What a great way to cool off, splash around and spend the afternoon! Holding Park Community Pool Opening TODAY!  June 4, 2011 The full summer season kick offs with Holding Park Pool open for Public/Open swims times Monday thru Friday 1:00pm - 6:00pm and 1:00pm - 7:00pm on Saturdays and Sundays.   Holding Park Pool is one of the largest outdoor public swimming pools in the area - the 50-meter pool is open in the summer and offers "open" swim times, swim lessons, lap swims, parent/toddler swims and water aerobics! Admission is very reasonable at only $4 for ages 13 and over, $3 for ages 3 - 12 and $1 for children under the age of 2. You can bring your own cooler with drinks and snacks (no alcoholic beverages or glass containers) or you can visit the concession stand there for a snowcone o... 06/04/2011

Wake Forest NC offers such a diverse mix of homes.  Whether you are searching for a first time home that is easy on your budget, a grand, luxury home or a townhome to call your own you can find it here in Wake Forest NC! I have a section on my website, www.WakeForestHouseChick.com, with a section devoted specifically to the various neighborhoods in Wake Forest NC.  The list of neighborhoods is broken down by price point which should help you navigate to just the ones you want to explore.  Each neighborhood post also includes current Wake County School assignments, amenities offered within the subdivision and some examples of the type of homes that you can find. I am continually updating www.WakeForestHouseChick.com with new neighborhoods each week for the most comprehensive resource for... 06/01/2011

Six Sundays in Spring is a wonderful FREE outdoor concert series in Wake Forest NC and this Sunday is the last of series so you won't want to miss it! This Sunday, May 29, bring the family and your friends to E. Carroll Joyner Park for a Blues music filled afternoon with Ironing Board Sam!  The concert starts at 5pm so be sure to get there early with your blanket to find that perfect spot. For more information regarding E. Carroll Joyner Park please be sure to visit my website to learn about this park and many other parks in Wake Forest NC. Add a little more fun to you Memorial Day Weekend AND I'll See you Sunday!"E. Carroll Joyner Park" 05/28/2011

My wife and I frequent a local burger joint in the Wake Forest/Raleigh area that we really enjoy:  Spinner's Grill in Raleigh, Wakefield Commons, next to the movie theater.  If you like good burgers and fries, this is the place for you! They even play fun music, thus "Spinners", in relation to vinyl albums that used to spin on a turn table.  I guess you could still say that for CDs today since technically they spin as well, but I think the term is more exclusive to the old vinyl records.   Anyway, on one of my recent visits, I was looking at the mural of the Rubik's Cube.  Having messed with one or two in my lifetime I enjoyed the mural. (And yes, I've taken stickers off and moved them to "solve" it when I was younger.  Don't judge, you know you did it, too.  Heck, I even took them apar... 05/26/2011

First, let me say this is one of the coolest photos of a Space Shuttle I've ever seen.  I've not seen it from this perspective before, as I cannot defy gravity for very long.   When I first saw this photo, I thought it was a rocket.  But it's Space Shuttle Endeavor from above the clouds, way far away!  You don't want to be too close to something packed with explosive fuel travelling about 17000 miles an hour. There was a shuttle training aircraft that took this photo shortly after the launch, and so this is a public domain photo.  You can read more at the Astronomy Picture of the Day, which is a website I go to daily.  Lots of cool pictures relating to astronomy topics everyday. And if you're into other things of astronomical intrigue, I recommend SpaceWeather.com and their subdomain Sa... 05/25/2011

How to make a saw bench / cut board One of the most crucial tools that we have for cutting is the saw board, also called the cut board.  It has two sides, and is actually both!    It holds the mitre saw (yes, I prefer the Olde English spelling for that, instead of miter; it just looks better!) in place and allows the material to slide easily back and forth for the cuts.  This is especially useful for lengths that are longer than 8', with crown moulding (see?  Olde English again!) and other trim.             It also flips over and makes a cut board for using with a circular saw, as seen here.     So, that's great and all, but how do you MAKE one?  It looks simple, and it is, but it can be a little confusing to make one.  So here are some simple instructions to make your saw bench / cut b... 05/24/2011

On a recent weekend trip to Boston we were going to see a play that my wife wrote about 12 years ago.  The play was put on in a small theatre, but really well done and enjoyable! On the flight up, I saw this sign on the plane.  It made me laugh.  See if you can figure out why before you scroll down.   I didn't realize it was against airline policy to break a lit cigarette in half, so I'll stop doing that now.     05/17/2011

Wake Forest NC Homes Market Report - April 2011 Wake Forest, NC is both looking good in the Real Estate market and DOING good for the community and local hospitals.  Now through September the Wake Forest Wakefield Rotary Club is raising money to support the Rex Healthcare Foundation cancer programs by hosting monthly golf tours at the TCP Wakefield Plantation.  Tee times are at 2 with a shotgun start... whether you're an expert or a novice golfer, be sure to join in the fun and support this great cause!  Fore more info check out their website.   If you're considering moving to Wake Forest, NC or even if you're planning on selling a home in Wake Forest, NC, it's important to have the right information. Our market report will give you a good overview of how detached homes for sale in Wak... 05/14/2011

Greycliff New Home Community Wake Forest New Homes   We've discovered another great Triangle area community you might enjoy.  Looking to build a new home in Wake Forest, NC? Check out these available lots in Greycliff, courtesy of several realty groups, including Howard Perry & Walston/Greycliff. Stanton Homes helps make it easy to find the right place to build your new home, by putting together information on great new home communities, lots and land throughout the Triangle area.  All information per MLS, and current as of posting date.    Greycliff is an established new home community located in Wake Forest, a short distance from Raleigh and the RTP. Greycliff offers new homes on beautiful wooded acreage lots. These gorgeous 2+ acre lots are just minutes from Falls Lake State Park rec... 05/04/2011

Unlike many of you that live in say Canada or Alaska, it's Spring down here in North Carolina.  Has been for many months, and last week all the green leaves on the trees came out. So in honor of Spring, and to show you extreme Northeners what you can look forward too when the snow melts, here are some pictures of what's blooming in my back yard.  Some of them remain unidentified to me, so if you know what it is, let me know!  The ones I know I titled, so put your cursor on the pics to find which are which.   We'll start with the whites:     Then the purples/pinks (with some white):     The fourth one is interesting:  it only opens in the mornings, and it's actually quite purple to the eye.  The camera shows it as a blue, though.  I'd love it if anyone could tell me what that one is!    ... 04/29/2011

Sherron Farms Wake Forest New Home Community  Build a Custom Home in Wake Forest   We've discovered another great Triangle area community you might enjoy.  Looking to build a new home in Wake Forest, NC? Check out these available lots in Sherron Farms, courtesy of Fonville Morisey. Stanton Homes helps make it easy to find the right place to build your new home, by putting together information on great new home communities, lots and land throughout the Triangle area.  All information per MLS, and current as of posting date.   Sherron Farms offers new homes on beautiful wooded acreage lots. These gorgeous 1+ acre lots are just minutes from Falls Lake State Park recreation and activities. Sherron Farms is a small custom homes community located in Granville County, a short distance from Ral... 04/29/2011

Devonshire New Home Community Custom Home Neighborhood in Wake Forest NC   We've discovered another great Triangle area community you might enjoy.  Looking to build a new home in Wake Forest, NC? Check out these available lots in Devonshire, courtesy of multiple realty groups, including NC Realty Solutions, Inc. and Hodge & Kittrell, Inc. Realtors. Stanton Homes helps make it easy to find the right place to build your new home, by putting together information on great new home communities, lots and land throughout the Triangle area.  All information per MLS, and current as of posting date.   Devonshire offers custom homes on beautiful wooded 1/2 +/- acre lots. These gorgeous lots are just minutes from Fall Lake, about 20 miles north of Raleigh. New homes in Devonshire are generally avai... 04/28/2011

Yesterday was a good day. It wasn't especially different than any normal day: get the crew started, do some estimates, do some paper work, a lot of driving, and a lot of time on the phone. But two customers made the day really good. And it was the simplest thing that did it: they both gave me a cold bottle of water while I did their estimate. Obviously good contractor customer service is a must to stay in business, and to enjoy what you do if you're in the contracting world. Happy customers are so much more pleasant to deal with, and if a contractor has been great with their service it's a more smooth road when problems come up. The customer knows the contractor team cares, and they feel confident any problems can be overcome. Flip this onto the other side, and a contractor that has bee... 04/26/2011

Those of you that know me, know that my mind is always looking for the funny.  To those of you that don't know me, the same holds true.  Sorry we haven't met. So I saw a commercial a year or two back, that kept showing inanimate objects that actually had what looked like a smile on them.  Eyes and a mouth basically.  Ever since then, I've been seeing smiley faces on inanimate objects. So I have another one to show you.  I walk past it every day.  It seems to look at me happily, in a robotic way, and say "Hi". So without further ado, say hi to my friend, Mr Dryer!                               Happy Easter, Everyone!   04/24/2011

Ok, this just might be TMI or too personal for some of you, so be warned.   But funny can happen anywhere!  And in this case, it was completely unexpected.  But my brain is always looking for funny, even when I'm not conscious of it.  And so it found this funny smiley face.     And it was not in use at the time of the photo, so don't worry!    04/21/2011

****04/17/11 UPDATE:At the bottom is a couple of day after videos, to show the difference between the height of the stream flow & flooding, and a more normal state in my back yard. If you're interested to just see the difference, then look at videos #3 & #7 in the first set, and both in the second set.**** There was a tornado outbreak on Saturday 4/16/11 in North Carolina. It was the first time since 1984 that we have been in a "High" risk area for tornado development, and they did develop. There were at least 60 reports of tornadoes on the ground in my local area, and one apparently went to the east of us by just a few miles. Unfortunately, there were some fatalities around the area as well from the tornadoes. I pray the families of the victims are cared for by God and by the folks aro... 04/16/2011

DIRTY DUCTS In case you missed it, check out Jay Markanich's blog entry "We Just Bought An Efficient New Heat Pump And The House Still Isn't Comfortable" about ducts and their efficiency.   That blog post made me remember that occasionally, one should clean out their ducts, in addition to sealing around them.  Especially if you have children!  Things tend to go down those floor vents and stay in there.   So...today I got the vacuum out, pulled the floor grates off, and cleaned out the 3 floor vents that are the most likely to catch stuff:  in the laundry room by the back door, in the dining room, and in the girls' room.     The floor vent in the kitchen really wasn't bad.  Just mostly dust and dirt, as expected.  It vacuumed out pretty easy (except for the sharp screws!).     The next o... 04/16/2011

Wake Forest NC Homes Market Report - March 2011 Wake Forest, NC is looking good with positive real estate stats to back it!  In the table below I have outlined in red the percentage of increased new active listings (red we have increase in home supply, green we have decreases).  The most impressive statistic for Wake Forest, NC is the 112.1% increase in the number of homes that closed during the month of March compared to February.  That's right.... 112.1%  WOW WAKE FOREST!!     If you're considering moving to Wake Forest, NC or even if you're planning on selling a home in Wake Forest, NC, it's important to have the right information. Our market report will give you a good overview of how detached homes for sale in Wake Forest, NC performed during the month of March.           The pie ... 04/16/2011

Ok, I've heard of road rash before, but is this what it is?   This road is very sad that it got a boo-boo on it's forehead.  You can see it on it's face.       You can see it right?  The two dark spots for eyes, the small dark spot in the middle for a nose, and the sad line at the bottom for a frown.     You see it now, don't you?       It made me laugh, so I just had to share!     Poor road!   04/15/2011

 Easter Events 2011 Easter Activities in Wake Forest   Easter events and activities are planned throughtout the Raleigh area, and include: Easter Egg Hunts, Easter Bunny appearances, inflatables, live music, nature activities, educational activities, kite flying, prizes, magic shows, and more.   Most events are designed for children of all ages. You will find music, food, and entertainment for the entire family.    Wake Forest annual Easter Egg Hunt Details: Location: E. Carroll Joyner Park (events will be held at the Flaherty Park Community Center, 1226 N. White Street, in case of rain) Time: Saturday April 9, from 10:30am-2:30pm Events: Four different Easter Egg Hunts, divided by age group, with more than 3,000 eggs Special prize for those who discover Golden Eggs Wake Forest  Easter ... 04/05/2011