Saturday, January 30, 2016

Finishing The Room Over Our Garage

Who remembers our old furniture and pillow hoarding room at the end of the hall that we used to call "the storage room"? You may recall that we stole a bit of its square footage to create our laundry room), which conveniently left us with a more rectangular shaped room and easier access via the new glass door that we installed at the end of the hallway.


Playroom-End-Of-Hall


And if you follow us on Instagram or Facebook, you already know that it has been undergoing a bit of a transformation lately…


Playroom-Sherry-Nailing


First, some background. We knew this room would someday become a great bonus space for us. Many of our neighbors' homes had their above-the-garage area finished from the get-go, but for some reason ours only got framing and HVAC (which we kept turned off in there to avoid heating/cooling a room with no insulation). So for a few years, it was just a spot where we corralled things like seasonal decorations, yet-to-be-used furniture, and my wife's collection of 10,000 maniacs pillows. OK, that might be a slight exaggeration, there may have only been 5,000.


Playroom-Floor-Plan


Looking back, we realized we never showed very much of this room because, well, there wasn't much to show. You get a good-but-dark view of it during this house tour video (around the 3:10 mark) and you caught a few glimpses of it during our laundry reno posts. Mostly it looked like the room where you might inexplicably find that single shoe you've been missing for the last twelve months or a half-eaten box of old raisins. In other words: super organized.


Playroom-During-Laundry-Demo


When we moved in, turning it into a legit room was pretty low on our to-do list, figuring we wouldn't need it until our kids (well, kid at the time) grew and could use it more as an independent playing/movie-night/sleepover-hosting space. But as the years rolled by (and our child count doubled, along with a bunch of our friends' broods) we realized that 360 finished square feet would be a lot more useful than "an almost-finished room to hoard ALL THE PILLOWS" (besides, Sherry still has our walk-up attic for that).


We think it'll be handy for art/homework/playing/movie nights & spillover sleeping space for all of our friends & family with more than one kid (that's all our guest room really fits comfortably). So late last year we began the process of turning the unfinished storage space into a finished room. It was all pretty straightforward – get some of the electrical updated, add insulation & drywall, install flooring/trim/baseboard, then paint – and voila! Here's the closest thing I dug up to a "before" which was taken while we were using it as a painting space for our hallway wainscoting project.


Playroom-Single-Window


First we had our go-to electrician add outlets and recessed lights (which is a lot faster/less expensive when there's no drywall), and we hired a local window company to convert an existing single window into a triple window to let in a lot more light. As you can see in the photo above, it was already framed with the necessary header for a larger window – making it a pretty simple switch (the exterior here is one of our few spots of siding, so no brick work was necessary either). Excuse the bowing in some of these pics – we just used the panoramic feature on our iPhones. 


Playroom-Before-Framed


We considered doing the drywall ourselves, but it's a not a task we particularly enjoy or are particularly fast at (drywalling and mudding the laundry room was fine, but this is roughly 6X bigger). So we found a local pro (the window guy's cousin, actually) who came in with two other guys and knocked it all out in three days for us. Best. Decision. Ever.


Playroom-Before-Drywalled


That just left us with finishing & flooring stuff (priming & painting the walls/ceiling, laying hardwoods, installing trim & baseboards, and then the obligatory twirling around in the finished space like a Disney character). After considering wall-to-wall carpeting, we opted to continue the same oak hardwood flooring that goes throughout the rest of the upstairs. Since you see it down the hallway, we thought the flow would be nice and it'll hopefully make the room feel like it was always finished (as opposed to being an add on). And we're thinking we'll put down a nice big area rug to cozy things up like we did in the other rooms upstairs.


Lucky for us, this room wasn't cursed with the same particle board subfloor that the rest of our house's second floor had (which required a floating hardwood installation). Regular plywood subfloor meant we could try our hand at a more traditional nail-down installation, which ended up being weirdly fun. I'll try to share some tips on what we learned in another post.


Playroom-John-Nailing


You can see that we painted the walls before installing the floor, using the same color that's in the hallway (Edgecomb Gray by Benjamin Moore), and then it was just a matter of adding baseboards and trimming out the windows. Although by this time the kids were so excited to see it come together that they couldn't have cared less about what the windows looked like.


Playroom-Spinning


Now we're in the process of filling it in. As much fun as a big empty room without any furniture is (and believe me, we were briefly tempted to leave it like that for sheer running/jumping/"GET SOME ENERGY OUT KIDS!" stuff) we know it'll serve us even better with actual things in it.


Playroom-Finished


We're planning to take it slow on the furnishing front: bringing in a few already-owned items, relocating a few existing toys, and adding a hand-me-down craft table for the kids (you know, as opposed to buying a bunch of new things to fill it up right away – just so we can see how we naturally use the space). Although we do have a plan for that recessed/sloped area around the single window, and we're in the process of updating a Craigslist find for the room. We hope to drop back in with more details when it comes together a little more, but until then just picture the kids (Burger included) running laps and laughing/barking loudly while their voices echo off the freshly hung walls.


Psst- We finally created this Shop Our House page to help you hunt down any furniture/accessories that you see in our house, along with our paint colors (only took us 2.5 years!). 

Friday, January 29, 2016

Design Dilemma - decorating above a cabinet

I mentioned when I shared my 2016 plans for the blog that I would be starting a design dilemma series this year. Over the years since I've been blogging I've had the honor of fielding a number of design related questions from sweet readers. It's always such a compliment to me that any of you would seek my advice. Truly, your emails pretty much make my day. As I've mentioned multiple times, I'm not an expert, not a designer, just a design-obsessed girl with a passion for creating stylish, livable spaces, so the fact that you take the time to message me for help feels really special.

I think sometimes we just need a second opinion or a sounding board to help us flush out our ideas and arrive at a conclusion. Today we're discussing the age old question of……….

"How should I decorate the space above a cabinet?"

We're not talking kitchen cabinets; we're talking tv cabinets, armoires and other tall pieces of furniture.

Specifically, a lovely reader, who is working on pulling her family living space together, is having trouble figuring out what to do with the space above her television cabinet.


The ceiling is tall in this room, so there's quite a bit of space above the cabinet. If the ceiling was lower I might recommend not putting anything above the cabinet at all. I'd say a good general rule of thumb is if there's less than 2 ft above the cabinet just leave the space empty. Not every flat surface needs to have something on display. But in this case, there's a lot more than 2 feet above the cabinet and this wall in general seems to be the focal point of the whole room, so having something above the cabinet definitely makes sense. Here are few ideas for dealing with this space…….

#1 - Hang Something Sculptural

You don't necessarily have to set objects on the space above a cabinet. Alternatively, something hung on the wall will finish the space off quite nicely without looking too overdone or cluttered. Less to dust is always a good thing in my book. I'd stick to sculptural types of pieces rather than a painting or picture as they will blend in to make one overall statement rather than stealing the show.

decorating above a cabinet - hang something sculptural - via Emily A Clark
Emily A Clark
decorating above a cabinet - hang something sculptural  - vis  Ballard Designs
Ballard Designs
#2 - Stack Things

Decorative boxes, crates and vintage suitcases are all great things to stack on top of a cabinet adding height and interest. I myself love vintage suitcases as they double as great storage pieces for out of season items like wool blankets, sweaters, holiday table linens, etc.

ideas for decorating above a cabinet
the living room in our kentucky house
ideas for decorating above a cabinet
master bedroom in our kentucky house
And in the case of a bedroom armoire, a stack of quilts not only looks great but is a great decorative storage idea freeing up space in your linen closet.

Design Dilemma - Decorating above a Cabinet - Bedroom Armoir - Stack Quilts
Ballard Designs
#3 - Go with a One - Two Punch

What I refer to as "the one-two punch" is a little design trick you'll see employed by many stylists. Basically it's two of the exact same items (or two pieces similar in size, shape & style) paired with one larger sized piece. As a general rule things looks best when grouped in odd numbers. When collecting items to group and display above your cabinet, think big. Oversized items have more presence above eye level.

decorating above a cabinet
Pottery Barn
I'm not usually a fan of greenery above a cabinet, but here a bunch of dried eucalyptus works well in this large basket.
decorating above a cabinet
Ballard Designs
#4 - One Large Item

I think simplicity is best in most cases and one large scale item can be the perfect finishing touch.

Emily A Clark

#5 - Look to Catalogs for Styling Inspiration

Last but not least if a decorating or styling issue is causing you to rack your brain, thumb through your favorite home store catalogs for ideas. You may have noticed that a majority of the photos featured above are from Pottery Barn and Ballard Designs, those are two of my personal favorites for styling ideas. Both companies have great stylists working for them, and if you really study their catalogs you'll find tons of decorating inspiration and ideas to use in your home. Don't just look at the things they're trying to sell you, examine what's in the photo that makes the space look like you want to live there.

In regards to this sweet reader's space here's a little decorating mock-up (don't judge my sad photo editing skills) of what I think might work well in her living space.

design dilemma - decorating above a cabinet
curtain panels, wooden tray, blue vase, round baskets, rectangular baskets, bird print pillow, damask, moroccan
Her television cabinet is quite large, so instead of just one large statement piece above, which would probably be hard to find, I'd recommend a collection of round similar size baskets. A display of five medium size baskets staggered would create a unified look yet not be too cluttered. And I'd complement the baskets on top by bringing baskets in a similar tone to the the shelves below, which will make the baskets on top look more intentional. Then I'd hang neutral curtain panels in the room to soften the whole space and inject a little pattern. For the windows on either side of the tv cabinet, I'd just hang one panel on each window instead of two. I'd hang the panels just under the ceiling fan height which looks to be about 2 ft above the top of the window molding. The addition of window panels will help to soften all the horizontal lines on the wall with the cabinet and will frame that large piece of furniture. Then because I just couldn't help myself, I played around with some finishing accessory ideas. This space already has a great foundation that I know this reader is happy with, but sometimes what keeps us from "finishing" our spaces entirely is getting hung up on the little stuff…….like what to put up above the tv cabinet.

These are just my thoughts and ideas. I don't really think there are any hard and fast rules. It's really all about playing with things until you find a look you love. What do you all think? Do you have any tips or ideas to share for decorating the space above a cabinet? Let's discuss in the comments section down below!

And if you have a design dilemma you'd like to have tackled here at Our Fifth House, shoot me an email with the subject line - HELP: Design Dilemma!

*affiliate links used

Central Bank has no power to end two-tier mortgage market

The Central Bank has no power to compel banks to end the two-tier market on mortgage variable rates, its newly installed Governor Professor Philip Lane has admitted.



Prof Lane also told TDs and Senators that interfering in the contracts between a lender and borrower was not in the bank's power.




Speaking to the Oireachtas Finance Committee earlier this week, Fianna Fáil's finance spokesman Michael McGrath said many of the reductions in rates that have been announced over the past year are restricted to new customers.




Prof Lane said he understood that it appeared unfair.




But he added: "Banks have to be run on a commercial basis. We can discuss the issue about delivering competition in the banks, and we can discuss whether the existing high rates are likely to persist, but the Bank cannot interfere with the contracts between the lender and the borrower."




He said the Central Bank will look at ensuring the process for switching a mortgage to another lender is easier.




"But the issue of insisting that a bank treats new customers and existing customers the same way, that's not really within our power," he added.




Despite the huge difference in costs between here and the eurozone average, the Central Bank said last week that variable rates were down marginally in November.




Six main domestic lenders were twice dragged in before Finance Minister Michael Noonan last year in a bid to persuade them to cut their high variable rates. AIB and its EBS subsidiary responded with cuts.




Mr McGrath said more needs to be done by the Central Bank as the banks' rates are "unjustifiable".




"I think it is fundamentally unfair that the rate reductions are not being extended to the existing customer base across the banking system. You are a new governor and I hope that this is an issue that you will tackle," he said.




Figures from the Central Bank released last week showed first-time buyers here are paying €2,000 more a year for their mortgages than the equivalent in the rest of the Eurozone.




That is because the average variable mortgage rate is almost 2pc higher here than the average in the euro currency area. New home buyers are being charged an average borrowing rate of 3.96pc.




The equivalent euro rate is nearly half this, at 2.05pc.




The post Central Bank has no power to end two-tier mortgage market appeared first on MyHome.ie Advice & Blog.

Fashion and Basketball

yellow sweater

Happy Friday everyone!  I'm feeling all sorts of fancy in yet another black and white striped top I bought for myself.  Sorry.  None of you were there to stop me.  :)   But when the front says "fancy" and the back says "schmancy".. AND black and white stripes?  #couldntwalkaway The top is from Banana Republic […]


The post Fashion and Basketball appeared first on The Sunny Side Up Blog.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Smashed Potato Soup - Dairy & Gluten Free

 Loaded Smashed Potato Soup - dairy free, gluten free

I was originally planning to share this loaded smashed potato soup recipe next month, but then I thought y'all might like to have this recipe in time for your Super Bowl gatherings. If you're anything like me the Super Bowl is really about three things - the food, the commercials and the half time show.

This soup is a great one to add to your Super Bowl party menu. It's easy to prepare (takes maybe 20 minutes of prep time), and you can leave it simmering on the stove for guests to serve themselves. Plus I think it's fun to have a soup toppings bar at a party.

Ingredients:
1 pkg of bacon - chopped
5 cloves of garlic - chopped
12 medium size yellow potatoes - skins on - cut into 3/4 inch cubes
32 oz (about 4 cups) of chicken broth (I prefer free range or homemade bone broth if I have it on hand.)
1 -13.5 oz can of full fat coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp sea salt

loaded smashed potato soup

Directions:
In a large soup pot over medium high heat brown the bacon until crispy. Take half of the bacon out and lay on a paper towel lined plate. And also take about 3 tablespoons of the grease out of the pot. Add in the garlic, let it brown and then pour in the chicken broth. Add in the potatoes and all of the spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover. Let cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Then remove the lid, and add in the coconut milk. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes and mix in the coconut milk. Garnish with shredded cheese (we use goat's or sheep's milk cheddar, I'm allergic to cow's milk), chives and bacon. Enjoy!

Dairy free, Gluten Free, Paleo - Loaded Smashed Potato Soup

This soup pairs really well with one of my favorite hard ciders - Woodchuck Gumption. This savory soup with a hint of spice works so well against the sweetness of the cider. Perfect combo for epic commercial watching, if I do say so myself.

Leftovers of this soup taste even better. But maybe that has more to do with the fact that there's zero prep involved in reheating. At any rate, making this soup on a Sunday night and enjoying the leftovers for lunch all week is pretty awesome! I'm actually eating a bowl of leftover soup as I type this post.

For those that are gluten and dairy free, you know how hard it is to find a safe soup at a restaurant. It's basically near impossible. So it's nice to have a few tried and true yummy and easy to make soup recipes up your sleeve. And I promise, your friends will have no idea that this soup is food allergy friendly. If you make this for your Super Bowl gathering, get creative with the toppings - sour cream (for your friends that aren't dairy free), red onions, green onions, soup crackers.......the fun is all in the toppings! And since I have more of a salty than sweet tooth, I think this is better than an ice cream sundae. ;)

Residential property prices rose 6.6% last year

The price of residential properties outside Dublin rose by 1.2 per cent in December, according to official statistics.


The figure, from the Central Statistics Office’s Residential Property Price Index, compares with a rise of 0.7 per cent in December of last year. Prices were 10.2 per cent higher than in December 2014.


Residential property prices across the State increased by 6.6 per cent in the year to December. This compares with an increase of 6.5 per cent in November and an increase of 16.3 per cent recorded in the twelve months to December 2014.


Overall, residential property prices increased by 0.5 per cent in the month of December. This compares with a decrease of 0.5 per cent recorded in November and an increase of 0.4 per cent recorded in December of last year.


In Dublin, residential property prices decreased by 0.5 per cent in December and were 2.6 per cent higher than a year ago. Dublin house prices decreased by 0.5 per cent in the month and were 2.1 per cent higher compared to a year earlier.


Dublin apartment prices were 7.8 per cent higher when compared with the same month of 2014.


Overall, house prices in Dublin are 34.2 per cent lower than at their highest level in early 2007. Apartments in Dublin are 40.6 per cent lower than they were in February 2007.


Residential property prices in Dublin are 36.1 per cent lower than at their highest level in February 2007. The price of residential properties across the rest of the State is 35.4 per cent lower than their highest level in September 2007.


Overall, the national index is 33.5 per cent lower than its highest level in 2007.


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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Valentine’s decor (and clean drawers!) in the butler’s pantry

organized-butler's-pantry

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Already half way through the week.  I have been organizing up a storm!  I sometimes get in a grove organizing and don't want to come up for air.  I have to remind myself to get dressed and eat and take care of my kids and update my blog.  Kidding!  Sort of.  :) […]


The post Valentine's decor (and clean drawers!) in the butler's pantry appeared first on The Sunny Side Up Blog.

Government to provide 17,000 social housing units this year

The Government has said it will provide another 17,000 units of social housing this year as part of its five-year programme to tackle the housing crisis.


In a report on the Social Housing Strategy, the Department of the Environment said the recovery in public housing is now happening faster than in the private sector.


The 17,000 units are to be provided by a mixture of construction, refurbishment of empty local authority dwellings, leasing buildings for rental to council tenants and rental-assistance schemes where local authorities pay supplements directly to private landlords.


This now includes the Housing Assistance Payment which provides rent for those on low incomes as distinct from social welfare.


Just over 13,000 units were provided last year which was an 86% increase on the year before.


The overall plan is to provide a total of 110,000 units of accommodation including new builds for those on council waiting lists between 2015 and 2020 at a cost of nearly €4bn.


Minister Alan Kelly said local authorities will be constructing 10,000 new social housing units a year by 2020.


There will 1,000 such units this year and he said the "foundational work" of selection, acquisition and planning is being done now following the hiring of 240 additional planning staff for local councils.


Minister Kelly said that construction work could not happen any faster and that it is the biggest home-building programme in the history of the State.


He said 500 units of modular housing will be completed this year in Dublin.


He blamed the crisis on the previous government saying: "It is rooted in decisions and neglect of previous administrations, where local authorities had their expertise in housing development systematically removed during the construction boom, where local authorities became enablers as opposed to providers of social housing."


However, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin have criticised the Government's response to the housing crisis.


Fianna Fáil have tabled a Dáil motion calling on the minister to sign an order requesting NAMA to provide 10,000 units to the State for social housing.


The party's environment spokesperson Barry Cowen said the issue did not even feature at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis.


"It remains to be seen if Fine Gael and Labour do the decent thing or simply continue to ignore the thousands of people stuck in emergency accommodation".


The post Government to provide 17,000 social housing units this year appeared first on MyHome.ie Advice & Blog.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

95% of properties available to rent out of reach for those on rent supplements

A study of the rental housing market has found just one of the 746 properties listed online is within the financial reach of a single person on rent assistance payments — and it was in Co Leitrim.


The analysis of the rental properties, conducted in November over a three-day period, was carried out by the Simon Communities, who said results proved that the provision of rent supplement was not an adequate protection against the risk of homelessness.


The report, ‘Locked Out Of The Market III: The Gap Between Rent supplement/HAP Limits and Market Rents’ is the third such analysis carried out by the Simon Communities.


It found fewer properties were available for rent overall — a 13% fall compared with the number available to rent in the study last August, and a 35% drop compared to the number of properties listed last May.


This most recent analysis found that 95% of properties available to rent were beyond the reach of those in receipt of rent supplement/HAP (Housing Assistance Payment).


It also found that 4.5% of all properties available to rent were at or below rent supplement/HAP limits across 11 locations in the November study period, and just one property was available to rent within the limits for a single person across all 11 locations.


Likewise, just one property was available to rent within the rent supplement/HAP limits for all of the four household types (Single Person; Couple; Couple/one parent with one Child; and Couple/one parent with two Children) in six of the locations, including Athlone, Dublin City, and Portlaoise.


Niamh Randall, national spokesperson for the Simon Communities, said rent supplement was “not fulfilling” its role of maintaining people in housing.


The post 95% of properties available to rent out of reach for those on rent supplements appeared first on MyHome.ie Advice & Blog.

they literally are perfect linens

Perfect Linens  - Second Skin Sheets

It's hard to accurately convey my love for these sheets. Seriously. They are the best sheets I've ever had. I dream about getting back in them as soon as I wake up in the morning. They make my bed feel like a happy little sleep cocoon. They're just so soft and comfortable that I'm pretty sure if the company who makes them, Perfect Linens, made pajamas out of this material I might never wear real clothes again. No, I am not over exaggerating. Truth. That is what I'm doling out right now.

I received these "second skin" sheets from Perfect Linens back in December and even my husband, who doesn't usually notice things like a new set of sheets, immediately commented on how awesome they felt. "Where did you get these?" "They feel amazing!" Usually that level of enthusiam is reserved for UK basketball………..and one other thing. #tmi? ;)

Perfect Linens  - Second Skin Sheets

"I know!", I responded, grinning ear to ear like a kid on Christmas morning. I mean, you know you're a full fledged adult when something like a new set of sheets makes you this happy. But if being in love with a great set of sheets makes you an old lady, well then sign me up for bingo at the seniors center because now that I've found the equivalent of mecca in a set of perfect to the touch - easy to wash - easy to care for sheets - I will never again sleep with anything else.

But seriously guys, and I'm not even kidding or exaggerating one single bit, these are literally the best sheets I've ever owned. I know, I said that already. It's just sooooo true.

Perfect Linens  - Second Skin Sheets

Perfect Linens' sheets feel like a return to tradition, like this is how sheets are supposed to be made to feel. Sleeping with them feels like being transported to a time when quality more than quantity mattered, and things were made to last. Ok, now things are getting a little too weird and deep huh?

The Second Skin sheets that I love so much come in three different styles. I liked the pattern of the fern green, but wasn't crazy about the color. I just wanted something that would contrast against the green in our bedding. So I added a very small amount of bleach to the wash cycle when I first received them and that turned the embroidery a really pretty gold color. YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BLEACH THEM. But I don't usually follow the rules. ;) And I only added bleach just that one time.

If you prefer sheets without any embroidery/embellishment, Perfect Linens offers a number of different collections to choose from in a variety of colors. I'm really excited to try the Toastmaster sheets in the color Frosted Rose.

Perfect Linens  - Second Skin Sheets

But the best news for all of us is that Perfect Linens is offering a discount code for Our Fifth House readers! Use code FifthHouse35 to receive $35 off a $100 purchase! In my opinion, you can keep the flowers and chocolates…….These life altering sheets are the perfect Valentine's Day gift for any couple. But hey, breakfast in bed to go with them would not be bad either. Also a great set of sheets makes for a wonderful wedding present. And if you have them monogrammed……even better!

While this post was sponsored, all overly enthusiastic thoughts are 100% genuine. Find out for yourself. Check out customer reviews on the Perfect Linens site and you'll soon discover I'm not the only one who's in love with these sheets! I mean, any company that offers a 45 day 100% money back guarantee knows they're product is like magic! #wecouldallusealittlemagicinbed #keepitclassy

Monday, January 25, 2016

my organized closet

One of the things I love most about our new house (wonder when I'll stop referring to it as "new"?.....maybe after we've been here a year?) is that the hubs and I each have our own walk-in closet. It feels like such a luxury to have a closet all to myself. And while I'm already a big time nerd about all things organization, having a closet space all to myself has sent me into major organization geek mode. Last fall I shared my simple trick for keeping my closet streamlined and organized, and today I'm giving you a little closet tour!

Someday I'd like to replace the wire shelving with a nicer looking closet system, but for now I had laminate shelves (from Lowe's) cut down to size and slid them right on top of the wire shelves. It was easy and inexpensive, and it's working like a charm.

organized closet

I really love how versatile the laminate shelves are as they can be used for stacks of clothes or shoes.

laminate shelves cut down to fit over wire closet shelving

In another attempt to disguise the wire shelving, I looped ribbon (Hobby Lobby) through the wire edge fronts of each shelf. Totally not necessary, but for a couple of dollars and five minutes of my time I think it was worthwhile. If for no other reason than it makes me smile when I walk in here.

laminate shelves cut down to fit over wire closet shelving  - wire fronts disguised with fabric ribbon

I prefer to use wood hangers. I like that they're a tad bulkier than plastic or velvet hangers, so they force me not to over stuff my closet rods. I've had these hangers for years now, and I collected them slowly only buying them whenever they were on sale.

closet organization

I'm a big time lover of bins, baskets and labels (#organizationnerdalert) for corralling things. These fabric bins (purchased at Target years ago) easily slide in and out just like drawers.

organized closet

To maximize every bit of accessible storage, I brought in a couple of shelf risers (Bed, Bath & Beyond) to get a few more shoes into this spot.

shelf risers for shoe shelves

I also brought in a decorative ladder, I had once used as a towel rack in our old house, to use for heels. It's been a great little solution as it packs a lot of storage into a very small footprint.

organized closet - leaning ladder for shoe storage - organized heels

And I've already showed you this pegboard jewelry organizer I made to hang on the wall behind door.

jewelry organizer - organized closet

I brought the chair in to use as a step stool of sorts since this closet is tall, and I'm kind of short. I also like to set out my workout clothes on that chair, so I have no excuses when I wake up in the morning.

organized closet

closet organization

I like to outfit plan the night before, so I added a hook here to hang tomorrow's outfit. I'm not a morning person at all, so planning the night before is the key to making my morning routine run smoothly.

a hook for

Last but not least I brought in a few "pretties", all of which I already had.

find the printable here
organized closet

I really do believe that when you take the time to make a space pretty, even something as utilitarian as a closet, you will be 100 times more likely to keep it looking nice, clean and clutter free. At least that's how it seems to work in my house. And the big plus is that a closet is such a fun do-whatever-you-want space to play with your decorating as it's a space that is for your eyes only. I had fun girling this space up with accessories I already had. And since my hub has his own closet he doesn't mind. ;)



Are you still in organization mode? Or has the January organization inspiration already left the building for you?








Irish Water warns of scam email

Irish Water has warned that members of the public are being targeted by an online scam.


They say two fake emails are being sent around with the aim of collecting bank details.


Screen Shot 2016-01-25 at 15.58.17


The company is reminding people that it will never ask for financial information in an email.


Anyone who suspects they have been targeted should contact the Garda Fraud Bureau and change their Irish Water passwords immediately.


The post Irish Water warns of scam email appeared first on MyHome.ie Advice & Blog.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Are banks side-stepping Central Bank lending rules with offers?

We’re less than a month into the New Year and already two of the major lenders have unveiled new products to help people get a mortgage.


Both Bank of Ireland and Permanent TSB have been thinking outside the box in the last few weeks to release new initiatives encouraged at helping people onto the property ladder.


In both cases there is 2% cashback while in the case of Bank of Ireland there is major incentives for first-time buyers to save there.


Why are the banks being so generous? Because of the Central Bank lending rules, of course.


Introduced last February, the true effects of the Central Bank rules have only been felt in recent months as people, particularly in urban areas, struggle to save enough of a deposit to buy a home. Things haven’t been made easier by the fact that people are now limited to borrowing just 3.5 times their incomes and while the Central Bank would argue this makes economic and financial sense, for some the review promised by new governor Philip Lane in the coming months cannot come quick enough.


Just this week estate agents Douglas Newman Good (DNG) called for an adjustment of the mortgage lending rules.


DNG said it was in favour of the rules, but they should be altered to allow first-time buyers to borrow up to €300,000 without having to put together a larger deposit than 10pc.


At present new borrowers can have a 10pc deposit for amounts up to €220,000. For borrowings over that they need a 20pc deposit.


Brokers claim that up to 12,000 potential first-time buyers are stuck in "rent jail" as the limits mean they are unable to qualify for a mortgage.


DNG also wants a change in the rules to allow new buyers to qualify for a mortgage amount based on four times their income, and not 3.5 times.


At the moment a first-time buyer couple borrowing €300,000 would need a deposit of €38,000 and a combined income of at least €86,000.



  • Do you agree with the DNG proposals?

  • Are current bank offers bending the rules and will they have to be looked at by the Central Bank?

  • Is the impending review of the rules later this year putting you off buying temporarily?


Have your say below…


The post Are banks side-stepping Central Bank lending rules with offers? appeared first on MyHome.ie Advice & Blog.

Trip Report - Caribbean Cruise

As you may remember last Friday my family set out on a little 3 night Caribbean cruising adventure.

Trip Report - Royal Caribbean: Enchantment of the Seas

It was our very first cruise, and we all had a great time! Although I think 90% of the fun had to with the fact that we went on this cruise with 10 other families from our new neighborhood. One of my sweet new friends organized a group rate, and the timing was just perfect. Since this cruise would be happening just a few short weeks after the holidays, the hubs and I decided to gift the cruise to our kids for Christmas! I put together a gift bag for each of our kids filled with a couple of disposable cameras, a scrapbook, some stickers, a new bathing suit, sunglasses and flip flops. Then my friend and "cruise director" put together the cutest flyer with all the cruise information as well as a list of all the families that would be attending, and I added the flyer to each of their gift bags.

Cruise Gift Bags
Jelly Sandals, Bathing Suit - Nordstom Rack, Trunks - Target, Scrapbook & Sticker - Michael's

Admittedly 6 a.m. is not my best hour of the day, so on Christmas morning I didn't get any video of them jumping up and down screaming with delight. But I hope the memory of their shocked, surprised, excited faces stays locked away in my brain forever.

We cruised with Royal Caribbean on the Enchantment of the Seas. Now that we're home, bags are unpacked and I've had a chance to sit down and think, I'm sharing my first time cruiser's thoughts on our experience.

trip report - caribbean cruise
Kid's Coral Jelly Sandals, Women's Gold Jelly Sandals

I wasn't crazy about the food.
So as y'all know my family is gluten free. I'm happy to report that Royal Caribbean does have quite a few gluten free options in the buffet areas, dining room and on the room service menu. They had gluten free rolls at dinner, gluten free pancakes at breakfast and gluten free hamburger buns as well as gluten free pizza. My kids were pretty happy about all of that. However, the food in general just wasn't all that great. The service was wonderful. The food, as my husband so aptly described, was like banquet food. It wasn't bad at all, it just wasn't fantastic……just nothing to really write home about.

Weather and routing caused some issues.
We boarded Friday afternoon at Port Canaveral, Florida, which was a 6 hour drive for us from Charleston, so we drove in the night before and shuttled over from our hotel. Our original cruise itinerary called for CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island, on Saturday, and then we were supposed to stop in Nassau on Sunday. But a couple days before we boarded they changed the schedule and flopped those days which would have been fine except for the fact that the weather turned ugly, and we ended up not making it to CocoCay at all. This was a major bummer as we were all really excited about having a day on the beach in CocoCay. In addition the boat was pretty rocky as they were navigating around the storm. Thankfully no one in our party got sick, but they did put out the barf bags on all the stairwells just in case. The kids didn't seem to be bothered at all.

Was January a good time to cruise?
I think so, even despite our little blip with the weather. I don't think storms like that are very common in January, and the benefit of traveling after the holidays but during the winter months is that kids are back in school and the usual "vacation traffic" isn't an issue.

I wish we had taken full advantage of our Nassau Day.

Caribbean Cruise - Nassau  - Trip Report

Nassau is bright and colorful, and I enjoyed walking around just looking at all the buildings.
Caribbean Cruise - Nassau - Trip Report

However I think we made a mistake not scheduling any excursions for that day. My girl enjoyed getting a little hair wrap in the marketplace……….

Caribbean Cruise - Trip Report

but I think we should've taken advantage of the good weather we had that day and gone to the water park at Atlantis. But hindsight is always 20/20.

Irons aren't allowed on board.
I packed wrinkle resistant pieces and rolled them instead of folding them into my duffle bag.

packing for a caribbean cruise

Then as soon as we got to our room I hung all of my dresses and used my flat iron to smooth out the very few wrinkles that needed smoothing. On a side note - Y'all that striped swing tank was a Walmart find for ……..$4.97!

I'm glad we had a window, but next time I'd like a balcony.


It was really nice to have daylight streaming in through the window in our room. A friend of ours had a balcony and after seeing it I definitely want one next time we cruise. Waking up to that view and the ocean air with a hot cup of coffee in your hand just sounds dreamy doesn't it?

Things for kids to do on the ship?
Well, I was a little disappointed with the kids activities or rather lack there of on the Enchantment of the Seas, especially because the Enchantment is touted as family friendly. That being said my opinion is probably largely based on the fact that we never made it to CocoCay so we were on the ship for a lot of uninterrupted hours……..hours that we should have been spending on a white sand beach in the hot, hot sun. ;) The arcade area was kind of on the small side. There is a kids club (11 and under) and a teen club, and our kids did enjoy themselves very much. But I think that had a lot to do with the fact that they were with their friends. The Enchantment has a really cool bungee trampoline and rock climbing wall, though those activities are outside and were closed during the bad weather.

Adult entertainment?
The numerous shows and dance parties were all great fun. And our group most definitely enjoyed the karaoke as well as the piano bar. There are videos……….but you'd have to kill me first if you want to see them. ;)

I believe this was Wanted Dead or Alive……who doesn't love a little Bon Jovi? #chucktownrepresenting



Overall…….
We really did have an absolute blast! I'm not sure I'm a "cruiser" though, and I'm not sure if I could handle anything longer than 3 nights. Then again the bad weather we experienced has probably tainted my opinion. I'd love to try a Disney cruise someday…….because y'all know I'm a Disney fanatic. And after getting an up close look at the Disney Dream ship while we were in Nassau, it definitely looks like a good time! And I'd most definitely do another group cruise, without question, in a heartbeat. If you've never been on a big group vacation with friends I highly recommend it!

protecting the innocent ;)
And a cruise really is awesome for a big group as everyone can just kind of do their own thing and meet up at designated times (*walkie talkies make communicating really easy as there's no cell coverage), and a cruise offers something for every different kind of person. The guys congregated in the sports bar quite a bit, while the ladies did spa treatments or just laid by the pool. It really was a great vacation for a large party.

All in all I thought the Enchantment of the Seas was good. The service was fantastic throughout. The rooms were good, very clean. The kids really loved the towel animals house keeping left on the bed everyday. It was a good ship for a group and for a family. I just wish the food had been a little better, and that we would have made it to CocoCay. There were no consolations made in regards to us having to skip our stop there though I realize that the weather is completely out of their control. That being said, it would have been nice if they had offered a little something for that disappointing news ………but I guess weather could ruin a beach vacation anywhere.

Regardless we made the best of our vacation time, and we're so grateful for this amazing group of people that have welcomed our family in to their circle and made life in our new city so much fun! I know the kids thoroughly enjoyed vacationing with their new friends, and that's what made this trip all the more special for us.


Thank you, thank you, thank you to "Julie" our "Cruise Director" for planning, organizing and inviting us to join in on the fun! I'm so grateful to be your neighbor and friend! xxoo - C

Life in general would be no fun at all without my shipmate ( #seewhatididthere #couldnthelpmyself ) who has a way of making everything ridiculously hilarious.


Have you been on any cruises? Tell me about your experiences. What did you love? What did you not like? What's the best cruise you've ever been on? I've literally had that song Cruisin' stuck in my brain for weeks now, and I'm so surprised no one sang that during karaoke. #iloveitwhenwerecruisintogether

Looking for more vacation reports?