Tips for a Stress Free School Year

Field trips, packed lunches and permission slips--school means much more than just homework. With these extra activities come all sorts of organizational challenges.

• Stock up on supplies. Anticipate last-minute school project needs by stockpiling supplies. Buy in bulk or wait for back-to-school sales. Get markers, index cards, poster board, and other items that will come in handy throughout the school year.

• Choose outfits ahead of time. Deciding what the kids will wear shouldn't be left to the morning rush. On Sunday night, pick out clothes for each day of the week and set them aside.

• Simplify lunch packing. Use clear containers in the fridge and pantry for lunchbox supplies. When it's time to pack lunches (see below), you won't have to search for them.

• Consolidate meal making. Prepare lunches for the following day while you're making dinner. You'll be able to cross off one more item from the morning checklist and have one cleanup instead of two.

• Touch papers once. Take a time management tip from the business world--if a task will take you a few minutes or less, tackle it immediately. So when your child brings home a permission slip, read it, sign it, add the event to your calendar (see below), and put it in his or her backpack.

• Use a whiteboard. A functional calendar that everyone can update is essential to manage multiple schedules. Buy a large whiteboard calendar, hang it in a conspicuous spot (e.g., the kitchen), and use it to track practices, games, recitals, and appointments.

• File school papers. Use a cabinet drawer or file box to store and organize your children's school materials. Each subject should have its own tab and folder; kids can upload weekly papers to save for later.

• Color-code your bags. Use colored tote bags, one for each activity to store equipment and supplies. Stow them in the same place every day, ideally near the door. That way, you can easily grab the right bag on your way out without having to empty and refill a single bag.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=1396ef1609b92172&mt=application/pdf&url=https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui%3D2%26ik%3Dd533a82e99%26view%3Datt%26th%3D1396ef1609b92172%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dsafe%26zw&sig=AHIEtbSMFo8Ml9bZJAJfD4YE0tvqDgqPEQ

Going Green Energy Savings

Family Friendly Garage

4 Tips for a Family-Friendly Garage

For many of us, the garage is the entry to our homes. Keep yours clean, safe, and inviting with these tips.

1. Clean surfaces naturally. Products that are gentle on the earth and on your family just make sense. Yes, green cleaners are made of natural ingredients, but they still clean all types of surfaces, from work areas to windows. For tough stains and grease, try low-odor, low-VOC degreasers or powder mixtures that absorb spills.

Great Picks: natural glass and surface cleaner (Clorox Green Works, #293656); degreaser (Next, #276161); oil and stain remover (Quikrete, #288567)

2. Store items safely. Buying in bulk saves time, money, and gas, because you avoid running back and forth to the store. When you get home, stash the items safely on storage shelves. Heavy-gauge steel shelving units are easy to assemble and can handle the weight. If you need to store potentially harmful items, such as fertilizer or cleaning supplies, choose a cabinet with locking doors to protect kids and pets.

Great Picks: shelving unit (#101933); multipurpose cabinet (Black & Decker, #169300)

3. Be good to yourself. When it comes to tackling projects in the garage, it’s wise to cushion your legs and back to prevent injury. Using an antifatigue rubber mat in work areas does the trick. Built-in connectors make for easy assembly, and the thick rubber will last a long time. As a bonus, the open-grid design promotes efficient drainage of water, mud, and snow.

Great Picks: antifatigue rubber mat (#155419)

 4. Stop allergens in their tracks. When you come home from the great outdoors, keep dirt and allergens, such as pollen, grass, and ragweed, from following you inside with a combination boot tray/doormat made from recycled rubber. A plus: You’ll always know where to find your shoes!

Great Picks: boot tray/ doormat (#168824)



WebMD.com HealthFact™:
Mold can trigger allergies and asthma year-round. Act quickly if leaks or spills occur indoors. If wet or damp materials or areas are dried within 24 to 48 hours, then–in most cases–mold will not grow.


http://www.lowescreativeideas.com/idea-library/Family_Friendly_Garage_0910.aspx

Firepits

A great way to enjoy an evening is to relax by an open fire — and a firepit can make it even nicer. They are great for outdoor entertaining, and when the weather starts to cool off, you can still enjoy the outdoors.

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Preparing for a Firepit

 

Patio firepits are available in kits or as separate components. Some are steel bowls or frames that you can move around the yard. Others are built in place with concrete blocks or similar noncombustible materials. This project consists of a steel fire bowl surrounded by concrete blocks.

Before you begin construction:

Step 1:

Check with any local ordinances or homeowners' association guidelines to see if firepits are permitted. Some regulations don't allow them, while others require that they be located at least a specific distance away from structures or property lines (typically 20 feet). It's for your safety and that of your neighbors that these regulations are enforced.

Step 2:

Select a convenient and safe location for the firepit. Make sure that it's in an open area away from the house, low tree limbs or anything else that could catch fire. If possible, position it near your woodpile for convenience.

Step 3:

Place a small flag at the selected location, and check it periodically over a few days to determine the prevailing wind direction. You don’t want smoke blowing in your windows or those of your neighbors.

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Building the Firepit

 

The following procedures are for installing a basic firepit ring of concrete blocks surrounding a steel firepit bowl with a cover. The same process can be used to install other firepits with bricks or other materials, with or without a firepit bowl. Removable firepit bowls make cleaning easier. The optional firepit cover makes them safer by retaining hot coals in the pit. You should also have a metal poker to move and adjust wood in the pit for an optimum fire.

 

***Firepits should be installed on concrete patios, pavers or bare dirt. Firepits shouldn't be installed directly on wood decks or other combustible materials. If using a firepit bowl on a wood deck, make sure a fireproof barrier is installed below and around the bowl.

Step 1:

Gather the materials and tools you'll need for this job. Once gathered, construction of the firepit should only take an hour or two at the most.

 

***These instructions are for a dry-fit masonry ring, meaning that no mortar is required between the blocks. If preferred, you may build the firepit ring using mortar.

Step 2:

Assemble the firepit screen cover, and place it on the patio to mark the center of the firepit. This step will help you determine the size of the firepit ring.

Step 3:

Place the first layer of blocks around the cover, making sure all the joints between blocks are tight. The example project has 16 blocks in each layer. Mortar isn't used.

Step 4:

Remove the cover and set it aside for now.

Step 5:

Install the second layer of blocks on top of the completed first layer, staggering the joints between the blocks to strengthen the wall.

Step 6:

Install the third, then the fourth layer of blocks, staggering the joints.

Step 7:

Install the firepit tray — without the legs — in the ring.

Step 8:

Install the firepit grate.

 

***If you choose not to install a steel firepit bowl, use fireproof blocks to line the inside of the ring or construct the ring with fireproof blocks.

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Building a Fire

Step 1:

Place a starter log on the firepit grate.

Step 2:

Stack a few logs over the starter log.

Step 3:

Light the starter log.

Step 4:

Once the fire is steadily burning, cover the firepit with the screen lid.

 

***Keep a bucket of water or fire extinguisher nearby.

 

***Make sure you clean out firepit ashes regularly. You can mix the cool, extinguished ashes with compost for your garden beds.

 

 

http://www.lowes.com/cd_How+to+Build+a+Fire+Pit_1280852359_

11 Ideas for Designing on a Budget

Think your design ambitions are bigger than your budget? Think again. Here are 11 ways to achieve the look you want

1. Paint
Though painting is the cheapest investment you can make, it’s also the one with the most dramatic result. Go ahead and put some color on those walls for a fresh — and inexpensive — new look.

2. Do It Yourself
The biggest budget buster is hiring others to do things you could do. Consider what you'll save by taking on some relatively simple projects: painting, tiling, installing a new floor, sewing curtain panels or throw pillows — whatever you feel up to trying.

3. Call in Family and Friends
You may not have a wad of cash or a lot of home-improvement know-how, but you have other resources that can help get your decorating project off the ground: the people you know. Call on a group of relatives, friends and neighbors who can supply the muscle to rip down wall paneling, roll on paint or assemble a room of flat-packed furniture. Just don’t forget to feed them lunch.

4. Shop Secondhand Stores
Thrift stores, consignment shops, church rummage sales, online auction sites, estate sales and even salvage yards offer a bounty of discount decorating booty. Look for furniture with solid construction and classic lines that new upholstery or paint will bring back to life.

5. Look for Less-Than-Perfect Merchandise
You may be able to snag super deals on slightly damaged items, floor models and seconds (such as towels from a dye lot that was slightly off), so be sure to check stores’ "as is" areas or to ask the manager about fire-sale items. Chances are, no one but you will be any the wiser, and you’ll save big bucks.

6. Save With Stock Items
Custom framing, sewing, upholstering and other skilled labor can add a bundle to the bottom line. Instead, stick with stock items whenever you can: Buy off-the-shelf frames and mats, and trim non-valuable art prints to fit them. Buy standard blinds that are a bit larger than your windows and mount them outside the frames. Snap up stock cabinets and finish them with moldings for a custom look. Order that sofa in a neutral, ready-to-ship fabric and use the money you save to splurge on colorful throw pillows.

7. Wait Patiently for Sales and Discounts
Wait to find what you really love at a price you really love. While you shop, ask if items will be discounted any time soon. Store and department managers are usually the best sources for this insider info and may even offer you the discounted price before it goes into effect.

8. Mix, Don’t Match
Not only is a "matchy-matchy" look boring, but buying entire suites of furniture tends to cost more than putting together a creative, eclectic look. Mix it up by opting for a couch and chairs upholstered in complementary fabrics, flanking a bed with unmatched nightstands and decorating with other diverse items unified by color, form, material and tone. Or try pairing a stately wood table with shiny aluminum or brightly colored plastic chairs. And don’t be afraid to mix high-end and low-end or modern and traditional.

9. Sew Your Own Linens
If you have a sewing machine, you can quickly and easily transform patterned flat sheets into curtain panels, pillow and duvet covers, tablecloths, and even slipcovers — and pay a small fraction of what you’d shell out for fabric yardage. Of course, this assumes you’ve had successful sewing experience or are good friends with a seamstress.

10. Add Unexpected Accessories
Almost anything can serve as an accessory, and that goes for found objects and household items that cost practically nothing. Architectural corbels rescued from a salvage yard make great bookends, while seashells and driftwood collected at the shore create a lovely natural grouping. A bowl filled with crisp green apples lends a bright pop of color to just about any surface, and a stack of vintage hardbacks adds height, dimension and character to an occasional table.

11. Reuse Items You Already Have
You don’t have to buy new pieces to turn your tired domicile into a hip space. Instead, turn a fresh eye to what you already have and think about how it might be camouflaged, repurposed or reimagined. Reinvent a drab dresser in a guest bedroom as a dramatic dining-room sideboard with a few coats of glossy black paint and sparkling new hardware. Make over that old couch with a slipcover in a fabulous fabric. Turn plain pillows into eye-catching accents by stenciling simple designs on them. After all, there’s no better budget stretcher than your imagination.


http://www.hgtv.com/decorating/11-ideas-for-designing-on-a-budget/page-2.html

$100 Bathroom Makeover

Lowe's Inside Out Home Improvement Tips | Produced by Inman News

Low-Cost Living Room Redo

Click on the link below to check out pictures and ideas on how to redo your living room on a budget!

http://www.myhomeideas.com/how-to/weekend-projects/low-cost-living-room-redo-10000001731127/

5 Key Home Upgrades for Aging in Place

Lowe's Inside Out Home Improvement Tips | Produced by Inman News

Budget Makeover

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

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