters very well. Hubby says they had to put in a new meter because the county felt it must be broke because we weren't using what we had in the past. We have looked for leaks, there are none. On this bill they say we used an additional 1000 gallons of water in 4 days. If you do the math, that figures out to 147 gallons a day on a 34 day billing cycle. Up from 133 gallons a day for a 30 day cycle.So they say we are using 49 gallons per person a day. 3 of us and dog....uuuuggggh.... Our one neighbor, who has company ALL the time and parties every weekend (figure beer in beer out =flush) uses only 2000 gallon per month. For three people. Figure that one out. Another neighbor has two people in house and they say they used an additional 1000 gallons last month. That figures out to 73.5 gallons per day...... It seems that there is no rhyme or reason as to how the water is billed. Can't wait to see if the billing follows previous years cycle..... Sorry about the rant but this is really bothering me.Any one else in Johnston County confused?
Mickey, are you billed by City of Raleigh? If so, you're in good company puzzling over bills. If not, then Johnston Cty sounds as messed up as Raleigh!
The CoR billing has been 'explained' in the newspaper, but there's no explaining insanity. The CoR billing is ridiculous, makes no sense to most of us and makes it impossible to know if your lifestyle conservation is accomplishing anything. My water bills vary bi-month to bi-month by mere pennies, but my life just isn't that consistant. And, like yourself, I was away for over two weeks in Dec., but 'useage' was unchanged.
Latest bill I got had a new box proclaiming that I use 56 g/p/d all by myself. I don't think so ......
We are billed by Johnston County. It just doesn't seem like there is any consistentsy to the way they bill. It seems that if one homeowner's bill goes up 1000 gallons so do others. Hmmmm.I am also a little confused as to where exactly our water comes from. Where DOES Johnston County pull it's water from? Neuse river, City of Raleigh....If you check the Johnston County website it doesn't tell you. It also doesn't tell you about what exactly is restricted or allowed.
Looks like gardeners are gonna have to install rain barrels if we want to keep our plants alive. I have given up on my lawn, but have lots of plants in containers that I don't want to lose -- as well as selected trees, shrubs and perennials around the yard. We also have a small backyard pond with fish that will have serious problems if we can't periodically add more water.
Although I think the city is doing the right thing with the new water restrictions, it bothers me that they have not planned better for the problems. I tried to buy a rain barrel from Raleigh Public Works last week, and they were all out of them. I had called for information the day before and they made no mention of supplies being short. I drove downtown the following day during lunch, and they were completely out of rain barrels and conversion kits. Plus they could give me no timeline on when they might be available.
Wow, second offense they'll turn your water off!! Talk about creating health related issues! What a mess! I agree with Tony as far as poor planning and wonder what if any effect sending his letter to all our local newspaper editors would have. I heard a blurb that the Governor is thinking about leveling the field as far as restrictions, across the state. Anyone know anything about that?
From something I read a long time ago there are places where what is above your property is not considered yours, so in those situations they conisder it theft of a natural resource if you collect rain water in any way. Must really limit people's gardens!
Can't find anything about the blurb I heard on the news, but did find this... Hope it's ok to put this here?
Redrawing state lines?
from the article... ::::::snip:::::The Georgia House and Senate this week passed separate resolutions that would create a commission with Tennessee and North Carolina officials to resurvey and redraw the border at the 35th parallel. Water-thirsty Georgia, hit hard by a drought this past year, has long had its eye on Tennessee River water, tantalizingly out of reach across the state line.::::::::snip:::::
Good article about the border battle - I saw a tv news clip on this and couldn't believe my eyes! Considering the mayhem just adding a new phone area code or mail zip code creates, imagine the mess relocated TN residents would have to deal with - a whole new state of residence!
As for the '2nd offense = water turn off', I can't imagine the Board of Health would allow that. Wonder if the City has devised some sort of 'denver boot' or 'lock-box' for outside faucets? Without some detail, it sounds like an empty threat to me and can you imagine the lawsuits??


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subset: commoncrawl


text:
JiElSoSvIeCuA: Mittwoch, Mai 9, 2012 - 02:37
Can someone help me please!??!!!
I have a problem...
My best friend is a guy and i really like him
do i tell him or will it ruin things between us??
Guys and girls advice would be great!!
MrsBrown36: Mittwoch, Mai 9, 2012 - 19:36
im goin threw the same problem but i told mih bestfriend and we talk but not as usually as we use to somtimes i wish i never should hav told hym so im not gonna say dont tell hym just wait for some time to tell hym straight up


text:
Channukah Celebration
Thursday, 13 December, 2012 | Starts at 07:00 PM
Everyone is invited...
Channukah Celebration
Thursday, December 13, 7 pm, Crossroads Café
The 6th candle
Everyone welcome!
Experience old traditions; make new ones
FOOD: Latkes with Applesauce & Sourcream, Doughnuts, Pumpkin Spice Tea
GIFT EXCHANGE: bring a gifts from nature that doesnt cost anything
MENORAH CONSTRUCTION & LIGHTING: bring a menorah and/or we will be building them
DREIDEL GAMES: bring any dreidels you have
5 pm latke & doughnut cooking
Contact Molly if you want to participate: email@example.com
Thursday, 13 December, 2012
Starts at 07:00 PM
Crossroads Café
215 Garden Street
(the alley)
Prescott, AZ 86305 USA
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Molly Beverly
Email: Phone: 928-350-1400
Website: Click to Visit
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By Lynda Hollenbeck
I'm old enough to remember when a doll was a doll.
That's it. It was a doll and nothing else. Period.
I had lots of dolls that didn't do anything but exist. They had no switches or strings or other devices to make them do things.
To make them wonderful, it took only one thing: Imagination.
And I had plenty of that.
My dolls became stowaways on ships, stars in movies, heiresses to great fortunes, investigators who were at the center of international plots. You name it; I could work them into a plot.
By Jennifer Joyner
By Clark Hopper
By Brent Davis
I stood outside in the cold. Waiting. The sun had slipped behind the mountains and the wind blew through the valley, taking with it what little warmth remained. The snow that fell the day before had melted slightly and was now a frozen winter blanket on the concrete outside the theater. It was Christmas and we had come to see the Nativity Story.


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I'm an artist and a book designer living in upstate New York.
I love stories—written stories, verbal stories, or visual stories. In my artwork and design, I aim to create compelling images that draw you in and tell a story. Big or small, life is full of moments to be shared.


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Open due to I haven't dating in years..
Anything but Timmies please :)
Let's chat text call... get a feel for a connection and plan the first date together
Somewhere where there is plenty of room for activities. A Catalina Wine Mixer perhaps?
What better way to be a better cook than learning how to cook at like a winery/restaurant! Just a day of prepping, sampling, having good wine, laughter and hopefully an amazing dish :)
if a finedinner with a fine man is what you want here I am
Somewhere quiet not to quiet though where we could talk and get to know each other better.
Going to new restaurants and trying what they have one the menue food is like the best thing ever
My first date would consist of either going to dinneror theater are you in a walk down on the river bowling or something interesting that we can meet and greet and talk to each other
I like going bowling, for coffee, to the movies, or on a hike.
I'm open for anything...IF I'm in an adventurous mood, maybe even seafood.
At a nice resto! A little corner booth for 2 so we can talk!!
Depends on what the woman likes to do and likes to eat
Wine tasting would be a fun first date
A first date should definitely be had over a meal, possibly drinks. It encourages being social and getting to know each other!
I am a culinary art's major, so our first date we can cook together. It would be romantic and fun. I can show you my skills and you can show me yours.
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Coast Guard:
Coast Guard Efforts to Improve Management and Address Operational Challenges in the Deepwater Program
GAO-07-460T: Published: Feb 14, 2007. Publicly Released: Feb 14, 2007.
Additional Materials:
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- Full Report:
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(202) 512-9610
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The Coast Guard's Deepwater program is a 25-year, $24 billion plan to replace or modernize its fleet of vessels and aircraft. While there is widespread acknowledgment that many of the Coast Guard's aging assets need replacement or renovation, concerns exist about the acquisition approach the Coast Guard adopted in launching the Deepwater program. From the outset, GAO has expressed concern about the risks involved with the Coast Guard's acquisition strategy, and continues to review Deepwater program management. This statement discusses (1) the Coast Guard's acquisition approach for the Deepwater program; (2) previous GAO recommendations to the Coast Guard on Deepwater, highlighting the importance of Integrated Product Teams; and (3) operational challenges the Coast Guard is facing because of performance and design problems with Deepwater patrol boats.
In 2001, we described the Deepwater project as "risky" due to the unique, untried acquisition strategy for a project of this magnitude within the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard used a system-of-systems approach to replace deteriorating assets with a single, integrated package of aircraft, vessels, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The Coast Guard also used a system integrator--which can give the contractor extensive involvement in requirements development, design, and source selection of major system and subsystem subcontractors. The Deepwater program is also a performance-based acquisition, meaning that it is structured around the results to be achieved rather than the manner in which the work is performed. If performance-based acquisitions are not appropriately planned and structured, there is an increased risk that the government may receive products or services that are over cost estimates, delivered late, and of unacceptable quality. GAO's reported concerns and related recommendations in 2004 and in subsequent assessments in 2005 and 2006 have centered onthree main areas: program management, contractor accountability, and cost control through competition. In the area of program management, GAO's prior work has found that Integrated Product Teams--the Coast Guard's primary tool for managing the program and overseeing the contractor--have struggled to carry out their missions effectively. We have ongoing work reviewing Deepwater implementation and contract oversight and will continue to monitor the Coast Guard's implementation of our recommendations. In addition to these management issues, the Coast Guard is facing operational challenges because of performance and design problems with Deepwater patrol boats. Specifically, problems with the conversion of 110-foot patrol boats to 123-foot patrol boats ultimately led the Coast Guard to suspend all normal operations of its converted 123-foot patrol boats on November 30, 2006; the Coast Guard is now exploring options to address the resulting operational gaps. In February 2006, the Coast Guard suspended design work on the Fast Response Cutter (FRC)--which was intended to replace the patrol boats--due to design risks. In moving forward with the FRC acquisition, the Coast Guard will end up with two separate classes of FRCs--an outcome that has resulted in a slippage of the anticipated FRC delivery date.
Mar 25, 2015
Aviation Security:TSA's Managed Inclusion Process Expands Passenger Expedited Screening, But TSA Has Not Tested Its Security EffectivenessGAO-15-465T: Published: Mar 25, 2015. Publicly Released: Mar 25, 2015.
Mar 24, 2015
Homeland Security:Action Needed to Better Assess Cost-Effectiveness of Security Enhancements at Federal FacilitiesGAO-15-444: Published: Mar 24, 2015. Publicly Released: Mar 24, 2015.
Mar 23, 2015
Border Security:Additional Efforts Needed to Address Persistent Challenges in Achieving Radio InteroperabilityGAO-15-201: Published: Mar 23, 2015. Publicly Released: Mar 23, 2015.
Mar 16, 2015
Homeland Security Acquisitions:DHS Should Better Define Oversight Roles and Improve Program Reporting to CongressGAO-15-292: Published: Mar 12, 2015. Publicly Released: Mar 16, 2015.
Mar 10, 2015
Government Publishing Office:Production of Secure Credentials for the Department of State and U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionGAO-15-326R: Published: Mar 10, 2015. Publicly Released: Mar 10, 2015.
Mar 6, 2015
Aviation Security:TSA Should Take Additional Action to Obtain Stakeholder Input when Modifying the Prohibited Items ListGAO-15-261: Published: Feb 4, 2015. Publicly Released: Mar 6, 2015.
Feb 26, 2015
Department of Homeland Security:Progress Made, but More Work Remains in Strengthening Management FunctionsGAO-15-388T: Published: Feb 26, 2015. Publicly Released: Feb 26, 2015.
Jan 27, 2015
Supply Chain Security:CBP Needs to Enhance Its Guidance and Oversight of High-Risk Maritime Cargo ShipmentsGAO-15-294: Published: Jan 27, 2015. Publicly Released: Jan 27, 2015.
Jan 12, 2015
Federal Facility Cybersecurity:DHS and GSA Should Address Cyber Risk to Building and Access Control SystemsGAO-15-6: Published: Dec 12, 2014. Publicly Released: Jan 12, 2015.
Dec 19, 2014
Anthrax:Agency Approaches to Validation and Statistical Analyses Could Be ImprovedGAO-15-80: Published: Dec 19, 2014. Publicly Released: Dec 19, 2014.
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Viewpoint: More should be done to end human trafficking
According to Breaking Free, a November 2010 study found that in Minnesota each month at least 213 underage girls are sold for sex an average of five times per day through the Internet and escort services. These underage girls are more than statistics; they live among us and did not choose this way of life. As a society, we need to continue to bring this topic to light and work to end this tragedy. We need to work together to stop the exploitation of these victims.


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Small computers, hand-held phones? No way!
Technology, while wonderful, is often so much more than we ever expected. A few decades back, no one imagined laptop computers, smart cellphones, the Internet explosion, et cetera. Editor Don Whitten writes about some of the changes that have affected the newspaper world that he'd have never dreamed off during his early days as a reporter. (September 6, 2012, Page 4)
College girls through middle-school eyes
Living in a college town has its benefits as most of us know. There are also "challenges" that come with living in a college town, too, and Senior Staff Writer Lucy Schultze takes a look at the good and the bad as she thinks about her children getting older. (September 5, 2012, Page 4)
Will 'undecided' voters keep an open mind?
Democrats and Republicans alike know there's a certain percentage of voters who've already made up their mind about who they'll vote for for president this fall. It's the "undecided" voters, which Editor Don Whitten takes a look at, who'll likely decide the election. (September 3, 2012, Page 4A)
Driving guidelines, tips really pretty basic
Driver's education's main message was, and is, pretty simple: Keep your eyes on the road. Editor Don Whitten notices that more and more folks seem to have forgotten that message and wonders how we can return to those basics in driving. (August 31, 2012, Page 4A)
Having fun in a 'Quest' for knowledge
Good things come in small packages. And sometimes they're just as good years later. So writes News Editor Jonathan Scott as he tells about the first set of Brain Quest cars his son received nearly 20 years ago. (August 30, 2012, Page 4)
Crosstown rivalry's history keeps growing
It's time for yet another Crosstown Classic football matchup as Lafayette's Commodores travel just a couple of miles to take on the Oxford Chargers in a Thursday night TV game from Bobby Holcomb Field. Editor Don Whitten, who's seen three dozen or so of the OHS-LHS games, looks back at the series and what can be expected tomorrow night. (August 29, 2012, Page 4)
Getting close to not-so-favorite things
Editor Don Whitten admits it – he's not a big fan of most of our bugs and worms and such. However, in the interest of education, he writes, he's helping with a school project that involves two well-known varieties – silkworms and pray mantises. (August 27, 2012, Page 4A)
Not the first rape discussion and not the last
Staff Writer Melanie Addington writes about the shock and outrage so many are feeling about the recent comments about rape made by Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin, and hopes that his misinformation will lead others to learn the real facts and take issues into their own hands. (August 24, 2012, Page 4A)
Would student surveys really be that helpful?
Editor Don Whitten, after reading that it's been suggested that student surveys might be helpful in teacher evaluations, pondered how he and his friends would have answered questions about their teachers when they were growing up. (August 23, 2012, Page 4)
Two-party system not shining these days
Statesmen, authors and others have warned, through the years, of the problems our country's two-party political system could cause. Editor Don Whitten writes that's exactly what seems to be happening these days as politicians seemed more concerned about their parties than the people they are supposed to serve. (August 22, 2012, Page 4)


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Have you tried these DIY home improvements ?
My husband and I are closing on our dream home in 3 weeks and I'm so excited !! Our house is only 7 years old but has a couple things we'd like to do to improve it's looks .
First , I read about changing our staircase spindles to the iron look ones. Seems easy ... But I know my dh thinks I'm nuts . Anyone do this ? Easy as it seems ? Here's a pic of our steps and also if you have any suggestions for any of the areas shown please share !
Next idea is wainscoting in dining room. Here is current homeowners furniture so imagine it's gone .,. And a pic of what I want to do after that.
Do you think we need a new light fixture? I do.
Here's my inspiration pic. Not crazy about the wall color .
Any one try to do the wainscoting themselves ? I think we can do it ... Not a lot of wood cutting skills so I will have to practice.
The last project I most want to do .... That might be a contractor job. I really don't love red brick and would love to do a stacked stone covering it ? I feel bad because it is nice red brick as far as brick goes. I just hate it .
What I want to use ( in place of brick !) maybe all the way up the fireplace wall ( but not side walls ? )
Isn't that pretty ? I love the white mantel I already have so just the stone covering brick .
Soooo, are any of these projects you have taken on yourself? Any advice ? Am I being too ambitious ? Do you have any pics of your own to inspire with ?
I so enjoy reading peoples posts and hope to hear what y'all think !!
It is great that you are excited about the new house and wanting to maintain and update, but I would suggest that you live in it for a little while before you go cutting/demoing parts of the house.
I would have to see more of the house, but based on what you showed here are my opinions on your projects.
1) I don't think the iron spindles go with the house style.
2)The wainscoting sound like a great idea. Lots of tutorials on line.
3) I don't think stacked stone will look good with the mantel and fireplace style. Maybe you could paint the brick first, live with it for a while and if that doesn't work, then work on a plan to remodel the whole fireplace wall.
First, congratulations on moving into your dream home.
The house looks really lovely as is and I hope you enjoy that way for a while before starting a project. Houses have personalities and you have to get know each other a little.
I agree with chispa that iron spindles to look to be in keeping with the style of the home.
Do not attempt the fireplace project until you have at least three medium DIY projects under your belt and the full support of your spouse.
The wainscoting is pretty easy, I linked one tutorial for you
Here is a link that might be useful: Wainscoting
Instead of painting brick, I covered mine with tile mastic and then painted it the same as walls. It has held up for 7 years, no cracks etc. An odd idea, but worked. I don't care for painted brick, it always looks like painted brick. I do like your example stone, but as others have suggested, perhaps live with some ideas for awhile. Your surround is the same as mine, the change I made seems to soften the looks of the fireplace. I would trim out the sides of built ins to give them more of a cohesive look with the fireplace. Especially if you add stone, they seem to be hidden behind the FP.
I wouldn't change out the spindles. Why not, instead, paint them in a high-gloss black, and the stairs black and white. While the pic below does have iron spindles, it can give you an idea as to what black and white would look like on your stairs.
Wainscotting is definitely do-able, so long as you learn how to cut the corners, which is the only hard part. Other than that, it's just a matter of hammering pieces of wood to the wall using finishing nails.
Re: the fireplace. A very good rule of thumb (which I wish I'd known when I bought my house) is to live in it for a year before making major decisions (other than the obvious, i.e.: updating a 1970s kitchen). This includes landscaping, because you need to know what it has year round before deciding what to add or take out.
I don't think the FP is a DIY project. That is something you want done right, not only for looks but for safety. That you would want to hire pros to do, and it would be expensive.
I agree with the others that the stone wouldn't fit in very well. Once I had the money, I'd probably replace the brick surround with wood and paint it white to match the mantel and the bookcases. I'd replace the hearth with a slate or cement hearth.
Meantime, I'd go with technicolor's idea of the tile mastic you can paint; paint the FP surround white and the hearth black or gray or brown.
Have to agree with the others that the iron spindles don't seem to go with the style of your home. I think you bought a beautiful home btw and I love the built-ins. And I also agree that living in a home a while let's everything sort of settle with you. Once your own things are in there you might think differently. How do you plan on decorating that room? (style, colors?) But it is truly a beautiful home from what you've shown. Best of luck!!
Thank you all for the input ! I agree that the fireplace at be a bit much to do ourselves . I have no idea yet the colors we will paint ! I know we plan on taking up the carpet on the steps. Also I have to have the iron spindles... Lol I just love them ! I am happy to share more pictures ! I just really feel that the homeowners taste and furniture is a little dating to the home. And I have a hard time looking past it.
We looked at a lot of new construction and the iron spindles are very popular here. I personally think it will a make the home look a little newer ( tho by no means is it old ). The reason we didn't go with a home with all the perfect finishes is this home has incredible views. Not a lot in our budget with this backdrop .
Feel free to suggest what you may !! We prefer cooler colors . We are leaning toward a blue grey , or a slate color.
Entry way
Sorry about the quality of pics . I was in a hurry bc the homeowner was there.
Guess I'll be the lone dissenter here......I like all of your ideas. Unless you design and build your own home, it's almost impossible to always stay within the home's style. I live in an area that is 90% colonial, but I like modern furnishings. I think it's probably more appropriate if you are in a true period home, but not so relevant if you are in a tract subdivision or reproduction home. I say decorate it how you like or you won't be happy.
If the spindles are easily removed, you could try spray painting them first. I'm sure there's even a spray paint that would simulate wrought iron, then you can see how it looks before you commit to the real thing, especially if you have to pay to have it done.
I would certainly take a stab at the wainscoting and then have it done if you find it difficult.
Fireplace....I would just use stone where the brick is now and not take it up the wall above the mantle...you have enough going on with the built ins...might be too much.
Very pretty house...congratulations!
What a beautiful setting! And, that's a big house!
I have no opinion on the iron balusters. I think you can make wood or iron work. I WAS surprised that it's a simple DIY job, as I've never looked into it - not ever having a railing ourselves, lol! I found a link explaining their process that I linked below.
Yes on wainscoting, yes on a new fixture for the dining room and entry. Oh, you didn't mention that one? hahaha
The brick. I have a huge brick fireplace surround that's a not so gorgeous color. It's an 8 foot x 8 foot monstrosity in our living room that I've lived with for almost 8 years because what I THOUGHT I wanted turned out to be NOT what I wanted for the long haul. That'd be the stacked stone. I'm glad I waited because my tastes have changed in those years and the thought of ripping something like that out (or living with the regret) makes me shudder. I'm still waiting for that Ah ha! moment. Give yourself some time in the house before changing that area. It's a bigger job than you think when you take into consideration the moulding on the mantle will likely need to be changed to accommodate the thicker hearth surround.
Here is a link that might be useful: Blog where they DIYed balusters
Wow! those views are fantastic! I can see why the house appealed to you despite the things that aren't perfect. No house is perfect.
If you don't like the brick in the LR, you have nothing to lose by painting it. I lived in a house with a brick fireplace that I despised for 10 years. I am a chicken about doing things that can't be easily undone, but I finally bit the bullet and painted the brick. It made a world of difference. I wished I had done it years earlier!
I like the example of the painted stairs w/the iron spindles. I think that if you paint the spindles, treads, and handrail black you will get a very similar look but for a lot less money...but if the budget is not a concern then change them for how you like. I don't really like the "country" look of those kind of stairs...so a bolder color scheme or adding metal will help IMHO :-)
To me the dining room fixture seems fine, a transitional style piece. Maybe it's not high-end trendy, but I'd consider living with it, first. I agree that changing the entry fixture would have a nice impact. But to answer your question, yes we changed our and it was easy DIY (for DH LOL). The only issue is that we need to move it a few inches over, and have never been able to agree on whether to actually MOVE it or just to swag it...and that was several years ago yet we have still not done anything about it at all other than change it.
The fireplace -- I think the red brick looks harsh in that room. If the room and mantle were a deeper color I think it would connect better. My feeling is that, again, you'll get the most impact for the least investment if you simply paint the bricks and/or the mantle and walls. The stacked stone example, while attractive, just seems too informal for that very formal white mantle. I agree to just live with it for now and see how you feel in a year. Or paint the bricks for now, and then re-address things in a year.
This post was edited by melle_sacto on Sat, May 24, 14 at 11:33
I would not change out the spindles to iron. I did that with our staircase, and regretted it within months. Although it was easy enough to do, it just didn't look as good as the wood did. We took the wrought iron spindles out, and put new painted wood ones back in.
Wainscoting should be easy and simple to do.
As much as I love stacked stone, it fights with the formality of that mantle. I'd paint the bricks instead.
Thanks again everyone !!
I agree about living with some things for the time being. I don't think the fireplace is affordable right away. We have to get a fence put up and our deck is getting steps leading down to the yard. So the wainscoting is the project we can do right away. I am going to try to I've with the brick for a bit. I could paint it but my dh hates painted brick and I don't think he'll want to look at that ( tho it may speed along the stacked stone ! )
The spindles can wait also . It is just so exciting after 2 years of renting to be able to do things again !! We do have lots of painting to start with tho. Can't wait !
When we get the keys and can get empty house pics that may help too ! I agree about the light fixtures. We need to buy dr furniture first . There's just so much to do !! But it's so exciting . I know we can love with the house the way it is . We started in a small home with the tiniest kitchen ever so I know we have come a long way and are very blessed.
Here is the bedroom ... Carpet to be replaced . No ideas here either. Can't agree on bedroom furniture ! Lol
Sorry about the orientation of pics. When I flip them they become tiny
I know they are using the iron spindles in all styles of homes now -- like the "Tuscan" kitchens and Craftsman kitchen in homes that don't suit them -- they are trends. You may be able to find a style that works better if you "have to have" them. Probably the plainer the better, but they will need something else in the house to tie into or they will look like you just put them there for the trendiness of them (consider the hardware and light fixtures for possible ways to tie in the darker metal).
Painting the stair treads and rail black seems to me to be going further in the wrong direction. Look at the photo with that done -- the floors are very dark and they tie in. In your home, they would not.
The wainscot treatment can be as simple as "picture frames" applied to the walls and everything below the chair rail painted white, beefing up the chair rail (and baseboard if needed) by stacking trim and then adding the vertical trim between them -- more like your photo, to taking down what is there and starting completely over. These all are DIY worthy projects, but obviously some will be easier than others.
The stone will not work with the mantel, as several people have pointed out. The mantel not only works with the rest of the house, but also the wainscoting you want to add to the DR. The mantel is a more traditional and formal style, while the stone is a casual, rustic style. I would try painting the brick - possibly only to test the idea of a final color done later in stone, or having a smooth stone tile applied where the brick is now. It could be a granite that ties in with the kitchen, a slate, a marble or possibly soapstone if you can find it. You could also do a stone around the firebox opening and a slab on the top and sides of the hearth.
Just came back to see what other people were saying :-) What about painting the staircase another color altogether? If you stick with wooden spindles, I think some that are just straight up and down, instead of turned (or whatever that style is called) would look more transitional while still in keeping with the overall feel of the home.
Since I have no idea exactly how formal this home is, can y'all suggest ways to tone that down? We are not formal people , no kids but have dogs . We don't like stuffy or formal and I guess the word " formal " to me means please don't relax or enjoy yourself here I want things to remain immaculate. So , when that word is used , I want to cringe and get away from that look. Not too causual I of course , but how can I soften the looks ?
I hope that dosnt offend anyone , I can totally respect others need to have their space defined that way :)
It is a lovely house with an amazing view! I like that it looks older even though it is relatively new.
I currently live in a house with painted stairs. Any painted stairs that get a lot of use will show wear, and I wouldn't do it by choice. (Our stairs were already painted, and we simply repainted.) They also are relatively slick compared to other stairs I have lived with. If you want paint on the stairs, do the risers, not the treads IMO.
I grew up in a 50's house with wrought iron balisters and handrails. So to me they always look dated. I agree with the folks who think that the stacked stone doesn't work with the formality of the mantel. If you decide not to keep the brick or paint it, look at other finishes such as tile or wood panels.
I know what you mean about formal but the fact is you purchased a traditional style home. Look at your entrance way plus I don't think crown molding has ever been considered anything but traditional.
I like ceramic tile on a fireplace. I could not find a good picture but I have seen a sit down hearth enclosed in wood and it looked like part of the built in.
It would not be DIY but it is the project I find most interesting. Here is a picture,
Thank you all for the insight ! Perhaps it's a square peg in a round hole situation. I may have this " dream " in mind and may end up taking away from the beauty of what we have. Another thing to mention , is that some of us here are on our 5th home so we've nailed down what we like . This is my first home purchase that we had lots of time and options.. So what I guess I'm saying is ... I have no idea what my style is for sure and my mind is basically a Pinterest board of pretty things that may not go together !! So I really appreciate the help here.
Lovely home, I can see why you are so excited! The front door and transom style window above the DR door frame are so pretty, and that deck...well, I would always want to be out there and projects inside would never get done. Congrats!
I too, would choose to replace both fixtures in the DR and foyer. The wainscot would be a great addition and not terribly difficult, even for a beginning DIYer. I don't feel strongly either way on the spindles, but I agree about waiting awhile on some changes. Your taste will evolve as you live in the house, and it's a shame when one spends the time and money on a project and decides shortly thereafter that it didn't turn out as desired.
As far as the fireplace, if you want to keep the mantle (I would!) the stacked stone will look all wrong. The mantle is very traditional, while that stone look is quite contemporary. I suspect your style is traditional, or else this house would not be your dream house. Maybe a new paint color in that room will help soften the brick color? I also like the idea of tile- tons of gorgeous choices out there.
One other suggestion, if I may? Stay away from Pinterest! It will just muddy the waters if you are trying to make decisions. It helps to keep you from ever being satisfied. With a daughter planning a wedding, guess how I know this?
Again, congratulations on your beautiful new home! I wish you many happy years and memories there.
What a gorgeous home! How lucky you must feel. I love your fireplace mantel and built ins and even though I'm a brick lover, I find the raised brick hearth just a bit too much brick. When you are considering options (I agree the stacked stone wouldn't favor your style home) maybe something like this would appeal to you? In your white wood, of course.
Traditional Family Room by Sammamish General Contractors DK Martin Construction
Traditional Spaces by Seattle Design-Build Firms RW Anderson Homes
And if you think you could live with less brick, maybe after honing your DIY skill, this could work?
Traditional Family Room by San Diego Interior Designers & Decorators Savvy Interiors
Lily, I think the style you are going for is "transitional" (this is where traditional and contemporary meet in the middle). You have had some good advice to wait a little before you start major changes. Your small changes of paint, light fixtures and more contemporary rugs will make a HUGE difference the home. Best of luck.
I have no decorating input, but just wanted to comment on the stairs. When you take up the carpeting, the treads may be very slippery. We had carpet on ours for about 15 years, then took it up and put in oak treads. Our poor dog spent six months falling down the stairs until she got good at descending slowly. I am careful to never carry anything down the stairs in sock feet, or I might fall too.
Also, those stair treads could be finished wood only on the ends, if the carpet covers to the wall. Ours were pine in the middle. Every tread was replaced with solid oak. Fortunately DH is a woodworker. :)
Beautiful house!
I disagree that the iron spindles do not go with your house there are several different styles of them. There are many homes in our traditional neighborhood that have exactly all of the things you want to do. The stacked stone would look GREAT with your white mantel, have seen many of them, they compliment each other wonderfully. It's a beautiful look and often done here in the south.
I am in favor of the changes you want to make. Living with the house for awhile would make no difference in these minor changes. The stacked stone would look so much better than that red brick. I don't blame you for wanting to get on with that. You have excellent taste! It's going to be beautiful. I love your new home.
In a house we updated we just put a chair rail in the dining room and painted it white below and the chosen color above giving it the look of wainscoting. In this case there was so much furniture, door openings and windows, we felt it would be a place for the homeowner to save money by not doing a paneled wood wainscot. If you are feeling energetic you could add picture frame moulding in squares or rectangles below the chair rail. I have seen DIY'ers use actual picture frames painted white as the raised panel below the rail. Wish I had a picture for you. Good luck and congrats on your new home.
Good morning! The pic of the judge's paneling that you have shown in the first post is from the dining room of a home that we built about 5 years ago. :)
My trim guy did it in about 4 hours and charged us $300 (including materials). It was worth every penny! The center of each of the "panels" is the drywall. Just for reference....the boards that run around the bottom of the room are 1X10s. The vertical boards are 1X4s with shoe moldings placed along the edges to "frame" each panel. The top rail is a of couple types of mouldings built up on top of a 1X.
There is stuff you can put on pine (wood) stair treads to make them not slippery. My house has a VERY steep staircase with very narrow treads, also pine, and they aren't slippery at all. They had been treated before I bought the house, presumably when the stairs were put in, so I don't know what that stuff is or how to apply it, but you can Google it. It's a godsend. I rent my house, and the grade and narrow treads make me nervous enough. If they were slippery too, I don't think I'd be able to sleep.
First of all those views are beautiful!
With respect to iron railings - we have iron railings in our house and I love them but they also suit our house. I would wait on doing those because I think you need to put them in context of your entire front entrance and so formulate a plan for the stairs in conjunction with the entire front entrance - outside and inside. That front door will not play well with iron railings. I think the facade of the house can carry them but the front door can't. If I offend the home owner or anyone else I do apologize but that front door is hideous and doesn't suit the house. That's the first thing I would replace and then live with the rest.
The fireplace surround (no opinion on the brick) - the mantle and crown molding are quite strong features and the shelving on the bookcases looks very lightweight in comparison. While you're honing your woodworking skills on the wainscoting maybe consider adding some molding to the front of the shelves to add some depth to them. I don't mean actual depth depth but 3-dimensional interest depth.
There is already a lot going on with the fireplace - the mantle, the crown molding, the tray ceiling, whatever you put in the shelves and the stacked stone might put that wall over the top in terms of fussy detail. A simple tile might be better.
I wouldn't replace the chandeliers until you've done the wainscoting and bought your new DR furniture. Let that look guide your choices and not the other way around.
When looking at your rooms and decorating them in your mind don't forget to look at them as a whole unit. What rooms do you see from what rooms, how do they flow together, what are the sightlines like between rooms when you're sitting down. If this is your long term house do take it slow. I know it's exciting but you don;t want to be redoing "mistakes" in five years.
I'd paint the brick around the fireplace, white, gray, or black and put molding to the ceiling.
Traditional Living Room by Dallas Media & Bloggers Sarah Greenman
Here are some different looks for you to peruse. Good luck! Love the setting of your home, gorgeous!
Traditional Family Room by Saratoga Springs Design-Build Firms Witt Construction
Traditional Family Room by Los Altos Interior Designers & Decorators Brownhouse Design, Los Altos, CA
Traditional Family Room by Atlanta Interior Designers & Decorators Mary Trantow
Traditional Living Room by Atlanta Architects & Designers Historical Concepts
Stone goes with anything in nearly any decor. I love the look.
Eclectic Living Room by Southampton Interior Designers & Decorators Design House
Not a bad look with the tile, looks nice in this room.
Traditional Living Room by Greensboro Interior Designers & Decorators Transforming Rooms
Traditional Living Room by Seattle Design-Build Firms RW Anderson Homes
Traditional Staircase by Romeoville Specialty Contractors Jusalda custom stairs Inc,
Traditional Staircase by The Woodlands Kitchen & Bath Remodelers The Woodlands Home Remodeling
Traditional Staircase by Chesterfield Home Builders Bruning Homes, Inc.
Lovely house! What a view!!!
Instead of "formal," call it traditional and classic.
I really appreciate your last post, lilyfinch, especially your comment about a Pinterest board of pretty things.
You said you love your mantel, and you want to use wainscoting.
You also like iron spindles and stacked stone.
All those things are pretty, but not necessarily all at once or in the same house.
Just because lots of people are doing it, or every house in the neighborhood has it are not reasons to do it.
Those might even be reasons Not to do it, or at least to hesitate.
As far as people in the south using stacked stone and iron spindles in traditional houses, I'm sure they are. In new subdivisions in our state, you can see many examples of interesting choices in the use of stacked stone. Apparently, the thought is More is Better.
Like everywhere else in the U.S., sometimes those kinds of elements are used appropriately to the style of the house, and sometimes inappropriately.
Stacked stone looks great when it's called for and used in a way that makes sense. But lately it's been so overused and misapplied that I wonder if the next big trend will be tearing it out.
Forgive me, I know this has nothing to do with the style of your staircase but I just have to say this is just visually stunning!
~Seeing more of the iron balustrades in contemporary design.
Traditional Entry by Dallas Interior Designers & Decorators Dallas Design Group, Interiors
I absolutely love your house and those views. I would personally live on that porch / deck wow lucky you!
I think if you used restraint in how you do the fireplace and the stone it could work and help to transition from formal to a bit more relaxed. I definitely wouldn't go up above the mantle and would really be picky about the stone and again use restraint. This picture is an example that looks good.
Oh wow ! These are some great pictures and I really appreciate y'all posting them and taking the time to do so.
I really love the door , but respect others opinions. :) I know the lighting needs changed too . I can't wait to get there again and really see it as our own ! I love iron so I'll probably find lighting that is black and iron. I love it in the garden too . It's my fav thing to shop for at antique stores!
Gr8day , thank you for your encouragement ! We must have similar tastes. I love the 2nd and third fireplaces . I did look at tile at hd and lowes today and found a tile that mimics stacked stone that I may consider. Also the stair pics make my heart smile ! I just love them.
Raven Cajun , that pic is exactly how I thougt it would turn out !' I know my inspiration pic was much bigger fireplace. This pic you posted is just perfect.
Melsouth , thank you for your ideas! I am in tennesee , so yes these things are popular here. But beside being popular , they are things I really love. I believe there is a lot of psychology behind ones home choices too. I grew up in a trailer , for 19 years.. Didn't know any better of course , and my parents did the best they could ! Love them for it ! Now I am 30, buying my dream home and feel very blessed. I think I am attracted to these different things because of years of admiring other peoples homes. So even if other people have similar things , I am so proud to have them !! I don't feel the need to be keeping up with others . I hope it dosnt come across like that .
I love beautiful staircases , and I think it's because when I went to friends homes as a child , I thought they were great ! We didn't have stairs .
I'm sure there's a lot buried in our minds relating to our styles ! It would make for an interesting discussion , for sure! :)
DIY - in order to remove the existing spindles and then install new spindles, there is a reasonably high likelihood that you would have to remove the handrail. In doing that, you would most likely damage the Sheetrock around it at the top of the stairs. Sheetrock patching and then repainting would be needed. In addition, note how the handrail winds around over the top of the newel post. Removing and replacing it would introduce a stain/finish matching challenge. You will also have a tread refinishing task if the new spindles aren't the same diameter and size as the existing.
Are you ready for this type of DIY?
Such a sweet and wonderful story and now you will have this beautiful new home! I'm so proud for you!!!
Around here when they take out the spindles they leave the other decorative support posts so the integrity of the stair rail is not compromised. They simply replace just the spindles. In fact when they build a staircase the spindles are the last thing to go in. We had our staircase made and it was brought to the house without the spindles which were put in after the stair rail and posts were installed. The support posts that are heavier wood are left in place and the drywall never comes into play as the spindles do not connect to the drywall but only to the rail, the bottom trim and the posts and finish trim of same wood. If you elect to have it professionally installed it's a pretty quick process. There are lots of companies here that do it. Enjoy your new home to the max!
In our town there are homes from brand new to over 180 years old, as there are in many quaint towns in our country. We aren't what I would call cookie cutter and I admire the many different styles that people have loved all through these many years. We live near our 200 year old town square in the city. You can find these elements of stone fireplaces in old and new as well as wrought iron accents. I never thought of wainscot as trendy either. Do what makes you smile when you pass by it in your daily comings and goings. Making it your own is the best!
" I just really feel that the homeowners taste and furniture is a little dating to the home. And I have a hard time looking past it. "
yes, it is. and that's is a good reason to move in, get your stuff around you and do little things (replace any carpet? light fixtures etc) for now. six months or more down the road re-evaluate those other things.
It's a beautiful house - and awesome view!
"Around here when they take out the spindles they leave the other decorative support posts so the integrity of the stair rail is not compromised. They simply replace just the spindles. "
That all depends on whether the spindles fit into holes on the underside of the handrail or are just flush with the underside.
You have confused me. I agree the dining room is ripe for wains cotting. It can be an easy thing to mimic depending the style you choose. IMHO it is a very formal treatment, but you said "we are not formal people". It really sounds like the best advice over all is SLOW DOWN, live there awhile. Iron is such a harsh dark treatment. I will never be a fan.
Jmc, if you look at videos on how to do it yourself you will be surprised at how simple it is . No drywall involved. There are these little black shoes that hold the posts in place and cover any damage from the white spindles .
Arcy , I understand what you are saying. But I see wainscoting as a nice finishing touch , like crown moulding . I think we can tone down the formality of the room by not choosing heavy window treatments and our table can be light.
Gr8day , here in tn is a beautiful little town called franklin . Similar to what you described , town square and all . They have old and new homes and they are overflowing with character! I just love it. Double staircases , butlers pantrys, I even toured one that had secret servants stairs and rooms . It was so neat ! I love strone property walls , lots of those. One had an enclosed courtyard garden . There is so much beauty in these little towns!
It looks like the brick used in the fireplace is the same as the exterior brick on the house. This is a wonderful matching accent which I would be very slow to change. The red brick is timeless. Stacked stone is going to look very dated within a decade, if not sooner. Are you old enough to remember when volcanic rock accents were all the rage in the 70's?


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Train more of us to use guns, say police· Six are held in hunt for killers
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Prescott blasts 'fop' envoy over book earningsThe future of the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission was thrown into fresh doubt last night after he was subjected to an astonishing attack by the Deputy Prime Minister and told that he should quit.
Glitter arrested over child sex as he tries to flee VietnamDisgraced rock star Gary Glitter has been arrested in Vietnam as he tried to flee the country following allegations that he committed 'obscene sexual acts' with under-age girls.
Front page
Army warned it is not above the lawAttorney-General denies that the prosecutions of British soldiers accused of abuse in Iraq are politically motivated show trials.
Britain opens way for new climate dealMargaret Beckett woos other nations by suggesting voluntary targets for cutting emissions as part of bid for a post-Kyoto agreement.
Best's family gathers as star remains 'critical'George Best's family was at his bedside last night as the football star lay unconscious on a life-support machine in a London hospital
News p2
Brown opposes Blair Force One
Gordon Brown has refused to fund a fleet of Prime Ministerial planes, nicknamed 'Blair Force One' after the US presidential jet, to ferry senior politicians around the world.
Health watchdog warns on drink law
Environmental health officers are warning that new licensing laws coming into effect this week will place such a huge strain on them that public health will suffer.
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News p3
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News p4
Should officers be armed on our violent streets?Ivan Dunne knows what he wants: more armed police. Twelve years ago, his brother, Patrick, a policeman, was shot dead by Yardie gangsters in London. In the wake of the murder of PC Sharon Beshenivsky, Dunne believes the time has come to have more armed police on Britain's streets.
Forced to grow up with griefAll children who lose a parent have their world turned upside down, but they do cope, says Phillip Hodson.
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King of Savile Row is saluted in styleA tailor who revolutionised menswear has become the first black designer to have a show at the V&A, reports Nicole Mowbray.
News p7
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Message to the middle class: cities need you
Only when the exodus of quality-demanding families stops can urban living flourish, says Labour's favourite architect Lord Rogers.
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The BBC, Emin and a bill for £60,000The BBC faced embarrassment last night after internal emails revealed that it 'invented' a reason to explain to critics of why the corporation spent £60,000 of licence fee money on a sculpture by Tracey Emin. By Antony Barnett.
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Guestrooms have kitchens, complimentary wireless Internet access, and refrigerators; rooms also include microwaves and air conditioning.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
A complimentary breakfast is offered. Public areas are equipped with complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access. This Skokie aparthotel also offers laundry facilities, complimentary use of a nearby fitness facility, and a safe deposit box at the front desk. Complimentary self parking is available on site.
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Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
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Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
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Issue 4 • Date July 2010
Filter Results
Design and analysis of pulse-width modulation-based two-stage current-mode multi-phase voltage doublerPublication Year: 2010 , Page(s): 269 - 281
Cited by: Papers (3)| Quick Abstract | PDF (1407 KB)
A new closed-loop switched-capacitor (SC) converter of two-stage current-mode multi-phase voltage doubler (CMPVD) is presented by combining multi-phase operation and pulse-width modulation (PWM) technique for low-power DC-DC step-up conversion and output current regulation. This CMPVD is composed of two voltage doublers and one constant current source in series. The voltage doublers are in charge of boosting voltage, and are combined with multi-phase operation to obtain the higher voltage gain by the least number of pumping capacitors. The current source is adopted for supplying a constant current at output terminal, and is combined with PWM to reinforce output regulation as well as robustness against source/loading variation. Further, the relevant theoretical analysis and design include CMPVD model, steady-state/dynamic analysis, power efficiency, conversion ratio, output ripple, source lower bound, capacitance and current source selection, stability and closed-loop control. Finally, the closed-loop CMPVD is designed and simulated, and the hardware implementation is realised and tested. All the results are illustrated to show the efficacy of the proposed scheme. View full abstract»
Behaviour modelling of wideband RF transmitters using Hammerstein-WienermodelsPublication Year: 2010 , Page(s): 282 - 290
Cited by: Papers (4)| Quick Abstract | PDF (338 KB)
The authors concern the application and use of a class of block-oriented systems, known as Hammerstein-Wiener, to model the dynamic non-linear behaviour of radio frequency (RF) transmitters. This class of system models is found to better mimic strong dynamic non-linear systems, as compared to simpler individual Hammerstein and Wiener models. The identification, which may look complicated at first glance, is skillfully tackled in an iterative two-stage identification approach by applying a class of global pattern search techniques along with the Narendra-Gallman method. The number of parameters processed at each iteration is therefore reduced, which considerably facilitates the progress and convergence of the identification algorithm. The model is identified and validated for two classes of power amplifiers. The validation results are obtained for various orders and are compared to the results of memory polynomial models. The Hammerstein-Wiener model achieves comparable results with a much lower level of complexity, in terms of the number of parameters associated with the model. View full abstract»
Efficient modulo 2n + 1 multipliers for diminished-1 representationPublication Year: 2010 , Page(s): 291 - 300
Cited by: Papers (7)| Quick Abstract | PDF (654 KB)
An efficient architecture for diminished-1 modulo (2n+1) multipliers is described. The new architecture is built using a pure radix-4 Booth recoding block, an inverted end-around-carry carry save adder tree and a final diminished-1 adder. Although one correction term is used, the complexity of the circuit is very simple. There are n/2 partial products (PP), one simple correction term and one constant, each one n bits wide. The new multipliers can handle zero inputs and results. The analytical and experimental results indicate that the new multipliers offer better speed and more compact than previously published solutions. View full abstract»
Adiabatic charging and discharging method with minimum energy dissipation for a variable-gap capacitor systemPublication Year: 2010 , Page(s): 301 - 311
Cited by: Papers (3)| Quick Abstract | PDF (558 KB)
This study considers a method for minimising the energy dissipation when charging a variable-gap capacitor. The authors assume a capacitor coupled with repulsive mechanical potential energy. The potential energy is proportional to 1/dn, where d is the plate distance. With this capacitor model, the authors use the method of Lagrange multipliers to investigate a way to minimise the energy dissipation. When n = 3 (Q = pV2 is satisfied in this case), the authors confirm that the conventional equal-step charging does not minimise the energy dissipation. From the viewpoint of the charge transfer per step, conventional constant-charge-transfer charging does not minimise the energy dissipation, but increasing-charge-transfer charging (small charge transfer at the initial step and large charge transfer at the final step) does minimise the energy dissipation. From analyses of the charging and discharging processes, it becomes clear that the ratio of energy dissipations between the conventional and proposed methods approaches 0.89 when the step number increases. This means the proposed method reduces the energy dissipation by 11% compared with the conventional one. A circuit that enables the minimum energy dissipation as discussed above is also described. View full abstract»
Topological emulation of continuous-time passive prototypes using wave port adaptorsPublication Year: 2010 , Page(s): 312 - 326| Quick Abstract | PDF (1512 KB)
A novel systematic method for designing high-order wave active filters is proposed in this study. This is based on an appropriate description of both the behaviour of passive elements and the topology of the prototype filter using the wave variables. The fulfillment of the Kirchhoff's laws is achieved by employing wave port adaptors. The proposed realisation of the topological emulation of prototype filter is performed using current-mirrors as active elements. This is originated from the fact that summation/subtraction and scaling operations are required for the realisation of wave port adaptors. An attractive characteristic of the proposed method is that the derivation of high-order filters is a one-step procedure because of the availability of the wave active equivalents of passive elements and adaptors. A third-order elliptic filter has been designed in AMS 0.35 μm CMOS process and its performance has been evaluated and compared through simulation results. View full abstract»
Modelling of power metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor for the analysis of switching characteristics in half-bridge convertersPublication Year: 2010 , Page(s): 327 - 336| Quick Abstract | PDF (821 KB)
Considering the power metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) parasitic elements, the switching characteristics of half-bridge converters are analysed. First, the switching operation process of the converter is discussed, including Cdv/dt induced voltage, turn-on and turn-off transient and drain-source voltage oscillations. Then an analytical model of power MOSFET is deduced and validated. Based on the model and Saber software, the switching characteristics of half-bridge converters are simulated with different values of parasitic elements. Finally, according to the simulation results, the design optimisations are presented, and an experimental prototype is used to validate the proposed approach. View full abstract»
Modelling of doping-dependent subthreshold swing of symmetric double-gate MOSFETsPublication Year: 2010 , Page(s): 337 - 345
Cited by: Papers (1)| Quick Abstract | PDF (607 KB)
A simple, yet efficient two-dimensional (2D) model for the doping-dependent subthreshold swing characteristics of symmetric double-gate (DG) MOSFETs has been presented. The 2D Poisson's equation has been solved by using parabolic potential approximation method to obtain the 2D channel potential function of the device. A closed-form expression for the doping-dependent effective current conducting path distance (deff) measured with respect to the centre of the channel of the symmetric DG MOSFET has been presented. Finally, the closed-form expression of the conducting path distance parameter deff has been utilised to obtain the subthreshold swing model of the device. The validity of the proposed model has been shown by comparing the analytical results with numerical simulation data obtained by using the commercially available ATLAS™ device simulator. View full abstract»
Current-mode operational transconductance amplifier-capacitor biquad filter structures based on Tarmy-Ghausi Active-RC filter and second-order digital all-pass filtersPublication Year: 2010 , Page(s): 346 - 364| Quick Abstract | PDF (1031 KB)
The Tarmy-Ghausi (TG) active resistor-capacitor (RC) filters using op-amps and its modification by Moschytz are well known to active RC filter designers. These use first-order all-pass networks in a negative feedback loop. New current-mode universal operational transconductance amplifier-capacitor (OTA-C) biquad filters based on the TG active RC filter are considered here. These are based on a recently proposed OTA-C based first-order all-pass network. Three different feedback arrangements are investigated in the proposed filter structure so as to reduce the pole-Q sensitivity. The proposed biquad filters are shown to implement all different types of filters like low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, symmetric notch, all-pass, low-pass notch and high-pass notch. The synthesis of the general biquad is carried out in a novel way by invoking the analogy with direct-form digital filter structures. The special case of all-pass filter realisation derived from the proposed universal filter needs additional hardware for realising the feed-forward coefficients. Hence alternative OTA-C based all-pass filter implementations based on Mitra-Hirano and Gray-Markel second-order digital filter structures are derived in which the coefficients that are used to realise the denominator are shared in the realisation of numerator also. All the proposed circuits are compared with the other structures available in the literature. The simulation results of the proposed circuits are also presented. View full abstract»
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