Thursday, August 22, 2013

Help Erin & Mike! & Helpful Information On Termites

(Picture above used to be one SOLID piece of lumber)
My friends Erin and Mike (kept out last name for privacy since they didn't know I was doing this) and their two girls have recently found out that their roof and a lot of their home has been being eaten by termites for the last 5 years! Going into this, they were "getting their roof fixed"! After the layers have been pealed away they are having to replace walls, support beams, and EVEN FLOOR BOARDS!!!! Their Home Insurance won't help pay for it because they are saying it is a maintenance issue! They have only owned this home for around 2 1/2 years! And YES, it PASSED inspection!!!! Could you imagine this happening to you!?! How DEVASTATING!!!
As you can tell this is a HUGE financial burden for their family!
I wanted to give them a little money but I knew it wouldn't even take a dent out of what they need to pay for JUST the materials!!!
So, I thought that maybe if we all come together and give just a small amount we can help take some of the financial burden off of them. ANYTHING will help!

Even if you don't know Erin & Mike, just put yourself in their shoes and know that no matter what you give you will be helping LITERALLY put a roof back over their heads!!!
If you feel compiled PLEASE SHARE!!!!
THANK YOU for your generosity in advance!!!!
It's only with you that we can make this happen for them!!!
I set up a Wepay account so it is SIMPLE and SAFE to give any amount!!!
You can also click a box to be a private donor and print out the receipt for tax purposes!
CLICK HERE to donate!

Below are pictures my husband took last night of their home.
Sorry for the poor quality, he just used his phone and it was dark!
This first picture is of their doorframe, new wood next to damaged wood.
A picture from inside their living room.... The blue tarp is covering the house from being completely open to the outdoors!

This shows the roof along with the walls being removed to be replaced!
    
The termite guy has taken many pictures of the damage for his records because he said this is one of the WORST cases he has EVER seen!!! If I can get a hold of those pictures, I will post them here!!!

Here are two more shots that show the damage behind the walls!
   
Update from Friday August 23:
The new support beam just got to the house a little before 10am. It weights over 700 lbs!
I took a picture, standing in their living room, it's hard to believe I am INSIDE their home!!!
Here is the support beam that is being replaced.... 
Look at the support beam after it was pulled down!
They are blessed that the house didn't collapse with them in it!
Here is a post Mike wrote on Facebook about some of the things he has learned through this whole crazy experience with termites! It's very helpful information if you own or are planning on purchasing a home! I personally love #10!!! 

Termite-apocalypse

Some of you may know that Erin and I got hit with termites last week when we went to have some work done on our roof. Apparently last time the roof had work, about 8 years ago the previous resident/roofer decided to cover up the damage.

We had an inspection and treatment about 3 years ago, when we bought the house. We passed the inspection and there apparently was no evidence of termites or termite damage at the time.

When had a termite inspector come out on Tuesday, the first inspector still said there was not any evidence around or in the house. Then I showed him our rafters and walls that we had torn apart that had been consumed by termites.

I wanted to share a little bit about what he have learned through this process:

1. Standard termite treatments can take up to 6 to 24 months to kill all of the termites. If there is any settling and disruption of the soil around your house after the treatment, there is a gap in your protection and you're susceptible to termites again.

2. Termite Companies will only stand by their inspection and treatment if you renew their service every year. This can range from $225 and up per year. This will usually involve sending someone out to inspect your house and provide treatment if needed.

3. There is a treatment that will kill termites much quicker, but of course it cost more. Per the two inspectors we had, only a very few companies offer this treatment. So Bob the Local Pest Guy, may not have access to this chemical if you have active termites. Something you may want to ask or do your own research on.

4. There are dogs that can sniff out termites. Jason Wickersheim told me about this. His Realtor recommended this to him and his wife when they recently purchased a home. The dog found termites, that were not found by the person inspector. I am sure this service probably cost more, but was probably well worth it for them. I could see this being very useful if you have a finished basement where you cannot see into the deep corners because of finished ceilings.

5. If you have a person inspector, go with them and make sure they are pulling out the insulation in the deep corners and doing the job they are paid to do. I can't really recommend a company, because I was not overly impressed by either of the inspectors we had, but it was pretty fricking obvious we had termites.

6. We have some real amazing friends and families. From providing Erin and the kids a place to stay for the week, to making meals, watching the girls, stopping by and chatting a few mintues, lending me tools, helping me raise a 600 lb support beam, providing/donating building materials, donating money, phone calls, and text, it all has been amazing.

7. 1 in 30 homes has termites every year. Also next year is expected to be the worst year for termites in many years due to our recent weather patterns that have played into the termites hands. It may be worth having an inspection. Most person inspections are free, you just have to listen to their sales pitch at the end.

8. Alaska is the only state that does not have termites.

9. Helio with Innovation Construction is truly amazing. He was our roofer doing work and stuck around and demo'ed the house, framed it back in, and put a roof back over our head all in one week. He did a great job and never cuts corners. If anyone ever needs any roofing, please contact me, because he is the best and I would highly recommend him. I truly believe he is a dying breed of honest builders/roofers who will not cut corners for profits. He has walked away from jobs because bosses or homeowners wanted him to cut corners or do things that he knows are not right . Helio is a true friend and I owe a tremendous amount to him and the hard work him and Durango put in on our house. His wife Lilian is also amazing for letting him work on our house for a week. She made us some amazing meals during that time. They are great friends, who have huge hearts.

10. Colleen Wickersheim has some amazing recipes. I think she can literally work vegetables into anything she makes. This apparently includes cauliflower into cookies. I look forward to reading more of her blog and trying her recipes.

Once again thank you again to our family and friends, we couldn't have made it through this week without you. I will probably be calling a few of for some help in the next couple weeks as I put the inside of the house back together.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Simple & Healthy Banana Pancakes~ Gluten Free

I was on Facebook yesterday and my niece Taylor posted that she made these two ingredient banana pancakes for breakfast. Anything easy and healthy, with Banana, I have to try because my "picky" baby loves bananas!!! After trying this out and having my whole family scarf these down, I decided this is a MUST SHARE on my blog!

Ingredients:
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 2 eggs
  • *optional~ Cinnamon and coconut oil
All you have to do is peel your banana and mash it up!

   
 Add your two eggs and then mix again.
 Spread a little coconut oil, or whatever else you have, on a heated pan or skillet. 
I sprinkled some cinnamon on one side, very lightly, while they were cooking!
 Then SERVE....... Definitely "picky" baby approved!!!!! I think he ate 4 or 5 pancakes!
This is crazy because he normally doesn't like eggs!
I'm going to make a lot of these pancakes and freeze them so I can pull them out each morning.
 *Tip* make sure your banana is ripe. This will gage the sweetness of your pancakes!!
I can't resist, the next time I make these, I will probably be adding about 1/4 cup of carrot puree for added nutrition! Yummy!

Thursday, August 1, 2013

High Protein Nutty Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares

My friend Yvette made these Protein Bars for her family and shared a piece with me. They were SOOOOO good, I immediately got the recipe! They are so easy to make and taste so delicious that you will have a hard time believing they are good for you!

What you will need:
  • 1/2 cup Coconut Oil (you can use butter also)
  • 1 cup peanut butter (or any other nut butter and crunchy is a good choice for these)
  • 1 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (my friend used Carob chips.... I normally don't like carob but it tasted AWESOME...I couldn't even tell....I think the peanut butter help the taste...so use Carob and this yummy treat will be vegan!)
  • 1 cup flax meal or wheat germ
  • 2 1/2 cups of nuts (in mine I used 1 1/4 cups of cashew pieces and 1 1/4 cups of almond slivers) use whatever you love most or what you have on hand
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut shavings

In a saucepan melt your Coconut Oil, nut butter, and chocolate.
Pull off heat and stir in the rest of your ingredients.
Pour into a glass pan. I used 8X8.
Let cool, cut, and refrigerate!

I actually poured the mixture in my pan, covered, and then refrigerated it over night. I then let it sit out for ten minutes in the morning and then started cutting it into small squares. This reminds me of making fudge....The fudge my husband and I make is so good that people have actually paid us to make them more.... however, its hard to make it now because of the amount of sugar and other ingredients are so unhealthy!
I found my new "fudge" with this! 
I don't feel guilty eating it and just a small amount really fills you up!
 Try this for yourself, you will not be disappointed!

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