We purchased the house we live in about a year ago this month. We had been looking and searching for houses for about 3 years. We were very picky. (Which I believe one should be, when making that big of a purchase!) Well this house had the layout we wanted with three bedrooms all together on one corner of the house an extra one downstairs for a guest room. A Jacuzzi tub, which was on my list. A entertainment area, which is the basement. Open concept was a must with a little one too. The only problem now is the little things. Well... some I guess aren't so little. We really want to redo the kitchen. I absolutely hate the cabinet colors. So we have an appointment tonight with Kitchen Solvers. Kitchen Solvers is a company that refinishes existing cabinets to look ideal for you. This is a cheaper alternative to redoing the whole kitchen saving money and reducing ones waste. I'm very curious to see what the price difference actually is. Our previous home we gutted the kitchen and totally replaced everything brand new. It was a small kitchen, but the price tag was close to 7,500. I'll fill you in on the exact process and how the cost compares after the appointment. We received information about this from the home show, which wasn't wasn't I accept it to be. The Home Show that is. There really wasn't too much green information. The majority of th booths seemed to be Banks.
The next thing we would like to do is update our appliances. I have to be honest there is nothing wrong with our current ones, but these would be a great update to our rentals. Of course allowing me to have some new ones!
Like one of the previous post I would like to paint a few rooms. I have been looking into Eco-friendly painting options. These are great to use because most are orderless, so if you have little ones around they are not as harmful. Plus you are reducing your carbon footprint too!
Lighting.... OK if you have entered my house, you will know that our light fixtures are horrendous! They are cheap first off and gold. Yuck! Since I can remember I have never been a fan of gold. When I was 7 my dad bought me a gold heart necklace. I opened it and was like ohhh I love it. (It is still sitting in the leather holder he gave it to me in and never worn. Sorry Dad!) The lighting is something that could be replaced at not much of a cost and not hard to do it yourself. The only problem is with open concept you need to replace most of them at once, or your room will look even sillier.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Grandma's Green?
So every Thursday my daughter, husband, and I meet at my grandma's for dinner and some cold beverages. These are great nights. My grandma who is over 80 years old is totally young at heart and very cool!
Last Thursday I was telling her how I bring my own bags when I go shopping and she said a Green Bag? She walked to her bedroom and comes out with a Green bag from a local store. She said I bought this, but would like one smaller that fits in my purse. I just happened to have one in my purse that was as small as a wallet and gave it to her. She was as happy as a kid in the candy store. I have to say I was really shocked she used her own bags. I find the older you are sometimes the harder it is to change. Not my grandma I guess. She not only thought it was good for the environment she thought they were cute. So I learned something... you are never too old for some change.
Last Thursday I was telling her how I bring my own bags when I go shopping and she said a Green Bag? She walked to her bedroom and comes out with a Green bag from a local store. She said I bought this, but would like one smaller that fits in my purse. I just happened to have one in my purse that was as small as a wallet and gave it to her. She was as happy as a kid in the candy store. I have to say I was really shocked she used her own bags. I find the older you are sometimes the harder it is to change. Not my grandma I guess. She not only thought it was good for the environment she thought they were cute. So I learned something... you are never too old for some change.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
What... No March Madness???
Yes...
So last week I called our local cable company and canceled our digital cable service. We didn't cancel because of the money. It's something we have always talked about doing, but never actually did.
I grew up with cable. The minute I woke up it was on until I went to bed. Don't get me wrong I went outside and played. My parents had a pool in their backyard so most summer days were spent out there, but come winter it was mostly TV. Since having my daughter we hardly have the TV on when she's awake. Kids tend to become glued to the TV. Some experts say TV is bad because the objects move so fast that it's not good for a child's development. My daughter does have a few DVDs of her own that we let her watch once in awhile. Since we only watch TV a few hours at night it just doesn't really make sense to have. My husband is a huge basketball fan. He always talks about taking a week off for March Madness to watch all the games non-stop. Well this year not only will he be working, but we'll have NO CABLE. He was fine with this... he just might be stopping over to my parents house to check out a few games. Plus most shows are shown online for you to watch FREE. You can't beat this if you have high speed Internet connection.
After really looking at the TV shows I watch, which are mostly reality, I realized how pointless they are. I watched this one reality show and I actually felt so dumb after watching it, because it was just yelling back and forth. What is the point?
So this summer we have decided to cancel cable.... My husband loves to golf, which he plans to do more of. My daughter and I are taking Saturday swim lesson's. I plan to grow a great garden in our yard. We'll see how it turns out. I'm not the best with plants, so cross your fingers! I just think not watching TV we will have even more time to update some things around our house. Bailey is at a fun age too. I can't wait to take her to the pool, on long walks, to the zoo, and out for ice cream. I do believe that in some homes TV has replaced a lot of family time. I am not saying it's bad, you just need it in moderation like everything in life. Come winter I'm sure we'll get cable again. We need to cheer our Green Bay Packers on!! (Missing FAVRE of course!)
To Do:
Repaint
Our bedroom
master bath
Kids bathroom
The downstairs entertainment area
Guest Bedroom
Guest Bath
Remodel Kitchen (I don't know if this will happen this summer, but we have a few people stopping by to give us some estimates in the next few weeks)
Plant Garden
Redo Landscaping - Plant flowers
Update a few window treatments
Refinish and stain Deck
Replace wood flooring (This will not be this summer, but I'm adding it to the list.)
So as you can see there is a lot to keep us busy.
So last week I called our local cable company and canceled our digital cable service. We didn't cancel because of the money. It's something we have always talked about doing, but never actually did.
I grew up with cable. The minute I woke up it was on until I went to bed. Don't get me wrong I went outside and played. My parents had a pool in their backyard so most summer days were spent out there, but come winter it was mostly TV. Since having my daughter we hardly have the TV on when she's awake. Kids tend to become glued to the TV. Some experts say TV is bad because the objects move so fast that it's not good for a child's development. My daughter does have a few DVDs of her own that we let her watch once in awhile. Since we only watch TV a few hours at night it just doesn't really make sense to have. My husband is a huge basketball fan. He always talks about taking a week off for March Madness to watch all the games non-stop. Well this year not only will he be working, but we'll have NO CABLE. He was fine with this... he just might be stopping over to my parents house to check out a few games. Plus most shows are shown online for you to watch FREE. You can't beat this if you have high speed Internet connection.
After really looking at the TV shows I watch, which are mostly reality, I realized how pointless they are. I watched this one reality show and I actually felt so dumb after watching it, because it was just yelling back and forth. What is the point?
So this summer we have decided to cancel cable.... My husband loves to golf, which he plans to do more of. My daughter and I are taking Saturday swim lesson's. I plan to grow a great garden in our yard. We'll see how it turns out. I'm not the best with plants, so cross your fingers! I just think not watching TV we will have even more time to update some things around our house. Bailey is at a fun age too. I can't wait to take her to the pool, on long walks, to the zoo, and out for ice cream. I do believe that in some homes TV has replaced a lot of family time. I am not saying it's bad, you just need it in moderation like everything in life. Come winter I'm sure we'll get cable again. We need to cheer our Green Bay Packers on!! (Missing FAVRE of course!)
To Do:
Repaint
Our bedroom
master bath
Kids bathroom
The downstairs entertainment area
Guest Bedroom
Guest Bath
Remodel Kitchen (I don't know if this will happen this summer, but we have a few people stopping by to give us some estimates in the next few weeks)
Plant Garden
Redo Landscaping - Plant flowers
Update a few window treatments
Refinish and stain Deck
Replace wood flooring (This will not be this summer, but I'm adding it to the list.)
So as you can see there is a lot to keep us busy.
Friday, March 7, 2008
"Go Green" in 2008
This weekend:
2008 Home & Garden Show
Date: Friday 03/07/2008 through Sunday 03/09/2008
Description:
This year will be a bigger and better show as the home Builders Association expands into our second building. Hours are Friday 5:00pm - 9:00pm, Saturday 10:00am - 7:00pm, and Sunday 11:00am - 5:00pm. Admission is $4.00 for adults and $2.00 for ages 12-17.
For more information:
https://laba-wi.builderfusion.com/bf/website/index.jsp
I will review on the show and any idea's we got from this next week. We are planning on attending it this weekend.
2008 Home & Garden Show
Date: Friday 03/07/2008 through Sunday 03/09/2008
Description:
This year will be a bigger and better show as the home Builders Association expands into our second building. Hours are Friday 5:00pm - 9:00pm, Saturday 10:00am - 7:00pm, and Sunday 11:00am - 5:00pm. Admission is $4.00 for adults and $2.00 for ages 12-17.
For more information:
https://laba-wi.builderfusion.com/bf/website/index.jsp
I will review on the show and any idea's we got from this next week. We are planning on attending it this weekend.
Natural dried fruit bars
I highly recommend trying the pineapple Natural dried fruit bar from Trader Joe's. I bought one on our Trader Joe's shopping spree and wish I would of bought 100 of them. The other flavors are good too, but I especially love the pineapple. These are great little snacks and only contain around 60 calories.
They are Yummy!!
Trader Joe's 100% Pineapple Fruit Bar contains nothing other than 100% sweet, ripe pineapple which is ground into a paste and made into a delicious dried fruit treat. No flavors or fillers of any kind have been added.
They are Yummy!!
Trader Joe's 100% Pineapple Fruit Bar contains nothing other than 100% sweet, ripe pineapple which is ground into a paste and made into a delicious dried fruit treat. No flavors or fillers of any kind have been added.
Wow... never felt clean like this before
I just started using an all natural toothpaste this week. I have to say it was a whole new clean experience. I have previously been loyal to Crest, but it doesn't even compare.
The toothpaste is All Natural Trader Joe's Toothpaste and I have to say the texture is unlike Crest. This was hard to get use to at first. The texture is not totally smooth, but it made my mouth feel so clean. I'm not sure if it's the baking soda that makes it textured or if it's the mint extract. Maybe it's a combination of both, but whatever it is I like it.
The toothpaste is All Natural Trader Joe's Toothpaste and I have to say the texture is unlike Crest. This was hard to get use to at first. The texture is not totally smooth, but it made my mouth feel so clean. I'm not sure if it's the baking soda that makes it textured or if it's the mint extract. Maybe it's a combination of both, but whatever it is I like it.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
First time... Trader Joe's
So this last weekend we went to visit my brother and sister in-law in Madison. It was a great visit and even greater was meeting the newest memeber of the family Kaitlin Susan. What a quiet baby... several times I forgot she was in the room. I previously talked about their house. We played basketball, watched movies in the theater room, had adult beverages by the bar area and played Golden Tee. Yes, they have the game and that's pretty much where the guys hang out.
Overall the trip was relaxing and fun. On our way home Sunday we decided to check out Trader Joe's. First off I'll say it was very busy! I hate shopping when there is a crowd and I can't get thru isles. We did end up shopping around for a little over 30 minutes. The prices were what I expected since most items are organic. We ended up buying around $50 worth of new foods to try out. My husband and daughter most love cheese and don't go a day without it. We picked up the best smoked cheese. It was seriously some of the best I have ever had. Living in Wisconsin you get a lot of chances to try cheese. I also picked up som 100% natural dried fruit bars. I had the pinapple one yesterday. I plan on picking up more of these hopefully soon. I won't tell you everything we picked up, but one thing you should try is their Dyno Juice. It is filled with vitamins and taste's great. I really wish I had one of these closer to our area. They have a lot of thing you wouldn't be able to find at a regular grocery store.
Check them out online:
http://www.traderjoes.com/
Overall the trip was relaxing and fun. On our way home Sunday we decided to check out Trader Joe's. First off I'll say it was very busy! I hate shopping when there is a crowd and I can't get thru isles. We did end up shopping around for a little over 30 minutes. The prices were what I expected since most items are organic. We ended up buying around $50 worth of new foods to try out. My husband and daughter most love cheese and don't go a day without it. We picked up the best smoked cheese. It was seriously some of the best I have ever had. Living in Wisconsin you get a lot of chances to try cheese. I also picked up som 100% natural dried fruit bars. I had the pinapple one yesterday. I plan on picking up more of these hopefully soon. I won't tell you everything we picked up, but one thing you should try is their Dyno Juice. It is filled with vitamins and taste's great. I really wish I had one of these closer to our area. They have a lot of thing you wouldn't be able to find at a regular grocery store.
Check them out online:
http://www.traderjoes.com/
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