May 7, 2019 - Oh My Heartsie Girl

May 7, 2019May 4, 2021

4 Tips to Turn Your Backyard Into a Posh Retreat

…You deserve a backyard that’s beautiful, relaxing, secure and chic. Taking on a project like a yard remodel may seem daunting, but there are steps you can take to get toward that dream lawn. Here’s how to get started.

Design a Pathway

Walkways are a beautiful way to set the tone of your landscaping. Besides looking great, they can drive attention to the focal point of your yard, mark a clear path through a garden or just welcome guests to explore. Before you get started, decide on the main purpose of your walkway and the material you think would best suit the vibe of your yard. With a quick online search, you may even be able to get started on your own. Remember to add a feature or two along the path, such as a bench, to make it even more special.

Add Entertainment

If you are truly making your backyard an extension of your home, it’s only natural that it will have areas in which to entertain. Outfitting your yard with speakers is a great way to bring ambiance to your yard. Distributing them around the area allows you to bring your favorite tunes to the outdoors, upping your enjoyment of the area even more. Plus, they can come in handy if you want to push your entertaining even further with an outdoor movie screen and projector.

Source: Pinterest Create an outdoor projection screen for family movies

Make It Comfortable

You can’t relax in your beautiful backyard if you don’t have a comfortable place to sit. Ensure that you have seats for guests, like an outdoor sofa set or dining area, but don’t forget to have a special area just for you. Like to read? Create your personal reading nook with a cozy hammock chair. Need to protect yourself from the sun? Make sure you have plenty of furniture in the shady areas of your lawn or add outdoor umbrellas. Think about your needs and those of your guests, and then plan out the furniture purchases. It’s worth the investment to have an area you can really appreciate.

Add a hammock for comfort in your backyard — Source: Pinterest

Stay Secure

Nothing will make you more comfortable in your backyard than having peace of mind that you and your family are secure. A security camera system can bring that to you. Lorex Technology offers solutions for homes and businesses that are as dependable as they are sleek. They won’t take away from the overall look and feel of your backyard oasis, while adding the benefit of added safety. With cameras that are motion activated and have night vision, you can rest assured that all the new features in your backyard oasis are guarded. Add a couple of motion-activated lights to feel even better.

The next time you step outside, envision how your perfect backyard would look and feel. You don’t have to do everything at once, so take your time to prioritize what matters most. With planning and hard work, you’ll have a stylish, comfortable and safe yard for you and your family.

May 7, 2019

How to Get the Best Rate on Your California Contractor Bond

All contractors in the State of California are required to have a contractor’s bond. This bond is received from surety companies, and the annual rates differ from one Surety Company to the other. The amount payable depends on a number of factors linked directly to the contractor. For instance, a contractor with a strong financial standing may pay a lower annual fee for a contractor bond, than one teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. It’s all about risk management on the part of the surety company. On this basis, here is how to get the best rates on your California contractor bond.

1. Get your finances in order

This is an obvious one if you want to get good rates. A contractor that has healthy financial books, and has their credit ratings in order usually gets the best rates. In essence, before getting a contractor bond, think of how you can set things right with your creditors and improve your credit score. On top of that, you can set your tax records straight by paying your taxes or coming up with a clear roadmap on how to repay them. However, in the capital intensive and highly volatile construction business, maintaining financial stability is easier said than done. Sudden changes in market conditions can ruin your credit score in an instant. In such a situation, you can try the more flexible surety companies such as contractorbond.org. This company has a program that allows it to take 99% of contractors that have bad credit. By enrolling for such a program, you can work on your financial standing by taking on contracts and ultimately get to a position where you qualify for competitive rates.

2. Get contractor bond insurance

As stated earlier, for surety companies, it’s all about mitigating risks. In essence, a contractor needs to ensure that their perceived risks are as low as possible. One way to achieve this is by taking contractor bond insurance. This insurance ensures that the surety company is guaranteed of getting their money if risks materialize and the contractor is unable to pay. With this insurance, you present a lower level of risk, which incentivizes surety companies to give you much lower rates. To further lower your risks and incentivize surety companies to give you lower rates, take a liability insurance cover. This cover protects your company from risks such as employee liability, natural disasters among other workplace-related risks. This essentially guarantees that your company cannot go bankrupt due to a lawsuit related to workplace injuries. With such insurance, surety companies will have the confidence to give you much lower rates.

3. Build your work profile

A contractor that has a history of getting regular work is generally perceived as more stable than a startup. In essence, to get better rates on your contractor bond, work on getting more work. It may be hard at first, but over time, you will get much better rates on your contractor bond, as your profile improves. To build a good work profile, make sure you give your all in each contract that you get.
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May 7, 2019

Myths About Hair Extensions

What can be more cheerful when you can keep short hair as well as long hair! Wait, what? Yes, hair extension clip-in are used for this purpose. One having short hair can extend its hair using this. Human hair extensions in Melbourne provides us with the best hair extension suggestions and clip-ins. But a lot of them hesitate to use it because they might have heard some negatives about it somewhere. Thus, below stated are the myths related to hair extensions.

Damaged and Broken Hair:

Many people claim that hair extension can make the hair root damaged and result in breaking of hair. Some may also add that it will make your hair thin! But this is totally false as clip-in hair extensions do not pull the hair or exert any stress on hair roots. One must take care that she removes it at the night to avoid any hair break or pressure on the hair scalp. It should be also worn in a proper manner to avoid any damage to the hair. Moreover, permanent hair extensions do cause damage, but in a negligible amount.

Won’t Blend In:

Hair extension will not blend in if and only if you use a wrong set of hair extension for your hair. It is really very important to use the correct hair extension according to the type of hair of an individual. According to specialists, there are three types of set weighing differently: 120 g set is designed for people having thick hair, 160 g set is designed for people having an average amount of hair, and 220 g set is designed for people having a thick and good density of hair. So one has to choose an appropriate set.

Tracks Will be Visible:

Some of them complain that the extension tracks will be visible out of natural hair. This comes when one does not clip it in properly. One must practice well for proper and perfect hair presentation. How to blend clip-in Luxy Hair extensions with thin hair by Luxy Hair will help you to put it properly.

Give You Headaches:

People argue that as an extra amount of weight will be put up on your head, so this will result in headache. But the weight of hair extension is the same as that of natural hair, hence the amount of weight on our head is equal. Even the clips used for this purpose are lightweight and comfortable. Even then if you get a headache, after you are habitual of wearing hair extension, you will get used to it. Also, the clips should be at a little distance from scalp rather than being right at the scalp.

High – Maintenance:

Hair extensions are not so complicated that they need professional salon care. You will have a good hand on it after you get used to it. The clips are also not attached right from the scalp, so hair scalp will also not be oily and hence you need not wash your hair regularly.
Related:
Reasons That People Use Hair Extensions
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5 Tips on Hair Extensions

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May 7, 2019

4 Things You Need to Know When Living with a Recovering Addict

“There are all kinds of addicts, I guess. We all have pain. And we all look for ways to make the pain go away.”

– Sherman Alexie, author of “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”

Maybe I should have seen the signs. Maybe I did actually see them, but just plain ignored them. Maybe I even thought that her drug use was tame compared to others I knew. I guess I was just too in love, too uneducated about the subject of substance addiction, and too engrossed in my own selfish, well-being. Either way, it was months, probably years, before I realized she had one serious problem that neither of us could fix (excuse the pun)…

When things went the way I was dreading, and her addiction was suddenly seriously impacting her physical and mental health, I got educated – degree-standard educated. With advice sought from addiction specialists, I secured her a place at a drug rehab in Seattle, and her treatment finally began.

So here’s what my degree-standard education, majoring in substance addiction, and my continuing sabbatical now she is sober, back home living with me, has taught us both:

#1. One Day at a Time

What’s gone is gone. What’s still there, however, is still there. Taking one day at a time, just like a recovering addict has no choice but to do, is vital if you’re their partner. They may not have thanked you for the help you have given, but they will – one day. In other words, just live your life with them, enjoy the new memories you’re making, and, most of all, be with them when they need you. And always remember, you need to work hard yourself to leave the past where it is – gone. Lastly, relapses happen, even with everything in place. That’s what addiction is – a chronic relapsing brain disorder. All you can do is to try again.

#2. Open Lines of Communication

Any relationship needs open communication at its core, especially when one person is a recovering addict. When such communication exists, there is less space for deceit, a major part of any active addict’s life. Furthermore, you were probably very judgmental when the truth hit the fan, as it were, (as I was, stupidly) and so they may be reticent in speaking with you about what’s really going on in their head. Don’t despair. Keep those lines of communication open, and they’ll talk when they’re ready.

#3. The Necessary Trust

Broken trust is hard to put back together (as you’re probably finding out right now). However, it has to be done if your relationship is to survive. Remember, the recovering addict will feel damaged themselves, but now hopeful. Build that hope with them, and the trust will come. And, of course, rebuilt trust doesn’t happen overnight – give it time, as with all things.

#4. Your Own Health

Each of these 4 things is pretty essential, but none more so than this. Your physical, mental, and emotional health is paramount. That’s not being selfish ( as I first thought), but plain common sense. Think of the parent (that’s you, by the way) and their child sat in the plummeting plane. In other words, put your own oxygen mask on first. If you pass out, you are absolutely no help to them…

Think Lego. Yes… Lego

As a kid, I used to love my Lego. Every Christmas and birthday – new Lego to put together in breakneck speed. I loved the stuff. However, we all grow up, and find that “adult Lego” is far more complicated, highly intricate, and there’s no instructions. None at all. And, most of the time, you’re not dealing with three-dimensional physical shapes – you’re dealing with multi-dimensional thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Yes, “adult Lego” can be really hard to work out.

However, as adults, that’s all we can do. Try to work it out, and build something good. Living with a recovering addict is difficult, but a close, loving relationship (which is why you’re both together in the first place) is all that’s needed, just with a lot of work. These “4 Things You Need to Know When Living with a Recovering Addict” – one day at a time, open lines of communication, the necessary trust, and your own health – can be the foundations you need to rebuild what you had once before, substance-free.

What do you consider to be important when living with a recovering addict? Please feel free to share your thoughts with a comment below. Many thanks.
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