HGTV shows

If you are at all interested in interior design or just love seeing cool homes be built you are probably like me and love watching the shows on HGTV. So I figured a good add on to this blog would be to start writing about home design shows that I would recommend watching, or that aren't my favorite. The first HGTV show I ever watched was "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" and to this day it is still my favorite show on HGTV. now that extreme makeover home edition isn't on as much as it was before I have discovered new favorite shows on HGTV such as "Fixer Upper", "Love it or List it", "Extreme Homes", and "Property Brothers" which has actually been turned into a new show with the same brothers called "Brother VS Brother". What I love about these shows is they are very real unlike all of the sitcoms and such on TV. Sure I love those shows too but HGTV shows give me fun ideas, great tips, and are just really fascinating to see them turn a not so great home into a dream home. Also seeing insanely cool homes in the show "Extreme Homes". HGTV shows have something for everyone and I am happy to say that you can now find many of these shows on Netflix! I know this may all sound like some commercial or something but I really to recommend these shows if you are at all interested in home design. even if you aren't I would recommend "Extreme Homes" because who doesn't like getting an inside look of some of the most innovative, richest, spectacular and way out there homes all around the world that you will probably never see in real life. The great things about these shows is you don't need to see the episode before another one because they are all different homes, costumers, and places. I will go in more detail of some of the other shows in different post because these shows all have something different than one another and it think anyone can benefit and enjoy these shows.

bathroom

A bathroom may not be the place you entertain, or spend most of your time, but it is the place that most likely most of your guests will see and it’s supposed to be one of cleanest rooms in your home, so it is important to make sure it looks clean. A good way to make it look presentable is for everything to be organized. It is very unappealing to walk into a bathroom and see brushes with hair and toothbrushes on the counter, wet towels and clothes on the floor. so its a key thing to have a place for everything. a closet It so important to have in a full bathroom. a half bathroom you don't need one but you should have at least one bathroom closet in your house. so if you are buying or building a house that is something to look for because some people don't even think about it. in the closet its easiest to have shelves and some storage containers as well. I would recommend using baskets or any container without a lid for bottles of shampoo, lotion, soap ect., that would keep in closet because they are always hard to try and fit into plastic storage containers and if they are all just sitting on the counter they are easy to get noticed over when pulling other things out of the closet. having a bathroom closet doesn't just made everything look better but it makes it easier to clean. besides an organized bathroom closet I also suggest to have your shower curtain closed, because no one really need to see what you have in your shower, and it allows the curtain to dry after taking a shower.
these pictures are not of my own bathroom closet they are just examples that I got from google that i think are good examples for certain points of  a well organized closet:

paint colors

When picking out colors for a room there are many things to think about such as; what do you want the feel of the room to be? is it an appropriate color for the bathroom or kitchen? does it go good with the flooring? all of these are great questions to ask when trying to pick out a color for a room. here are some tips to help you decide what looks best.
dark blue-sophisticated, a good color for a reading room or if you want a bit of a colorful office
light blue- kid friendly color. great for kids room.
light pink-also a very kids oriented color for a home
yellow- this is a very bright and sunny color, makes sense that its really for a room like a sunroom. don't make the mistake that my mom did and try to paint the kitchen a mellow calm yellow, and wake up to the sun literally in her kitchen. I'm glad to say that immediately that day she re painted it white.
green- you have to be really bold to use a color like green. green shoes nature and sometimes wealth but I would not recommend painting your living room green under any circumstance.
light purple- this is a very spiritual color
white- basic color that can go perfect in any room. is great for opening up spaces and making everything seem brighter and bigger. always a great color choice if you aren't a person who likes colored walls.
purple- this color can be a very calming and also bold color choice

maroon- this is one of my favorite colors that has been in style this season that I have seen in many kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms.

If you are not a big fan of your entire living area being a color you can always use the color whether its maroon, or blue, or purple as just an accent wall. so one wall will be a color and the rest will be either a white, cream, or gray. that is what I did for my room because I didn't like the idea of my entire room being purple so I had one wall purple and the rest grey and used purple accent pieces to match like my purple curtains and some purple pillows.

     when picking out the types of paint there are certain paints that are made especially for easy cleaning in case of messes, and better wear and tear resistance, both great qualities to have in a paint if you have kids. this definitely came in handy when my little sister for some reason decided to draw with black marker all over the white walls in the living room.
     patterns are a great thing to play will on walls but can also be tricky to match with other things in the room. my advice for this is you will either love it or hate is. also kids rooms are good way to test this out and a textured or patterned wall can always look good in a kids room because they are a kid and there room should be colorful and full of fun shapes and patterns.
    I am sure there are more things to think about when picking out a color for a room but I hope these tips helped you pick the right color for your room.

deck weather protection

 One of the hard parts about having a home blog is that homes vary from different locations in the world and even just between states. Why? Because all state have different climates and with different climates comes different type of features that a home can have. For example and place that gets rain almost constantly need to be flood protected, sturdy roof and can’t have a screen room. In a place that gets snow will need to have a sturdy roof to support snow, garage for cars is a bigger need than others. So when trying to give advice it is hard for people who don’t have the same weather as I do here. Luckily though I do get all 4 weather climates for all 4 seasons. So with winter coming up I think about the outside and how to get it ready for a harsh weather. It is important to have everything especially wood be protected. To give your perfect protection and looking nice you start with any sanding is needed and then a power wash to make sure it is clean and nothing is stuck between the wood. Next you add any stain you want to give the wood the color you want and renew the color you may have already had. Lastly you add a nice coat of water and damage proof stain. most brands are both in one stain which makes it much easier on you. If you don’t protect your deck the rain and snow can cause the wood to splitter, become loose, rot, and soak up the water and get major water damage causing you to be able to fall right through it. To keep up with your decks color and keeping it damage protected you should redo your stains at least every year to 2 years. From personal experience I suggest BEHR brand, it’s great for protecting from sun, rain, and snow.

                                                                                                                                             

mom & me bread

One of my mom and I’s favorite thing to do on a lazy and event free day is to make homemade bread. My mom would make bread with her mom and now I make it with her. It has been a tradition in my family and we enjoy making it and eating it. It is by far way better than any bread you could buy from the store and here are some tips I have learned from my mother while I also explain how to make homemade bread.

This recipe is called mom & me bread by Diane Endahl (my grandma)                    

You start with softening 2 packages of yeast in 1/3 cup of warm water

Tip: yes is need to be warm, temperature matters.

Next you heat 2 cups of milk to a scalding (just bubble slightly around edges).

Then you add 1/3 cup of shortening, 1/3 cup of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of salt to the milk. Stir until all is dissolved into milk.

Once that is cooled add yeast

Tip: when adding in yeast it is crucial that the milk is fully cooled, if not it will kill the yeast. This is where temperature being important comes into play again.

Stir in flour a cup at a time tell it’s a soft ball of dough and not sticky. This can take a variety amounts of flour probably around 10-12 cups.

When dough is thick enough turn out onto a lightly covered with flour counter. Kneed to make sure there are no air bubbles and continue to add in flour as you kneed.

Tip: when adding in flour as you need go very light because you don’t want to overdo it and make clumps of flour. Just flour it until it is no longer sticky and just a soft ball.  

Put dough into large greased bowl and let rise until it doubles in size

Tip: to test if the dough has risen enough you can push one finger into the dough and is the finger dent that you make stays it means it is ready.

Next punch down and shape the dough into and shape or pan that you wish.

Tip: You can also use the bread dough for buns and cinnamon rolls.

Let the shape double again and then bake for about 25 minutes at 375 degrees or until golden brown.

Tip: to test if bread is done tap the bread and if you hear a hallow sound it is done.        

Tip: when you take out the bread cover the top of the bread with butter.

So I hope you enjoy this recipe and find these tips useful. I know I enjoy making bread and eating it afterwards, I promise you that homemade bread will be better than any store bought bread you could ever find.

how to set a table for different occasions

Besides the food, the table setting is an important part of a meal. Weather its outside, inside, with entire extended family, or friends it’s great to add character to the setting of a party and home entertainment. A table setting sets the mood such as romantic, holiday, summer fun, or kids themed. Here are some of my examples

Outside table lunch:

When outside I think of summer and flowers and fun bright colors. Outside I think of two different table settings. One is a nice but more formal almost like setting for tea. You would have all white square plates which are great for being outside and add to the brightness. For glasses I would use short round glasses or of course tea cups if you enjoy tea outside on your summer days. Then to keep it simple use a glass clear bottle with a single yellow flower so make it feel like summer but still simple and elegant. My second outside setting out be for more of a playful setting. Of course when outside it’s easier to drop and break plates especially with kids around so I would use kid friendly not easy to break material type plates. I would pick out circle plates with sun summer flower lining on them to give them a fun but still simple look. For glasses I recommend ones that are thick and have heavy bottoms making it harder for them to tip over and break.

Holidays (Christmas and thanksgiving):

Holidays like Christmas and thanksgiving are one of the more formal setting for your table set so it should be very elegant and decorative. These are the days you take out your best china and big festive center pieces. I very much enjoy a recommend china that is decorated for thanks giving and Christmas because those are the main times you will bring them out. At my house we have these beautiful china set where the bowl, plate, smaller plate all have different painting of a snow covered scene. When setting the table for these holidays it is important to get the placing just right with silverware, the napkins, and the plates with bowl placed on top. This is also the time you get out your best glasses, at my house of holidays we get out our best wine glasses. My favorite glasses for holidays are not traditional clear wine glasses but dark ones with a decorative bottom.

Romantic setting:

Me main thing I have to say about a romantic table setting is to set the mood, depending on the romantic occasion this can vary but I always love to see candles and a rose. It’s simple but gives it the romantic touch. As far as platting goes just keep it plain, and if it has decorative paintings on it make sure they match the setting. You don’t want bright blue with yellow flowers on your plates as a dimmed lighting red rose romantic dinner. Glasses can either be fancy wine glasses or fancy casual but don’t use glasses that you would use just every day. For a tablecloth I would choose anything that’s a natural color like white, brown, grey, tan, or a darker color like a maroon or navy blue because most romantic setting it’s in a dimmed area where you want the candles to be one of the brightest things not a bright yellow or blue table cloth. Of course not all romantic events are like this if you are going for this type of intimate setting I suggest those things.

old vs the new

From old homes and old styles a lot has changed when designing and styling homes. When I think of an old home I imagine my grandfather’s home with screechy screen doors, wooden everything, small attic upstairs for adventuring and the scary cellar downstairs. As the years go by homes have changed styles and the way we decorate our homes keep on changing. Many people however like old homes because they can have a lot of great antic beautiful accents that we don’t do in our modern homes that makes old homes appealing to certain house buyers.  

 So how does the old compare to the new? Well old homes are more than dusty windows, creaky doors, cracked siding and scary cellars, old homes all have a certain charm that modern houses today don’t. For example tall wide pillars on the front porch, crown molding, curved archways leading up to door, beautiful stair railings, ceiling beams, farm house sinks, and more. Many of these things we still use today when trying to give a home a more classic and old look while still having a new home. That’s why it is so popular these days to buy an older, but decently maintained house and keep the wanted old parts and renovating the rest of the home so a newer home but still having the old look to it. So comparing an old home vs a new one is hard because it all comes down to how well it is maintained. An old home that is kept looking good for many years can be just as valuable as a brand new modern home now a days, sometimes even more expensive because of the historical value of the home. However older homes that you can tell have aged and decayed over time are not as desirable but can be renovated into a modern home with mixture of the older homes features. So which is better to buy? On older or newer home. Well that would depend of preference and money. If you are all about the modern home its best of course to go with a just built home, although there are many new homes today that are built to made look old which are great if you like the style of an older home but the reliability of a newly built home. Buying an old home has big advantages, such as they are usually in a lower price range and because of that lower price range you have money to spend on renovations. Many older homes have great potential so buying one can actually save you money for the outcome you can get after renovations. So think about this next time you are house hunting, a new home is not always better, and you should always look at the possibilities of what a home that looks like its “too old” can really become.

Pumpkins

Jack-o’-lantern are an ongoing tradition at my house and a fun one with that. It’s no Halloween without it. Many things come to mind when I think of jack-o'-lantern, first of all the gross “pumpkin guts”, the type of faced I want, and the yummy snacks that come along with carving pumpkins. However pumpkin carving doesn’t need to be messy, there are many ways that people don’t think about that you can do with pumpkins, especially with younger kids.

 First one is potatoes head pumpkins, yes you read that right, it’s as easy as using your small pumpkins and potatoes head parts. It makes for no mess and can look really cute, any kid would enjoy it. Second way to have pumpkin fun is painting. It’s actually a French tradition to paint pumpkins instead of carving. It can be messy but a different kind of messy, it can be great for all ages and easier if you don’t want to deal with the hassle of cutting and scooping out pumpkins. Also you don’t need to worry about the pumpkin rotting as fast.

The second best part of carving pumpkins are the snacks that you can make. The traditional favorite is baked seeds with olive oil and salt. To make a more interesting snack you can add cinnamon instead of salt, or my favorite is adding ranch powder to the mix. If you decide to go with potato head pumpkins or painting pumpkins you are in luck because if you take good care of them and make sure they stay clean you can wash off the paint and use the pumpkins for pumpkin pie. This way you don’t need to go buy a separate pumpkin and you don’t waste the perfectly good pumpkin after Halloween night is over.

Fall and Halloween preperations

Fall is just around the corner and there is a lot you can do to give your home the autumn feel. One of my favorite things to do when a new season comes around is to get new soaps and candles to give the home a new smell. Some of my favorite and all time classics for fall are, spiced pumpkin, apple cider, warm spice, autumn leaves, cinnamon stick, pretty much anything with the words cinnamon, apple, or pumpkin in the name. smells are a way to trigger back memories and feeling, that why I love to find a scent that when I close my eyes and breath it in, it takes me back to a certain time, or place, or reminds me of someone. For example for Fall, apple cinnamon reminds me of apple bars at my grandma’s house, and autumn leaves make me think of going to the pumpkin patch on school field trips.

With fall brings Halloween so when you are done decorating the inside of your house and making it feel like fall here are some things for getting your house ready for Halloween night you will want to keep in mind.:

 Always have extra candy, or make sure you know how to rationalize it when you are handing it out. One of the worst things is to run out of candy, and we all know all the stores are stalked out of all the good stuff by then.

When passing out candy make a plan of either handing out the candy or letting them pick. The problem with letting them pick is you have to tell them how many or else they will grab a handful, but the kid is able to pick the kind of candy that they like.

Keep in mind of allergies, a big one is nuts. At my house we stay away from any nuts just in case, because a kid allergic to nuts could get one of the very popular candies, a snickers, and if the kid is unconscious to the fact it has nuts and eats it before the parents check the candy, well they won’t have the best Halloween. There are also allergies to chocolate which you can’t stay away from but a good plan is to have both hard fruit candies like suckers, and chocolate candies.

Don’t make it too scary. Scary can be fun and I know most kids above age fourteen love it. However most trick-or-treaters are younger than fourteen, meaning fake spiders dropping on their heads or a fake cut off arm aren’t the best ideas. For example I have a new neighbor who goes all out for Halloween. The first Halloween with them living there they has a haunted maze in the back yard. I enjoyed it very much, but my nine year old sister and her friends did not. The owner of that house did not warn us about being chased, the scary monkeys, the cut off bloody head, or the guy with the chainsaw. My sister was done for the night after that, so keep that in mind when planning scary decorations or haunted mazes at your house.

Music isn’t a bad idea to have playing for when people come to the door, it’s fun, and inviting.

Whether it’s inside your home or outside there is always lots you can do to get your home ready and looking spooky for Halloween.