When it comes to caffeine, my husband gets terrible caffeine withdraw.  He can drink just one Pepsi and then he suffers with migrain headaches for the next three days.  It’s terrible!  My husband used to do a lot of work with teenagers and was always needing to be alert, so, he drank soda.  We’d take a group of teens to visit a college and we’d drive through the night so he’d drink soda.  The problem was, for the rest of the trip he either had to keep downing large amounts of soda or have headaches.  It’s really not worth it.

I’m the kind of person that could drink two to three 12oz. cans of soda in a day if I had it around.  I like to have a yummy taste and the sugar tastes great.  Unlike some people, I can drink off-brand soda, I can drink the fruit flavored sodas (ie. orange and grape flavored), but I prefer not to drink with caffeine.  It’s better for me, and it’s better not to have it around the house to tempt my husband.

Right now I would love to walk into the kitchen, flip on an automated light switch, open the fridge and grab a yummy can of Dr. Pepper.  Since I was just thinking about it (as I wrote that last sentence) I  went to the Dr. Pepper website.  I can’t believe it!  They do have a Caffeine free Dr. Pepper!  Why haven’t I ever seen it in the stores?  The best part, is that they don’t just have a Diet Caffeine free version, they have the real sugar caffeine free version!  I’m going to have to start paying better attention in the stores.  I’m not sure how I missed this good news but my taste buds are watering at the thought.

I wish I could push a button on a wireless remote right now and have a caffeine free Dr. Pepper appear in my house.  I have to admit that sort of news is almost enough to make me pack up three kids, put them in the van and drive to the store.  I wonder which stores actually carry it?  I’ll have to get back to you on that one.  You better believe I’m going to be checking the shelves when I head to the store to see who carries it!

As for my family, we have determined that if we sell, that’s fine and if we don’t, that will be fine also. There is no absolute need for us to move other than we would like the kids to have their own bedroom and we would like more garage space so that my husband can comfortably work from home. However, our wants are just that and certainly not needs. In some ways, I feel content just to stay right where I’m at. There wouldn’t be any moving expenses and hassle. Our current mortgage is approximately 3 years off from being paid off completely. It would in fact make life easier in some aspects.

We have looked at another house that is for sale. It would certainly meet our needs with plenty of space for the kids and the husbands business. The price is right, given the current market, but the interior needs some serious help. The kitchen would need to be gutted, the ceilings need the popcorn texture shoveled off and skipped troweled, the wood paneling would need to come down and be replaced with drywall and the bathrooms updated. Of course, all of this is no small feat. Unfortunately, my husband is not the handy one in this family so most of the tasks would be mine. I could probably handle most of the gutting of the kitchen but the re installation would definitely be someone else’s issue. The ceilings are no problem for me. I can get the popcorn down. Putting up the mud is labor intensive and shoulder killing, but I could probably do if I had to. I have no problem taking paneling down and I could even put the drywall up myself but the seams and joints would need a master’s touch.

After all the big items are taken care of, then there are the little things such as painting, furniture, alarm system installation, window treatments and so on. Most of the little things are do-able over time. I’ve been debating whether to go with a monitored alarm system like ADT or just install a system myself that isn’t monitored such as the DS7000 Protector Plus Home Security System, an X10 security system from the Home Automation Store. Both have good points to them. It’s a subject still up for discussion with my husband.

As you can see, if you can move during this recession that we’re in, the updating and remodeling don’t lessen by project or by cost. Perhaps it may be best just to stay exactly where I’m at.

Yes, my pitching out of certain items has cost me dearly sometimes. The kids get mad because I’ve pitched a toy or something that they think was valuable. That’s happened on quite a few occasions. I always feel bad for a while but then both of us seem to get over it. On the odd occasion, I have gotten rid of something that the husband needs later but it is not all that often. It is hard to recognize when certain items will be useful in the near future and when those items will just take up precious space for no good apparent reason.

I have two plastic baskets on the shelf up in the kid’s bedroom. They hold their baby books, some school year books and a couple of valuable items that have been given to them. I really like these baskets because they are collapsible. They fold in on the sides and can be easily stored away when not in use. They are ideal size and can hold a lot of stuff when needed. Their only downfall is that they are plastic and as with any plastic, they eventually wear out and break. Constant use and time are not their friends. I would really like to find a basket made just like them only made out of wire and metal. That would eliminate the breakage factor. They would be a lifetime item. They would be better yet if they were stackable. I can think of an unlimited number of uses for them.

There is a company in York, Pennsylvania, that makes wire baskets. They have over 50 year’s experience of making wire baskets and racks to any specification and they have the ability to provide certain coatings on them to prevent rust, snags and breakage. Equipment made like theirs can last forever. They’ve made everything from trash bins to baskets used for medical purposes and everything in between. Even things that you and I take for granted, such as car parts, have been manufactured using wire baskets and racks. The next time you take a trip to your local fast food joint, check out the equipment they are using. You’ll find that a significant part of their product has been manufactured using the wire basket and rack concepts.

Three M Tool Company has the ability to design and manufacture exactly what you want as do several other wire basket manufacturers. Call them today and get a quote for what you want.

Home foreclosures and short sales are at an all-time high and there seems to be no relief in the near future, even with the bail-out plan in action. This is the perfect opportunity for a person who has extra cash stashed away, to buy some houses and fix them up. If you hang on to those houses until the market picks back up, you could make a fortune selling it or renting it.

With all the buzz around the Washington DC area, I can only imagine that home ownership in that area is a real investment. If you were to purchase a foreclosed home in the Fairfax, Bethesda, or Germantown, Maryland area, you are pretty much guaranteed that eventually you will sell the home or rent it for some nice pocket change. I can remember in past years when it was difficult to even find a place to rent. As soon as this economic struggle is over, I’m sure that difficulty will return, perhaps with a vengeance.

Along with consideration on the location of the house, is the consideration of its condition. Of course, when a house goes into a short sale or foreclosure, a lot of the times, homeowners are not kind to the interior and the exterior may not be in great shape either. Sometimes a complete gutting inside clear down to the foundation and the studs is needed.

There is a company in Bethesda, Maryland that specializes in renovation projects for homes. They have the manpower, tools, skills, and understanding to renovate your investment and give you peace of mind while doing so. D.R. Hartman Construction has over thirty years of experience and they can handle any project. They have the ability to pull permits and get the job done right and on time.

Of course, I don’t recommend that you stick with just one quote. Go get two or three quotes for your project. There are several companies in the area like American Custom Contractors who may also be able to give you a quote for your investment project.

Whatever you do with your investments is up to you but make sure you are investing wisely. For many years, home investments have proven to be a surety. Just because today’s market is unsteady doesn’t mean tomorrow’s doesn’t have any promise. The economy will return to its full potential and be better than ever, given enough time.

The website has a host of integrated as well as stand alone security systems on offer. Prominent amongst them are the XP Protector Plus Home Security System with its associated devices. The website goes on to explain the system in its entirety and also illustrates its usage in typical user configurations. A brief explanation of this system as provided at the website is as follows :-

The XP Protector Plus Home Security System (DS7000). This is a complete home security system which is wireless and easy to deploy. It has a multitude of sensors which can be incorporated into a single alarm security system that promises to be an effective deterrent to any misadventure. The system promises to end your monthly payments to security firms and has a number of niche features like an auto-dialler and a 16 zone wireless protection module. At $79.99 this system is ideal for your home security and alarm requirements. The system has an efficient design which ensures that there are no false positives and false alarms. The system allows for normal armed protection when the owner is away. It has motion detection features and can be activated along and besides the door as well. The system is available at

X10 Powerhouse Door/WindowSensor (DS10A). Another linked product in the system, the Sensor is an indispensible part of the security system. When a door or window is opened, this expert sensor wirelessly signals the X10 Home Security system’s base receiver to generate an alarm due to intrusion.

X10 Home Security PowerHorn Siren (PH508). This siren can be installed anywhere in your premises, but ensures that it can be heard where, whenever. No intruder will dare to hang around when one of sirens sounds!. The siren trips it set on an intrusion over the existing wireline/wireless system The owner can place the the POWERHORN in a remote location where a burgular can’t easily get to it.

The products available at the Home Automation Store are shipped using the convenient USPS International Priority Mail which is normally shipped within 24 hours. The store accepts a multitude of payment options which include VISA, MasterCard and Paypal. The website is powered by Yahoo! eCommerce solutions and is safe and secure for all your requirements. A very effective feedback mechanism that keeps making the site better, a cart which is easy and fast to use and a very easy to use interface makes this website an instant success. Use this website and make your home safe and secure – automatically!!

I even found a couple sites that feature feedback on the Home Automation Store: Amazon & Ebay.

Today they were headed to the local recording studio for a practice run on a few songs they already knew and a bunch that they had never heard. The technician at the studio was a friend of the group and had some spare time in his studio to guide the boys through. Each session was a fun challenge. Not just because there were new tunes introduced to them but because they were boys. Kidding around, punching each other and cutting up was just their style in order to relieve the tension that the lit up ON sign produced.

The group started off with a variation of “The Old Rugged Cross”. It was performed flawlessly. “That combination of bass and tenor was just terrific” said Keenan, the studio manager. “Yes, they certainly have much talent stated Dan, “Now if only they can produce as good on a recording.” “To late” said Keenan, “I’ve already got them on a music flash drive.” “Excellent work, Watson!” exclimed Dan. “The boys don’t know it but I’ve been recording them all along and we almost have enough songs to cut a disc with. I think I have about five and a half minutes left and it will be filled. I’d really like to have a fun song to add to it, something that would really cap off the end nicely.” “Well, how about the “I’ll Fly Away” song?” inquired Dan. “Nah, I had something more fun like the “I Love Broccoli” song or the “Wiggle Worm” song. You know, something with pizzazz that would include the younger generation.”

After a few renditions of each song, they decided that neither song really gave them the zing that they were looking for. The boys decided that they wanted to give the “Arky, Arky” song a whirl. “Wow! That was excellent.” shouted Dan after they had finished. “I couldn’t have done it better myself.” “And it’s all captured on the flash drive” said Keenan. When the boys heard that, they were curious. They wanted to hear the whole drive. Keenan plugged in the music flash drive and hooked up the CD recorder. Soon a CD was born featuring the “Judges”.

That has to be a cheaper option for the gas station than trying to have a whole bunch of different fountain machines carrying all those different types of soda.  I’d think it has to be a good selling tool too.  I actually considered buying a soda just to try out the machine!  I didn’t need a soda, we had some out in the van, but I just thought it’d be fun to try out the different tastes. 

Can you imagine how fun it would be to have a machine like that in your home?  I could see places like The Home Automation Store coming up a way to make this possible.  With the touch of a X10 remote control button we could change that soda from plain coke to a cherry coke or vanilla coke.  Finally maybe I would have the option of getting Caffeine Free Vanilla Coke.  I like Vanilla Coke but naturally they don’t make it cafine free so I never get to drink it.

Of course I’m being crazy,  I wouldn’t want a big ole soda fountain machine in my kitchen taken up tons of space, but the idea of having a good soda to drink is always appealing.  Right now I have six children in the house (not all mine!) and any kind of X10 automation would make my life easier!  How easy would it be to have a soda machine that the kids could just walk up to and get a drink at will so I didn’t have to get it for them.  (Of course that would mean a lot of sugar intake. Maybe I’d better rethink that one!)

What would really be helpful actually would be a milk fountain.  One where strawberry and chocolate could be added to the milk.  It seems like every time I sit down to finally get a bite of supper in my mouth one of the kids needs more milk.  Then, once I have their cup refilled and the milk jug back in the fridge, the next child needs milk.  The strawberry and chocolate would need to be put on some sort of timer like the MT12A 64-Event LCD Mini Timer.  The timer would keep the kids form always getting that extra sugar in their milk and make it extra special for them when they do.

There are so many neat contraptions out there.  Wouldn’t it be neat to have some of them adapted to our homes?  Perhaps in the future we will have the easy choose of making our coke into a vanilla coke or cherry coke.  I can see it happening.  Can you?

Thankfully, the closest Sonic is a good half hour away, in a direction we go only once a week, on a day when we’re not likely to stop anyway. Every now and then, though, there’s something about the thought of a Sonic Sunrise or a Coconut Cream Pie Milkshake that drives out all consideration of the state of the economy (and our personal budget) or the nutritional information that is, most likely, available on the Sonic website. The drinks and desserts aren’t the only draw, either. The “tater tots” and onion rings that they offer as a substitute for French fries are a great alternative, and their burgers aren’t bad at all. When we’re not in the mood for a hamburger, there’s always the Coney dog…not a bad change from your everyday hot dog!

We first discovered Sonic in South Carolina, where we used to live. The first one we saw was a pretty decent hike from home, but it reminded my folks of the drive-ins of their teenage days, so we made occasional treks out to enjoy sitting in the parked car to eat fast food. Several years later, another Sonic went in just up the street from the dormitories where I lived during college, and we ended up at that location a whole lot more often, especially after I graduated and could better afford such things. For a few years after graduation, any trip down to the campus always included at least one meal at Sonic, with the last meal in the area always sure to include at least a Sonic milkshake or a Sonic Sunrise as I was leaving town.

After we moved to the Northeast and got cable, we considered it to be cruel and unusual punishment to see commercials for Sonic, since the closest one we could find online was down in Virginia—not exactly close enough for a quick lunch! Imagine our delight when we learned that a Sonic had just been put into the new shopping center where my dad was working for a couple weeks. Not long after, another location opened up right down the street (okay, about 15 minutes “down the street”) from where my folks now live, in the heart of outlet country (go figure!). If that’s not enough, Dad recently ran into a couple who own both of those locations and are planning another that is actually on the road that Mom and Dad travel every day to work! It’s a little bit out of the way that we usually go to their house, but we just may have to alter our usual course…and get a little bit fatter and a little closer to broke….

On almost all calls that a police or sheriff deputy responds to, they must file a report. Back in the golden days, those reports were hand written and filed thru a system that wasn’t faster than a snails pace and fraught with many mistakes and mishandlings. Since then, most reports can be filed thru the computers that are in the patrol cars and using air cards, they can send the reports to the Sergeant and on to records. It’s a great system until the air cards fail and then no one is able to get anything done.

A simple solution to this complex problem may be personalized flash drives. These flash drives can be purchased with the sheriff’s or police department’s emblem and issued to each unit out on the road. When the day is done, the report is saved and approved by the Sergeant, then the officer or deputy can turn the branded flash drives into the records department. Before leaving records, the officer or deputy would be responsible for picking up another customized flash drive to keep with him or her for the next time the air card seems to have a hiccup.

Such a simple solution to a complex problem, but wait, it can even be made simpler. In a day when budget crunches see law enforcement agencies cutting services to bare minimum, large quantity orders of customized flash drives with agency logo’s imprinted on them could be the key to savings. To sweeten the deal, USB flash drives with the report outline preloaded on the drive would be just the ticket. No more time spent on left out details. Fill in the boxes on the preloaded report, write a brief synopsis of the event, check your spelling and be on your way. The results would be less kick- backs from the Sergeant for information missing or spelling errors.

However, we all know that any agency worth it salt would love to have these gems as gifts. The police chief and sheriff have buddies that he wants to impress. Give them the lasting impression of a flash drive with the logo on it. They won’t forget it and it will be treasured more than that coffee cup you gave them two years ago that got chipped in the dishwasher. Or how about that Public Safety meeting in the local neighborhood? Pass them promotional flash drives out and let those neighborhoods know that your agency is indeed on top of technology.

I drifted from one so called ‘lighting expert’ to another, in a vain attempt to find the right automation system for my home requirements. I’d bought a number of stand alone home automation devices and was struggling to integrate them and get them to work together. The so called home automation experts had varying solutions to my problem. A few of the experts said that there was too much power-line noise while the others contested that the signal was too weak. I was really frustrated!

Merck, my neighbor, stopped by and, over a soda, told me about a one stop solution to my varied needs. He suggested to me the Home Automation Store. The store has both integrated systems as well as a stand alone system which could do the job for me. My requirements were:

• A fault-free system
• A simple system without wires hanging all around my house
• A system that suited my budget
• I didn’t have to drive from store to store vainly searching for a simple extra needed part for it
• Highest quality

I wanted a system which could work well in large home like mine. The signal shouldn’t fail or the issue of power-line noise should not come up. On Merck’s advise, I checked out the Home Automation store website (the store is based in Texas). It looks like it will do the trick. I can’t wait to buy what I need so I can turn this nightmare into a pleasant, long lasting dream!

Some possible solutions I’m considering are:

X10 Plug-In PRO Maxi Controller (PHC02). The controllers available for controlling the lighting and home automation devices in your home or office need an ideal and efficient controller. The X10 Plug-In PRO Maxi Controller is an ideal controller for your home and office needs. This handsomely designed, effectively priced controller can be placed at any location due to its elegant finish and versatile use. The device can control up to 16 X10 devices that include Lamps, fans and other universal modules. An easy to use interface and a small form factor ensure that this device can become part of your bedside table and the convenience is for all to see. Available at a discounted price of $12.99 (MSRP is $24.99), I found this one to be a pretty good buy, in comparison with some of the competition out there.

X10 SuperSocket Receptacle (SR227). This contemporary designed, clean look receptacle is an ideal piece of equipment in the X10 Home automation network. It provides the ideal replacement for routine receptacles and especially in areas with high visibility due to it elegant design and finish. Available for just $8.99 (almost half off the manufacture’s price of $16.99) at the Home Automation Store, this is a great buy. Rated at 15A 120V, this an ideal product for your home lighting requirements.

It looks like The Home Automation Store will make my life easy. Go ahead and make yours hassle free too. Go automate your home.