Make sure your children understand basic fire safety.

Before teaching your children about fire pit safety you need to first make sure they understand the basics of fire and fire safety in general. Teach them to stop, drop, and roll if their clothing ever catches fire, physically demonstrate this technique and let them do it on their own as well. Instruct them to never use gasoline or oil as a fire starter, and show how to properly use a fire extinguisher in case a campfire does get out of hand. But of course most importantly, teach them never to play with matches or lighters.

Surround your fire pit with large rocks and stones, and always have a fire extinguisher nearby.

This is especially true with larger fires in wooded, dry areas as you never know when a spark or stray flame may set fire to the surrounding area. To minimize this risk even further, you should teach your children to clear away any brush and other flammable debris from the area with a rake and before starting a fire. Teach them to keep a lookout for tree branches hanging overhead also, as taller fires have been known to set fire to these low branches.

Pay attention to the type of branches, logs, or wood you are burning.

Make sure your children know what poison oak and poison ivy looks like, as burning this in a fire can release irritants into the air which can be just as harmful as touching the plant with bare skin. This is especially true if you are roasting marshmallows or cooking over the fire. Finally, make sure they understand the difference between dead wood and wood that is still living; and teach them to only collect wood that has already fallen onto the ground as opposed to chopping down fresh trees.

This guest post is provided by Geoffrey F. Moore of My Fire Pits.  My Fire Pits has a large selection of fire pits, fire pit accessories, and gas burning fire pits.

image from myfirepits.com

Post from: Keeping the Castle

After some research, I found some fall blooming flowers that will help to keep your yard looking great.  I didn’t have to look far for help.  Better Homes & Gardens always has great tips for your home.  It’s interesting that many of these flowers are not the traditional fall colors. 

You might want to try these fall blooming flowers:

• aster
• sweet autumn clematis – a beautiful, fast-growing, aggressive vine
• toad lily
• goldenrod
• russian sage
• perennial sunflower
• colchicum
• helenium
• sedum
• red spider lil
• japanese anemone
• turtlehead
• fall crocus
• monkshood
• leadplant
• mexican sage
• anise hyssop
• witch hazel

The Aster, Clematis, and Russian Sage are some of my favorites.  It was hard to pick because most of them are very beautiful.  Which of these fall blooming flowers do you like best?

For more information, as well as pictures of each plant, visit Better Homes & Gardens.  Image from BGH.

Post from: Keeping the Castle

If you’re looking for the most inexpensive firepit or if you don’t plan to use it very often, then this might be the choice for you.  These simple firepits range from $59-75.  This particular one was found at Lowe’s Home Improvement for $59.

This firepit was my husband’s favorite. He likes that it includes four benches which can mostly tuck under the pit when not in use.  This one is also found at Lowe’s Home Improvement for $199.

If you don’t like the look of a firepit, you might consider an outdoor fireplace.  This one is metal like a firepit, but has an upright design to it.  This one is available at Lowe’s Home Improvement for $179.

If you don’t like the look of the black metal or if you prefer an enclosed fireplace, then you might like the clay chimnea.  It is also available at Lowe’s Home Improvement for only $79.

So far, I have shopped at Lowe’s Home Improvement, Home Depot, Target, and Wal-Mart.  Wal-Mart and Lowe’s Home Improvement provided the best selections.  Wal-Mart only sold firepits but they did have great prices.  Most of their selection is by Better Homes & Gardens.

Have you considered an outdoor firepit or fireplace?

images from lowes home improvement

Post from: Keeping the Castle

 ASK THE DECKSPERT

Jeff Wilson is an experienced building professional, and you might have seen him hosting shows like Build A Deck and Build A Fence on the DIY Network.  Here he answers questions about decks and deck care, whether you’re sprucing up your home to sell, or you just want to enjoy and protect your investment.

Q.  What’s going to be hot this year for decks and other outdoor spaces?

Everything “green” is in — and I don’t mean the color.  People are demanding environmentally sensitive products in all parts of their homes.  This includes sustainably harvested wood for new decking.  Look for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo on the label of the decking you choose.  This ensures that the wood is cut responsibly, with an eye toward keeping delicate forest habitats healthy for the long run.

Also, the trend of “bringing the indoors out” will persist in deck design and accessories.  Look for increasing quality and an expanding range of colors and styles for items like outdoor rugs and furniture.  Outdoor lighting is also benefiting from this trend – watch for weatherproof solar lighting which looks more like the table and standing lamps used in your living room.

Q.  What’s the most common mistake people make in caring for their decks?

In a word — procrastination.  Putting off the cleaning and waterproofing spells trouble for your deck in the long run, and costs you more time and money.  Sure, you may not see obvious signs of deterioration right away, but you can be certain that water is finding its way into the surface of unprotected wood.  Save yourself work and expense, and take care of any necessary deck care projects now.

I’d like to add there are more than 21 million wood fences in America, and I would guess the significant majority of them are unprotected.  A wood fence can be cleaned and treated the same way that you would a deck.  Since they’re vertical surfaces and not subject to foot traffic, a fence may not need to be treated as often as a deck.

Taking care of the wood outside of your home – i.e., decks and fences – is actually a step toward “green” home improvement, because it helps the wood last longer.

Q.  How do you know a deck — or fence — is ready to be treated?

For a new deck, protect the wood as soon as possible after the decking is laid.  Since treated lumber often comes from the factory damp, many waterproofers suggest allowing the wood to dry for up to two months before treating.  However, Thompson’s^® Water Seal^® Advanced waterproofers can be applied immediately to new pressure-treated lumber.  Since water and sunlight can begin to damage wood right away, this is a valuable bonus for your deck. 

For an existing deck, try the “splash” test.  Sprinkle water on different areas of the deck.  If the wood absorbs the water and turns darker in color within five seconds, then the wood is porous and needs to be treated. If water beads up or otherwise sits on top of the wood, then it does not need protection at this time.

Q.  What are the secrets to making your deck look beautiful?

The good news is that there aren’t hidden, “professional” secrets.  Any homeowner can keep their deck looking great.  One of the best things you can do for an older deck is a good cleaning.  It will take off years of dirt, mildew and old coatings and restore the wood’s natural color.  Choose a cleaner that matches the condition of your deck, then follow the directions.  (Check out www.thompsonswaterseal.com to learn about your options in deck cleaners and for other great project ideas and helpful advice.)  If you properly clean the deck, then applying the waterproofer will go quickly.

Q.  Any time-saving or labor-saving hints to share?

It used to be that you’d clean your deck one day and then have to wait several days for the deck to completely dry before waterproofing.  Now you have a faster option.  Thompson’s^® Water Seal^® Advanced Wood Protectors can be applied to damp wood, so the cleaning and waterproofing can be done in one day.   

I recycle and re-use materials whenever possible, but you might want to investigate a few new tools if it has been a while since you worked on your deck.  There are some interesting new products out in the past few years, like a long-handled paint pad with a tank that dispenses your coating – no more back and forth to the paint tray.  And today, you can get a lightweight pressure washer with all the power you need to clean your deck for under $200.

One of the best pieces of advice I can give is to read the directions on any product or tool that you’re using, and follow them.  It’s always faster to do it right the first time. 

image and article provided by Karla Neely for Thompson’s Water Seal

Post from: Keeping the Castle