“If the kitchen is the heart of the home, your heart may be overflowing this holiday season. When it’s fragrant with the scents of cinnamon, apple, and clove, you have your favorite carol playing in the background, and the lights are twinkling on the tree, it may be hard to imagine anything better. But if your kitchen is bursting at the seams with all your friends and family (not to mention pots and pans and baking sheets), maybe it’s time to dream big...and at Grand Windows and Interiors, we believe in making dreams come true. Instead of putting one wrapped box after another under the tree, your family could save up for a kitchen spacious enough to embrace your ever-expanding family, one with storage at hand for all your favorite bakeware, one designed to reflect your personality and the things you hold most dear.”

It all started back in rural Oklahoma when patriarch Johnny Jackson, one of eleven children, decided to go to work for National Cash Register. He’d just finished a stint with the Air Force as an aircraft mechanic, and found that he enjoyed using tools to solve mechanical problems. In 1976, National Cash Register transferred Jackson, who’d started a family at that point, to an up-and-coming subdivision of Houston called Sugar Land. Jackson loved the area and put down roots there. Then he quickly realized that the Gulf Coast required something he’d never grown up with in Oklahoma: air-conditioning. He started Jackson Air & Heat, and his son, Brian Jackson, cut his teeth there. Growing up in a family business taught Brian--whose own sons now work in the family business--the importance of giving great service at a great price by educated professionals. That’s been the Jackson family way....for three generations at Jackson Air & Heat.

Once you know a hard freeze is coming, take the time to wrap your exposed pipes. Instead of grabbing old towels or blankets, pick up pipe insulation and insulation tape from a hardware store. Start with the main water riser that goes directly into your home...it’s the most important point to wrap.

If Santa twists an ankle on the roof, or dad slips off the ladder while hanging the holiday lights, they need treatment quickly. As Sugar Land’s first free-standing ER, St. Michael’s has their own X-ray, Ultrasound and CT, and on-site diagnostic lab. If you do need long-term treatment, St. Michael’s is not affiliated with just one single hospital...instead they have agreements with all the best nearby hospitals to get you priority care quickly. James K. writes, “When you need an emergency room, the last thing you want is a long line and mounds of paperwork before you can see a doctor. St. Michael's provides a refreshing take on the emergency room experience!”

Prince said, “The key to longevity is to learn every aspect of music that you can,” and that’s a lesson Fort Bend Music Center understands! Since 1983, they’ve been the Houston area’s preferred venue for music lessons, instrument sales and rentals, instrument repair, music books, and piano moving and tuning. Renee Massey, Fort Bend Music Center’s Lessons Desk Manager says, “In our piano group lessons, we use the Yamaha Music Education System, the most comprehensive music program available. Through group lessons, our students learn ear training, how to read music, and how to play both ensemble and solo styles. It accelerates the learning process...and group dynamics are familiar and fun to kids who play on sports teams or who work in groups at school.”

“Losing weight quickly meant we didn’t have to sustain will power for very long. Maintaining the weight loss has been much, much easier than losing weight ever was! You get a clear meal plan that’s easy to understand and follow. In fact, I just got back from a Girls Weekend to the Food and Wine Festival in Fredericksburg...and I’m going to use that meal plan to take off the pound or two I put on having fun. It’s really simple to follow and Dr. Harris’s wife made sure I had her cell phone number and her email so I could contact her with any questions. The program is so quick that you can literally start in December and lose a lot of weight before your New Year’s party.”

“Dr. Baltazar went above and beyond to find an answer to my problem...and he’s also one of the most caring, personable doctors I’ve ever known. Twice before doing a procedure, he began by praying over my leg. He always let me and Paulette know what he was doing, why he was doing it, what it might feel like, and what the desired outcome would be. We have been very impressed with Dr. Baltazar’s level of specialization and the expertise he brings to each patient. We truly believe that when it comes to veins, there’s nothing he can’t do!”

“The number of medical conditions related to tooth decay is astounding,” says Dr. Thomas Lomonte, D.D.S. of Stafford. Recent studies have shown that the development of cardiovascular problems like heart disease, blockages of blood vessels and strokes have all been associated with chronic inflammation from gum disease. Many diabetics already know that chronic inflammation of the gums seems to weaken the body’s ability to control blood sugar and utilize insulin. There are even current studies on the effects of gum disease on rheumatoid arthritis, lung conditions and obesity.

With frantic work schedules and the demands of school and family life, sleep has become an afterthought. We take sleep for granted, until lack of sleep harms the healthy habits that form the foundation of success. In fact, the increased pace of life today is the #1 reason to make quality sleep a top priority.

The first step of decluttering involves getting a trashbag and tossing all your old and worn-out stuff. Now imagine if everyone ripped out their old bathtubs, tile or counters….our landfills and trash heaps would be overflowing! The Miracle Method refinishing process transforms tile, cultured marble, Corian®, Formica®, Wilsonart® and other laminate countertops.…without ripping them out! When you choose Miracle Method, you reduce the burden on landfills and help reduce pollution created by manufacturing and transporting of new fixtures...without paying for carbon credits (or an expensive remodel)!