Home Services

John Kastelein – Home Repair

December 8, 2020 by 0 Comments

Looking for trustworthy all-around home services professionals?  John and Isaac Kastelein are who you need.  From carpentry to electrical services, this father and son team will be there to help.  John will come to your house, assess the situation, and provide an estimate free of charge.  They show up when they say they will and don’t surprise you with hidden fees.  John is an MBA graduate who rather work with his hands than be behind a desk.  Isaac is a fully licensed electrician.

We recently had the Kastelein men create a double-door entry into our bedroom.  This entailed opening a wall and relocating outlets and switches.  The project was completed in two days.  They left the area spotless when they were finished. We could not be more pleased with the final product!

Call John Kastelein at (240) 409-8778 or email John at [email protected] and tell them Jackie sent you.

Shopping

Carpet Baggers Carpet One Floor & Home

November 17, 2020 by 0 Comments

Imagine going to a store with low-key, no pressure staff who are helpful.  Imagine they have a great selection at good prices and financing options for every budget. This is the reality at Carpet Baggers.  After a home improvement project, we needed to replace our cardboard feeling carpet.  This was a big investment, so we shopped everywhere for weeks.  Then, just around the corner we found Carpet Baggers.

Replacing carpet entails a lot of work decluttering and moving furniture.  The Carpet Baggers installation team made it so much easier.  They moved all the furniture for us prior to installation, cleaned-up afterward, and moved everything back into place.  And their high-quality moisture resistant padding makes you feel like you are walking on a cloud.

During the installation both the installation manager and sales person stopped by to make sure everything was perfect. We could not believe it!  Next on our list we will replace our shabby wood floors.  Carpet Baggers will have us covered with their huge array of hard floor options. Thank you Carpet Baggers! 

Carpet Baggers Carpet One Floor and Home is located at 3196 Marginal Road, Charleston SC 29414. Phone: (856) 410-2680

Shopping

Old Charleston Trading Company

November 17, 2020 by 0 Comments
  • Coffee Table Accents
    Coffee Table Accents
  • Kitchen Bar Chairs
  • Fish Tea Lights

We’ve all been spending a great deal of time at home these days.  So now is the time to give your homestead a little upgrade with some decorative pieces and furniture.  Abandon those big box stores and chains. Head over to Old Charleston Trading Company, the perfect place to find these treasures.  They have a wide selection of high quality furnishings, lighting, decorative pieces, and art with low country style. The photos above show just a few of the items from Old Charleston Trading Company I’ve collected. It’s the first store I go to when looking for a gift or want to spruce up my home.  Old Charleston Trading Company always has an item to fit our budget.

Now, more than ever, we need to support our local businesses.  They are what make the low country a great place to live.  Old Charleston Trading Company is located at 3623 Old Charleston Rd, Johns Island, SC 29455, just down the street from Walgreens.  Phone: (843) 628-2258.  Want to see some of the great finds they have to offer, check out their Facebook Page.

 

Plumber

Ben Franklin Plumbing – Fast, Efficient, Great Value

April 23, 2020 by 3 Comments
  • Ben Franklin Pluming Truck
  • Anthony Zazaca – Owner

What’s worse than four cranky adults cloistered together for weeks? Four stinky adults!  That’s what we faced when our water heater died on Sunday.  Unfortunately, we hired the wrong plumber to come fix it that day. We paid an extra high fee to come out and they misdiagnosed the problem.  Thankfully, we had Tony from Ben Franklin plumbing come out the next day because they promised to look at the unit for NO CHARGE. And, they came earlier than expected because we had no hot water.  Rather than  just sell us a new heater, they tried to fix the unit first to save us money.  Alas, the circuitry was blown and it needed to be replaced.  Tony immediately ordered a better unit than the previous plumber recommended, picked up the unit, and had it replaced within 3 hours.  Best of all, the entire repair was several hundred dollars less than our original quote from the first plumber.  We all had hot showers earlier than the time we originally expected Ben Franklin Plumbing to look at the unit.  Tony, you have our business for life.  Call them first when you need a plumber and tell them CharlestonJack.com  sent you. Ben Franklin Plumbing is located at 2612 Larch Lane #104, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29446. (843) 376-6250.  https://www.benjaminfranklinplumbing.com.

Featured
Social Commentary - Uncategorized

Celebrating Passover & Easter Amid COVID-19

April 6, 2020 by 0 Comments
  • Chicken Soup

Preparing nana’s famous chicken soup recipe for Passover or making mom’s glazed ham for Easter helps us share family traditions and loving memories.  As we suffer through the COVID-19 pandemic, connecting with each other is the most essential way to battle our sadness and fortify our strength.

This became apparent to me when my father died last week from the coronavirus.  There was no hand holding, no seeing his body, no memorial service, no closure.  Stormn’ Norman’, as we lovingly called him, was all about family.  So on Friday night, we prayed together and shared our stories and thoughts with family members throughout the country via Zoom. And together we began the healing process.

Norman Robinson in Airforce uniform.

Zoom is just one of many video conferencing applications that allow you to share information and pictures much like FaceTime or Skype. All you need is the application on your phone or laptop computer that has a phone and built-in camera.

As I began to prepare for the Passover meal, I took out our haggadot and kippot.  Images of family members who passed flooded my memory.  Each wine stain on the prayer book or frayed yamaka reminds me of my mother, nana, grandpa and others.  I remember sitting at the kids table and sipping the ultra-sweet Manishewitz wine, hunting for the hidden matzah, and hearing my aunt yell at all of us simultaneously.

Haggadah and Kippot

Passover and Easter are about sharing stories and traditions.  For Passover, we recount the Israelites’ journey from bondage to freedom.  During Easter, we talk about the world’s awakening to Jesus.  It’s fitting that we share the stories of family members and their impact on our lives.  So while we social distance, we can use our phones and tablets to stay connected and incorporate them into our rituals.  Then none of us will be alone.

And if you have many leftover kippot (we have tons) , you can make them into face masks to wear when venturing outside. They are shaped perfectly to fit over your nose and mouth.  Just add shoe laces and tie in back of your head.  In fact, there is a synagogue in Houston, TX whose members are recycling theirs for this purpose!