I love Christmas lights. As you know from reading my blog, I love everything that makes my home beautiful. Making my home beautiful ranges from planting spring bulbs to putting up Christmas lights. I put at least one string of these lights up every year depending upon my mood. If energetic and organized many strings of Christmas lights illuminate my house.
I remember with fondness the ordeal of the Christmas lights of my youth. If one bulb was burnt out the entire string wouldn't work. We would spend a few hours every year testing the lights and replacing the older burnt out bulbs. These older strings of lights were heavy and putting them up was a delicate procedure. Should the string of Christmas lights slip from your hand and bang the house or ground, you were liable to break a bulb or "jar" a bulb to sleep and you would have to investigate the entire string again. Once the the lights were finally attached to the gutter, they were a sight to behold.
Fixing Christmas lights these days couldn't be easier. I actually came across a hand held "light fixer" while doing a search on Amazon. There was also a small tester. I put in the ad for the "fixer" below.
The standard Christmas lights were red and green. However, before I was too old there were blue and yellow and white Christmas lights. Our family always had a string of multi-colored lights which ran the width of the house along the rain gutter. Sometimes the shrubs beneath were adorned with a a rambly string of lights. Secretly, I thought the houses with solid blue or green lights looked more sophisticated. Families with the excellent good fortune of having a conical shaped evergreen tree growing in their front lawns made the outside Christmas trees. For 50 weeks per year I was happy we had a large climbable maple on our front lawn but for a few weeks per year I wished things might be different.
These days Christmas lights trends seem to change every year. Some trends I adore for the first year and then subsequently loathe (Christmas icicle lights). In general I prefer the more subtle Christmas lights trends and always studiously avoid the "Santa on the roof" displays.
A big breakthrough in Christmas lighting is the LED lights. These lights are light weight, last forever, are extremely durable, and require very little energy. The cost of these lights has decreased dramatically over the past few years. I currently own at least 6-8 strings of these lights. Sadly, I have not properly labeled which ones are indoor Christmas lights and which are outdoor Christmas lights. I really do not recall which are which. I have two large boxes of these lights and I suppose I should pull them out in the next few days to look for hints as to their identities.
For me, Christmas lighting is a joy. I look forward to the weekend that we put our lights on the house. I also really look forward to strolling around the neighborhood looking at the Christmas lights of my neighbors.
Monday 30 November 2009
Wednesday 16 September 2009
Planting Spring Bulbs in the Fall
Planting spring bulbs in the fall is my only consolation that summer is over. Earlier today I was certain that I would spend the today attacking closet organization. My motivation was weak at best and it totally dissolved when I remembered that I had purchased some daffodil bulbs at the hardware store this past weekend. The day was really too nice to spend inside so i made a token stab at organizing my front hall closet and then I changed into my gardening pants and clogs.
Although my yard is full of dormant bulbs that will surprise and delight me in the spring, each year I add a few more. I don't need to but I love the ritual. It's relaxing and exciting at the same time. It's like planting buried treasure. Every spring I make a few notes about what areas might need a few new bulbs and every fall I plant 1-2 dozen new bulbs.
A few years ago I gave up on tulips. If the tulip bulbs survive the squirrels and deer, they only tend to last a year or two. The beauty of the first year is not worth the funny sight of a lone stubborn tulip coming up year after year. Some people have better luck with tulips and their garden's are lovely. I have had poor luck with tulips and I have given up.
Of all the spring bulbs, my favorite is the daffodil. It is pretty, resilient, unappetizing to squirrels, and it multiplies. I believe daffodils are the bulbs that provide the most value for your dollar. As a result I always tend to add daffodils every fall. Of course, I don't limit myself to daffodils. I also try to plant a small patch of a new type of bulb each year. If the new variety of bulb works well I add to it the following year. I have not yet chosen the "new" bulb for 2009.
The soil in my garden is fairly rich. I compost regularly and try to amend the soil every year. That being said I never plant a bulb without a pinch of blood meal and bone meal. The blood meal keeps animals away and the bone meal gives it an energy kick in subsequent years.
The internet is a wealth of information on planting spring bulbs. Certain bulbs need sun, others will fair ok in the shade. Some spring bulbs can be planted in September while others do better if planted just before the first hard freeze. I am attaching a link to the BBC site on planting bulbs .
Once you start planting spring bulbs you will be hooked. It is a fun and inexpensive hobby and it pays out in beautiful dividends in the springtime. I find that planting bulbs is all about being house proud.
Although my yard is full of dormant bulbs that will surprise and delight me in the spring, each year I add a few more. I don't need to but I love the ritual. It's relaxing and exciting at the same time. It's like planting buried treasure. Every spring I make a few notes about what areas might need a few new bulbs and every fall I plant 1-2 dozen new bulbs.
A few years ago I gave up on tulips. If the tulip bulbs survive the squirrels and deer, they only tend to last a year or two. The beauty of the first year is not worth the funny sight of a lone stubborn tulip coming up year after year. Some people have better luck with tulips and their garden's are lovely. I have had poor luck with tulips and I have given up.
Of all the spring bulbs, my favorite is the daffodil. It is pretty, resilient, unappetizing to squirrels, and it multiplies. I believe daffodils are the bulbs that provide the most value for your dollar. As a result I always tend to add daffodils every fall. Of course, I don't limit myself to daffodils. I also try to plant a small patch of a new type of bulb each year. If the new variety of bulb works well I add to it the following year. I have not yet chosen the "new" bulb for 2009.
The soil in my garden is fairly rich. I compost regularly and try to amend the soil every year. That being said I never plant a bulb without a pinch of blood meal and bone meal. The blood meal keeps animals away and the bone meal gives it an energy kick in subsequent years.
The internet is a wealth of information on planting spring bulbs. Certain bulbs need sun, others will fair ok in the shade. Some spring bulbs can be planted in September while others do better if planted just before the first hard freeze. I am attaching a link to the BBC site on planting bulbs .
Once you start planting spring bulbs you will be hooked. It is a fun and inexpensive hobby and it pays out in beautiful dividends in the springtime. I find that planting bulbs is all about being house proud.
Front Hall Closet Organization
Closet organization in the fall months is a good idea. It's at this time of the year that summer jackets get replaced by winter jackets and golf clubs replace the skis in the corner of the basement. The end of summer can be melancholic at the best of times so I generally put off this chore until the last minute. This is not a job I enjoy but it is a part of being House Proud .This year is slightly different. Our schedule will have us busy and out of the country for a good part of the autumn and therefore I must address the annual end of summer closet clean out by the end of September.
The easiest way to start the task is to take one day and package up every jacket, sweater, and/or pair of shoes that are clearly worn out or clearly too small. Sometimes this simple task isn't as well received as you might think. I often find it best to do this task while I am alone. Into the mix I add everything that is broken or useless including broken kites and soft tennis balls. Again, there can be vigorous debate on what constitutes an item being broken enough to be discarded. Sometimes I win and sometimes I lose.
I generally start to organize the front hall closet first. This closet is the nerve center of the house in a manner of speaking. If certain items that are expected to be there fail to be there (just as the bus is about to arrive) then a state of crisis is about to ensue and pandemonium breaks lose. Although it is not my responsibility to return the belongings of other members of the family to the front hall closet my life is easier when I return the errant sneaker or odd pair of gloves. This is the only closet that MUST have an end of summer over haul. Other closets should also be addressed at this time of the year but failure to clean and organize other closets is not catastrophic.
A few years ago I discover the miracle of plastic storage bins. With this discovery my closet organizational techniques catapulted light years forward. My current favorite are the clear hopper bins with different colour lids. Each family member has their own hopper bin in the front hall closet and there is an additional hopper bin for the family in general. Each person having their own plastic storage bin allows them to take ownership of their belongings. This system works marvelously.
As a blogger, I make an effort to read what others are writing online. I have picked up lots of hints over the years. I really wonder how I coped before the internet. One site on closet cleaning and organization that I cam across recently is full of lots of great ideas about closet cleaning and closet organization. Although they don't post as often as I would like when the closet organizers do post their information is wonderful.
Enough writing on closet organization, I should now start to organize my front hall closet.
The easiest way to start the task is to take one day and package up every jacket, sweater, and/or pair of shoes that are clearly worn out or clearly too small. Sometimes this simple task isn't as well received as you might think. I often find it best to do this task while I am alone. Into the mix I add everything that is broken or useless including broken kites and soft tennis balls. Again, there can be vigorous debate on what constitutes an item being broken enough to be discarded. Sometimes I win and sometimes I lose.
I generally start to organize the front hall closet first. This closet is the nerve center of the house in a manner of speaking. If certain items that are expected to be there fail to be there (just as the bus is about to arrive) then a state of crisis is about to ensue and pandemonium breaks lose. Although it is not my responsibility to return the belongings of other members of the family to the front hall closet my life is easier when I return the errant sneaker or odd pair of gloves. This is the only closet that MUST have an end of summer over haul. Other closets should also be addressed at this time of the year but failure to clean and organize other closets is not catastrophic.
A few years ago I discover the miracle of plastic storage bins. With this discovery my closet organizational techniques catapulted light years forward. My current favorite are the clear hopper bins with different colour lids. Each family member has their own hopper bin in the front hall closet and there is an additional hopper bin for the family in general. Each person having their own plastic storage bin allows them to take ownership of their belongings. This system works marvelously.
As a blogger, I make an effort to read what others are writing online. I have picked up lots of hints over the years. I really wonder how I coped before the internet. One site on closet cleaning and organization that I cam across recently is full of lots of great ideas about closet cleaning and closet organization. Although they don't post as often as I would like when the closet organizers do post their information is wonderful.
Enough writing on closet organization, I should now start to organize my front hall closet.
Thursday 9 July 2009
Fun Stories About Some Spring Bulbs
While I was searching for some pictures of daffodils I cam across a few bits of history or mythology that pertain to some of my favorite springtime bulbs. Although these stories have nothing specifically to do with being house proud, they are fun nonetheless. I have repeated some of the most interesting facts below.
Apparently, my favorite daffodils were brought to the United Kingdom by the Romans. At the time the Romans thought that the nectar from daffodils had special healing powers. This is a bit strange as it is now commonly known that the sap from daffodils can have an irritating effect on exposed skin. The sap doesn't bother me much but if you are going to be handling many cut daffodils you might want to wear gloves,
The official botanical name for daffodils is narcissus. Greek mythology provides the root of this name. According to mythology, there was a young Greek named Narcissus who was entirely full of himself. A nymph called Echo was in love with him, but Narcissus cruelly ended the relationship. Heartbroken she hid in a cave and later died alone. After her death, Narcissus saw his face in a pool of water, and as he leaned over to get a better view, he fell in, drowned and became the flower.
According to Greek mythology the hyacinth flowering bulb got its name from a young boy named Hyacinth was suddenly killed when a discus hit him in the head. The boy lay dieing in the arms of the God Apollo who was wailing in sadness. As the boy died a flower began to grow from the cut on his head. Some hyacinths apparently have a letter-like pattern on their petals which look like the "A" in Greek which some say stands for Apollo. I say apparently as I have never seen this pattern and I will have to wait until 2010 to check in my garden.
Hyacinths came to Germany from Turkey and then spread across the continent of Europe. A German doctor named collected samples of hyacinths when he visited Turkey in 1573 and brought them back to Germany. By the early 1700s hyacinths were wildly popular with thousands of varieties available.
According to ancient mythology, the Greek Gods Zeus & Hera loved one another so passionately and completely that the land where they lived became spontaneously littered with crocuses.
Crocuses were thought to have been brought to the United Kingdom from France and them spread across the rest of Europe and then later to North America. However, much like the hyacinth, my guess is that Greek mythology places their origin in Greece.
These are lovely stories and a wee bit of history about the spring flowering bulbs that help me be house proud.
Wednesday 8 July 2009
Spring Bulbs
Be house proud by adding some outside colour to your springtime garden. To me not much is as exciting as watching my spring bulbs take on a life of their own. The colourful display starts in the middle of April and continues through until the end of June. During this period my garden changes from small dots of purple to areas of yellow to shades of red and then back to large flashes of purple. And the best thing about spring bulbs is that the beauty tends to multiply.
My first hint of spring are the hundreds of crocuses that poke their pretty heads through the melting snow and ice. Although crocuses are a favorite treat of squirrels I have managed to keep 30 or 40 returning every spring. Of course, this means I need to replenish from time to time.
The crocuses are accompanied by sweet little snow drops and some blue and white sqills. After the smaller bulbs are finishing the first act, the daffodils take over. Daffodils are my favorite of all spring bulbs for many reasons. They are durable and they multiply and spread faster than other types of bulbs which makes them a great investment. After a few years 7 daffodils can easily become a patch of 20 daffodils. Perhaps the feature I like best about daffies is that squirrels do not appear to like them much. This means that all of my hard work will be rewarded year after year.
There are literally hundreds of different types of daffodils. Some are yellow, some are white, some are orange, and some are pink. Others like my favorite variety called Tahiti are yellow with orange centres. Some varietals are miniatures that only reach about 6 inches while others are considered giants and almost reach 2 feet tall. The other wonderful aspect of daffodils is that different types bloom at different times during the spring. These are characterized as early, mid, or late bloomers. If planned properly a single yard can have a succession of different colours blooming at different points of the Spring with just using daffodils.
My other favorites include muscari and hyacinths and tulips and iris. Muscari and Irises are unappetizing to squirrels and multiply wildly which is a double benefit. A bed of combined yellow daffodils and purple muscari is beautiful. Hyacinths are very pretty and have a wonderful and unmistakable aroma. Tulips can be breathtaking but are prone to being squirrel lunch.
You will be rewarded by any bulb you decide to plant. The best time to plant bulbs is in late September to late October. Some types of tulips can be safely planted right up until the first hard frost of November. To give your bulbs a bit of energy for subsequent blooming in years to come add a pinch of bone meal to the planting hole. to give the bulb some protection from deer, squirrels and other bulb eating marauders also add a pinch of blood meal to the planting hole.
Spring bulbs are a wonderful way of showing your neighbors and your community that you care about your environment and are house proud.
Thursday 2 July 2009
I Am House Proud
I am house proud and have been so for a while. When I say "house proud" I mean a number of different things. I mean that I take a serious interest in how my house presents and I spend a lot of my free time arranging things in my house. Arranging things in my house is not work to the "house proud" it is a hobby.
I wasn't always this way. I went to university. I lived in a dump. I did not find any relaxation in cleaning and so I just didn't do much of it. It wasn't until, as an adult, my mother bought me some gift certificates with a cleaning service that I became house proud. I also retained the services of a cleaning lady on an ongoing basis and that helps.
Pride in your house can start with some small projects and expand into other areas. Start with organizing your front hall cupboard. that is an easy and logical place to start. Or maybe start with organizing your dishes. Start with matching dishes and add some special linen napkins.
Or start with some houseplants or some outside perennials. Spring bulbs are well worth the effort. Planting some inexpensive spring bulbs will reward you year after year. You can also force some spring bulbs inside over the winter months. Once forced the bulbs can't be forced again but they can be planted outside where nature will help them find their natural schedule.
Start small. If your initial house proud project is too overwhelming you will abort the task.
Whatever, you start with there are two exceeding important first steps. Without taking these two crucial first steps the journey to house pride will be arduous. The first step is to de-clutter your house. Start with your closets and then move on to the other areas of your house. This is a big task and will need to be done over several weekends. The aim is to get rid of approximately 20-25% of your clutter. Of course, this can't be done all at once. This task will need to be repeated every six to eight months over a few years. During the first effort aim to get rid of 5-10% of your clutter. Remember you will never be "house proud" if you are surrounded by junk.
The next step is to clean, clean, clean. Clean everything. Clean places likes the inside of closets that you do not normally clean. Take everything off shelves and dust thoroughly. Dust of of you lamp shades and light fixtures. Wash every wall. Launder all of your blankets and pillow covers. Steam clean all of your upholstered furniture and carpets. Empty everything from your fridge and give it a good scrub. Scrub your oven. Again, this task can't be done in one day. To do a thorough cleaning you should try to devote 4 solid hours over every weekend for at least a month. The first time you do the turbo-cleaning will be the most difficult and time consuming. Once everything is sparkling it is much easier to keep clean.
Once you have your house de-clutter and sparkling clean you can start being house proud. As I said at the beginning of this piece start small but the most important thing is to start. So get going with organizing your front hall closet .
I wasn't always this way. I went to university. I lived in a dump. I did not find any relaxation in cleaning and so I just didn't do much of it. It wasn't until, as an adult, my mother bought me some gift certificates with a cleaning service that I became house proud. I also retained the services of a cleaning lady on an ongoing basis and that helps.
Pride in your house can start with some small projects and expand into other areas. Start with organizing your front hall cupboard. that is an easy and logical place to start. Or maybe start with organizing your dishes. Start with matching dishes and add some special linen napkins.
Or start with some houseplants or some outside perennials. Spring bulbs are well worth the effort. Planting some inexpensive spring bulbs will reward you year after year. You can also force some spring bulbs inside over the winter months. Once forced the bulbs can't be forced again but they can be planted outside where nature will help them find their natural schedule.
Start small. If your initial house proud project is too overwhelming you will abort the task.
Whatever, you start with there are two exceeding important first steps. Without taking these two crucial first steps the journey to house pride will be arduous. The first step is to de-clutter your house. Start with your closets and then move on to the other areas of your house. This is a big task and will need to be done over several weekends. The aim is to get rid of approximately 20-25% of your clutter. Of course, this can't be done all at once. This task will need to be repeated every six to eight months over a few years. During the first effort aim to get rid of 5-10% of your clutter. Remember you will never be "house proud" if you are surrounded by junk.
The next step is to clean, clean, clean. Clean everything. Clean places likes the inside of closets that you do not normally clean. Take everything off shelves and dust thoroughly. Dust of of you lamp shades and light fixtures. Wash every wall. Launder all of your blankets and pillow covers. Steam clean all of your upholstered furniture and carpets. Empty everything from your fridge and give it a good scrub. Scrub your oven. Again, this task can't be done in one day. To do a thorough cleaning you should try to devote 4 solid hours over every weekend for at least a month. The first time you do the turbo-cleaning will be the most difficult and time consuming. Once everything is sparkling it is much easier to keep clean.
Once you have your house de-clutter and sparkling clean you can start being house proud. As I said at the beginning of this piece start small but the most important thing is to start. So get going with organizing your front hall closet .
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