Why Labor Day is a Worker's Holiday

Labor Day weekend is quickly approaching! It’s an annual long weekend that earmarks the end of summer, back to school in many areas, and the start of regularly scheduled fall activities.   This national holiday is celebrated in the United States and Canada on the first Monday of September and it began for a much deeper reason than we celebrate today. It is a workers’ holiday. During the late 19th century in the United States, trade unionists proposed a day to celebrate labor with the first parade happening in New York City. Oregon was first state to adopt Labor Day as an official public holiday in 1887 and, over the next seven years, a total of thirty states would do the same. It was in 1894 that Labor Day became a federal holiday to honor the American Labor Movement and worker contributions to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the nation. Though similar, Canada's Labour Day had a more dramatic start. It became an official statutory holiday in 1884, but began with a massive strike eight years earlier. Though strikes were illegal in 1872, 2,000 workers marched through Toronto streets to government buildings at Queens Park, arriving with 8,000 supporters. Their primary objective was to get shorter work days – down to nine hours. Though that initial attempt was unsuccessful and many lost their job, the 'Nine-Hour Movement' spread to cities across Canada and eventually resulted in a shorter work week. After that, annual celebrations with parades took place in cities across Canada to commemorate employees and their solidarity. As you enter the long weekend, and Labor Day on September 5th, I hope that you enjoy work-free fun with family and friends.       Your Flooring Consultant For Life,            Matt Capell            President of Capell Flooring and Interiors P.S.  End the headache of shopping for new floors with our FREE Design Audit!™  The Design Audit™ is a diagnostic tool that allows my expert floor consultants help you choose the right floor for your decorating taste and lifestyle.  They’ll walk you through a series of questions that will help narrow down the thousands of options to the two or three that exactly match your unique situation.  They’ll also give you a written, customized “maintenance” plan with their professional recommendations for getting the longest life and beauty out of your floor.  Call or visit us today for your FREE Design Audit!™

Parents, Are You Prepared for the Worst?

Every moment counts when a child goes missing, so the faster you can have up-to-date information available to the authorities, the better. One way to ensure relevant information is all in one place is to have an identification kit for each child in your family.   Here's what to include in that kit: Child's Personal Information Include their full name and nicknames, birth date, height, weight, eye color, hair color, medical information, blood type, allergies. Your Personal Information Be sure to include your full name and the names of all parents and guardians, along with phone numbers and addresses. Physical Description In as much detail as possible, add descriptions of all identifying marks on your child, like scars and birthmarks. Include their locations on an illustrated human silhouette. You may consider adding a photograph of the marking. DNA and Fingerprints Within the kit include hair samples. Be aware, a cutting of hair will not provide DNA. The sample needs to have several strands of hair with the root and follicle intact, which can often be found on their hairbrush. Include all 10 fingers from both hands in the fingerprint sample. Current Photograph Be sure to include clear, printed photographs of your child. Ensure that your child is clearly visible, that their features are easy to see. Regularly update this kit as your child grows with new photos and personal details like height and weight. Here are some resources: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: Child ID Child Safe Kit National Child Identification Program: The ID Kit FBI: How to Protect Your Kids with ID Kits Your Flooring Consultant For Life,        Matt Capell        President of Capell Flooring and Interiors

How to Stop the Yard from Draining Your Time

Surrounding your home with a beautiful landscape brings good vibes to your home and neighborhood. Yet, that perfection requires a lot of planning and time – something many of us struggle to find.  Here are the benefits of hiring professional landscapers to handle things outside your home.   Gain Time The obvious benefit is saving time to spend in other areas of your life that may need it more. Get More Than Cut Grass A professional lawn care company has a skilled team taking care of services like seasonal yard cleanup, weeding, pruning, edging, gardening, seeding, sodding, property renovating, and more. Learn about all the services each company offers before hiring one. Receive Expert Care You’re hiring experts who know the right grass and treatments to suit the climate and land. They know which plants will thrive in your soil and level of sunshine. Professionals know the seasons and when to aerate, seed the lawn, put in and take out plants, which trees and shrubs are best, how to treat for insects and plant disease, and more. Achieve Consistency You are gaining consistent lawn care from skilled people who show up without your reminder. Increase Home Value Professional landscapers know how to bring the best value out of your property. Have a conversation to learn what suggestions and ideas they have. Plus, a manicured lawn makes you a good neighbor who helps add value and beauty to the neighborhood. A bonus, you get to enjoy the outdoors without doing all that work. Your Flooring Consultant For Life,        Matt Capell        President of Capell Flooring and Interiors

Tasty Ways to Cool Down During the Hot Days of August

There are so many fun summer days this month with yummy tastes to cool down with on a hot summer day. August 1st is Raspberry Ice Cream Day and even better is Ice Cream Sandwich Day on the 2nd.   Have you ever made ice cream sandwiches? Here are recipes to The 50 Most Delish Ice Cream Sandwiches. I may try “As-You-Like-'Em”. That's number 26 in the list of 50. Of course, don't miss out on Watermelon Day on the 3rd. How about a visit to the beach for Wiggle Your Toes Day and Sandcastle Day on August 6th or Play in the Sand Day on August 11th. Cool down some more on the 14th with Creamsicle Day, yum! Then enjoy Spumoni Day - an Italian layered ice cream dessert on the 21st. So many tasty choices to cool down during these hot summer days!       Your Flooring Consultant For Life,           Matt Capell           President of Capell Flooring and Interiors P.S.... Continue reading this month's copy of the Home Advisor - by clicking the link below. Be Sure to Enter the Mega Trivia Contest - for a chance to win a Free Gift Certificate to a restaurant of your choice.  See past winners and archives here in case you missed an issue.