As soon as you become concerned about the safety of your family and your property, you should hire a security expert to look over your property and give you recommendations. The type of professional you hire will depend on the actions you want to take and the amount of money you want to spend.  If you have a large home and family, and a lot of valuable property to protect, you might consider hiring a security consultant. These experts will usually offer security risk assessments, training, plans, and services; however, these services can be quite expensive and may be too much security for your needs. A lot of families will hire a professional security services company to help them defend their property. You could do the same by hiring a company like ADT, Protect America, Protection 1, XFINITIY, or Alarm Force. These companies offer services like alarms and camera systems. These options are usually more affordable. Work with the professional you hire to look over your property and find areas that could easily be penetrated by intruders. Common areas of concern usually include doors, windows, and property boundaries. These are areas where intruders look for weaknesses they then try to exploit. When you work with your professional, set up an appointment time when they can visit your property to look over the situation. Make the appointment during a time when someone in your family can be home to show the person around. At a glance, you might think that signs and fences do little to protect your property; however, in reality, these features are great deterrents for scaring away would-be intruders. Because intruders look for easy and quick access points, they rarely want to spend time jumping over fences and carrying equipment and stolen goods over them. When you place a security company's sticker or sign in your window or yard, you are telling intruders that your home is professionally protected. Most intruders will not want to risk getting in trouble by breaking into a home that has a security system. Two of the most common places where intruders break into a home are through windows and doors. Intruders will look for doors that are unlocked, do not have a lock, or that have flimsy or old locks; therefore, it is important to update your locking mechanisms in order to protect your property. Study each window and door and look to see if you have working locks. If a door or window has a lock that doesn't work, replace it.  All locks should securely fasten the window or door to the framing of the property. The lock should not be accessible from outside without the use of a key. On doors, use deadbolt locks in addition to locks on the door handle itself. Deadbolt locks offer an extra layer of security and make it more difficult for an intruder to break in. Intruders usually break into homes they consider easy to access. One of the things intruders look for is doors with windows, mail slots, and dog doors. Intruders will use these weaknesses to gain access to your home.  If you have a door with one of these features, consider installing a new one. While the new door may not have all of the aesthetic features you want, it will protect against intruders. If you really want to protect your property, you can even buy reinforced doors that are made out of extremely durable and tough materials. These doors are difficult to break down. Intruders often break into homes they think are not occupied. One of the most common things they look for is the absence of lights; therefore, one of the easiest ways to deter would-be intruders is to have your lights set on a timer. This way, certain lights will automatically turn on at a certain time. You can buy these light timers at any hardware store in your community. Use these timers for outdoor lights, hallway lights that will light up your entryway, and lights in common rooms with windows facing the front of your home. One of the most common defense mechanisms for your property is an alarm system. An alarm system is a series of electronic devices that protect against intruders. Do some research (type "security system companies" into an internet search) or ask your professional for help finding a system that is right for you. These systems will vary in cost depending on the company you purchase from and the type of system you buy. You will usually pay for the system itself, an installation fee, and a monthly fee. When you purchase an alarm system, a professional will usually come and install the following:  A control panel Door and window sensors Motion sensors Alarms In addition to purchasing an alarm system, you can also install security cameras to further deter intruders and protect your property. Security cameras are used to monitor hard to see and distant areas of your property, remote buildings like garages, and entry points like your front and back doors. These cameras will provide security footage to your computer smartphone, or tablet.  Security cameras are most often used when you are out of town to watch for deliveries and other services like landscaping and housesitters. Cameras can also be used to record security breaches so you have footage of the intruder that can be used by law enforcement. You can download an app on your phone that you can use to lock your doors, turn on lights, and arm your security system. These apps are a great way to secure your home when you are at work, out of town, or when you simply forget to lock the door on your way out. These features only work in conjunction with specific security systems. Ask your security provider if they have an app you can use.
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One-sentence summary -- Hire a professional. Identify your areas of concern. Build a fence. Place security stickers around your home. Install quality locks on doors and windows. Avoid certain types of doors. Have automatic lights. Purchase an alarm system. Install security cameras. Use your smartphone to help secure your home.

Article: As the oven is heating up, line your baking sheet with parchment paper. If you don't have any parchment paper, non-stick cooking spray will do in a pinch, or a little melted butter. You want it to be soft, but not liquidy. Room temperature should be fine, as it will be easy to blend. If you need, put the butter briefly in the microwave — 4-5 seconds, tops. Mix everything well so that there are no clumps and everything is well distributed. Cream of tartar leads to a light tang and helps the cookies get fluffy. However, if you want crispier cookies or don't want this tangy edge, you can skip the cream of tartar. Mix the butter/margarine and sugar together until fluffy. Keep your electric beaters on medium speed and work the softened butter until it is a nice whipped, semi-stiff mixture. All of the sugar should be incorporated into the butter. This should only take 3-5 minutes of mixing. Keep the mixer going until the eggs are completely incorporated into the butter mixture. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary, making sure everything is well mixed. Want tangier, less sweet cookies? Skip the vanilla. Add the flour in small chunks, keeping the mixer going the entire time. This prevents flour "explosions," where the beaters scatter the flour instead of mixing it. As you add flour, keep scraping the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is getting added in. After dough is thoroughly mixed, chill it for 30-45 minutes to guarantee the best results. Start with 2 tablespoons of each, adding more as necessary. Feel free to play with this ratio as well -- while few chefs use more cinnamon than sugar, many will add a few extra parts sugar to avoid overly spiced cookies. You can use a small spoon to measure out the dough, then roll it between your palms to form the dough balls. You then roll the dough in the cinnamon sugar to coat it completely. Make sure the cookies are at least 2 inches apart, as they will flatten and spread as they cook. A good snickerdoodle has a light, chewy texture, not a crunch. You want to try and keep the tops of the cookies light, so remove them when the outsides are just getting golden for the best cookies. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minute before eating.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Preheat the oven to 400 °F (205 °C). Let the butter soften outside the fridge for 5-10 minutes. Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter in with the sugar until completely mixed. Add the vanilla extract and eggs and beat for 2-3 minutes. Turning your mixer to "low" speed, slowly add the flour mixture. In a shallow bowl, mix equal parts white sugar and ground cinnamon. Roll the chilled dough into 1" wide balls, then roll each ball in cinnamon sugar. Set the cookies on the parchment-lined baking sheets and cook for 8-9 minutes. Remove from the oven when the outside edges are just turning golden.