PLAYGROUND COTTAGES HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS.

Bathroom and Kitchen Remodeling DreamsPosted by admin on January 26th, 2010

I have blogged about being tied down with the current state of our house’s kitchen and bathroom as we are renting. Frustrating as it maybe for me who spends a lot of time in the kitchen and considers the bathroom my private haven, I just make do with what we have and try not to get irritated every time water spills from the sink because it is too shallow and water spills over the bathroom tiles because there is no separator from the shower and toilet.

If I were to choose, I would be using glass sinks for my bathrooms. Yes, it would be plural because when we have our own house, I will fight for my own bathroom (even if it is technically in the master’s bedroom). I know I will be pushing it if I gunned for his and hers bathroom sinks as well. I saw a very nice glass vessel sink that would be very appropriate for what I had in mind.

I saw this over at MR Direct Inc and I love that they included the specific sizes in every item. This particular crystal glass sink comes in many colors too. Wouldn’t that be interesting to use in a powder room?

Frames and Cute StuffPosted by admin on January 22nd, 2010

I have this urge to decorate my workspace’s walls. I have plenty of stuff to decorate, considering I have a great corner. But I am really thinking it over because I want something that I won’t get bored easily, not too expensive, can easily be changed and would allow me to really focus on work. I was thinking of using the cardboard displays I had made during our wedding but I wanted to include some of the kids too.

Any suggestions?

The Effect of the Deep Freeze in 2010 to PeoplePosted by admin on January 22nd, 2010

What was before a fleeting concern for everyone has become a global crisis wherein nations’ leaders are pressured to act, and act swiftly. Climate change has impacted the whole world and seasons and temperature changes, which has always been predictable, are now erratic. Droughts are followed by flash floods and what is supposed to summer has been plagued with constant rains. The CBS News has called this season’s winter as the Deep Freeze in 2010 wherein most US states have experienced record-breaking sub zero temperatures. Florida, which doesn’t usually experience snow, has them and Chicago has 29 inches of snow already, which is the average snowfall during the whole of winter in recent years.

It has been predicted that due to the change of weather, prices of crops will increase. Snow has been very damaging to the soil and has hampered the schedule of planting. Can you imagine how one will toil frozen ground?

Even gardening has taken a toll. My grandmother has a great garden out back in her home. Now she cannot even toil the soil to let it breath. Lawn Aerators do the trick for her now. Since she also has great rose beds that she worked hard on all year, she uses frost blankets to keep them from wind and frost damage.  She is a very avid gardener and would often spend hours in the garden. Now she cannot even go out for so long. She uses a cold frame on her vegetations as well, a tip she got from a Cold weather Gardening tips article.

Taking Care of Our EldersPosted by admin on January 22nd, 2010

As much as we want to take care of our elders, at some point in time, keeping them at home would be more dangerous than having them under nursing homes or assisted living facilities. It is much better to have someone with them 24 hours a day, seven days a week (which most of us cannot afford if they would wish to still stay at home) who is also medically trained. Emergencies are more likely to happen with the elderly than with anyone else. Take away the guilt of not being able to take care of them personally, if you really can’t anymore. You are doing the best thing. Of course, you need to do your research as well and if your elderly is still able, have him decide where he would like to go.

There are a lot of assisted living communities in every state. Assisted living facilities are for people needing assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) but wishing to live as independently as possible for as long as possible. It is actually in the middle of living independently vs. being in a nursing home. These assisted living facilities  are there to assist elderly persons who are able to care for themselves except for a few activities, the person help preparing meals, bathing, dressing, performing household chores, is sometimes confused, or is experiencing memory problems.

You should not confuse this with skilled nursing facilities, continue care centers (CCRC), board and care homes, home care and hospice care. It varied greatly with the type of medical attention they need and how much they can fend for themselves. As a member of the family, you should learn what your elderly needs and then coordinate. You may want to avail of centers near your area so visiting them can be easier.

If your elderly would want (and if he or she is still able), there are senior independent living centers. It is primarily for people who want to stay active and interact with active adults. It may vary from center to center but usually they may offer one meal a day, housekeeping, concierge service, and/or a recreation program.

Outdoor Fire PitsPosted by admin on January 22nd, 2010

We are right in the middle of the dead of winter. And in other places, rainstorms and tornadoes are threatening communities which have never experienced one. Almost everybody is wishing for spring to come sooner and even more summer! Summer is one of the seasons when families travel a lot and get together and enjoy beaches.

One my most cherished memories during summer is campfires by the beach. In fact, investing on an outdoor fireplace is going to be one of the greatest decisions a family can make especially if they have a great backyard in their homes. An outdoor fire pit is one of the best ways to enjoy a beautiful summer night. For one thing, having cook-outs in the yard is a great way to spend time with family and friends, and food and great company results in time well spent.

However, do no restrict your outdoor fire pits to grill parties and cook-outs, you can always spend time with your significant other in front of the fire, underneath the stars, to make a romantic evening. It is also an opportunity for you to meditate.

Since outdoor fits can have wheels and are most likely portable, you can bring them anywhere with you! Imagine how easy it would be to build fires with it.

If you still would like to have the “feel” of making fire from scratch, be wise enough to have a boundary for it like fire rings. It will contain the fire and prevent it from spreading, plus you can enjoy a more intense fire.

Why do you need to invest on fire pits?

Safety and precaution is the most important thing in mind when fire pits were designed. Aside from being more pleasurable and easy on the eyes, it is easier to cook because you have a place flat and stable enough for grills but wide enough to have socialization take place, as what happens in camping.

DiseasesPosted by admin on January 21st, 2010

I remember when I was young, the biggest disease of the decade was the Big C – it occurs in many forms like malignant Mesothelioma. That was in the 80’s. The decade of the 90’s was all about the scary HIV/AIDs. And come Y2k, all sorts of diseases that instantly kill came out, most of them are viral in nature – how scary right? Who knows what disease will kill more people next?

Family Needs vs. My WantsPosted by admin on January 21st, 2010

Since we decided to complete everything in the house before the year ends and hopefully be able to buy a new car, my wants aka shopping needs have been drastically cut – and I mean completely cut. I have not shopped at all since January started, save for underwear that I really really need . I am not complaining though as I have been shopping ALL year last 2009. It’s time I save. I can substitute shopping finds which are too expensive after all, like geting the faux sapphire earrings from Holsted Jewelers instead of the actual real ones.

Furniture TalkPosted by admin on January 21st, 2010

We have barely just furnished our home, after one year of moving into it. We still have a long way to go, but at least, I am proud that even with limited sources (income and otherwise), we are still able to invest on quality pieces of furniture. Most of the time, we decide to have pieces custom made. We have small space and it will help if pieces are an exact fit along walls and corners. My husband is also quite specific on wood finishing and its color. He prefers the mahogany brown varnish over the light-colored ones. It is a plus for a mom who need not scrub pen or crayon markings on shelves and tables. We lean towards Modern Furniture, appreciating the minimalistic approach towards furniture. We love clean lines and simple but well-thought (functional and efficient) designs.

As of now, we have invested on a bed and my workstation. We will be investing on the kids’ bed and their study workstation soon. We are still having conversations (heated and otherwise) whether we would go for a double bunk bed or a single bed with pull-out. I am all for the pull-out, as I am pretty sure my kids will just jump from the top level bunk bed and somebody is bound to get hurt. The study table area I want to have customized as my kids spend a lot of time there, 10 months a year with school and all. With my youngest studying in the incoming school year, we need a functional space for everything.

We are always peeking into any Contemporary furniture store we come across in the malls. That is where we draw inspiration from actually. We still have a working sofa for our living room and a dining room set but as soon as we can, I would love to replace them. The husband is leaning towards a Contemporary leather sofa (less maintenance) but I think I still like fabric ones better.

Can you tell which one is which?

I love this coffee table:

 
And someday, we will have this too:

Movie BuffsPosted by admin on January 20th, 2010

We are a family of movie buffs. Really, you would be surprised at how big our DVD collection is at home. We prefer to watch movies at home and not on theaters because we really do not have the time or schedule to go out on dates as a couple and we are cheap that way. That is why we would love to have a plasma TV at home. We actually just download HD movies at MoviesoftheDay.com. We just download from that site because we are assured of the quality of their movies and that their downloads do not have viruses or malwares attached. All their movies are in high definition DVD quality and all of their movies can be played on iPod, PDA, PC/DVD, DivX and other popular players.

I was actually able to get caught up with the best movies of 2008 and 2009 without having to watch any single movie in the theaters. The only movies I have watched on the big screen for the past two years are Twilight and New Moon of the Twilight Saga (you knew that was coming, didn’t you?) One of the things I love about downloading movies is that I can watch it again and again like the movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I loved that movie! I actually played it over and over to take down all the nice dialogue!

Room Fit for a PrincessPosted by admin on January 20th, 2010

Curtains or Blinds?Posted by admin on January 19th, 2010

We have been thinking lately whether we would replace our curtains with roller blinds. It is cheaper to get blinds and easier to clean if you think about it because curtains, while it may look cheaper at the onset, may actually cost more considering you need to have it laundered every now and then.

I am just apprehensive as I really am not excited about plastic or wooden blinds. Plus the pleats of the usual blinds might get destroyed as we have a toddler in the house. Roller blinds like these one would work though:

How to Stay PositivePosted by admin on January 16th, 2010

I saw these lovely steps on keeping positivity over at the Reflections blog and it made me decide to try and lose weight the natural way (diet + exercise + discipline = hard work!) than trying out phenphedrine.

Smile – Wherever and whenever you can. The one thing in life that we should be infinitely generous in is in giving out our smiles. In addition to putting yourself in a positive state, you will also positively affect the people around you as well.

Read positive, motivational books or quotes – This is a fast and convenient way to put yourself in a positive state of mind.

Call a friend – Give an old friend a call and make it a point to talk only about positive things.

Get out of your usual environment – Go to the park or anywhere that is nice and peaceful. By being in a new or not frequently visited environment, you will not be affected by any negative association that you may have with a certain place, i.e. your office.

Work on your goal setting or review the goals that you have set.

Listen to uplifting and positive music – Well selected classical music or movie soundtracks will usually do the trick.

Read motivational and positive stories – For example, books like Chicken Soup For The Soul. Or just do a search on the internet for motivational stories.

Exercise – working out can encourage a positive state of mind. It helps to release stress and puts you in a heightened state of awareness which induces positive thinking.

Creative expression – creative expression through activities such as writing/journaling, drawing, painting, playing musical instruments, dancing, photography and others can encourage positive thinking. Take up lessons or regularly set aside some time for these activities.

Sing and dance along to your favorite song.

Enjoy a nice cup of afternoon tea or evening wine while putting on some soothing music in the background.

(source)

Lovely BathroomPosted by admin on January 16th, 2010

I love the wood + shade of green that was used.

This would be better if there would be a his and hers sinks and this adjoins to a walk-in closet, don’t you agree? I am wishing for a white tub as well (I might as well wish for some  belly fat reduction since I am wishing!).

Care to tell me what’s the name of that lovely shade of green? I am loving it.

Source.

Natural Fat FightersPosted by admin on January 16th, 2010

I thought I’d give you a list of top fat burners the natural way. We all know that there are hundreds of synthetic fat burners in the market and while they may work, nothing beats doing things the natural way.

• Fruits rich in vitamin C like limes, lemons, oranges, guava, grapefruit and tangerines have fat burning properties so they may be called as FAT BURNING FOODS or FAT BURNERS or FIGHTERS. Vitamin C dilutes the fat and makes it less effective and helps in releasing the fat from the body.
• Apples: Pectin in apple restricts the cells to absorb the fat; and also encourages water absorption from the food which helps in releasing the fat deposits from the body. The antioxidants in apples may help prevent metabolic syndrome, a condition marked by excess belly fat or an apple body shape.
• A recent research reports that calcium in dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt act as fat burner that can boost weight loss by increasing fat breakdown in fat cells. Research has shown that eating 3-4 servings of dairy products a day is more effective at enhancing weight loss efforts than calcium supplementation alone. So eat dairy products that act as fat burners.
• Calcium Rich Dairy Products
  The University of Tennessee researchers found:
• Overweight people who consumed 3 servings a day of calcium-rich dairy lost more belly fat than those who followed a similar diet minus two or more of the dairy servings. The calcium supplements didn’t work as well as milk.
• Nuts help feel full while also increasing the body’s ability to burn fat.
• Chilies: Foods containing chillies or cayanne pepper are considered to be as foods that burn fat. Chillies contain capsaicin that helps in increasing the metabolism. Capsaicin is a thermogenic food, so it causes the body to burn extra calories for 20 minutes after you eat the chilies.
• Proteins: Protein rich foods and high fiber foods are the best as foods burning belly fat. Protein needs more energy to digest than fat as so eat low calorie dairy products, beans, whole grains, oatmeal, eggs, etc. as much as possible.
• Lentils are high in protein and soluble fiber, two nutrients that stabilize blood sugar levels, therefore lentils are a great tummy flattener.
• Some of the other foods that may be included in the list of fat burning foods are asparagus, beet root, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, chillies, beans, soybeans, sweet potatoes, blueberries and watermelon.

Small Bathroom Decorating IdeasPosted by admin on January 16th, 2010

While I was looking for some home remedy for acne, I got distracted and saw some beautiful ideas for small bathrooms.

 
Notice that the cart has wheels! It is mobile! I love it. (It is also something I see in my handyman store so I can copy that look!) I wish we had a tub though.

This is something I want to do with my pantry cabinet. Seriously. I didn’t even think it would work with my many vanities. Maybe I can do this with my dresser?

Source.