Spring Home & Garden 2016 by Gulf Coast Media

Spring

HOME&GARDEN A special section of

Gulf Coast Media

CHIRP, CHIRP Check out these ways to attract beautiful birds

Save money Renovations could lower your insurance bill

Make homemade candles from your own herbs Freshen up your home with these helpful spring cleaning tips

>>>>Table

of Contents >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

4 12 14

Making your own candles with seasonal herbs is easy and fun.

22 “steps” to planting a garden with a toddler

Renovations could lower your insurance bill

Learn the do’s and don’ts of companion planting

Tips and tricks to get a clean start this spring

Attract beautiful birds to your backyard

Gulf Coast Media 901 N. McKenzie St., Foley, AL 36535-3546 Parks Rogers Publisher (251) 943-2151 parks@gulfcoastmedia.com

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Make custom candles with seasonal herbs By JO BILLUPS I started making candles a few short weeks ago and have found it so easy and fun. For the project, I even involved my seven year old niece. I would never suggest involving children without total supervision, but it really is that easy!

What you will need: • Crock pot with a VERY low setting. The low setting is too high so make sure it has a VERY low option. • Dried herbs. My favorites are lavender and rose buds or dried rose petals. • Olive oil (about 9-12 ounces)

4 Spring Home & Garden 2016

• Strainer • Beeswax • Scented essential oils (optional)

Recipe 1. Put about four cups of dried herbs or flowers in the crock pot. 2. Float the herbs in olive oil. It will take about 9 to 12 ounces of olive oil. 3. Put the crock pot on VERY low. Cover and let it sit for 24-48 hours. 4. Place a strainer over a pot and pour contents in, separating the oil from the herbs. You might end up with some debris in the oil, but that’s ok it will all blend. Remove the strainer and discard the herbs. 5. Put the pot on the stove on low heat add a cup of beeswax. Stir until the beeswax disappears. 6. At this point, you could add lavender oil or rose oil ( for example,) depending on the scent you are looking for. This is not a necessary step, it just enhances

the smell. 7. Pour mixture into glass containers. I like to use the two-ounce containers or the small Ball jars. They have lids, which is nice when you are traveling or giving as a gift. 8. Trim your wicks and immediately place in the candle wax. They won’t stand up at first, but with a little coaxing and as the wax hardens they will. I like to use the lead free cotton wicks. They burn very clean with no soot. Light your candle, sit back and enjoy! GulfCoastNewsToday.com

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Spring Home & Garden 2016 5

How to plant a garden with

your toddler By CRYSTAL COLE

1 Procure plants supplies from garage 2 Gather Take engine from 3 coolant child 4

Set up with toys for toddler outside

sunscreen 5 Put on child begin 6 Actually gardening

Yammer back to child in whatever language she is speaking today

toddler in to 8 Take change diaper

Head outside to transfer plants to the ground

6 Spring Home & Garden 2016

sight of child 10 Lose for five seconds 11 PANIC toddler eating leaves behind tree 12 Find

Hug child as you walk back to garden area

Help toddler â&#x20AC;&#x153;digâ&#x20AC;? with a spade

dirt off you 15 Shake and child

Pat dirt around newly planted flower

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Find toddler eating previously planted flowers

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Try again tomorrow

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Spring Home & Garden 2016 9

Renovations may lead to cheaper insurance By ALLISON WOODHAM

FORTIFICATION

allison@gulfcoastmedia.com

Many reasons lead people to renovate in the spring; perhaps it’s the warmer weather or the tax return just received in the mail. Whatever the reason, there is much planning that goes into projects including financial planning. Some dread the cost of renovating, but certain parts of a home — like the roof — must be replaced throughout the life of a home. When it comes time to replace a roof, windows, doors or any other anchor of a home, it’s important to consider all options available, not just for the outof-pocket expense but also how it can affect your future home insurance. The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety FORTIFICATION Home program is a set of design and construction standards to create a stronger, safer home from hurricanes, tropical storms, hail storms, high winds and wind-driven rain associated with thunderstorms. With three levels

Practice Safety. Reduce Power Outages.

PLANT TREES WISELY. Trees and power lines don’t get along well. When limbs and branches grow long enough to touch power lines, they can cause unsafe conditions. That combination also causes power outages around 300 a year. You can help Baldwin EMC by giving power lines space when you’re planting trees.

For more information about FORTIFICATION or the steps to strengthen your home, call your local insurance agent or visit DontGoof.org. of designation (bronze, silver and gold), each build upon each other, allowing the home owner to choose the level best for their wallet and strength they want for their homes. The bronze option is strictly to strengthen the roof and attic areas. It minimizes the risk of water getting into homes and from the roof detaching from the walls of the home. The average insurance discount is 20 to 35 percent. The silver option is strengthening the windows and doors of a home (in addition to the bronze option). It minimizes the risk of wind entering the home and causing a roof failure. It is also effective in reducing the risk of water coming into a home. The dis-

count available for the silver level is 35 to 45 percent. The last option, gold, is to strengthen the entire structural system and builds upon the two previous options. This ties all of the elements of the home together and to the ground. This is the most effective way to minimize risk from high winds. When it comes to new construction Todd Thomas, with Thomas, Harrison & Associates Insurance Agency, recommends going gold. “Get with your builder; if they’re building to the code, it’s just a matter of getting it engineered to be gold,” he says. It’s not a big cost difference going up, but the long term cost you’ll save will show from the discount you receive. The bronze and silver options of FORTIFICATION are for anyone seeking to strengthen an existing home. “These standards reduce the risk SEE INSURANCE, PAGE

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INSURANCE CONTINUED FROM 10

from extreme weather events,” Thomas says. As far as the material you use for your roof, it doesn’t matter. You can choose a metal roof or shingles. Worried about affording a large project like a new roof ? The Alabama Department of Insurance offers grant programs, subject to the availability of funding, to assist retrofitting homes for qualified homeowners. To learn about grants and if you qualify, go to ALDOI. gov/SAH/Home.aspx. To ensure you get the most out of you renovations, whether it’s replacing your roof or replacing all openings in your home, Thomas recommends calling your insurance agent. “Someone calls and says, ‘I got a new roof !’” says Thomas. “Sure you get a

discount for the new roof, but every year that roof gets older and that discount kind of goes away. For bronze, that discount, 30 percent — or whatever it is — is always going to be 30 percent.” The FORTIFICATION program is also transferrable to new owners if you decide to sell your home. Thomas says they are writing policies for $600 and $700 a year for home insurance. “What this has done for us, is it has opened up our industry to where there are probably 12 different carriers now writing insurance because of what this avenue has done,” Thomas says. “It has really helped our area.” A new roof (that could be paid for with assistance from a grant) that is stronger to sustain the Gulf Coast’s winds and storms and helps you save on your home insurance? It’s a winwin for everyone.

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The do’s and don’ts of companion planting By DESTINY BROWN Some plants work well together when planted in the same pot or in the same plot square. They feed off of each others nutrients, and chemical reactions between plants can produce even more delicious products. Planting together can also protect plants from winds and weather, act as shade, be decoys for harmful insects and provide physical support for their fellow plant.

DO • Though your companion planting (or intercropping) give each plant enough space to spread it’s roots. • Companion planting can help repel insects. Insects use wavelengths to determine what vegetables are growing in a garden. Companion planting confuses insects into where to hide, reproduce or eat. • Plant short, shadetolerant plants (lettuce) under larger, bushier plants (tomatoes and peppers.) • Growing an abundance of plant species can guar-

antee that if one crop takes a beating from pests or disease, there are still be others left.

DON’T • Avoid mixing tomatoes or carrots with dill. • Don’t plant beans

with garlic, chives or onions. • Don’t mix fennel with other plants.

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A clean start this spring By THERESA CORBIN It almost feels like a biological imperative to some. The flowers are blooming. The birds are chirping. And many feel the urge to get to scrubbing. But it can also be overwhelming. So here are some tips and tricks to make your seasonal spruce up more manageable.

For living room/rooms • Try cleaning your fan blades with the a pillow case. Insert the fan blade inside the case, close around the blade and clean both sides of the blade without getting the dust on the floor. • Use a coffee filter to clean windows, streak free. • Dust crown molding with a microfiber rag and

rubber band covering a broom. • Wipe baseboards clean with old, used dryer sheets to repel dust in the future. • Clean dusty air vents with a rag or a sock and a butter knife. • Use a squeegee to get pet hair out of your carpet.

For the kitchen • Make your stainless steel spotless by mixing few teaspoons of cream of tartar with a couple teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide to make a paste. Then apply the cream of tartar solution, scrub with a sponge, and wipe clean. ApartmentTherapy.com says that this solution will make your stainless steel shine like never before. • According to Real

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Simple, you can rid stains in your dishwasher by running it empty with a packet of lemonade Kool-Aid. • Clean your wooden cutting board by sprinkling it with salt and rubbing with a lemon half. • Rub a faucet with waxed paper to prevent water spots and fingerprints.

For the bathroom • In order to get your shower head clean and declogged, pour distilled white vinegar in a plastic baggy and secure it to the shower head with a rubber band. Let it soak for one hour. Wipe clean with a wet cloth. This recipe also works for faucets. • Use a hair dryer or an iron on high heat (no steam) to get rid of water rings.

Clean naturally ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER Orange and lemon peels Cover peels with vinegar Let soak for two weeks Remove peels Dilute 1:1 with water FLOOR CLEANER 1 part dish soap 1 part vinegar 2 parts water OVEN CLEANER 4 drops of dish soap 4 tbs of baking soda 5 tbs of vinegar Juice of a lemon GLASS CLEANER 2 cups water 2 tbs white vinegar 2 tbs rubbing alcohol 4 drops of your favorite essential oil DEGREASER 2 cups of water Juice from half a lemon ½ tsp liquid castile soap 1 tbs baking soda

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Spring Home & Garden 2016 13

Tips to attract beautiful birds to your yard

By STATEPOINT

When hosting neighbors and friends for spring gatherings, your thoughts may dwell on accommodating guests. But how often do you consider your animal visitors? “During spring, flocks of birds migrate and are looking for places to refuel and rest,” says Spencer Schock, Founder of WindowAlert, makers of bird-friendly products for homes. “A few small tweaks to your yard is like placing out a welcome mat.” Unfortunately, migration is not without peril or hardship, but Schock says turning your home into a refuge for birds can be fun and add beauty to your yard. He offers these tips to keep feathered travelers safe during their migratory journey. • PROTECT FLIGHT: Millions of birds die annually by striking glass, making windows a hazard to birds in flight. Try applying special decals that reflect ect ultraviolet sunlight to your home’s windows, particularly those windows that are highly reflective of open sky. The decals won’t affect your view because they’re virtually invisible to humans, but will help keep birds safe. For example, those from WindowAlert have patterns

14 Spring Home & Garden 2016

that give the appearance of slightly frosted translucent glass, but glow like a stoplight for birds. The brand also makes a high-tech liquid called WindowAlert UV Liquid, which can be applied between decals. Such ultraviolet decals have been scientifically proven to keep birds safer. A 2015 American Bird Conservancy Study found that the more WindowAlert decals that were applied to a piece of glass covering the departure point of a flight tunnel, the more birds avoided it (a net protected all the birds in the study from actually getting hurt, no matter where they chose to fly). • BED AND BREAKFAST: Birdfeeders come in all shapes, sizes and styles, and simply adding one to your yard can help beautify it and give birds the energy needed to continue their flight. Remember though, bird strikes are often a problem near bird feeders, as feeding birds are easily frightened and are apt to take wild, evasive flight; position feeders closer than three feet or farther than 30

feet from windows. If your feeder is close to the window, birds fly away from the house. Believe it or not, the safest type of feeder is the kind that attach to the window itself. You can also make your home’s outdoor spaces more bird-friendly filling your garden with the right plants and flowers for pollinating bird species. • WATCH AND RECORD: Grab a pair of binoculars and a field guide book and take note of the types of birds you see and when. This will help you become better prepared for next season. In addition, consider becoming a “citizen scientist” by submitting your observations to The Audubon Society and Cornell University’s database at ebird.org.

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