tarheel mom

I have a mixed breed dog who is mostly lab and German Shepherd. Her top coat is mostly black, but the undercoat is tan. Is there a name for that type of coloring? thanks for you help!

My daughter wants to rearrange the Chixos that she's already sprayed. Is there any easy way to take them apart?

I'm seeing lots of grass clippings left in my yard after I mow. I know some of the problem is that the grass is growing really fast and is very long when it is cut. Also, I have mowed when the grass isn't completely dry. Short of buying a new mower, is there any other way to avoid these leftover clumps in the lawn?

We are installing a wet bar in our basement. The area behind the bar will be tiled, and we want to tile the seating area as well. Is there a standard width that people use (distance from bar front to where flooring changes to carpet)?

Thanks for your help!

I'm finishing off my basement and including a full bath. The vanity will be 48 inches long. What size mirror should I be looking at for the vanity? Thanks!

I am finishing my basement and have to decide where to place an electical outlet for a phone jack. I'm going to have a cordless phone on the wall, so I'm going to put the phone jack at eye level. Should I put the electrical outlet in the same location and see the huge phone adapter plug? Or should I put the outlet at normal floor level and have the cord hang down the wall? Thanks, in advance, for your input!

We've got a wooded lot and had someone recommend gutter guards. If we don't install them, how often should the gutters be cleaned?

Thanks!

We have just gotten an offer to buy our home after more than 14 months on the market. We've gotten a best and final offer from our buyer that is about $10,000-$15,000 less than where we'd like to be. Does anyone have any creative ideas about how to increase our profit without raising the price -- like ask our realtor to lower his commission, etc. Thanks!

My mailbox has an attached tube for newspaper delivery. I have a pair of bluebirds attempting to nest inside the newspaper tube. This happened last year, and a bird was killed when the paperboy shoved the paper in. I'd love any suggestions for convincing my feathered friends to move on.

I'm in a brand new house that was initially seeded by the developer at the end of May. We are in an area with clay soil and core aeration is common. Since the grass is so new, should the lawn be aerated this fall or should we wait until next year?

My husband and I (both white) are trying very hard to raise our children to judge people by their character rather than by the way they look. We have recently moved to a Southern state and are living in a more ethnically diverse area than where we previously lived. My 3 year old daughter has started, in some circumstances, to refer to African-Americans as "chocolate," -- as in "the chocolate man came to our school and told us stories."

I can tell by her reaction to meeting children and adults of different races that she means nothing negative by her comments, but I am concerned that someone will find them offensive. I struggle with whether I should correct her and what I should say to her.

I would appreciate any thoughts and comments on this one. Thanks!

The transom window above our front door has a big scratch in it. Is this something that can be repaired? If so, how?

The house is less than 3 months old, and the builder claims that surface damange like this isn't covered under our warranty.

My husband got a new job that transferred us out of state. Our old house has not sold after 6 months on the market. We are thinking about asking the firm to use a relocation service to buy the house from us and take over selling it, since paying 2 mortgages a month is not much fun. Does anyone have any idea how much these companies charge for this service?

I've got a friend who is suffering from a debilitating disease (RA), and would love to do something special for her/take her a present to cheer her up. Any great ideas (beyond cookies, flowers, and balloons)? Thanks for your help!

I want to replace the short pull chains on my ceiling fans with longer chains. I've got the replacements, but I'm not sure how involved this project is. Is there more to it than just pulling out the on/off switch and swapping out chains?