It’s that time of year when some of us have family and close friends visit for the holidays. Most of my family lives within an hours drive, but we do have a few relatives who live out of state and spend the night when they do visit.

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Don’t be stressed out at the thought of hosting family or friends overnight. I have a few tips to help you make your guests feel right at home.

Make sure to air out your guestroom a few days before. When I say air out I mean just that. Open the windows slightly to let the fresh air circulate in the room. You don’t have to leave it open all day, just about an hour and close the bedroom door so that there won’t be a draft in the remainder of the house.

Make up the bed with fresh linens. Put a medium sized basket in the room with a few essentials. You don’t need anything fancy just some toothpaste, new toothbrushes, soap, hand and body lotion, shampoo and conditioner. Leave a couple bottles of water, with drinking glasses, on the bedside or night table. You never know when you may need it and I’m sure your guests do not want to be roaming you home in the middle of the night to find water.

Also, place clean towels and wash clothes for each guest in the room. It’s nice to leave a book or magazine there, too in case they’re a little restless and can’t sleep. Some people sleep poorly when they’re not in their own bed.

Another great idea is to put some fresh flowers on a table or bureau. It adds a nice touch and is relatively inexpensive. Making your guests feel comfortable, whether they are family or friends, will help to make their visit more memorable.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!

When someone visits your home the first thing they will notice is how it smells. Like I said before I am a sniffer. I sniff everything from a glass, before I drink from it, to the family room to make sure there are no unflattering, lingering scents. There are times when my house picks up the scents of my cooking and I don’t readily notice. So I make it a point to deodorize after cleaning.
There are plenty of commercial product on the market to extinguish offensive smells, but I would rather use ordinary everyday solutions.
If you have an offensive smell …read more

There never seems to be enough time in a day for me and I’m sure it is the same for you. I came to the conclusion recently that I needed to set up a time schedule for myself and it really helps. We all need to make the most of our available time in a way that is constructive.
Here are a few tips to help you spend your time wisely.
Create a schedule and stick to it. It will be hard to do at first, but will become easier; make it a habit.
Prioritize chores and activities daily. Do the …read more

Keeping your work space organized will help you to keep your work flowing. It doesn’t have to be a work space, it can be the place you go to do sewing, crafting or any hobby. If you have a blank wall in your laundry room you can use a pegboard. It will keep all of your supplies intact.
Place a small table under the pegboard to hold a couple of baskets. I save any gift bags or bows that I receive, that look nice, and re-use them for gifts that I give to others. You can use the baskets to …read more

If there is one thing that really bothers me its a smell, dingy looking sink. I can always tell when my garbage disposal needs to be cleaned, the nasty smell kits me right between the eyes. I am what is known as a sniffer. I sniff everything and can detect even the slightest odors. If it doesn’t smell clean then, in my opinion, it is not clean. I have tried a lot of things to clean and deodorize my garbage disposal, but I wasn’t satisfied. I could always detect a slight odor even after cleaning.
I just found what …read more

It’s the end of another month and so once again I have put together a list of this month’s articles for easy access.  I tried putting them into categories, but some of the categories overlapped a little.  I hope this helps to find what you need or missed this month.

Food, Cooking, and Holidays:
Cooking with a Little This and That
10 Ways to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Your Last Minute Stop for Halloween Ideas
17 Halloween Cupcake Ideas
20 Pumpkin Inspired Recipes
Tips for Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner
30 Fall Inspired Desserts and Treats
Organization and Declutering:
Do You Have an All or Nothing Attitude
Tips to Get Your Organization …read more

Many times when I go to a party, potluck or some other function, I end up finding a great new dish that I’d like to make myself.  When I complement the person, they say, “Oh, it’s really easy.  You just need a little broccoli, some onions, a little this, and a little of that.”  It’s so frustrating because you can’t repeat the dish without the recipe.

Then Wednesday I made a sausage and spinach quiche.  Wouldn’t you know it, someone asked me what was in it.  I think I said something like, “Uhhhhh, some sausage, eggs, spinach, cheese, uhhhh.  Hmmm. Let …read more

During the past few weeks, I have given a lot of thought to this post. I’ve wondered what I would say and how I would say it. For once, I am at a loss for words. So I’ll just come out and say it . . . this is my last month at Keeping the Castle.

I have been writing for Keeping the Castle since December 2008. During this time, I have had a great time sharing recipes, homemaking and housekeeping tips, organization troubles and solutions, holiday ideas, ways to save money, and so much more. This blog has allowed me …read more

Some people have an all or nothing attitude.  They feel that if their house can’t be perfectly clean and organized, then there’s no sense in trying.  Rather than taking the clutter one pile at a time, they let it pile up and overwhelm them.  As promised, here are some tips for tackling the clutter.

1.  Commit to 15 minutes. Set the timer for 15 minutes and commit to work for that amount of time.  Give yourself permission to stop working when the timer buzzes.  This will help get you started and the time you’re working doesn’t seem so overwhelming.  This way …read more

I’ve been pondering this whole Halloween thing for weeks now.  I’ve done a tad bit of preparation, but nothing like I needed to.  I know the kids will be off from school the rest of the week and that will give me some time to finalize everything.  If you’ve procrastinated like me, you’ll appreciate these last minute Halloween ideas.  If not, then bookmark it for next year.  

Bridget at Bake at 350 gives step-by-step instructions for making these cute spiderweb cookies.  You’ll also want to know how to make her perfectly black icing for the spiderweb cookies and other …read more