| Our nation’s Founding Fathers dared to dream big. When they created the Declaration of Independence, they saw more than mere words on a piece of paper. We believe that these men of vision had a glimpse of what America would become – a land of opportunity, a place where hard work and value are cherished qualities, and a place where anything is possible. At Wood Palace Kitchens, we believe in those same guiding principles of hard work and providing real value. And we know how difficult the last few years have been with this sagging economy. In setting out to do something about that, we have created the new Americana Collection. This finely crafted cabinet line offers the same uncompromising commitment to quality that has been our trademark for the last 3 decades, while also being mindful of these financial times.  Americana Collection Cabinetry at Wood Palace Kitchens The Americana Collection offers many outstanding lines of cabinetry created from the finest woods of cherry, birch, oak and maple – but designed with today’s budget conscious customer in mind. If you have wanted to upgrade your kitchen cabinets but have held back because you thought the process might be too costly, our Americana Collection offers the ideal solution:a complete kitchen with superior products in the $6000 to $15,000 range. And it comes with the same lifetime warranty that backs up all of our products. If price has held you back from the improvements you want to make then please come to see The Americana Collection, where value and cost-effectiveness meet. Make an investment in your home’s future that you’ll be proud you did.  Kahians Appliance One in Hanover,MA.
Kahians ApplianceOne &HDTV is a family-owned discount appliance store based in Hanover, MA. Since 1952, Kahians ApplianceOne &HDTV has served customers with low prices on home appliances and top notch customer service. My clients are always happy when they go to Kahians for their new kitchen appliances. Not only is the selection terrific, the sales team really knows the appliances, can answer all questions and give great recommendations based on the client’s needs and desires. They ask the right questions so that the client doesn’t go home with the wrong appliance. You may have read some of my tips on appliances that I’ve posted here in the past, with the help of Paul Kislauskas from Kahians. He is so knowledgeable that I rely on him for appliance information. Have you heard about induction cooking? “Induction cooking uses induction heating to directly heat a cooking vessel, as opposed to using heat transfer from electrical coils or burning gas as with a traditional cooking stove. To be used on an induction cooktop, a cooking vessel must be made of a ferromagnetic metal, or placed on an interface disk which enables non-induction cookware to be used on induction surface.” - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia There are three main features of induction cooking: 1. Speed. Preheating is much faster, and food cooks faster. 2. More temperature control. It’s equivalent to the performance of gas, without the need to have gas. (It’s also faster.) An induction coil heats with the equivalent of a 20,000 to 23,000 B.T.U. gas burner, depending on the brand. 3. Safety. The burners cool down much faster. The heat will not activate unless there is a pan on the burner. The pan must be made of material that will hold a magnet, such as stainless steel or cast iron. Aluminum,cooper and clay or porcelain pots will not work unless they have a steel core. Induction cook tops will work with a pan that doesn’t have a completely flat bottom, whereas the newer electric cook tops will not work well, for instance, on a pan that’s a little warped. Induction will also work with with grills that have little legs on them, whereas an electric cooktop will not. If you’ve never seen an induction cooktop in action, you can visit Kahian’s Appliance One in Hanover,MA. You’ll be amazed at how fast you can boil water! We talked about setting goals for the new year rather than making resolutions. If you did make resolutions,chances are they’ve already been broken. Well,am I right? If you did set goals,have you looked at them lately? Some business gurus recommend looking at your goals every day. I want to know where I’m at with my goals all the time,and look at whether I’m on track at least monthly. So now two months of the new year have passed. I took a look at my goals this week and saw that some are on track,some are a bit ahead of schedule,and some are a little behind. Not too bad! For instance,I have a certain dollar amount of business that I wanted to bring in to my BNI chapter. Our year goes from April 1 to March 31,so it’s almost over. I’ve done well,but not as well as I wanted to. So I’m taking the time to go over the referrals I gave this year to make sure I’ve followed up on all of them,and everything that turned into business has gotten recorded. Likewise,I’m checking to make sure that I gave credit to everyone who brought me business through BNI. In case you’ve never heard of BNI,it’s the largest networking organization in the world. It’s founded on the philosophy of Givers Gain: you help me with my business,I’ll help you with yours. So the members of our chapter act as each other’s sales team,listening for opportunities to give referrals to our fellow members. It’s worked out quite well for us at Wood Palace Kitchens. That’s why my business goals always include the amount of money that I want to bring to other people in the chapter in closed business,and the amount of money that I want to be brought in to Wood Palace Kitchens from other BNI members. The results also tell me whether my business networking time is well-spent! I’ve gotten a bit off topic here,so I’ll just finish by saying that if you’re a business owner and want to find out more about how to grow your business through referrals,get in touch with me. The little snow flurry we had this morning got me to thinking how much I hate shoveling,and how it hurts my back. So I decided to research some tips for shoveling that might be easier on the back. I found this article in the Huff Post Healthy Living and thought it was great: 1. Avoid holding your breath
Optimize the function of your respiratory system and utilize the more efficient aerobic mechanism for supplying your muscles with energy. In addition,you may get lightheaded or feel a headache coming on if you hold your breath. 2. Bend from your hips and knees,NOT your back
Just as when you do a squat,ski,or even sit back into a chair,lean your upper body forward from your hips and knees while you balance your weight over your feet by leading and reaching back with your butt. Practice by doing squats to a chair without allowing your rear end to touch the chair. 3. Maintain a neutral spine
That means neither bending nor arching away from your midrange comfort zone. For some,neutral is a flattened low back,for others a very mild arch,but it is never the rounded back you will see when you observe some people shoveling. To maintain neutral you will have to engage your abdominal and low back muscles,working the low back extensors most as you bend,to stabilize your low back and keep it from rounding. Emphasize (contract) your abdominals as you reach and rise. The heavier the load you are shoveling,the harder your muscles should work to keep your spine in neutral. 4. Avoid reaching too far
Shovel the snow close to you –the more outstretched your arms are when you lift,the heavier the snow effectively becomes,placing a greater strain on your low back. To understand this better,imagine playing on a see-saw when you were a kid. The farther you sat from the center axis,the “heavier”you became and you could keep your friend on the other end up in the air at will! 5. Lift from your legs
Just as when you lift a heavy box from the floor,rise from your knees and hips to avoid overdoing the effort on your arms and back. 6.Consider wearing an abdominal belt
Some studies have shown that wearing a belt for heavy lifting activities raises intra-muscular pressure of the back muscles (erector spinae) and in doing so helps to stabilize the low back (lumbar spine) during lifting exertions. 7. Pivot to avoid excess twisting of your trunk
Just as with a golf swing,allow your hips to move with your shoulders so that you require less rotation of your spine. For example,a right-handed golfer pivots over his right foot during his swing and follow-through while his left foot remains firmly in contact with the ground. When you are moving the snow from here to there,pivot over your back foot while turning your trunk toward the opposite side. 8. If the snowfall was a big one,lift and move it in layers to limit the weight
You don’t have to dig all the way down to the sidewalk with each maneuver. 9. Take rest breaks and be sure to stay hydrated
You may not realize how much you are actually exerting when you shovel snow. Drink before you get thirsty to avoid dehydration and rest to stay strong and refreshed. 10. Buy a snowblower,hire the kid next door,or move to California! 11. A final caution
Delegate the shoveling if you have a cardiac history,a significant history of low back problems,or are suffering from a shoulder or knee injury. Follow Abby’s fitness/wellness tips on Twitter @abcsims &read more about her work at http://www.recoverypt.com/. ~~~~~~~~~~ I know I will try to follow these tips when I do have to shovel. How about you? When the news broke that Paula Deen has Type 2 Diabetes,her son Bobby had already begun filming his “Not My Mama’s Recipes” shows. Bobby is on a quest to duplicate Paula’s tasty recipes, but with far less fat and calories. Here’s his 5 star recipe for Baked Tilapia: Bobby’s Baked TilapiaRecipe courtesy The Deen Brothers - Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Level: Easy
- Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients- Butter cooking spray
- 4 (6 to 8-ounce) tilapia fillets
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 lime,finely grated zest and juice
- 2 tablespoons butter
DirectionsPreheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a large cast iron pan with a nonstick butter spray. Rinse fish and pat dry;place on the cast iron pan. Season each fillet with salt,cracked pepper,lime zest and lime juice. Add fish to the pan. Place a pat of butter on each fillet and cook in the oven for 8 to 12 minutes. __________ A healthy recipe really could’t get easier than this! Enjoy with your favorite fresh vegetables. Tim Holick, owner of Wood Palace Kitchens in Middleboro, MA, believes in giving back to the community. Even in tough economic times, he has done as much as he can to give his support, financial and otherwise. One of Tim’s favorite charities is the Make a Wish Foundation. Recently,Tim was informed about the wish of a five year old girl. Here’s the story: A New Playhouse As an inquisitive and observant five-year-old girl,this wish child immerses herself in books, puzzles,and dance. She seems to find joy in life’s simple pleasures like playing outside, watching Disney movies,and eating pizza. There seems to be nothing holding this smart, young girl back from a life of fun and learning. Life for her, however, is not as carefree as it should be. Diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), a blood cancer, she must undergo intensive treatments and attend numerous doctors’ visits for her condition. When a team of Make-A-Wish volunteers met with her, she thought long and hard about the perfect wish. In accordance with her inquisitive nature and love for playing outdoors, she asked for a playhouse swing set in her backyard. With her decision solidified, the Make-AWish Foundation set to work and ordered the perfect playhouse. After weeks of planning, the unveiling of her new playhouse finally arrived! At a party filled with pizza, cake, and balloons, she excitedly cut the ribbon surrounding her new playhouse. The cutting of the ribbon revealed the perfect swing set - complete with two green and white play house towers, two wavy slides, a tire swing, and even a telescope! She was smiling from ear to ear! Thanks to you, this young wish child is now able to come home from her hospital visits and unwind on her new playhouse swing set. The hours she spends playing help her to create memories that will give her the strength and courage she needs. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island extends to you its deepest gratitude for your help in making this wish a reality. Wish Grantor: Wood Palace Kitchens Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Massachusetts and Rhode Island Tim is grateful for the support and loyalty of his customers, and will continue to give back to the community. For a list of other organization that Tim supports,go to http://woodpalacekitchens.com/kitchen-remodel-giving.html Today, I’d like to make a recommendation to homeowners. Once in awhile, all home owners need their land surveyed for one reason or another. It might be for a new fence, a new addition, or selling the house. Whatever the reason,if you’re in the Wood Palace Kitchens geographic area, roughly south shore, southeastern Massachusetts, I highly recommend that you use Webby Engineering. They actually have a special going on right now for mortgage plot plans. A mortgage plot plan is used by mortage lenders and title insurance companies to answer the following questions: - Is the house on the correct lot?
- Does the structure comply with local zoning ordinances?
- Does the structure lie in a mapped FEMA flood hazard zone?
- Are there any encroachments,easements or rights of way access issues?
Webby Engineering Associates Land Surveying Division is looking to increase its mortgage plot plan client base,specifically with real estate closing attorneys. They are offering the following terms: - Flat $140 fee for all residential mortgage inspection plot plans within 25 miles of their office at 180 County Road in Plympton.
Webby offers a fast turn around,no fee for cancellation,and all work is performed by or under the direct supervision of a Massachusetts Registered Professional Land Surveyor. So if you need a mortgage plot plan,or any other land surveying services,you can feel confident in calling Webby Engineering at 781-585-1164.  I recently visited a couple whose kitchen I built 21 years ago in New Jersey. They had been telling me that the kitchen still looked like new, and I couldn’t believe it. I had to see it for myself. And guess what? They were right!
The husband has called us every year to confirm that everything still looked great, and to let us know again how happy they are with the look and durability of the furniture and built-ins. Back in those days, we were building furniture ourselves. So everything in the pictures below was built by us except for the desk. Family room built-ins, entertainment center, dining room buffet and table. The kitchen cabinets are laminates that we installed. If they had gone out and bought everything that we built for them, it would have cost them much,much more. Click here to see pictures. At Wood Palace Kitchens,we have always prided ourselves in quality, built-to-last work. How has that worked out for us? Come in and take a look around, and we’ll give you a list of happy clients - actually,we refer to them as raving fans - that you are free to call. If the Patriots hadn’t made it to the Superbowl, this was going to be about a “Winter Blues”party. As luck would have it, they came through for the fans, giving us an even better reason to celebrate this weekend. I would imagine that most of the gatherings on Sunday night will be at the homes of those with big screen TVs! In any case, having a kitchen that’s set up for entertaining would be a big plus. At Wood Palace Kitchens, we design kitchens for our clients that make entertaining an enjoyable experience. Often that starts with an open concept, where the cooks can be part of the “action”. Who wants to be closed into a small kitchen area when all the action is in the living room or family room? With an open concept, guests can help with food preparation and serving without missing a single play, and the island can even be used as a serving area to keep the mess away from the living room furniture. A well designed kitchen will also have proper work stations for cooking, prep and clean up so that several people can be working at the same time without tripping over each other. And let’s not forget the importance of having the right appliances, such as a beverage frig for the wine and beer, and a wine rack. What’s the best choice for countertops? It depends. If you do a lot of food prep, butcher block is a great choice, while granite works well if you do a lot of baking. You might want to stay away from marble, which can be very pourous. Having said all of this, I’m off to the Superbowl myself. Go Pats! | |
