Blisstree » Katelyn Thomas

Ten Household Chores for Snow Days

Katelyn Thomas — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 22:34:41 +0000

For some reason, an unexpected snow day doesn’t fill people with a burning desire to rehab their family rooms. They do tend to wish they had the fireplace sleeve put it, but they don’t actually do something about it. No, they tend to go play in the snow with their kids, drink tons of cocoa and then go off four wheeling with their friends. Two snow days in a row? That starts people thinking. You don’t want to bite off more than you can chew, though. When there are two feet of snow on the ground, you don’t want to have to call in reinforcements. Here are ten snow day activities you can do around your home that won’t have you calling for the plumber if you mess up the repair:

Check for drafts. A blustery snow day is the perfect time to find out whether windows are well caulked and to discover if the doors need weatherstripping.
Test how much energy different appliances are guzzling with a watt checker.
Change out your old light bulbs for energy efficient bulbs.
Organize your pantry and box up any items that you aren’t going to use that are getting near their expiration date to give to someone else.
Fix every squeaky door in the house.
Wax the edges of old fashioned drawers that don’t slide well. Tighten screws on drawers that use drawer slides.
Mend that pile of broken things you’ve been meaning to super glue together.
Repair chips in wooden furniture with wood putty or stain crayons.
Install that safety bolt and a sensor on the door leading to your pool that didn’t get put up last summer. Then, hop online and buy a surface sensor to put in your pool when spring rolls around.
Sort out your linen closet and give old linens you don’t want anymore but are in good shape to a local charity. Put the ones that are in bad shape in your rag bin.

Still need something to do? Pull out your bread machine if you’re running low on bread and make your own. We made some chocolate bread and are waiting for it to finish up so we can taste it. Hopefully, it tastes as good as it smells.

Photo: K. Thomas

Post from: Blisstree

Ten Household Chores for Snow Days

House Hunter Tool Kit

Katelyn Thomas — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:49:51 +0000

When you go to look at a home, you sort of assume there will be some basics – light, cleanliness and water in the pipes instead of all over the floor. Unfortunately, whether you are looking at million dollar properties people are still living in or a five thousand dollar property that has been repossessed, these things aren’t always going to happen. The thing is, realtors should be ready for anything, but I have only met a few who are really prepared. So, it is up to the buyer to be prepared for all the bizarre stuff that could happen when you are house hunting.

When I go to look at homes, especially foreclosed properties, I bring along a house hunting tool kit. The items in my kit include:

Good, sturdy flashlights.
Rubber boots in case I want to head into a dark, iffy basement.
Gloves.
First aid kit.
Screwdriver and wrench just because you never know when you’ll wish you had them.
Hand sanitizer and hand wipes.
Face mask in case I suspect there might be some mold.
Camera.
Notebook and pen.
Walking stick to test floors and stairs before I step on them.
Rags.

Now, if I am looking by myself, I don’t need stuff like the rubber boots or walking stick. I say it looks like too much for me to handle and move on. But if I’m looking with someone who wants to take on a big rehab, I do sometimes need the extra gear.

Do you have a house hunting kit you use?

Photo: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

House Hunter Tool Kit

Lighted Bow Tutorial

Katelyn Thomas — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:59:21 +0000

In my family, we’ve been buying fewer presents and spending more time and attention on wrapping the gifts we buy. We like to add a little ornament to the package or use a decorative reusable shopping bag as a tote to hold gifts that are individually wrapped but work as a set. Sometimes, the extras end up costing pretty much, though, so I was excited to see a lighted bow tutorial from Alison Lewis that uses just a few items – saran wrap, hot glue and some LEDs.

The whole process involves a few simple steps:

Make a loop bow just as you would with regular ribbon.
Get your hot glue gun and go back and forth with the hot glue over the surface of the bow. You should do this over and over again.
Add your lights.

It is hard to believe those few simple steps help you create such an amazing decoration. I’m looking forward to making a few of them as gift toppers. I also think they’d be a nice addition to a wreath that was sheltered by a porch overhang. Make sure you watch the video the whole way through. At the very end, she turns out the lights to show you how the lighted bows look and it is just spectacular.

(If you have problems with a really choppy video and no sound, click on the little HD is on button on the right hand side of the VIMEO player. With HD off, it plays very well for me.)

Photo: Alison Lewis

Post from: Blisstree

Lighted Bow Tutorial

Last-minute Holiday Preparation Tips

Katelyn Thomas — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:46:39 +0000

The holidays are only days away and you still have so much to do. As you begin a frantic last-minute rush to find the last few gifts on your list, to buy all the goodies for your holiday open house and to clean everything in sight, don’t forget these time-saving holiday preparation tips:

Take advantage of giftwrapping shortcuts. Some stores, such as Boscov’s, offer free giftwrapping services on items customers buy in the store. Many shopping malls team up with Boy Scouts or other organizations to wrap gifts for a small donation. If neither of these options work for you, don’t be ashamed to use gift bags.
Get rid of the clutter fast by designating a storage container for each room and quickly tossing everything that doesn’t belong out into the container. Put the containers in the closet or under the beds and then deal what the contents after the guests are gone.
Simplify your plans. Do you really need ten different appetizers for the open house? Will Christmas be ruined if you make sugar cookies from the refrigerated store bought dough? Will guests truly care that you didn’t put fresh liners in every drawer?
Set up shopping bags and fill each of them with all the items you need to take to another person’s home over the holidays. (Just make a note of refrigerated items to add to the bag at the last minute and clip it to the bag so you don’t forget to grab them, too.) This really saves a lot of time and frustration, since you have the items right there instead of having to remember that you wanted to pass on that mystery book to Aunt Jillian after you get to her house.

Do you have any last-minute holiday preparation tips?

Photo: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Last-minute Holiday Preparation Tips

Home Safety – Identity Protection

Katelyn Thomas — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:38:34 +0000

While most identity theft takes place when you’re shopping at the store or opening phishing emails, there are other ways that identity thieves use to collect the information they need. Protecting your identity should start at home.

People who swipe mail from mailboxes to help them in their quest to steal a specific person’s identity aren’t just a Lifetime movie phenomenon. I know of at least one person who had her identity assumed by a person who lived nearby. The person went as far as checking her mailbox every day before she got home and swiping anything that could help build the false identity. She was able to swipe a library card and check out a big stack of books and DVDs and stole quite a few other pieces of mail, too. If you have a mailbox that is accessible to anyone who bothers to yank open the little door on the front, you may want to consider getting a box with a lock on it that has a mail slot for deliveries to keep your mail more secure.

Another place identity thieves target is the trash can. If you have any bank account information, credit card statements or other documents with sensitive information on them, run them through the shredder before tossing them out. You should also think twice about recycling your junk mail. If it looks like a credit card offer or anything else the least bit sensitive, shred it.

A final thing to consider is putting any items with sensitive information on them away when someone is visiting, even if you love and trust the visitor. You don’t want to find out about someone’s new life of crime the hard way.

Do you have any tips for things you can do at home to protect your identity?

Photo: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Home Safety – Identity Protection

Christmas Tree Safety

Katelyn Thomas — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:58 +0000

You set up your Christmas tree a few days ago. Doesn’t it look nice? All those pretty lights and sparkling decorations just transformed the room and everyone is suddenly obsessed with what you’re putting under the tree. Now, all you have to do is…Was that a tinkling crash? Oh, no! Well, looks like the first thing you need to do is put the glass ornaments higher up on the tree so your curious toddler and playful pup can’t knock them down! Here are a few other things you should consider:

Keep any falling needles off the floor. Babies, kittens and puppies might decide to check out the taste and that isn’t a good thing, whether the needles are real or artificial.
Don’t let pets or toddlers near the tree. You may want to put a portable playpen around the tree until Christmas day to guard against speedy toddlers getting to the tree before grown ups can catch them.
Make sure the tree is properly secured in the stand. A big, fully decorated tree is very heavy. Having a tree fall on you would really hurt!
Keep any light cords out of the way so people won’t trip on them. If you can’t run a cord along a wall or under a carpet to the outlet, tape it down so there aren’t big loops of wire on the floor.
Avoid putting any candles near the tree. An open flame and dry branches are not a good combination.

Do you have any tips for Christmas tree safety?

Photo: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Christmas Tree Safety

How to Make Sure Your House Doesn’t Sell

Katelyn Thomas — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:53:12 +0000

In a tough market, a house needs to be in tip top shape to sell. Even one little nitpicky thing can have potential buyers hurrying back to their cars to check out the next house. So, you’d assume everyone is doing his or her best to keep the house immaculate, right? That’s not always the case. Perhaps the potential sellers don’t really want to move or maybe they’re just overwhelmed. Whatever the reason, I’ve seen a whole lot of houses that have given me some wonderful material for a list of ways to make sure your house doesn’t sell.

Leave dirty dishes in the sink. Not ordinarily dirty ones. Make sure they’re covered with old food and a little colorful mold. To top off the appealing display, leave smears of something not quite identifiable on the countertops. You get bonus points if you have something like a failed sprouting experiment on the counter, too.
Make sure your toilet isn’t very clean and leave the seat up. Encourage someone to do his daily showering, shaving and tooth brushing routine without cleaning up. Nothing says, “Don’t buy my house!” like dirty undergarments on the floor and beard stubble and toothpaste globs in the sink.
Tell the kids it is okay to play hooky on days the realtor will be showing the house. Suggest they slouch around looking angry and slightly violent in dirty clothes. Give them a raise in their allowance if they curse more than a stand up comic while the realtor and the prospective buyers are there.
Don’t worry about repairing the door after someone broke in. It creates a nice, welcoming feel.
Be sure all bedrooms have unmade beds and more outfits on the floor than in the closet. To really ramp things up, make sure the walk in closet ceiling has been replaced by a tarp and leave a note telling the realtor you are taking care of the leaky roof.

To really heighten the shock value, you should be sure to only bother with these things in houses that say “Shows well” or “Will go fast” in the realtor’s notes. He or she will be so embarrassed that the potential buyer’s time was wasted that you’ll probably be rid of the realtor and all future buyers for good.

Seriously, though, am I the only one who sees this kind of stuff when I look at houses? I’m not talking houses for rehab, which I’d expect this stuff in. I’m talking the ones listed as being in move in condition.

Photo: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

How to Make Sure Your House Doesn’t Sell

VA Loans for Homebuyers

Katelyn Thomas — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:11:00 +0000

If you are looking at a VA home, you may qualify for some really great new financing called VA Vendee financing. Although it might seem like you have to be a veteran to qualify for this loan, you don’t. Anyone who is interested in buying the home, including investors, can apply for this type of financing. To apply, you will need to look for homes that have a notation that they offer VA Vendee financing in the property notes.

The reason this financing is so exciting is that people approved for the loan will be able to get a very competitive interest rate, to buy a home in need of some rehabbing without having to get a 201K mortgage, to avoid having to worry about appraisals being the same amount as a loan, to skip PMI, to avoid paying big down payments and to have the seller pay part of your closing costs.

Don’t look for this loan to help you with problems like trying to buy a home with payments that will be beyond your means, bankruptsy problems, or income without a paper trail. You also shouldn’t expect your friendly local banker to be able to help you get this loan. It is such a new type of loan that not everyone even knows it exists and the VA is working with banks that know what is going on to make the whole process run smoothly.

Photo: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

VA Loans for Homebuyers

Five Quick Fixes for a Blah Wall

Katelyn Thomas — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:18:09 +0000

You’ve got a big blank wall? Really? I would love to have just one. I was looking for space to do modified push ups the other day and…But I digress. If you have a big boring wall and you don’t have several thousand dollars to drop on a big, big piece of art, try one of these quick fixes:

Put a grouping of smaller objects on the wall. A few mirrors, a set of matted photos with matching frames or a group of interesting vintage plates can have the same impact as a large piece of art.
Make your own oversize art. A piece of foam board, hot glue, picture hanging hardware with sticky backing and a big piece of fabric can combine to make a gorgeous piece. Simply stretch the fabric over the board and hot glue the fabric edges to the back of the board. Add the hardware and you’re done.
Use wall decals to make a focal point. A favorite saying or some bright geometric shapes can liven up the space.
Hang curtains on a rod to make a faux window.
Paint or stencil a design on the wall to make it an accent wall.

How do you spruce up a blah wall?

Photo: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Five Quick Fixes for a Blah Wall

Natural Elements Ceramic Muffin Pan

Katelyn Thomas — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:21:03 +0000

I was browsing through T.J. Maxx the other day and happened across the coolest thing in the clearance aisle. (Disclaimer: I am not much of a baker. If you are, this may not be either cool or new to you, but I was very excited.) Natural Elements has a ceramic muffin pan that is both microwave and oven safe. So, if you want to whip up…Oh, brownie muffins, for instance, without turning on your oven, you can. This means muffins in the summer without heating up the kitchen.

We used our pan last night to make strawberry cheesecake muffins in the oven. They turned out perfectly. I still need to make some microwave cupcakes to test the pan out, but it was very easy to wash and nicely non-stick on the areas where the batter dripped out of the cupcake liners and onto the pan. I really like that the pan is not Teflon and still is very easy to clean. I have been so not a Teflon fan ever since I found out that just cooking with your Teflon coated pan and overheating it could kill your little birdies. Anything that takes out a canary cannot exactly be good for my kids to be breathing, either.

Do you use ceramic cookware?

Photo: K. Thomas

Post from: Blisstree

Natural Elements Ceramic Muffin Pan