Just Listed by the Grove Team, Keller Williams

Just Listed by the Grove Team, Keller Williams

Quality renovation by TK Homes, LLC! Situated on a large corner lot complete with an inground diving pool, this four bedroom, three bathroom home has been updated throughout.

Offering the desirable 1.5 story floorplan, new flooring, paint inside & out, granite counters in kitchen and baths, new stainless appliances, new fixtures and more. Additional updates include a new roof, new garage opener, & HVAC condensing unit.

Additional split secondary bedroom would be perfect as a second master or mother in law suite with its full private bath.

Join us for an open house this Sunday, June 2nd from 3:00-5:00 or call the Grove Team to schedule your own private showing, (817) 337-0000.

Just Listed by the Grove Team - 8121 Belaire Crt

Just Listed by the Grove Team - 8121 Belaire Crt

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Independence Custom Homes latest creation offers sophisticated style and design without compromising value or comfort.


Embrace your new sanctuary complete with well tailored finish out that includes stepped moldings, elegant built-ins, and ample amounts of storage. The intelligent floorplan offers the master plus additional bedroom along with additional full bath downstairs, two bedrooms, a gameroom and media room upstairs.

Energy package worth $12,000 provides you with savings, less pollen and dust with healthier air to breathe. Spray foam insulation, encapsulated attic complete with 400sqft of air conditioned storage space, and argon gas filled windows allow Independence Homes to offer a two-year guarantee of $99/month utility bills for heating/cooling.

Contact the Grove Team, Keller Williams today to schedule a private tour of this home -

(817) 337-0000

Keller Fire Station No. 4 - Collecting Donations

Keller Fire Station No. 4 - Collecting Donations

Posted Date: 5/22/2013 - from the City of Keller


The Keller Fire Department is teaming up with the Southlake Police and Fire Departments to accept donations for the residents of Moore, Okla.

We are accepting donations at Fire Station No. 4, 455 Keller Smithfield Road South, through Thursday night (the trailer will leave early Friday morning).

Items that are desperately needed include:

* Non-perishable food

* Daily hygiene products/toiletries

* Clothing (including baby clothing)

* Blankets, towels and wash cloths

* Diapers, baby wipes, non-perishable baby food and formula.

* Other items that are needed are dust masks and heavy duty gloves to use in the recovery efforts.

(*No bottled water is required at this time, as officials have reported an abundance of bottled water.)

Thank you to Metroplex Self Storage in Colleyville for supplying the U-Haul trucks for this effort, and to The Orlando Group, a roofing and general construction company with offices in Southlake, which is supplying the drivers for these donations.

Thank you in advance for your generosity. For more information, contact Fire Station No. 4 at 817-743-4440.

Visit the link below http://www.cityofkeller.com/index.aspx?page=15&recordid=3425

Try something new and refresh your technology habits

Are you using the Internet as if it's still the year 2000? If you answered yes, you've got some catching up to do. Technology has come a long way in the last 13 years; new shortcuts, alternative products and simple tools available today can help you accomplish tasks faster - saving you time and increasing your efficiency online.

Many people don't realize this, but old tech habits can actually create more work for you. There is no better time than the present to refresh your technology habits and try something new.  The following tips can help motivate you to update the way you use technology.

* Upgrade your search skills. Not every search engine is created equal, with some offering different features and new ways of finding information.

* Update the way you get your news. Are you still reading multiple sites every morning, scrolling through each one to find news that is relevant to you? If so, it may be time to ditch the grueling routine and give yourself a technology upgrade. An overwhelming 93 percent of people say they're open to trying new things occasionally or frequently, survey results found. So tomorrow, try something new and subscribe to an RSS feed to quickly identify the news you care about most without having to sort through all the rest. Whether it's attending a new fitness class, tasting exotic cuisine or trying a new search engine, change can be exciting and add an element of spontaneity to your life. Now is the perfect time to take a risk, break out of your comfort zone and try something new - you might just surprise yourself.

* Refresh your online password(s). Password protection is an important, but often annoying, part of our daily lives. With 12 percent of men saying they would rather sit in traffic than try something new, it's no surprise many people still use old passwords and the common "1234." In order to break the bad habit, create a different password for all of your online accounts and store them in a password manager tool. These tools can even help you create passwords that are nearly impossible to crack. Taking a few minutes to try something new can lead to efficiency and better process.

By upgrading your Internet habits and trying something new, you may discover happiness and enjoyment you never knew possible - and learn a few new things along the way.

(BPT)

Upcycling: Breathe new life into decor with a dash of DIY inspiration

Upcycling: Breathe new life into decor with a dash of DIY inspiration


If you've ever looked around your house and gotten the urge to purge, you might consider pausing and first thinking about how you could transform that old, damaged piece of furniture or outdated light fixture into a fresh-faced showpiece for your home.

Not only are you doing something good for the environment - and likely your pocketbook - by restoring something, you're embracing your inner creativity. You can make a truly one-of-a-kind decor piece, tailored to your personality and style.

This notion of restoring and reusing items that would otherwise be cast aside to the junkyard or thrift store is called "upcycling," and it's a trend that has caught on quickly, especially in home design. With a little inspiration, creativity and the right tools, you can tackle countless decorating projects with things you already have around your home. And the best part? Upcycled pieces make for great conversation starters, often tell a good story and can even be sold for a much higher price than you put into them.

So where do you start? Here are some helpful tips for tackling your own upcycling projects.

Start with a little inspiration

Take a look through magazines, home design blogs and websites to gather inspiration. Look for pieces that catch your eye and have the same structure and "bones" as the items in your home that you'd like to restore.

Shop around without breaking the bank

Decorating your home doesn't have to cost a fortune. Look around your basement, attic, or at yard sales and consignment shops for free or inexpensive items that you might be able to breathe new life into. The old adage "never judge a book by its cover" would apply here. Do your best to look beyond an item's current condition and let the inspiration you've gleaned take over as you see its full potential in a different light. If the piece has some defects, don't immediately overlook it. Sometimes perfection and personality can be found in the imperfection.

Secrets of upcycling success

The secret to any do-it-yourself project is to plan ahead. Beyond finding the inspiration for a project, gather the supplies and tools you'll need, read up on step-by-step instructions, dedicate a roomy workspace where everything is at your fingertips, and be sure to carve out time to focus on the project.

But the No. 1 secret of upcycling success is to be patient and not get discouraged. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. It's OK to make mistakes because sometimes you'll uncover hidden beauty during the process. The important part is that you find the whole experience of restoring and reusing rewarding.

(BPT)

Secrets to fear-free social media use

Secrets to fear-free social media use

Many Americans love social media, but it scares them, too. While they are reconnecting with old high school classmates, viewing photos of a colleague's new baby and chatting with a friend about a new job, social media users are also worrying about having their identity stolen from a social media site.

That fear, however, is not stopping them from including on their profiles the kind of personal information that identity thieves love. Nearly half of participants in the Google Consumer survey said they were concerned about having their identities stolen from a social media website, yet more than a third also said they included personal information such as their birth date, address, employer and phone number on their profiles.

Social media users can better safeguard their identities with these tips:

* Less is more: Avoid giving out personal information on social media sites, such as address, phone number or your birth date. Omit this type of information from your profile. Identity thieves can open accounts and commit a number of financial crimes with just this information.

* Never leave a cookie trail: If you use a public or work computer to log into your social media accounts, do not save your password on that public PC. Beware - some social media sites default to automatically remember your password when you sign in, so be sure to check (or uncheck the box, if needed). If the site autosaves and you don't catch it, your account may open up and be accessible the next time someone else uses that PC to visit that website.

* Lock it up: Change your privacy settings on all social media accounts to the most restrictive, which allows you to control all information that is posted. Set your profile to "private" and make sure you have to approve all friend requests, comments, photo tags, links or posts that appear on your page.

* Get creative with passwords: Create intricate, unique passwords for each social media account. Change passwords every few months.

* Avoid over-sharing: Never reveal travel plans on social media sites. If they know your house is empty while you're away, cyber thieves could become actual thieves, and break into your house to rob it while you're out of town.

* Teach children about social media safety: While your children may be more adept at navigating the Internet than you are, they may not fully understand the implications of posting private information, photos or potentially offensive material. Make sure your children understand and follow the same rules as you do for social media use.

* Monitor your credit: Make sure you periodically check your credit reports for accuracy and consider signing up for a credit monitoring service, which can alert you by email to changes in your credit report - a helpful way to prevent identity theft.

(BPT)

Simple ways to save water, money and your landscaping this summer

Simple ways to save water, money and your landscaping this summer


With many states facing drought this summer, homeowners across the country will be looking for ways to save their landscaping while conserving water at the same time. Even if you're not in a drought-affected area, it pays to keep conservation in mind when it comes to watering outdoors. Using less water is good for the environment and your wallet.

Fortunately, maximizing the efficiency of your watering efforts and taking steps to conserve water outdoors can help trim your water bill this summer, even if you live in a severe drought area, such as in the western regions of the country. Here are simple ways to conserve water, save money and preserve your garden, lawn and landscaping this season:

Efficient, effective irrigation

Traditional watering methods for lawns, gardens and flower beds waste a lot of water through run-off, over-saturation and evaporation. Rather than spraying water over plants, use a method that delivers the right amount of water where it will do the most good - the roots of plants.

Drip irrigation systems can help you water more effectively. These systems deliver water as close as possible to plant roots, allowing you to achieve better results with less water used. You'll also lose less water to run-off and evaporation.

Water lawns, gardens and flower beds either early in the morning or as evening approaches to ensure you don't lose moisture to the hot sun. And if a day is windy, hold off watering lawns altogether as the breeze could leave you watering the sidewalk or driveway, rather than your grass.

Reuse, recycle and preserve

Even during a drought, some rain and condensation will occur. Take steps to capture natural moisture. A rain barrel situated beneath a downspout ensures you can catch run-off from your home's roof. While using barrel water may not be practical with most irrigation systems, it's a great option for watering container gardens or even indoor plants. You can also use household water, such as water left over from boiling vegetables or pasta, to water potted plants. Just be sure to let the water cool completely before using it.

You can help plants retain more moisture by placing organic mulch around the roots. The mulch will also help keep down weeds that would compete with plants for much-needed moisture. Depending on where you live and the type of mulch you choose, you can buy a bag of mulch for just a few dollars.

Finally, adjusting the type and location of plants is a great way to grow a drought-resistant garden or landscaping bed. Check with your local agricultural extension or search online for naturally drought-resistant species that do well in your area. By planting these hardier varieties, you can help keep your environment green and growing through a long, dry summer - and avoid the money drain of high water bills.

(BPT)

Easy tips for a manicured lawn

Easy tips for a manicured lawn

The days are getting longer, the grass is growing and yard work season has begun. Many homeowners strive to have the best lawn in the neighborhood, but the task ahead can often feel daunting and time-consuming.

Although yard work can be overwhelming at times, the steps to a great-looking lawn are easier than you think. To get started, here are a few tips for giving your yard that finished look:

* Keep grass approximately 2 inches in length and only take off 1/3 inch of new growth.

* Alternate the direction you mow each session. If you mow in the same direction every time, the wheels will create a rut in the grass.

* Plant flowers around the yard for a pop of color. Using mulch in flower beds will also add detail to your landscape.

* Use string trimmers around trees, rocks, fences and other obstacles to give your lawn a polished look.

* Use a broom to clean grass clippings and soil from pavement and walkways.

Yard work can feel easier and even enjoyable when using the right lawn care tools for the job. One of the quickest ways to give your lawn a manicured look is using a string trimmer. It can handle everything from cutting down weeds to trimming around trees to cleaning up grass under decks. String trimmers are the most versatile tool every homeowner should have in their shed.

Making your lawn stand out as the beauty of the block will take some work, but the end result will be worth the effort.

A small investment returns a safer and healthier home

A small investment returns a safer and healthier home


Warm weather is here, which means many homeowners are beginning new DIY projects. Have you included home safety on your list?

Almost every home in the U.S. has a smoke alarm, but most do not have enough. Fire experts recommend installing alarms on every floor and inside and outside of every sleeping area. A recent survey found less than a quarter of homeowners have applied this rule. A fire can double in size every 30 seconds. The sooner you hear a smoke alarm, the more time you have to escape.

Also, 75 percent of homes have a potential source of carbon monoxide (CO), but only half of the homes have a working CO alarm, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Produced by fossil fuel-burning appliances and engines, CO can cause injury or death if it builds up in your home. A working CO alarm is the only safe way to detect this odorless and invisible gas.

Consider these questions to determine if your home is safe from fire and CO dangers:

1. One in four older homes needs to update fire safety equipment. How old are your smoke and CO alarms? Replace your smoke alarms every 10 years and your CO alarms every seven to 10 years, based on the model you purchased. Consider purchasing an alarm with a sealed lithium battery.

2. Seventy-five percent of homeowners don't know where to install smoke alarms. Do you have enough? Place smoke alarms on every floor and inside/outside of all bedrooms. Place a CO alarm near sleeping areas and on each floor.

3. Do your alarms incorporate the newest features?

Sealed-in lithium battery - continuously powers alarm for 10 years and eliminates low battery chirps.

Digital display - shows the level of CO and updates the reading every 15 seconds.

Intelligent multi-sensor - responds faster to real fires & CO plus reduces nuisance alarms commonly caused by cooking.

4. Do you need other safety products? Do you have a fire extinguisher within reach in rooms where fires often begin: the kitchen, garage, bedroom and living areas. Place an escape ladder in second and third-floor rooms as an alternative escape route. And consider conducting a mold and radon test using a kit. A quick test shows levels of these environmental hazards that may be lurking in your home.

5. Have you developed a family escape plan? Be sure to make a plan for every room in the house and practice it regularly. Be familiar with two ways out of every room and who will assist children and those with mobility/health issues.

6. Do your children know their address and how to dial 911? Post your home address and emergency phone numbers on the refrigerator.

(BPT)