• Remote controlled fan. Now, I know that ceiling fans are considered a design no-no by many folks on HGTV, but I disagree wholeheartedly. Not only can you find one that looks good, but in many parts of the country, having one makes life much more bearable. The fan in our master bedroom has a remote control, which can dim the lights and turn the fan on, off, and change the speed and direction. It was here when we bought the house, so it’s not exactly our style, but now that we have had one with a remote, we will never go back.
• Door lock with keypad. I never thought this would become a must have (it too was here when we moved in), but it is so handy. I love being able to go out through my garage door without taking my keys. It also comes in real handy when coming home from shopping, no fumbling with keys with arms full of food. Just a quick push of some buttons and the door is open.
• Remote control dimmers. We installed new lights and light switches in our family room, which is used as our theater room. When we did so we choose a dimmer switch with a remote control. The even cooler part? We programed our TV remote to control the lights as well.
• Garage door opener. These are commonplace, but if you have ever had yours break, you know that they are one of the best things ever.
• Light timers. Not just for going on vacation! We got one for when we went away, but have left it set up ever since. Being that I was always the one to turn on a light when it got dark, not having to think about it, has been really nice. I love that it just turns on and off without me doing a single thing.
• Digital photo frame with program. The digital photo frame is an awesome little gadget, and it becomes even cooler when it can run a program. Like a light timer, we can set our frame to come on and off and certain times of the day. We set it to come on when we are at home, and not to run when we are busy in the day. I love being able to add photos at any time, and it sure beats having loads of frames cluttering things up.

Of course I have gadgets on my wish list too! I really want a Roomba, light control windows, and a self cleaning toilet. What are your must have gadgets?

After the wind stops, we usually have a lot of debris in the yard, including a shingle now and then. We have been up on the roof, and we know that we have several spots that need to be redone. Ideally we would redo the whole roof, since our current roof is obviously a bit older. Since we probably don’t have the budget for that, we will just patch it up ourselves. Luckily, that’s not too hard of a DIY project.

For those of you lucky enough to get new roofs, there is a contest called That’s My Roof, which is sponsored by Owens Corning, that you could enter. From now until October 31, 2010 if you buy a roof from them, you can upload a photo and possibly win monthly $500 prizes or the grand prize: a refund for the cost of the new roof! Even though we aren’t going to replace just yet, I took their roofing color personality quiz for fun. My results?

While not a favorite color combo in real life (though I do like yellow), the personality description actually fit pretty well. Then they offer a few color combo choices for roofing, all of which were very nice and would probably look great on our house too.

We would love to add solar shingles to our roof in addition to new regular shingles, but first, we have to patch those holes! It’s so much more fun to spend time doing other projects, it’s easy to forget about bigger, more important ones like the roof. Thank goodness for little reminders now and then.

*Speaking of roofs, have you seen the one over on DIY Diva?*

What about your roof? What kind of roof do you have? Do you like what you have, or would you change it if you could?

When you do you usually work on your home improvements? Are you weekend warriors too?

This weekend we aren’t working on projects, but spending quality time having fun with family. The house can always wait, some things are much more important. I just hope the house doesn’t end up waiting forever.

Each time I vacuum, even now that we have lived here for almost 5 years, the vacuum fills up with carpet fibers. Instead of just having nice, clean carpet, we get to enjoy a burning rubber smell as the vacuum overheats and almost dies, or a terrible sound that makes it sound like the vacuum is about to explode. And here is the kicker, we have two very nice vacuums. One of them is a Dyson, the other a Hoover. It’s not unusual for me to have to pull them apart to remove carpet fibers from around the brush. In fact, I usually have to do that at least once or twice a month.

One day my mom brought over her carpet cleaner, and I warned her that I didn’t think it was going to work. We decided to try it, since she has a room with similar carpet (although obviously hers is higher quality) and it worked just fine for her. We got one square done before the cleaner died and I had to take it apart to fix it.

New flooring is on the wish list for sure as I have mentioned before, but it’s not just about looks. It’s about function too! Vacuum killer, qu’est que c’est!

Adorable squirrel, inside of an equally adorable log, seeks plant for long term happiness. Looking for a plant that will enjoy sitting in the sun, listening to music, and the occasional nibble from the resident bird. You can expect to be watered at all times, and to always look cute. Will you be mine?

I just got this fun self watering pot. I can’t wait to put a plant in it, and add water so I can see the squirrel pop up. I found it here.