Jericho’s Books

Southeast Crossing Center Suite 135
Troup Hwy
Tyler 75701
903 533 1900

Jericho’s is a used book store with plenty of character. It is quite a find for book lovers and collectors.

The shop goes back and back with bookshelves from floor to ceiling packed with books clearly labeled in sections. All are sold at half of the price on the cover, many are significantly less. There are mysteries, household, travel books, Christian books, poetry, a vintage section and a huge section on American history to name just a few. I was a little disappointed with the kids selection but you can’t have everything.

Jerihos doesn’t just sell books. They have videos (at $1 each) DVDs, board games, vinyl records, audio books, comics CDs and posters all at bargain prices. They also promise to try and find any item that you are looking for through online searches. They will review almost anything for purchase – not just books and music or movies, they love anything collectible, but they will take a few days to look at anything you want to sell. Oh and if it’s not a book – it has to be ‘cool’ for them to trade with you!

On opening the door to the shop, my son said instantly – ‘Ooh it smells nice in here’ – he’s a book lover as you can see. I glanced at the 25 cent books as I walked in – mainly romances this week which wasn’t of much interest to me, but who knows what will be on sale next week – they always have specially discounted items of various genres which change frequently.

I imagine Jericho’s has quite a cult following, if you like books, check it out!

Related posts:

1. Pea Picker Books in Tyler
2. Times Have Changed, But Timeless Hasn’t… At Least Not Much
3. Tyler’s Book Barn

Fat Catz Louisiana Kitchen

Southeast Crossing Center
3320 Troup Highway Suite 170
Tyler 75701
903 593 1114

If it’s a Creole taste you’re craving – head for Fat Catz – a great and authentic Cajun restaurant located here in Tyler (and Terrell too by the way). They are open for lunch and evening meals from 5pm.

Fat Catz is a nice location for a meal. It has a great atmosphere – it is cool looking with painted murals on the walls and fairy lights whilst somehow still appearing like a ‘nice restaurant’ at the same time. It is clean and nicely laid out with tables in the middle (easily combined for larger parties) and booths by the windows on a higher level and a bar area further back. We were greeted by the restaurant manager (perhaps the proprietor?) on our arrival and he was most attentive to us during our meal which was nice. It’s good to feel appreciated as a customer!

Apparently there is live music in the bar area every Thursday night and other specials at Mardi Gras which are worth watching out for.

The food is very, very good. Here they are committed to bringing the best of Gulf Coast seafood with a Louisiana flavor. Try the fried pickles, frog’s legs or the Alligator tails if you want something a little different. They have traditional dishes like blackened fish, gumbo and jambalaya, plus plenty of fried shrimp, crab and other seafood. For the less adventurous palate they will also cook burgers, steak, chicken and even salad.

I have to say that the fries here are the best I have ever tasted, the shrimp was wonderful and the blackened fish was perfectly blackened. I also opted for sautéed onions and mushrooms, which had an amazing flavor – the spices and seasonings here are really good. You can dream of New Orleans with every mouthful! The desserts are delicious – beignets, mmm, and the Key Lime pie and cheesecakes looked good too. Oh one thing to add – come hungry – the portions are huge.

The price for the meal is kinda average for Tyler, you will pay around $15 for a special and around $5 each for dessert and appetizers. The children’s meals are $4 and are equally good quality – shame about the lack of vegetables (my usual gripe in American restaurants!) I have to say the service wasn’t very rapid, but for me, if the food is freshly cooked to order I can hardly complain. With such a wide selection of items on the menu, it is going to take a while to prepare them.

The nice folk at Fat Catz will also cater your event. They even offer Italian and Mexican menus as well as their own specialty. Check out the website for details.

One other tip – if you are looking for a great meal at a bargain price, buy a gift certificate for Fat Catz for a $25 value for $10 at www.restaurant.com

Related posts:

1. Cajun Food Returns To Tyler Texas
2. Vietnamese Pho Restaurant
3. China King Tyler Texas

A1 HYDROMULCH
Tyler
903 595 5055
www.new-grass.com

If you really want a nice green and healthy looking yard without the cost and effort of laying sod then you should look into hydromulch.

Hydromulch is a mixture of wood fiber, water, fertilizer, tackifiers (glue) seed and enzyme activators. It is sprayed onto prepared soil and creates a kid of mat, which grows into a nice even bed of grass.

We called Glenn Young of A1 Grass to take a look at our back yard and give us some advice and a quote for his service. He told us exactly what to do to kill pre-exiting grasses and how to best prepare our rather unfertile soil for seeding.

Glenn knows ALL about grass. My husband tried to impress with his internet – gained knowledge but Glenn is so practical and so experienced in growing grass in this very area that in the end we abandoned our previous ideas and followed his advice.

Glenn (and his team) will plant Bermuda, Sultan, Princess and Centipede grass types plus rye and other mixes – depending on the location and soil type and shade/sun position of your yard. (St. Augustine only comes in sod). He boasts that the matured grass from hydromulching out performs sod over time as it is grown in your own dirt.

When Glenn and his assistant arrive it is quite entertaining to watch them at work. Using large hoses they spray on the hydromulch in an even sweeping motion. When they have finished the yard will look a strange luminous green color but this fades over the first few days and is then replaced by the usual grass color.

Once the hydromulch is in place you will need to water, water, water. Glenn will give you clear instructions as to how to mange your yard to promote germination and rapid growth and establishment of good grass.

The charges may seem quite high – until you compare it to laying sod. The minimal charge is for 3500 sqft and it gets better and better value the more you have done. One other thing to note is that the process comes with a 90 day warranty and you can call Glenn for advice at any time.

We had success with hydromulch and had a lovely green yard last year, until the winter weeds took over! We would definitely do it again if we needed to.

Related posts:

1. Faulkner Park Tyler Texas

Most people are comfortable with driving around town randomly looking at auto’s for sale in Tyler Texas without ever taking the time to consider if this is an efficient use of your time. There is an online shopping phenomenon that has taken over the automobile industry all over the US. Many people now find and purchase their used and new cars online.

I have an interesting story about how my very own brother purchased his last two automobiles online. One of them was a Z71 Tahoe and the other was a Nissan sports car. He had a reason for his unconventional shopping behavior. He discovered that online sales departments will quickly offer you the very bottom dollar they will take for a particular car they have for sale on their lot. Why is this?

People shopping for cars online are price shopping and are conscientious about getting a good value. These types of shoppers have likely price matched a few times and have been to multiple car dealer websites. The fact that a car dealer gets a call from a potential buyer simply means they have price compared a car that you have and are likely very interested in that exact car.

Once an online shopper calls you on the phone they may be willing to accept your offer even if it is a couple hundred dollars more than the cheapest offer simply because of proximity. As a car dealer you may be asked if you will let the car go for a few hundred dollars less. Of course, you have probably listed your car for sale at a deep discount since you have it in your online inventory but you need to keep in mind that the buyer probably has a good reason for asking for a cheaper price.

As a car buyer it is good to understand how the psychology of this works. The dealer may or may not come down anymore if a dealership in Houston has the car listed for $200 cheaper. The reason is that the Houston car dealer probably has a much larger inventory and moves cars much quicker. A Houston car dealer can afford to come down further or price their cars the cheapest initially. A Tyler Texas car dealer may be a few hundred dollars more expensive but you can’t beat the convenience of proximity.

It doesn’t hurt to try and talk the car dealer into moving the price down to match the dealer in Houston but keep in mind their margins online are thin and they aren’t moving cars as fast as in a big city. At this point you need to weigh the risk reward of buying it local in Tyler or taking the trek to Houston to save $100 after gas money and time wasted.

Rather than driving around town looking for a Tyler Texas car we recommend Googling “Tyler Texas Cars” and searching through online inventories of cars for sale in Tyler. You will find this process to save you a lot of time and it will be easy to price compare. You can get on Ebay and try and find similar cars and see how the prices compare as well.

A Tyler car dealer will be much more willing to come down on the price if you can bring in evidence of what prices you have found on similar cars. The negotiation process of purchasing a car in Tyler is much easier when utilizing the Internet. The only other problem you will have is working out financing. The dealer may attempt to recover any lose in price reduction by working your interest rate up.

I recommend in most cases using your bank in obtaining financing when purchasing a car in Tyler. This will help build your relationship up with your bank and offer additional loan opportunities through your bank in the future.

We would like to recommend our preferred used car dealer in Tyler Texas: Autohouseonline

Related posts:

1. Tyler Texas Banks
2. Southside Bank in Tyler Texas
3. Narc That Car

Sure It Is Good To Save Money But It Is Nice To Earn Affiliate Money On Top Of That

There are coupon websites, savings websites, and other related services offering discounts on many of America’s favorite stores but many people have not considered that you can take this idea a step further. What this opportunity offers you is the ability to be your own affiliate. You can order products from all your favorite companies at a discount and receive affiliate type earnings on the products you buy.

Getting Paid For What Normally Goes To A Sales and Marketing Staff, Nice!

Because this company pays you for your own product purchases your getting much more than a coupon off of products from companies like Aetna Insurance, GE and others. You are earning money that would normally be paid to those companies sales and marketing’s staff. This type of setup allows you to save money on common everyday used services and earn additional affiliate income on your own purchases.

Commissions Keep Coming Every Week

You can take this a step further by offering this opportunity to people who would also like to save money on everyday purchases. You will receive bonuses, and commissions on the sales the people you referred make as well and this is paid every week. As you can see this can be muc more than savings just for you. It can quickly turn in to a money making opportunity that can add a significant amount of residual income to your current take home pay.

Work From Home Opportunities Allow Extra Streams Of Income To Add To Your Current Household Income

Work from home opportunities in Texas are becoming a real way for many people who live and take care of family each day primarily from their home. These home makers do not get to get out of the house and carry on a conventional job which makes a coupon discount type business like this a great alternative.

You Can Build This Business Completely Online

A homemaker can create savings on common everyday products they use through this online business and create an additional stream of income. This is something most everyone can do and the beauty of something like this is that it is carried out all online. This is something that runs purely from what you create on the internet. You can meet people in person and tell them about this work from home opportunity or you can market it through blogs and forums online.

For home makers you will find that this business can easily be built online through posting your thoughts about this work from home opportunity in blogs and forums. I visit several blogs and forums about niche topics I enjoy reading about. I contribute to these communities by giving my advice and feedback on those topics and occasionally I will mention this work from home business as a way for other forum members to make additional income and save money on common services.

This is just one of many work from home type businesses you can get involved with but I think you will like the discounts and coupons this business is based on. It allows home makers to save money on products and services they use already and most of the commissions are paid directly to you and what you sell rather than being spread out over several people.

If you would like to learn more be sure to visit Savings Highway

Related posts:

1. Prepaid Legal Services
2. Tyler Texas Insurance Companies
3. Narc That Car

Rockin C Ranch

5300 CR 325
Lindale Texas 75771
903 858 3308
www.rockincranch.org

Do you want to give your kids an incredible experience this summer? Then check out Rockin C Ranch!

Rockin C Ranch is a working ranch not far from Tyler State Park which runs Christian camps for kids during the summer. There are day camps for 5-10 year olds and overnight camps of a week long, for ages 7-16. They also run retreats for groups and outdoor education field trip experiences for 4th- 6th graders during the rest of the year.

The camps are simply wonderful. The children are well looked after by a team of trained counselors and have the chance to help out on the farm and learn about nature as well as enjoy water sports, zip lining, shooting, horseriding and other activities and crafts. This makes the camp really special. My kids adore collecting the eggs and feeding the calves and had a sense of satisfaction at helping out by painting a fence or whatever. This camp is all about building character, teaching life lessons, experiencing Jesus and having fun.

Your children are well cared for at Rockin C. There is a camp nurse who attends to all their scrapes or stings and the food provided is plentiful and remarkably good quality. The staff insist on a quiet rest time every day which prevents the kids getting too worn out and overstimulated. The cabins are warm and cosy and the playground and water facilities are clean and fun, fun, fun. Transport from central Tyler is available every day on the Rockin C bus.

At the end of the week there is an award ceremony and each child is given an award for a character trait they have shown during the camp. With pride my little girl received her certificate for compassion and my son was commended for ‘going the extra mile’ This means the world to them. For the older kids, there is rodeo to take part in – what an amazing opportunity! For the last 3 years we have watched with wonder our children grow in maturity in their faith and have a blast at camp. They love every minute of every day. It is great how they learn team work and how they are willing to step out and do new things with the encouragement of others.

Rockin C Ranch is a non profit organization helped by donations from the community. This means that it is actually affordable to send your children to camp. Scholarships are available for those in financial need. There are also opportunities for kids to work at Rockin C in order to have reduced fees for camp. As I said before – they are all about building character at Rockin C.

One thing not to miss is the open day, usually around Easter time. You can go with your whole family for a day of free activities and sign up for camp at a slightly reduced rate. Watch the newspaper for details. We had fun canoeing, riding and Grandad even went down the zip line (at 72 years old!) It was such fun and gave us a glimpse of what our kids were going to experience.

There are probably some negative things to say about Rockin C but I can’t think of anything at all! Our children look forward to going so much and can talk of nothing else for weeks afterwards. We’re blessed to have such a great place so near to us.

Related posts:

1. Pine Cove Christian Camp in Tyler Texas
2. Pine Cove
3. Challenging Academics In A Christian Environment

Churchill Pest Management

551 Hideaway Lane East
Lindale Texas 75771
Phone: 903 882 1750

Are you scared of black widows, snakes and scorpions? Are flying squirrels living in your roof space, fire ants taking over your yard or wasps swarming too close to home?

Whatever your pest – George Churchill can take care of it and prevent it coming back!

As a newcomer to Texas I was amazed to learn about all the creepy crawlies that bite and the creatures that want to make their home too near to your own habitat for comfort. But at the same time, I was kind of fascinated by them and didn’t want lots of pesticides sprayed unnecessarily. Enter George.

George came into our home and spent a whole morning assessing it inside and out. There was nowhere that escaped his flashlight! He educated me about good and bad insects and explained all about the things that are dangerous and the things that are harmless. Then he sprayed inside and outside and rid our yard of fireants, fumigated a wasp nest in the wooden retaining wall and set bait in the loft. I also felt reassured that there wouldn’t be any brown recluse spiders in our closets.

He noted my concern about the environmental impact of the pesticides and assured me that the chemicals he was using were safe for our pets and children, even when still wet. (I do think he has some rather more toxic products up his sleeve if needed in extreme cases of pest control!) In the last 3 years, George has also given me advice on scorpion stings, keeping mosquitoes at bay and helped us prevent those funny little worms invade our house in spring.

George is not only helpful and professional but he is without a doubt, reliable and thorough. He will not use unnecessary treatments or overcharge you. On one occasion, after spraying, it rained extremely heavily. George called us and offered an external re-spray free of charge. He guarantees his work and will return if there are any stubborn problems.

We have George visit regularly in the spring and fall. This seems to be enough for our property which is only 3 years old. Some people require a visit from pest control 3 or 4 times a year and others still wait for a problem to emerge before calling him out. I have friends who invest in various chemicals and spray their own property at a lower rate but for peace of mind and safety, why not trust someone who really knows about pests and their safe management and have your house sprayed regularly?

Related posts:

1. Pest Control in Tyler Texas
2. Estes in Tyler TX
3. Born Again Exterminating Service

Chez Bazan Bakery and Coffee Shop

Chez Bazan

5930 Old Bullard
Tyler
75703
903 561 9644

Chez Bazan is just what it’s name suggests – a fancy bakery and coffee shop with a French flavor. It is quite upmarket and the prices, whilst not outrageous, reflect that.

The atmosphere is very nice –Chez Bazan is spacious and well lit with flagstone floors and brick walls. The wooden tables and chairs are arranged neatly with plenty of space between them. Music plays quietly in the background.

On the left is the bakery section. I have never seen such a variety of cakes, pies, cookies and pastries as they have here! The cakes look delicious, if not sinful – they are 4 layer cakes and with flavours such as Boston cream, carrot, German Chocolate and cheesecake there is something for everyone. You can order a slice for around $3.50 or a whole cake/gateaux for between $20-40. They will even supply a ‘party kit’ with forks and napkins (for a fee) in case you wish to take a cake to the office for someone’s special occasion.

Chez Bazan can provide catering packs to suit your needs. They are quite used to making breakfast trays, box lunches and party trays of sweets and have a menu for each of these services. They are also accustomed to hosting parties and baby showers on the premises. There is a lovely party room which seats around 30 and this can be hired for $25 plus a food order of $125. It can be decorated to suit your needs. They will obviously make your cake too if you want. Wedding cakes can also be made by the staff at Chez Bazan – these are custom made and can be as simple or exotic as you want them to be.

The Café is open for lunch between 11am and 2pm and for just drinks until 5pm – in fact drinks are $1 off the usual price after 3 pm. Specialty coffees and teas and fruit smoothies are available plus salads, soup and sandwiches. The sandwiches are slightly exotic and include smoked turkey and avocado or Jamaican chicken. There is also quiche and wonderful Chicken Florentine crepes, served with salad. Lunch will set you back around $10.

Chez Bazan is a rare find in Tyler – a unique place to eat with gourmet food. As I have already mentioned though, the experience does come at a cost. I hope that it is popular enough to remain in business and prosper as it would if it was located in Dallas.

Related posts:

1. The Hidden Gate Tyler TX
2. The Egg and I
3. Basil Thai Cafe in Tyler

I never imagined I’d ever need to deal with the difficult decision of whether or not to place one I love in a nursing home, let alone have to consider which facility. When my own father took a turn for the worse during his battle with Parkinson’s, he ended up with a 6-week hospital stay. At one point, it was unclear how much strength he would regain even with intensive occupational therapy. My mom broached the topic, and it shook me to consider that he might not be able to return home, that he might need more care than we could give him. Once my mind stopped reeling, I realized I had no idea how to go about choosing a medical care facility for my father.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to begin to decide where to place your own loved one, be assured; there are lots of guides and resources there to help you. Every state has an Ombudsman program connected to the Department on Aging that offers patient advocacy and information on choosing a nursing home.

Here are some helpful tips to help guide you through this difficult decision process. Take careful notes as you visit or collect information online about each nursing home. Keeping record of your findings will help you tremendously as you weigh the options.

Location

Keeping close proximity to family members is perhaps the most important consideration. Choosing a Tyler nursing home close to home means frequent visits will be much more doable. These visits can positively affect the patient’s quality of life, outlook on their current situation, and go a long way to reducing stress, depression, and frustration. All of these factors contribute to potentially faster recovery, improved health, or even extention of life.

Quality of care

This is obviously an important consideration. We’ve all heard of or seen examples of poor care and I know of an elder care facility in Tyler Texas that has several negative reports from government inspectors. Inadequate qualified professional staff, staff shortages, old equipment or facilities, and lack of concern for dignity or patient preferences have a huge negative impact on the quality of care a nursing home can offer.

The good news? Other than making a visit to obtain a first hand glimpse of a Tyler nursing home, there are outside agencies who gather quality control reports on each nursing home in your area. The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services provides reports on nursing home facilities and their Ombudsman Program provides advocacy and further support. There are also government-mandated quality assurance checks on all nursing homes who accept Medicaid or Medicare patients. These reports are made available at www.dads.state.tx.us/news_info/ombudsman/choosing.html.

Carefully review each location’s quality reports, health and safety inspections. Note any violations as well as what has been done to improve care. For example, if there was a lack of qualified staff working, have more staff been scheduled or hired? Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services puts out annual reports on nursing homes who have received a citation for actual harm or immediate jeopardy on this website: MemberoftheFamily.net

Affordability

When it comes to choosing a Tyler Texas home for someone you love, no one wants to base their decision on affordability, but because of the incredible expense involved, this unfortunately has to be a consideration. Temporary or short term care, sometimes required for a few weeks after surgery or for accident recovery, is often covered by insurance. Long term care (100 or more days) is usually not covered. Be sure to ask each facility about financial assistance or payment plans.

Going into this decision making process as fully armed as possible can only help you. Visit facilities personally, make careful observations, gather all the information you can, and take complete notes. Find a friend or an advocate to help you in your search for the nursing home you feel satisfied will best suit you and your loved one.

Related posts:

1. Choosing a Home Remodeling Company in Tyler Texas
2. Living Alternatives – Father Heart Ministry
3. Personal Care For The Whole Person

In our last article, we talked about ways to help our elderly loved ones restore their voice in society through simple volunteer opportunities. Today, we want to offer some simple ensure that their contributions to our families and communities are not lost after they are gone.

Give seniors a platform in our schools.

A shocking number of children have never been to a good old-fashioned farm, and don’t even know they still exist. Meeting Old MacDonald’s real-live, hard-working counterpart could give them some new ideas on work ethic. And who better to share our world and country history than one who’s lived it? Grandma’s story about the Great Depression was far more memorable than the one in my textbook. Who, after meeting a Nazi-prison camp survivor, has been able to forget it? Could we ever erase 9-11 images from our own minds? Our world has changed so much in the past century, our children need to know the value of their own ease and convenience.

Honor our veterans.

These are the people to whom we owe our freedom. Make every effort to attend and bring veterans to local celebrations where they will be recognized and honored for their service.

Encourage seniors to write letters to our troops.

So many young men and women serving our country and experiencing long absences from home eagerly anticipate mail time. These physical reminders of home and assurances of support go a long way to sustain and encourage them during their service.

Record your family history

Our elderly loved ones are a living record of our family’s history. After my aunt retired, she remained active in her community senior center, and started a financial investments group for senior women. She also had an urge to research and record our family’s history and lineage. Her research led her to travel to Europe to visit cousins and other relatives of whom I was completely unaware. Her report and connections gave us a treasured record of our heritage.

So record Grandma’s stories. Ask for her perspective on world events that occurred during her lifetime. I had read about people moving west in covered wagons, but until I met, Hazel, a warm, 98-year old woman, who had moved with her family from Chicago to St. Paul by wagon, it seemed like a fairy tale. Our most intimate portrait of my own father’s childhood was painted one afternoon when the camera was rolling. So sit down, and start asking questions.

We’ve got to do it. Take the time, unearth these treasures, listen to their wisdom, and allow our elderly citizens to contribute in ways they are able. If we do this, our lives and our country will never be the same. We will work harder, smarter, and more diligently knowing what has been built and given on our behalf.

Related posts:

1. Personal Care For The Whole Person
2. Grace Day Care
3. Living Alternatives – Father Heart Ministry