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Professional Home Inspection 

ASHI Certification #5420,    AZ Certification #38050

 



 

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602-254-2700

 

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520-722-2700 

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www.yourinspectionspecialists.com

 

 

 

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Easy, Healthy Lemonade

 

 

8 Ounces cold, filtered water

Juice of 1 lemon

1 packet of Stevia

 

Mix together in a glass and enjoy this healthful, refreshing drink.

 

17 Calories per glass

 

A word about Stevia

 

Stevia is an herb native to Paraguay.  It has been harvested and used as a sweetener for hundreds of years.  This ZERO calorie sweetener is a good choice for Diabetics and anyone that is health conscious.

 

Benefits of lemons

 

1)Rich in Vitamin C

2) Your Liver Loves Lemons
(dissolves uric acid and other poisons)
3) Cleans bowels

4) Antibacterial properties

5) Contains 22 anti-cancer compounds

6) Contains Vitamin C, citric acid, flavonoids, B-Complex vitamins, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and fiber

   

Artificial Sweeteners

 

Did you know that the artificial sweetener, Splenda was strategically released to the public on April Fools day in 1988.  Splenda contains the drug sucralose.  This chemical is 600 times sweeter than sugar.  To make sucralose Chlorine (defined as a toxic, irritant, pale green gas) is used. Depending on the combinations used with Chlorine it can be safe or deadly.  In the case of Splenda it becomes a Nasty form of Chlorine, RNFOC, (Real Nasty Form of Chlorine). The originators of this product were attempting to develop a new insecticide when they discovered that it was sweet to the taste, and they abandoned the idea of an insecticide in favor of a more profitable product. Agent Orange used in warfare is also a RNFOC. Because Splenda is "fat soluble" (meaning the body cannot digest them, they are stored in the body and become toxic.)

Note: Artificial sweeteners make the kidneys work harder to filter  molecules.  People with PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease) should never use any artificial sweetener.  They can, however, use tupelo honey.

        A New Years Resolution is something that goes in one ear and out the other.    

 

 

May you have only one resolution, to rediscover the difference between wants and needs.  May you have all you need and want all you have.

       (author unknown) 

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Allen's Headshot

The Dangerous
Lemonade Stand

 

    Picture the perfect, small, Midwestern town, on a warm summer morning in May 1973. with all the trees in full bloom, with the white puffy clouds all looking like your favorite cartoon characters.  The breeze is refreshing and this Saturday is the perfect one for an eleven year old to sell lemonade on the street corner.  This is just what the young lady of the home wanted to do on this fabulous day to make a little extra money, so she asked her mother to make her four pitchers of lemonade.

     It was also a perfect morning for a termite treatment, and the contracted termite company showed up at the residence promptly to perform their remedy magic using the most powerful insect treatment available in the industry at that time: Chlordane. Chlordane is a very powerful insecticide which actually kills a termite.  It also can kill a cat, a dog, or a child.  It hangs around for a long time in the soil (because it is considered to have a half-life, not unlike uranium) and can migrate into our underground water supply over time. Chlordane is considered so long lasting and so powerful that it has been banned for use in the US since 1988 for residential treatment of termites. The solution tank was located in the rear of the pickup truck and the powdered Chlordane, in a closely measured amount, was placed in the solution tank.  The tank was filled up with water from the customers' garden hose and then the home was treated throughout. Unfortunately, the Chlordane ended up in the four pitchers of lemonade and killed 40 people that day.

     This was back in the 1970's, when very little was known about the volumetrics of water piping.  There were no provisions in the building code to protect the house water supply from contamination from the sewer or any other source, like a hose bib.  Today we understand that water flows through a pipe in two directions, all the time.  Half the water in the shower hits you in the face and the other half goes back the other way!  Back in the 70's no one was aware of the dangers of drawing a poison, a weed killer, an insecticide, fertilizer, or other contaminant into our home's water supply through a garden hose.  In fact, according to the EPA, "a thousand and one" places in the home exist where the water supply could be contaminated.  The current building codes recognize this and your home inspector is required by the state to report on any visible "Cross Connections" found that could contaminate your potable drinking water. One such place is a hose bib, if it is missing its "Anti-siphon Device."

     If that young misses had sold her lemonade today, it is most likely that the 40 people that drank her lemonade, would not have had to worry about the dangers of a contaminant.  Today, the home inspection community is required to identify any area in a home that may have a cross connection. The anti-siphon device for the hose bib only costs about $4.50 each, and to screw it onto a hose bib may seem unnecessary and a little thing, but will protect your house water supply from contamination through a garden hose.  Please make sure all the exterior hose bibs on your home are protected with the brass "anti-siphon" devices for an improved margin of health safety.

 

On behalf of everyone at Inspection Specialists, I wish you and your loved ones a very special new year.

 

Allen Blaker

 

                

 

 LEMON CRINKLE COOKIES

   Winner of the Best Cookie 

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 whole egg

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar (reserved for rolling cookies)

Parchment paper (opt.) or non-stick cooking spray

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease sheets with non-stick spray.

 

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice.  Scrape sides and mix again.  Stir in all dry ingredients slowly (excluding powdered sugar) until just combined.  Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate.  Roll a heaping Tablespoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar.  Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

 

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte (not melty or shiny). Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

 

You can't eat just one!

 

NOTE:  If using a darker non-stick baking sheet, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

 

 

  DIY Home heating System
(You never know what you'll find while doing a home inspection)

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Inspection Specialists | | ablaker@hotmail.com | http://www.yourinspectionspecialists.com
10645 N Tatum Blvd., #200-536
Phoenix, AZ 85208

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