ISLANDS, ISLANDS, ISLANDS

Phone — 398-3507
Fax — 398-3509
Website — www.sechristconstruction.com
December 2012
ISLANDS, ISLANDS, ISLANDS
Finally, decide if your design fits in your
kitchen area and if it makes sense for the area you
have set aside for it.
Kitchens have long been called the gathering place; the heart of every home. The
kitchen island has been the place where we
prepare food, have extra storage, meander
over conversation and entertain those we
love.
Lately though, the kitchen island has
taken on a new appearance. Islands are resembling kitchen tables with a more open
appeal. When islands do have storage, the
cabinets are high enough off the ground so
you can see under them. If you are redesigning your kitchen to include more smart
storage or an extra work space, decide what
your island’s main function is going to be
for. Will it be used for projects and homework every night? Will it be a place to
serve food from or a place to sit down and
share a meal? What appliances will you
need in your kitchen island? Will you be
cooking on a cook top or washing vegetables at a prep sink? If you invest in a cook
top you will need to incorporate an exhaust
hood. Likewise, if you add a prep sink,
you will need to include space for plumbing and possibly room for a dishwasher.
How high will your island be? Do you
plan on using bar stools or chairs to pull up
to the countertop? How do you want your
island to look?
“For to us a child is born, to us a
son is given; and the government
shall be upon his shoulder, and his
name shall be called Wonderful
Counselor,
Mighty
God, Everlasting Father, Prince
of Peace.” Isaiah 9:9
HANDYMAN SERVICES
Sprucing your home up for the holiday
season and find you need more closet
space to put your decorations in or
maybe you need a natural gas line run
for the fireplace to keep your family
warmer this winter. . . Sechrist Construction and Remodeling is committed
to providing you with quality service at
an affordable price. Same workers,
same day service, and your satisfaction
guaranteed.
Focus on making things better, not bigger.
Page 2
“Pull The Wool Over Your Eyes”
to deceive, to hoodwink
Wearing woolen wigs in the 16th and 17th centuries was fashionable for both men and women, but the phrase itself has a 19th century
American origin. Thomas Jefferson, although a
wig wearer himself, advised the judiciary,
“For Heaven’s sake, discard the monstrous wig
which makes the English judges look like rats
peeping through bunches of oakum.”
Incidentally, oakum was jute fiber treated with tar to caulk the
seams on wooden ships.
Call Our
Handyman Services
398-3507
Caring For Your Oil Furnace
A true leader walks his talk.
Oil burners and boilers should be cleaned annually. Someone should always be present while
the service technician is in your home. When paying for a furnace cleaning, make sure that the following has been done:

The oil filter is replaced

The burner nozzle is replaced

The oil pump strainer is replaced

The chimney and flues are opened and vacuumed
Please help us welcome Ryan Bailey to Sechrist

The boiler is opened up and vacuumed
Construction and Remodeling, Inc.
Ryan began

working part time for Sechrist Construction and
The oil line is purged of air after the parts above
are replaced

The chimney cleanout port is closed after cleaning and the flue parts are screwed back together

A combustion efficiency test is performed

Before the tech leaves, you should run the thermostat up and make sure you get heat. This will
ensure the tech didn’t inadvertently shut off a
pump or close a valve.

You should also ask for documentation dated
and signed by the tech with the results of the
combustion efficiency and date performed.
Remodeling in November.
He is originally from
Forest City, near the city of Scranton. Currently, he is a student at Pennsylvania College of
Technology pursuing a Construction Management
degree. His goal is to manage his own masonry
business in the future. When he is not studying
or working, he enjoys shooting and reloading firearms and collecting and building guns.
Family is not an important thing,
it’s everything.
—Michael J. Fox
“Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto
you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign
unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” Luke 2:10-12
As a little girl climbed onto Santa’s lap, Santa
IT’S AS EASY AS LOOKING FOR A Page 3
asked the usual, “And what
would you like for Christmas?”
BLACK CAT IN A COAL CELLAR!
The child stared at him open
BET YOU CAN’T GUESS!
Be the
mouthed and horrified for a minute, then gasped: “Didn’t you
FIRST person to answer our festive question
get my E-mail?”
and receive a $20.00 gift certificate to Roy’s
Bakery for your Christmas cookies. Why are
Christmas trees like bad knitters? The
answer to our question and the champion’s
name will appear in our winter newsletter. Our
Q — I have a very foul odor, a sewer smell, coming from my
guest bathroom. What is causing it and what can I do about
it?
Beth and John
A — Thank you for your question, Beth and John! The odor you
are experiencing in your guest bathroom most likely comes from
the floor drain. The good news is, this is a problem you can resolve without calling a plumber and without much cost.
Every drain in your home’s sewer system has a “P” trap that holds
water in the “U” shape of the pipe. This “U” shape traps water
and creates a seal to keep sewer gas from seeping up. If the drain
is not used often, over time, the trapped water can evaporate leaving you with a dry trap and a smell.
There is an easy remedy to fix a dry trap. First, pour a cup of
vinegar into the drain. Then, using a small funnel, pour 1/4 cup
plain baking soda into the drain. Let the drain sit for two hours.
Next, flush the drain with two gallons of boiling water followed
by 1/2 cup chlorine bleach. Let the drain sit for two more hours
before you run water down the drain for 10 minutes. Running the
water will supply the “P” trap with an ample amount of water to
form a seal in the “U” curve of the pipe.
If the sewer odor persists into the next day then your problem may
be a water leak, cracked drain pipes, a clog in the drain or a
stopped-up vent pipe. It may be time to call in a professional.
Sechrist Construction and Remodeling can help you fix the problem and eliminate the stinky smell.
Do you have a question you would like to ask? EMAIL THE
EXPERT
by
sending
your
question
to
steve@sechristconstruction.com. Please be sur e to include your
name and phone number in case additional information is required
to answer your question.
Christmas comes with children singing,
Christmas comes with sleigh bells ringing,
Christmas comes with frosty nights,
Christmas comes with snowball fights.
fall newsletter prize went unclaimed. Name four handyman
jobs that Sechrist Construction and Remodeling does that are
listed on our website beginning with the letter “G”. The answer is garage maintenance, grouting, gutter repairs and cleaning and grab rail installations.
A BIG THANK YOU goes out to all our customers for trusting Sechrist Construction and Remodeling to
do your new construction, remodeling and handyman
jobs this year. YOU are what enables us to be successful
and we truly appreciate YOU! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Origin of the Christmas Tree
As far back as history goes, people had always
brought live branches and greens into the home for
various pagan reasons during the winter season.
However, it is believed that Martin Luther began the
tradition of bringing a Christmas tree into the home
in the 16th century. One winter evening when he
was walking toward his home composing a sermon,
he became awed by how brilliant the stars were
amidst the evergreens. He captured that moment
for his family by wiring lit candles to a tree inside his
home. Thus, the Christmas tree was born.
Later, in 1846, the royals of England allowed themselves to be sketched with their children around a
Christmas tree for a local newspaper. What was
done by the royals became immediately fashionable,
not only in Britain, but with America’s East Coast
American Society. By early 20th century, having a
Christmas tree in the home had become an American tradition.
Did You Know?
The traditional three colors of
Christmas are green, red, and gold. Green has long
been a symbol of life and rebirth; red symbolizes
the blood of Christ, and gold represents light as
well as wealth and royalty.
FROM MY DESK:
Night Before Christmas Coffee Cake
Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs, milk, yeast
(with warm water), flour, salt and vanilla. Beat all of these
1/2 cup sugar
ingredients together. Set dough aside and cover with a damp
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
cloth. Let it rise until it is double in size. When dough has
2 eggs, beaten
risen to double the size (about 2 hours) put it in a greased
1/2 cup warm milk
Bundt pan and spread with topping. Place in a cold oven and
1 pkg yeast (2 tsp) dissolved
leave it in there overnight to rise. On Christmas morning,
in 3 TB warm water
turn the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 1/2 hour. Take out
3 cups flour
and serve warm.
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
Ingredients
“Christmas time is here
We’ll be drawing near
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year . . .”
My son received the “Charlie Brown
Christmas” video for his birthday recently. In the film, Charlie Brown is
trying to understand what the meaning
of Christmas is all about. He isn’t
happy even though he appears to have
all that Christmas can bring him, commercially.
Toward the end of the story, Linus,
Charlie Brown’s best friend, gladly
shares the story of the first Christmas
. . . the babe in a manger, a Savior
who is Christ the Lord. Linus ends
the story with this, “That’s what
Christmas is all about, Charlie
Brown.”
As you go throughout the Christmas
season with all the festivities that surround you, sit back for a moment and
remember simply that “That’s what
Christmas is all about, Charlie
Brown.”
Merry Christmas!
Steve
Topping
1 TB cinnamon
4 TB melted butter
1/2 cup nuts
2/3 cup sugar
Green Tip:
Instead of cutting down a tree, purchase a bundled
tree to be planted in the yard. If you do cut down a
Christmas tree, be sure to recycle the tree by using
it for compost or mulch in the next growing season!
Serving all of
Clinton and
Lycoming
Counties
CREW
Steve Sechrist
Ryan Bailey
Charlie Diffenderfer
Jim Harmon
Dave Lehman
Seth Rockwell
Zack Sturm
Check out our Website:
www.sechristconstruction.com