I went to Target on Friday and found some good deals…the one I wanted to share were the Glade plug in fans with extra outlets. They were on sale for $5.99 and each package had a $3 off coupon on it, so I was able to get them for only $3 each! I really like that each Glade fan has not one, but TWO extra outlets on it, so you’re gaining an outlet with each fan that you use. We’re trying the Clean Linen scent upstairs for now, to alleviate the “doggy smell” that comes with owning 2 dogs. I think I may move one downstairs when the oil is empty and try the Vanilla scent in my kitchen. There’s an adjustable wheel on the front of each fan so you’re able to control the amount of scent that is “sent” out.

Technorati Tags: Glade, scented fan, Target, Target deals, Friday Finds, clean linen, extra outlets

Oh Fresh Brush, I love you so,
You leave my toilet with a glow.
Cleaning ickies, grease and grime,
Freeing up all of my time.

Ok, I’m not a poet, but I do have much love for the Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush. In fact, I love it so much that I bought one for each of the bathrooms in the house. The Fresh Brush comes with a neat little handle that you can hang from your toilet tank, so you can put tuck it out of site. You’ll also find scrubby pads inside the package, and the button on the handle allows you to put on a pad without even touching the base of the handle. (I’m not a germaphobe, but who wants to touch something that’s been in the toilet?)

Once you dip the pad into the toilet, everything goes blue and bubbles appear. A quick swish around and everything is bright and shiny. Hit the button on the handle and the pad drops into the water so you can flush it away!

After using these, I can’t go back to a regular toilet brush! I even feel ok with letting my kids clean the toilet, since they don’t need to “touch” anything to do it. (They actually think it’s FUN too - shhh…don’t tell them otherwise!)

Technorati Tags: toilet, cleaning, Fresh Brush, Scrubbing bubbles, toilet brush, bathroom

Thinking of building your dream home? My husband and I did just that last year…well, our “for now” dream home that is, on the budget we could afford now. Prior to this home, we had purchased 2, and building a home is a completely different world. We learned a lot about home construction, construction loans, financing, and the like from the builders we interviewed. We ended up going with a national builder who was building a small neighborhood in the area we liked. In the future, we’d definitely consider doing it a bit more on our own and not being stuck with the builders floor plans and options. A lot of information is available on the internet and you should research as MUCH as possible to know all of your options before you sign on the dotted line. There’s a lot to understand with construction loans and how they work, and if you don’t know, you risk being screwed by someone. Case in point - in our area, a builder took advantage of hundreds of families by starting work on their homes, and then leaving town with the money. Imagine being left nothing more than a foundation and the bills left behind by a shady contractor!

So read, read, read, and ask plenty of questions so you know what the risks are before you break ground. Building a home can be a wonderful experience if you take the steps to ensure it!

Technorati Tags: construction, building, home construction, construction loans, building a home, real estate

My husband got a new toy this weekend, in the form of this shiny new Char-Broil grill. He’s been eyeballing one for a while - the grill we have is several years old, and while it still worked, it did need some new parts. Also, because we didn’t have a covered patio in our last house, it got a big of weather wear. Now that we have a screened and covered lanai, we wanted a new grill to put on it, and thus, the Char-Broil came home with us a few nights ago. Jim fired it up tonight to make ribs for his buddies who are over for the big game, and it worked great. I really like the included griddle that you can use on the sideburner for veggies or even to make pancakes!

Technorati Tags: grill, CharBroil, Char-Broil, gas grill, outdoor living, outdoor cooking, grilling, BBQ

It’s only a matter of time before the company that my husband works for expands into North Carolina, and I think they’ll go towards a big metro area like Raleigh. That means affordable housing will be needed for employees - probably not in Raleigh, but something more along the lines of Cary NC Real Estate. Located close to Raleigh and the Research Triangle Park makes for a great location, and Cary has also been called one of the safest places to live in the USA. I pulled up a few listings in the area, and wow - brick homes, front porches, and prices way cheaper than here in Florida. Sign me up!

I went to Target last night after dinner with friends, and left, $350 later, feeling refreshed and energized. (And feeling stupid for forgetting my Target 10% off coupon!)

My big ticket items were new quilts for my son’s bunkbeds and new drapes for his room, and his sister’s room. They get great light in their rooms from the southern exposure, but it always tends to make their rooms about 10 degrees hotter than the rest of the house, so I thought some drapes would help to block out the heat. The set is called “Preppy Guy” and features red, cream, and denim colors in the patchwork. I got the preppy guy drapes to match the bedding, which are a denim material with red stitching. Then, I headed over to the drapery rods and found a whole endcap of rods and drapes on clearance. Some were repacks, like the package I ended up buying, but I checked, and all the pieces were there, and it was half price. (That perimeter perusing pays off!)

In the drapery aisle, I also found a thick drape in a white tweed for my daughter’s room. She already has a valence up, so I grabbed a double rod to install so we could have the drape hang under the valence. I also spotted brightly colored shower curtains made out of a cotton duck material in white, pink, lime green, and blue, and toyed with using those as her drapes for a few minutes. In the end, I decided to go with my original choice. Now, if only my husband were home to hang the drapes up!

Technorati Tags: Target, Target clearance, shopping, home sweet home, home decor, retail therapy

This week, we’ll be getting delivery on some of the bedroom set pieces shown above (click to see the image full-sized), for our oldest daughter. Since we moved into our new house last May, she’s been using a hand me down set that was more for a younger girl, and my husband and I wanted to update her room, and give her something that could take her through middle school and high school. We visited a local Rooms To Go Kids and picked out the set (it was the first one we saw, and we kept going back to it after looking at everything else!) and it’s coming on Friday. Rooms To Go, for those of you who don’t have one, is a chain that sells middle of the road furniture at great prices. We could have bought all wood, or higher quality furniture, but we would have paid a LOT more. And honestly? For a kid who won’t be using this furniture in 7 years because she’ll (hopefully) be off at college, I didn’t want to spend $3K on kids furniture. We purchased our living room couch, loveseat, and recliner, as well as our mattress, from Rooms To Go and we’ve been very happy with them.

Anyway, I digress. We got the bookcase headboard and footboard shown above, as well as the dresser and mirror. We also added this 2 drawer nightstand and computer desk and hutch. I think what really sold me on the set is all the storage! My daughter is a reader, and the bookcase headboard will be a great place for her to put all of her books. And she’ll still have plenty of shelving on the desk to use also. If need be, she could even take the dresser and desk with her after college…

Technorati Tags: bedroom furniture, kids furniture, teen furniture, Rooms To Go, Rooms To Go Kids

When Jim came home yesterday and mentioned that he saw a tile topped table at Lowe’s for our lanai, I immediately pooh-poohed the idea. I was envisioning something like the dining room tables that were all the rage in the 90’s - white, shiny tiles, grouted in place. He still dragged me to Lowe’s to take a look, and here it is - the part where I admit my husband is right.

The tiles aren’t grouted in at all - you simply lay them in place, which means you can give this table any look you want. We stuck with tiles that are pretty similar to the picture here…actually, the in store demo showed the same exact tiles pictured here, and we were able to find them in the flooring section of the store. The table we bought is a 63 inch long rectangular size, and it retails for $168, plus the cost of the tiles. There is a smaller, square version also, as well as matching side tables, chairs, a firepit, and other accessories. (You can click on the image here to see the full sized picture of the table)

We came home and Jim immediately put the table together - too bad it’s too darn cold to enjoy outside dining right now! The rest of the plan for the lanai consists of getting a wall mount for the TV out there, and rearranging the firepit and chairs to create a big seating around around the table. When the weather gets a bit warmer, I’m going to buy a plant or two for the lanai to “green” it up also.

Technorati Tags: Lowes, Lowe’s, home improvement, outdoor dining, outdoor living, patio furniture, lanai furniture

My husband and I are on the hunt for some beautiful, but durable pieces to add to our lanai and yard. I love the look of wood furniture, but with the heat, humidity, and thunderstorms here in Florida, most woods won’t hold up long term. That’s why I was excited to see this website offering teak furniture that will hold up under any weather condition, without a lot of maintenance. I love the look of the teak adirondack chair pictured here.

How many times did your parents yell that at you when you put your drink down on their nice end tables? I find myself repeating that mantra to my own kids, and even my husband from time to time. We just bought a new dining room room set, and we’ve got new end tables and a coffee table in our family room, so the last thing I want is to ruin that new stuff with a wet glass. Right now, I’m ashmed to admit we’re using some cheesy plastic and foam coasters we bought for a temporary fix this summer. Somehow…the months went by and we kept using them and I just haven’t found something I like to replace them with yet.

I definitely like the AbsorbaStone coasters. Some are a bit too cutesy for my liking, but others are more neutral and I could see using them in our home. I could get behind this martini glass set though! I wonder how absorb-ing that stone actually is though? If the condensation is going to roll off the coaster and onto my table, that’s a no-go. That’s why I prefer a coaster with a little lip around it to keep that from happening.

If I wanted to go really high-end, these coasters from Williams-Sonoma would be perfect! They’re simple, but elegant, yet not too over the top. They even have a little rim around the edge to keep that pesky condensation from spilling over. Sadly, pewter is not very absorbant, so if you leave your drink sitting for too long, you’ll end up with a small lake surrounding your drink in this coaster. The $59 pricetag for a set of 4 may be a dealbreaker too. ($69 if you want the set monogrammed with an initial!)

So the search continues…who knew coasters would end up being such a statement for the house?

Technorati Tags: home decor, coasters, Williams-Sonoma, Absorbastone

When we moved into our new home in May, we had naked windows. The builder could have installed blinds for us, but we averaged out the cost of the installation by the number of windows in our new home, and the price per window was insane. Yes, it would have been easier to have someone else do it, especially when we were trying to paint and unpack, but I couldn’t justify paying 2 or 3 times too much for blinds on each window.

We ended up buying white 2 inch faux wood blinds for every room in the house, and we saved a lot of money by doing it on our own. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to install blinds - as long as you can handle a drill and a tape measure, you’re good to go. If you’re wondering why we chose the faux wood, it’s because it holds up a lot better in the heat and humidity of Florida. It looks real, but it won’t warp! Buying blinds and window treatments online from a store like Guaranteed Blinds will save you a lot of money, but you’ll still get a great high end, custom look. You don’t need to worry about measurements either - just decide how you want your blinds to hang and then follow their measurement guide to get the perfect fit.

Technorati Tags: window treatments, buy blinds online, blinds, faux wood blinds, installing blinds, home decorating