Posts Tagged ‘Exxon’

No parent likes to think about their child being bullied or, even worse, being a bully but the fact is, more than half of all children are involved – either as a perpetrator, victim or witness. There are many warning signs that may indicate that someone is affected by bullying. Recognizing the warning signs is an important first step in taking action against bullying. Not all children who are bullied or are bullying others ask for help. It is important to talk with children who show signs of being bullied or bullying others. These warning signs can also point to other issues or problems, such as depression or substance abuse. Talking to the child can help identify the root of the problem. Signs a Child Is Being Bullied Look for changes in the child. However, be aware that not all children who are bullied exhibit warning signs. Some signs that may point to a bullying problem are: Unexplainable injuries Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics, or jewelry Frequent headaches or stomach aches, f...

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Why do we often neglect our front porch? It's the first impression your home puts out there and yet they end up boring, outdated and sad.  If a dark or dated design is deterring you from making the most of your porch, then let our gallery of some amazing yet easy porch remodel ideas inspire you.   Sometimes small porches, especially if they are enclosed, can be dark and uninviting.  A way to improve the look is to paint your front door.  Go with a color that compliments the body of your home and doesn’t clash with it. This will add life back to your front porch and gives you the opportunity to bring in some color.          As we all know, black is timeless! Bold, black paint can turn even the most basic builder-grade doors into architectural statements.          Updating the concrete by painting a geographic pattern or adding a fun rug will turn a boring patio a bit more inviting and fun.    ...

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There is nothing wrong with having your TV as the main focal point of your room, I'm certainly not embarrassed by my TV having center stage, not one bit! If you watch yours frequently, I see no reason to hide it. That said, it's not necessarily something you want to attract attention to - not because you're ashamed of it, but because a giant black box with cords takes attention away from all the other really nice things you've done with the room. Aside from actually hiding it, there are many ways to minimize its presence in a room. Here are some great ideas: Camouflage With Color Instead of contrasting your TV with crisp white walls, camouflage it with dark neutrals like navy blue, dark grey, and black. LED Mirror TV If you really want to get creative, try buying a LED Mirror TV to hang on a wall or over your mantle. The TVs are crafted using the finest frame styles and highest quality dielectric mirror. The framed televisions are ultra slim and are available in a wide variety of finishes to blend seamlessly with your déco...

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Is it just me or does it seem that appliances don’t last as long as they’re supposed to? Something I often hear from family and friends is that their dryer died years before a typical dryer’s lifespan is up and that they seem to be calling the refrigerator repair man out every couple of years.Rob Carpenter, owner of a Mr. Handyman franchise in Maryland, shares some insider tips about how to extend the life of home appliances. Refrigerators That Last Refrigerators break down when doors don’t close tightly, forcing motors to work overtime to keep food cold. To test your door seal, close the door on a dollar bill: If the bill slips, you’ve got a problem that requires refrigerator maintenance. Magnetic strips embedded in gaskets around refrigerator doors make doors close snugly, but they routinely wear out and should be replaced or re-magnetized every couple of years. If you’re handy, re-magnetizing is a DIY job — just run a powerful magnet along each side of the gasket, in the same direction, about 50 times....

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Can you believe it, Spring is right around the corner! For most home owners it’s an exciting time to get your home ready for the season of warmer temperatures and colorful flowers . During the winter months, many areas of your home are neglected. From the interiors of your home to the exterior, getting your home ready for spring will ensure you’ll be ready to enjoy the warmer weather once it hits. Space out your maintenance tips and by the time spring is here, you will be able to enjoy the season! Start on your exterior: The outside of your home has taken more wear and tear from the harsh winter. Walk around your home and examine caulking around windows and doors, as well as open windows and doors and look at weather stripping. Replace old or cracking caulk and replace weather stripping. Inspect the roof for broken or missing shingles, or tiles, and clean out gutters and downspouts at the same time. Landscaping: While it may not be time for you to start planting flowers and watering your lawn, it isn’t too early to...

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The Outlook for Real Estate and the Economy presented by Ted C Jones, Chief Economist, Last week we attended the "By the Numbers - A 2018 Real Estate and Economic Outlook” meeting presented by Chief economist, Dr. Ted C. Jones. He provided us with a close look at the trends that will impact the real estate market.  The most popular topic at this event was obviously what will happen to the housing market and economy post Hurricane Harvey. Well, I have great news to report! He said that the housing market will boom this year and there will be no post Hurricane Harvey recession.  The reason he suggests this is because 8 out of the 9 last hurricanes, this is exactly what happened to the market.    About 10% of homes in the Houston area were damaged by the hurricane and many of these home owners will likely decide to fix their homes then sell, be part of the buyout program, or simply sell as is. These homeowners will then need to purchase a new home which is why the market will skyrocket.  Besides the housing...

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Did you recently set some New Year’s resolutions? You probably made some last year — and the year before as well. Right? In fact about 45% of American’s make resolutions each year. But as you look back at previous years, did you actually keep any of them? If you answered no don’t feel bad, most people don’t see it through. Let’s face it … it’s a little silly waiting all year to decide on one thing that you sort of want to stop doing, but you know you’re not really committed to following through with it anyway.  The truth is, resolutions simply don’t work. First off, there’s no commitment or motivation. A recent study showed that only 40% of American’s actually kept their resolutions for the entire year. Why? Because there was no commitment! Most people take a problem that really has no meaning to you and try to fix it. Your resolutions lack a true foundation of meaning so you pretty much run out of steam. You may get a little boost of motivation at the start of your journey, but it never lasts. It�...

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  You’re probably well aware that there’s more to real estate than just owning your home. There are countless success stories of people who made a fortune or even just a comfortable extra income by investing in real estate. Here’s an overview to get you thinking about an investment property. Improving a home Quickly flipping a home is one way to make money off a real estate investment, but it can be risky. A safer play is to buy a fixer upper and carefully manage costs over a year or so as you improve the property. You’re likely to get a great return. Rental properties Instead of selling your investment property, you can rent it and make a good monthly profit if the rent exceeds your costs. Renting to a stable, reliable tenant can put extra money in your pocket every month for years on end. You can even hire a property manager to handle repairs, rent collection, and other administrative tasks. And if you’re ever ready to stop dealing with tenants, you can sell the home and profit on the improvements and a...

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  During the holidays time flies, and soon we'll be ringing in a new year.  Since many of us will be on Christmas break soon this is actually a great time to wrap things up and start new tasks. And there are also a number of things that have to be done by the end of the year. Get these things done to start 2018 fresh. 1. Spend Your FSA Make sure you've spent the money in your Flexible Spending Account, because it will expire by the end of the month. You may be allowed to file an extension if you haven't used up all your FSA dollars, but you need to check your company policy to see if it allows that. Here are some last-minute ideas to use your FSA money: Over-the-counter items: We're not allowed to spend our FSA dollars on over-the-counter medicines without prescriptions but there are plenty of nonmedical products that we can still use the FSA money for. For example, band aids, crutches, first aid kits, reading glasses, sunscreen, and wound are all covered under the FSA. Acupuncture: Acupuncture is covered by yo...

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Exxon Mobil plans to move 1,600 jobs out of Fort Worth between 2018 and 2020. XTO Energy, an Exxon subsidiary, will relocate to its parent company's new campus in Spring. 1,200 employees will leave Fort Worth in mid-2018, and another 400 will move in 2020. So how does this affect you? Well, there will certainly be an increase of sells in the Spring and Woodlands area in 2018 which surrounds the Exxon campus so If you are thinking about moving in the near future, now may be the right time. Selling a home can take longer than you think it's going to so, be smart and plan ahead. If you have lived in your current home for at least a couple of years, you most likely have a general idea of housing prices in your neighborhood and local economic conditions. It is still a good idea to do some additional homework and research housing activity in your area. The best way to know what your home is worth is to contact a professional and trustworthy realtor to give you a comparative market analysis. This will give you an indication of value on y...

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