The Drop Zone

I recently realized that I spend at least an hour a day moving stuff from place to place. I probably spend more than that, but I don’t want to do any more accounting. The process might depress me. Granted, I’m someone who places a high priority on leading a life without clutter. With a child and several pets, the attempt to have very little clutter is a constant struggle. A clutter-free (ok, low clutter) environment makes me feel relaxed and happy. I know that everything is organized. I know where things are. It feels good to know that the lunches … Continue reading →

How to Apply for a Reality Show

So you want to be on a reality show? Chances are if you are determined, you will land on one. That is because there are now dozens of reality shows in the works, and the production companies behind them are desperate to find unique individuals for these shows. You just need to know where and how to apply. You’ll also want to be prepared with some items before hand, such as photos of yourself and the ability to send in or upload a video, if requested. It also helps to have a lot of friends, since some casting agents will … Continue reading →

Get a Home Inspection Before You Sell

Usually, a seller puts a home on the market and the potential buyer who is interested in the home makes an offer with the contingency of a home inspection. Every buyer should have a professional home inspection done, unless they are a professional home inspector themselves or plan on leveling the home. But there is a good reason why a home seller should get a home inspection before they put their house on the market. Actually, there are several good reasons. First of all, a home inspection will cost you some money to have done. A really thorough inspection can … Continue reading →

Buying a Short Sale Home

We have been hearing a lot about short sales lately. For prospective home buyers, a short sale can be a real bargain and get them into a house and a neighborhood that they might not otherwise been able to afford. But what exactly is short sale, and what can you expect if you are interested in buying a home this way? Here is some useful information all about buying a home through a short sale. So what exactly is a short sale? A short sale occurs when a home seller agrees to sell his or her home to a buyer … Continue reading →

Slow Cooker

I don’t know what happened. I think a somewhat domestic body snatcher has moved in. No, I haven’t become neat, although I know my husband would appreciate that. I’ve re-discovered my love of cooking. I collect cookbooks and I used to subscribe to a number of cooking magazines. I hardly ever look at any of them, though. I look through the cookbooks available on Amazon. I still haven’t gotten inspired to start doing more than fixing meals for my husband and children. I think the turnaround came when I stumbled upon a few Facebook pages devoted to different types of … Continue reading →

The Stinkbugs Are Coming, The Stinkbugs Are Coming

After a stinkbug-free summer, the little pests are starting to come home to nest…in your house that is. Now that fall is here, stinkbugs all over the country are seeking out warmer spaces, such as your living room. If you don’t want the stinkbugs to sit on your couch and watch television with you in the winter, then you will need to start making some changes now. Tell those stinkbugs to find some place else to spend the winter! Once a stinkbug or two finds its way into your home, it will leave a stink trail that tells all of … Continue reading →

September is a Great Month for New Beginnings

While we tend to think about January as the time to make resolution and start new things, I say that September is an even better month for improvements and new processes that will make your home run more efficiently and happily. Why? Well, you have the combination of a big transition from summer to school, plus the crisp fall weather that can energize you and remind you that winter is coming–better get yourself in gear. It is still warm enough to do things outdoors, but bracing enough to give you the motivation to get your house in order inside. Consider … Continue reading →

New TVs

We got a refund after we filed our 2010 tax return. We added it to our 2009 tax refund. We didn’t know what we wanted to do with the money but we had a list of things that were good to do. One of the things on the list was couch. The sectional has served us well but it eats almost everything. We’re lost two remotes in it. The couch has eaten both my and Jessie’s combs. The fist blanket that we thought we lost we found years later in the couch. The couch is also covered in cat hair … Continue reading →

The Dirty Car

Today I’d like to get a little outside the home. I’d like to talk about my turtle shell, my roving home, my car. My car lives in the garage when it’s not taking me where I need to go. My car is a part of my home by extension. We leased the Light Sage Metallic Ford Escape in March, 2008. I really wanted the car in Kiwi Green Metallic, but the color was obnoxious on the lot. The color looked the way I anticipated it on the hybrid model, but we weren’t buying that. This has been a nice little … Continue reading →

Stove and Microwave Shopping

This summer my biggest house project has been a kitchen remodel. This has been quite a busy project, although very rewarding. We are in our sixth week on the project and are now down to the final days. From this major remodel, I have learned a thing or two about appliance shopping. Our two main appliances we needed to purchase were a gas range and a microwave. Previous to the remodel we had an electric stove. So when we decided to make the switch to gas I was really excited. Our stove before seemed to be tilted funny, which meant … Continue reading →