When Christmas season comes we not only think of getting presents for our loved ones but we also think of creative and colorful ways to make our homes radiate the feeling and ambiance of Christmas. We put up our Christmas tree as early as our hectic schedules allow for starters and fill it with lovely and bright Christmas trimmings. Apart from adding Christmas lights, we also put a number of presents wrapped, not only with colorful wrappers, but also with love and the warmest of thoughts, and under our tree.

And if that is not enough, we also put other Christmas decorations and ornaments like wreaths, lanterns, angels and Santa Claus display in different parts of our home. We also burn scented candles so the house would even smell like Christmas {which is also a very effective way of getting rid of the strong davidoff scent wafting through the air. If we can afford it, am sure we will all get snow machines as well.

We are still looking for a comfortable and inexpensive mattress until now. We started hunting for a mattress last year and actually set on buying the first one we saw on sale. But we ran into some financial issues a few days before the sale period expires so we were not able to purchase the mattress. Well, we just have to wait for another mattress sale before the year ends. Furniture shops normally give out promotional discount or conduct clearance sales around that time.

Hubby and I are thinking of painting our boring-looking wall with light blue or green coat to bring our house to life. But I’m quite worried about the effect of paint to our health. The kids and I have allergic reaction to the strong odor of paint. We are easily irritated by the strong smell causing us to sneeze and cough. There are water-based paints that are odorless or nose-friendly, but we can’t manage to squeeze in a budget for that as they are expensive. With a minimal budget, we have to settle for cheaper alternative. Apart from painting, we are also planning to change the rusty window screens in the bedroom. I guess the more I think about house repair and maintenance the more I worry about the growing household expenses. This means we have to scrimp our budget some more and strike out line items that we can live without such as a brand new tv set with da lite screens.

You swear that you can almost compose a sonata with the endless pitter-patter of water dripping from the faucet in your bathroom. If you’ve had sleepless nights because you had to endure listening to that leaking faucet, you definitely have a plumbing problem. But if you happen to be the only adult in the house, with your handy hubby out of town for God knows how long, and you aren’t too keen on spending a lot for a plumbing repair guy, you might have to do some DIY plumbing.

When dealing with water leaks, the first thing you must do is shut off the main cutoff valve, and turn on the faucets to drain any water left.

Take off the cap on the faucet with the use of a flat-head screwdriver. Remove the handle by unscrewing the handle screw. Before replacing any parts, try to tighten the retaining nut, aka. packing nut. This is what holds the stem in place. If that doesn’t do anything to stop the leak, it’s time to move on to replacing the washers and O-ring. You can get these when you buy a repair kit from the hardware store.

Unscrew the retaining nut, stem and brass screw (this holds the stem washer in place). Remove and replace the stem washer. Remember to rub some silicon grease on the stem before replacing the new washer. Also coat the new washer with grease.

Remove the stem from the retaining nut. Replace the O-ring which sits just below the stem.

Reassemble the faucet handle, and you’re done!

(I am participating in a blogger campaign about plumbing repair and was compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.)

As a kid, I remember spending long hours playing with my Barbie dolls and their magnificent doll house. Even at that age, I already dreamed of having a house just like that when I grow up. Having my own dream house was one of the items on my bucket list then, and that pretty much hasn’t changed until now. Before I plunge into the pool of missouri homes for sale though, it’s best that I, or anyone seriously considering acquiring property for that matter, arm myself with the knowledge of the common mistakes people commit when buying a home:

Not having a set budget. Before anything else, anyone who is thinking of buying a home must set a budget. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you’ll be able to pay off the mortgage for that billion-dollar house if you’re a mere minimum wage earner. Also consider the additional expenses you’ll incur after purchasing the home.

Not completing the home inspection. Common sense would dictate you to carefully inspect anything you wish to spend your hard-earned money on. Enlist the help of an experienced home inspector to do the job.

Forgetting about resale value. Truth be told, nobody lives in any house forever, so there is a probability that at some point, you will have to resell your house. So when buying a house, do ask your realtor about its resale value.

Now that the “home-buying” bug has bitten you, tread carefully and don’t get caught up in all the excitement of getting a new home.

*I am participating in a blogger campaign by Bucks2Blog and was compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.

I received this cute sunflower ornament from my friend Riz the other day. This is practically the same flower which she used in one of her DIY projects. You can find the project here.

Thank you for this, I love it.

Don’t you just feel like your mind fails to work when things around you are a huge mess? A cluttered home makes for a cluttered mind, so the only solution is to de-clutter and organize. This seemingly herculean task can be done, with the proper attitude, and materials.

First thing to do is to dispose of items which you no longer have any use for. If they’ve simply been gathering dust inside your old computer cabinets for at least one year, then it’s time to let them go. What’s the use in keeping something you haven’t used for a long time, right?

Next is organization. If you can, keep items which serve more or less the same purpose together. For instance, keep a cabinet shelf for tools, another one for writing materials, etc. You can put small items together, such as screws and nails, in a tiny zip lock bag, and then keep it in your designated cabinet space for tools.

It doesn’t really take much time or effort to organize your home. It will be well worth it, once you are finally able to think more clearly because there’s more physical space around you.

Most homemakers, including myself, dream of having a beautifully designed kitchen. There are people who invest a good sum in repairing or redecorating their kitchen to achieve the desired appearance they want. Kitchen is where we spend a great deal of time preparing the best meal we can serve our family, so it’s fitting to have an organized and spacious corner to inspire us to cook more. I’m a sucker for neat interior design although I don’t have the talent and resources to decorate my own home for now.

Here’s some lovely kitchen designs that I want to have in the future. How about you, what is your idea of a good kitchen design?

Photo credits: ivillage.com

My husband noticed a fresh brown stain on the ceiling while it was raining hard the other day. He is worried the dripping will get worse (anticipates flooding) so he immediately look for the leak and applied roof sealant to the affected area. Our house was flooded last year (ankle high). It took us almost an hour to drain the rain water using dustpan, pail, basin and mop. No one is wearing rain boots while we are draining the collected water. I could wear an english riding boots (if I own one) just to protect my feet. The kids are likewise exposed to the dirty water so I told them to wash their feet thoroughly to prevent possible infection from setting in.

Roof repair and replacement is an option to our perennial problem. But we can’t afford to do it right now. Lots of sealant here and there will suffice for the meantime.

Here’s hubby fixing one of the wooden chairs at home.

The chair is kind of shaky and unsafe to sit on, so he got a piece of wood to brace its legs. After a few minutes of hammering, the chair looks good as new.

It saves us money for repair and hubby even got to exercise a little. He does a pretty good job here. Thanks my handyman.