#Home Improvement NYC

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - December 22-28

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles for 50% off this month only! Starting in January, I’ll also be posting 5 extra news links to Patreon each week (for free since they aren’t my work)

1. These countries all scored major wins for LGBTQ+ rights in 2024

“Consensual same-sex activity became legal in Namibia [and Dominica…, c]onversion therapy was banned [in Mexico…, Greenland] made LGBTQ+ discrimination illegal […, and] same-sex adoption and same-sex marriage became legal [in Greece.]”

2. After trial and error, Mexican fishers find key to reforesting a mangrove haven

“So far, the project has planted more than 1.8 million mangroves that have a 92-94% survival rate, Borbón estimated. [… M]angroves can prevent coastal erosion, store carbon and provide a nursery for all kinds of fish and crustacean species.”

3. ‘Britain’s wildlife safari’: baby boom in Norfolk as seal colonies flourish

“More than 1,200 seal pups were born […] in November, and 2,500 more are expected to be born before the breeding season ends in January. […] “Mortality seems to be much lower than in other colonies[….]””

4. Barcelona's metro trains are helping to charge the city's EVs each time they brake.

“[…T]he energy from the underground trains' brakes is used to power the trains and the stations themselves, while the remainder is sent snaking through cables to the surface to power plug-in stations for privately owned vehicles.”

5. Scientists thought this whale could only live for 70 years – turns out it's double that.

“The data [from repeated “photo identification of individual”s] revealed that Southern right whales can live for more than 130 years, with some speculated to reach the grand old age of 150.”

6. Rural Power Co-Ops Gain $4.37B in Latest US Clean Energy Funding

“[… A power co-op in Florida] will use its funding of more than $1.3 billion to develop 700 MW of utility-scale solar and battery energy storage projects in rural areas, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 3.5 million tons annually[….]”

7. Fish-friendly dentistry: New method makes oral research non-lethal

“[… T]he researchers successfully performed the procedure on 60 fish with no fatalities. […] "This new approach researchers to track tooth replacement and development [in living] rare species or museum specimens that can't be damaged."”

8. These Brooklyn Homeowners Couldn’t Afford to Go Green. Then Help Arrived

“The program aims to repair and retrofit 70 two- and three-family homes […] in the span of two years. […] EnergyFit staff work as case managers to help homeowners navigate the complicated technical and bureaucratic processes, coordinate with tenants and set them up for further upgrades down the road.”

9. 2024 was a fantastic year for energy storage

“[… California] became the first state to pass 10 gigawatts, back in April. [… In Texas and California,] when extreme weather events hit, batteries were able to shore up the grid and lower energy costs for customers.”

10. Amid concern over microplastics, a Maine company creates a kelp-based laundry pod alternative

“"The slurry we're creating is similar to that of paper milling, and […] with Maine there's a lot of old infrastructure from the paper industry [… which] can be applied to our process here[….]” If all goes to plan, Dirigo Sea Farms' first batch of 10,000 kelp-based laundry pods will be ready for online sales by next spring.”

December 15-21 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[rimouskis]

I think the universe allowed me one (1) trip this year that wasn't mired by deep emotional struggle

[ajrinconstruction]

Kitchen And Home Makeover For Good Food And Good Mood

Kitchen! It is the starting point of the journey to your heart via your tummy. Your culinary experience has a lot to do with the environment you work in. Elevating your culinary art means remodelling your current kitchen, giving it a makeover for better food, better mood and a better lifestyle.

Why Remodel Your Kitchen Or Home?

One opts for smart and integrated technologies in this generation, especially in a fast moving city like NYC where you have to move faster with the bustling crowd. A smarter and updated kitchen can make your cooking easier, tastier and healthier. Around half (45%) of the house owners are modifying and remodelling their kitchens according to their needs and lifestyle.

Kitchen Remodeling in NYC tops the list of renovations among house owners. Whether it is the countertops or the sinks to wash your dishes easily, everything can have a facelift. Kitchen remodelling is a means of updating your way of making and having meals in this fast paced lifestyle.

76% of homeowners went on to upgrade their homes in the recent years. Best Home Improvement in NYC will make your lives easier by creating a living space that resonates with your essence and aspirations.

Home repair services is in great demand as it not only improves your way of living but the resale value of your house also increases by an average of 56% as per statistical reports. So, whether you want to live in a better home for yourself or put it up in the market for sale, the Home Repair Services in NYC is one of the best options available.

The kitchen is the most important room in your house. It might as well be called the heart of the house. After a long day at work, we spend the most hours of our week in our kitchen. So, updating it, as per our lifestyle and our need is much needed.

Renovating your kitchen or your home doesn’t particularly mean you need to completely alter the room. 70% of owners do not change the dimensions but go for a new layout, larger countertops, a second sink or other sustainable materials.

If you are in NYC and want to update your culinary space or any other room of your house then you need not worry because our team of experts at AJRIN CONSTRUCTION INC. can come up with innovative and sophisticated ideas as per your taste and provide the best of services while collaborating with our clients. We take pride in 100% customer satisfaction and the right solution for all your demands, with a wide range of products and services ranging from manual labor to taking care of your plumbing.

[iahmed197027]

Home Improvement Contracting – Balancing Who Is In Control

These loans use the available equity on your home to secure the money borrowed and since the money is used to improve the property that will be used as collateral, qualifying for these loans is a lot easier. These loans let you use 125% of the value of the property as guarantee of repayment. Thus, even if you don't have enough equity on your home, you can still obtain these loans. The idea is simple: the money will be used to improve the property which will in turn raise its value making more equity available and with few monthly payments, the accumulated debt (mortgage plus home equity loan) will equal 100% of the value of the property and so, both lenders will be fully protected. Home improvement loans, especially those based on equity are very easy to qualify for. The risk involved in the transaction is very little. The chances of default are greatly reduced and in the event of default, repossession assures the lender that he will recover the investment. Therefore, a moderate credit score and history will be enough; there is no need for your credit to be good or perfect. Only serious delinquencies like bankruptcies or defaults can ruin your chances. Other than that, your income needs to let you afford the payments with ease. There are no further requirements because as the loan is used for improvements, it raises the value of the property which is the asset guaranteeing repayment. Do remember that on most home improvement loans the fact that the loan has to be used for making home improvements is one of the contract's clauses. Any other use can result in the cancelation of the loan program and the payments becoming immediately due. Therefore, be careful and read the contract thoroughly. An easy way to improve the functionality of your kitchen is to clean and organize your pantry. Throw out any spices, foods, or canned goods that are past their expiration dates. Once the shelves are cleared, give them a good wipe down. Once they dry, line them with fresh paper liner. Then, organize the shelves, putting like products together. Something as simple as this means you spend less time looking for things you need, and all your ingredients and cooking supplies are available quickly. If your home is in need of more space or you are not happy with the appearance, consider beginning a home improvement project to change it. Renovating your home allows you the opportunity to build it exactly as you'd like. It is usually a lot less stressful and expensive to renovate the home you have, rather than moving to a new home. Get paints that are no-VOC. They are environmentally friendly and do not have harmful chemicals. They are equally as effective, but prices slightly higher than other paint. These are just a few. These shows also give people a better insight on home inspecting as well. It is no longer taken for granted that your home inspector or even a contractor can be trusted to know what they are doing. So many of these shows have depicted home owners that have been victims of scams, shoddy workmanship, and having homes inspected, but still have problems right after they purchased their new home. It makes the process of buying a home take a little longer, because more and more people are starting to know what things to look for in a home, and when to go running into the night. It doesn't mean that all contractors or home inspectors are scam artists or simply don't know what they're doing, there are many who are legitimate and try to do the best job they can. These home improvement shows have informed the public what to look for in a good home inspector or contractor, and what things to watch out for when in the middle of a remodel. These shows also have listings of really good contractors, because they have a reputation to uphold. In the end, what these home improvement shows have done for the consumer is made them more aware. They have allowed people to get educated, and when they see that a project is not going well, they know they don't have to sit back and take it, they have the right to stop the work. It is also helping to change the laws about inspection and contractors, laying out stricter standards for minimum code requirements, as well as changing the laws to make screwing consumers over much harder. These shows have made first time homebuyers aware that there is more to buying your first home than how many bedrooms and bathrooms there are. Now they are just as concerned with how old the roof is, what the electrical wiring and plumbing are like. The characteristics of no equity home improvement loans financially and legal are commonly doubted by many people because of the obligatory situations and its profit issues. This said, what the homeowners should concentrate on with these kind of services is the interest of the home improvement contractors and organizations that offer this. The main is that no equity home improvement loans are specifically designed to address the interests of the homeowner by providing a solution for the financial problems encountered in their plans. This being the primary interest, no equity home improvement loans do offer an advantage to the aspiring homeowners in that they have a low risk investment opportunity. Supposedly, the loans are in part directed toward the financial and profit interest with regards to the risk for money lending, thus the loan's interest should then be directed on the payment scheme of the loan and not on the equity of the property. This is so that contracting and obligatory payment of these financial transactions will be encouraged. The business organizations that are involved in this industry can actually get more business and profit for themselves from debtors by offering no equity home improvement loans. This great potential thus offers the benefit of not needing to put interest on the property's equity. The loan offerings will vary and some will even include additional benefits such as project materials, home improvement contractor and design plans which make them a complete package and thus could potentially mean less problems and cost. This aspect of no equity home improvement loans make it a very attractive financial solution in your favor as a homeowner wanting to develop your homes for better functionality, comfort or ambiance, and thus will make your homes more suitable to your needs. The most important thing for you to keep in mind before making home improvements is that you know what you are doing. In this article, we will present some valuable home improvement information. People of all experience levels can benefit from this information. When you are installing new cabinets yourself. Start with the top set first. This way you will have plenty of room underneath to stand and navigate as you hang the top ones. The bottom set is much easier to install as there is no holding up a heavy cabinet while it gets screwed in. One thing that a lot of homes seem to be missing is plants. Adding some plants to your living environment can spruce up your home infusing it with some life. Plants are not only a great design element, but make your home decorations seem complete and add a touch of nature to your rooms. You can make really neat one of a kind plant stands from old stools. You can buy some old stools from yard sales, garage sales or your local thrift shop.

[homeavens]

Unlocking the Secrets of Shower Curtains: Your 2024 Size & Buying Guide

Let's talk shower curtains – those unsung heroes of the bathroom battlefield. They shield us from the splashes, create a canvas for our personal style, and (hopefully) add a touch of spa-like serenity to our daily routines. But shower curtains can be surprisingly complex creatures, with a hidden world of sizes, materials, and features waiting to be explored. Fear not, fellow design enthusiasts! Today, we're grabbing our metaphorical magnifying glasses and diving deep into the 2024 guide to shower curtain sizes and buying.

[libertyfence]

Bringing a touch of modern elegance to Queens Village with these stunning stainless steel cable railings! ✨

[zachniko]

Best battle ever!!!

[imaginesbymonika]

LOML- loss of my life | Prologue

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!Reader

Plot: You knew him at a time when he didn't, and now he is looking for you...

Warnings: depiction of violence, angst, mentions of (perhaps) death, angst, fluff at the end (maybe), takes place after TFATWS

Bucky didn't like to think back to the years when he was working for Hydra. No matter how many times people named him a victim, an instrument - it didn't change the fact that he was operating for them. Going on those missions- slaughtering hundreds of people. Innocent fucking civilians. He couldn't possibly look past that. His therapist informed him that this kind of mindset is what's keeping him from fully recovering.

Maybe she was right about that.

Perhaps that was the root of his never-ending nightmares. The ones where he can still smell the blood whenever he wakes up in a cold sweat. Where he stares down at his hands, and for a split second he can catch a glimpse of their blood. Or maybe it is his blood. He lost track of that a long time ago.

A couple of months ago he had read a psychology book where someone argued that memories are primarily silent. And he couldn’t have thrown that book any faster against the closest wall. Because fuck whoever wrote that piece of crap. He’d be happy if for once he couldn’t hear the screaming of his victims, their begging and crying…followed by his metal arm making this eerie sound whenever it crushed someone’s spine into little pieces.

Bucky takes a deep breath. God, how he yearned and wished for silence. But then again, God has abandoned him a while ago.

His dreams only consist of flashbacks. Please, I have children waiting for me at home! Stop, stop, that hurts! Your work is fundamental for mankind! Oh my god, please stop! Make this stop, please! My oldest is 7! Please, don’t forget that you’re still human underneath it all. Bucky’s eyes open and when he sits up he can not stop gasping for air. Please, don’t forget you’re still human underneath it all.

He inspects his worn out features in the mirror. When had he started to dream of her? When did she manage to tiptoe her way into this hellfire of memories? What was her name again?

You slightly flinched when Pierce's hand made contact with The Winter Soldier’s cheek. The sound echoed through the empty corridors of the facility. And her gaze quickly drops to her clipboard. Everybody around her was silent, staring at either the long-haired man or the one in the suit. Pierce looked beyond furious before his eyes fell on you and he cleared his throat:” What are you writing down.”

Fuck. You took a deep breath, and quickly improved your posture:” I am just documenting the bruising, Sir.” The older man hummed and furrowed his eyebrows:” Let me see.” Out of nowhere, he snatched the clipboard out of your hands. You slightly groan at the burning sensation the plastic left on your skin. The entire time, you were able to feel The Winter Soldier's eyes on you. How you loathed this job. But you needed to remind yourself that you didn’t have much of a choice, whether or not you wanted to be there. For almost three years, you were one of the top physicians at NYC’s best hospital. Then one evening, while you were walking back to your car, you got kidnapped. You-

“Bucky?”, Sam’s voice brings him back into the present: “Are you still with me?” There is a playfulness to his voice. One that quickly disappears, once Sam notices the look on his friend’s face. And for a few seconds, the two men just look at one another, before Bucky shakes his head:” Yeah no. I’m fine.”

“You’re gone a lot these days.”

Bucky tilts his head and blinks in perplexity:” What’s that supposed to mean? We have been working on this case together since last week, we-.”

“Mentally, Bucky.”, Sam cuts him off and brings his cup of coffee up to his lips. And he can detect an emotion in Bucky’s eyes that tells him he struck a nerve. There is a heavy silence filling the kitchen before Sam speaks up again, his voice gentle and understanding:” Where are you going?”

[tizeline]

I'm guessing that after season finale, Leo sneaking out to see Donnie is in secret. Is there a moment where Leo's other brothers find out? Do they feel betrayed, or do they assume it's part of Leo's master plan to have Donnie switch over?

Is there moments Leo stays the night at the lair cuz of tensions at home, or just because he wants to hang out with Donnie more?

Love your AU!!

Okay so here's the thing. Before the season one finale, Leo would always worry so much about living up to expectations, about what his family would think of him. This led to him keeping many secrets, his interest in Lou Jitsu plus human media and pop-culture in general, his frequenting NYC and Run Of The Mill, all of that he would spend years keeping closely hidden from his father and brothers. Then later he'd also have to hide his tense but slowly improving relationship with Donnie and his doubts about Draxum's world domination plan. When the season one finale happens and Leo teams up with Donnie, the cover is blown and essentially all of those closely guarded secrets are exposed.

So after that, Leo is done with secrets, he's tired of putting on an act all the time. His family already knows that he's befriended Donnie at this point, and not in the way they wanted. They know that he interacts with human society, and so what? Instead of hiding this part of himself, Leo does the opposite and brags about it, shoving in their face. Basically any time Leo leaves to go hang out with Donnie he will let everyone know and then teleport away in front of their faces lol. (Jokes on Leo, he is still very much putting on an act, this time it's just an act of indifference. He is very much bothered by the tension between him and his family, especially between him and his dad, but he doesn't want to admit to anyone else or himself that that's the case)

But Leo does absolutely sometimes stay overnight at Donnie's place, both as an act of rebellion but also because Draxum's displeasure with Leo really gets to him and he just doesn't wanna deal with that sometimes.

Both Draxum and Mikey are, uh, a bit salty over the whole Dark Armor fiasco, including Leo's kinda-sorta-not-really-but-also-technically-betrayal. So they have a pretty pissy attitude during this part of the story XD and Leo running yelling about HOW MUCH FUN he's having with HIS TWIN BROTHER and also how Leo was TOTALLY RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING just makes them more annoyed (and they're not even twins??? where did leo get that idea from, what is he on about???).

Meanwhile, Raph does agree with Leo when it comes the fact that destroying humanity is not a very cool thing to do, but he still doesn't exactly vibe with humans. Needless to say, he's a bit conflicted about everything which causes him to usually get caught in the middle of Leo's and Draxum + Mikey's beef where he's stuck trying to play mediator. He's not super happy with Leo running off on his own all the time to hang out with Donnie considering it means interacting with April and Splinter, which he still doesn't trust. It's not until Raph starts tagging along (partly to make sure Splinter isn't gonna kidnap Leo too haha) that he starts agreeing more with Leo's stance on things and realizes that April and Splinter are pretty cool actually.

[bcacstuff]

What a cringe fest that event was. What are your thoughts on the booze party?

While Anon 1 is mostly referring to the Steak&Whisky event, and Anon 2 wants my opinion about 'him' last week,I rather prefer to share my overall thoughts about the NYC Wine & Food Festival based on what I saw from all the footage I've watched on several accounts. As I do think, most people here in this fandom only saw the footage posted in the fandom, (including on my blog). So maybe to give a bit a broader view on it and put things more into perspective, these are my thoughts

First of all, last year the SS brand was presented at the festival as well, but it didn't get any exposure at all! It was nowhere exposed on the main accounts, like the nycwff one on IG. Only Chrissy and Melanie were there and all I've seen from their private accounts back then was them going over the festival tasting all the brands... Not once did I see anybody posting about the SS booth (apart from a very few OL/SH fan accounts). Sam, who had been in town in the days before was gone for a vacation at Nevis exactly the day the event started! Something I thought was a missed opportunity, strange and not very smart back then.

It's a very large event, many booths, even more brands and bars/restaurants promoting their business.

And being present promoting your brand, especially when you seek more exposure and want to build your brand beyond the current customer base (read the OL fandom) is a good opportunity to present your brand to a wider public.

It was a 4 days event, 17 - 20 October. I watched the location and the nycwff account and tags to see if there was any exposure on the days before (and after) he was at the booth. But not much was there to see about his brand. Only the SS account posted a video on the 2nd day, which at least showed the booth styled by Ally Amenta, which was compared to last year, an improvement.

Seeing a working team behind it was as well something new. Of course it helps a lot when he's there himself in order to get exposure.

But mind you, most of it were on OL/SH fan accounts. Little on the main nycwff account or location tagged accounts.

Sure, being a 'special' guest on one of the evening events of the festival helps as well. Yes, there were several events, dinners going on in the evening during the festival. Most themed based and one more luxurious than the other.

The Steak& Whisky event was presented by A.1. Sauce and hosted by Robert Irvine. Advertised as an indulgent and sumptuous evening centered around steak and whisky, a walk-around dinner event. Which comes down to a number of tables that presented their produce, steak and whisky. All sponsoring the event of course. People could get their food and whisky at those tables walking around.

You might have gotten the idea that it was all about him, and of course he did get the usual acclaim when arriving and dare I say goofing around. But not only his whisky was presented and promoted on the event, a number of others as well. In fact I was watching the nycwff account live all the time, they posted several stories of this event (as well the other events going on). I saw several whisky brands being posted, but after his arrival I didn't see anything about the SS brand!

Compared to other tables which, dare I say, looked a lot classier, the SS table looked quite chaotic when he was playing 'bartender'

Okay, you say because all the fans around it, yes exactly that - fans-and yeah the dancing... what can I say 🤐🙈

and of course there was steak, and when I say steak... I mean...

I'm more curious though how the random visitor, the ones not knowing him or OL, go home and still remember the brand they might have tasted amongst countless others? I don't know if there were any giveaways or marketing materials handed out which the random visitor could take home to at least remember the name. The Sassenach isn't the most easiest name to remember when you're not an OL fan or never heard of it. And how many times have we seen his name spelled the wrong way... 🤐

And does the visitor know where to go, where to find his product? We know it's not available in every liquor store around the corner, and how many like to order their liquor on the internet? That's if they can find out where to order it! His only exposure is in fact mainly on IG, on the SS account, and his account. They're stories and posts but not really advertisements (as in #ads which will popup randomly on your timeline). And if you check the Datareportal, you'll find out that Instagram is only the 4th social media platform actively used.

A number of bars were listed on his and the SS account, but just 11 bars in NYC (and mind you half of them are owned by friend chef Paul Donnelly), does the random visitor know where to go and order his booze in a bar? Do they order his booze in a bar at all? I have my doubts here... you can be optimistic, and perhaps I'm wrong 🤷‍♀️ I'm afraid though when the random visitor can not find much about it, he/she will quickly forget about it and move on to the next thing.

All in all, good event for promo, but doubts and question marks about the follow up on my part, which imho is equally important. But who knows.... According to Frank Sinatra.... 🎶

Anyway, last but not least about the event itself. I do really hope events like this find a better solution for all the plastic used. I get it, you can hardly use glasses, but in this time it really is necessary to find a better solution for this especially seeing the event so near to the river.

[nextlevelconstincusa]

Discover top-notch home renovation services in NYC with Next Level Construction Inc. Whether you’re planning a kitchen upgrade, bathroom remodel, or a complete home transformation, our skilled professionals are here to bring your vision to life. Explore our exceptional craftsmanship, innovative designs, and commitment to customer satisfaction.

[writing-rat]

Gym Crush

Pairing: Sam Carpenter x Reader

Warning: Just fluff!

Summary: Sam is a gym trainer when you join her classes. Soon enough you become friends and go to Sam's house...

WC: 1180

It was your first day of going to the gym, and you were nervous. You hadn’t gone to a gym in New York before, scared of the people who would be going, but you knew you needed to get back to working out soon. So that is when you decided to look at gym classes, where you found one you liked. It was functional strength, and it was a small class with a name you recognised. Sam Carpenter. One of the Ghostface victims. You knew her from the news when you first moved in when the incidents were happening. You knew she was innocent however, the news said so with proof as well as Gale Weathers, known for the books that spurred the people that wore the Ghostface costume on. Out of intrigue (and because of the class size), you thought you would join. You were lucky you did that due to it being the last spot available and you were excited. The class size was 6 people so you were grateful for that. The first classes you would be going to would be tomorrow, so you decided to get your workout clothes sorted. Grabbing an old faded hoodie and a plain shirt, you put them in a pile then grabbed your favourite sweatpants. You were going to be prepared, and glad you could work from home once a week.

-

It was officially the next day, and it was an hour before your class which was at 4 pm. You made sure you had your water bottle ready as well as having the correct clothes on. You checked the train times before deciding it would be better to walk to the gym. It would be good for exercise too anyway. As you were walking, you were looking around the city since you were still new there, having moved there months ago. 

Eventually walking into the gym, you showed your booking to the receptionist. “Just go down this hallway where there are the classroom gyms and it is the second right. The room is marked with Sam’s name too,” the receptionist said with a smile. “She is a good trainer. She wants to warn people who join however to not mention Ghostface or the allegations whatsoever. She will kick you out quickly if not,” the receptionist spoke, looking at her. You nodded, understanding. “Thank you,” you spoke before walking over to the room and entering, being the first one there. You were 30 minutes early after all. Sam looked up after putting some weights down and smiled.

“Hey! Y/N right?” she asked. 

“Yeah! That’s me,” you confirmed, looking around. “You can put your drink in one of the cubbies. I am Sam Carpenter, your new trainer. I will be helping you to achieve your goals and also make you stronger. You worked out before?” Sam asked, seemingly done with the set-up. “Yeah, but not for a few months. I just recently moved to NYC,” you confirmed, smiling at her gently. Sam was nodding. “Good, good. Well, I can’t wait to see how you improve,” Sam spoke. You nodded, eager to please her. Little did you know what would happen in the future…

-

It was 8 months after you first started lessons, and you were growing a crush on the taller girl. You looked up to her, metaphorically and literally. Hell, you even befriended Sam, having been in her classes the longest and communicating with her if you would be late or would not be able to make it to the lesson. Hell, Sam even started driving you to the sessions and sometimes home. You were thankful for that as you could save money than then go on the train every day. You even talked to Sam more personally, which led to a friendship becoming her best friend. She was still a strict coach with you though during lessons. 

You were currently at the Carpenter-Weather’s house, Gale cooking dinner with Tara while you were leaning against Sam, curled up after a long session and watching a movie with her. You were both watching The Addam’s Family Values, wanting a relaxing film. You felt comfortable in the strong woman’s embrace, leaning more and more into her neck. You weren’t even aware you were doing that as you were more distracted by the film. Sam meanwhile was rubbing your sides as she kissed your forehead, making you smile. You were about to speak when Tara entered the room. “Dinner’s ready!” she spoke, before going back to the kitchen. Sam groaned, stretching before she stood up, holding her hand out for you to take. You smiled, taking it as you got up, shocked that Sam kept holding it after. Your cheeks did heat up a little bit at that action but you didn’t say anything. Tara and Gale just looked at each other with a smirk for some reason that you didn’t know but you just decided to not care about it.

“Thank you, ma’am, Tara,” you spoke, nodding politely. Gale just smiled. 

“Oh please, call me Gale. Ma’am makes me feel old,” Gale just chuckled in response. Nodding in shock, you smiled as you sat down next to Sam. On the plate there were burritos. You were content with that as you started to eat while thanking both Tara and Gale for cooking. 

“If you want to stay over, you can!” Tara happily responded. Sam just widened her eyes and then glared at Tara, but you didn’t know why again. You decided to shrug it off again. “Sure, but where would I stay?” you asked, confused as you tilted your head confused. 

“Sam’s bed?” Tara suggested. Sam nodded. 

“I wouldn’t mind,” she admitted. Gale just smiled, seeing how Tara was being a wing-woman for Sam. 

-

That night, you had decided to stay over. That made you both go to sleep at 1 am, both of you going to her bedroom silently due to the other occupants sleeping. Sam just smiled at you before she kissed your cheek, making you even more flustered as you realised she was being more touchy. She was cuddling you, holding your hands and kissing you. “Are you flirting?” you asked quietly, shaking from nerves admittedly. Sam blinked before she thought then sighed and nodded. “Yes, I am. Is that… ok?” she asked. You just grinned and kissed her, before nodding. “Now let’s cuddle and sleep, I am tired,” you admitted. Sam just grinned and smiled before she went to the bed and was big spooning you. You just cuddled into her neck, glad your feelings were returned. 

The next morning, you woke up early, confused as to why before you heard the shutter of a camera. You looked up sleepily, then saw Tara in the room holding a Polaroid and putting it on the side. “Morning, Gale is happy for you. Now you can go back to sleep,” Tara spoke quietly before leaving. You smiled, shaking your head before quickly falling back to sleep. You didn’t miss the faint kiss of your forehead though. You sighed in happiness.

[sosuigeneris]

have you ever got any cosmetic work done (surgical/non-surgical)? what is your beauty maintenance routine? what are some stuff that wealthier ppl know about that most don’t regarding beauty/skin/hair/hygiene/diet/fitness? sorry it’s so many questions. i love your blog so much btw I’ve learned a lot from you :)🩷

nope, never had surgery or anything too invasive. I really don’t need it haha, losing weight, fixing my skin and growing my hair out did wonders for me. I’ve had collagen pumped into my skin for some acne scars I had but that was a useless procedure, this is back when I was 18. I’ve done exilis and em sculpt which I’ve mentioned below, I’ve gotten laser done (useless), I had IVs for semaglutide (useless). I think that’s about it.

beauty maintenance routine:

wax every 1.5 months

thread and wax my face every Sunday

face masks 2x week

hair mask 1 x week

high frequency if I feel like my skin needs a push (I have a wand at home)

gel polish every month

minoxidil for hair growth

I FaceTime my dermat once a month or once in two months

things that wealthy people do that normally people don’t know about… the problem is that everything is public these days. Any Jane can get filler and collagen therapy now and in certain elitist families, there is a sense of disdain about that. Beauty is a competition, it’s a very hush hush business and most try to be as discreet as possible.

I’ve seen lots of nose jobs and chin jobs that these younger girls get done in their late teens or early 20s to improve their prospects for fame (very common in the entertainment families). But with legacy family businesses, among the older women, it will be one of two extremes- a horrible face lift and smudged make up or all natural face yoga and black magic that they swear by. Baby Botox is also huge with the younger wives but they never get it done in India, they always go to LA/ NYC / and absolute worst case Dubai. You really cannot afford to be 35 and botched. The reality is that with huge legacy families what you don’t have is time. Time for recovery I mean, because for those few months you cannot be seen publicly. For most families this is impossible- there are constant engagements, philanthropic activities (PR), weddings and parties to attend - so whatever they get done, they ensure that the down time is very very short. That’s also why most of them have consistent “natural” wellness routines like getting massages weekly. emsculpt and exilis are a big secret (I’ve done both). I’m writing a blog post about it in real time. Downtime is zero. A lot of women also get exilis done for their vaginas to make it tighter.

I have cousins who have MUAs on a retainer basis. Regardless of how big or small the event is, they ensure that they’re looking glam at all times if they’re going to be socialising. I personally think that’s insane and I’m very good at my beating my face so I never resorted to doing this for every occasion but yes this is common.

diet - I’ll be honest, most girls will very rarely touch food. If we’re going out for dinner we normally go for Japanese because it’s a little lighter. They smoke/ vape a lot which in turn suppresses appetite.

what I plan to get done soon:

acne scar treatment (I have very slight scarring only on one cheek because I sleep on my side)

hydrafacial

ultrasound for double chin (I don’t have a crazy double chin but I do want my face to be a little more snatched without fillers and Botox)

Things I know I will get done at some point:

PRP facials

micro needling

emsculpt again (like before my wedding whenever that happens)

Botox just in between my eyebrows because I frown when I’m listening

some treatment for my laugh lines at some point in my life

tbh the best beauty tip I can give you is start working out young. I’ve seen so many women not go back to their pre-baby weight, struggle with their health which inevitably fucks with your appearance, and try all sorts of stupid things when they could literally just start working out and watch their body transform in a few months.

also, don’t get fillers done impulsively. It looks ridiculous unless you have the right doc and 8/10 times you don’t. try to stick to your ethnicity as much as possible. As an Indian, the closest inspo for me is Middle Eastern because I have similar features (full brows, full lips and big eyes). But if I try getting Korean style plastic surgery I’m going to look daft.

[tedwardremus]

What kind of dates do you think Harry and Ginny go on? I think they are super fun-loving thrill seekers. Harry was denied so many happy experiences when he was younger and I bet Ginny fantasized about all the things she would do when she was older and had money and finally some freedom. So, I think they are super fun and they travel a lot. Basically act like two big kids even when they are 35 or 45. They do things like order every dessert item on a restaurant's menu. They do dumb challenges like try every cereal and rank them from best to worst. Make a list of every single theme park and all the best rides and try to experience every single one (they def took Teddy to Disney World and paid for the VIP treatment so he could eat with Mickey Mouse). They do bucket list things like spend Christmas in NYC (Harry loves it because the muggles are distant and rude and that's totally his vibe) and spend New Years on Sydney Harbour watching the fireworks on the beach (one of Ginny's fave ever memories). When the kids have birthdays they are the aunt and uncle that rent the bouncy castle and water slide and rent a fckn pony for the kids to ride. They are FUN. For Christmas they do a build the nicest gingerbread house challenge with the kids and its super competitive. One time Ginny shows up at Hogwarts and says there is an emergency and the kids need to go with her and they are like wtf and then they meet Harry in Hogsmeade and take a portkey to Coney Island (Hermione is so furious and yells at H/G over this because it's SO childish and irresponsible - Ron is like please don't tell her I went with you she thought I was at work).

It was a difficult undertaking to plan a date night when your boyfriend happened to be the most famous wizard in the entire world. Everywhere they went, the press was sure to follow. And if not the press, then someone would try to tell Harry how amazing he was and ask for an autograph. Either way, if they spent too long in public, Harry would get spotted, and his mood would turn sour.

There was always the Leaky Cauldron—Hannah would ensure they had a private booth. But the Leaky was crowded and noisy and they spend so much time hanging out with friends there it didn't really feel like a date night location.

There were always weekend getaways to Romania to the Dragon Reserve to see Charlie or France with Bill and Fleur. But family trips, while fun, were not romantic.

They'd head out to Muggle London, go to the zoo, and once Harry took her to the movies. But if she was honest, Ginny didn’t understand the hype and much preferred reading her books or listening to stories on the wireless.

Or they’d go out with Hermione and Ron, but again—a date that included brothers was automatically not romantic.

Then there was coordinating their busy schedules. When Ginny didn’t have a game, she was usually training, and now that she was on the national team as well as the Harpies, her schedule was even more hectic.

Harry, of course, was busy not just with Auror training but also various committees to reform the Ministry. He always did his best to spend a day or two a week with Teddy—even if it was just a quick mealtime hello.

That’s why their best dates tended to be quiet ones at home. Just the two of them in the safe sanctuary they had built together. Away from public eyes, dark magic, and intrusive press. They’d play music records—a mix of wizard and Muggle music. Do silly dances while they cooked. Sometimes dinner turned out well, and sometimes they ended up walking to the nearby village to get takeaway when it turned into a disaster. But they had been living together for a couple of years, and Ginny was confident that their cooking was improving.

They’d share a bottle of wine and start a fire. Afterwards, Harry would look at her and ask if she wanted to fly.

She always said yes.

And in the cover of darkness, they’d fly. And they’d be free. It was wonderful—to reach out and touch the stars and have the love of your life hold your hand in return.

[iahmed197027]

Home Improvement Contracting – Balancing Who Is In Control

These loans use the available equity on your home to secure the money borrowed and since the money is used to improve the property that will be used as collateral, qualifying for these loans is a lot easier. These loans let you use 125% of the value of the property as guarantee of repayment. Thus, even if you don't have enough equity on your home, you can still obtain these loans. The idea is simple: the money will be used to improve the property which will in turn raise its value making more equity available and with few monthly payments, the accumulated debt (mortgage plus home equity loan) will equal 100% of the value of the property and so, both lenders will be fully protected. Home improvement loans, especially those based on equity are very easy to qualify for. The risk involved in the transaction is very little. The chances of default are greatly reduced and in the event of default, repossession assures the lender that he will recover the investment. Therefore, a moderate credit score and history will be enough; there is no need for your credit to be good or perfect. Only serious delinquencies like bankruptcies or defaults can ruin your chances. Other than that, your income needs to let you afford the payments with ease. There are no further requirements because as the loan is used for improvements, it raises the value of the property which is the asset guaranteeing repayment. Do remember that on most home improvement loans the fact that the loan has to be used for making home improvements is one of the contract's clauses. Any other use can result in the cancelation of the loan program and the payments becoming immediately due. Therefore, be careful and read the contract thoroughly. An easy way to improve the functionality of your kitchen is to clean and organize your pantry. Throw out any spices, foods, or canned goods that are past their expiration dates. Once the shelves are cleared, give them a good wipe down. Once they dry, line them with fresh paper liner. Then, organize the shelves, putting like products together. Something as simple as this means you spend less time looking for things you need, and all your ingredients and cooking supplies are available quickly. If your home is in need of more space or you are not happy with the appearance, consider beginning a home improvement project to change it. Renovating your home allows you the opportunity to build it exactly as you'd like. It is usually a lot less stressful and expensive to renovate the home you have, rather than moving to a new home. Get paints that are no-VOC. They are environmentally friendly and do not have harmful chemicals. They are equally as effective, but prices slightly higher than other paint. These are just a few. These shows also give people a better insight on home inspecting as well. It is no longer taken for granted that your home inspector or even a contractor can be trusted to know what they are doing. So many of these shows have depicted home owners that have been victims of scams, shoddy workmanship, and having homes inspected, but still have problems right after they purchased their new home. It makes the process of buying a home take a little longer, because more and more people are starting to know what things to look for in a home, and when to go running into the night. It doesn't mean that all contractors or home inspectors are scam artists or simply don't know what they're doing, there are many who are legitimate and try to do the best job they can. These home improvement shows have informed the public what to look for in a good home inspector or contractor, and what things to watch out for when in the middle of a remodel. These shows also have listings of really good contractors, because they have a reputation to uphold. In the end, what these home improvement shows have done for the consumer is made them more aware. They have allowed people to get educated, and when they see that a project is not going well, they know they don't have to sit back and take it, they have the right to stop the work. It is also helping to change the laws about inspection and contractors, laying out stricter standards for minimum code requirements, as well as changing the laws to make screwing consumers over much harder. These shows have made first time homebuyers aware that there is more to buying your first home than how many bedrooms and bathrooms there are. Now they are just as concerned with how old the roof is, what the electrical wiring and plumbing are like. The characteristics of no equity home improvement loans financially and legal are commonly doubted by many people because of the obligatory situations and its profit issues. This said, what the homeowners should concentrate on with these kind of services is the interest of the home improvement contractors and organizations that offer this. The main is that no equity home improvement loans are specifically designed to address the interests of the homeowner by providing a solution for the financial problems encountered in their plans. This being the primary interest, no equity home improvement loans do offer an advantage to the aspiring homeowners in that they have a low risk investment opportunity. Supposedly, the loans are in part directed toward the financial and profit interest with regards to the risk for money lending, thus the loan's interest should then be directed on the payment scheme of the loan and not on the equity of the property. This is so that contracting and obligatory payment of these financial transactions will be encouraged. The business organizations that are involved in this industry can actually get more business and profit for themselves from debtors by offering no equity home improvement loans. This great potential thus offers the benefit of not needing to put interest on the property's equity. The loan offerings will vary and some will even include additional benefits such as project materials, home improvement contractor and design plans which make them a complete package and thus could potentially mean less problems and cost. This aspect of no equity home improvement loans make it a very attractive financial solution in your favor as a homeowner wanting to develop your homes for better functionality, comfort or ambiance, and thus will make your homes more suitable to your needs. The most important thing for you to keep in mind before making home improvements is that you know what you are doing. In this article, we will present some valuable home improvement information. People of all experience levels can benefit from this information. When you are installing new cabinets yourself. Start with the top set first. This way you will have plenty of room underneath to stand and navigate as you hang the top ones. The bottom set is much easier to install as there is no holding up a heavy cabinet while it gets screwed in. One thing that a lot of homes seem to be missing is plants. Adding some plants to your living environment can spruce up your home infusing it with some life. Plants are not only a great design element, but make your home decorations seem complete and add a touch of nature to your rooms. You can make really neat one of a kind plant stands from old stools. You can buy some old stools from yard sales, garage sales or your local thrift shop.

[midwesternvibes]

This one is currently winning on my little motivation poll so here we go

SEPERATED LEO AU!!! (because we don't have enough of those already lol)

Link to original post

So, I wanna talk more about how they all refound each other (link to how they met here)

Just to recap, Big Mama has Mikey, Draxum has Raph, and Splinter has Donnie. Big Mama's in her Nexus Hotel, Draxum is in NYC with a cloaking broach, and Splinter's in the ever iconic sewers.

Big Mama is actually a very kind mother to Mikey! She loves her little baby, and especially loves how he has her beloved Lou's smile. She spoils him to death and lets them express himself however she'd like. (If you haven't picked up on it yet, Mikey is genderfluid in this au and generally presents as a feminine man) Mikey absolutely adores skirts and zip-up hoodies, and usually wears a very bright suit top with a big orange ball gown skirt to formal events that Big Mama matches at Mikey's whims (I cannot draw for the life of me so if anyone is willing to draw this for me I will work out some kind of trade with you if you'd like 🙏)

But yeah, Big Mama does not let her fight in the Nexus, and has even toned down the brutality of the Nexus due to Mikey's pleading. There aren't any more lethal fights and she rarely makes binding, lifelong contracts because it made her baby upset to see all the sad and scared people.

They are a very cute duo and both genuinely love each other very much

Then there's Draxum amd Raph! Draxum luckily snagged two cloaking broaches before his lab exploded and slapped them on both him and his 2 year old son before heading up to the surface. The two of them then got a apartment in the.....*shuddder*........human world. Draxum tries to hide them in mostly secret, only leaving the house for groceries and necessities, but eventually realizes that poor Raphie is very lonely.

This is made so much worse when he meets the little girl downstairs and wants so desperately to follow her to school after their playdates.........Draxum finally caves.

With the help of Mr. and Mrs. O'Neil, he enrolls Raphie in the same Kindergarden as April and lets him finally go to school after years of homeschooling. Raphie struggles with the transition a bit, but eventually he gets the hang of it and thrives! Draxum encourages him to join as many clubs as he can (without getting overwhelmed of course) and is his biggest fan.

Once Draxum is able to settle down, he's actually a huge soccer mom and goes to all of Raphie's events, he gets totally embarrassed sometimes. Draxum and the O'Neils are really good friends and try to have dinner at least once a week

But once again, a very happy family! They struggle to show it sometimes, but they truly love each other and only want what's best for each other

Then we have Donnie and Splinter! Splinter was mutated with the DNA from his pet rat that he picked up on his travels with Big Mama and Draxum to get the turtles, and he was only able to grab Donnie and retreat to the sewers before Draxum's while lab collapsed. He, along with the other two, belive his partners and other children to be dead, so he never goes searching for them. Instead, he raises his son in the sewers on his own, foraging for all that they need just like in canon.

However, their sewer home is PREEEEEEEETY nice, since Donnie doesn't really doesn't have anything better to do other than make their home as nice as possible. He's has all major appliances working since he was 6 and only makes improvements from there. He also has his little pet project, but Splinter doesn't know about that yet!!!!

Speaking of Splinter, he varies pretty dramatically from canon. He's a lot less depressed because he had a much better experience with the yokai world and doesn't feel nearly as ashamed to BE a yokai (or yokai-adjacent) and keeps himself in much better shape, helping him with the dysmorphia that he does have. Overall, Splinter's doing pretty well, and he's a pretty attentive parent overall!

He was able to access some of his funds from his Lou Jitsu days and pays for Donnie to go to online school, and by the time Donnie meets up with the rest of his family at 11, he's halfway through high school work and has plans to go on to college so that he can start building up his tech empire by the time he's 18

But yeah, yet again, a overall happy parent/child relationship!

(Then there's Leo. All the angst had to go somewhere, right???)

Moving on! Now, the adults all lived separately with each of their respective kid, but when Raphie was about 8, he got really sick. Like, really really sick. Draxum went to as many human doctors that he could trust, but none of them were able to figure out what was wrong with his baby. He finally musters up the courage to go down to the Hidden City, and finds out that Raphie has Mystic Overload Syndrome. While he's running around trying to find stuff to help his little boy (he's so affectionate guys), Raphie sneaks out! He starts running around the Hidden City unbroached, and he feels truly seen for the first time in his life.

While running around, he literally runs into another turtle yokai, one who's dressed in expensive orange clothes...........

This post got REALLY long, so stay tuned for more! Next post will probably be how Draxum and Big Mama finally met, and then how Splinter and Donnie come into play!

(Don't worry about Leo this isn't about him he's fine)

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(Also stay tuned for the name reveal of the AU!