Buying a home doesn’t need to be scary!  You can easily be overwhelmed by all the financing concerns and the implications of “permanence” that comes with owning a home.  You have to be able to look at the pros and cons of both ownership and renting, and know that buying is really what you have in mind and what your heart is set on.  Here is an infographic that can truly make that decision a little easier for everyone concerned.

• Clean every room at least once a week.  When I know I have a guest arriving I rush into the guest bedroom and start to cleaning.  New sheets, dusting, and vacuuming the bedroom consume me.  I also have to clean the guest bathroom and restock it.  If I would take a few minutes each week to dust and straighten, I would not have this problem.  So this year will be different.  My guest bedrooms and bathrooms will always be ready and welcoming.
• Leave no dish in the sink.  Sometimes I will simply put dishes in the sink so that I don’t have to unload the dishwasher right away.  And then there are days when the dishes seem to keep piling up.  This is not fun.  I am going to avoid that all together this year by unloading the dishwasher and keeping dishes out of the sink.
• No shoes will be allowed past the mudroom.  I’m so bad about breaking this rule, but 2012 means I have to take my shoes off in the mudroom just like everyone else.  Hopefully this will save some sweeping and vacuuming time.
• Ironing will be done after clothes are washed.  I was quite a slacker last year when it came to keeping the husband’s clothes wrinkle free.  After the clothes are dry, they are going right to the ironing board, plain and simple.

In my last post I gave you all ideas on hosting a meaningful holiday party.  A party that people would not only want to be at, but would feel like they are the reason it is happening.  My sweet daughter called me up the other day and told me that she loved it, but she needed some ideas on hosting a holiday party in a small, tight space.  She just bought an apartment that isn’t large, but she still likes to host get togethers–I’m not sure where she gets it from.

Because she cannot be the only person looking for these kinds of tips I thought I could share a video with you that I had found on the subject matter.  Below you will find some of the best solutions and products to help you host a wonderful holiday party in your own space even if it on the smaller side of things.  Take a look!

Giving back during the holidays feels good for everyone.  Let your guests get in on those good feelings by setting up a giving center.  Make sure on your invitations to ask guests to bring toys or gifts to be donated to a local organization that collects gifts for those who might not be able to get them this year.  Supply an area with wrapping paper, tape, scissors, and wrapping needs and let your guests get to wrapping their gift and add to the pile.  No matter when a guest arrives or leaves he or she will have helped contribute to the success of your event.

Inspire some holiday creativity with a craft table for projects for young and old.  Creating paper snowflakes are a great way to get crafty, and your guests can help decorate the party themselves by making them.  Leave paper, scissors, twine, a hole punch, and colored pens at the craft table and let the guests get to work.  It’s fun and easy for guests to enjoy something they probably do not do very often.

Make sure that you have a station set up for children so they do not feel left out also.  Old newspaper, holiday stamps, markers and mroe can be used for them to get busy making homemade wrapping paper.

Aluminum foil, hot water, and baking soda are the magical ingredients that will have your silver looking shiny and new in no time, and without scrubbing.  It works very well, is quick and easy, can save you money and time, and doesn’t smell like rotten hard boiled eggs!  What’s not to love?  Just remember, once you get all your silver polished up and shined, you’ll need to activate your adt to keep people away from it.  Check out the video below for full instructions.

Another toxin in your home might actually be your cleaning supplies.  Many household cleaning products are made with pretty potent and toxic chemicals.  If you are ready to make sure that your home is safe, clean, and inviting then it’s time to make a switch to green cleaning.  When you use green cleaning products in your home you are making great strides in keeping out all of the potential harms in the air and allowing your home to be clean and tidy.

Find out more about house cleaning in this infographic.  Some of the things that I found to be interesting was that people spend 87% of their time indoors and that only 20% of men do housework daily.

I used the PAX wardrobe system to create a walk-in closet inside of my bedroom.  No builders, no mess, just easy storage.  I am so happy that one of the designers did a video about the PAX system and even showed how she created a walk-in similar to what I did in my room.  Fortunately for me though my room is not quite as tiny as the one in her video, but I love her ideas nonetheless.  If you are in need of some serious storage solutions, then watch this and find out how you can create a custom closet unit in your space.

Since you take such good care of your home, you most likely try to recycle as much as you can.  Sometimes though waste seems pretty inevitable.  Just think of the last time you were being hospitable and hosting a dinner party or event at your lovely home.  some of your guests may not have been aware of your desires to recylce and there you have it, accidental waste.  There are likely other things to that could attribute to wastes, like going in and out of the house for the party and letting the air escape the home causing the air conditioning to run much more than normal and use up more energy. It definitely happens.

For you, I found an infographic that addresses recycling at home.  I found it to be incredibly interesting, and I thought you all would as well.  You will notice some of the highlights are facts about how much one person actually disposes, total household waste, and more.

Air Fresheners. There is nothing worse than when a guest walks into your home and it smells dingy and stale, which can often be the case. My husband and I just recently purchased an older home that seemed to have come with an older smell too. We always have air fresheners and fabric fresheners on hand to take care of it, but the thing we found that works best is aromatic incense. We will burn incense in the kitchen and it seems to waft right into the living areas quite nicely giving a fresh and light scent. We get ours in bulk from legalherbsdirect.com so that we have enough always on hand for just in case moments.  Another entertaining tip is to burn incense if you plan on entertaining in the outdoors as it is a natural bug repellent.

Wine and other beverages.  You do not want you guests to be thirsty at your house.  In fact, the first thing that you should do upon them entering is to offer them a drink.  We always buy one bottle of wine each time we do our big grocery visit so we can collect wines to always have on hand.  Make sure to get varying types so your guests will have a selection.  Also, keep water and other beverages on hand for those who cannot or do not drink wine.

Frozen Appetizers.  Offering something to nibble on is very important when having people over.  Frozen appetizers can be a serious life saver. You can either buy frozen appetizers to keep, or if you are like me, you can make appetizers that will keep in the freezer.  I like to make batches of meatballs, sausage balls, pigs in a blanket, and things like that to keep.  Also, cheesecake can be frozen and thawed if you are looking to have something a bit sweeter on the menu.

Fast entertaining will seem less of a chore and hassle when you keep on hand the things that you will need.  Your preparation will certainly pay off, and you will look like the ultimate hostess or host.  Happy Entertaining!

Flat–  Most of the flowers that have a top that is flat–think Queen Anne’s lace and dill–are fairly large in size.  The good thing is that they do not give off an overwhelming presence thanks to the tiny flowers that make up the head of the flowers.  The way the flowers are formed creates a dainty and elegant feel.  Think about using this flower to help give a hand tied bouquet a rounded shape and also if you need to add in more texture or detail in an arrangement of any size.

Rounded Dome–  Hydrangeas and chrysanthemums are the perfect examples of flowers with dome shaped tops.  These varieties of flowers have the characteristics to make statements and be the focal flowers in an arrangement design.  The heavier heads of the flowers give off a bold look and are typically also bold in color.  If you are planning on having a large design piece then these would be the perfect type of flowers.  They are also useful for arrangements that are more minimilistic.

Spear-Shaped–  For large works in big vases, then a flower with a spear ended tip will add height and give more structure.  Having a longer stem and spear shaped top, these flowers are usually necessary for bigger displays.  Because there are so many flowers on the stem, these flowers are engulfed with color and very interestingly pleasing.  Think of flowers like foxgloves and orchids.

Radially Symmetric– These flowers are typically the first flower that come to mind as regular flowers.  They have the circular center with the petals extending out from it.  Flowers that are of this shape include sunflowers, gerbera daisies and anemones.  Regular flowers with this kind of symmetry are quite versatile.  You can use them alone for a design, or in a larger arrangement also.

Sprays– Flowers that are spray are the perfect addition for mixed arrangements.  With them you can adjsut the shapes and sizes of arrangements to create the perfect height of it.  Think of flowers like lilies and spray roses when you are looking to add to an arrangement with mixed varieties.