http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/ Machele Hamilton is a wife, mother, painter (structures, not canvas), youth leader, fundraising fanatic, and writer for the Idaho Press-Tribune. A strong, outspoken individual, who looks at life with a practical eye, and a humorous heart. E-mail her at machelehamilton@yahoo.com - machelehamilton@yahoo.com. Local News en-us machelehamilton@yahoo.com (Machele Hamilton) webmaster@idahopress.com (Idaho Press-Tribune) The www.idahopress.com Site, Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy Copyright 2009 by IPT, Llc. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-11-19-Some-basic-rules-for-interior-painting http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-11-19-Some-basic-rules-for-interior-painting Published in the Idaho Press-Tribune November 14, 2009 Believe it or not, Thanksgiving is already less than two weeks away. Before you know it, your home will be filled with family for our annual holiday season. Is your home prepared for the festivities? Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:22:51 MST http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-11-16-Why-we-love-the-Cullens--Behind-the-Twilight-hysteria http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-11-16-Why-we-love-the-Cullens--Behind-the-Twilight-hysteria This biggest movie premier of the year is happening this weekend. The second installment of the Twilight saga, New Moon, opens this Friday nationwide. No doubt, if you have read the Twilight series, you are looking forward to this with bated breath. If you haven't read the books, you don't get what all the hype is about I first stumbled across these books because I had a teenage daughter. She had suddenly become engrossed in a book that had me surprised by the fact that my early to bed teen would suddenly stay up half the night reading. When she completed the first one in what seemed hours, and promptly got the second one from a friend, I started questioning her about the books. To my horror, she began describing this world of vampires and werewolves, but kept telling me the books were not bad. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:37:06 MST http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-11-12-Tips-for-picking-interior-paint-colors http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-11-12-Tips-for-picking-interior-paint-colors Published in the Idaho Press-Tribune October 31, 2009 It is the last week of October, and I have officially called an end to my exterior painting for the season. First, I don't like playing the weather game, it is stressful to me and wreaks havoc with a schedule. But second, I feel I have been doing this a long time, and I have paid my dues and don't want to work in the cold! The extreme heat is one thing, that for some reason I can deal with. But cold? I start whining like a baby. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:40:44 MST http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-11-09-This-election-showed-how-bad-we-need-a-civics-lesson http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-11-09-This-election-showed-how-bad-we-need-a-civics-lesson Our recent local elections held no big surprise in the overall outcome. The one huge surprise to me was the lack of civic education among our populace. It had never occurred to me that people today do not understand the difference between living within the city limits of a town, or residing in the county only This election pointed that fact out blatantly to many people who could not vote in the mayoral race, which for some reason they felt was their right, regardless of whether they lived in the respective city or not. I heard grumblings and complaints from people all over this valley who could not understand why they were excluded from city elections, even though their address indicated the city involved. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:04:00 MST http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-11-04-Low-temperature-paints-and-fall-weather http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-11-04-Low-temperature-paints-and-fall-weather Printed in the Idaho Press-Tribune October 10, 2009 To most people, the crisp days of fall means their outside home improvement projects must end. If you wanted to paint your exterior, and it still hasn't happened, it is not necessarily too late. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:02:22 MST http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-11-01-A-conservatives-view-of-the-jail-bond http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-11-01-A-conservatives-view-of-the-jail-bond I know we have been inundated with election information in our local area. We have both Nampa and Caldwell mayoral races, and several city council races to contend with. On top of all that, we have to make a decision, one more time, regarding building a new Canyon County jail This election is always a hard one for me, we live between Nampa and Caldwell and feel involved in both cities. At the same time, we are located in one of those "enclaves" of the county, so legally we cannot vote in either city elections. So even though I feel extremely knowledgeable regarding both races, it doesn't matter because I can't put my two cents worth in regardless! Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:01:29 MST http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-10-28-Insomnia-what-are-your-coping-strategies http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-10-28-Insomnia-what-are-your-coping-strategies I had a new and unusual experience lately, for me anyway, a little bout with insomnia. All my life I have been a great sleeper. I would always fall asleep fast, stay asleep, and sleeping in was always a treat. Restless nights of tossing and turning are something I have rarely experienced Well the other night all that changed. I remember something waking me, peeking at the clock which read 1:57am. Of course I immediately got up and stumbled to the bathroom, something that seems automatic when I awaken during the night. As I laid back down, I really didn't think much about waking, that usually does happen, sometimes several times, but I can always go right back to sleep. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:15:52 MST http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-10-27-Exterior-painting-and-fall-weather http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-10-27-Exterior-painting-and-fall-weather I have been amiss at posting my published columns from the Idaho Press-Tribune for those of you who do not receive the printed paper. Please be patient as I try to catch up Printed in the Idaho Press-Tribune September 12, 2009: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:36:59 MST http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-10-26-Have-confidence-picking-your-paint-colors http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-10-26-Have-confidence-picking-your-paint-colors Published in the Idaho Press-Tribune August 29, 2009 Exterior paint color is always a touchy subject for a painting contractor. Some contractors have no eye for color whatsoever, they are there only to do the job. Others might have an opinion, but it really doesn't matter to them one way or the other. Then there are those like me (at least I think there are others out there like me!) who have a tendency to take every color selection to heart. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:07:42 MST http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-10-20-Are-you-a-wrinkler-or-a-sagger http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/Dont_Get_Me_Started/?2009-10-20-Are-you-a-wrinkler-or-a-sagger Are you a wrinkler or a sagger? If someone had posed this question to me 40 some years ago, when I began a beauty regime that would take more hours out of my life than I would like to admit, what would my answer have been? Sad to say, I wouldn't have had a clue, and don't know if I would have done anything different Wrinkler or sagger, have you ever even heard that before? I just heard the phrase for the first time from my friend Jamie Wood, who is selling these awesome little machines that help with both. She told me that experts have come to the conclusion that you are either one or the other. Well, I am a sagger. Wow! I said it out loud! I don't have wrinkles, which I have always been proud of for my age, but boy oh boy am I a sagger! Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:04:39 MST