Karen’s Opinion

I find myself laughing to myself when a customer comes into our store to pick out new flooring and complains about the color of their “old” appliances. They haven’t seen old until they have stepped into my kitchen! I have harvest gold appliances. They are the appliances that came with the house when we moved here in 1981.

Things are going to change!

My oven died. Parts cannot be found. Woo hoo! While I did not want the expense of buying a new stove at this time, I am happy to say good-bye to harvest gold appliances! I am so excited!

In my backyard

We all like our things. We have books, collectibles, and various odds and ends tucked into every nook and cranny of our households, yet the space these items consume isn’t always as appreciated as the items are themselves. As said before, we like our things, we just don’t always like them all over the place.
A basement doesn’t just have to be used for storing holiday decorations and seasonal clothing, and if you’re like me and live in the Midwest, you want your basement free and clear in case of inclement weather. A garage doesn’t have to be solely for boxes of keepsakes either – it can actually fit your cars freeing you from hot seats in the summer and iced windows in the winter. To free these areas, as well as closets and utility rooms, of additional clutter consider renting a self storage unit or building a storage shed.
Renting a storage unit from a self storage facility can be a great way to reclaim storage areas within your home. These units vary in size usually ranging from 5×5 to 15×20, and can be used for anything from basic possessions to family heirlooms. Many Missouri wine enthusiasts have even begun using self storage units for wine cellars. You can rent a climate controlled unit, which actually make these better than storing in your basement, as they won’t allow items prone to growing mold and mildew do so. Self storage units are also relatively inexpensive and generally won’t cost over $40 a month for a 5×5 unit.
For those who would like to keep their possessions still within arm’s reach, they always have the option of building a storage shed on their property. These are great buildings and often come prefabricated from home improvement stores. If you choose to build one from your own design, you can also build it to have a dual purpose such as storage and a work space or plant potting area. However, before you choose to build, check with your local city government office for any permits that may need to be required as well as your local neighborhood association as many have restrictions on the types of building materials that may be used.
There is no reason to sacrifice space within your own home simply to keep old baby clothes, holiday decorations, or family heirlooms. Both storage shed and storage units provide affordable options to help you reduce clutter and free up space so that you can even turn your basement into the entertainment area you always wanted or your garage, well, back into a garage.

Why is it, whenever I tackle a project, the whole house becomes a disaster. I painted my sewing room and thankfully, my husband decided that the old carpet needed to be replaced.

This is the room while he is putting in the carpet.

Here is the guest bedroom with all the stuff from the sewing room piled in it. I cannot wait to get this mess put back where it goes.

My flower gardens are blooming as if it were August. That is when they usually get full and looks their best. We had so much rain in June that they are a month ahead of schedule. It would be alright to have them in full bloom now if not for the fact that some of them think it is fall. They are already drying up and going to seed. It is so sad. I cut down the dried stalks and was happy to see that this late bloomer is looking very pretty. It is called gray feather.