New Home, New Challenges

 Does anyone else have a love/hate (mostly love!) relationship with the new challenges that a new home brings?

The sweet couple who lived in our new-to-us home were elderly and had some, shall I say, more elderly taste.

That bathroom!  That foyer wallpaper!  Lucky for us, unfortunate shower curtains can be replaced, and good friends can be called to help with outdated wall treatments and dingy walls.

What are your most/least favorite things about moving into a new house?

Halloween Wear

 I love Halloween (not in dark way), and I try to incorporate it into every facet of life: Halloween dish towels, Halloween tumblers, decorations, candy, etc.  One way I'm not, however, going to incorporate Halloween into my life is Halloween clothes.  I just don't think I'm the type of gal who can pull off an orange turtleneck, pumpkin earrings, black cat sweater.  Some people can rock it in the office workplace, but I'm not one of those people.

Maybe it's because I work in an office.  You know what field has leeway to really celebrate the holidays? The medical field!  Look at these awesome Halloween scrub prints from Blue Sky Scrubs!

Blue Sky Scrubs, LLC, was created by Shelby Marquardt.  As a medical student in Houston, she realized that most scrubs weren't made to fit well or be stylish, and she didn't enjoy wearing them during her long hours in the operating room as an anesthesiology resident.

Blue Sky offers a variety of men's, women's, unisex, and kids' scrubs in rewearable and disposable options.  They have several durable and stylish collections, and they also offer scrub hats, lab coats, uniforms, under-scrub shirts, soft-shell jackets, and polos.  Other medical professional needs are available such as lanyards for badges.  In administration?  They offer bulk ordering for hospitals!  Also be sure to check out their sale section!  They offer free shipping on orders of $155 or more! You're sure to find a style and color/pattern that meets your needs.

 Celebrate holidays in comfort and style!








*Brought to you by your friends at Blue Sky Scrubs.

What's Growing?

We had a very unusual cold snap in April that stymied the growing season here and got us off to a slow start, but started we finally have here in southern Mississippi!

 

The squash are stretching their legs.

 

 The zinnias are reaching for the sky.

The wild petunia I transplanted from Georgia is showing it's pretty face.

And the tomatoes are basking in the sun.


Are you growing anything in your spring garden?


 
 

I Love Cats

It's no secret.

I love cats. 

 

They adorn my house in many forms.

Always smiling.

 

I love this happy black cat I got on my honeymoon in Costa Rica.

And this cute "Smart Cats" bottle.

Some more cute kitties, including even more Costa Rican cats!

I love this kitty particularly because it reminds me of my own real live kitty, who also wears a bell (and who chewed on the ear of his wooden counterpart).  

 

Love cats.

Love him.

Calgary Real Estate

My husband and I have been toying around lately with the idea of moving.  This means that we have been looking at a lot of real estate sites.  A lot of real estate sites. The good, the bad, and the ugly.  Some are great and give you just what you are looking for, and some are not worth our time for a variety of reasons.

A good example of what a real estate site should be is the site of realtor Cliff Stevenson.  He deals in Calgary real estate and his site reflects a well run business.  After having perused many, many real estate sites, Mr. Stevenson's website is really great and meets what my husband and I expect in a good real estate site.  And it never hurts to have a site like this one that's well laid out with flattering colors and designs!


1.  Ease of use.  Many real estate sites (and websites in general, for that matter) and set up in very disorderly fashions.  This site, however, has the information clients would want to search for, such as price, area, property features, and all are clearly labelled. 

2.  Number of listings and current listings.   It's frustrating to peruse a real estate site only to find that there are few listings shown online or that the listings have not been updated in several months.  It's important to keep listings current to attract potential customers and disseminate information to them. 

3. Contact info.  This website gives you many ways to contact the realtor.  It gives you not just the conventional ways such as phone or email but various forms of social media, which is really important today!

 Mr. Stevenson's website will definitely stand out among the sites of other Calgary real estate agents.  If you're in the area and looking for properties, be sure and visit.

Out with the Old, As They Say!

Everything with spring seems to be new....even things on this blog! 

You may have noticed the title has changed--from "Till Death Do Us Part" to simply "Homestead."  In the time I've been blogging, my focus has shifted quite a bit as I've gone from a newlywed to an "old" married woman of nearly three years!

I so enjoy posting recipes and pet stories and giveaways and some tips here and there, so I'd love if you kept joining me.

Out with the old, in with the new!

Spring Cleaning Tips

Some people dread cleaning of any kind.  I love it.  I spring clean.  In fact, I fall, winter, and summer clean as well.

But, there's something about the newness of sping that makes me want to have everything be especially fresh, especially in order.

Are you that way at all?

I had a bit of a spring cleaning challenge at work.  We had a particularly disorderly closet to tackle.  Yikes! 

I've heard it said that "Clutter is just delayed decisions."  That's definitely true for me.  Once I start hem-hawing around about what I should keep or where I should put something, the moutains of "stuff" begin to accumulate.

Here's how I rifle through my own "stuff" during spring cleaning and keep it from taking over my corner of the universe!

1. Be honest.  If you haven't worn/used/thought about it in years, chances are, you don't need it now.  Be honest with yourself--you can probably let it go.

2. Be decisive.  Don't delay the decision for later (that's how the clutter started in the first place!).  If it's something you indeed need to keep, find a place for it immediately, and put it away.  Either way, make a decision now.  And see #1.

3. Be diligent.  Even though spring cleaning can feel like tons of work (which it sometimes truly is), stay the course.  Work begun is half done, as the old saying goes, so stick with it!  You'll be glad if you do.

4.  Maintain order.  This is key to avoid the mess you've just eliminated.  Whether you've just cleaned a closet, laundry room, garage, or living space, implement a system to keep things orderly.  Use storage bins, crates, shoe boxes, shelving, or other organizational tools to keep things in their place.  Throughout the year, maintain the order you've created, and next year's spring cleaning will be a breeze!