Greetings!
|
 There's a saying that home is where the heart is, that when you are with the people or at the place you love most, it becomes your true home. The kitchen in many ways is the heart of our homes. We prepare our food there, eat there and we all know that's where people gather when entertaining.
As we approach this holiday season, let me share ideas about:
- Sprucing Up Your Kitchen
- Eating Family Dinners at Home
- Building Strong Communities
- ... and some holiday specials
I've found that by simplifying my life, I'm able to accomplish more and enjoy those experiences that provide lasting memories of those we love. Happy Holidays to each and everyone of you!
Tina Gleisner, My Handyman of Southern NH
|
Sprucing Up Your Kitchen
|
The holidays are wonderful and for those who love winter sports like skiing and skating, we hope to spend quality time outdoors. For most people though, winter is when you spend more time indoors and you'd like to make the most of it.
Here are ideas for making your kitchen your favorite room, a place where you want to gather with family and friends, or relax alone. For Do-It-Yourself (DIYs) folks, many of these projects can be done on a snowy weekend if you have the tools and experience. Others prefer to delegate or just "want to get it done now," and that is the perfect time to call My Handyman. Some customers call us to finish projects they started but are unable complete.
- Light is especially important during the winter. You can add more light with stronger light bulbs (make sure the fixture can handle this), increasing the number of fixtures in the room or adding/enlarging windows to let more natural light in.
- Color via paint plays an important role in setting the mood of any room. There are tools on the web to help you evaluate which colors work best for you. For example, Benjamin Moore offers a color visualizer so you can try colors out online or at home.
 - Texture using countertops is another way to dress up your kitchen. Choices range from inexpensive laminates to composites like Corian to granite, to fit each family's budget and lifestyle. The trend these days includes mixing different cabinets and/or countertops so you've got lots of choices.
- Cabinets can be dressed up with new hardware (My Handyman has done this numerous times) or you can replace doors and drawer fronts, which makes good sense when you have solid wood cabinets in good condition.
- Storage can be functional and creative. Ideas include an extra shelf over the sink to a window seat or decorative chest for children's toys or a magnetic bulletin board for all the paperwork cluttering up your countertops.
- Excitement can be added with an exciting backsplash that introduces more color and texture through the use of tile, stainless steel or tin panels. Tin paneling is also being applied to ceilings much like they existed a hundred years ago.
What's important is identifying the functions that your kitchen must satisfy from cooking to entertaining to children's homework and crafts. I like the way Joan Kohn defines Function: One of the Five Building Blocks of Kitchen Design (an excerpt from her book found at HGTV).
|
Eating Family Dinners at Home
|
In today's chaotic world, family dinner time can provide a needed break
for everyone. It is an opportunity to stay in touch, join in problem
solving that teaches teamwork, build independent thinkers who have the
opportunity to express their opinions and teach our children the value
of caring by showing that there are people who love and care about each
other.
So why are so many families skipping this valuable
time? Do we lack the time to plan and prepare meals? Maybe your kitchen
isn't a fun place in which to work? Here's an opportunity to rethink
your priorities and return to a routine of family dinners. Here are some new services in our community to help your family eat healthy meals at home.
Dream Dinners - provides a new and novel concept. Meal planning starts by logging onto their web site and selecting the dinners you like from their monthly menu. Meal preparation is streamlined - you visit their store once a month, take a month's worth of dinners home and freeze them until you're ready to cook. To learn more ...
Personal Chefs - are another new service for those too busy to plan and prepare healthy meals. Like Dream Dinners, they provide an alternative to eating out which can help busy families spend more time together.
Personal chefs generally bill on an hourly basis or per meal and
sometimes offer a "package" of meals per week
or month. I recently held an open house and Meg Ooders, owner of The Dinner Belle, provided a wonderful assortment of finger deserts.
There are lots of solutions to simplify our lives - the key is finding them and using them. For more inspiration, What's for Dinner, has lots of great ideas and don't forget that an added benefit is Family Dinner Linked to Better Grades for Teens. |
Building Strong Communities
|
As the holidays approach, the pressure to buy gifts increases. When you consider how much stress this adds to our normally hectic lifestyles, it is not surprising that most people spend more than they planned, often for gifts that will be forgotten in a matter of days or weeks.
We have many choices at this time of year. Some gifts only benefit the recipient while others contribute more lasting results by helping build something bigger, something that benefits more than one person. Here are ideas to create lasting memories for the ones you love while supporting and building stronger communities:
|
|
