Baby it’s cold outside!

Winter seems to be here now, and that means it is super cold in our neck of the woods. We have done a lot to try to prepare our home for the season change (and to help in the heat too). Some of the things we have done were really simple, like hanging drapes and making sure to open them on the right side of the house to maximize the sun exposure, and wearing extra clothes when it gets really cold.

One other thing we did wasn’t as easy, but it has helped, was to install our French door. Replacing an old, not so energy efficient window with a new and improved door has made a big difference. I wish that we could replace the windows in our entire house, I know it would be a major improvement (sadly it would also be a budget buster right now).

However, there are some things that we just can’t compensate for. The layout of our home being one of the major things. Honestly, a four level split seems to be the worst house plan for air flow and energy efficiency. They probably could have planned it better, but back in the 1980’s people weren’t as concerned with it as we are nowadays. There really isn’t a good way to change the mistakes in floor plan, but we do try to use space heaters in the coldest rooms (only when we are in them).

What do you do to help save money on your heating costs?

A natrual Christmas

I think that this wreath from Viva Terra is just lovely!

I love the idea of a nature themed Christmas palate. Christmas trees (the most nature inspired part of the holiday already) could be decorated in pine cones, berries, and other nature inspired ornaments. The dinner table could have pretty plates that looks like stone, or even ice. The possibilities are endless, and all very fun as well. Plus, it’s good for the planet if you use actual bits of nature since you can toss them on the compost pile when the season is over.

Figuring it all out!

In order to keep my blog in accordance with Houseblogs.net, all my house and home posts will be found here from now on (as well as my other blog in some cases). My other blog is really a mishmash of our lives and times, and as such didn’t really fit the mold.
On a happy note, I got a new bathroom light that I can’t wait to install. It was only $25 at Costco, and trust me, it is going to be so much better than the light that came with the house. I can’t wait to share before and after photos!

101 in 1001

Over on my main blog I have a list of 101 things I want to accomplish in 1001 days. On that list is “paint all the rooms in my house a different color”.  When we moved in all the walls were painted white but one bathroom, which is a lovely blue shade (it’s so subtle it’s almost white, but it is color).

So far we have changed the kitchen and dining color by doing a Venetian plaster treatment, and recently we changed the family room color to a rich warm tone. I have also painted our master bath.  This still leaves 5 rooms that are suffering from white wall syndrome. And the previous owners picked a very bright white (I am guessing it’s just the white that is in the can with nothing mixed in). The only thing holding me back from painting is picking the colors!

I am going to try to use a color visualizer when I get a chance (we could make our own on the computer too, but it’s always nice when someone else has done that work for you). Maybe it will help us decide what to do, and get us motivated to paint this winter while we are stuck inside. I also want to try some of the more earth friendly options too, and am thinking of using American Clay in at least one of our rooms.