Handy Helpers - Common Household Items page one
Friday, November 20, 2009
This is the first in a series of short articles highlighting alternate uses of items you probably already have in your home. Enjoy!
Aluminum Foil
1) Sharpen scissors by cutting through 7 or 8 layers of foil a couple of times
2) Shine rusty chrome by taking a bit of water on a wadded-up piece of foil. Rub rust spots away!
3) Bird deterrent - Hang twisted strips of aluminum foil around fruit trees, tomatoe plants, etc. The reflectors and sound will deter birds!
4) A grill liner of aluminum foil will keep your grill from being encrusted with soot.
5) Electromagnetic interference between CD/DVD players and TVs? Put a sheet of foil between them.
6) For better, more efficient ironing, put a sheet of foil under your ironing board cover to reflect heat back which is more efficient and both sides get ‘ironed’ at one time.
7) When you’re through ironing, clean starch build-up from your iron by running your hot iron over a piece of foil.
Ammonia
1) Clean combs by soaking them for a couple of hours in a glass of 1 part ammonia and 10 parts water; then rinse thoroughly.
Aspirin
1) Remove perspiration stains from white fabrics by dissolving 2 aspirin in half cup of warm water; apply to stained areas; let stand for a couple of hours before washing.
2) Eliminate chlorine discoloration from HAIR by dissolving 8 aspirin in a glass of water and rubbing into hair; leave for about 10 minutes and rinse out. Then shampoo and rinse as normal.
3) Reduce pimple size/appearance by making a paste with a tad of water and a crushed aspirin. Cover the pimple with the paste; after a few minutes, rinse away.
4) If your car battery is struggling, recharge it by dropping 2 aspirin into the battery itself. This will perk it up to allow you to get to a shop to buy a new battery instead of being towed…
Save your life - Part I
Take ONE, low dose (baby) aspirin AT NIGHT. Most heart attacks happen in the early hours of the morning… this allows the strongest concentration to be in your system.
Save your life - Part II
Keep full strength aspirin by your side. If you have a heart attack, immediately dissolve TWO aspirin in your mouth and swallow with a bit of water. Then call 911, tell them what is going on and that you took 2 aspirin. Then start forcing yourself to cough. This contracts the chest muscles surrounding your heart. - Scott Askew
Posted in: Intown Living
Non-Toxic Alternatives for Daily Living in The Most Toxic City
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Forbes just named Atlanta the nation’s most toxic city. Really??!! More toxic than Detroit and Los Angeles? Wow. That is a dubious honor. Funny, we never hear Shirley Franklin demanding accolades for that distinction. It would explain The Real Housewives of Atlanta though… the nasty cat fights, poor wardrobe choices, Kim’s inability to grow her own hair… I digress.
For a slight hypochondriac like myself, this is not good news. Face masks, much like hats, just don’t look good on me. And in an effort to be a little “green” or the less flattering term, frugal, I pretty much gave up buying bottled water. So, while I ponder whether or not to invest in a personal air filter to wear around my neck, I thought I would highlight some products and services that provide non-toxic options for our everyday lives. It certainly wouldn’t hurt for us all to consider what we subject ourselves and our families to on a daily basis.
Method Home Products (http://www.methodhome.com)
Methods’s motto is “people against dirty”. I fall into that category one hundred percent. I am definitely against “dirty”, unless the word “martini” follows it. For years, I was somewhat skeptical of the cleaning powers of all-natural, green cleaning agents. I started out purchasing Method’s hand soaps and eventually picked up some household cleaners. I have to say I love their Le Scrub for the bathroom. My tub/shower has a grainy texture that traps every bit of dirt and makeup that I wash off. I have used multiple cleaning products over the years, and I have to say that the Le Scrub applied with a scrubby sponge works better than anything I’ve tried. And since I inevitably forget to wear gloves half the time when I clean, I don’t kick myself when I’m done, because my hands still feel soft.
Norpest Green (http://www.callnorthwest.com)
Northwest Exterminating has been serving Georgia for decades. They have a “green” pest control solution that is not only non-toxic to the environment, but your family and pets as well. I have not personally tried their services, but I have heard great things about them from others. I cancelled my pest control service with Orkin more than a year ago and haven’t had the need to engage pest services since then. If those darn ants rear their ugly masses again though, Northwest will be my first call.
Mercola Healthy Skin (http://www.mercolahealthyskin.com)
I am a product junkie. I have started skipping over any articles to do with skin care products in Lucky magazine, because I will always think “Hmmm. Maybe that is the miracle youth elixir that I’ve been missing”. Well, much like the exercise pill that I dream about, no time machines exist in moisturizer format that I’ve been able to find. Sadly, many of the self-advertised miracle creams have the adverse affect on my sensitive skin. So, I recently decided to give organic skincare a try. I already take daily organic supplements that I purchase from http://www.mercola.com, and I’ve been very pleased with the results. I love their skincare! My skin is soft, supple, smooth and has a rosy glow. The products don’t make my skin break out, and I feel good about using them on my skin. Next, I’ll try the body skin care balms and see if they will melt cellulite… a girl can still dream.
Morningside Farmers’ Market (http://www.morningsidemarket.com)
Morningside Farmers’ Market has been providing organic produce to intown neighborhoods since 1995. Every Saturday morning, 8 AM - 11:30 AM, you’ll find the farmers and artisans set up for business in the parking lot next to Rosebud, across the street from Alon’s Bakery. Previously, I was part of an organic CSA that received produce each week, brought in by farmers outside the city. The organic produce was not only healthy, in season and free from pesticides, but it also was delicious. It was a great program, but I decided I preferred choosing my own produce for the week at the Morningside Market, which also allows me to interact with the community I serve. Our Fourteen West, REALTORS office is just a few doors down. A friend and fellow actor, Karen Morgan, has a booth there. Her company, Pure Bliss Organics, makes the most delicious fruit and nut bars. I plan to pick some more up this Saturday morning. Hope to see you there!
Well, that’s all I’ve got for today. Feel free to join in the discussion with your own suggestions for non-toxic everyday items. - Ashlee Heath
Posted in: Intown Living
Them, by Nathan McCall and The Uncomfortable Questions of Gentrification
Friday, November 13, 2009
At times, I like to fancy myself a literary snob. It is completely delusional on my part, but for a moment I let myself believe that I truly am one of the intellectual elite. After all, my favorite novel is Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. I wield that little fact like a weapon at cocktail parties, as I launch into the deeper themes of that dark story. It works. People view me as an academic, and I beam…that is until someone brings up other classic novels to discuss…novels I have inevitably never read…and reluctantly I realize that honestly, after a long day of work, I’d rather just read US Weekly.
So, when my best friend, Kathryn, gave me Them, by Nathan McCall, for my birthday earlier this year, I thanked her graciously and put it aside. As a mother of three little girls living in the suburbs, she spends most of her time reading rhyming books with pictures these days. How could she possibly choose a book that would feed my thirst for literary genius? As luck would have it though, I was headed to the beach for a week earlier this fall, so I decided to give it a try. To my surprise, I quickly discovered that the story is set in Atlanta’s Od Fourth Ward and focuses on the gentrification of that neighborhood over the past decade. Since I live on the edge of the Fourth Ward and practice real estate, I had to admit that it seemed like maybe it would be a pretty good fit. (Note to self: give Kathryn more credit in the future…she is my best friend for a reason.)
Per Merriam-Webster, gentrification “is the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces earlier, usually poorer residents”. In Them, the author delves specifically into the potential racial tensions that may have and may continue to come to a boiling point in this historically African-American neighborhood where Martin Luther King, Jr. was born and raised.
At times, I thought the characters’ inner dialogues were a little too drawn out in detail, the back stories of some characters seemed irrelevant to the overall story, and the romantic story line of the central character, Barlowe Reed, was distracting. However, overall the racial and socio-economic struggles, both internal and external, that Barlowe, a working class black man, and his privileged white female neighbor, Sandy Gilmore, face throughout the story are compelling.
There were moments where I laughed out loud and others when I argued out loud with the characters and the author himself. I was uncomfortable, angry, sad and uplifted. Many questions were raised that weren’t easily answerer. As a real estate agent, living in an integrated neighborhood of mixed income levels, the specific questions concerning how we handle gentrification of neighborhoods as a city are the ones that are most engaging for me right now.
Gentrification should be a positive experience for all. Property values rise, crime rates drop, diverse cultures converge… But it’s that part of the definition, “often displaces earlier, usually poorer residents”, that poses problems. Islands of poverty breed crime. For example, consider the Boulevard corridor in Old Fourth Ward, or as Creative Loafing referred to it earlier this year, “The Lone Lawless Ghetto”. So, how can we as residents, business owners, constituents and politicians do more to encourage gentrification that doesn’t just move the islands of poverty around, but aims to break them up and integrate more of our neighborhoods on a socio-economic level? How do we target our homeless neighbors with respect, resources and support instead of disdain and contempt? How do we create truly diverse intown neighborhoods on all levels (race, religion, income) for the betterment of our city as a whole?
I don’t have all the answers, but I am thinking about them. I recently participated in the Master Planning for Poncey-Highland. These are all questions that were raised during this process, as I know they were in the Old Fourth Ward Master Planning as well. I guess that’s where we start - dialogue with our neighbors, local business owners, and elected officials. It is to our benefit to be active participants in our communities. This is a great city. We can make it better. It just takes a little effort - a willingness to engage, to listen, to care.
And, that was the tone set in the final paragraphs of Them. The characters didn’t have all the answers either, but they were thinking about them, talking about them, and reaching out with hope. - Ashlee Heath
Posted in: Intown Living
2009/2010 Expanded Home Buyer Tax Credit
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Here are four major points you need to know about the 2009/2010 Federal Home Buyer Tax Credit:
1. For first-time home buyers: The credit can go as high as $8,000 for qualified, first-time home buyers. (The legislation defines “first-time home buyer” as anyone who has not owned a principal residence in the three years prior to making the purchase.) Home buyers must have a fully executed, binding, Purchase and Sales Agreement, before May 1, 2010, but you have until June 30th to actually close the transaction. The annual income limit is $125,000 for singles and $225,000 for married couples.
2. For current home owners: Most current homeowners are eligible for a tax credit of up to $6,500 when you purchase your next primary residence. Current homeowners must have lived in their home for five consecutive years over the previous eight to be eligible. Qualified home buyers can obtain the credit on homes purchased between November 7, 2009 and June 30, 2010. ( Just like the provision for first-time buyers, you must have a fully executed, binding, Purchase and Sales Agreement, before May 1, 2010 and close no later than June 30, 2010.) The income limits for current homeowners are the same as those for first-time home buyers.
3. Classification of Property and Purchase Price limitation: The credit can only be claimed on primary residences purchased for less than $800,000. And as long as you use the property as your primary residence for three or more years after the purchase, buyers don’t have to pay the credit back. If you do sell before the third anniversary of your purchase, the entire credit must be ‘paid back’ to Uncle Sam.
4. How To Obtain The Credit: Anyone claiming the credit must provide documentation, such as a copy of your HUD-1 Settlement Statement, to prove that the sale has closed. A big bonus is buyers can claim the credit on their 2009 taxes, even if the purchase was made in 2010 by filing an amended return!
Do you think this is a good use of your tax dollars? Weigh in! - Scott Askew
Posted in: Intown Atlanta Real Estate News