Got any vacation plans coming up? We do. If you are a regular reader, you may remember that we typically take off for parts unknown in the autumn of each year to attend a religious festival. For the past five years we have driven down to Tucson…but this year will be different.
In fact…so different that we don’t even know where we’re going yet and we’re leaving in about a week and a half.
It looks like it will likely be Hot Springs, Arkansas that we visit this year, but it’s not for sure yet.
Now…we need to finalize some of the details. I insist on nice lodging, of course. Something like Jaco Beach Vacation Rentals would be great. Not knowing where we’re going yet makes it difficult to make arrangements, but I’m sure we’ll work something out.
No, it won’t be Costa Rica so I shouldn’t even spend any amount of time drooling over these Jaco Beach Vacation Rentals…it’s hard not to, isn’t it? Aren’t they gorgeous? Can’t you just imagine yourself kicking back in that luxury for any amount of time?
We are finally seeing the sun today! While I expect gray and nasty days by November, in September…well…I really want those crisp and sunny days that make me need to dig out my persol sunglasses before I get behind the wheel.
I am off to the apple orchard to pick up a bushel of honey crisp apples that I ordered. That is the highlight of my autumn, I tell you! NOTHING compares to organic honey crisp apples fresh from the trees!
Mmmmmmmmmm
Our family has a strong interest in astronomy and space. My dad has encouraged the kids with their interest in space and he has succeeded in developing keen curiosity in the kids for everything that lies “out there.”
A few years ago, we received a happy gift. Grandpa decided to splurge a little and he decided to purchase one of those home telescopes for us. I wish you could have seen the delight in the kids when he brought it down. Talk about excitement!
It’s been great to watch the result of having a telescope on the kids. It’s opened up a whole new world for them and they have become very knowledgeable about space and astronomy.
I feel so blessed to have been gifted a telescope and not have to wade my way through the many options of telescopes for sale to find the right one for us. With my dad’s experience and expertise, we have the ideal telescope for our needs and I know it’s a high-quality model that will last us for years and years.
Just one of our many homeschooling tools!
I’m always excited to find new do-it-yourself projects that my husband and I can tackle as we slowly work on our home. There are lots of things we would like to do to our home, but for both financial reasons and simple stubbornness, we like to do stuff ourselves. It certainly gives a homeowner a sense of satisfaction to learn how to install bathroom tile and then go on to redo your bathroom to make it look exactly the way you dream. You can’t get that same satisfaction from hiring someone.
Anyway, I found a website that offers home renovation videos that will help teach people how to renovate and work on their homes! They even have free chapters each month and a free sample to check out to see if you like their presentation style.
I went ahead and browsed their titles and easily found things I would definitely enjoy watching, from bathrooms, kitchens, flooring and carpeting, there seems to be something for everyone.
This winter, our project is going to be our upstairs bathroom, so I may be back to this site to check out their bathroom videos. I have a feeling we are going to need all the help we can get!
My laminate countertops have seen better days. One of the things I’d love to update in my kitchen is the countertops. I would probably have quite a time choosing between granite, concrete and marble…but in the end I expect I’d go with granite. It’s elegant, classic and beautiful. I think it would stand up to any abuse that we might give it, too.
Of course, after installing something so beautiful in a very well-used kitchen, I expect I’d be faced very quickly with the prospect of maintaining it to keep it nice. I’d probably need to find a professional service to help me out from time to time.
Too bad I don’t live in Miami! If I did, I could use granite cleaning miami or perhaps granite cleaning miami beach. If I were to place marble counters in the bathroom, I could use marble sealing miami to help me maintain my bathroom counters.
When you go to the expense and effort of installing granite or marble, I would imagine that upkeep and maintenance would be a top priority for most people.
Well, autumn in Wisconsin is definitely here. For the last two days, we have had blustery and rainy weather that is pulling the leaves down from the trees to cover the ground in a red and orange carpet. As much as I love autumn, I’m just glad that I do not have to deal with taking care of one of those above ground pools in addition to all the other things I have to do in the autumn. It freezes here, so I imagine there’s quite a bit of work to get the whole thing ready to withstand a winter.
I know…the kids would dearly love to have a pool in the backyard to splash around in throughout those summer afternoons, but the work aspect of upkeeping a pool does not appeal to me.
One of these years, if I’m ever looking for something extra to keep me busy, maybe I’ll give in and we’ll get one. For now, though…they are going to have to be happy with biking down the street to swim. Of course, by that time I’ll be old and they’ll all be grown and gone! Yes…that doesn’t really work, does it?
I love the tiki hut style that is popular among some homeowners. You know…when you decorate your patio and outdoor landscape with attractive and natural items like
bamboo fencing and patio umbrellas. Definitely a great way to incorporate island decor and feeling…even when you happen to live in a totally landlocked spot like we do.
Bamboo poles are not only great for creating the island theme, but they are a responsible choice when you want to make green choices.
Bamboo is the fastest growing plant known to man…it also has an important role as we strive to reduce timber consumption. Bamboo also enables people to protect the environment and forests because it is so fantastically renewable. Did you know that some species of bamboo can actually grow up to 1 meter each day?? Bamboo can also be harvested on a selective basis without replanting issues.
I love the look of thatching with fronds, bamboo borders, mats and even paneling. In the next year or so when we redo our backyard to incorporate a patio, I would love to add a tropical feel with an abundance of bamboo to our landscape. Beautiful!
We have a light colored berber carper that we have tried really hard to take good care of. Believe me when I say this is no small endeavor with the number of kids we have living in this house. We have a stringent shoe rule that states that everyone must take their shoes off before entering the house — preferably on the side porch that you must walk through to enter the main door of our home. I believe that this rule is instrumental for our carpet staying as clean as it has since we had it installed.
All the same, there are times when I look at it critically and consider what I should do to have it cleaned. This usually leads me to conducting a thorough Internet search, in which I scour the web, looking among the various websites like http://www.thesteamteam.com/austin-carpet-cleaning/ to find a service that I might use to have my carpets cleaned.
I’m sure that Carpet Cleaning Manor could handle our dirt. After all, they’re professionals and our dirt can’t be any worse than anyone else’s….maybe MORE…but no worse, right?
This is the second full day of cold, blustery rain. The kids…accustomed to running around outside…are beginning to show signs of cabin fever. Me…accustomed to them running around outside…am beginning to show signs of crazed mommy syndrome.
This leads me to considering innovative and interesting ideas for entertaining kids when it’s raining.
- Board game extravaganza
- Living room fort
- Baking cookies
- Cleaning out the toy closet — treasure trove galore!
- Treasure hunt
- Floor puzzles
- Read a chapter book aloud
- Make popcorn and eat it on a blanket
- Books on tape
- Red light green light
My parents-in-law live in Maui. In fact, my mother-in-law just celebrated the anniversary of moving out to Maui recently — 25 years ago she pulled up stakes and headed out there to a new life. I’d say it worked out for her…she met her husband and they’ve been married for about 18 years now. My husband and I attempted to relocate out to Hawaii several years after his mom moved there, but things didn’t go quite so smoothly for us and we ended up back on the mainland and have been here ever since.
If you can afford it, Hawaii real estate is a gorgeous thing…especially on Maui. Pick your climate and go and get it on Maui. If you like desert, live in Kihei. If you like it cooler, try the upcountry locales like Makawao. If the beach is for you, there’s always Lahaina or Wailea. If you like it warm and lush, consider Hana.
My husband is a real estate agent, so the idea of selling Hawaii real estate appeals to him. One or two big deals and it would set us for the year!
Anyway…all this talk about Maui is making me want to go visit my MIL!
