Volume 91

Why Smart Renovation Investments Will Keep You Living More Comfortably

Now is the time when building industry experts urge homeowners to consider home renovations for the year. While thinking about home renovations may be the furthest thing from your mind right now, the recommendation is valid. With temperatures below freezing and furnaces across the country working overtime, winter is an ideal time to assess your home's energy efficiency.

Homeowners seeking to enhance their home living standard can make smart and informed decisions regarding their home renovation by doing some research first. The right home renovations can help you save money by avoiding additional maintenance costs and headaches in the future. Hiring an energy rater, inspector or appraiser can give you a better sense of the work that should be completed during a renovation, as he or she can make recommendations as to how best to invest your renovation dollars.

Today, most homeowners will choose compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) and energy-rated appliances to create a more energy-efficient home. Investing in energy-efficient windows, doors and high-performance HVAC equipment also contributes significantly to improving the efficiency and comfort of the home.

However, knowing what is behind the walls of your home will also influence where you should invest your renovation dollars. The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration recently forecast that although home heating costs will be lower this winter, homeowners should be concerned about of sources of air leakage around their home, especially within the building walls. Online building industry resource, Green Building Advisor, points out that untreated air leaks are often responsible for up to a third of a building's energy costs.

To combat the issue of air leakage, homeowners typically choose to caulk or

AGENT NAMEEquity Real Estate(555) 555-5555email@email.com

Inside This Issue1. Why Smart

Renovation Investments Will Keep You Living More Comfortably

2. Spring Projects that are Sure to Spruce Up Your Home

3. 3 Ways to Become More Environmentally Friendly in 2015

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Saint Augustine

A Clean Home Is A Happy Home: 5 Self-Cleaning Technologies For Busy MomsMaintaining a clean and orderly home can seem like an impossible endeavor. Crumbs litter kitchen floors. Baby food and crayons stain clothes. Sticky little hands smudge windows. If you're a busy mom who feels like she can't keep up with her household chores, get some extra help with the following automatic self-cleaning solutions.

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weather-strip their homes. These solutions do provide some relief to air leakage, but you should consider taking more assertive action. A recent study by the Building Science Corporation showed that heat transfer was much lower in a home equipped with spray foam insulation than with other, more traditional insulation materials.

Spray foam insulation, which can help combat air leakage, is gaining popularity among homeowners since it is an energy-efficient material that delivers year-round benefits. Spray foam insulation, like that available from Icynene, delivers consistent R-value protection and air sealing all year round to help keep your home comfortable regardless of the season or climatic region.

Spray foam insulation performs for the life of the property, ensuring that homeowners can enjoy comfortable indoor temperatures all year round without overrunning their heating and cooling equipment. According to Insulationsmart.com, spray foam insulation can noticeably reduce heating and cooling costs - in some cases by up to 50 percent. Additionally, spray foam insulation helps minimize random airborne moisture and pollutants from entering the home, ideal for allergy sufferers. You can find more information on the effectiveness of spray foam insulation is available online at www.icynene.com.

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Spring Projects that are Sure to Spruce Up Your Home

Creating Seasonless DecorThe idea of changing out your décor seasonally is great, but wouldn't it be nice to just update when you want and not have to completely redo your house just because of a change in the weather? I mean, who are we kidding…Color Trend: Sage GreenGray continues to invade every space and surface of our homes as the modern-day neutral (aka beige replacement). But other hues continue to bubble up, providing options for those looking to inject a little personality into their space. The latest color trend: olive green.http://realtytimes.com/consumeradvice/homeownersadvice1Housing Confidence Up, More Americans RenovatingThis past week, both Home Depot, Inc., and Lowe’s reported high fourth quarter gains, with profits beating their own revenue projections as well as analysts’ estimates, according to a recent Bloomberg Business article…

Ask the Expert: What Can a Homeowner Do about a Frozen Water Pipe?Today’s “Ask the Expert” column features Charles Furlough, vice president of Field Operations with Pillar To Post Home Inspectors…

DIY Home Repair Ideas That Will Make Your Home Worth MoreIf you’ll be putting your home on the market this year, doing some home improvement projects first can boost its value.

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Warmer weather and sunnier days are on their way and many homeowners are itching to begin home improvement projects. If you are one of them, consider these areas of your home when prepping for spring.

Windows and doors

From a full window replacement to a simple coat of paint, updating your windows and doors can have a big impact on your home.

If your windows felt drafty this winter, it may be time for replacements. Replace your old single-pane windows with energy-efficient double-pane windows. Double-pane windows can help you save on heating and cooling bills; they help keep the temperature in your home consistent year-round and help protect your furniture, carpet and window treatments from the sun's fading rays.

Need to bring some fresh color into your home but don't want to paint? Try updating your blinds or shades. From different styles to colorful fabrics, blinds and shades can add a pop of color to your room. Motorized blinds and shades with Pella Insynctive technology come in more than 300 style and color options so you can find the right fit for your home's decor.

Your front door is a major focal point of your home, enhancing your home's curb appeal. Make a bold statement and improve your home's energy efficiency with a new ENERGY STAR-certified front door. Consider options with decorative glass accents, and sidelights to add more natural light while maintaining a sense of style and privacy.

Looking for something even easier? A new coat of paint to your existing door is a quick and easy way to give your home a fresh, new look. Give Pantone's Color of the Year, marsala, a try, or get inspired by your favorite Pinterest collection of favorite front doors.

Gutters and downspouts

Excess water near your foundation can cause thousands of dollars in damages.

Movie Trivia1. Which two actors directed themselves in movies and won Oscars for Best Actor?

1. Al Pacino & Timothy Hutton

2. Jack Nicholson & Kevin Spacey

3. Laurence Olivier & Roberto Benigni

4. Tom Hanks & Paul Newman

2. “After all, tomorrow is another day!” was the last line in which Oscar-winning Best Picture?

1. Gone With The Wind2. Great Expectations3. Harold and Maude4. The Matrix

3. Who is the most nominated actor in Academy history?

1. Jack Nicholson2. Laurence Olivier3. Spencer Tracy4. Paul Newman

4. What Cameron Crowe-directed Hollywood remake was the setting for the on-

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Luckily gutter cleaning and downspout repair is fairly low-cost.

After all the snow melts, you'll want to make sure to clean your gutters and clean out any debris that may keep spring rains from flowing freely through your downspouts.

Along with replacing damaged gutter or downspout sections, you'll also want to make sure you have added downspout extenders to ensure water is draining far away from your home's foundation. Extenders should reach at least five feet into your yard.

Gutter covers can also be added to minimize debris from gathering in gutters throughout the year.

Air conditioning

It may be a few more months before you're turning on the A/C, but spring is a great time to start getting your cooling system ready.

Often you have to call in the pros for air conditioning work but things like spraying off any overgrowth or debris, cleaning coils and changing filters are fixes you can easily do on your own. Also, trim back any shrubs that are nearby. Keeping the outdoor unit clean from debris will boost your A/C system's efficiency.

You can keep part of your indoor duct work clean by removing register covers and wiping clean any of the visible parts. You'll need to contact a professional for a full duct cleaning.

Visit Pella Windows and Doors on Pinterest or Houzz for more home tips and design inspiration, or visit Pella.com for product information.

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3 Ways to Become More Environmentally Friendly in 2015

screen and real-life romance of married actor Tom Cruise and Spanish star Penelope Cruz?

1. Magnolia (1999)2. Masked and Anonymous

(2003)3. Vanilla Sky (2001)4. Waking Up in Reno (2002)

5. “To enter the mind of a killer she must challenge the mind of a madman” is a tagline from what movie?

1. Bordertown (2007)2. Copycat (1995)3. Monster (2004)4. The Silence of the Lambs

(1991)

6. Which actress in an Indiana Jones film became the future wife of director Steven Spielberg?

1. Karen Allen2. Cate Blanchett3. Kate Capshaw4. Alison Doody

7. Which actor had his major feature film debut in the first Indiana Jones Film, and later starred as the superhero’s main villain in Sprider-Man 2?

1. Thomas Haden Chrurch2. Willem Dafoe3. James Franco4. Alfred Molina

Quick Green Chili and Chicken EnchiladasRecipe Courtesy of bhg.com

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Whether you're motivated by a workplace initiative, a personal goal or the opportunity to teach your children lifelong positive habits, now is a great time to become more environmentally friendly. Earth Day is April 22, but there's still plenty of time to develop eco-friendly habits before the big day arrives.

Here are three ways your family can create positive environmental change starting today.

Recycle

Research shows that less than 2 percent of waste in the United States is recycled, yet almost half of all trash can be recycled. School lunches are one source of waste that most families don't consider. These are packed each morning and tossed away each afternoon once lunchtime is finished.

To increase awareness of recycling options during lunch, Entenmann's Little Bites Snacks has partnered with the recycling and upcycling experts at TerraCycle for the "Turn Trash to Cash" program, giving students the chance to recycle their Little Bites snack pouches and earn money for their school. TerraCycle can recycle the pouches to create products like tote bags, pencil cases and even picnic benches.

You can learn more about the campaign by visiting TerraCycle on Facebook.

Protect water resources

Water is one of the most important resources people have, yet every year billions of gallons are needlessly wasted. You can conserve water in your home by teaching your children to take shorter showers or baths, turning off dripping faucets and avoiding letting the water run while they are brushing their teeth.

You can also reduce water waste in your home by investing in water-saving appliances and by reducing or eliminating the practice of watering your lawn, relying on rain to do so instead.

Total Time: 28 MinutesPrep: 5 MinutesYield: 4 servings

Ingredients:5. 1 ¼ pounds chicken

breast 6. 1 ½ cups bottled green

salsa7. 1 4oz can diced green

chiles8. 1 1/2 cups shredded

Mexican-style four-cheese blend (6 oz)

9. 8 6-inch flour tortillas10. Fresh Salsa (optional)11. Lime wedges (optional)

Directions:12. Preheat broiler. Cut

chicken into 1-inch pieces. In large microwave-safe bowl microcook on HIGH 7 minutes or until no pink remains, stirring twice. Drain liquid. Break up chicken slightly in bowl with back of wooden spoon. Add salsa and chiles. Cook 3 minutes more or until heated through, stirring once. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese.

13. Spoon chicken mixture evenly down center of tortillas. Roll tortillas around filling and place in 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Sprinkle remaining cheese over enchiladas.

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Help plant a tree

Few things are as beautiful as a tall, healthy tree. But trees are more than just a beautiful backdrop, as they are also essential to the environment. Here are four reasons why from the Arbor Day Foundation:

1. Trees help clean the air. They improve the quality of the air you breathe by capturing dust and pollution particles that can affect your health.

2. Trees help fight climate change. As trees grow, they remove greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide from the air, store carbon, and release pure oxygen into the atmosphere.

3. Trees planted along waterways can help filter out chemicals that might otherwise wash to water sources. They also can create stable soil and help prevent soil erosion, flooding and even landslides.

4. Trees properly planted around a home can help lower air conditioning and heating costs by up to 25 percent.

This year Entenmann's is partnering with the Arbor Day Foundation for the Little Bites' Earth Day Sweepstakes. For every entry, fan or not, received through the Little Bites Facebook page, Entenmann's will donate $1 to the Arbor Day Foundation to plant a tree - up to 25,000 trees in total. The sweepstakes starts March 1. You can learn more at the Little Bites Facebook page.

Environmentally friendly habits are easy to pick up and they can be a great way to bond with your children on a shared project while developing lifelong habits. So don't wait another minute! Start your family down the eco-friendly path today.

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Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

14. To serve, top with salsa and pass lime wedges. Makes 4 servings.

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