Halloween is right around the corner, and that means children and adults of all ages are gearing up for a night of tricks, treats, and hair-raising fun. So as you put the last finishing touches on your costume or haunted house, why not also brush up on some Halloween trivia!

Here are 6 interesting Halloween facts you can use to impress your party guests or co-workers as we prepare to celebrate the second biggest U.S. holiday of the year, at least by the standard of retail sales. Only Christmas generates more activity at the cash register.

1. Halloween is said to have evolved from the ancient Celtic holiday of Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. The Celts also believed that this change of season was a bridge to the world of the dead.

2. Illinois, California, New York, and Ohio produce over 100 million pounds of pumpkins each year. Now that’s a lot of pumpkin!

3. Candy corn was first invented in 1898 by the Herman Goelitz Confectionary Company in California – now the Jelly Belly Candy Company. Today, nearly 35 million pounds of candy corn are produced each year.

4. Harry Houdini was one of America’s favorite magicians, best known for his daring escapes. It’s only fitting that he died on October 31, 1926.

5. More than twice as much chocolate is sold around Halloween than around Valentine’s Day, with about 90 million pounds of chocolate being sold the week leading up to Halloween alone.

6. The movie “Halloween” was shot in only 20 days in the spring of 1978. While it was made on a shoe-string budget for just $300,000, it became the highest grossing independent film ever made up until that time.

Whatever plans you have for Halloween 2014, we hope you celebrate the occasion fully but safely.

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At a bare minimum, every home has some type of tool box or loose collection of miscellaneous screwdrivers, drill bits, loose nails, and what have you. If you’re lucky, you might even find a set of pliers. But when the front door starts squeaking or your kitchen faucet starts leaking, will you have the right tools on hand to fix those minor repairs, or will you be paying a handyman to fix them for you?

Whether you’re a DIY enthusiast or don’t know a hammer from a putty knife, here are 10 tools that every homeowner should have to tackle those little projects that pop up along the way.

1. Plunger. Actually, two. A cup shaped plunger for unclogging sinks and a flange plunger for toilets.
2. Tape measure. Opt for a minimum 25 footer. Useful for measuring everything from room size, to furniture, to molding.
3. One or more flashlights. Not only are they a must for power outages, but helpful when you need to get into the attic or crawlspace.
4. A 4-in-1 screwdriver. That way, you’ll almost always have the right style and size handy with removable bits.
5. Hammer. For most around-the-house jobs, a lightweight finish hammer with a curved claw will do just fine.
6. Electric stud finder. Eliminates the guesswork when you’re hanging heavy objects, or when you want to avoid hitting a stud.
7. A level. If you can, splurge on a laser level, especially if you frequently hang objects like artwork and picture frames.
8. Putty knife. Perfect for not only spreading paste and spackle, but for scraping glues and paints off surfaces.
9. Adjustable wrench. Loosen (or tighten) nuts without stripping them like pliers would.
10. Pliers. A basic plier will help you hold objects firmly, as well as pull, pinch, or bend metal.

Now, let’s see, exactly what kind of tool should you keep handy for cleaning and inspecting your furnace or air conditioning system? Truth be told, it’s not a tool you need for those tasks, but a heating and cooling professional you can depend on for your family’s greater indoor comfort and energy savings. In and around Terrell & Kaufman, more and more careful homeowners are choosing Absolute Air. We hope you’ll do the same.

Which would you like first, the good news or the bad news?

Well, since most people choose the latter, we’ll go with the majority. As in, the bad news is that September is National Self-Improvement month. How can that possibly be bad news, you might ask? Well, if self-improvement came all that naturally, would we really need an entire month to be    reminded of both the need and opportunity?

And now for the good news: September is National Self-Improvement month. As in, seeing how most of us DO need a little reminding from time to time, maybe this is the month you take a step in the right direction toward new or existing goals.

Here are 5 popular and realistic ways to feel better about just being you:

• Make a date or an appointment. If “apathy” or “procrastination” are your middle name, find one thing that you’ve been putting off way too long and just get it done. It done right now. It could be as simple as changing the oil in your car or finishing the book that’s been on your nightstand since who knows when. Or maybe it’s time you set your reservations aside and finally scheduled that colonoscopy or breast exam.

• Start that diet. You can’t surf very far on your TV screen without bumping into some program concerning America’s bulging waistline. If you’re carrying a few extra pounds, isn’t it better to pick a diet (with your doctor’s advice and consent, of course) and just go for it instead of waiting for that miracle cure or pill that won’t be coming along anyway?

• Get up and move. Nothing builds self-esteem like exercise or movement, and it doesn’t have to be painful to be effective. Go for a walk, dance in your living room, have a catch with your son. But do something to get the ol’ heart and your blood circulating.

• Demand better of yourself. Do you have a tough time saying you’re sorry? Well, it’s never too late to start. Have you reached a point in your job or career where you feel like there’s no point in trying any harder? Even if you’re maxed out salary wise, expanding your skills or knowledge is an achievement unto itself and one that can be applied elsewhere if your present employer doesn’t fully appreciate what you bring to the table.

• Pick up the phone. Nothing makes some people happier than hearing from family and friends. So if you’re the kind of person who only talks on the phone when they call you, now’s a great time to let a distant family member or fellow grad know you’re thinking about them. The kind of warm reception you’re likely to get could turn this into a very rewarding habit.

If one of those things you’ve been putting off is annual preventative maintenance for your home heating system, then just pick up the phone and call Absolute Air. We’ll get it done in no time so you and your family can look forward to feeling better, indoors, all winter long.

With the first day of school right around the corner, it’s good to have a plan in place to help make sure your kids have more than a fighting chance at making this year truly productive and positive in all regards.

One key ingredient to student success is having a clearly defined homework schedule and study habits. From our house to yours, here are a few time-tested techniques that really work:

• Establish a routine. Does your child do his or her best work right after school lets out or does an hour or so break refresh their brain cells just enough to make homework time more productive? No time is the right time for every student, so find and stick to the time of day that works best for your child.
• Designate a homework space. It should be comfortable, well lit, absent of noise and distractions – including cell phones and iPads! – and well-equipped with pencils, pens, calculators, and other helpful homework tools.
• It’s good to be involved, but not too involved. Caring parents naturally want to help out with homework when asked to do so, and provided they can. Just remember that you’re only really helping them when you guide them toward learning the answers for themselves vs. doing some or all of the work for them.
• Check their work. The way you check a first grader’s homework is much different than how you might for a tenth grader so, using age appropriate techniques, establish that all assignments are completed correctly, fully, and on time.
• Are they spending too much time on homework? Extra time spent on homework isn’t always productive. It could mean that your child doesn’t quite get the subject matter or they have a teacher who’s piling it on a little thick. Either way, this might be an occasion to contact the teacher for a fresh perspective on what exactly is going on.

And then there are those students who feel perfectly fine all day at school but sniffle the night away at home. Or scratch their itchy eyes. Or feel all stuffed up and headachy. And nobody can do their best work under those circumstances. So if the problem persists, contact the indoor air quality specialists at Absolute Air, as you and your family might be candidates for some type of remedial action. With a whole-house air filtration system, for example, more than 99% of dust, dirt, and other air pollutants will be trapped as they attempt to pass through the system’s filter. That keeps them out of your home, and out of your lungs.