Are you thinking of redecorating or just freshening up your home for the holidays? I have a few tips that may help.  No one  has a lot of money to spend at this time of year, so let’s look at some practical solutions available for the least amount of spending cash.
Changing your curtains or getting a new window treatment can completely change the look of a room. It doesn’t matter whether you choose sheer curtains, heavy draperies or a sheer curtain with an over drape. Window treatments express your style and also provide privacy. You can choose anything from a …read more

We all need help now and then when it comes to saving money.  I always seem to be low on money right before the holiday.
Here are few tips that I hope will help.
Turn off the television when you are not in the room. The pennies you save can add up over time.
Make your own gifts instead of buying stuff from the store. You can make small crafty gifts or some goodies in a jar which can consist of anything from soup to cookie mix. Follow my blog on Home & Living and I’ll show you how to make some great …read more

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.
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 …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

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

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

There is a pile of ironing sitting in my laundry room.  It’s getting bigger and it feels like a huge weight each time I see it seeing there.  The problem is, I absolutely cannot stand to iron.  I think I would rather clean all of the bathrooms than iron. 

Each of us has a certain chore that we just don’t like to do.  This has me thinking of some tips to help us accomplish these dreaded chores.  Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll get to put these tips to use.
1)  Reward yourself.  Tell yourself that after your chore is completed, you’ll do something nice …read more

I know this is hard to believe, but Thanksgiving is only six weeks away!  Eeek!  How did that happen?  Instead of pushing it out of our minds, it’s better to embrace it and make preparations for a less stressful and happier time.  Planning is key to things running smoothly.
I remember the year we purchased our first home.  I decided that I should host Christmas dinner.  We had my parents and my husband’s parents over.  I didn’t realize all the work that would go into hosting the meal, opening presents, and family time. 
I learned a lot that day and now I …read more

Each month, I try to make a list of articles from the month.  I don’t include articles with tips that have expired, such as giveaways.  My hope is that this will provide you with an easy list/table of contents to the articles from the month and it will help you to see if there’s anything you missed that you would like to read.

Switching Over to Cloth Napkins
Finding a Closet Organization System
10 Ways to Decorate with Gourds & Pumpkins
30 Creative Cake and Cupcake Ideas
5 Tips for Organizing Your Kitchen
My Ongoing Yard Sale Pile
Recipes from Quaker Maid
Crock Pot Shredded Mexican Beef Recipe
Fantastic …read more