Speaking of organizing, my husband and I talked about cleaning up our closet again. A quick glance inside our master closet will show rows of trinkets and gadgets like DSLR, his camera lenses, small cash box, my accessories, a talking Barney doll and some papers from the bank. This closet is for our clothes by the way so imagine my disgust everytime I have to sort through these things so I can find something to wear. Inspired by a TV show last night, we decided to use plastic storage boxes for each items and then put all the boxes on the bottom left side of the closet. My mission is to make our closet look as if a personal organizer came in and re-arranged all our stuff. I’m interested on those big boxes that has small individual boxes inside so you can separate the items according to use. I’m very excited with this small project because now, I can finally segregate my husband’s stuff from mine.
Need ideas in upgrading your bedroom? Browse through this san diego bedroom furniture gallery and you’d wonder why you haven’t upgraded your bedroom for a long time.
I prefer comfortable rooms myself with a touch of contemporary style. My idea of a perfect bedroom is one that devoid of clutter, uses earth tone colors with a touch of red or blue on the furniture, a nice huge painting that complements the color of the room and a walk-in closet. So when I saw the Valerie bedroom set below, I wondered if someone has been reading my thoughts. It’s very close to what I have in mind. You can buy this Valerie set at www.jeromes.com for a total of $2,049.99 but you can also choose from their package combinations or buy them per piece.
Aside from contemporary styles, I also like this Manor bedroom set with carved wood and rich cherry finish. It reminds me so much of bed rooms in dream vacations that I see online. It has a rustic and romantic feel to it and being a hopeless romantic myself, I can see myself having a bedroom like this. If I have the budget, I’d go for this one instead of the Valerie set.
When you have a toddler, it’s just natural that the state of your house would be, more often than not, in chaos. Not only with toddlers but if you’re anything like me and my husband, you’d fill your house with any type of knick-knacks, “collectibles”, freebies, old furniture, books, cds and cassette tapes (because you can’t let go of the past) and other more junk that you can ever think of. This is why I’m a fan of the TV show “Clean House” because of their organization tips. I also try to read online about de-cluttering articles so I can put order in our chaotic house. One tip that I’ve been practicing for some time now is the use of storage boxes. I saw a company selling acid free and water resistant storage boxes which I hope can stand the test of time (or at least a couple of years). This is exactly what I need because I have tons of paperwork from old work and projects that I’d like to protect them from moisture and other elements. I also like the idea of using garage storage boxes to store old stuff that you just can’t let go of yet. And if I have my way, I’d probably buy those space-saver, under the bed boxes for storing items that you want to have access quickly. Just make sure you label each boxes so you’d know exactly where to find what you’re looking for. I tend to go crazy packing things in boxes that when the time comes that I need to get something, I end up opening all of them.
Need help on your shopping? Shopwiki.com can help. I confess that I’m clueless when it comes to choosing the right lamp, bedding and furniture. What I do is check websites with buying guides like Shopwiki so I’d know what to look for. For example, when it comes to buying comforters, I just check the design, thickness and that’s it. I get the cheapest with the nicest design. What I didn’t know is that you can compare them better based on fill power ratings. The higher the rating, the better the quality. This explains why some of them are more expensive when they actually look the same.
I’m also an avid reader of ShopWiki’s home decorating style guide. This is what every Do-It-Yourselfers need to read to avoid turning your place into a hodge podge of styles. The common mistake is that people buy things that they think will look good, without considering the overall look and feel of the room. Another thing that I’ve learned is how to shop for desk lamps. Aside from how nice it will look on your work area, you need to consider other requirements such as the ability to direct the light, multiple brightness settings, flexibility, shape and size, even energy statistics of the bulb. I love fancy lamps especially those that use stained glass however, I doubt if it will meet the requirements for my work area. I need something more flexible and one that can provide enough lighting coverage without affecting the whole room. Shopwiki helped me filter my options that I saved a lot of time and effort finding what I really need.
Our cable service got cut off last week due to unsettled bills. It was embarrassing because the only reason why it hasn’t been paid is because everyone is too busy to do it. However, it was also a good thing since my husband has been planning to switch to Cablelink for the longest time. Now that Sky Cable cut us off, there’s no other reason why we shouldn’t go for Cablelink.
Now some might think we made a downgrade. Considering the look of their websites and the rates, it’s understandable if people will think that way. After all, the Sky Cable website have so many useful info like channel lineups, promos, payment options, animated graphics, etc. whereas Cablelink has nothing but a simple bordering on unprofessional page containing application, areas covered, short faqs.
But those were just aesthetics. It’s the quality of programming we’re really after. I haven’t really checked all the channels but I know that Cablelink doesn’t have Velvet and Nickelodeon. However, it has documentary channels that are not included in Sky Cable like Biography, History, Travel and Living and more. These channels, including sports programs are one of the reasons why my husband wanted to switch. My mother in law however, didn’t notice anything different as she watched this show on body detox liver cleanse last night. Even the new channel lineup didn’t bother her because she usually just scans all channels until she finds a show that she likes.
The best part is that we now have Disney Playhouse! You have to be a premium member in Sky Cable to have this channel but in Cablelink, it’s free. Disney Playhouse have helped me so much before when our little one needs to be distracted or throwing tantrums. Just a quick peek on Jojo the Clown, Noddy, Barney or Pocoyo and she’d be all smiles again.
So yes, the cable cut off is indeed, a good thing.
Our neighbor is installing a mailbox similar to whitehall mailboxes that I’ve seen online. My first thought was how it really upgrades the exterior look of someone’s house. I guess it also helped that they have a huge, carefully trimmed front yard, matching the mailbox perfectly. The only thing missing is a couple of lounging chairs to complete the look.
Anyway, our house doesn’t have a mailbox yet. I never thought we’d need one what with the age of computers and Internet but no. We still receive loads of papers, catalogues, snail mails and billing statements. These things tend to get wet when it’s raining and worse, some of them get lost. But if ever we’ll get one, I really like the designs of whitehall mailboxes at mailboxixchange.com. Our house will probably look so much better and our letters more secured. I also like how you can put your family name on the mailbox, as if stamping your grounds with your identity. The prices for whitehall mailboxes range from $270-$418. A bit on the expensive side, yes, but consider that this is designed to stand all kinds of weather. It is crafted of die cast rust free aluminum, and finished in a weather resistant powder coat paint to make it look fresh and new in the next 10 years or so.
I admit I’m never the type who goes for modern furniture. But just recently, my husband sent me some urls of the type of furniture that he likes. We were trying to upgrade the look of our bedroom and work area so we we’re browsing online for ideas. I was surprised to see that almost all of his suggestions are leaning towards modern furniture. I never thought he’d like stuff like the one on the photo below.
On our latest out of town trip, I saw a chair similar to the sofa above in the entertainment room. While waiting for my husband to finish his game, I’ve decided to try it and was pleasantly surprised that it’s very comfortable. I thought it would be very hard and give me back aches but it actually supports my back way better than cushioned chairs. Still, even if it’s comfortable, I just don’t see modern furniture working in our bedroom. We’ll have to change everything from lighting, lamp, dressers and bed. Speaking of bed, I’m willing to go the modern route if I can have everything in this photo at a cheap price.
If there’s a handbook, I’d love to have one. We’ve been spending a lot of money for the past two weeks on toys, shoes and laptop add-ons. I know I should be saving some money, not spending them but these are all items from my long list of things-to-buy. At least I can focus on saving again now that I’ve scratched off some items from the list. NOT!
If only things were that simple.
As soon as we got home, we learned that our microwave oven is taking too long to heat the food and our rice cooker, third this year, broke down just like that. What I usually do when things like these happen is head straight to the supermarket to replace the broken appliances. But just to be sure, I told our helper to ask around the neighborhood if there’s someone who knows how to fix appliances. I’m pretty sure some of the appliance parts just needed to be replaced. The problem is there weren’t any one in the village who knows how. Handymen are a thing of the past LOL. Even my husband told me we should just go ahead and buy them to save time. Time, not money is more important to him. I wish I could say the same.
One of my hobbies when I’m not busy is browse through beautiful houses on the web. When I’m in a good mood, it inspire me to work harder so I can buy one and when I’m not, which is almost all the time, I get pissed off and hate the owners of the house for being rich and all. I find that what I like the most are houses with a huge garden wherein you can place a huge swimming pool yet still have tons of space for a playground or even a conservatory for entertaining or hanging out. There are also houses with landscaped gardens that can rival those from TruGreen brochures. And don’t forget Martha’s properties. Yesterday, I saw her farm on TV and was amazed on how huge it is.
So huge that it resembles a small jungle already. She commissioned someone to put up birdcages on her forest-like property to invite birds and other animals to live there. Must be wonderful to at least have one of her houses.
I’ve been a constant visitor of iVillage.co.uk since 2003. It started when we were moving to my mother-in-law’s house and needed to upgrade the other master bedroom for our own use. It was only my husband and I back then. No little girl to mess up the decors and furniture yet so I have full rein on giving the room a total makeover. I daily check websites about interior designs, makeover TV shows, paints, furniture, cheap deals, etc. This was when I got addicted to iVillage. The Home & Garden section is a wonderful resource for homemakers who are always on the budget like myself. It features DIY stuff, gardening tips, remodeling areas of the house, handling pets, pest control (though I have to say that issues like this should be left with professionals like Terminix), cooking, cleaning and maintenance, and my favorite - a huge photo gallery of design ideas. I noticed that DIY is all the rage now making me wonder if people in the States either have super powers or they don’t have much to do. I for one can’t even juggle my work from home gig and parenting my now 2.5-year-old toddler.
