Winter Garage Checklist

It’s so easy to let your garage get out of control. After all, you went through the whole thing during spring cleaning (right?), so why tackle it again before next spring? Here’s just a few things we recommend taking care of now.

Store summer vehicles like sports cars, ATVs, and motorcycles (even the kid’s mini RVs – don’t you wish you had one when you were little? Anyway…). Now is also a great time to have them serviced—then they’ll be ready for you to take them out on the road when the weather is nice again.

Pull out the winter equipment, as much as it may pain you. Make sure your snow blowers are serviced and working properly, and grab some tanks of gasoline so you’re ready. Rochester weather is unpredictable, so be prepared.  Make sure shovels are useable, too. Loose handles might need some glue, or replaced entirely.

Have a generator? Test it out now before you need it. Did we mention buying extra gasoline?

Organize. Organize. Organize. You’ll thank yourself later. Clean off spring yard tools and box up toys before the cold comes. Storing yard tools in a big bucket of sand will help eliminate rust (and the need to replace them when spring comes).

Quick Halloween Decorations

Is your front porch lacking in the Halloween department? It’s easy to lose track of time to decorate for the holiday, but you don’t want your house looking unattractive to trick-or-treaters, right? After all, the more trick-or-treaters you have, the less candy you’ll be left with (oh, darn) when the night is over—so recruit the kids and try some of these fun Halloween decorating ideas from HGTV.

Cat Pumpkins

This one is super easy. Grab some medium sized pumpkins, black paint, a white Sharpie, craft foam and a hot glue gun. Paint the pumpkins black, cut out black ears, pink nose and white whiskers out of foam, and glue them on. Spooky.

Cookie Cutter Pumpkin Carving

It’s as easy as it sounds. Dump the tarp, various blades, and impossibly difficult stencils. After you gut the pumpkin, grab your favorite cookie cutters like ghosts, cats, stars and moons, and use a rubber mallet to make your way through the pumpkin. Done!

Pumpkin Totem

Head to the store and grab the following: 3 faux pumpkins of the same(ish) size, black craft ribbon, black and white acrylic paint, a paint brush, and a glue gun. Take your first pumpkin and set it on the ground. Take the middle pumpkin and cut a hole in the bottom and place it over the first pumpkin’s stem (we’re stacking here – following?). Do the same for the third and glue the pumpkins together. Next, grab that ribbon and paint and create fun faces.

Trash Bag Spider Webs

Chances are, no shopping is needed for this easy decoration if you have black plastic bags, scissors, and Scotch Tape on hand. Making these involves quite a bit of folding a cutting, so here is the full set of directions.

Do you have any other fun and easy ideas to share?

Fall Home Checklist

As much as we hate to admit it, the warm days have gone and fall is upon us. While the temperatures are still tolerable, now is the best time to prep your house for cooler days (rain, sleet, and – yes – snow). We know how quickly the weather can change, so get out there and use this maintenance checklist

Exterior List

Number one on the list should be a roof check. Grab some binoculars if you can’t see well enough from the ground and a trip up is out of the question.  While you’re out there, do a perimeter check of all siding. Look for cracks and holes and repair the damages you see (or hire a contractor to help you out).

If you have a chimney or fireplace, have them inspected and cleaned. The same goes for your gutters. Fallen leaves from trees can build up and cause major backups when the rain and snow (there’s that S word again!) comes.

They’re a pain to wind up and store, but you should really stow away your sprinklers and hoses. Make sure they’re not full of water first, and toss them in the garage until next year.

It’s important to take a look at your landscaping, too. Loose branches on trees can cause serious damage if they fall around (or on) your home, and piles of leaves can cause outside mold very quickly.

Interior List

Check for drafts around your home on the edges of windows and around doors. Can’t tell if there’s a draft? Grab a candle and run the flame around the window or door and if it flickers, there’s a good chance you need to replace a seal or repair caulking.

Hire an HVAC contractor to test your furnace for leaks and check heading efficiency. The last thing you need is for your furnace to need a tune-up when it gets really cold. It’s a good idea to run a CO2 check at the same time.

Invest in a programmable thermostat if you do not have one already. When you’re not home, set the temperature lower so you can save money on energy bills.

Stock up on batteries and replace all batteries in smoke detectors and CO2 devices and make sure they work properly.

Things To Do In Rochester This Fall

It’s starting to get a little brisk and rainy, but there’s still a ton to do for families in Rochester. Whether you’re just moving to the area or have been a resident for many years, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite fall activities to keep you busy this season.

Wayne County Apple Tasting Trail

Location: Apple Tasting Trail, Lyons, NY

When: October 1-31

Taste delicious, locally grown apples, and delicious cider.

Barnyard Adventure at Brown’s Berry Patch

Location: Brown’s Berry Patch, Waterport, NY

When: Now through November

Ride farm tractors, watch duck races, adventure through a rope maze.

ZOOBOO

Location: Seneca Park Zoo

When: 10 AM to 4 PM Saturdays and Sundays (Oct. 18, 19, 25, & 26)

Take the kids trick-or-treating and support orangutan conservation.

Holiday Hollow

Location: Just off exit 48 (Darien Lake Exit) off the 90

When: every weekend in October (http://holidayhollow.com/Holiday_Hollow/Show_Times_and_Prices.html)

Check out the haunted parlor, shop for pumpkins, and watch various plays.

Fall Sky Ride

Location: Bristol Mountain

When: 12 PM to 4PM Saturdays and Sundays in October (Oct. 18, 19, 25 & 26)

Ride the scenic Comet Express chairlift to the summit of Bristol Mountain.

And here’s a list of our favorite places to pick apples:

G&S Orchards – Walworth, NY

Lagoner Farms – Williamson, NY

Morgan’s Farm Market – Marion, NY