Category: At Home

Beat the Heat

No, I’m not talking about the NBA… which I could care less about, although all of my cousins in Oklahoma were all hyped up on the Thunder. Sports… yay, right? 

Anyway, I’m still going through our vacation photos. I should be in a place where I can get a post ready for tomorrow about the first part of our trip (I’m going to break it into three posts). Today I’m just going to reflect on how HOT it is compared to last week in Europe! Last week we were relaxing in the nice-if-a-little-chilly low 70s. Fast forward to Kansas in late June and we are anticipating a week of 100+ degree temps. Don’t just take my word for it:

Growing up in California I am no stranger to heat. I am a stranger to the humidity, however, and it makes it all the more oppressive. Now, those of you in the legit South, I do not envy you as your humidity is WAY worse than what we’re experiencing here.

Anyway: here are my tips on beating the heat:

  • Go to work. Let them pay for the air conditioning.
  • Go to the mall/library/coffee shop/etc. See above.
  • At home, keep all blinds/shutters/curtains closed. While I get depressed living in a dark home, this is my #1 way to keep AC costs down. Keep the hot sun out!
  • Ceiling fans. I know HGTV wants you to banish them all to a corner of hell, they are useful for circulating the air and actually keeping the room cool. Imagine that. Also, before turning it on for the first time this season (who am I kidding, mine have been going for months) use this handy tip which is actually very easy and prevents sneeze attacks!
  • Cold beverages!
  • Limited clothing!  Okay, so I won’t be wearing my bikini around the house (mostly because I don’t have one). But tank tops and gym shorts are star players here.
  • Make friends with someone who has a pool. We recently have done this…. :D

Contemplating the “keep the curtains closed” tip, I have one window that for whatever reason gets WAY hotter than the rest. Contemplating getting a thicker blackout curtain for just the one. Wish I’d thought of if last Friday when they were on sale at Target….

Got any tips to add? I would add “hang out in the basement” if mine were finished, but alas, it still gives me me major heebie jeebies. 

Stick a Fork in it

It’s done. The front yard, that is. It’s done for the year.

Last time we talked, I had discovered the beautification properties of mulch.

One plant that we had bought last fall died over the winter, and a replacement plant we’d put in its place is also on its way to the big garden in the sky. The replacement plant was meant to be in part sun, not full sun, but when we bought it it didn’t have one of those tags stuck in the soil so it was a mystery plant. Anyway we’ve successfully killed it, I think.

So. our flowerbed was looking like this–don’t mind the pale shirtless guy who dreamed of getting a tan only to notice that our workspace was totally shady:

The right side is doing GREAT! The left side (under the window) had a sad empty section.

Thanks to a sale at a plant shop in walking distance from us, we picked up two butterfly bushes (one of my mom’s favorites) and brought them home. A quick trip to Wal-Mart got us two good sized terra cotta planters, which are not a perfect match to the tile roof, but they are orange clay so they will do for now. The repotting process took about ten minutes (minus the Wal-Mart run) and the plants will have some good space to grow. Once they outgrow the pots they’ll go in the ground.

Now the front of the house is (finally!) balanced out, as far as fullness of plants, and color (more or less). And with that, I’m done messing with the front yard.

Except I just might get a potted plant for the walk-up.

PS: We got this done weeks ago but didn’t want to advertise what the front of our house looks like since we were heading out on vacation–house on the internet + gone for two weeks = wouldn’t have been a very smart move.

I will start next week full speed with a recap from our trip!  

Dorm Room Decor

Hey, youngster. I know your graduation party is coming up and you’re gonna have some money burning a hole in your pocket. Did you know that dorm rooms are boring, personality-less spaces? With white walls and tile floors? Well, they are… unless you use your graduation money to spruce things up! Better yet, stretch your dollars as far as they can go by shopping exclusively in the clearance section! 

That’s right, I placed a random and completely unnecessary parameter on my inspiration board. Everything pictured is on sale at Urban Outfitters. RIGHT NOW! Which means that it won’t be terribly long until these links are obsolete, I admit this. I believe that you, future Dean’s List scholar, can figure out how to do the same with other clearance objects in the future. (Note: I was not perked by UO to shop specifically on the one site. I just felt like it.)

All of these items can be pictured for less than $200 total.

  • Save yourself a ton of money and stuff your current well-worn comforter into this new Diamond Stamp Duvet Cover instead of buying a whole new set. Now you have more money for video games textbooks. $29.99.
  • This sweet cream-colored crochet curtain can help add a bit of warmth and texture to your sterile white abode. $39.99.
  • You know what’s expensive? Rugs. You know what’s cold? Tile. Use this budget-priced 60″ round rug (a pretty good size) to protect your delicate feet from the icy floor. $39.99
  • Think outside the box. This cute bike basket can be strapped around a wood slat on your standard-issue dorm bed and act as a bedside table, since finding a bedside table 3+ feet tall is… not easy. What? You haven’t lofted your bed yet? Kid, that is the surefire way to create more floor space for hanging out and watching Netflix doing homework. Get on it. $34.99.
  • Lastly, get a couple of cool prints to put on the wall. The light one comes already framed–isn’t that nice? $9.99 and $19.99.

Okay, now that I think about it… I want all of this stuff for my place! 

Please share with your favorite high school grad.