Halloween Up!

I can't stop eating Tootsie Rolls. I never, ever have candy in the house unless it's Halloween, so now that it's here I can't quit gorging on it. I don't even share it with Matt or the kids and just horde it until I've got to yank out the bag of candy on Halloween Day. By then, I've probably eaten half the bag myself. Well, now you know why I don't keep candy in the house....

We've got the house all Halloweened up this year, but the neighborhood has only 35 houses and just a handful of kids, so we don't know what to expect. We've only lived in this house about 6 months, so we have not yet witnessed Halloween here yet. Just one other house on my block has decorations. Hmmm...what a bunch of old poopers!

In our previous neighborhood in South Charlotte, Halloween was quite the spectacle. Every house was dressed up to the hilt for the holiday, and there was one house that was a particular huge attraction with people coming for miles to see it for both Christmas and Halloween. (It's on Long Cove Drive in Providence Country Club right off Tom Short if you're so inclined to check it out). This particular house has a great southern styled porch that lends itself well to spookiness and drama. The fog machine going wild doesn't hurt either.

If you didn't buy your fright decor two months ago, you're pretty much lost. Halloween is a fairly significant thing here in the south, and folks go all out and starting buying up all the good stuff months before. I learned this the hard way when I visited Target and Wal-mart two weeks before Halloween last year, and there was hardly a thing left. So, I made sure to get my shopping done early this year.

In the northeast, Halloween pretty much died in the 1970's after the whole razor blade and pins in the candy thing. I was thrilled to see the holiday had serious energy behind it here in Charlotte, as at least my kids will get to experience it the way I did as a child before the morons went and killed it.

Kids even get to wear costumes at some schools here. That was totally verboten in NJ when we left because we were advised that there might be some religious differences where some kids didn't participate in it. So, to be fair to everyone, they just nix the whole thing. I totally think that sucks and is completely ridiculous. I mean, if Halloween isn't your bag, then by all means exercise your right to not dress up. I think people are way too hung up on being proper and trying to include everyone. This is America, and you have every right to say no if you're not interested in being part of something. It's your right to not participate.

For example, in the northeast no one says "Merry Christmas." You say "Happy Holidays" instead so as not to offend anyone. Here in the south, there was a big movement last year to encourage people to get over it. People took back the ownership of saying Merry Christmas. I mean, if you're not Christian, isn't it easy to say something like: "Thanks, but I'm Jewish."

We're so worried about offending people that we either don't say anything or water it down. I'm not saying it's right to assume someone celebrates Christmas or Halloween or whatever, but we shouldn't feel compelled to be all-inclusive every time either. I would be thrilled to have my kid learn about a variety of holiday customs from all different faiths and religions, and I'm opened minded enough to accept that there's more than one way to open a candy wrapper.

Speaking of candy...there goes another Tootsie Roll.

Happy Halloween people!

Recommending My Cleaning Lady

I keep getting emails for the name and info on my cleaning lady, Derly, so I've decided to put all the info you'll need on her here. Please make sure you tell her Lisa sent you! She works homes in South Charlotte, upper Union county, a bit of Mint Hill and in Cabarrus just above Mint Hill. Here goes:

Derly (704-449-5668) has been helping us keep our house neat for a bit over 2 years now, and she's been doing a terrific job. Before her, I had several other folks that helped with the cleaning, but they were downright terrible. It wasn't even that they didn't clean too well (one person didn't even lift up stuff to dust under it), but the worst thing was that they were never consistent with the day or time they came. I had one person that literally called or emailed me every week to ask if they could change the day they were coming that week. There was always an excuse: dentist appointments, doctor visits, school meetings, English classes--it was really unbearable.

Thankfully, Derly has never changed the date or time on me once since she's started pitching in. She's also very thorough and usually comes with a partner to help her, so it's like you're getting two people for the price of one. Lastly, she's also very honest. I have mistakenly left a credit card and even the check book out in the open, for example, and it was not touched. There have been a few times where I wasn't going to be home and I've given her access to the key for her to get in and out, and everything has been perfectly fine.

Derly is Portuguese, so you need to be a little patient in terms of the communication side of things. When you call her the first time, you'll likely leave her a message and her young daughter will call you back and do some translating for you. She'll set up the first appointment where Derly will come over and give your place a once over to get you a price. Feel free to haggle with her a bit until you come to a fair price you both feel comfy with. Just don't think you're going to low-ball her, because she's not a stupid woman and quite a shrewd business person. She will be cheaper than services like Merry Maids, you can trust me on that. But she's not going to let you rake her over the coals on price either.

I have no trouble telling her exactly what I want done, as Derly has mastered all the important words of her trade that enable her to do her job. She'll ask you for example, if you want your baseboards cleaned of not? Fans? etc. She's also pretty flexible, and I've tossed her some extra money to clean the inside of the windows (she doesn't do the outside) or clean out the fridge.

What I love about Derly is that she's thorough. More thorough than I am. For example, she gives a quick dust to all the oil paintings that I have on the walls. Now, I don't even do that normally. But she sure does. She even takes the garbage out of every pail in the house--including the baby's diaper pail. A couple of times I rushed out of the house because I had a few appointments, and didn't have time to make my son's bed. Well, Derly did it for me without asking. (Ok, I confess, that the beds are never made unless I have guests or Derly is coming over. Who has time for that?!).

Last, you'll need to buy all your own cleaning supplies. I just keep mine in a crate on the floor in the pantry for her to utilize. I have a box of kitchen garbage bags and a couple of rolls of paper towels and that's what she uses. When something is empty, she'll put it in your counter to signal you need to buy more. Make sure your vacuum cleaner is handy, too. She uses her own broom, and her own mop. What I love about her mopping, is that she uses this massive squeegee that she wraps a small towel around. It gives a much better cleaning than a string or sponge mop, and the everything is nearly dry, too.

I can't say enough about Derly. She's worked out perfectly for us, and those that have used her after I've recommended her just love her too. See if she a match for you. I'd love to hear what you think.

Private Wells and Septic Systems

Thank goodness the rain is still coming down here in Charlotte. We've had a devastating drought this summer and these last few days of continual rain have been welcomed by everyone. We were just weeks away from forcibly having to cut our water consumption by 50% as ordered by NC Governer Easley.

I'm on a well out here in Union County, and I've never had the luxury of having well water. Coming from New York City, there's no such thing and I'd always heard negative things. I'm on septic tank as well, and I've always heard horrors about those as well. Well, truth be told, I haven't really found a single pinch of difference. In fact, I'm starting to think it's better.

For one, my well water does taste perfectly delicious. I had it all tested before I moved in, and the water had no unusual bacteria or chemicals present. It also doesn't have any fluoride that one usually finds in local city water, so you have to make sure to use fluoride toothpaste. No big deal, as we all do that already.

I'd always heard that the water pressure coming from well water is not as good as city water. Well, that's not true either. We have the same exact pressure level. And, the best part about it, is that I don't have a water bill. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

The idea of a septic did kind of scare me I have to admit. I was warned (by city dwellers) that they always stopped up and stuff always came back up. Well, in the six months I've been on a septic that has not happened. Knock on wood. I definitely have become more conscious of what I put down the drain, tho. I thought nothing of tossing frying pan oil down the drain when I was connected to a sewer--which I already know isn't the right thing to do either. Now, I can it and throw it in the trash. We also don't allow our garbage disposal to grind up half of a meal so that it clogs the septic. I guess, overall, I've become more conscious as to what my pipes are eating. And I don't have a sewer bill. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

Even though I could have continued to water my lawn all summer despite the drought because I have my own well, but I did not. I never watered once. I have a patchy, half-dry lawn like those of you on city water. We turn the water off while we brush our teeth and all that usual fare. We're trying to be reasonably kind to the environment. Around my neighborhood, however, there are a few million dollar mansions with the lushest, greenest lawns I've ever seen. There's a big sign out front of each that warns "Irrigated by Private Wells," just in case neighbors decide to call the governing agents on them because they're being wasteful. Hmmm.....

One needs to maintain these systems as any other part of your home, of course. You should have a septic company come out and check your system annually, and there's recommended products such as BioSafe that you're supposed to flush down the toilet to keep things clean and in working order. You can also get a water check test kit for under $10 bucks to check the bacteria levels in your well annually.

In Charlotte, most of the newer neighborhoods within the city limits are connected to sewers and public water, but out here in greener pastures there's many homes with quite the opposite situation. In fact, most people living in the USA do not have access to public water or sewers. So, don't be afraid of being in charge of your own water and sewage. You won't miss the bills!

Fresh Milk Delivery to Your Home in Charlotte and Fort Mill

Yep, it may sound crazy, but the milkman still does deliveries to your house. About two months ago, I contracted with Lakeview Farms Home Delivery, which has a farm up in the Blue Ridge Mountains and does home delivery in the Fort Mill/Union County area.

I confess I'm not one of these organic, health food crazed people and I am usually not willing to pay more for something organic. In other words, I don't actively seek out organic foods at all. What I did seek, however, was convenience. I have two young boys at home that consume milk as if they were little calves, so I couldn't keep racing to the supermarket every few minutes. I concluded that I was willing to pay a wee bit more for my milk if someone would bring it to my door (I guess that's the New Yorker in me coming out). Little did I know, that Lakeview was not just going to bring me convenience, but way better tasting milk.

You get a chance to talk to the owner of Lakeview Farms, Jim, when you call to set up your service and make sure you're in the delivery area. He describes their offerings, which includes much more than milk--they've also got eggs, cheese, yogurt, butter, juice and all other sorts of organic goods. They come to your door and bring you a small, metal insulated milk box that you keep by your front or back door, and this is where Jim will drop your goodies. Last week, while I was traveling to NYC on business, I gave Jim access to my garage refrigerator and he simply put my order in there for me since I wasn't home.

The milk comes in those wonderful glass bottles like your grandma had. What I love about them right off the bat, is that they have a handy plastic handle to carry them around. Also, they're recyclable glass, so when I'm done with them I simply rinse them out and put them in my milk box for Jim to take away. But the absolute best part is the quality of the milk. The stuff is thick and rich--even the 2% variety!

You need to give the bottle a shake before you pour so the creaminess swishes around. One of the delivery men advised me that milk in the supermarket is easily a month or more old before you buy it. It's completely pasteurized to the point that it is sterile so that it lasts a long time on the shelf. Plus, it comes from hormone filled cows. He told me that my Lakeview Farms milk was just pulled from the cow a few days before and that the pasteurization process is a little less severe than mass produced milk. It kills all the necessary bacteria without rendering it completely sterile. My milk dude also advised that my milk came from happy cows--roaming freely to eat pasture and not tied to some stall eating feed. I like happy cows. I want them to be happy so they can make this tasty milk for me.

My 4 year old outright asks me for milk to drink since we hooked up with Lakeview Farms. He loves the stuff and says that it's as creamy as ice-cream. I get the full milk for the kids, and the 2% for the adults. The stuff is dreamily divine. Yummy even.

To be straight, it is more expensive than the supermarket stuff--$3.39 for a half gallon. But it is completely worthwhile as far as convenience and taste, in my opinion.

Lakeview Farms doesn't deliver everywhere, but a call to them will let you know if you're within their delivery footprint. Owner Jim was telling me that a couple of folks in one particular Weddington neighborhood wanted their milk so badly, that they petitioned the rest of their subdivision and got a dozen other families interested and they successfully scored a place on the delivery route.

Here's other home delivery services around the Charlotte region:

Absolute Organics - Veggies and fruits

If you know of any others, please let Charlotte Central readers know by submitting their names here.

New Garage Doors: Cox Door Company

I've been busy ripping our house apart from top to bottom. We started with the kitchen reface, and now my beaten down garage doors were the next target. The poor wood doors that have served this house since 1987 had finally given up. To start, they had water damage and were rotting; and the openers were opening and closing whenever THEY wanted to, instead of when I needed to get in and out of the house. Basically, everything had hit the statistical end of it's life and needed replacing.

I used Cox Door Company, a family-run outfit out of Indian Trail. They were professional, courteous, came out when they said they would and offered me a fair price for the work. First, we tried to repair the existing garage door openers to see if they had any life left in them. The repairman warned me that this was not the best route of action given the condition of everything, but being a cheap New Yorker, I had to at least give it a shot. Sure enough, the very next day they started acting up again. The repairman came back at no charge with brochures for new doors and openers.

Now, I've never purchased a garage door before, but I was amazed at the options and price ranges. I knew that I wanted a carriage house (barn) styled door, as you drive directly up to my garage and it's a big part of what you see. I figured it should at least be attractive.

These doors can cost you a fortune, but I settled on two eight foot Haas Doors. The repairman advised that though there were other options that were more expensive, that he considered these doors to be the best on the market. They provided a tight seal against the elements and were a sturdy and paintable steel with an insulated center. These were $700 a pop--which is way cheaper than other doors that were easily twice that to start. I decided to go for the style with no windows, as the fix-it dude said that they allowed heat to enter and they might be a security issue with someone peeking into the windows. There goes $1,400 bucks for two.

Next came the openers. Luckily, my home warranty covered both of these since they were both barely functioning. There were two options: the first was a $300 residential Liftmaster with a 5 year warranty; and the second was a $450 Elite Series Liftmaster with a lifetime warranty on the motor. The warranty would only cover for the cheaper one, but I ended up springing for the more expensive model and sucking up the difference. Bang! Another $300 bucks for two openers.

At the end of the day I spent $1,700 for two new doors and opener units, and the things work like a dream. Who new a garage door could be so quiet? Finally, I don't have all sorts of creepy-crawlies getting into the garage since the new seal is super tight. Plus, the temperature in the garage has dropped at least 25 degrees with these new doors. How do I know this? Well the opener wall control unit tells me the exact temperature in the room, the time, and date and a whole bunch of other things. Now, if it would only tell my husband to take out the garbage, I'd be set!

Buying Furniture in Charlotte

You’ll find lots of info out there on the Hickory Furniture Mart, just an hour outside of Charlotte that is home to many of the popular furniture manufacturers. Personally, I found it interesting for ideas, but too expensive. I kept hearing for years how this was the place to go and get everything, and when I finally get here it was a serious disappointment, and went home empty handed. Matt can vouch for the fact that I rarely come home with nothing.

Through word of mouth–which is how you find out about all the good stuff–I discovered Furniture Factory Outlet on Lancaster Highway in Waxhaw. The darned thing is is the middle of nowhere, but so worth the trip. For one, it’s huge. It is a former factory that now has nothing more than great quality finds at terrific prices, including mattresses. Want a grandfather clock for $500 bucks? It’s here. A whole bedroom set in burl wood with a poster bed? Hop on over.Some things can be ordered, but most stuff is straight off the floor (but in immaculate condition). The catch is that they pretty much don’t deliver (except for the ordered stuff), so people drive up with rented U-haul trucks or those $19 an hour Home Depot pick up trucks. If you’ve got a friend with access to a large vehicle or van, they you’re in luck.

Ashley Furniture and Value City are pretty inexpensive, but the quality reflects it. You’ll pay darn near the same thing as the place above, but it won’t be as good. If you need an inexpensive couch for $450 bucks and you don’t expect it to last more than 3 or 4 years, then this might very well be the place to go. Expect the couch arms will be made of particleboard and have fabric that will not be durable.

Honestly, you’d be better off heading to family-owned Tyndall Furniture or Efirds. There’s heaps crammed onto the floor, and you can also browse their books and purchase something specific that way. You can get a Rowe couch for just $650 (depending on the fabric), and it will be 8-way hand-tied and real wood–and it will last you 15 or more years. So, do your math and make sure that that $450 couch is really worth it. Some of the bigger furniture stores do have outlets, such as Boyle’s, who just opened a new one out on Highway 74.

Decor can be found in virtually every shopping center around Charlotte. Home Goods just opened two locations in Charlotte and is a mecca for inexpensive, but interesting goods. There are people that swear by the Black Lion, which has two locations and hosts small shops that are individually owned by regular folks like us who want a way to have their own business. I prefer the one in Pineville versus the one in the Concord Mills Mall.

Charlotte Interiors is a great web source for finding local places to shop for all your home, furniture and decorating needs.

Experience with a Kitchen Reface

As I've said previously, I moved into this lovely mid-80's home in Union County. The kitchen had dark cherry cabinets that had certainly seen better days, and all the appliances were shot and ancient. The kitchen is actually quite large, and I knew that new cabinets would cost me an arm and a leg, so I had to find a reasonable alternative.

Essentially the cabinet boxes were solid, but after 2o years, the finishes were just worn down in lots of spots. The previous owners also allowed their yappy Yorkie puppy to gnaw on the edges of a few of the lower cabinets as well. The drawer pulls were a dated gold and the hinges were all on the outside of the doors. Ick!

I started with some research on refacing, and was intrigued. As anyone who has ever had a kitchen gutted knows, you are left without a kitchen for at least 4-8 weeks depending on what you're having done. Now, I've got two little kids, so being kitchen-less would be absolutely impossible. I needed something that could be done in a week, but yield similar results. I immediately discounted Sears as a possibility because their veneers and doors looked cheap to me.

Kevin, my contractor referred me to Carolina Cabinets Refacing, and they were a complete joke. They come in with a whole sales pitch about how they have Amish quality woods. They bring a drawer sample and show me these beautiful dove tails. I told the guy that his drawers were truly lovely, but that I basically didn't own one single piece of furniture that had dovetails like that. I told him I wanted a durable kitchen, not furniture. I still wanted solid wood veneers and doors and a great look, however.

The salesman tells me that his price would be the same as the cheapest cabinets at Home Depot, except I was getting this hoity-toighty Amish wood. Fine. I get it. Gimme the price. The next day these clowns quote me $22,000 for the reface. Now, I'm no idiot, because I do know that the cheapest cabinets at Home Depot aren't going for anywhere near this insane price. I mean, for $22 grand, I better be getting NEW cabinets, not a reface! By then it didn't matter, because I also then find out through my research that they don't even wrap their veneers all around the cabinets, and that you can see their nails in the side panels, etc. Nixed!

More research on the web leads me to Kitchen TuneUp out of Mint Hill. The sales pitch is immediately non-pushy and they have a variety of product levels at different prices. They offer all of the latest finishes, including glazing. I'm told that the whole project will take one week after the cabinets come in (about 10-12 weeks), and the price thankfully comes in to way less than half of the morons at Carolina Cabinet Refacing with more bells and whistles. The guys did a great job of cleaning up every day, and I was still able to use my kitchen in the evenings to make dinner. There were a few hiccups with my order in terms of when things arrived, and I had some missing veneer that had to be reordered--but that bit of aggravation worked out in the end. And best of all, the work exceeded my expectations. I didn't think for a minute that a reface was going to look like brand new cabinetry, but boy does it ever.

If you use them, be sure to tell the owner Tom Taube that you want Danny on your job--the 21 year old kid is a wood whiz and a very methodical worker. He used to do body work on cars, and has been doing cabinets the last few years. He works like he's been on the job for 40 years, and is definitely talented.

There's a number of granite places where you can get your slab in Charlotte, but I ended up going to AGM Importers. Their selection is huge, and I found the varieties of colors to be far more interesting and unique than some of the other granite yards that just seemed to have safe, dull varieties. I was looking for something splashy that I knew wasn't going to be in every builder grade kitchen. I went with Golden Light, which has a lot of movement and veining and totally fit the European look that I was going for. It also doesn't hurt that they're the only place open on Saturdays.

I used Cassano for the fabrication/installation. Tom from Kitchen Tune Up recommended them, as he works with them all the time. They did a great job, and an especially kick-ass job on the single seam. You can barely see it, and you certainly can't feel it. Smooth as ice.

Charlotte Tile & Stone Supply is a favorite of mine, though it's in a icky industrial section of Charlotte. They have an enormous selection with 80% of what you see in stock, so you don't have to wait 12 weeks to wait while your tile shows up from Italy or some other far-flung place. I got some beautiful tuscan looking floor and backsplash tile for the same price you'd get it for at Home Depot. Make sure to chat with Christine Thomas, as she's a wonderful design consultant who will give you awesome ideas absolutely free of charge. Nothing like getting professional help if it doesn't cost you a dime! She even gave me a wonderful sketch and tile samples to take home so I could give my tile guy. I thought she had a great eye for matching colors and even hinted at what would be a great paint color for my walls. She was dead on.

So, overall, I had a positive experience at a reasonable price point, and I hope I've inspired you to tackle your old kitchen.

Happy facelift!