Monday, April 21, 2008

It's good to give


Ever get sick of clothes, home furnishings, books and whatnot just cluttering up your house? Well, we totally do...probably every other month, we go through our house and closets just to see what we don't need or use anymore and make a huge Goodwill run. Not only do you get to rid your house of clutter, you also get to make donations that benefit those in need of job assistance, clothing and a better life. Plus, your donation is tax deductible, so keep your receipts.

We donated a bunch of books we have already read, clothes (my rule is if I haven't worn it in a year, I am not going to), some bookshelves we had, pillows and videos. I don't think we even have a VCR anymore. However, they will not accept items such as used underwear and bras, for pretty obvious reasons. So, if it is trash, just throw it away, don't waste their time. They go through every item donated to make sure is it safe, clean and working, so don't donate just anything, be discriminating and throw away what is really trash.

Cleaning out your home can give you a whole new outlook on life too. I find that when I go through old items that have just been hiding in the closet and I donate them, I fell good for donating to a worthy cause and all of a sudden the house feels bigger and lighter. It feels like a weight has been lifted and my house is even more clean and organized, which I love. Don't get me wrong, I am not a neat freak, but I do have certain places for certain things. I like being organized, it gives me a sense of control and makes everything easy to find. So, my advice to you is now that spring is upon us, purge purge purge. It will make you feel better, I promise!

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Remodeling


Alex and I bought a small red brick house built in 1958. Suffice it to say, it needed some updating. Within the last 3 1/2 years, we have been slowly, but steadily remodeling our home. We have painted, landscaped, built a pergola for the patio and various other projects I can't even think of. Well, our next big project is the remodeling of the bathrooms. We have decided to re-tile both of them and create a larger shower in the master bath (not so much of a master, it is smaller than the other one). So, we went to look at tile and picked out some very neutral tile with some listels and accents to make it pop. We got the samples home and laid them out, but then realized that we picked out tile that would better suit a newer home.

Here is the tip for today: when remodeling your home, try to stay with the style of your home, but in totally modern ways. Confused? What I mean is basically pick out things that you like, but not something that is going to clash with the period or style of your home. For example, you wouldn't want decorate a very modern architectural home with country accents, it just wouldn't go. Feel free to experiment, though. Take home samples and lay them pout. Paint small patches of different colors on your walls and then pick your favorite. So, we are going to pick out new tile this week and keep in mind the style and time period of our home.