What Do You Do To Make Holiday Travel Easier?

I know… That’s a silly question. I figured I’d ask to see if there was anyone out there with suggestions to share to make traveling during Thanksgiving and Christmas for that matter, a little easier. I have a few that I’ll share. They’re not out of this world great ideas but I’ll share.

Steph’s Thanksgiving Travel Tips:

1. Try and travel at odd hours. If we are headed out of town for the holidays we usually try to drive at night or very early in the morning. Thanksgiving is one of those holidays, in my family’s experience, that the traffic is usually horrific at all times but later in the evening seems to work best of us.
2. If you have children MAKE SURE THEY’RE ELECTRONICS ARE CHARGED AND/OR THEY HAVE A CAR CHARGER. OH! And headphones.
3. Dig deep and find whatever patience you have. Driving during the holidays can certainly test ones patience.
4. More times than not, after I have everything all packed and ready to go I have this overwhelming feeling that I have forgotten something. Now I try and make a list and check it off as I go. If I forget something, there’s usually a store on our way if it is that important.
5. This is the most important tip I have. Avoid distracted driving. Put the phone down. It’s not worth it. 

I do have one that I’d like to share that was not my idea. Property Casualty Insurers tweeted this:

Did you know that Farmers has a smartphone app that you can actually pull up your current ID card in case you do not remember to replace your expired one? How cool is that?! Modern technology can be great. Below is a link to a short YouTube video for a breakdown on what’s been recently added to the Farmers Mobile App. You can also call up to the office and I (Steph) will be happy to help walk you through the app. You can download the app through the Apple App Store or get it on Google Play.

Ok, now it’s your turn. Comment below with your ideas to make holiday travel a bit easier.

Have a great Thanksgiving and God bless you and your family.

Home Fire Safety Tips

Fire Prevention Week is October 9^th through the 15^th. What a perfect time to blog about preventing fires and maybe a little history on how Fire Prevention Week came to be.

According to Wikipedia, The Great Chicago Fire lasted from October 8 to October 10^th . The fire devastated the city of Chicago killing upwards of 300 people, leaving more than 100,000 people homeless and destroying virtually everything in its path. The Chicago Water Tower is most commonly known for one of a handful of buildings that were left standing. While there were several speculations on how the fire started, the cause of the fire is unknown.  I wonder if it would have sread so fast if there was a fire extinguisher on hand. 

As the people of Chicago experienced, fire spreads very quickly and without the right tools, the results could be catastrophic, taking out everything in its path. The best way to be prepared, is to be proactive and have a plan.

When it comes to fires, water is not always the way to go. In some situations it can make it worse. Grease fires and electrical fires are definite NO’S to putting out with water. If you have a grease fire in the kitchen, first turn off the stove and then toss baking soda over it to stop the fire. If the fire is in a pot you can also put a metal lid over it to help stop the fire as well. In an electrical fire, turn off whatever is on and smother it with a blanket that is nonflammable. In a grease or electrical fire, you can use a fire extinguisher to put those flames out as well.

Speaking of fire extinguishers, did you know that there are a few different kinds? Different fire extinguishers have different matters in them to battle different fires. Typically, what we would want in our homes are either the A, B or C type fire extinguishers. For more information and a breakdown of what the different types of fire extinguishers, go to Fire Extinguishers: 101. They have great information not only on the different types but on prevention, first aid, hazards and lots more when it comes to fires.

What about your smoke alarms? When is the last time you checked to make sure the batteries are still good in them? How often should they be replaced? No worries! I searched the internet and found the answers for you. Here is what the National Fire Protection Association had to say about smoke alarms and a little more important and useful information to keep you and your family safe in case of a fire:

• Have a smoke alarm in every sleeping room, outside separate sleeping areas and on every level of your home.

•  Smoke alarms should be interconnected, when one sounds, they all sounds.

• Test your smoke alarms at least once a month by pressing the test button.

• There are two kinds of alarms. Ionization smoke alarms – quicker to warn about flaming fires. Photoelectric some alarms – quicker to warn about smoldering fires. You should have both types in your home.

• When your smoke alarm sounds, get out of the house and stay out of the house. Call 911.

• Replace your smoke alarms every 10 years.

Being proactive is key. Sit down with your family and have a plan in place in case there were a fire in your home. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

Do You Have a Legacy Gift for Your Family?

This past year a family very close to the Kirkwood Agency lost a loved one. It was very unexpected and came as a shock to all. When I asked if I could share their story, they asked that the names be changed for privacy and because it’s still very difficult to talk about. We will call their loved one, Jay.

Jay never met a stranger, was loved by everyone and was a huge member of his church. He brought several people to Christ in his short time here on earth and a good number of those individuals were there the day of Jay’s service to celebrate his life. It was a beautiful (standing room only) service filled with tears but also laughter. Jay was a son, a brother, a husband, a dad and a great friend to all who crossed his path. Though I only had the opportunity to meet Jay once, I left the service that morning feeling as if I had known him for years.

Jay left behind a wife and a son. His son is the spitting imagine of him, head to toe. We’ll call him Little Jay or LJ. Though Jay and his wife both worked, Jay was blessed to be able to take LJ to work with him often. They spent a lot of time together and were like peas and carrots, just the best of friends. Fishing, hunting, you name it, Jay packed in years of father son time and taught LJ all sorts of ‘boy’ stuff.

It’s not easy to pull something positive out of a tragedy like losing a loved one. It’s hard to adjust to life without them. Changing your daily routines, and in this case becoming a single mom overnight. That’s not even mentioning the financial issues left to deal with.

One positive thing that we do know is that Jay was known to save money and thankfully, he had a Legacy Gift. What’s a Legacy Gift? It’s a Life Insurance policy. Why call it a Legacy Gift instead of a Life Insurance Policy? Well because that’s exactly what it is. A gift that you leave behind for the legacy you have made, your family and that’s exactly what Jay did. Because he had set up a Legacy Gift, his wife was able to quit her job and stay home with their son. That was one thing that was important to Jay and his wife, was for one of them to be able to stay home with LJ until it was time for him to start kindergarten. LJ and his mom are set financially for the next several years because Jay set up a gift for the legacy he left behind.

I know talking about Life insurance is not an easy thing to do but it’s important. If you have a “Legacy Gift” outside of work in place, that’s great news! If you don’t, call in and make an appointment. We will be happy to sit down with you and go over what options are available for you. Is one of the reasons you don’t have Life Insurance is because you may have heard that it’s too expensive? Well I have good news for you. In most cases, it’s really not that expensive at all.

To give you an idea, click here, Life Happens – Calculate Your Needs and it will give you an overview of what your cost could be.  

Losing Jay was extremely difficult and we want to thank the family that let us share their story. His legacy will live on through his son, with the help of the Legacy Gift he had in place before he passed. Continued prayers for peace and healing. May the many memories you have of ‘Jay’ bring you peace. 

Kirkwood's Class Acts Is Back!

We are so excited to re - introduce the Kirkwood's Class Act - Teacher of the Month campaign! With the 2016-2017 school year coming up fast, it's time to start getting in those nominations for your favorite, most influential educator. 

As some of you may know, the idea sparked from Farmers Insurance's Thank America's Teachers. The Kirkwood Agency wanted to put together a campaign of our own called, Kirkwood's Class Acts aimed at giving back to special educators that have made a difference in our community. 

This is how it works - 
At the end of each month during the school year, we will hold a drawing for one of the nominated teachers to win a $100 gift card to use towards classroom supplies donated by Farmers Insurance, The Kirkwood Agency. Because we have such a great community The Local Watering Hole in Keller, Tara Hayden, Licensed Massage Therapist and new to this school year, The DeVivo Bros, are all participating in this years Kirkwood's Class Act campaign. The Local Watering Hole will be donating a $25 gift card each month to use at their restaurant. Tara Hayden will be donating a 30 minute massage each month. The DeVivo Bros. will be donating a $30 gift card each month to use at their restaurant. What an amazing community we are apart of!

So please take a moment and think about your children's teachers and if one comes to mind who truly impacted their life, nominate them. Is there a teacher, past or present, who has helped your child overcome a difficult time in their learning process? Nominate them. A teacher who took the time to go above and beyond to make sure your child was successful in something they had trouble with? Nominate them. Help us give back to these special educators that have made a difference.

Submit your nomination to Stephanie at stephanie.ekirkwood@farmersagency.com with the following information:

1. The teacher's name
2. What made you nominate them
3. What school your teacher teaches at

The drawing will be held on the last day of the month so get them in ASAP. 

*You can also click Farmers Insurance, The Kirkwood Agency and submit your nomination on our Facebook page or click Farmers Insurance - Kirkwood Agency to submit your nomination on our Google+ page.*

IT'S CHRISTMAS IN JULY, KIRKWOOD STYLE!!

We are so excited for this event happening tomorrow - Thursday, July 28th from 4:30-8pm!!

WHERE DO I BEGIN?!

This event will be the first of it's kind for Farmers Insurance - Kirkwood Agency and we are exploding with excited! Are you sitting down? You'll need to be because this is BIG!!! Our Christmas in July event will have all of the following:

• First and foremost we are having this event to benefit 2 organizations - Arrow Child and Family Ministries and Royal Family Kids .We have set up an angel tree with angels for both organizations. Arrow Child and Family Ministries angels are in need of backpacks and school supplies for the upcoming school year. For Royal Family Kids we set up Angels for donations to help send a child in foster care to Royal Family Kids camp next summer.

• Next we have Austin's Underdawgs with Austin himself serving up his gourmet delicious hot dawgs! 

• Did you miss out on the Free "Back the Blue" Yard Signs last week? Well you're in luck! More will be available from 6-8pm!

•  VENDORS!!! Let me tell you! We have some great vendors that will be here, too!!

1. Swanky Chic
2. Boops Boutique
3. Threads of a Feather
4. Creation Queen
5. Sara's Purses
6. Southern Charm Jewelry

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...

He'll be here from 5:30-7:30pm for FREE pictures!

So come on out, from 4:30-8pm tomorrow, have a bite to eat, get your picture taken with Santa for FREE, do some shopping and enjoy some great company! See everyone tomorrow!

Farmers Insurance - Kirkwood Agency
130 E Hill St
Keller TX 76248
817-898-0370

My Homeowners Insurance Policy Will Cover My Home Based Business, Right?

Home based businesses seem to be popping up everywhere. With the internet at your fingertips you can run your business from virtually anywhere. Not to mention not having to drive to work if your business is home based. Thank goodness you have a homeowners insurance policy! Right? Well… Not necessarily. Just because your business is out of your home does not mean that your homeowners policy will cover you in case something were to happen.

Any type of loss that where to happen that had anything to do with your business typically is excluded from being covered under your homeowners policy. For instance, if your run a boutique out of your home and store all of your products (clothes, jewelry, etc…) there and there was a fire, without the right coverage, the loss of the clothing and jewelry will most likely not be covered. Nor would any of the racks you use to show these items, boxes to store them, office equipment for the business or anything that is used to run your boutique out of your home would not be covered under your homeowners policy. Even though it is out of your home, because it is a business, you must have the additional business coverage to cover the business in case of a loss.

There are endorsements that can be added to your homeowners policy or an umbrella but again, to be insure that your business is covered in case of a loss, you need to have business insurance. Business insurance can help to provide a financial buffer to get you back in business quickly after a loss with replacing your lost property and in some cases replacing lost income while a homeowners policy cannot.

Do you have coverage for your home based business? Are you wanting to know more about what coverage you may need to protect it? Call the office today, let’s set up an appointment and talk about what is best for the type of home business you have. Check out Farmers® article, “Do You have Coverage for your Home Based Business?” for more information as well. 

Should You Be Concerned about Wildfires This Summer?

We had more than our fill of rain the last few months but now… IT IS HOT. Some days are hot and humid, some days are hot and dry and sometimes we are blessed to have a little of all three. I’m not sure what part of that is a blessing but I’m sure it is. Anyway, what we should be concerned with now are random wildfires popping up, especially with July 4^th weekend.

If you are partaking in firework popping, make sure you are able to pop them in the area you are at. One thing for sure, if your county is under a burn ban then that is a for sure NO to popping fireworks. Texas A&M Forest Service’s posted a map of the most up to date counties that are under an outdoor burn ban. See the picture below. If the county you live in is colored in red, that county has established a burn ban = no popping fireworks.

Outdoor Burn Bans as of July 1, 2016

Anyone heard of Firewise Landscaping in Texas? This is a great concept! It’s a layout on how to prep the area between your home and outside items they could cause a fire.  What to know how to keep your home “Firewise”? I learned a great deal from the information on the Texas A&M Forest Service site on how to do so. They broke it down in to Zones 1, 2, and 3.

ZONE 1:

Within 30 feet of your home and its attachments you should:

1.      Keep your lawn mowed and your trees pruned 6-10 feet from the ground.

2.      Water regularly (but follow the rules if there are water restrictions in your area).

3.      Make a ‘fire-free’ area within 5 feet around your home with non-flammable landscaping materials. (for more information on non-flammable landscaping materials, check out the full articleat Texas A&M Forest Service).

4.      If the life in your plants is no more, get rid of it, especially from under a deck and within 10 feet of your home. That also goes for any dry leaves or pine needles in and around your yard, roof and rain gutters.

       ZONE 2:

       Within 30 – 100 feet of your home and its attachments you should:

1.      Like in Zone 1, keep your trees pruned 6-10 feet from the ground.

2.      Concrete and gravel will help keep fire away from your home. Driveways, grave walkways are your friend.

3.      Leave 20 feet between individual trees and 30 between bundles of trees.

 

       ZONE 3:

       Within 100 - 200 feet of your home and its attachments you should:

1.      Remove any leaves, pine cones, wood debris to prevent a quick spread in case there was a fire.

2.      Thin out your trees as much as possible so that they don’t touch other tree. In case of a fire, they suggest trimming them with 10 feet between the trees so that in case of a fire, with the branches of other trees are not touching.  

              

What about your home itself? Fire has a mind of its own and can spread sparks and embers at will. What are ways to be proactive for your home? It’s a good thing the Texas A&M Forest Service’s site had that information as well. Thank goodness for the internet.

1.      Fire resistant! If it comes in fire resistant, that’s what you want to go with: Roof, gutters, exterior walls (metal, brick, stone siding, etc…).

2.      Windows – Double- paned or tempered- glasses windows in metal framing with fiberglass or metal screens. This was a great tip as well – when buying your drapes and shutters look for fire resistant to help act like a wall to block fire from spreading into your home.

3.      It’s always important to clean your vents, making sure they are debris free.

For more information on tips to take for making your home as fire resistant as possible, check out Texas A&M Forest Service’s brochure on Fire Resistance Materials.

In a previous blog about floods, we talked about how a flood can happen ANYWHERE at ANYTIME, even if you live in a “non flood” zone. Mother Nature can change any zone at any moment. Wildfires are the same. I’m sure there are areas that are more prone to them than others but they too can happen anywhere. Be proactive and take precautions to prevent your home from being a victim of Mother Nature in general.

Sources: Texas A&M Forest Service