Home & Garden

The Board praised Van Hook particularly for her many accomplishments over the last year, which included overseeing the major tasks of developing and opening a new campus on Sierra Highway in Canyon Country and overseeing the construction and opening of several new buildings on the Valencia campus.

Most people avoid their closets because they are a “disaster”. Let’s address those closets in preparation for your summer wardrobe. It’s surprising what little time it will take and how GOOD you’ll feel when your closets are clutter free. Clearing the clutter from your closets will also clear some clutter from your mind.

It’s not always easy to attain beauty and accomplish perfection, but by following basic guidelines you can ensure a beautiful show of roses.  One of the basic tips is to learn how and when to water your roses and keep in mind there are good times and bad times.  So to encourage your roses and reward yourself with the best display ever, all year round, just follow these simple steps:

Organic gardening is the way of growing vegetables and fruits with the use of things only found in nature.  Organic gardening is the exact same as regular gardening except that organic gardening does not use chemicals that may have an adverse affect on your health.  Organic gardening is an excellent way to assure that your plants will be free and clear of all pesticides and, if taken care of properly, will be as healthy as possible.

Many people like to sample colors before spending the money to purchase a whole project’s worth.  Most paint stores now offer small tester pots which are both convenient and economical for consumers.  It enables the consumer to decide whether or not he actually likes the color before committing to painting the entire space.  However logical this method may appear to be, there are some disadvantages that are not immediately apparent to this way of trying color in such limited quantities.  The paint sample does not necessarily provide a true representation of what the overall effect will be once the entire space is painted.

Too much stuff, too little space?  Can’t find things when you need them?  Let’s face it — most of us have some clutter throughout our homes and work areas. These are the places that seem to constantly be out of control where stuff just accumulates.  Since I’m limited in space, here are just a few quick ideas to help you maintain a more clutter-free and stress-free environment.

All of the objects we look at are made up of certain common elements.  They are arranged according to certain basic principles.  As you learn these basic elements and principles, you learn the language of art.  Being able to speak the language of visual art will help you in many ways.  It will increase your appreciation and enjoyment of art and will help you to talk about art with other people.  It will even help you produce more beautiful and meaningful works of your own.  The basic visual symbols in the language of art are known as the elements of art.  Just as there are basic kinds of words like nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs there are basic kinds of art elements.  The basic kinds of art elements: are line, shape, color, space and texture.  Artists put together these elements as the visual pieces they use to create a work of art.  All visual images will contain some of these elements and when you look at a painting you may see color, texture, shape, size and lines.

Aquariums provide a number of great benefits.  They are beautiful additions to the home, for example.  Watching the gentle movements of the fish can also help reduce stress levels in humans.  Before you begin putting together your own dream aquarium, there are a few points you should consider first.

The thrill and appeal of frolicking in water is eternal.  It knows no age boundaries and water beckons everybody.  This is the reason why so many of us feel tempted by the prospect of having a swimming pool at home where we can take a dip anytime we please and have some real fun with the rest of the family in the cool caress of its crystal clear water.
One of the problems faced by prospective buyers of swimming pool supply is the accessories, equipments and finding a competent contractor who can take care of everything and give shape to your wish in the best possible manner.  Apparently, there is no dearth of swimming pool contractors.  You can find hundreds of them on the Internet, and a dozen more on home-decor magazines and the local Yellow Pages.  But how do you find out about the quality of their products or services?  It’s a tough proposition, no doubt, and so most of our pool pursuits remain a bit of trying one’s luck in the hope that the appointed contractor will do justice to your dreams.

Want to enjoy nature more?  Do you love the beauty of nature?  Many, people do.  They enjoy going to an aquarium, the local zoo and even the pet store.  Hiking, climbing or perhaps a car-ride is a wonderful way to be a part of nature.  But is there a way to enjoy nature in ones own backyard?  How about getting a birdhouse.  A birdhouse is not only a great addition to ones yard but for very little money can bring the excitement of nature home.  And if it’s in our own back yard we can enjoy it anytime, right?

Providing Tutoring Services to Children Suffering From Pediatric Cancer

The Michael Hoefflin Foundation announces that it has partnered with Fresno-based StudentNest.com to provide mathematics tutoring services for children who are the victims of pediatric cancer.  The program provides the children with direct, one-on-one assistance with credentialed teachers through an in-home, online program. Many of these children fall behind in their schoolwork during hospitalizations or treatment.  However, leaving home to attend tutoring sessions can be problematic for children whose immune systems are often compromised by the very treatments designed to save their lives, so the StudentNest.com program is ideally suited to meet their needs.

The Santa Clarita Artists’ Association (SCAA) is gearing up to host its annual fundraiser the Art Classic.  This fall will mark the 19th year for this gala event, which brings together art, music, wine and food in grand style.  Over 120 pieces of original art from over 50 local and regional artists will be exhibited and judged. The wide variety of styles and subjects including, realism, impressionism, abstract, plein air, figurative, landscape, wildlife and still life will delight the senses. 

Sunny days of summer inspire dreams of enjoying one’s garden, and now is the perfect time to live those dreams.  Your perfect place needs to beckon your  escape at the day’s end.  It should bring romance to your garden, and accommodate family and friends in cool comfort.  A beautiful patio with the right choice in quality outdoor furniture will complete your garden, and be your sanctuary.

Wow, look at the prices of bottled drinking water and all the companies that are now in the bottled drinking water business!  Wouldn’t it be great if you were able to get bottled water from your own faucet at home?  Hey, what if you could get cold bottled water from your fridge? What if your icemaker was fed with bottled drinking water?  Clean clear quality water can be this easy, but before I tell you how let’s look at the difference between bottled drinking water and tap water.

The days of the 1950s, 60s and 70s white coping and blue tile are a thing of the past!  With all of the wonderful flagstones available today and incredible tiles to choice from it still surprises me when a homeowner asks to see blue tile when picking out the waterline tile for their new pool.  That’s an arm wrestle I usually win after showing the new tiles and stone that can be used.

Delivering once again on its commitment to improve the health of the community through excellence in healthcare services, Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital’s will open their cardiac catheterization laboratory, featuring the latest digital imaging equipment, this summer.