Kathy Zengolewicz

I know that the kitchen should remain practical, but there are a few things you can do to make it look as decorated as the rest of the house.

Start by putting up a cheap pair of curtains. They don’t have to have a Christmasy design, you can use a pair of plain white cafe curtains and add a red or green valance. Use some holiday knick knacks, from the dollar store, to line your window sill. Instead of using the window cling ons, this year I found some gel type window decorations and they look great and add just the right amount of color.

Put some greenery, live or fake, around on you kitchen table or countertops. Pick up a poinsettia plant or two and put that on a counter or table for a festive touch. A small live Christmas tree, the plant type, with a small red bow around the base looks great and doesn’t take up a lot of room.

These are just a few ideas for you to help make your surroundings pretty, but won’t put a strain on your wallet. If you find that these tips are a little too much, then opt for placing a few red bows, in strategic places, throughout the kitchen. You may even have a few ideas yourself, if so then go for it.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Kathy Zengolewicz

If the crowd is small you can do a sit down, but for a medium or large crowd it’s much better to do a buffet style meal. Set your table accordingly. Remember, you don’t have to invite everyone to a single party. You can plan several small get togethers as long as you keep the menu light and inexpensive.

When you plan your menu, choose something that your guests will enjoy, but not something that will keep you chained to the kitchen. Choose some dishes that you can make ahead of time. You want to enjoy the festivities as well.

You can set up a buffet table with the main dishes and a smaller side table with desserts. A few different appetizers or dips are always a hit at my parties. For dessert, try some cookies and cream puffs. That way you will have something simple and something a little more lavish.

You can use some holiday themed fabric to brighten the table. Place a few candles and greenery around the main dishes to give you table a festive look and smell. Make you home feel welcoming to your guests. Place small favors on or near the table and have your guests take one. It can be something small like a mug with a single envelope of hot chocolate inside. A little touch of hospitality can go a long way to making someone feel welcome.

Whichever way you decide to go, make it a memorable event, but don’t wear yourself out.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Kathy Zengolewicz

Here are a few tips that I hope will be of help to some of you. First and foremost, make sure that you have adequate insurance coverage on your home and possessions. One of the best things for you to do to help prepare for any disaster is to organize.

Make up a folder or a small book with the names and pictures of your possessions such as a television, a stereo, living room furniture, dining room furniture, etc. You get the picture. Make sure to list the date you purchased the item and the price you paid. Keep sales receipts also, that always helps.

Go over your policy with your agent and make sure that you have the coverage you need. Make sure any jewelry or electronics, including your computer, are covered in case of a loss. Sometimes a rider to the policy is needed for specific coverages. Make sure that you are protected.

I have a last tip that someone shared with me recently and I would like to share it here with you. This is something I never thought about, but it’s unique and, I think, worth mentioning, especially if you don’t have an alarm system in your home.

If you have an alarm on your car, and most people do, take the little hand held remote in the bedroom with you at night, keep it on your night table. If someone should break in, set off your car alarm and keep it blaring. I guarantee the noise will scare any burglar away immediately.

Take care. I’ll take to you soon!

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Kathy Zengolewicz

Make a list of weekly chores that will keep your home clean and organized. Set certain days for specific chores. For example, make Monday laundry day, Tuesday ironing day and Wednesday the day to empty all waste basket throughout the house. Also, if your child is tall enough to reach your washing machine, you should have him/her do one or two loads of laundry weekly. Teach them how to sort colors and whites, or better yet, start them out with towels. That is two less loads of laundry for you to do and you will be surprised at how important it will make them feel.

Make up a daily list of chores for each child and spouse too. Younger children can dust and straighten the house and the older children can vacuum the carpets. This will help you to deal with keeping your house in tip top shape and also teach kids valuable lessons on being responsible.

Creating a schedule and sticking to it is not as hard as you think. Once you list everything that needs to be done on a daily and weekly basis you then need to assign those chores to the right person. Let the kids help you with the schedule. Speak with them and let them know that you value their input and the help they can offer.

This is a great time of the year to get started on this project. If you start now, you can have thing running smoothly into the new year.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Kathy Zengolewicz

Now, my children all have their own homes and sometimes its hard to get everyone together, at one time, under the same roof. Three of my children have growing families and it is tough for them to set aside time to be with their siblings. All five of my children have always had a close relationship and I didn’t want to see that end. I knew I had to find a solution for this, so I put together a family game night.

I understand that at times money is tight, so we try to keep our get-togethers as inexpensive as possible. We have decided to set one night a month aside to gather, snack and just enjoy each others company. We started this process a couple of months ago and it seems to be working well. Just the fact that they can bring their children to the family game nights helps. They get to go out for the evening and not worry about paying a sitter.

Sometimes keeping your house in tip top shape means keeping it filled with good times and great company. Fill you life with friends and family. Start a tradition of keeping in touch with the ones you love. If you are not a game playing family, that’s okay. You don’t have to play games, you just have to make it a point to see each other regularly and enjoy the company.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Kathy Zengolewicz

For those of you who celebrate with live Christmas trees there are a few special fire safety precautions you need to take. When you are selecting your tree, make sure that is fresh. The needles on a fresh tree should be green and hard to pull back from the branches.

The needles should not break off if the tree has been freshly cut. The trunk should be a little sticky to the touch. To check and see if your tree is fresh, bounce the tree trunk on the ground. If few needles fall off, then the tree is fresh and not considered a fire hazard.

When setting up your tree, do not place it near a heat source, including a fireplace. The heat will cause the tree to quickly dry out. A dry tree can be easily set aflame by heat or a spark. Don’t put the tree up too early, it shouldn’t be up longer than 2 weeks. Keep the tree watered at all times.

Contact your local government to see what steps you need to take to dispose of your tree properly. Most cities or townships pick up discarded trees on specific days, different from your regular trash pick up day.

If you are using an artificial tree, make sure that it is flame retardant. Never use candles on or around your tree. Inspect your holiday lights yearly for frayed wires or broken or cracked sockets. Only use lights that are UL approved. Do not over load electrical sockets. Use only nonflammable decorations.

Take the time to make your holidays happy and safe.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon.

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Kathy Zengolewicz

During Hanukkah families gather together to celebrate with special food and games. Hanukkah commemorates the victory of a band of Jewish warriors, the Maccabees, over the Syrian king Antiochus almost 2,500 years ago.

Hanukkah will start this year at sundown on December 5th.  You should already have your menu in place for the traditional holiday meal. Preparing a menu for the Hanukkah celebration is the first step to take in planning your celebration.

Make this a holiday for your family to remember. On Hanukkah eve, light a shamash, an extra candle used to light the remaining  candles on the appropriate days. Sing songs. Play with a Dreidel. If someones doesn’t know how to play, teach them.

Fry up some latkes, at least on the first night. It may be a little unhealthy to have latkes all eight nights. Explore a good Jewish cookbook for other recipes for the remaining nights.

Hand out the nights gifts and maybe have a story time to refresh your memories of the tale of Judah Maccabee leading his men to victory over the Greek rulers who had ruled the Jews for more than 150 years.

Create a tradition for you and your family. Invite some friends, not familiar with Hanukkah, to celebrate with you. It is always interesting and educational to learn the culture of others. I know that I will be sharing in some of the Jewish cultures in the near future and I’m excited to be doing so. No matter what, make sure to enjoy your holiday.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Kathy Zengolewicz

In the kitchen: A Boston fern placed in a wooden basket looks great on top of your refrigerator. You can start a small herb garden on your window sill above your sink.

In the bath: Place an African violet on the tank top of your commode. Hang a spider plant from a corner or in a window.

In the bedroom: placing a fragrant plant like an azalea or a rose plant on your night table will also give you pleasant dreams.

In the living room: Place an English ivy plant in a brass container and place it on the mantle or a curio cabinet. Placing plants on end or coffee tables in unusual containers such as baskets or an old Victorian shoe makes the room interesting and entertaining.

In the dining room: Shop around at some flea markets or garage sales for an old bird cage. Placing a trailing ivy plant in the cage looks beautiful.

Indoor plants need lots of TLC, so make sure to create a routine of watering and weeding dead leaves from the plant to keep it healthy. Feed your plants a multi-purpose plant food like Miracle-Gro every two weeks and watch them flourish and grow.

When you decorate your home with live plants the benefits can be plentiful.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Kathy Zengolewicz

How do you find a reliable babysitter? How do you know if that sitter is the right person to sit with your children? This is a dilemma that most parents face at one time or another, so I’d like to give you a few tips that may be helpful.

You need to find someone who is reliable, responsible, patient and levelheaded. Okay, agreed, but where do you find this person?

The first place to look is, obviously, in your own family. Do you have a niece or nephew that you trust and who needs to make a few dollars? If so, that’s great, problem solved.

But what if that is not the case and you need to depend on a stranger?  Well, the first thing you need to do is assess the situation. How old is the child or children? How much care are they going to need? A younger child is going to be of more concern. Older children can at least let you know if something is wrong. So, you need to find someone that you trust and that can be tough.

Should age or maturity be a factor in choosing your babysitter? I would think that maturity would trump age. I know 12 year olds that are more mature than some 30 year olds.

Finding the right babysitter will take some research.  Going beyond family, check into your network of friends. Some may have teenagers willing to sit for you for a price. Also, check out you local senior citizen center. They may be willing to sit for you if the children will be in bed or at least prepared for bed.

One more place to search would be your neighborhood daycare center. They may have some workers who need to make a little extra money and are willing to sit for kids in the neighborhood.

No matter which way you go, you will be apprehensive about the care your children receive until you get more accustomed to their care providers. So, I suggest that you take the time to get to know them.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Kathy Zengolewicz

When you take your puppy home he will need lots of love and understanding. Stress levels are very high during the holidays, so make sure you can devote the time to training before you make the commitment. You may want to reconsider getting a puppy before the holiday. If you are truly ready for a pet it can be a very joyous event.

Here are a few tips to help you and your puppy get accustomed to each other.  When you buy your pet, make sure to find out which brand of food s/he eats. Changing their diet can reek havoc on there digestive system and cause lots of clean up.

Get a copy of their health record to see which shots they have, which they will need and when they will need them.

Find a place to put their crate, or whatever enclosure you will use to train them. The sooner you create a stable environment, the better. If you are purchasing the pup for child, make that child is accountable for it’s welfare. Pets are a perfect way to teach children how to be responsible, just make sure the child is ready for that responsibility. Of course, you know that you will be the one responsible to oversee the animal’s care.

If you begin this endeavor with patience and caring, you will have half the battle won. Whatever you do, make sure to enjoy your new puppy.

I would like to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American readers. Have a great day!

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!

Post from: Keeping the Castle