Property Management Blog

Now that the temperatures are dropping it is time to get prepared for those winter months. These steps, most of which you can do yourself, will help you survive the winter months.  

1) Have a technician inspect your furnace to make sure that it is clean and in working.

2) If you have a ceiling fan, reverse it. This will allow the fan to push down the heated air. 

3) Caulk around window

4) Clean the gutters 

5) Divert water. Use an extension to your downspouts so that the water runs 3-4 ft away from the foundation. 

6) Turn off outside water faucets

7) Make sure all the doors have weather stripping 

8) Prepare an emergency kit

 ***Indoor Candles and matches or lighter. 

 ***Find and store utility companies phone numbers in your cell phone

 ***Buy batteries for flashlights and any other battery operating devices

 ***Store extra bottled water and non-perishable food (be sure to include pet food if you have animals)

 ***Blankets

 ***First Aid Kit

 ***Portable Radio

Also, remember to change and keep your furnace filter clean. On top of that, make sure that you leave all your faucets on a drip. This will help the pipes from freezing. Keep cupboards open so that the heat can get to the pipes. 

To help keep the gas bill low, set the thermostat to an agreeable temperature and wear extra clothing or cover up with a blanket. I have a great heated blanket that I like to snuggle up with and it helps keep me warm. Socks will also help your body keep in that body heat. 

Warm yummy food will always warm the soul and is good for the body. I'll share some of my favorite receipts next time. 

Until next time.........

Happy Birthday weekend to the world's greatest husband, dad, brother, son, and friend.

On Sunday, not only is it Daylight Savings Time (remember to set your clock an hour back), it's also my husband's birthday. He will be 35 yrs old. We aren't planning much, just dinner with some friend's and family. I have had a hard time figuring out what to get him. I wish I could give him everything that he could hope for but, he ended up with me so how much more could he want (lol). I am really excited to celebrate him. He is a truly wonderful human being. He is a great cook and always makes me whatever I want to eat, even when he really doesn't want it. The good lord above broke the mold when he made this man. I am so thankful for him each and every day of my life. 

  
We just celebrated Halloween. Not much to celebrate really. I am not big on decorations for Halloween. Not my favorite "Holiday". My son doesn't go trick or treating but my daughter is still all about it. Especially, since this is the first year she has had her braces off. She was Carrie White from the movie Carrie. She even went as far as watching the movie the night before so that she could get in character. I didn't know that you could look so cute. 

We also got to spend some much needed time with so friends from out of town. Tracey and Lonnie came in town for the wedding of Tracey's middle son Trey. Trey had the honor of marrying his love Taylor. They are super cute together. They even have a cute nickname Treylor! It was a beautiful wedding in a remodeled barn. The wedding was upstairs and the reception was down. It was such a cold evening but there were plenty of heaters to keep the bar warm and you were sure to work up a sweat on the dance floor.  

That got me thinking. The weather. It has been super cold out however, this weekend is suppose to be nice. This is the change to winterize your home. 

1) take a pool noodle and cut down one side. Slide under your door to prevent air from coming in. Cut to size. 

2) replace your furnace filter

3) use blackout curtains 

4) Tweaking your thermostat so it isn’t running when you’re away from your home is a smart way to save money. You can create a different program for your days off so your house stays warm. For extra savings, try dropping a few degrees from your normal setting. 

5) Stay warm and safe

Until next time........

Happy New Year.

I hope that everyone has had a good start to the New Year. Mine has been good so far. Busy, busy, busy. Sometimes I feel like I do too much and other times I feel like I don’t do enough.

So we have had a few changes here at TBH Management. We have officially moved. We are now located at 6028 N. Keystone Ave. We are just north of Kessler on the west side of the road.  We really love our new accommodations and would love for you to come and visit us.

We have a beautiful new waiting area for you to enjoy while filling out your application.

Also, we have a new employee. Meet Amanda. She will be helping us out part time, Monday thru Friday.

We have had some weird weather here in Indiana this week. One day it is some cold you can't breathe and the next day you are running around in a light sweater. It is getting ready to get super cold again today so TBH Management wants to make sure that you are aware of so MUST DOS to prepare for the colder weather.

1) When it is below freezing make sure all your faucets are at a drip. This will keep your pipes from freezing and leaving you with no water.

2) Make sure you leave the cabinets underneath your sinks open at night as well. This allows the heat to get to the pipes keeping them warm.

3) If you have a space heater make sure that it is placed in an area that is not near any fabric or on carpet.

4) Make sure you change your furnace filter. Proper air flow is key when getting your heat to flow throughout your home.

Until Next Time.........

I love MEMORIES. As we age our memories start to fade. Luckily someone was smart enough to invent cameras. Again we were lucky enough to have some one invent the smart phones with built in cameras so we can snap photos on the go. 

We try to go on vacation at least once a year. It is hard sometimes because my kids are in sports, math bowl, choir and orff, and almost anything else that they want to do. Sometimes it is hard to juggle everything. One year we went to Michigan another year to Myrtle Beach. This year we are going to California. It will be their first time on a plane. It is only my 3rd so I am still a little scared. I love that I can take pictures of all the fun things we do together. I find myself sitting in my living room and I just look through the thousands of pictures I have taken over the years. Almost every single picture I can tell you exactly where we were when I took it.  Ask anyone who knows me knows I take a lot of pictures. I don't want to miss a thing. I love to capture things when they happen because sometime in the far future when your memories have faded you can remember them through the pictures.

Last weekend I had a VERY busy weekend. The whole week was busy but the weekend man was it full of stuff to do. My son had a playoff game for basketball. He and his team did GREAT! They really played well together. They won and get to move on to the Championship game which is tomorrow. Julian is good at basketball. He can steal the ball and get rebounds like no other.  After his playoff game we had to go to his All-Star Game. He did great however they lost by two points. I took this picture of him because he needed a picture for 7th grade. He has definitely turned into a young man. His features are now becoming his own. Julian doesn't let me take a lot of pictures of him :( but that day he looked to handsome not to.

After Julian's playoff and all-star game we had to head to Ali's playoff game where sadly they lost. It was a hard fought game but the girls just didn't pull it out. Immediately after the game was over we had to rush home and get Ali and Chris ready for the Daddy/Daughter dance. It was really hard to get her face back to white after it was so red. I curled her hair and put on some eye shadow (I am not one for my 10 year to wear a lot of make up). After it was all said and done we slipped on her beautiful dress. I had to take a step back and look at my little girl. She didn't look so little anymore. She was my young lady. I got to sneak in a few shots when I dropped them off and when I went to pick them up. I love when you can capture TRUE happiness. Not something that is posed or stage but true and real. The look on Ali's face is priceless.

To top off the weekend we had a beautiful amount of snow. My dogs Cooper and Marely LOVE LOVE LOVE playing in the snow. They would stay outside for hours if I would let them however I didn't want them to freeze. Julian was such a sweetheart that he went to the neighbor's houses and removed the snow from their cars and shoveled the sidewalks. Ali, well she was like the dogs. She was all bundled up and dancing around the front yard. She would make snowballs and throw them in the air for the dogs to catch. Marely and Cooper would chase each other around. I am one of those crazy DOG ladies. My dogs are like my babies. They sleep with us, they are allowed on the furniture, they go on car rides. They have more privileges than the kids do something lol.

Cooper                                                  Marely

Memories: the mental capacity or faculty of retaining and reviving facts, events, impressions, etc., or of recalling or recognizing previous experiences.

So hopefully this winter will be just a memory and we can enjoy the nice Spring air. With the weather warming up remember to clean out your gutters and make sure there is no ice backed up in the down spouts. Make sure that you get your gardens and beds all ready for the pretty flowers that you are going to plant and/or the ones that will begin to bloom but most of all don't forget to stop and make some memories with the ones you love.

Until Next Time............

Well, all those beautiful yellow, orange and red leaves have fallen. They are most likely covered by the snow. Have you ever just stood back and looked at the snow? The way it lays softly on the ground with a little bit of shimmer to make it look so peaceful. Yes, it is cold and yes, it does stink to drive in but by the time December rolls around when we think of snow we think of Christmas, Hanukkah, and the fresh start to a New Year.  People begin to make New Year’s Resolutions, which a majority of people will not keep. Some will try to lose weight, eat healthier, save more money, move, or just be happier. The start of a New Year can be somewhat scary. Maybe you had a great year and don’t want it to end. Maybe you have had a horrible year and can’t wait for it to end.

All of those beautiful colors of fall have been replaced by greens, reds, whites, and blue lights, Santa Claus, Rudolph, and many other Christmas decorations. Some houses have the smell of a beautiful Christmas Trees as others have beautiful less messy artificial Christmas Trees. People have put away the shorts, flip-flops, and tank tops and replaced them with jeans, snow boots, and big warm jackets.

Tips to help keep your house warm:

1)      Close all of your windows properly. This includes making sure storm windows are closed in place if you have them. Windows should be latched. Keep your windows air-tight. You may want to purchase removable window-caulk to better seal them. At a minimum, stuff a towel or shirt in front of any noticeable leaks.

2)      Use cheap clear shower curtains over the windows that receive sun light. This will keep the cold air out, and the warmth from the sun will heat your house without cold air coming in.

3)      Put up curtains. A set of heavy curtains can block heavy drafts of air. Open them when the sun is shining and close them when it's not.

4)      Seal your doors. Check around the door frame and also under the door. You may want to buy weather stripping or a door sweep. Again, at minimum, make a draft dodger or stuff a towel at the bottom of the door.

We want to wish all of you a Happy Holiday and a Blessed New Year.