When my husband and I were house hunting for a new home more than 10 years ago, I picked my town in part because I loved the beautiful historic and Victorian homes that line the streets. But despite all the beautiful older homes in my town, I knew I wanted to purchase a brand-new home. My husband and I aren't handy, so I knew that purchasing a charming vintage home that may require updating and some fixes would be quite expensive for us -- everytime something broke or when we wanted to add our own touches to the home, we would have to pay a contractor to do the work for us. Plus, it is Continue reading...
Moen Kiran Spot Resist Kitchen Faucet
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Moen, Incorporated for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. My home has a casual simple style, but I do like to keep it clean. That’s why I think the Kiran Spot Resist one-handle pulldown kitchen faucet would be a great fit for my home’s kitchen. The faucet is spot and fingerprint resistant, which as a mom, are two very important features! My time can be very limited, so if my kitchen faucet can look clean with less effort from me, I am good! It is especially important that every aspect of my kitchen looks clean, because with my Continue reading...
Mom Home Guide House Tour
I just love looking at online house tours of other mom bloggers' homes. One house tour I recently saw was that of blogger Jenna from SAS Interiors. I just love how beautiful her home looks, from her tidy and clutter-free foyer, to her modern kitchen with beautiful wood floors to the serene master bedroom. I wish my home was so masterfully designed! To me, my home is a work in progress. Over the past few months, I've completed a few home improvements, like making our home's mudroom/foyer area more functional, creating a fun study/media/play space for the kids and adding Continue reading...
An Organized Kitchen Command Center
It’s often said that the kitchen is the heart of the home, but unfortunately for many moms, the kitchen is often the central point for something unwanted – piles of clutter. My kitchen tends to accumulate a lot of clutter, too. My kids like to do their homework on the kitchen table (even though there’s a desk for them upstairs), so we often have to take the time before dinner to clear off homework, pencils, books, etc. The kitchen table is also where I tend to leave the mail for my spouse to see when he comes home, so junk mail and newspapers tend to pile up there, too. Fridge Continue reading...
My Bread Machine
I’ve long thought about buying a bread machine, but held off, thinking that the small appliance would become a short-lived fad, only to take up the limited space in my cabinets. But, I am happy to say that since I have purchased my bread maker, the Zojirushi 1-Pound-Loaf Programmable Mini Breadmaker from Amazon.com, the appliance has a permanent place on my kitchen counter. I like the bread machine's mini profile, that the machine is so easy to program (most times, I just press “start”) and that its parts – like the baking pan and the kneading blade – are so easy to clean. Easy Continue reading...
Baskets for Kitchen Organization
Years ago, when my husband and I moved into our home, there was plenty of storage in our new kitchen. But since then, I've acquired new cooking tools, small appliances and servingware, and now, there is not enough room to store all of our kitchen stuff in our tiny kitchen. Add to that all the plastic cups and plates for outdoor dining, and lunch box supplies for my kids, and we really have a problem! Despite the lack of plentiful cupboard space in my home's kitchen, I've recently found extra storage space in the kitchen. How did I do that? I created extra space on top of my Continue reading...
Kitchen Wine Glass Organization
The cabinet space in my kitchen is limited, so I recently added some extra storage to my kitchen to hang some of my more decorative wine glasses. My husband isn't a wine drinker, so it isn't often that we drink wine together, but I do like to serve wine occasionally when my dad stops by for dinner, or when I have friends over from the block for a ladies' night. The wine rack that I chose -- the Oenophilia Under Cabinet Stemware Rack -- was just under $13 and can hold six wine glasses, plus my two margarita glasses. In the rack I've hung some pretty striped wine Continue reading...
New Spice Cabinet Reveal
Inspired by the New Year's Prize Organizing Resolution Prize Challenge that some of favorite bloggers are hosting (like A Bowl Full of Lemons, Ask Anna, and Organizing Made Fun) I decided to add some extra storage in my kitchen for my spices. I took an old piece of furniture that was in my home's basement (I think it used to be a night stand). The wooden night stand has one long drawer that would be great for holding spices. But, the piece, with dark black spots in some places and a worn oak finish, could use some TLC. Plus, the stand had an old large handle on it that gave it a Continue reading...
Kitchen Organization
I've been working hard to organize my kitchen, but as any mom knows, keeping a kitchen neat and organized is a never-ending job! I recently organized a cabinet in my kitchen, with fairly good results. Using cloth organizing bins, I organized all the pantry staples that I store in there -- stuff like soup, canned vegetables and snacks for the kids. You can read more about my pantry cabinet in my post, Organization Spree: The Kitchen. K Cup Refreshment Center This fall, I also got my husband a Keurig (K Cup) coffee brewer, so I've also created a mini drink station on our kitchen Continue reading...
Keurig K-Cup Home Brewer — A Hot Father’s Day Gift!
I love my family's Keurig K-Cup Home Brewer. I originally bought the coffee maker as a gift to give to my husband for Christmas, but my kids convinced me to give the brewer to him right away, since he often drinks coffee on the way to work in the morning. If the man in your life doesn't have a K Cup home brewer, it would make a perfect Father's Day gift! The brewer has become a family favorite. My kids love it, because now they can make their own hot drinks on their own, instead of asking me to heat up some hot apple cider, hot chocolate, etc., in the microwave. I keep large mugs in a great Continue reading...