The other day I was out on the golf course enjoying the warm Charleston sunshine. Once in awhile you cross paths with other golfers going from fairway to fairway at which time you engage in some small talk. As our foursome walked past another group dressed in windbreakers and sweaters one of them said, "Northeners", at which we inquired, "Why do you say so?" "Who else would be wearing shorts and shirts on a cold day," he replied. My companion golphers all chuckled a bit and as we walked to the next tee we looked at each other and said, "Southeners."

Here's a little bit of irony when it comes to southern living. Homes in mild winter climates are especially vulnerable to frozen pipes. Why you may ask? Because they tend to have plumbing in exterior walls, attics, crawl spaces and other unheated or unprotected areas. Already this week nighttime temperatures have dropped down into the 20's. So, here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to the pipes in your home.

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Article written by Rick Dunbar first published on Charleston vacation blog Vacation Rick of Charleston.

(ARA) - As you prepare for family and friends to gather at your house during the upcoming holidays, you want your home to look its best. A beautifully trimmed tree. Candles glowing in every window. Every table lavish with cherished decorations.

But what about the exterior of your house? It's too cold to paint, and landscaping is no fun this time of year.

Take a look at some homes next time you are out and about. You may notice that one aspect of a home's appearance that is often overlooked, but shouldn't be, is the garage door. It's an easy fix that can be completed in a few hours in most cases. Best of all, it's a relatively inexpensive way to add a fresh look to your home and increase its value.

Garage doors are available in a wide range of styles, colors and materials to complement any home's architectural style. In recent years, garage door companies have increased their selections of stamped steel doors that are attractive, durable and more affordable than wood doors. For example, Amarr Garage doors offers stamped steel carriage house doors that look like wood carriage house doors, but are lighter and require less maintenance.

"We have found that consumers in the current economy are seeking affordable garage doors that are stylish and attractive. Steel doors are a great option for a quick and easy spruce up," says Vickie Lents of Amarr Garage Doors. "Steel doors can be custom painted to coordinate with the house color, and there's a wide array of decorative accents such as faux ornamental wrought iron windows or decorative hardware that can be added to create a unique look without breaking the bank.

Think you have a flair for stylish garage doors? There's a contest for you.

While you're enjoying bountiful feasts during the upcoming holidays, take time to turn over your napkin (but please don't use your aunt's heirloom cloth napkins) and sketch out your best idea for a winning garage door design. Your design could be selected by Amarr Garage Doors, which is seeking ideas for the next generation of garage doors through its Great Garage Door Design Competition, which runs through Dec. 31, 2010.

Designs from architects, draftsmen, graphic artists and other professionals are welcomed, but you don't have to be a pro to enter the contest. More information and contest rules are available at www.amarr.com/content/doordesign.html.

(ARA) - With the active and bustling lifestyle families lead, it is no surprise that they frequently change the way they interact with, and in, their living spaces. Different stages of life call for different living spaces. Most homes are not equipped to offer this versatility. Outfitted with traditional swinging doors that squander space, standard-width doorways offer limited accessibility and restrictive living areas.

According to a survey on homeowner and home buyer priorities, the ideal home readily adapts to a family's changing room space requirements. For example, the addition, growth and departure of children or elderly relatives create significant demand for flexible floor plans. To make the most of your home, adding new door solutions like Johnson Hardware's ingenious Multi-Pass Pocket Door Hardware can help you optimize existing square footage.

A home that is able to evolve with ever-changing families has functionality at the forefront of its design. Johnson's Multi-Pass Pocket Door application enables up to three 300-pound doors to glide effortlessly into the inside of the wall. Since pocket doors do not swing open or closed, you can reclaim floor space consumed by traditional hinged doors.

Make high traffic areas of your home more accessible with a large entryway that won't inhibit wheelchairs, walkers or foot traffic. Whether it's a play room for the kids or living quarters for an elderly relative, a pocket door's bottom track can be recessed in the floor for easy navigation through the entryway.

With standard Multi-Pass Pocket Door Hardware, you can create up to 12 foot wide doorways, or wider openings with longer custom tracks. Reveal large open areas when the pocket doors slide back inside the wall. Now you have an expansive space for guests to socialize and mingle, an area perfect for family game night or a safe, open area for children to play.

Pull the doors shut and the large space quickly transforms into two cozy and more private settings. Sliding the doors closed allows you to easily create an intimate home theater to watch the latest movie or a comfy, peaceful nook to catch up on your reading. Multi-Pass Pocket Doors give you a level of versatility that standard doors and entryways cannot mimic.

To ensure safe, jump-proof operation, choose hardware that is manufactured and tested to exceed ANSI standards and backed with a lifetime guarantee.

If your home needs some updates to accommodate your family's lifestyle, it's easier than ever to make relatively small changes that will have a big impact. For more information, contact Johnson Hardware at 2100 Sterling Ave., Elkhart, Ind. 46516; call (800) 837-5664 or visit www.johnsonhardware.com.

Coffee filters.... Better than paper towels and a lot less expensive...Who knew!  
And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for almost nothing even the large ones.

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the  microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.

2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome...  Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.

3.  Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.

4.  Filter broken cork from wine.  If you break the cork when opening a wine  bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.

5.  Protect a cast-iron skillet.  Place a coffee filter in the  skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

6.   Apply shoe polish.  Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.

7.  Recycle frying oil.   After frying, strain oil through a sieve  lined with a coffee filter.

8.  Weigh chopped foods.  Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a  kitchen scale.

9..  Hold tacos.  Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

10.  Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot.  Line a plant  pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through  the drainage holes.

11..  Prevent a Popsicle from dripping.  Poke one or two holes as  needed in a coffee filter.

12.  Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use  strips of coffee filters..

13.  Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken  fingers, etc on them..  It soaks out all the grease.

14.  Keep in the bathroom..  They make great "razor nick fixers."

15.  As a sewing backing.  Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or appliquéing soft fabrics.

16.  Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.

17.  Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews.

18.  Use a coffee filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car..

19.  Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.

20.  Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies..  Saves on having extra bowls to wash.

21.  Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage.

22.  Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls.

23.  Use them to sprout seeds.  Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a plastic baggie until they sprout.

24. Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flowers. Place the flowers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in  phone book..

25.  Use as a disposable "snack bowl" for popcorn, chips, etc.

OH YES, THEY' RE GREAT TO USE IN YOUR COFFEE MAKERS TOO.